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Emerging Tech Supporting the Government Response to the SolarWinds Hack

December 23, 2020 / Dcode

Would 2020 really be complete without a last-minute crisis? SolarWinds Orion, which federal agencies use widely, got hacked. In response, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an emergency directive for all federal civilian agencies to review networks and disconnect. The Pentagon issued a similar order to shut down the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet).

The same way many emerging tech companies answered the call to help the government respond to the Covid-19 crisis, these fully Vetted for Federal™ alumni companies are using their tech to help the government maintain communication continuity, identify malicious software, and uncover new information related to the breach.

Wickr
After CISA issued the emergency directive, many agencies were left without a secure way to collaborate using classified data. Wickr stepped up to help the government maintain continuity in communications by offering free downloads of Wickr Pro, its secure communication platform to government leaders in the Intelligence Community (IC), Department of Defense (DoD), and civilian agencies.

HYAS
Cybersecurity company HYAS was able to uncover important information related to the investigation of the breach. HYAS analyzed data relating to the initial command and control infrastructure used in the compromise to identify the techniques used to hide the origin of the adversarial domain. HYAS shared findings with the FBI, and is continuing to uncover and analyze relevant data that can be of use to law enforcement.

SecurityScorecard
SecurityScorecard’s investigation and analysis team found that SUNBURST malware was used as a trojanized backdoor into SolarWinds Orion five months earlier than initially identified. SecurityScorecard also identified the ongoing risk of downloading SolarWinds, as even recent updates have Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) present. SecurityScorecard’s Investigation & Analysis team has compiled extensive research and reporting on the compromise and is offering free access to a SolarWinds risk assessment.

RiskIQ
RiskIQ is helping government leaders discover if their organization has been impacted by the SolarWinds hack with free access to its Passive Total tool, which provides up-to-date threat and security intelligence from their analyst community about the breach. RiskIQ is offering organizational assessments to understand if and how organizations were impacted and how to protect them going forward.

These companies are enabling the government to maintain continuity and assess risk fast. Like all Dcode alumni, these companies are fully vetted to work with the government and equipped to succeed in the federal market.

Government leaders, if you have an urgent need for tech that can help, reach out to govhub@dcode.co to learn more about working with the companies above and in our alumni portfolio