United States accused Russia of mega hacking | AND…

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it was “fairly clear” that Russia was behind the devastating cyberattack on various US government agencies, which also affected targets around the world. Microsoft said Thursday it notified more than 40 customers affected by the malware, which security experts said allowed attackers unrestricted access to their networks.

“There has been a significant effort to use a third-party program to essentially integrate code into US government systems,” Pompeo told the Mark Levin Show Friday night. “I think now we can say that it is quite clear that it is the Russians who participated in this activity,” he added, according to the AFP news agency. About 80% of those affected are in the United States, Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a blog post, in which he also identified victims in Mexico, Spain, Belgium, United Kingdom, in Canada, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. United.

For analysts, these cyber attacks pose threats to national security due to the infiltration of important government systems. “It is certain that the number and location of the victims will continue to increase,” Smith admitted, joining the warnings already expressed by US officials about the severity of the attack.

“This is not ‘espionage as usual’, even in the digital age,” said the president of Microsoft, but “proof of a reckless act which created a serious vulnerability technology for the United States and the world “.

John Dickson of security firm Denim Group said several potentially vulnerable private sector companies are now struggling to strengthen their security, even when considering rebuilding their servers and other equipment.

“Everyone’s doing a damage assessment now because it’s huge,” Dickson said, adding that “it’s a blow to confidence in both government and critical infrastructure.

The threat comes from a long-term attack that purports to inject malware into computer networks using business management software created by Texas tech company SolarWinds and is said to be carrying the hallmark of an attack. national.

Biden, for his part, expressed “great concern” about computer infiltration, while Republican Senator Mitt Romney blamed Russia and criticized what he called “inexcusable silence” on the part of the White House.

James Lewis, vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the cyberattack could end up being the worst suffered in the United States, above the one that affected government personnel records in 2014, and which was later suspected as a Chinese infiltration. .

“The scale is overwhelming. We don’t know what they took, that’s one of the jobs of forensic science,” Lewis said.

In this context, the National Security Agency called for greater vigilance to prevent unauthorized access to key military and civilian systems.

For analysts, these cyber attacks pose threats to national security due to the infiltration of important government systems, which can also pose risks to the control of key infrastructure systems such as power grids.

The US Agency for Cyber ​​Security and Infrastructure Security (CISA) said government agencies, critical infrastructure entities and the private sector were targeted by what they described as an “advanced and persistent threat actor. “.

CISA has not identified who is behind these malware attacks, but Pompeo did, after private security companies identified hackers linked to the Russian government.

President-elect Joe Biden, for his part, expressed “great concern” about computer infiltration, while Republican Senator Mitt Romney blamed Russia and criticized what he called “inexcusable silence” from the White House.

Against this background, the State Department told lawmakers last week that the country would permanently close the consulate in the Russian city of Vladivostok and temporarily suspend operations in Yekaterinburg, according to the report. The notice was sent to Congress on December 10, but received little attention at the time, the report adds. The notification came three days before the news of a major computer intrusion in the US government was released.

The Russian Embassy in the United States has rejected press reports accusing Russian pirates, calling them unfounded.