State-sponsored hackers target FireEye

The leading U.S. cybersecurity firm in a Tuesday statement said highly sophisticated hackers with world-class capabilities stole assessment tools used in testing its customers’ security. FireEye said the attackers used a new combination of techniques and also sought information related to some government clients. There was no evidence the hackers stole customer information, but the company announced new countermeasures to protect its clients.

Who staged the attack? FireEye did not identify the hackers. It launched an investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other partners, including Microsoft. The company said it’s not clear whether the attackers plan to use the stolen “red team” tools or publicly disclose them. In 2016, a group of hackers known as “Shadow Brokers” released high-level hacking tools it stole from the National Security Agency. The United States believes North Korea and Russia used the tools to stage several global cyberattacks.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archive, read Kent Covington’s report in the Sift on a court settlement after hackers targeted Equifax.