Puzzling 'global cyberattack' strikes broad swath of US industries: report

15 June 2023

Federal agencies, state governments, private corporations, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions in the United States were hit in a "global cyberattack" on Thursday, CNN exclusively reports.

Per CNN, the incident "adds to a growing tally of victims of a sprawling hacking campaign that began two weeks ago and has hit major US universities and state governments," placing "pressure on federal officials who have pledged to put a dent in the scourge of ransomware attacks that have hobbled schools, hospitals and local governments across the US."

In addition to government agencies, CNN notes "Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and the university's renowned health system said in a statement this week that 'sensitive personal and financial information,' including health billing records may have been stolen in the hack."

Previously, "Russian hackers" who were "first to exploit the vulnerability," took "credit for numerous other victims in the hacking campaign," but CNN reports that it is "unclear" whether they launched the attack, as "experts say other groups may now have access to software code needed to conduct attacks."

Others impacted by the hackers include "employees of the BBC, British Airways, oil giant Shell, and state governments in Minnesota and Illinois, among others," according to CNN.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency executive assistant director for cybersecurity, Eric Goldstein, told CNN the department "is providing support to several federal agencies that have experienced intrusions affecting their MOVEit applications," as MOVEit is the "widely used file-transfer software." He added, "We are working urgently to understand impacts and ensure timely remediation."

The outlet notes the attack proves "the widespread impact that a single software flaw can have if exploited by skilled criminals."

CNN's full report is available at this link.

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