The U.S Highlights New Action on Cybersecurity Following a Hack by Suspected Russians
A sweeping hack that exposed U.S Government and Corporate secrets to Russia has left the U.S working double shifts in a bid to reinforce the nation’s cyber defenses.
The breach, which was discovered in early December by the private security firm FireEye, targeted software from Texas-based SolarWinds Inc. and exposed the profound vulnerability of civilian government networks and the limitations of efforts to detect threats. A potential big risk, as noted by Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, at her January confirmation hearing where she stated, “It was pretty alarming that we found out about it through a private company as opposed to our being able to detect it ourselves, to begin with,”. She was referencing CISAs threat-detection system known as “Einstein”.
The hackers gained access to data and email of at least nine U.S. government agencies and about 100 private companies.
In a statement made by the newly appointed deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber and Emergency Technology, Anne Neuberger, in a White House briefing on the 17th of March, she stated, “It’s really highlighted the investments we need to make in cybersecurity to have the visibility to block these attacks in the future.”
So far, there have been calls from top U.S officials for the increase in the funding for the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), a component of the Department of Homeland Security created in November 2018. Notably, Rep. John Katko, a Republican from New York, urged his colleagues to quickly “find a legislative vehicle to give CISA the resources it needs to fully respond and protect us.”
U.S President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 relief package called for $690 million more for CISA, as well as providing the agency with $9 billion to modernize IT across the government in partnership with the General Services Administration.
In the coming weeks, President Joe Biden plans to release an executive order that Anne Neuberger said will include about eight measures intended to address security gaps exposed by the hack. Biden’s administration also plans to increase the budget of CISA by 30%.
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