Porn-Watching Employee Infected Government Networks With Russian Malware, IG Says
From the post:
…
The agency’s inspector general traced the malicious software to a single unnamed USGS employee, who reportedly used a government-issued computer to visit some 9,000 adult video sites, according to a report published Oct. 17.
Many of the prohibited pages were linked to Russian websites containing malware, which was ultimately downloaded to the employee’s computer and used to infiltrate USGS networks, auditors found. The investigation found the employee saved much of the pornographic material on an unauthorized USB drive and personal Android cellphone, both of which were connected to their computer against agency protocols.
…
Many people breathed a sigh of relief when it was reported the USGS staff used their computer:
…to visit some 9,000 adult video site, …
They hadn’t visited 9,000 adult video sites and that’s a lot of sites, assuming you had other job duties.
Sorry to disappoint but the IG report says in fact:
…Many of the 9,000 web pages ****** visited routed through websites that originated in Russia and contained malware.
Ah, “9,000 web pages,” not “…9,000 adult video sites.” That’s quite a difference.
More than a few but a much more plausible number.
Aside from poor fact checking, the real lesson here is to realize porn is a great carrier for malware, if you didn’t know that already.