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A spokesman for the US National Security Council, John Ullyot issued a press statement. He said the US government has acknowledged reports that hackers backed by a foreign government have breached the US Treasury Department and an agency within the Commerce Department. Ullyot said, “The United States government is aware of these reports and we are taking all necessary steps to identify and remedy any possible issues related to this situation”. Reuters reported that the elaborate cyber hack was launched on the Treasury Department as well as the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA (a US agency tasked with crafting internet and telecommunications policy).

A reliable source informed the outlet and said the hack was so serious and it led to a National Security Council meeting on Saturday. Point to be noted that hackers reportedly used the Microsoft Office 365 platform of the organization to monitor emails of staff members for months. A spokesperson for the Commerce Department also confirmed the breach and said it has asked CISA and the FBI to investigate, but declined to comment any further detail regarding the issue. A Microsoft spokesperson also refused to comments. The US Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, issued a statement.

The statement says the agency has been working closely with its partners regarding recently discovered activity on government networks. The spokesperson said, “CISA is providing technical assistance to affected entities as they work to identify and mitigate any potential compromises”. An FBI spokesperson said it can neither confirm nor deny details related to any ongoing investigation, citing the agency’s standard practice. The announcement came less than a month after the US President Donald Trump fired the nation’s top cybersecurity official, Christopher Krebs. It is important that Krebs oversaw CISA and was responsible for leading the effort to protect US elections.