US intel agencies allege Russia behind hacks on govt agencies
Elected officials briefed on the inquiry and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had previously said Russia was behind the hacking spree, but President Donald Trump said it could have been China
Reuters | January 6, 2021 | Updated 12:55 IST
The incoming administration of Joe Biden has already promised a response to the SolarWinds hacks
The office of the US Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday said Russia was likely behind a string of hacks identified last month that gained access to several federal agencies.
The office, along with the FBI, the National Security Agency, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency inside the Department of Homeland Security, in a joint statement, said the hackers goal appeared to be collecting intelligence, rather than any destructive acts. They said they had so far identified fewer than 10 agencies that were hacked.
With just a fortnight remaining before the inauguration of Joe Biden, Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese apps and their developers.
The move hits Alipay, the payment platform and sister business to Alibaba owned by Chinese e-commerce giant Ant Group, whose Jack Ma is
It also bans on national security grounds transactions with persons that develop or control seven other apps, comprising WeChat, QQ Wallet, SHAREit, CamScanner, Tencent QQ, VMate and WPS Office. Image: The president made the order with a fortnight left in office
While the ban underlines the Trump administration s China strategy, it won t enter into force for 45 days meaning the
US intelligence agencies say Russia likely behind hacking of government agencies
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The hackers goal appeared to be collecting intelligence, rather than any destructive acts.
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The office of the US Director of National Intelligence has said Russia was likely behind a string of hacks identified last month that gained access to several federal agencies.
Key points:
President Donald Trump previously said China could be behind the hack
Many of the attacks were traced to a tainted software update
The office along with the FBI, the National Security Agency, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency inside the Department of Homeland Security in a joint statement said the hackers goal appeared to be collecting intelligence, rather than any destructive acts.
Alipay, WeChat and friends ‘threaten national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States’ Share
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United States president Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning the use of eight Chinese apps, namely Alipay, CamScanner, QQ Wallet, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate, WeChat Pay, and WPS Office.
The executive order says the apps “threaten national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States” because China can track users’ devices.
“Chinese connected software applications can access and capture vast swaths of information from users, including sensitive personally identifiable information and private information,” the order says. “This data collection threatens to provide the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information which would permit China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors and buil
The Straits Times
US intelligence says Russia likely behind hacking of government agencies
It remains unknown how the hackers got deep inside SolarWinds production system as long as a year ago.PHOTO: REUTERS
PublishedJan 6, 2021, 9:05 am SGT
https://str.sg/JDMq
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