SOLAR WINDS ATTACK

According to Reuters, SolarWinds, a large US information technology corporation, was the victim of a hack that spread to its clients and went unnoticed for months. Foreign hackers, believed to be from Russia by some top US officials, were able to use the hack to spy on private companies like FireEye and the US government’s upper echelons, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Treasury Department.

The US government was reportedly ready to impose sanctions on about a dozen Russian intelligence officials on Thursday over their alleged role in meddling in the 2020 presidential election as well as the Solarwinds attack.

Here’s a quick rundown of how the enormous data leak occurred and why it matters.

Hackers got into Texas-based SolarWind’s servers in early 2020 and installed harmful code in the company’s software system. The “Orion” system is commonly used by businesses to manage IT resources. According to SEC filings, Solarwinds has 33,000 clients who use Orion.

Whether it’s to fix a bug or add new features, most software providers send out updates on a regular basis. SolarWinds is no different. SolarWinds accidentally sent out software upgrades to its clients with the stolen malware as early as March 2020.

The code created a backdoor into customers’ IT systems, which hackers then used to install more malware that allowed them to spy on businesses and organisations.

The VICTIMS

Up to 18,000 of SolarWinds’ customers installed updates that made them vulnerable to hackers, according to the SEC. The hack might be huge because SolarWinds has numerous high-profile clients, including Fortune 500 corporations and multiple US government agencies. In a congressional hearing in February, Microsoft president Brad Smith stated that nongovernment groups made up more than 80% of the victims.

THE CAUSE

According to federal authorities and cybersecurity specialists, the hack was most likely carried out by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR. In 2014 and 2015, Russian intelligence was also blamed for hacking into the White House, State Department, and Joint Chiefs of Staff email servers. The Democratic National Committee and officials of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign were later targeted by the same gang.

The breach was most likely carried out by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR, according to federal authorities and cybersecurity experts. Russian intelligence was also blamed in 2014 and 2015 for hacking into the email servers of the White House, State Department, and Joint Chiefs of Staff. The same gang later targeted the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign executives.