To file in the “no one is immune from a sophisticated attack,” category, well-known and respected security firm FireEye publicly announced this week that it has experienced an attack by a state-sponsored (which means a foreign government) hacking group, which successfully obtained its “red team tools.” This is very concerning, as the red team tools include the “special sauce” FireEye uses to test its clients’ security maturity and vulnerabilities, and could be used as a roadmap for adverse nation states to hack into the U.S. government’s or private companies’ systems.

Kudos to FireEye for making this public so the U.S. government, critical infrastructure and private companies can be on the alert for the tools to be used against them. FireEye has stated that it is working on over 300 countermeasures to assist in combatting the use of its proprietary tools by these adverse threat actors.

Unfortunately, this incident is a cold, hard, awful reminder that even the most sophisticated security firm can become the victim of a cyberattack, and since that is the case, all companies are at extreme risk of an attack and exfiltration of data.

FireEye appears poised to assist in combatting the effects of the incident, so keep a close eye on those measures. We will keep you updated as well.

Photo of Linn Foster Freedman Linn Foster Freedman

Linn Freedman practices in data privacy and security law, cybersecurity, and complex litigation. She is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Financial Services Cyber-Compliance Team, and chairs the firm’s Data Privacy and Security and Artificial Intelligence Teams. Linn focuses her…

Linn Freedman practices in data privacy and security law, cybersecurity, and complex litigation. She is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Financial Services Cyber-Compliance Team, and chairs the firm’s Data Privacy and Security and Artificial Intelligence Teams. Linn focuses her practice on compliance with all state and federal privacy and security laws and regulations. She counsels a range of public and private clients from industries such as construction, education, health care, insurance, manufacturing, real estate, utilities and critical infrastructure, marine and charitable organizations, on state and federal data privacy and security investigations, as well as emergency data breach response and mitigation. Linn is an Adjunct Professor of the Practice of Cybersecurity at Brown University and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Roger Williams University School of Law.  Prior to joining the firm, Linn served as assistant attorney general and deputy chief of the Civil Division of the Attorney General’s Office for the State of Rhode Island. She earned her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law and her B.A., with honors, in American Studies from Newcomb College of Tulane University. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Read her full rc.com bio here.