Hack brings unwanted attention to obscure but vital IT firm

The US Chamber of Commerce building in Washington DC in 2009. Cyber spies have exploited SolarWinds software to peer into computer networks, putting many of the company's highest-profile customers, including the US Treasury and Commerce departments, on high alert. — AP

Before this week, few people were aware of SolarWinds, a Texas-based software company in the United States that provides vital computer network monitoring services to corporations and government agencies around the world.

But the revelation that elite cyberspies have spent months secretly exploiting SolarWinds' software to peer into computer networks has put many of its highest-profile customers in national governments and Fortune 500 companies on high alert.