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SolarWinds recap: All of the federal agencies caught up in the Orion breach tech (Getty Images) Dec 22, 2020 | FEDSCOOP
The extent of the hacking campaign on the federal government by suspected Russian operatives through vulnerabilities in SolarWinds’ Orion software is becoming more clear as agencies publicly acknowledge breaches in their systems.
The SolarWinds hack has put agencies at risk of being surveilled or having data stolen for up to nine months, as users of the software who updated between March and June inadvertently added malware into their networks.
The breach was first reported Dec. 13. And since then, the list of confirmed and potential victims within the federal government continues to grow.
Biden is considering cyber attacks on Russian infrastructure in retaliation for Pearl Harbor of hacks that breached 200 US federal agencies and firms - as fired DHS Cybersecurity chief Chris Krebs admits his failure to stop it
President-elect s team is said to be considering several options over Russia s suspected role in the unprecedented hacking of US government agencies
Moscow has denied involvement in the massive data breach
But Biden is reported to be looking at new financial sanctions and cyber attacks on Russian infrastructure, people familiar with the matter say They ll be held accountable, Biden said in an interview broadcast on Thursday
Attorney General Bill Barr said Russia was behind the massive hack of U.S. government computer systems
His statement contradicted President Trump s suggestion it was China It certainly appears to be the Russians, Barr said
President Trump has avoided criticizing Russia and its President Vladimir Putin
Officials are still combing their systems to see what kind of information could have been stolen - including possibly from American spy agencies