Incident
incident:iowa_courthouse_penetration_testing_arrest
Also: Dallas County Courthouse incident, Iowa courthouse incident, The Courthouse
Incident in which two contracted physical penetration testers were arrested during an assessment of the Dallas County Courthouse in Iowa.
Incident in which two contracted physical penetration testers were arrested during an assessment of the Dallas County Courthouse in Iowa.
“Two men arrested for breaking into the Dallas County Courthouse say they were hired to do it by the state.”
“Eventually the Dallas County prosecutors in Iowa came to an understanding, and on January 30th, 2020 they dropped all charges”
| Direction | Predicate | Other entity | Origin | EP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| outgoing | INVOLVES | Coalfire Systems | Explicit | 179 |
| outgoing | INVOLVES | Iowa Judicial Branch | Explicit | 179 |
| outgoing | INVOLVES | physical penetration testing | Explicit | 179 |
| outgoing | COMPROMISES | Dallas County Courthouse | Explicit | 179 |
| outgoing | INVOLVES | Dallas County Courthouse | Explicit | 179 |
| outgoing | INVOLVES | lock picking | Explicit | 179 |
| outgoing | INVOLVES | under-the-door tool | Explicit | 179 |
| outgoing | INVOLVES | badge cloning | Explicit | 179 |
| outgoing | INVOLVES | security cameras | Explicit | 179 |
| outgoing | INVOLVES | Justin Wynn | Explicit | 179 |
| outgoing | INVOLVES | Gary DeMercurio | Explicit | 179 |
| outgoing | ASSOCIATED_WITH | qualified immunity | Explicit | 179 |
| outgoing | RELATED_TO | Awareness Con | Explicit | 179 |
Iowa courthouse penetration-testing arrest INVOLVES Coalfire Systems
The Iowa courthouse incident involved Coalfire personnel conducting the contracted security assessment.
Explicit Confidence 96% · Jack Rhysider EP 179 Details
“the company that Justin and Gary work for”
Iowa courthouse penetration-testing arrest INVOLVES Iowa Judicial Branch
The incident involved the Iowa Judicial Branch, which commissioned the courthouse penetration test.
Explicit Confidence 98% · Jack Rhysider EP 179 Details
“The Iowa Judicial Branch has actually worked with Coalfire before to do other penetration tests.”
Iowa courthouse penetration-testing arrest INVOLVES physical penetration testing
The incident involved a physical penetration test of Iowa courthouse facilities.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 179 Details
“they’re specifically asking for a physical penetration test at five locations”
Iowa courthouse penetration-testing arrest COMPROMISES Dallas County Courthouse
Justin and Gary gained physical access to the Dallas County Courthouse during the assessment; the episode presents this as authorized testing, although the authorization was later disputed.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Gary DeMercurio EP 179 Details
“we walked up to the north door”
“we’re here testing the security”
Iowa courthouse penetration-testing arrest INVOLVES Dallas County Courthouse
The incident specifically involved the historic Dallas County Courthouse in Adel, Iowa.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 179 Details
“This one was actually the Dallas County Courthouse in Adel, Iowa.”
Iowa courthouse penetration-testing arrest INVOLVES lock picking
The courthouse assessment involved lock-picking, including picking doors leading to a courtroom.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Gary DeMercurio EP 179 Details
“I ended up picking two doors in a row to a courtroom”
Iowa courthouse penetration-testing arrest INVOLVES under-the-door tool
The episode says the testers used or carried an under-the-door tool as one method for bypassing doors during physical assessments.
Explicit Confidence 95% · Jack Rhysider EP 179 Details
“these guys mentioned that they sometimes use an under-the-door tool”
Iowa courthouse penetration-testing arrest INVOLVES badge cloning
During the Dallas courthouse attempt, Gary tried a badge cloned from another building to test whether it provided multi-building access.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Gary DeMercurio EP 179 Details
“I tried a badge we had cloned from another building”
Iowa courthouse penetration-testing arrest INVOLVES security cameras
The testers located the courthouse security-camera monitoring position and observed camera coverage and blind spots.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 179 Details
“they took careful notes on what blind spots there were with the security cameras”
Iowa courthouse penetration-testing arrest INVOLVES Justin Wynn
Justin Wynn was arrested during the courthouse incident after law enforcement treated the physical test as trespassing or burglary.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 179 Details
“So, both of them get handcuffed.”
Iowa courthouse penetration-testing arrest INVOLVES Gary DeMercurio
Gary DeMercurio was arrested during the courthouse incident after law enforcement treated the physical test as trespassing or burglary.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 179 Details
“So, both of them get handcuffed.”
Iowa courthouse penetration-testing arrest ASSOCIATED_WITH qualified immunity
The later civil lawsuit arising from the incident was limited by qualified-immunity protections; the episode explains this as a barrier to suing government officials.
Explicit Confidence 96% · Jack Rhysider EP 179 Details
“qualified immunity means you can’t sue government workers, especially judges, prosecutors, and cops”
Iowa courthouse penetration-testing arrest RELATED_TO Awareness Con
Awareness Con was held in response to the courthouse arrests and the resulting public controversy.
Explicit Confidence 98% · Jack Rhysider EP 179 Details
“a few people from the cybersecurity community got together and said, what can we do to support these two? John Strand came up with a plan.”