US Defense, Justice Department Faces Major Breach, Exposing 632,000 Employees' Email Accounts

Russian hackers infiltrate Pentagon and DOJ, compromising 632,000 email accounts. While the U.S. Department classified the breach in May as a significant incident, it deems the exposed data as non-classified and generally low in sensitivity.

Facing Major Breach

Russian hackers have successfully compromised the email accounts of approximately 632,000 employees working within the United States Justice and Defence Departments. Interesting Engineering reported that this marks a significant security breach.

The hackers exploited a vulnerability within the government's file transfer software, MOVEit, as part of a broader series of attacks targeting its user base. This substantial cyberattack unfolded earlier this year.

To address this breach, U.S. cybersecurity officials have been collaborating with the FBI and other federal agencies, aiming to assess the extent of the breach within various government bodies.

The breach was reportedly linked to government employee surveys and internal tracking systems administered by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), raising concerns about the security of sensitive information. 

MOVEit holds contracts with approximately a dozen US government agencies. The security breaches didn't solely affect US State departments but also extended to private corporations such as Shell, the BBC, British Airways, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Georgia, and the Energy Department.

The Russian-speaking ransomware group known as CLoP claimed responsibility for the attacks, as they have done in previous MOVEit-related breaches. The organization estimated that its victims numbered in the hundreds.

Also Read: Pentagon Plans Comprehensive Zero-Trust Cybersecurity Measures Amid Growing Threats

Jon Easterly, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, stated in June that these hacks did not pose a systemic risk to our national security or our nation's networks. In June, a data breach at the Oregon Government of Transportation compromised the personal information of 3.5 million Oregon residents.

Associated Press reported that the breached data included social security numbers, dates of birth, physical addresses, and other information from driver's licenses. The report assured affected individuals that steps would be taken to provide them with the necessary information to safeguard their personal information. 

Other Instances

After a data breach that occurred in May, TechCrunch reported that the company behind the popular optimization program CCleaner has disclosed that hackers acquired a substantial amount of personal information about its paying customers.

Gen Digital, the multinational software company that owns brands such as CCleaner, Avast, Norton LifeLock, and Avira, informed customers via email that the breach resulted from a vulnerability in the widely used MOVEit file transfer tool.

MOVEit is utilized by numerous organizations, including CCleaner, to transfer large volumes of sensitive data online. Customers were sent email notifications revealing that the hackers had accessed their personal information, including names, contact details, and product specifics.

The breach of email addresses within the Department of Justice and the Pentagon serves as a stark reminder that even the most heavily fortified organizations can fall victim to cyberattacks.

Related Article: US Defense Dept. Develops Wearable with Real-Time Infection Prediction