Tech firms say there’s little doubt Russia behind major hack

Mandia (left), Ramakrishna (middle) and Smith testify during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on Feb 23, 2021 in Washington. — AP

WASHINGTON: Leading technology companies said on Feb 23 that a months-long breach of US corporate and government networks was so sophisticated, focused and labour-intensive that a nation had to be behind it, with all the evidence pointing to Russia.

In the first congressional hearing on the breach, representatives of technology companies involved in the response described a hack of almost breathtaking precision, ambition and scope. The perpetrators stealthily scooped up specific emails and documents on a target list from the US and other countries.