National Security Council names Russia as "likely" origin of massive U.S. agency breach
05 January 2021
A U.S. task force responsible for investigating the massive cyberattack that breached the departments of Defense, State, Homeland Security — among others — identified the hack as "likely Russian in origin," per a joint statement on Tuesday.
Why it matters: This is the first time the federal government has formally named Russia as the likely origin of the attack.
Catch up quick: The attackers targeted SolarWinds, the globally used network-management software that serves major companies and governments.
- The FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and other agencies gathered under the National Security Council have so far "identified fewer than ten U.S. government agencies" that were affected by the breach.
- Roughly 18,000 people and private sector companies are known to have been impacted overall, the agencies noted.
Of note: President Trump responded to the cyberattack in mid-December, claiming the "Fake News Media" exaggerated the extent of the hack, and claimed that China may be responsible, contradicting other government officials who attributed the breach to Russia.
What they're saying: "This work indicates that an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actor, likely Russian in origin, is responsible for most or all of the recently discovered, ongoing cyber compromises of both government and non-governmental networks," the agencies said.
- "At this time, we believe this was, and continues to be, an intelligence gathering effort."
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.