LONG BATTLE IN CYBERSPACE.
GREGG: IT APPEARS THAT AMERICA,
HOWEVER, HAS BEEN ON THE BACK
FOOT IN THE BATTLE FOR
CYBERSPACE.
FIRED DHS CYBERRER SECURITY
CHIEF CHRISTOPHER KREBS ADMITTED
THIS WEEKEND IT WAS HIS FAILURES
WHICH ULTIMATELY ALLOWED THE
SOLARWINDS ATTACK TO GO ON
UNDETECTED FOR MANY MONTHS.
THERE’S ALSO A NEW REPORT ABOUT
A FORMER ADVISER TO SOLARWINDS
WHO CLAIMS TO HAVE WARNED THE
COMPANY WAY BACK IN 2017 ABOUT
JUST HOW VULNERABLE THEY WERE TO
A CYBER ATTACK.
ACCORDING TO BLOOMBERG, N.
THORNTON TRUMP -- NO RELATION TO
PRESIDENT TRUMP -- BRIEFED
SOLARWINDS EXECUTIVES ON THAT
THREAT.
HE LEFT THE COMPANY A MONTH
LATER THOUGH CLAIMING THAT
LEADERSHIP WAS NOT INTERESTED IN
MAKING ANY IMPACTFUL CHANGES.
JOINING ME NOW TO TALK ALL OF
THIS UP, FORMER SENIOR STATE
DEPARTMENT ADVISER MORGAN
WRIGHT.
MORGAN, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS
LATEST INFORMATION?
MULTIPLE ADVERSARIES, POWER HELL
ATTACKS?
PARALLEL ATTACKS?
>> GREGG, THIS SUSPICIOUSLY
SOUNDS LIKE THE CONVERSATION YOU
AND I HAD ABOUT OPM A WHILE
BACK.
WE GOT THE SAME SET OF THREAT
ACTORS INSIDE OUR SYSTEMS GOING
UNDETECTED FOR MONTHS, IF NOT
YEARS.
THERE’S INDICATIONS THE INITIAL
INTRUSION WAS IN THERE FOR OVER
A YEAR, THEY DID A DRY RUN BACK
IN OCTOBER.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS WE
HAVE TO DO IS DO DAMAGE
ASSESSMENT, HOW FAR DID THEY
ACTUALLY GET, WHAT SYSTEMS WERE
ACTUALLY TOUCHED, AND RIGHT NOW
WE’RE -- IN A SENSE, GREGG,
WE’RE FLYING BLIND.
WE HAVE NO IDEA THE EXTENT, AND
NOW THE REVELATION OF A SECOND
ACTOR, DID THEY SHARE
INFORMATION?
IS THIS STILL -- IS THIS ANOTHER
RUSSIAN THREAT ACTOR?
IS THIS CHINA?
>> THERE’S A LOT OF WORK TO BE
DONE TO ASSIGN ATTRIBUTION, BUT
AT THE END OF THE DAY, GREGG, WE
HAVE BEEN CAUGHT NOT ONLY WITH
OUR PANTS DOWN, WERE BEEN CAUGHT
SO FAR BEHIND THE LINES RIGHT
NOW, THIS IS JUST -- I CAN’T
EVEN TELL YOU, IT’S THE
EQUIVALENT OF A NUCLEAR BOMB
GOING OFF.
IT’S JUST DEVASTATING, WHAT THIS
IMPACT WILL HAVE NOT JUST NOW,
BUT FOR YEARS TO COME.
GREGG: AND WHAT’S THE WORST CASE
SCENARIO IN TERMS OF DAMAGE?
I TOLD OUR VIEWERS A MOMENT AGO
WE DON’T KNOW THE FULL, TENT OF
THE DAMAGE DONE -- EXTENT OF THE
DAMAGE DONE NOT JUST TO OUR
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, NATIONAL
SECURITY, BUT TO CORPORATIONS AS
WELL.
WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST FEAR ON
THATSOME.
>> YEAH, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING I
TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, THIS SOUNDS
SUSPICIOUSLY LIKE WHAT’S CALLED
IPB, INTELLIGENCE PREPARATION OF
THE BATTLEFIELD.
WHEN YOU GET INTO THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY, WHEN YOU GET
INTO THESE PLACES THAT HAVE
SENSITIVE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR
CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FROM
BANKING TO FINANCE, TO THE
ENERGY GRID, TO WATER, MY
CONCERN IS THAT THIS INFORMATION
IS BEING STOCKPILED FOR USE AT A
FUTURE TIME.
JUST THE ONGOING DAMAGE OF
INFORMATION AND DATA BEING
STOLEN AND THE SENSITIVE
CONVERSATIONS HAPPENING AT
GOVERNMENT LEVELS.
THAT’S ONE THING.
BUT THE COLLECTION OF
VULNERABILITY DATA, GREGG,
THAT’S WHAT REALLY CONCERNS ME
ABOUT WHAT’S GOING TO BE USED.
