U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken leaves after discussing refugee programs for Afghans who have helped the United States during a briefing at the State Department in Washington, DC, on August 2, 2021.
Brendan Smialowski | Reuters
The U.S. State Department has been hit by a cyber attack and the Department of Defense’s cyber command has made reports of a potentially serious breach, a Fox News reporter said Saturday.
A knowledgeable source told Reuters that the State Department has not experienced any material disruption and its operations have not been hampered in any way.
Fox News reported that the violation presumably occurred weeks ago. It’s unclear when it was first discovered, according to the reporter’s tweet thread. The extent of the violation and whether or not there is an ongoing risk to operations is also unclear.
The continued work of the department to evacuate Americans and allied refugees in Afghanistan was not affected by the cyberattack, the reporter said, citing an anonymous source.
A State Department spokesman told CNBC on Saturday that the department “takes its responsibility to protect its information seriously and is continuously taking steps to ensure that information is protected.”
“For security reasons, we are currently unable to discuss the nature or scope of suspected cybersecurity incidents,” said the spokesman.
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