A Homeland Security official said Wednesday that the Obama administration is aware of one attempted cyberattack aimed at shutting down HealthCare.gov.
Roberta Stempfley, a Homeland Security acting assistant secretary, told the House Committee on Homeland Security that the attack, known as a “denial-of-service attack,” had been unsuccessful.
“We are aware of one open-source action attempting to perpetrate a denial-of-service attack against the HealthCare.gov site that has been unsuccessful,” she said.
“So there has been a denial-of-service attack on HealthCare.gov?” Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-TX) asked.
“There was the attempt of one, but it has not been successful,” Stempfley said.
“And, of course, a denial-of-service attack has the ability to shut down websites,” McCaul said.
“The goal of a denial-of-service attack, sir, would, yes, be to deny the access to that information,” Stempfley said.
The exchange is below.
