"Iowa Asked Researchers to Break Into a Courthouse, Then It Arrested Them"

Recent ransomware attacks on the cities of Atlanta and Baltimore have emphasized the importance of improving the protection of state and municipal governments against such cyberattacks. These incidents prompted the state of Iowa to hire security researchers from the cybersecurity firm Coalfire to conduct a penetration test on servers and physical buildings to find vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers to gain access to sensitive data or equipment. However, two Coalfire researchers were charged with felony accusations of burglary after checking the lock of an open door to the Dallas Courthourse. Although the charges were expected to be dropped, they were instead reduced to criminal trespass. Such incidents continue to raise concerns among security experts as to whether they will be protected by contracts with their clients. This article continues to discuss the Coalfire-Iowa incident and the potential impact of this incident on security research.

Engadget reports "Iowa Asked Researchers to Break Into a Courthouse, Then It Arrested Them"