Authorities probe radio, website disruptions during protests

Although the efforts to disrupt police radios and take down websites in Minnesota, Illinois and Texas aren't considered technically difficult hacks, federal intelligence officials warned that law enforcement should be ready for such tactics as protests continue.Authorities have not yet identified anyone responsible or provided details about how the disruptions were carried out.

Authorities are investigating interference with police radio communications, websites, and networks used by law enforcement and other officials during recent U.S. protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Although the efforts to disrupt police radios and take down websites in Minnesota, Illinois, and Texas aren't considered technically difficult hacks, federal intelligence officials warned that law enforcement should be ready for such tactics as protests continue.

Authorities have not yet identified anyone responsible or provided details about how the disruptions were carried out. But officials were particularly concerned by interruptions to police radio frequencies during the last weekend of May as dispatchers tried to direct responses to large protests and unrest that overshadowed peaceful demonstrations. During protests in Dallas on May 31, someone gained access to the police department's unencrypted radio frequency and disrupted officers' communications by playing music over their radios, according to a June 1 intelligence assessment from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Dallas police did not respond to questions about the incident. The assessment, which was obtained by The Associated Press, attributes the Dallas disruption to "unknown actors" and does not say how they accessed the radio frequency. It warned that attacks of various types would likely persist.

"Short-term disruptive cyber activities related to protests probably will continue — various actors could be carrying out these operations — with the potential to use more impactful capabilities, like ransomware, or target higher-profile networks," the assessment warns. The assessment noted similar problems with Chicago police's unencrypted radio frequencies during large downtown protests on May 30 followed by reports of arson, theft, and vandalism. Chicago police also have not said how the radio frequencies were accessed, but an official with the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications told the Chicago Sun-Times that the tactic was "very dangerous." Police around the country have encrypted their radio communications, often arguing that it's a way to protect officers and block criminals from listening in on widely available phone apps that broadcast police radio channels. But media outlets and local hobbyists have been frustrated by the changes, which also prevent them from reporting on issues pertaining to public safety.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a separate warning this week reporting that personal information of police officers nationwide is being leaked online, a practice known as "doxxing." According to the report obtained by the AP, information shared on social media included home addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers. Law enforcement agencies have been targeted by online pranksters or hackers in recent years, including by some who claimed to be motivated by on-the-ground protests against police tactics. For example, the hacking collective Anonymous claimed responsibility for the defacement of local police departments' websites in 2012 as protesters clashed with officers during the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Individuals who self-identified as being part of the collective also claimed to have accessed dispatch tapes and other Ferguson Police Department records in 2014 after a white police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black man.