On Sunday, the US government announced that its data networks had been struck by a cyberattack, while the Washington Post claimed that Russian state hackers had attacked at least two agencies, including the Treasury.
A representative for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Defense Department told AFP, “We have been working closely with our agency partners regarding recently discovered activity on government networks,”
“CISA is providing technical assistance to affected entities as they work to identify and mitigate any potential compromises.”
The Post said the attacks were related to an assault on cybersecurity company FireEye last week which said that its own protections were compromised by advanced attackers who stole software used to test the computer systems of customers.
FireEye said the attack was accused of being state-sponsored.
According to US media sources, the FBI was investigating a group working with the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, SVR, and that abuses had been happening for months.
During the Obama administration, the same party has allegedly hacked US government departments.
“The United States government is aware of these reports and we are taking all necessary steps to identify and remedy any possible issues related to this situation,” said John Ullyot, spokesman for the National Security Council.
