A recent attack exposed vulnerabilities in the US cyber defense system.
According to foreign sources, in February, the systems of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Agency (CISA) were attacked by hackers who used vulnerabilities in Ivanti products.
In response to the security breach, the agency was forced to shut down two key systems, according to a CISA official and U.S. officials familiar with the incident.
The IP Gateway system, designed for the exchange of security assessment tools between federal, state and local officials, as well as the Chemical Security Assessment Tool (CSAT), which contains information about the security of chemical facilities and security vulnerability assessments, was hacked.
The CISA representative noted that a preliminary investigation conducted by government experts showed that attackers exploited vulnerabilities in Ivanti products. "The impact was limited to two systems, which we immediately shut down. We continue to update and modernize our systems," the representative said.
It is ironic that CISA has previously warned American organizations about attacks that exploit vulnerabilities in the Ivanti software. So, on February 1, the agency ordered federal agencies to disable all vulnerable instances of Ivanti Connect Secure and Ivanti Policy Secure products within 48 hours, and on February 29, it again warned organizations about active exploitation.
The agency has not yet begun to disclose details of the attack or point out a specific attacker, apparently considering this information insignificant, or, conversely, highly sensitive and compromising. However, despite the attack, CISA representatives claim that there was no significant impact on their organization or on the systems of partners.
This incident serves as a reminder that any organization can fall victim to a vulnerability. Even the very personification of American cybersecurity in the face of CISA is not immune from this.
Vulnerabilities can be present in any software, so it is extremely important to have a clear plan of action in case of information security incidents, update systems and programs in a timely manner, and conduct regular risk assessment to prevent and minimize the consequences of possible attacks.
According to foreign sources, in February, the systems of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Agency (CISA) were attacked by hackers who used vulnerabilities in Ivanti products.
In response to the security breach, the agency was forced to shut down two key systems, according to a CISA official and U.S. officials familiar with the incident.
The IP Gateway system, designed for the exchange of security assessment tools between federal, state and local officials, as well as the Chemical Security Assessment Tool (CSAT), which contains information about the security of chemical facilities and security vulnerability assessments, was hacked.
The CISA representative noted that a preliminary investigation conducted by government experts showed that attackers exploited vulnerabilities in Ivanti products. "The impact was limited to two systems, which we immediately shut down. We continue to update and modernize our systems," the representative said.
It is ironic that CISA has previously warned American organizations about attacks that exploit vulnerabilities in the Ivanti software. So, on February 1, the agency ordered federal agencies to disable all vulnerable instances of Ivanti Connect Secure and Ivanti Policy Secure products within 48 hours, and on February 29, it again warned organizations about active exploitation.
The agency has not yet begun to disclose details of the attack or point out a specific attacker, apparently considering this information insignificant, or, conversely, highly sensitive and compromising. However, despite the attack, CISA representatives claim that there was no significant impact on their organization or on the systems of partners.
This incident serves as a reminder that any organization can fall victim to a vulnerability. Even the very personification of American cybersecurity in the face of CISA is not immune from this.
Vulnerabilities can be present in any software, so it is extremely important to have a clear plan of action in case of information security incidents, update systems and programs in a timely manner, and conduct regular risk assessment to prevent and minimize the consequences of possible attacks.
