The Washington State Capitol Building in Olympia. (Pastajosh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Malicious actors last Dec. 25 stole millions of unemployment applicantsâ data from the Washington State Auditorâs Office (SAO) via a zero-day vulnerability in a 20-year-old file transfer service from Accellion, Inc. The incident and its aftermath serve as an example of the discord and miscommunications that can transpire between a third-party software provider and its users when something goes wrong.
The attack also demonstrates not only the critical importance of securing sensitive data on the move, but also the potential risks of using legacy applications that are nearing end of life.
BY MELISSA SANTOS & LILLY FOWLER / CROSSCUT
Originally published January 20, 2021 on Crosscut.com
A fog set in at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia on Wednesday morning, as Democrat Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. What did not descend on the state Capitol, however, were groups of armed protesters, who officials feared might come to cause trouble following the riot at the U.S. Capitol and breach of the Washington Governor’s Mansion two weeks ago.
Washington National Guard troops were on site to guard against any repeat of the violence and disruption seen Jan. 6.
Security ramped up at U.S. Capitol
Members of the National Guard arrive at the U.S. Capitol days after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in Washington, January 11, 2021. REUTERS/Erin Scott Reuters / Monday, January 11, 2021 Members of the National Guard arrive at the U.S. Capitol days after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in Washington, January 11, 2021. REUTERS/Erin Scott Close 1 / 39
Flowers are placed in security fencing around the Capitol days after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in Washington, January 11, 2021. REUTERS/Erin Scott Reuters / Monday, January 11, 2021