Administration Officials Say Foreign State Launched a Cyber Attack Against HHS Agency
Even as the US government is fighting to contain the spread of COVID-19 across the country, a cyberattack struck the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) over the weekend.
Bloomberg reports the attack was intended to slow down the agency's computers and to spread misinformation but did not have much of an impact. The news outlet also reported the attack may have come from a foreign state, but officials haven't confirmed who was behind it.
"We are aware of a cyber incident related to the Health and Human Services computer networks, and the federal government is investigating this incident thoroughly," John Ullyot, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said in a statement to Bloomberg. "HHS and federal government cybersecurity professionals are continuously monitoring and taking appropriate actions to secure our federal networks."
He said, "HHS and federal networks are functioning normally at this time."
On Sunday night, the National Security Council tweeted a warning about fake tweet messages.
"Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE. There is no national lockdown. @CDCgov has and will continue to post the latest guidance on #COVID19. #coronavirus"
Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE. There is no national lockdown. @CDCgov has and will continue to post the latest guidance on #COVID19. #coronavirus
— NSC (@WHNSC) March 16, 2020
According to administration officials, no data was taken from the HHS systems, Bloomberg reported.
