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We ask Pitt & CMU experts: How bad is the suspected Russian hack of US government computer systems? Share Updated: 6:32 PM EST Dec 18, 2020 Share Updated: 6:32 PM EST Dec 18, 2020
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Show Transcript CYBERATTACK COULD MEAN FOR OUR COUNTRY. EACH DAY BRING NEW WARNINGS ABOUT AMERICA’S MASSIVE CYBER SECURITY BREACH, WITH RUSSIA AS THE SUSPECT. WE SPOKE WITH MICHAEL POZNANSKY, AFFILIATED WITH PITT’S CYBER INSTITUTE, AND AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AND INTELLIGENCE STUDIES. WE ARE JUST IN THE DISCOVERY PHASE, AND THE FIRST KIND OF ALARM BELLS ABOUT WE HAVE A FOREIGN, MALICIOUS ACTOR, IN OUR SYSTEM. BOB: THE INTRUSION IS BELIEVED TO HAVE STARTED MONTHS AGO, WITH A HACKED SOFTWARE UPDATE PLANTING THE INVASION INSI GOVERNMENT COMPUTER SYSTEMS, INCLUDING HOMELAND SECURITY, THE STATE DEPARTMENT, THE U.S. TREASURY, THE COMMERCE DEPARTMENT, THE ENERGY DEPARTMENT, AND AN AGENCY THAT MANAGES AMERICA�
US Government Reliance on Commercial Software Makes It Susceptible to Future Cyber Attacks
On 12/17/20 at 8:59 PM EST
The cyber supply chain attack that infiltrated a software company used by top federal and corporate institutions is just a preview of larger risks that lie ahead. A certain level of system vulnerability is unavoidable in a world where the government must assume that private sector certifications consistently meet the security standards that adequately protect some of our most valued information.
Experts say the problem, at its heart, is a matter of time and trust. How do you know what s going on in your computer? asks Herbert Lin, leading cybersecurity expert at Stanford University. The answer is you don t, you just trust that the thing works.