The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has revealed that one of its computer systems has been engaged in a “cyber incident.”
According to CNN, the computer in problem is utilised by the FBI in the course of carrying out inquiries regarding the sexual abuse of children, and two sources suggest that the FBI New York Regional Office is the major target of the harmful cybersecurity threats.
In a statement to CNN, the FBI said, “The FBI is aware of the incident and is working to gain additional information … This is an isolated incident that has been contained. As this is an ongoing investigation the FBI does not have a further comment to provide at this time.”
We can only assume that the FBI will take the decision to disclose additional information regarding what specifically the hacker was able to obtain, regardless of whether any data was taken, and how precisely access was secured in the initial place.
Even though the security vulnerability has been fixed, the source of the hack is still unknown, based on an insider who was told on the subject. This is even though the breach has now been controlled.
After the Solarwinds supply chain attack, which influenced a variety of departments, urged an executive order to improve the country’s cybersecurity and had government leaders evaluate in the previous year how well that was proceeding, US government entities are well aware of the risk that cybercriminals pose.
One of the FBI’s most significant databases, which comprised the contact information of more than 80,000 high-profile individuals from the private industry, was compromised in December, making the FBI an extremely frequent target. The most recent attack took place in December.
Solarwinds:
An American corporation called SolarWinds Corporation produces software for organisations to use in maintaining their networks, systems, and IT architecture. It has facilities for product and sales development all over the U. S. and in a variety of many other nations, with its main headquarters being in Austin, Texas.
Orion, a SolarWinds product used by over 33,000 clients in the government and private sectors, was the subject of a massive attack that was released publicly in December 2020.
Months of the 2020 attack went largely unnoticed, and following the early exposure, new information regarding the depth and breadth of infected computers kept being revealed. Brad Smith, the president of Microsoft, described it as “the largest and most sophisticated attack the world has ever seen” in February 2021.
Supply Chain Attack:
A supply chain attack is a form of cyberattack that attempts to cause harm to the organization by concentrating on parts of the distribution chain that have a lower level of protection. Any sector, including the government, the oil industry, or the financial sector, is vulnerable to being targeted via the supply chain.
A cyberattack on the supply chain could occur either through the software or the hardware. Putting malware or hardware-based surveillance parts is the usual technique utilised by cybercriminals when trying to interrupt the production or distribution of a product.
Based on the 2019 Internet Security Threat Report published by Symantec, the number of assaults targeting supply chains grew by 78 per cent in 2018.