Two top national security nominees, Retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin and Avril Haines, have advocated for stronger federal cybersecurity following a supply chain breach that affected several federal agencies. If these nominees are confirmed, they will begin their jobs in the middle of the damage assessment process. The attack has been attributed to Russian hackers, who presumably got access through the SolarWinds breach.
Austin made a statement, declaring that: “We must elevate cybersecurity as an imperative across the government in order to defend the American people and U.S. critical infrastructure.” Federal investigators are still dealing with the aftermath of the attack, although reports claim there were “fewer than 10” breaches.
