US government agencies attacked by hackers in software update The company -- Austin, Texas-based SolarWinds Corp. -- issued a statement appearing to confirm that the software update system for one of its products had been used to send malware to customers. December 14, 2020 9:46:34 am The attacks included snooping on emails at the U.S. Treasury Department and an arm of the Commerce Department (Representational Image) U.S. government agencies were hit by a widespread campaign of cyber-attacks by hackers who were suspected of exploiting a flaw in the update of a U.S. software company, according to three people familiar with the investigation.