US Department of Health and Human Services Targeted by Hackers

As the US continues to struggle with the rapidly-spreading coronavirus outbreak, an unknown hacking group conducted an attack against the country’s Department of Health and Human Services. The attack took place on Sunday evening, but it escalated on Monday. The administration’s officials have stated that the attacks are under investigation. Officials have denied suggestions that the attack was ordered by a foreign power. They noted that the incident was highly aggressive, although relatively conventional. The breach appears to have been an effort to seek out the network’s vulnerabilities and potentially try to infiltrate the department’s email system. However, due to the lack of stealth, the attack quickly triggered alarms, especially with the increased sensitivity due to the coronavirus. The original reports of the incident came from the White House, with officials saying that the attack may have been launched by Iran. Many believe that the country may have been after revenge for the US drone strike in Iraq, or the sanctions that have been imposed on the country. However, cybersecurity experts believe that the attack was different than those typically carried out by Iran’s hackers in the past. The Department of Health and Human Services’ secretary, Alex M. Azar II revealed that the attack has been unsuccessful due to strong barriers. However, the incident still alerted some senior officials, as it stressed how the long-ignored networks might be critical for fighting the coronavirus. Officials have revealed that intelligence has been very thin so far and that it could point to numerous suspects, not all of which are foreign. At the moment, experts and officials are still trying to investigate the attack, while simultaneously bracing for additional, potentially more serious attacks and threats.