WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th December, 2020) The chairpersons on two US House of Representatives committees announced that the panels launched a joint investigation into the wide-scale cyber attack on government and private networks.
"Our Committees are seeking information related to the apparent, widespread compromise of multiple Federal government, critical infrastructure, and private sector information technology networks," Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney wrote to the FBI, Homeland Security Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence .
Thompson and Maloney said the preliminary reports suggest the cyber intrusion could have "potentially devastating consequences for US national security."
On Thursday, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned that governmental institutions, critical infrastructures and private entities face a "grave threat"� as a result of the cyber attack.
CISA attributed the attack, which had been underway since at least March, to an advanced persistent threat actor.
CISA also said removing malware from the "compromised environments" will be highly complex and challenging.
The Washington Post reported earlier that a hacking group called APT29, also known as "the Dukes" or "Cozy Bear," allegedly linked to the Russian government, was likely behind the hacking but provided no proof for its claims.
Russia's Embassy in the United States dismissed media reports accusing Russian hackers as unfounded.
