(Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)
Hackers were present in SolarWinds' systems as early as January 2019, months earlier than previously reported, SolarWinds President and CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna revealed during an appearance at the 2021 RSA Conference (RSAC).
Ramakrishna disclosed the new information in a discussion with Forrester VP Laura Koetzle, who quizzed the CEO during a pre-taped interview for the all-virtual RSAC.
"The tradecraft the attackers used was extremely well done and extremely sophisticated," said Ramakrishna, allowing them to hide in plain sight. The attack was possible, he added, because the attackers had the resources of a nation-state behind them. The US government has attributed the attack to Russia.