Census Wants Employees Prepared for Phishing Attacks

The Census Bureau wants to make sure it isn’t phished.

Citing the increasingly common threat of phishing attacks, the bureau is seeking contractors to “provide interactive Internet-based anti-phishing awareness training and services,” according to a July 27 solicitation.

The training program is meant to make sure the bureau’s employees are armed with the appropriate knowledge and skill set to defend themselves against future attacks. Although still in the research phase, the training could help to minimize the exposure of the bureau’s databases and protect its sensitive information from future breaches, according to the request.

Just last week, Census’ Federal Audit Clearinghouse was breached by hackers, purportedly the hacktivist collective, Anonymous. Although the database contains only nonconfidential information and the attackers did not access any personal information from Census surveys, in response, the bureau announced it would boost its security efforts in response, according to a recent Census statement.

The Census Bureau’s request for contractors to train its employees is part of a broader anti-phishing awareness training program. All responses to the solicitation are due by the end of the month.

Among other requirements, Census is looking for contractors that can provide customized and Internet-based training, coverage for up to 50,000 users and have knowledge of a wide array of information security topics, according to the request.

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