"USDA is Investigating a ‘Possible Data Breach’ of Contractor Related to The Global Russian Cybercriminal Hack"
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investigating a “possible data breach” of a department contractor connected to a broader hack on multiple federal agencies that officials have blamed on Russian cybercriminals. A department spokesperson stated that they are aware of a possible data breach with a vendor that may impact a very small number of employees, and any employees whose data may have been affected will be contacted and provided support. The spokesperson noted that the data breach did not occur to the USDA network. Currently, the USDA estimates that fewer than 30 USDA employees may have been impacted by a third-party vendor data breach. No federal agencies have reported receiving demands, but corporate victims have previously reported demands of millions of dollars. The hackers last month began exploiting a vulnerability in widely used file-transfer software known as MOVEit, made by the Massachusetts-based firm Progress Software.