US State Department reportedly hit by a cyberattack
The US State Department has reportedly suffered a cyberattack in recent weeks, prompting concerns about possible serious breach, FoxNews reported.
Currently, the extent of the breach is unclear, and it’s also unknown who may have been behind the cyberattack. According to FoxNews, it is believed that the attack took place “a couple of weeks ago.”
It remains unclear if any State Department’s operations were affected by the incident, but a source told FoxNews that mass evacuation of thousands of Americans and Afghans from Afghanistan has “not been affected”.
A knowledgeable source told Reuters that the State Department has not experienced significant disruptions and its operations have not been impeded.
“The Department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously takes steps to ensure information is protected. For security reasons, we are not in a position to discuss the nature or scope of any alleged cybersecurity incidents at this time”, a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.
FoxNews reporter Jacqui Heinrich pointed out that a recent Senate Homeland Security committee report rated State Department’s overall information security a ‘D’, the lowest possible rating in the model, calling it ineffective in 4 of 5 function areas.
