Increased focus on the US susceptibility to hacks bring foreign cyber attackers into the light. The National Counterintelligence and Security Center reported more foreign countries hacking into US intelligence agencies.
Said hackers target the private sector and agencies indirectly involved with national security.
As the world grows attached to the internet of things market, more technological advancements become vulnerable to these hacks. It is possible to utilize household devices and industrial processes to steal information that previously required years.
NCSC points to entities that leak information for political purposes in a strategy plan posted on Monday. The Office also lists Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea as major adversaries that target the US with hacking.
Cuba and several non-state organizations such as Hezbollah, ISIS, and Al Qaeda were also included in the list.
The organization believes that these entities are developing the capacity to exploit, disrupt, or degrade critical infrastructure. They are currently targeting facilities and networks that underpin government functions, telecommunication services, and defense capabilities.
Consequently, this could disrupt the country’s security, economy, public health, and safety.
Their strategy describes preventing these potential hacks, especially as the country nears another election. Ultimately, the US Government seeks to counter counterintelligence while maintaining good relationships with foreign affairs.
No country poses a more severe long-term threat to the USA’s cyber infrastructure than China, said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
This was the second time the DOJ indicted Chinese military hackers since the first in 2018. The US charged the guilty party of theft from NASA and other technological entities.
A Chinese group called APT10 proved to be guilty of using malware to access computer networks and steal important data. The group stole hundreds of gigabytes of intellectual property which affected biotech, healthcare, oil and gas, telecommunications, and consumer electronics.
Equifax and Accountability
Following the largest data breaches in American history, the Justice Department indicted four culprits in relation to the Equifax hack. These military hackers, named Wu Zhiyong, Wang Qian, Xu Ke, and Liu Lei, were part of China’s People’s Liberation Army.
Equifax CEO Mark Begor thanked the agency for the investigation since they were of well-financed actors operating outside the law.
These hacks affected 147.7 million Americans, taking social security numbers, birthdates, and addresses. This lasted from May to July, which the House Oversight Committee described as “entirely preventable.
It didn’t learn of the attack until July. To make matters worse, the company didn’t alert the public of its breach until September.
The credit-monitoring agency forcibly settled with the Federal Trade Commission with $575 million over security failures in July 2019. This was from its data breach, which was warned about as early as March of the same year.
Equifax received public criticism since security researchers found how easy the website was to falsify. New York attorneys said the company was negligent with lax security standards, endangering the identities of half the US population.
Senator Elizabeth Warren and Mark Warner then introduced a bill that holds companies like these accountable for future data breaches. Similar businesses require gathering data, which could make them vulnerable to various hacks and malware.
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