• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Saturday, May 21, 2022
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

Figuring Out SolarWinds Hack as US Sanctions Russia

Staff Writer by Staff Writer
04/15/21
in Featured, National
cyber security

Photo: Pexels / Pixabay

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A major cyber attack last year targeting the US government and businesses was a key factor in President Joe Biden‘s decision to retaliate Thursday with sanctions against the suspected culprit: Russia.

Four months after the sophisticated hack that centered on SolarWinds software company, the complete picture is still coming together, but here is what’s known.

What is SolarWinds?

Texas-based SolarWinds publishes computer management software and remote monitoring tools for professionals. 

The publicly-traded company boasts more than 300,000 customers globally, and its products are used by US businesses and federal agencies.

A popular SolarWinds platform called Orion, used to manage and monitor computer networks, was exploited by hackers in an attack revealed in December.

What happened?

Hackers used Orion to gain entry into networks, allowing them to swipe data and install malicious codes that served as “backdoors” that could be used to sneak into systems as desired.

The attack began in March 2020 and continued unnoticed before being discovered in December by one of its victims, vaunted cyber security firm FireEye.

Who are the hackers?

Washington accuses Russia of orchestrating the online assault, explicitly citing its Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

“The scope and scale of this compromise, combined with Russia’s history of carrying out reckless and disruptive cyber makes it a national security concern,” the US Treasury Department said in a statement released Thursday.

“The SVR has put at risk the global technology supply chain by allowing malware to be installed on the machines of tens of thousands of SolarWinds’s customers.”

Microsoft President Brad Smith told a US Senate intelligence committee in February that it likely took 1,000 engineers or more to pull off such a sophisticated and wide-scale attack.

Former president Donald Trump accused China of being behind the attack without providing any evidence, but computer security specialists and the Biden administration identified Russia as the culprit.

Moscow denies any involvement in the SolarWinds hack.

What is the damage?

The extent of the cyber attack and amount of data stolen remains unknown due to its complexity, and because many victims are unwilling or unable to share specifics.

US Treasury officials say the attack targeted the financial sector, critical infrastructure, government networks and more.

SolarWinds has disclosed that as many as 18,000 customers and more than 100 US companies were affected by the hack.

Its roster of clients includes government agencies and companies among the top 500 in the United States based on revenue.

Cyber attacks and how to respond to them have emerged as critical issues for the Biden administration, with another hack rocking Microsoft in March.

Hackers traced back to China exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s widely-used Exchange Server software, getting access to email services used by US businesses, cities, and local communities.

ShareTweet
Staff Writer

Staff Writer

AFP with The Globe Post

Related Posts

Vladimir Putin
Business

Russia Says Economy Grew 3.5 Percent in First Quarter

by Staff Writer
May 18, 2022
Bucha massacre
World

UN Launches Probe Into Russian Abuses in Ukraine

by Staff Writer
May 12, 2022
gavel
National

Court Blocks Biden Lifting US Border Expulsion Policy

by Staff Writer
April 25, 2022
China Muslim Uyghurs
Opinion

Unfair Politicization, Corruption, and the Death of Modern Olympism

by Jianli Yang
April 23, 2022
newspaper
Media Freedom

Russian Court Jails Journalist Over Ukraine Report

by Staff Writer
April 15, 2022
Ukraine war
World

HRW Urges Ukraine to Probe Possible ‘War Crimes’

by Staff Writer
April 1, 2022
Next Post
Blogger Roy Ngerng

Singapore Activist Crowdfunds $108,000 to Pay PM Libel Damages

Myanmar, Buddhists

Myanmar's Junta Releases 23,000 Prisoners in New Year's Amnesty

Recommended

Volkswagen logo

German Farmer Sues Volkswagen Over CO2 Emissions

May 20, 2022
Vladimir Putin

Russia Says Economy Grew 3.5 Percent in First Quarter

May 18, 2022
Mexico missing people

Over 100,000 People Reported Missing in Mexico, Data Reveals

May 17, 2022
Shireen Abu Akleh

Jerusalem Archbishop Condemns Israeli Police Raid at Journalist’s Funeral

May 16, 2022
A Lebanese election official stands at a polling station

New Group Threatens Lebanese Elections… and Potentially Middle East Peace

May 18, 2022
Israel

15 European Nations Urge Israel to Reverse Plans for More Settler Homes

May 13, 2022

Opinion

A Lebanese election official stands at a polling station

New Group Threatens Lebanese Elections… and Potentially Middle East Peace

May 18, 2022
A man holding a gun

Safely Back in USA, Land of Guns and Burgers

May 2, 2022
China Muslim Uyghurs

Unfair Politicization, Corruption, and the Death of Modern Olympism

April 23, 2022
Ukraine war

The Ukrainian Refugee Crisis and the Hierarchies of Western Compassion

April 20, 2022
Chinese leader Xi Jinping

How Wrong ‘How China Can End the War in Ukraine’ Is

April 1, 2022
Ukraine children

The War for Ukraine’s Lives and Minds

March 30, 2022
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post