Microsoft has faced intense scrutiny in the two months since the revelation of the SolarWinds campaign over the role of its products in spreading the hackers’ net.Brad Smith, president of Microsoft Corporation, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, during a hearing on emerging technologies and their impact on national security. | AP Photo/Susan WalshGoogle is lobbying Senate Intelligence Committee members to use a Tuesday hearing on the SolarWinds hack to press Microsoft on whether its products had cybersecurity failures that played a role in the sprawling...…Microsoft has faced intense scrutiny in the two months since the revelation of the SolarWinds campaign over the role of its products in spreading the hackers’ net.Brad Smith, president of Microsoft Corporation, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, during a hearing on emerging technologies and their impact on national security. | AP Photo/Susan WalshGoogle is lobbying Senate Intelligence Committee members to use a Tuesday hearing on the SolarWinds hack to press Microsoft on whether its products had cybersecurity failures that played a role in the sprawling...WW…

The leading candidates for the cyber positions have been described as well prepared to confront an ongoing cyber espionage crisis and other digital security challenges.President Joe Biden is expected to pick three Obama administration veterans for key roles on the National Security Council and at DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesPresident Joe Biden is expected to appoint former officials with extensive cyber policy experience to three crucial positions as his administration grapples with digital security threats including the massive...…The leading candidates for the cyber positions have been described as well prepared to confront an ongoing cyber espionage crisis and other digital security challenges.President Joe Biden is expected to pick three Obama administration veterans for key roles on the National Security Council and at DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesPresident Joe Biden is expected to appoint former officials with extensive cyber policy experience to three crucial positions as his administration grapples with digital security threats including the massive...WW…

The government doesn’t do much to verify the security of software from private contractors. And that’s how suspected Russian hackers got in.Network cables plugged into a server. | Michael Bocchieri/Getty ImagesThe massive monthslong hack of agencies across the U.S. government succeeded, in part, because no one was looking in the right place.The federal government conducts only cursory security inspections of the software it buys from private companies for a wide range of activities, from managing databases to operating internal chat applications. That created the blind spot that suspected...…The government doesn’t do much to verify the security of software from private contractors. And that’s how suspected Russian hackers got in.Network cables plugged into a server. | Michael Bocchieri/Getty ImagesThe massive monthslong hack of agencies across the U.S. government succeeded, in part, because no one was looking in the right place.The federal government conducts only cursory security inspections of the software it buys from private companies for a wide range of activities, from managing databases to operating internal chat applications. That created the blind spot that suspected...WW…

The hacks also placed new pressure on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which has been without a permanent leader since November.The Department of Homeland Security seal. | AP Photo/Carolyn KasterThe sophisticated cyber campaign that breached email accounts across the federal government created a deepening crisis Monday as signs multiplied about the scope of the foreign intruders’ reach.“This is probably going to be one of the most consequential cyberattacks in U.S. history,” one U.S. official said, after the National Security Council held its second meeting in three...…The hacks also placed new pressure on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which has been without a permanent leader since November.The Department of Homeland Security seal. | AP Photo/Carolyn KasterThe sophisticated cyber campaign that breached email accounts across the federal government created a deepening crisis Monday as signs multiplied about the scope of the foreign intruders’ reach.“This is probably going to be one of the most consequential cyberattacks in U.S. history,” one U.S. official said, after the National Security Council held its second meeting in three...WW…

Christopher Krebs oversaw the defense of the 2020 elections — and vouched for their integrity afterward.Christopher Krebs, the director of DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, speaks during a news conference on election cybersecurity. | Evan Vucci/AP PhotoPresident Donald Trump on Tuesday fired Christopher Krebs, the U.S. government’s top cybersecurity official, after he spent weeks contradicting the election-related conspiracy theories that Trump and his allies have promoted to deny the legitimacy of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.Krebs, the director of the...…Christopher Krebs oversaw the defense of the 2020 elections — and vouched for their integrity afterward.Christopher Krebs, the director of DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, speaks during a news conference on election cybersecurity. | Evan Vucci/AP PhotoPresident Donald Trump on Tuesday fired Christopher Krebs, the U.S. government’s top cybersecurity official, after he spent weeks contradicting the election-related conspiracy theories that Trump and his allies have promoted to deny the legitimacy of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.Krebs, the director of the...WW…

Chris Krebs is in the White House's crosshairs in part because of a website he created to debunk election-related misinformation.Chris Krebs, the director of DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, speaks during a news conference on election cybersecurity. | Evan Vucci/AP PhotoThe U.S. government’s top cybersecurity official has told people that he expects the White House to fire him, three people familiar with the situation told POLITICO, as the Trump administration continues a purge of officials deemed disloyal to the president.Chris Krebs, the director of the Department of...…Chris Krebs is in the White House's crosshairs in part because of a website he created to debunk election-related misinformation.Chris Krebs, the director of DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, speaks during a news conference on election cybersecurity. | Evan Vucci/AP PhotoThe U.S. government’s top cybersecurity official has told people that he expects the White House to fire him, three people familiar with the situation told POLITICO, as the Trump administration continues a purge of officials deemed disloyal to the president.Chris Krebs, the director of the Department of...WW…

The Trump campaign said the hackers had not accessed any valuable information.President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally. | Photo by Scott Olson/Getty ImagesUnknown hackers on Tuesday night, claiming — without evidence — that they had compromised “multiple devices” and stolen “strictly classified information.”The message borrowed language common to disinformation campaigns designed to demoralize Americans and depress voter turnout, warning that “the US citizens have no choice.”The play: In a message posted on the campaign’s website, the hackers asked people to send cryptocurrency...…The Trump campaign said the hackers had not accessed any valuable information.President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally. | Photo by Scott Olson/Getty ImagesUnknown hackers on Tuesday night, claiming — without evidence — that they had compromised “multiple devices” and stolen “strictly classified information.”The message borrowed language common to disinformation campaigns designed to demoralize Americans and depress voter turnout, warning that “the US citizens have no choice.”The play: In a message posted on the campaign’s website, the hackers asked people to send cryptocurrency...WW…