From time to time, companies hire security firms to test their security systems. For example, sometimes when a company wants to know if their software is secure, they might hire hackers or launch a bounty program where they would let hackers try their best to beat their system to find potential flaws and vulnerabilities.This is something that the state of Iowa wanted when they hired a cybersecurity firm, Coalfire, to perform “penetration tests” of certain municipal buildings, like the state’s courthouse. However, it seems that in the process of testing, a couple of employees of the firm were arrested, despite the fact that they had all the necessary documentation to prove that they were there on behalf of the state.
How it began was when the employees found a door to the courthouse open. They closed it and attempted to reopen it to see if it would lock, only to set off an alarm. The police were summoned and the employees were eventually let go, but were later arrested by a local sheriff and spent the night in jail.
They were also charged with felony accusations of burglary in the third-degree, along with possession of burglary tools. It was initially assumed that this was a mixup and that the matter would be dropped, but it seems like it didn’t, where it charges were later changed to criminal trespass.
In a statement released by Coalfire, “The ongoing situation in Iowa is completely ridiculous. Our mission is to help our clients secure their environments and protect the people that work for them, their customers, and the confidential information they maintain. In this case, we were helping to protect the residents of Iowa.”