US government agencies hit in global hack

Cyber watchdog says federal agencies are dealing with a hacking campaign but no 'significant impact' foreseen

The US does not expect any significant impact from a cyber attack that hit its government agencies. Reuters

Several US government agencies have been hit in a global hacking campaign that exploited a vulnerability in widely used software, the US cybersecurity watchdog said on Thursday.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said several federal agencies had experienced intrusions following the discovery of a weakness in the file transfer software MOVEit, Eric Goldstein, the agency's executive assistant director for cyber security, said in a statement.

“We are working urgently to understand impacts and ensure timely remediation,” he said.

Cisa did not immediately return emails by Reuters seeking further comment.

The FBI and US National Security Agency also did not immediately return emails seeking details on the breaches.

The US does not expect any “significant impact” from the cyber attack, Jen Easterly, director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told MSNBC.

The agency was working to fully figure out the attack's impact and is co-ordinating with other agencies to ensure a remediation, Ms Easterly said.