Revelations of the attack come at a vulnerable time as the US govt
grapples with a contentious presidential transition and a spiraling public
health crisis
Speaking at a
private dinner for tech security executives at the St Regis Hotel in San
Francisco in late February, America's cyber defense chief boasted how well his
organizations protect the country from spies.
US teams were understanding the adversary better than the adversary
understands themselves, a said General Paul Nakasone, boss of the National
Security Agency (NSA) and US
Cyber Command, according to a Reuters reporter present at the February 26
dinner. His speech has not been previously reported.
Yet even as he
spoke, hackers were embedding malicious code into the network of a Texas
software company called SolarWinds Corp, according to a timeline published by
Microsoft and more than a dozen government and corporate cyber researchers.
A little over
three weeks after that dinner, the hackers began a sweeping intelligence
operation that has penetrated the heart of America’s government and numerous
corporations and other institutions around the world.
The results of
that operation came to light on December 13, when Reuters reported that
suspected Russian hackers had gained access to US
Treasury and Commerce Department emails. Since then, officials and
researchers say they believe at least half-a-dozen US government agencies have
been infiltrated and thousands of companies infected with malware in what
appears to be one of the biggest such hacks ever uncovered.
Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo said on Friday Russia was behind the attack, calling it a grave
risk to the United States. Russia has denied involvement.
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