2020 SolarWinds/U.S. Government Cyber-Espionage

In March 2020, a significant cyber attack was launched, targeting numerous U.S. government agencies and private companies. The assault and associated breaches (largely regarded as among the worst U.S. cyber-espionage attacks in history) were uncovered a full 9 months later, December of 2020.

Cozy Bear, a Russian intelligence-agency backed hacking group has been cited as responsible.

The attack leveraged software released by Microsoft, SolarWinds and VMware and within days of the initial discovery, over 200 entities had been identified as affected. Discovery of the nature and impact of the attack is only expected to grow over time, with targets including federal institutions such as the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health & Human Services, Homeland Security, State and Treasury as well as state and local governments and technology companies.

The breadth, depth and length of intrusion portends the discovery of serious repercussions as more is learned - both for those that have been immediately identified as victims of the attack and potential hundreds of those whom they serve.