Cyberattack: US State Department and Other Government Agencies Compromise

The U.S. State Department was recently targeted by a cyber assault, and the Department of Defense Cyber Command issued warnings about a potential catastrophic compromise.

The Breach May Occured in the Recent Weeks

In a recently published article in Yahoo News, the breach is thought to have happened a few weeks ago. According to the reporter's Twitter thread, it is unclear when it was initially found. The scope of the intrusion and whether or not activities are still in danger is likewise unknown.

According to the writer, who cited an unnamed source, the department's ongoing efforts to evacuate Americans and allied refugees in Afghanistan have not been hampered by the hack. The report of the cyberattack in the State Department came amid the armed conflict and chaos in Afghanistan.

A State Department spokesperson said that the department takes its duty to secure its information seriously and takes measures to guarantee that it is safeguarded at all times. They are unable to disclose the nature or extent of any suspected cybersecurity issues at this time due to security concerns, according to a published article in the New York Post.

Massive Cyberattack in the U.S. Government Agencies

This is not the first time that a U.S. government agency was hit by a cyberattack. In December 2020, it was reported that several U.S. government agencies were compromised due to the SolarWinds server software that put federal and private computer systems at "grave risk."

In a published article in NPR, the Pentagon, the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, and the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and Homeland Security, as well as an unknown number of private companies, including Cisco Systems and Cox Communications, were all affected by the hack.

Furthermore, in these breaches, the hackers, who utilized the widely used SolarWinds server software, showed patience, operational security, and sophisticated tradecraft, according to the CISA warning, and eliminating the threat "will be extremely complex and challenging."

The U.S. Treasury Hacked by a Foreign Government

According to Reuters, the sophisticated cyberattack targeted the Treasury Department as well as the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA, which is in charge of internet and telecommunications regulation.

According to the source, the breach was so severe that it prompted a meeting of the National Security Council in December 2020. Hackers allegedly monitored staff members' communications for months using the organization's Microsoft Office 365 infrastructure.

The Treasury Department has deferred comments to the National Security Council. The Commerce Department acknowledged the incident, saying it had "asked CISA and the FBI to investigate," but refusing to go into more detail. A news outlet also added that a Microsoft representative refused to comment.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, said in a statement that it has been working closely with its partners on recently identified activity on government networks.

The spokesperson said at that time as impacted organizations strive to identify and mitigate any possible breaches, CISA is offering technical support. The FBI spokesman, on the other hand, said that the agency cannot confirm or deny any information about any current investigation, citing the agency's standard practice.