US Government Institutions Attacked By Global Hacking Using Software Vulnerabilities

JAKARTA - Several US federal government agencies have been victims of a global hacking attack that utilizes vulnerabilities in widely used software. This was reported by CNN on Thursday, June 15.

"The United States' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) provides support to several federal government agencies experiencing intrusion that affect the vulnerable software exploited by hackers," Eric Goldstein, executive director of CISA's assistant for cybersecurity, told CNN.

No names of the affected software or details were mentioned about the alleged vulnerability. CISA has not yet responded to a request for comment from Reuters. The FBI and the United States National Security Agency have also not answered emails asking for comment on this matter.

Vulnerabilities in popular software products have repeatedly led to continued attacks on organizations around the world. Most recently, weaknesses in MOVEit transfer software led to data compromise from organizations such as the BBC, Boots, and British Airways.

It is not yet clear whether the attack has ties to the recently announced violations of the US government.

The online extortion group Cl0p - which claimed responsibility for the attack on MOVEit - had previously stated that they would not exploit data taken from government agencies.

"IF YOU ARE A GOVERNMENT INSTITUTION, CITY, OR POLICE SERVICE, DON'T WORRY, WE REMOVE ALL YOUR DATA," the group said in a statement on its website.

Cl0p did not immediately respond to messages asking for comment. Those who made MOVEit - Progress Software Corp - also did not immediately respond to messages.