NATO checks systems after US cyberattack
NATO said on Saturday it was checking its computer systems after a massive cyberattack on U.S. government agencies and others that Washington blamed on Moscow.
“For the moment, no evidence of compromise has been found on NATO networks. Our experts continue to assess the situation, with a view to identifying and mitigating potential risks to our networks,” said to AFP a NATO official.
Microsoft said Thursday that its anti-virus software had detected intrusions into dozens of networked systems, most of them in the United States, through software provided by US technology company SolarWinds.
The NATO official said the Belgium-based organization uses SolarWinds software in some of its systems.
“NATO also has Cyber Response Teams on standby to assist Allies around the clock, and our Cyberspace Operations Center is operational,” said the official, who was not identified in accordance with NATO policy.
Microsoft Chairman Brad Smith in a blog post Thursday said the hack was the most worrying of several “nation-state attacks” seen this year.
He added that outside the United States, networks in seven other countries have been affected – in Belgium, Britain, Canada, Israel, Mexico, Spain and the United Arab Emirates – and “he is certain that the number and location of victims will continue to increase. “.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday “we can say quite clearly that it is the Russians who have engaged in this activity”. Russia has denied any involvement.
SolarWinds said that up to 18,000 customers, including government agencies and Fortune 500 companies, downloaded compromised software updates, allowing hackers to spy on email exchanges.
