A cyberattack on federal contractor Senture knocked out phone support for truckers seeking help with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s registration system.
The agency, known as FMCSA, is part of the Department of Transportation. The department confirmed the attack to Politico Wednesday and said investigators were examining the incident.
The center helps drivers and carriers use Motus, FMCSA’s online registration system. The platform lets businesses submit required information and update records to comply with federal regulations.
FMCSA reported technical difficulties Oct. 6, saying its contact center was temporarily unavailable. It directed users to online tickets and chat through Ask FMCSA.
Senture suffered a network attack that “brought down their domain, which included phone capabilities,” DOT told Politico. The department said FMCSA data was not compromised.
The phone disruption added to difficulties surrounding Motus, which FMCSA launched in May. Politico reported that truckers had relied on the contact center to work through registration errors, citing a person familiar with the incident.
Senture is based in London, Kentucky, and provides contact-center and administrative services for government programs.
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The Senture attack follows other recently disclosed federal cybersecurity incidents. In September, a Pentagon official confirmed that a Defense Manpower Data Center breach exposed personal information on more than 3 million people. The FBI’s recruiting website and application portal also went offline as the bureau investigated a hacking claim. In August, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives disclosed a cybersecurity incident affecting a standalone investigative system, but said its other operational systems and broader mission capability were unaffected.
FMCSA has also posted an undated notice saying its contact center is “now fully operational.” It does not identify the Senture attack or provide a restoration date.
The attack’s start date, the number of affected callers and the status of Senture’s broader recovery remain unresolved.
