Shoshone-Bannock Tribes report ‘cybersecurity attack’ on operations

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Leaders of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, headquartered on the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho, are seen on June 11, 2024, following a swearing-in ceremony at tribal council chambers. Photo courtesy Office of Public Affairs, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes

Thursday, August 29, 2024

Indianz.Com

Employees of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are returning to work following a cybersecurity incident that hindered operations on the reservation in Idaho.

According to an August 22 statement, the incident occurred sometime over the weekend prior. Phone lines, email, computer systems and other network operations at a slew of tribal programs went offline, and the tribal government was shut down for two days last week as a result of the attack.

“The Tribes takes cybersecurity and data security very seriously and are working diligently with the FBI and Homeland Security contractor to identify the source and scope of the incident, assess potential vulnerabilities, and implement additional security measures, as well as gather recommendations on mitigation, response and recovery plans,” Tino Batt, Interim Executive Director at Sho-Ban, said in the statement.

In an August 19 memo, Chairman Lee Juan Tyler told tribal employees and tribal citizens that personal information may have been accessed during the incident. He advised them to monitor their financial accounts and their credit reports for suspicious or unauthorized activity.

“We deeply regret any inconvenience this may cause and are doing everything we can to rectify the situation and prevent future occurrences,” Tyler said in the memo.

Most tribal departments resumed operations on Monday, according to a social media post that described the incident as a “Cybersecurity Attack.” The August 25 update pointed out that operations at the tribe’s gaming enterprise, the tribal economic development and agriculture corporation, the tribal housing department and the junior/senior high school on the Fort Hall Reservation were not impacted by the incident because they are “all on separate systems.”

Employees at all remaining programs returned to work on Wednesday, according to a social media post in which “Cyber Attackers who are considered criminals” were deemed responsible for the incident. Despite the resumption of operations, the August 27 update stated that phone lines were down, and that work was still ongoing to ensure that tribal computers and other tribal systems were safe to use.

“You can reach departments on their department cell phones,” the post stated. A list of key numbers was shared on August 22.

According to a new economic impact study, the tribe has a little over 6,000 enrolled members, the vast majority of whom live in Idaho. The tribe is one of the largest employers in its region, with more than 1,000 in the workforce.

The tribe is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Idaho to investigate the incident.

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