Pompeo: Russia is ‘clearly enough’ behind massive cyberattack

Secretary of State Mike PompeoMike PompeoChampioning Democracy: How America Can Mitigate Rise of Authoritarian Powers Azar Tells Health Department Staff His Wife Has COVID-19: ‘Mild Symptoms, But It’s Alright’ Pompeo Speaks With His Counterpart Turkish following US sanctions MORE On Friday, accused Russia of the massive cyberattack against several US agencies and thousands of individual federal and private entities, saying the country was “clearly enough” behind the attack.

“I can’t say much more as we are still unpacking precisely what it is, and I’m sure some will remain classified. But suffice it to say that there has been a significant effort to use third-party software. . to basically embed code inside US government systems and it now appears that systems of private companies and corporations and governments around the world, “Pompeo said on” The Mark LevinMark Reed Levin Judicial Interference and Coming Constitutional Crisis Dwayne Johnson Boasts Increase in Instagram Followers After Biden Approval: ‘Always Tell Your Truth’ Ted Cruz Hits Fox’s Wallace For Debate On ‘ the train wreck ”, offers a new idea to PLUS moderators Show.”

“It was a very important effort, and I think it is true that now we can say quite clearly that it was the Russians who engaged in this activity,” he added.

Pompeo is the first senior Trump administration official to attribute the hack directly to Russia, although the large-scale sophisticated attack is widely believed to be country-related.

Experts say the effort, which targeted third-party software vendor SolarWinds, blinded the U.S. government. Many federal agencies, including the energy, homeland security, state and treasury departments, were reportedly raped.

Pressed on any public response from President TrumpDonald Trump Trump signs bill to keep government open amid US relief talks to shut down two Russian consulates ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ tendencies on social media after new name for Space Force On the hack, Pompeo suggested that “a wiser course of action to protect the American people is to go about your business calmly and defend freedom.”

While Trump did not weigh in on the attack, the president-elect Joe bidenJoe BidenUS To Close Two Russian Consulates On The Money: Congress Passes Bill To Avoid Closure As Coronavirus Talks Extend Into Weekend | Fight against Federal Reserve jeopardizes rescue talks Leading legal experts call for aggressive immigration actions READ MORE pledged to “elevate” cybersecurity across government and “make tackling this breach a top priority as soon as we take office.”

“Our adversaries need to know that as President, I will not stand idly by in the face of cyber attacks on our nation,” Biden said Thursday, adding that his administration would impose “substantial costs” on anyone responsible for malicious attacks to deter such actions. .

Experts described the SolarWinds attack as one of the most successful cyber intrusions in US history, with hackers gaining access to systems as early as March.

SolarWinds counts many government agencies and Fortune 500 companies as customers. Up to 18,000 customers have downloaded compromised software from the company that supplied malware inserted by hackers.

FireEye, a large cybersecurity firm, exposed the hack earlier this month, saying its systems were being penetrated by “a nation with world-class offensive capabilities.”

Federal officials said it would likely take weeks, if not months, to fully determine the scope of the attack.

Lawmakers have sounded the alarm and criticized Trump for not addressing the violation publicly.

“I think the White House needs to say something aggressive about what happened. It’s almost like you have a Russian bomber flying undetected over the country, including over the country’s capital, and not responding in a setting like this is truly astounding, “Sen. Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt Romney Lawmakers Call on Trump to Take Action Against Massive Hillicon Valley Government Hack: Lawmakers Ask if Massive Hack Equates to Act of War | Microsoft Says Systems Exposed In Massive SolarWinds Hack | Senators push for tech liability shield not to be included in UK Overnight Defense trade deal: Biden team expresses concern over ‘sudden end’ of cooperation with Pentagon | Defense chief pushes back | Lawmakers wonder if a major cyberattack is an act of war READ MORE (R-Utah) said in an interview this week.

Lawmakers urged Trump to take immediate action, including signing the annual Defense Policy Bill. The legislation includes a number of cybersecurity provisions, including one to restore the position of the federal cyber tsar and another to strengthen defenses against cyber attacks. Trump has threatened to veto the bill over an unrelated technological issue.

“One of the immediate steps the administration can take to improve our cyber posture is to sign the NDAA into law,” said the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. James inhofeJames (Jim) Mountain Inhofe Lawmakers call on Trump to take action against massive government hacking Lawmakers ask if massive hacking amounts to an act of war Trump faces bipartisan and international crackdown on recognition of Western Sahara MORE (R-Okla.) And ranking member Jack reedJack Reed Lawmakers Call on Trump to Take Action Against Massive Government Hack Lawmakers Ask if Massive Hack Equals Act of War Biden Selects Susan Rice to Head Home Policy Council, McDonough for Veterans READ MORE (DR.I.) said Thursday in a joint statement. “The NDAA is still ‘must’ legislation – but this cyber incident makes it even more urgent that the bill becomes law without further delay.

The Trump administration has set up a cyber coordination group made up of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to respond to the hack, describing it as a “government” .