White House Boosts Software Security Following Hacks Linked To Russia And China

The United States has experienced several major cyberattacks this year. (photo: unsplash)

JAKARTA - The White House's National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, has written to major US companies and software developers to discuss ways to improve digital security. The White House said this on Thursday, December 23, in the latest sign of the government's growing concern over cybersecurity.

The United States has experienced several major cyberattacks this year. The attack has exposed thousands of records held by companies and government agencies that were compromised by hackers, including hackers with alleged ties to Russia and China.

Last year, one of the hacks broke into software made by SolarWinds. The attack, according to the US government, was likely orchestrated by Russia, and gave hackers access to the thousands of companies and government offices that use its products. Hackers even got access to emails at the US Department of the Treasury, the Department of Justice and Commerce, and other agencies.

In a separate attack, more than 20,000 US organizations were compromised through a backdoor patch used in Microsoft Corp. email software. The US government believes it was carried out by a cyber espionage group known as Hafnium, which has alleged ties to the Chinese government.

"The SolarWinds and Hafnium incidents serve as recent signs that strategic adversaries are actively exploiting vulnerabilities for nefarious purposes," Sullivan said in the letter cited by Reuters.

To kickstart this effort, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, Anne Neuberger, will host a one-day discussion in January with the company official responsible for open source projects and security.

Cyberattacks have grown in frequency and impact, prompting the government to issue an executive order in May creating a review board and new software standards for government agencies.