Shutdown Sparks 85% Increase in US Government Cyberattacks
Summary
Researchers report a dramatic surge in attacks targeting federal agencies and employees since the US government shutdown began on 1 October. The Media Trust projects roughly 555 million attacks in October — an 85% jump over September — and warns many are targeted, interactive campaigns rather than generic spam.
Key Points
- Media Trust projects ~555 million cyberattacks on federal systems in October — an 85% increase over September.
- Many attacks are targeted through websites, apps and deceptive ads that interact with federal employees, not just generic phishing waves.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Justice have been among the most targeted agencies so far.
- Financial stress among furloughed and unpaid employees is being exploited with credential-harvesting scams, fake loan or job offers, and malware lures.
- Essential employees still working face higher workload and morale issues, increasing the chance of security lapses.
- Short-term breaches are a worry, but latent campaigns and harvested credentials could be weaponised later when employees return to duty.
- Long-term damage may include talent loss, paused modernisation projects, gaps in information sharing and an erosion of trust in government cyber resilience.
Content Summary
Dark Reading summarises findings from the Media Trust and expert commentary showing that attackers quickly pivoted to exploit the shutdown. The attacks include deceptive advertising campaigns and phishing lures aimed at financially anxious federal staff — many of whom are furloughed or unpaid. The VA and DoJ emerged as top targets early in October.
Experts warn that the worst consequences may not appear immediately: attackers can capture credentials or profile employees now and use that access later, once normal operations resume. Compounding the risk is reduced support from organisations like CISA during the shutdown, plus the expiration of key information-sharing laws and grant programmes.
Context and Relevance
This story matters because it highlights how political events (a shutdown) create a predictable window of heightened cyber risk. For security teams, the article underlines the need to harden controls around remote access, educate furloughed/essential staff about targeted scams, monitor for credential abuse, and prepare for long-tail threats that may appear after the shutdown ends.
Author style: Punchy — the piece is written to underline national impact and long-term fallout. If you run or defend public-sector IT, treat this as a red alert; otherwise, it’s a useful case study in how socio-political disruption amplifies cyber risk.
Why should I read this?
Short version: attackers are using the shutdown like a big flashing neon sign. If you care about public-sector security, supply chains that touch government, or cred/identity risk, this explains where and how the threat spike is happening — and why some of the nastiest effects could show up months down the line. We read it so you don’t have to — but you should.