NIKKI HALEY’S SCANDAL-PLAGUED WORKFORCE AGENCY VICTIMIZED BY WEBSITE ATTACK
The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (SCDEW) – one of Gov. Nikki Haley’s most corrupt, incompetent and inefficient cabinet agencies – was hacked this weekend, its website hijacked by as-yet-unidentified vandals.
“This site was hacked,” a message left by the hackers on the agency’s website read.
First reported at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, the intrusion knocked the SCDEW website offline until Sunday morning. Sources at the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) say that the agency has launched an investigation into the hack – the third cyber security breach to hit one of Haley’s cabinet agencies in the last eight months.
News of the SCDEW hacking was first reported by WLTX TV 19 (CBS – Columbia, S.C.), which posted the following image of the hacked website along with its report …
It remains to be seen whether the hackers attempted to infiltrate the agency’s computer network – or made off with any of its confidential records.
According to Haley’s administration, “no personally identifiable information was compromised” during the breach, which it says took place at 6:30 p.m.
SCDEW is the agency responsible for administering unemployment benefits to out-of-work South Carolinians – a job it has proven utterly incompetent at performing. According to federal statistics, one out of every five dollars in unemployment benefits doled out by the agency is awarded erroneously – the eighth-highest percentage in the nation. Not only that, South Carolinians who use the agency’s reemployment services take an average of 26.5 weeks to get off of the public dole. Those who do not use SCDEW took only 22.3 weeks to find gainful employment.
Just last month, the agency acknowledged an accounting error that will cost South Carolina businesses $9 million in additional taxes in 2013 – money on top of the millions they’re already paying to reduce the agency’s massive debt with the federal government. Three of the agencies top leaders – including its chief of staff – have stepped down in the past nine months as a result of various scandals.
The hacking scare at SCDEW comes less than two months after another one of Haley’s cabinet agencies – the S.C. Department of Revenue (SCDOR) – suffered the worst stave level security breach in history. From August to October, as-yet-unidentified hackers made off with 3.8 million Social Security numbers, 3.3 million bank account numbers, tax info for more than 650,000 businesses and nearly 400,000 credit and debit card numbers.
Haley initially claimed that “there wasn’t anything where anyone in state government could have done anything” to stop the breach – and that the Palmetto State used “industry standard” data security methods. Both of those claims turned out to be completely false – as a simple $25,000 expense could have prevented the breach (which will wind up costing businesses hundreds of millions of dollars).
As for taxpayer costs, Haley’s administration has already blown through $20 million on its ill-conceived knee jerk reaction to the SCDOR heist – with additional costs sure to come.
Prior to that breach, in mid-April Haley’s Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) coughed up personal information for 228,435 Medicaid beneficiaries. At the time, that was the fourth-biggest state government data breach in history.
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60 comments
Thanks Teabaggers you have fucked us all!!!!!
BS. SC is behind the times. It would have happened anyway.
Have a Great Day!! :) There won’t be many left with the Demlicans and Republicrats in charge.
Frank Pytel
Governor Haley’s theme song,
Five Feet High and Rising by Johnny Cash
Roll on Gypsy Queen Dooh Nibor, dammit roll on !!
Good call owb or perhaps from the Fray
I never knew that everything was falling through
That everyone I knew was waiting on a cue
To turn and run when all I needed was the truth
But that’s how it’s got to be
It’s coming down to nothing more than apathy
I’d rather run the other way than stay and see
The smoke and who’s still standing when it clears
And everyone knows
I’m in over my head, over my head
Methodist white woman my ass.
With several high level staff “leaving” recently, it makes me wonder if they were aware of some potential problems. It could be that they were being ignored by the “GENERAL” when bringing them to him. I really don’t know this, but it is suspicious.
A high level staff person left DOR before the hacking was discovered.
This one, though, could also be a hoax – possibly by an insider.
But it makes me wonder…..
This news is hilarious. It’s a website, not records. I’m sure the agency has secured servers and security after the hacks at SCDOR. Please be computer literate people. It’s a site, not your information. They want to get a rise out of you and are doing it succesfully.
You keep telling your self that, the only thing secure is Haley’s bank accounts.
Do the unemployed use this website to make their applications for unemployment? So therefore, the unemployed in SC could not use this website to adhere to the rules of the unemployment benefits process??
Electronic fund transfer of federal money is passed through everyday, they need call in the Feds to investigate instead of Haley’s high school coverup squad.
The Feds don’t give a shit about what goes on in this state, it may even be their form of entertainment to watch us punch ourselves in the face.
I BELIEVE THAT THIS PROVES NELSON HALLY IS NOT DOING A GOOD JOB AS GOVERNER.
This is all a ploy to hand over all IT duties to a contracting firm in India. They will guarantee these things won’t happen again, but all functions will be handled off shore, no one in SC will be needed.
Well, at least that’s my conspiracy theory.
USINPAC
That’s where “starving the beast” will lead to.
