SolarWinds Corp banner hangs on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on the company’s stock exchange day in New York, USA, October 19, 2018.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
Hackers who used government networks using SolarWinds software may have had access to about 3% of the Justice Department’s email accounts, but there is no indication that they gained access to classified systems, a spokesman said. of the DOJ said in a statement on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the DOJ office of the chief information officer heard about the hack on Christmas Day, where agents gained access to the department’s Microsoft Office 365 email environment.
“As part of the ongoing technical analysis, the department has determined that the activity is a major incident under the Modernization of Federal Information Security Act, and is taking steps in line with the determination,” the spokesman said. “The department will continue to notify the appropriate federal agencies, Congress and the public as justified.”
U.S. intelligence agencies said Tuesday that Russians are likely to be behind the attack, which has affected several government departments. Microsoft was also a victim of the hack, Reuters reported in December.
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