COVID-19 Exploited by Malicious Cyber Actors (Maryland State Police)
| Multi Request | COVID-19 Exploited by Malicious Cyber Actors |
| Submitted | April 22, 2020 |
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Communications
From: Emma North-Best
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Maryland Public 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 10 calendar days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Emma Best
From: Maryland State Police
RE; 20-1192
COVID-19 Related Documents
Dear Requester,
I am writing to advise that your request under the Public Information Act
(Annotated Code of Maryland, General Provisions Article §§ 4-101 through
4-601) has been received as is being processed.
Please note that due to the disruption of state work, resulting from the
Covid-19 emergency, it may take us more than 30 working days to respond.
Note that all non-essential personnel, such as myself, are sequestered to
our homes and unable to access certain content/programs available only in
the workplace. While the Maryland State Police continues to strive to meet
established timeframes for the processing of PIA requests, we ask for your
patience and understanding during this unprecedented situation.
If there is a fee associated with the processing of your request, you will
be provided an estimate as soon as one is available.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns
regarding the status of your request. At this time, the best way to
contact me is via email: mark.urbanik1@maryland.gov
[image: Changing Maryland for the Better]
*Mark Urbanik*
Administrator II
Maryland Department of State Police
Headquarters / Planning & Research
1201 Reisterstown Rd
Pikesville, MD 21208
(410) 653-4253(O)
Website <https://mdsp.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx> | Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/MarylandStatePolice>| Twitter
<https://twitter.com/MDSP>
From: Maryland State Police
Dear Ms. Best:
This letter is in response to your recent request under the Maryland Public
Information Act for records in the possession of the Maryland State
Police. Specifically, you requested:
* 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.
Pursuant to U.S. Code § 482, any of the above documents in the possession
of the Maryland State Police are not available for your review.
Specifically, the section states, "Under procedures prescribed in this
section, information obtained by a State or local government from a Federal
agency under this section shall remain under the control of the Federal
agency, and a State or local law authorizing or requiring such a government
to disclose information shall not apply to such information.
If you are unsatisfied with this response, there are remedies available
for review pursuant to GP §4-203. You may seek judicial review of this
decision in the appropriate Circuit Court in accordance with GP §4-362. You
may also seek dispute resolution in accordance with GP §4-lB-04.
Sincerely,
[image: Changing Maryland for the Better]
*Mark Urbanik*
Administrator II
Maryland Department of State Police
Headquarters / Planning & Research
1201 Reisterstown Rd
Pikesville, MD 21208
(410) 653-4253(O)
Website <https://mdsp.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx> | Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/MarylandStatePolice>| Twitter
<https://twitter.com/MDSP>
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