US Health and Human Services faces cyber attack during coronavirus response — reports
The US Health and Human Services Department's computer system was reportedly hacked on Sunday night, with the National Security Council needing to step in and warn that news of a mass quarantine was fake news.
Three people "familiar with the matter" briefed Bloomberg on the hack and said the breach was meant to slow the department's system down in the middle of the coronavirus response. Though no major damage was done, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Donald Trump have been informed of the attack, which is said to have included several incidents. The National Security Council tweeted in response to the hack and the spread of disinformation due to it on Sunday night.
Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE. There is no national lockdown. @CDCgov has and will continue to post the latest guidance on #COVID19. #coronavirus
— NSC (@WHNSC) March 16, 2020
According to the report, HHS officials assume a "hostile foreign actor" was behind the attack, but there is no proof of that being the case.
As of Monday morning, there are 3,602 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the US, and at least 66 people have died from it.