Cyber – and military security are linked and I shutter at the thought what types of exposures automatic defense budget cuts will open up.
Having identified cybersecurity as another “liberal plot” to get access to state and federal funds the tea- and republican party are now playing with the security of this country.
The barbarians have been let through the gates and you will be able to witness security breach after security breach of privileged information, intellectual property right, trade marks and infrastructure access ( ” the grid”) which will weaken this nation. But at least we don’t pay any new taxes….the first duty of government is to protect the opportunities and livelihood of it’s citizens…that ” pursuit of happiness ” train is derailed.
If you think this is businessas usual you have a rude awakening coming your way…
LMAO: “its website hijacked by as-yet-unidentified vandals.”
FITS, you know you did it…
You people are banking on this kind of crap taking her down…yet you let 4 Americans Get Slaughtered in Benghazi, you LIED like H#!!…but you got re-lected…
SC is a VICTIM here…not the Liar and corrupt like you…
Not to mention: Haley is bringing in jobs by AVOIDING Obama’s Failed policies…
So I’m not sure if Attacking her, like you’re attemptimg, will be the Home Run you’re praying for…
“This crap” will not be needed to take her down. There is plenty more where that came from. She won’t survive the primary, unless it’s a bunch of circus clowns like in the GOP presidential primaries. We can only hope the rumor about Loftis not running is false.
She is a failure, like Obama. In a sane electorate, she would get beat worse then Les Miles is about to crush her gross football team.
We’re you in a coma during the Bush Adminisration or were you still on that island you’ve obviously lived on most of your life! I’ll bet Pyscho was really your life story! Oh, mother!
Surprise, Surprise! Is there a learning curve happening here? Nikki, you personally were hacked (remember the income discrepancies?), Medicaid records were compromised, DOR records were hacked and now this? Sooner or later we’re going to have to conclude there is a problem here. Or…maybe not. Let’s just wait and see what happens next.
You and FITS in the habit of Blaming a woman if she is RAPED too..aren’t you???
Again: Why not just have Sheheen campaign on HIS ability to lead, and member of the party of Obama????
Instead of just trying to associate Haley w/ media attempts to take her down for someone else’s crimes….
Especailly when your god was re-elected as he was up to his eyeballs in Corruption, Lies and incompetence….
Big T,
Shop your incoherent ramblings – take your medication!
Sheheen = Runiing WITH Obama/Failure (6 years of it) on his side…
Haley = Running against attempted hackers…
Are you dumb@$$#$ TRYING to make me laugh????
Evidently you have not looked at the 2012, Nov. 6 voting data in SC….
Haley can be beaten, but it will be in a GOP Primary…and you leftwing idiots STILL lose…
Obama = reelected
Angry, old white men = rejected
Liberals = 4 more years of progress
After 4 years = new democrat elected
angry white men = still rejected
And poor black dumb@$$#$ jobless, stupid single mothers hopeless, Foolish Unions Helpless…
Nobody w/ a Job…and America Haters and Assackwrds Idiots the only ones happy…because you’re too D#@n oblivious to see that you put a Self-Centered piece of $#!* in to rule your ignorant #$$#$..
Now, are we clean, dolt???
With that type of language…no, you are not clean, dolt.
And the mask slips just a bit more, revealing just a little more of that good old fashioned Big(o)Try… Poor black dumbasses, stupid single mothers? Wow, glad to know you care so much for your fellow man!
S.C. voters are getting exactly what they bought…
I didn’t buy Obama, you Brain-Dead Dumb@$$…
T, it’s the Lord’s day, give it a rest…
What day did The Lord drive out the Liars and Cheats in the Temple???
You ALWAYS Fight the Corrupt…it is the JUST thing to do…even if the unjust try to use a claim to Good to Stop you…
The un-righteous will try to Silence you by any means possible…because they know RIGHT will Kill their Evil ways…
So I don’t blame you for trying, IS, even if you have admitted that you hate God, after you claimed He does not exist….
“What day did The Lord drive out the Liars and Cheats in the Temple???”
Let’s me guess, Nov. 6, 2008?
lol, Isotope Soap, you’re going to make him blow a gasket…
Lol! Thanks, Smirks!
WAKE UP PEOPLE!…..The web server is behind the “FIREWALL”. Therefore someone breached the firewall security to get into the network…Their “layers” of security are a joke…It is no better than the security SCDOR had. The general and his idiots won’t tell you the real truth. The “head” of network security at DEW is a total jackass that only got his job because he took credit for the work others did in the IT department. He has no certifications in network security or any Microsoft Certifications in networking. The “interim” IT Director is a young snot-nose with a serious attitude for self-preservation and has no leadership skills. Bacically you have “spanky and the gang” running the agency with buckwheat at the helm.
….. how bad is it?
The DMZ has much more lax rules than the internal network because a web server must by necessity be more open to public traffic. Besides that, this shows that the fault is likely on the web server not being fully hardened or secured enough.
