Monday 14 December 2020
Russia under suspicion
Hackers attack US government departments
Apparently, American ministries and authorities have been targeted by alleged state hackers for months. They can fall back on a particularly effective weapon: special attack software from a company that protects the authorities.
Hackers are reported to have attacked the Treasury, Commerce, and other US agencies. According to the Washington Post, hackers with connections to the Russian secret service SWR are responsible for the attacks. It is unclear what information was stolen. The cyber attacks had been going on for months. These are the same hackers who attacked the FireEye IT security company that US authorities often use in cyberattacks.
When asked, the National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot told the DPA: "The US government is aware of these reports and we are taking all necessary steps to identify and correct possible problems related to this situation." The Ministry of Commerce confirmed to the broadcaster CNN that hackers had overcome protective measures in one of its offices. First, the Reuters news agency reported the incident on Sunday.
FireEye announced last Tuesday that the cyberattack also stole attack software, which the company usually uses to test its customers' defense systems. It is still unclear whether these tools should be used for hacker attacks. In addition, the attackers were particularly interested in information about government customers of the company. FireEye assumed that hackers acting on behalf of the state were behind the attack. This was indicated, among other things, by the technical skills and discipline of the attackers, it said. According to the Washington Post, the FBI has been turned on.
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