At least two US government agencies have reported that their
systems were hacked by a yet to be identified source, but may be backed by a
foreign government, AFP reported on Sunday citing US media reports.

The US Treasury department and Commerce department reported
their systems were hacked.

“The United States government is aware of these reports
and we are taking all necessary steps to identify and remedy any possible
issues related to this situation,” National Security Council spokesman
John Ullyot said, as quoted by AFP.

US media reports said
the FBI was investigating a group working for the Russian foreign intelligence
service, SVR, and that breaches had been taking place for months, AFP said. 

The same group also
reportedly hacked US government agencies during the Obama administration.

Last week, cybersecurity firm FireEye said its own defenses
were breached by sophisticated attackers who stole tools used to test
customers’ computer systems.

FireEye said it suspected it was a state-sponsored attack.

The news comes on the heels of an increased attack on the US
and foreign agencies dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week, a European agency in Amsterdam dealing with the
Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, reported that someone hacked into its system and tried
to steal documents related to the vaccine.

Also read: EU agency assessing COVID-19 vaccines hit by cyberattack

Pfizer in a statement issued on the incident admitted there
was a breach but reported no theft of documents.

A government agency that it was working to fix the breach and trying to identify the assailants. 

“We have been
working closely with our agency partners regarding recently discovered activity
on government networks,” a spokesperson for the Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security Agency told AFP.

“CISA is
providing technical assistance to affected entities as they work to identify and
mitigate any potential compromises.”