Russian hackers hit 250 govt agencies, firms in US: Report

Agencies

January 3, 2021

Moscow, Jan 3: The suspected Russia-backed hackers have compromised at least 250 federal agencies and top enterprises in the US, by infiltrating into 'SolarWinds Orion' monitoring and management software.

According to a report in The New York Times, as businesses such as Amazon and Microsoft that provide cloud services dig deeper for evidence. "It now appears Russia exploited multiple layers of the supply chain to gain access to as many as 250 networks".

US Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia) was quoted saying in the report on Saturday that the hack looked "much, much worse" than he first feared.

"The size of it keeps expanding. It's clear the United States government missed it," Warner said.

According to Microsoft, the hackers compromised 'SolarWinds' software allowing them to "impersonate any of the organisation's existing users and accounts, including highly privileged accounts."

Microsoft said last week it had discovered its systems were infiltrated "beyond just the presence of malicious 'SolarWinds' code."

The hackers were able to "view source code in a number of source code repositories", the tech giant added.

"We detected unusual activity with a small number of internal accounts and upon review, we discovered one account had been used to view source code in a number of source code repositories," said the company in the update late Thursday.

The account did not have permissions to modify any code or engineering systems and "our investigation further confirmed no changes were made. These accounts were investigated and remediated", Microsoft added.

The initial estimates were that Russian hackers compromised 18,000 government and private networks.

According to the report, some of the compromised 'SolarWinds' software were engineered in Eastern Europe, and "American investigators are now examining whether the incursion originated there where Russian intelligence operatives are deeply rooted".

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has also warned that US federal agencies must update the hacked 'Solarwinds Orion' software or take all its apps offline.

The CISA said all US government agencies that still run 'SolarWinds Orion' platforms must update to the latest 2020.2.1HF2 version.

"Agencies that can't update till that deadline have to take all Orion systems offline," the guidance read.

At least 24 big companies, including tech giants like Intel, Cisco, VMware and Nvidia, have reportedly suffered the 'SolarWinds' hack.

The suspected Russian hackers installed a malware in the Orion software sold by the IT management company 'SolarWinds', and accessed sensitive data belonging to several US government agencies and businesses.

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Pak jail authorities say Imran Khan is alive and healthy after ‘murder’ rumours spark panic

News Network

November 27,2025

Authorities at Pakistan’s high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Wednesday dismissed speculation about the condition of imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, rejecting rumours that he had been moved out of the facility or was in danger. Officials said Khan was in “good health” and described the viral death claims as “baseless.”

“There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala Jail,” the Rawalpindi prison administration said in a statement, according to Geo News. “He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention.”

Amid swirling rumours on social media, Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urged the federal government to issue an official clarification and demanded that authorities allow his family to meet him immediately, Dawn reported.

The frenzy began after Khan’s three sisters called for an impartial probe into what they described as a “brutal” police assault on them and other PTI supporters outside Adiala Jail last week. Soon after, several social media handles circulated unverified claims alleging that Khan had been “killed” inside the prison.

The rumours intensified when a handle named “Afghanistan Times” claimed that “credible sources” had confirmed Khan’s “murder” and that his body had been moved out of the jail — allegations that have not been verified by any credible agency.

Imran Khan, PTI’s patron-in-chief, has been lodged in the Rawalpindi prison since August 2023 in multiple cases. For over a month, an undeclared restriction has prevented family members and senior PTI leaders from meeting him. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reportedly been denied access despite making seven attempts.

In a letter to Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar, Khan’s sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan, and Dr. Uzma Khan — said they were “peacefully protesting” outside the jail when police allegedly launched an unprovoked assault after streetlights were switched off.

“At 71, I was seized by my hair, thrown to the ground and dragged across the road,” Noreen Niazi said, alleging that other women present were also slapped and manhandled.

Adiala Jail officials reiterated that speculation over Imran Khan’s health was unfounded and insisted that his well-being was being ensured, Geo News reported.

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