U.S. cyber agency says SolarWinds hackers are 'impacting' state, local governments


FILE PHOTO: The SolarWinds logo is seen outside its headquarters in Austin, Texas, U.S., December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Sergio Flores

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. cybersecurity agency said on Wednesday that a sprawling cyber espionage campaign made public earlier this month is affecting state and local governments, although it released few additional details.

The hacking campaign, which used U.S. tech company SolarWinds as a springboard to penetrate federal government networks, was "impacting enterprise networks across federal, state, and local governments, as well as critical infrastructure entities and other private sector organizations," the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in a statement posted to its website.

The CISA said last week that U.S. government agencies, critical infrastructure entities, and private groups were among those affected, but did not specifically mention state or local bodies. So far only a handful of federal government agencies have officially confirmed having been affected, including the U.S. Treasury Department, the Commerce Department, and the Department of Energy.

CISA did not identify the state or local agencies affected and did not immediately return an email seeking additional detail on the notice.

Reuters has previously reported that Pima County, Arizona was among the victims of the wave of intrusions.

The county did not immediately return a message seeking comment late Wednesday. The county's chief information officer previously told Reuters his team had taken its SolarWinds software offline immediately after the hack became public and that investigators had not found any evidence of a further compromise.

Senior U.S. officials and lawmakers have alleged that Russia is to blame for the hacking spree, a charge the Kremlin denies.

(Reporting by Raphael Satter; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

RM 11.12/month

Billed as RM 11.12 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter.

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 9.87/month

Billed as RM 118.40 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In World

Vespa riders take to roads in Rome to mark 80th birthday
Trump's Iran deal falls short for these voters and some fear it could cost Republicans the midterm
Ukraine hits defence plant in Russia's Volgograd region, Zelenskiy says
Catholic bishops call for humane treatment of migrants during US-Mexico border Mass
Small aircraft crash in Beijing kills one person, injures 13, local govt says
French city-dwellers swap stifling apartments for cool hotel rooms
Explosive drone targets Iranian Kurdish opposition camp north of Iraq's Erbil, security sources say
Iran says it struck US-linked targets in response to US attacks
Germany gripped by record temperatures as European heatwave moves east
Thousands left without power after wild weather in New Zealand

Others Also Read