The Hack Roundup: CISA Guidance Warns Affected Systems May Need to Be Rebuilt

Serg001/Shutterstock.com

Here are the news and updates you may have missed. 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a guide for federal, state and local government leaders on responding to the hack and an online hub for resources.

The Insights document released Dec. 23 recaps the incident: A “sophisticated” actor slipped a backdoor into legitimate SolarWinds Orion software updates to gain access to networks for further action, like creating new accounts, collecting sensitive information or planting tools for future activity. Any organization that downloaded the compromised updates should take remediation steps, CISA said.

“If left unchecked, this threat actor has the resources, patience, and expertise to resist eviction from compromised networks and continue to hold affected organizations at risk,” the document states. 

CISA recommends organizations should investigate whether they have ever operated affected SolarWinds Orion versions, as well as determine whether any managed service providers may have been compromised. 

Remediation will require cooperation and resources from the organization’s leadership team, and CISA urges organizations to “empower information security staff to take appropriate action” or turn to third-party support when organizations lack in-house expertise.

The agency also warns that any network asset monitored by SolarWinds Orion may need to be rebuilt. 

“This will be a resource-intensive, highly complex, and lengthy undertaking,” the guidance states. 

The agency launched a page, cisa.gov/supply-chain-compromise, collecting guidance, alerts, the agency’s emergency directive and some third-party resources. 

Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 researchers found command and control infrastructure was set up as early as August 2019, a month earlier than previous research had determined. The perpetrators—which Unit 42 dubbed SolarStorm—released the first modified SolarWinds software in October 2019 and built a related Cobalt Strike payload in December 2019. The technically inclined can read Unit 42’s brief on the incident here

Veterans Affairs Department officials canceled Congressional briefings on the hack and one lawmaker wants an update. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, asked a series of questions about the incident and for details about how the agency is protecting veterans’ health data: 

"Alarmingly, the VA has been described as ‘the biggest spender on [SolarWinds Orion products] in recent years,’ raising deep concerns about the extent of its exposure and the impact on the sensitive data it holds on millions of veterans. SolarWinds has repeatedly held out its work with VA as a model customer, in one press release stating it ‘helped the VA consolidate to a single enterprise-wide platform, implementing ten regional instances, putting everyone on the same page and giving consolidated visibility.’ In effect, SolarWinds’ statements raises [sic] the troubling prospect that the maliciously backdoored software was sitting at the heart of the VA, with unparalleled access to sensitive information."

Deterrence isn’t working in cyberspace, argues Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, in a Barron’s op-ed. The U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission co-chair calls for a national strategy that allows the U.S. to “impose consequences” on attackers through cyber and noncyber means, and a well-resourced U.S. Cyber Command that conducts and sometimes publicly claims offensive missions. He also called attention to various commission recommendations that made it into the still-unsigned National Defense Authorization Act. 

“[W]e need to make our enemies change their decision matrix and send a clear, unequivocal message to our enemies: If you hit us, we will hit back,” he wrote. 

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.