U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview Friday night that he believes Russia is behind the hack that breached dozens of federal agencies and companies, including the cybersecurity company Fire.
Speaking on the “Mark Levine Show”, Pompeo said the effort was “clearly tied to Russia”.
“I can’t say more because we’re still definitely unpacking it, and I’m sure some of it will be categorized,” Pompeo said. “This was a very significant effort, and I think it is in this case that we can now very clearly say that it was the Russians who were engaged in this activity.”
When asked if President Donald Trump would speak during the investigation, Pompeo said that sometimes a prudent move to protect the American people is to peacefully talk about your business and defend your freedom.
The hack was first unveiled earlier this month by FireA, a major U.S. cybersecurity company with a huge government contract. In a company blog post, CEO Kevin Mandia called it an “attack by a nation with top-level offensive capabilities.” He later said that the primary goal of the hackers appeared to be to steal information from the company’s government customers.
Investigators with the FBI’s Cyber Division said initial indications suggest that whoever is responsible has a “high level of compatibility with the nation-state.”
The hackers appear to have used computer systems to gain access to Solarwinds, an Austin-based company that provides remote information technology services to a long list of customers around the world, including several US government agencies and large corporations.
U.S. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued emergency directives instructing them to immediately stop using the version of SearleWinds products.
Cybertech was launched in early March but was discovered earlier this month. Many of the targets are government agencies, companies that contract with governments or think tanks. Information and technology companies were also hit, according to Microsoft.
Members of the Homeland Security and Oversight Committee said Friday they were briefed on the issue but were given “more questions than answers.”
“After receiving a classified member’s briefing today from the Trump administration about a major hacking of government systems, we are left with more questions than answers,” committee leaders said in a statement. With implications for our national security, administrative officials were unwilling to share the full scope of the victims’ violations and their identities. “
State Department officials confirmed Friday that the last two U.S. consulates in Russia, in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok and east of the Ural Mountains in Yekaterinburg, will close. In a statement, a spokesman said the decision was made “to optimize the work of the US mission in Russia”.
“The resulting real relocation of staff to the US Embassy in Moscow will allow us to advance our foreign policy interests in Russia as effectively and safely as possible,” the statement said.
Ken Delainian and Abigail Williams Contributed.
