Apr 9, 2019

Alumnus Joe Hall Questions the Secret Service's Examination of a Seized Thumb Drive

From The Washington Post

The Cybersecurity 202: Security pros question Secret Service's examination of thumb drive seized at Mar-a-Lago

By Joseph Marks

Cybersecurity experts are scratching their heads over the Secret Service investigation into the thumb drive infected with malicious software that was carried by a Chinese citizen arrested at Mar-a-Lago. 

A law enforcement source tells me that investigation was conducted according to protocol: A Secret Service agent loaded the drive onto a stand-alone computer that was segregated from government networks and watched as it did what malware is supposed to do — infect files and try to steal information...

Cybersecurity experts were quick to pounce on [Secret Service agent] Ivanovich's testimony — and the seeming error. 

“This is international cybersecurity warfare and they just stepped on a land mine,” Joe Hall, chief technologist at the Center for Democracy and Technology think tank, told me. “Hopefully that laptop had very little information on it...”

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I School alum Joe Hall (PhD '08) currently works as the Chief Technologist and Director of the Internet Architecture project at the Center for Democracy & Technology.

Last updated:

April 10, 2019