AND AGAIN, THIS HAS ALL THE
CHARACTERISTICS OF WHAT THE
UNITED STATES DOES BEFORE WE GO
TO WAR.
THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO
BE EXPLORED EVEN FURTHER.
GREGG: THIS MALWARE WAS SERVED
IN THE SOLARWINDS’ SERVER
SOFTWARE, AND THEY WERE WARNED
ABOUT IT FROM ONE OF THEIR OWN
PEOPLE WARNING THE EXECUTIVES
THAT, ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW,
YOUR SECURITY SYSTEMS ARE LIKE A
HUNK OF SWISS CHEESE, THERE’S SO
MANY HOLDS IN THEM. -- HOLES IN
THEM.
>> RIGHT.
GREGG: HOW CAN THAT BE?
ISN’T THAT SORT OF THE
DEFINITION OF RECKLESSNESS AND
INCOMPETENCE BY SOLARWINDS?
>> YOU KNOW, GREGG, THIS IS THE
FRUSTRATING PART.
I WORK RIGHT NOW AS THE CHIEF
SECURITY ADVISER FOR SENTINEL I,
WE HAVE SEEN THIS HAPPEN OVER
AND OVER AGAIN, OR JUST
SUBSTITUTE THE NAME WITH A
DIFFERENT COMPANY, AND THEY HAVE
IGNORED THE WARNINGS, THEY’VE
IGNORED THE RED FLAGS.
IN THIS CASE FOR SOLARWINDS,
THEY WERE LOOKING AT THEMSELVES
EVEN INTERNALLY.
EVEN FROM THIS TRUMP PERSON,
HE’S EVEN LOOKING AT WHAT IF WE
HAD BREACHED.
WE’VE NOW BROKEN INTO THE
LOCKSMITH’S STORE AND GOTTEN THE
KEYS TO GET INTO 18,000 HOMES
WITHOUT HAVING TO TRIP THE
ALARMS, WITHOUT BREAKING GLASS.
THIS IS EVEN WORSE THAN THAT.
IT’S ONE THING FOR A COMPANY TO
GET BREACHED, IT’S ANOTHER THING
TO USE THEIR TECHNOLOGY TO
BREACH 18,000 OR 500, WHATEVER
THE DAMAGE OR THE EXTENT MAY BE,
THAT’S WHAT’S HAPPENED HERE.
AND WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN I
GUARANTEE YOU, GREGG, WE’RE
GOING TO HAVE CONGRESSIONAL
HEARINGS, THERE WILL BE SOME
KIND OF LEGISLATION THAT IS
GOING TO PUT GOVERNMENT
REGULATION ON TOP OF HOW WE
HANDLE THINGS VERY SIMILAR TO
SARBANES-OXLEY.
WE’LL HAVE A DIGITAL VERSION OF
SOMETHING LIKE THAT SOON.
GREGG: SPEAKING OF GOVERNMENT
REGULATIONS, THIS GUY,
CHRISTOPHER KREBS, WHO WAS
RECENTLY FIRED AS HEAD OF THE
CYBERSECURITY INFRASTRUCTURE
SECURITY CITY KNOWN AS CISA, HE
SAID, LOOK, YEAH, GEE, I’M TO
BLAME.
WELL, HE IS TO BLAME.
BUT NOT JUST HIM, RIGHT?
THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE IN OUR
GOVERNMENT WHO SHOULD HAVE SEEN
THIS COMING A MILE AWAY.
>> GREGG, THIS IS SOMETHING I
WROTE ABOUT BEFORE AND I’VE
TALKED ABOUT WHAT CHINA’S DONE
TO COLLECT ALL THIS OPEN SOURCE
DATA, TO COLLECT DATA FROM
INTRUSIONS.
THEY’VE CORRUPTED AND
COMPROMISED A LOT OF OUR CIA
ASSETS THAT HAVE GONE INTO OTHER
COUNTRIES.
THIS WAS A MASSIVE INTELLIGENCE
FAILURE WITH.
WHY WE DID NOT HAVE -- WE RELIEF
TOO MUCH ON TECHNICAL
CAPABILITIES.
WE’VE GOT GREAT TECHNOLOGY,
YEAH, WE DO, BUT AT THE END OF
THE DAY, YOU STILL NEED PEOPLE
LISTENING IN ON CONVERSATIONS
THAT ARE THERE IN THE ROOM TO
SAY, GUESS WHAT, GUYS?
RUSSIA IS GETTING READY TO
LAUNCH THIS, HERE’S SOME
INFORMATION, HERE’S HOW THEY’RE
GOING TO DO IT, WE HAVE LOST THE
HUMAN ASSET PROGRAM TO GET THE
HUMAN INTELLIGENCE WE NEED TO
DISCOVER AND STOP ATTACK HIKE
THIS.
WE SIMPLY CANNOT ARE LIE ON BITS
AND BYTES, WE’VE GOT TO PUT
HUMANS IN THERE TO HELP PROTECT
AND DEFEND THE NATIONAL SECURITY
OF THE UNITED STATES.
IT CAN’T ALL BE DONE BUT
COMPUTERS.