The text revolves around a cybersecurity breach that occurred in 2019 and continued into 2020. Steven Adair, the president of Volexity, discovered a second group of hackers known as Dark Halo, who were targeting email accounts within an American think tank. It was later revealed that the hackers had planted a backdoor on the network three years prior, allowing them to re-enter and steal information. The investigation led to the discovery of a similar breach involving SolarWinds software in the US Department of Justice. This incident raised suspicions within the government and the security industry about a major cyber espionage campaign. Numerous federal agencies and tech companies were affected, including Microsoft and Mandiant.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sophisticated cyberespionage campaign through SolarWinds software | Increase in cyber attacks and breaches | Enhanced security measures and detection capabilities | Motivation for hackers to gain access to sensitive information |