COVID-19 Exploited by Malicious Cyber Actors (Illinois State Police)

Emma North-Best filed this request with the Illinois State Police of Illinois.
Tracking #

20-1024

Multi Request COVID-19 Exploited by Malicious Cyber Actors
Status
Completed

Communications

From: Emma North-Best


To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act., I hereby request the following records:

* Records mentioning, describing or generated in response to CISA Alert AA20-099A, FBI/IC3 Alert I-032020-PSA, or the CDC alert titled "COVID-19-Related Phone Scams and Phishing Attacks"
* Records mentioning, describing or generated in response to COVID-19 related phishing attempts, such as those described in the CDC alert, FBI/IC3 Alert I-032020-PSA and CISA Alert AA20-099A
* Records mentioning, describing or generated in response to fake CDC emails, such as those described in FBI/IC3 Alert I-032020-PSA
* Records mentioning, describing or generated in response to APT groups using the COVID-19 pandemic as part of their cyber operations, such as those described in CISA Alert AA20-099A
* Records mentioning, describing, or generated as part of or in response to the assessment that the above activities' "goals and targets are consistent with long-standing priorities such as espionage and “hack-and-leak” operations", as described in CISA Alert AA20-099A

I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. I have previously written about the government and its activities, with some reaching over 100,000 readers in outlets such as Gizmodo, MuckRock, Motherboard, Property of the People, Unicorn Riot, and The Outline, among others. As such, as I have a reasonable expectation of publication and my editorial and writing skills are well established. In addition, I discuss and comment on the files online and make them available through non-profits such as the library Internet Archive and the journalist non-profit MuckRock, disseminating them to a large audience. While my research is not limited to this, a great deal of it, including this, focuses on the activities and attitudes of the government itself. As such, it is not necessary for me to demonstrate the relevance of this particular subject in advance.

As my primary purpose is to inform about government activities by reporting on it and making the raw data available, I request that fees be waived.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Emma Best

  • COVID-1920Exploited20by20Malicious20Cyber20Actors207C20CISA.pdf

  • FBI20Sees20Rise20in20Fraud20Schemes20Related20to20the20Coronavirus20COVID-1920Pande.pdf

  • COVID-19-Related20Phone20Scams20and20Phishing20Attacks207C20CDC20Online20Newsroom207.pdf

From: Illinois State Police

Re: FOIR # 20-1024 Extension

Emma Best

The Illinois State Police acknowledges receipt of your FOIA request. (See attached request). A response to your request is due 4/30/2020. However, additional time is needed to respond to your request. In accordance with Section 3(e) of the Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/3 (e)), the response due date is being unilaterally extended to 5/7/2020. The basis for this extension is as follows:

_____ The requested records are stored in whole or in part at another location.

_____ The request requires the collection of a substantial number of records.

_____ The request is stated in categorical terms which requires an extensive search for the records requested.

__X __ The requested records have not yet been located and additional time is needed to complete the search.

__X__ The requested records require examination and evaluation to determine if the documents are exempt from disclosure and/or must be redacted.

__X__ The requested records cannot be provided within the prescribed time frame without causing an undue burden or interfering with the operation of the Department.

_____ Consultation is needed with another public body in order to respond to the request.

Note - Extending the deadline to the above-referenced date does not necessarily mean a response and/or public records will be provided to you by that date. FOIA requests are reviewed in the order in which they are received. Your patience is appreciated

State of Illinois - CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication is confidential, may be attorney-client privileged or attorney work product, may constitute inside information or internal deliberative staff communication, and is intended only for the use of the addressee. Unauthorized use, disclosure or copying of this communication or any part thereof is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and destroy this communication and all copies thereof, including all attachments. Receipt by an unintended recipient does not waive attorney-client privilege, attorney work product privilege, or any other exemption from disclosure.

From: Illinois State Police

Emma Best:

The Illinois State Police ("ISP") acknowledges receipt of your request for public records pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA"), 5 ILCS 140/1 et seq. (See attached request).

I have attached a response to your FOIA request.
Thank you.

Porcia Sledge
Legal Office - FOIA Coordinator
Illinois State Police
801 South 7th St. 1000S
Springfield, IL 62703
217-782-2726

State of Illinois - CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication is confidential, may be attorney-client privileged or attorney work product, may constitute inside information or internal deliberative staff communication, and is intended only for the use of the addressee. Unauthorized use, disclosure or copying of this communication or any part thereof is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and destroy this communication and all copies thereof, including all attachments. Receipt by an unintended recipient does not waive attorney-client privilege, attorney work product privilege, or any other exemption from disclosure.

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