Firewalls probably are not the issue here.
Thanks everyone! These comments are hilarious. I always love to hear remarks people entirely unfamiliar with security make when something is “hacked”. It helps me understand what mechanics must think all day when people that barely know how to drive their cars express their theories as to what is wrong.
This was a website defacement. Firewall likely has nothing to do with it. An IPS may have prevented it. While embarrassing, this is not the same as a breach of protected information. It’s the digital equivalent of some kid spray painting graffiti on your sign in front of the building. Let’s try to keep things in perspective, shall we? Until/unless more information comes out – it is nothing more than this. Yes, they were probably lax in security and that should be corrected, but the sky isn’t falling. At this point anyone making any statements to the contrary is either pulling it out of their a** or is an employee there with inside information.
The SCDOR thing is a much more serious issue and frankly anyone involved in the security there for the last few years should be hung. Reading that public report would bring tears to the eyes of any security person. This demonstrated a history of fostering an insecure mindset. This level of vulnerability did not happen overnight despite what anyone may say. This was years of incompetence.
The DHHS thing – wasn’t that an inside guy that stole records? That was not a hack – that was a dishonest trusted employee. Let’s face it, at some point you have to trust someone with all sensitive data. This was an HR/management issue as much or more than it was a technical issue. If a dishonest employee wants to steal data there are more ways than can be counted.
But carry on…I still have another cup of coffee and need to be entertained.
Great comments. Such a shame so many commentors are brainless/clueless finger-pointers. I do not know first hand how DEW IT dept is now, but under ESC/Halley – it was a JOKE!!
Thanks for the comments Jay. Say which Jay are you? There are so many related to Nimmy. But hey, thanks Jay.
Dan – I suspect agencies are similar to corporate I.T. – only about as good as pay scale and recurring training allow. I have seen hospitals that are terrifying despite HIPAA and the smallest of companies locked down tighter than the NSA. It’s about a state of mind, not the technology exclusively. The same commenters complaining are the same ones who cry when I.T. says “No, you cannot have a 4 character password or use your damn iPad for work!”
Old Bike Dude… “Jay?” Seriously man, lay off the meth.
only as high as the pay scale? Have you SEEN how much dough IT people are paid? My God, look at the SC jobs site – they are paying 80grand and up, especially for someone hired as a manager. SC pays entry level lawyers less than half that much.
Nikki Haley is lucky to be outside of private business. Only an elected official could keep their job after so many instances of gross incompetence. This alternative to genuine leadership and effective management will continue as long as the voters keep electing the same political hacks and their cronies over and over and over. It is past time for a new day in SC politics.
I’m not sure that you’ve shown ANY damage…
As a matter of Fact, I’m (a taxpayer) more protected than I was…and the Government PAID my money (back to me) to give me protection…instead of giving it to some Lazy Government-handout riding Deadbeat…
So I think you simpleton Dumb@$$#$ may be blowing your shot, beating a dead horse…(Typical DULL liberals)….
Why not try to Field an competent candidate, instead of a Dolt Obama Clone???
As long as it was only their web page, meh. Simple website vandalism isn’t that bad. What would suck is if they inserted malicious links or something and it took an excessive amount of time for them to notice.
There’s a reason web servers should be in the DMZ. This and SCDoR’s hacking are apples and oranges.
The truth is being suppressed by Haley you can bet on that!!
But what did you say about Benghazi???…
Nobody died in SC over it…
Hypocrites…
As much as Haley wishes she had a lid on shit like this, she doesn’t. There’s enough state workers who leak info to Sic Willie anonymously that some snippet of the truth would leak, albeit in possibly the form of unidentified sources that can’t be vetted by readers.
This just in, Grime Magazine’s “Woman of the Year” Award. A tie between Nikki Haley and Lillian McBride.
Shows how STUPID you are…
No comparison…
McBride is an GLARING expose Runaway Obama-Clyburn-type Racist-based Liberalism…
Haley is just the CEO of a business that was attacked by (probably) liberal Criminals…
Dumb@$$….
BigT, you are the single best example of the South Carolina education system. By seeing you, I am excited to hopefully, one day, to bring children into this state.
STFU..you leftwing A-Hole. You make Stupid claims all day..and When I Slap the P!$$ out of you…you offer Baseless Insults, that just demonstrates, again, your inability to think of anything of susbstance…
To thine own self be true, Bigs.
Andre Bauer knows who is behind it. And so does Glenn McConnell .. lolololol.
Turner must go! He sux!
http://money.msn.com/identity-theft/10-worst-government-data-breaches
Two showings in the top five! Fuck yeah, South Carolina!!!
Nikki is taking quite a hit over this on Huffpo tonight! She wants national attention, she’s got it!
The little girl wants attention she can get. Sad and pathetic.
Hey, Nik, how is the off-shore thing going?
Turner’s a typical bad gen-rul. When his incompitance shows, he fires those who know what they’re doing and hires another croney…or rather, “cloney”