**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HEADLINE: CISA CONFIRMS SECURITY INCIDENT FOLLOWING UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OFFICIAL GITHUB REPOSITORY
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has officially confirmed a data leak incident involving its official GitHub organization.
What: An unauthorized third party gained access to a CISA-managed GitHub repository, leading to the exposure of internal documents and potential source code. The specific data accessed includes administrative credentials, internal network diagrams, and unredacted technical assessments.
Where: The breach occurred on CISA’s official GitHub Enterprise account, specifically within a repository previously used for internal software development and vulnerability tracking.
When: CISA’s cybersecurity division detected anomalous activity on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. The initial unauthorized access is believed to have occurred approximately 48 hours prior to detection.
Who: The incident involves CISA, a federal agency under the Department of Homeland Security. The identity of the unauthorized actor remains under active investigation, though preliminary forensic analysis suggests the use of compromised API keys belonging to a former contractor.
Why: Preliminary findings indicate the breach was facilitated by a failure to revoke access credentials following the termination of a third-party contractor. The repository was not configured with proper role-based access controls, allowing the unauthorized user to clone the entire repository.
Impact & Response CISA Director Jen Easterly stated, “We take this matter with the utmost seriousness. Immediate action has been taken to revoke all affected credentials and initiate a full forensic audit.” The agency has notified Congress, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and affected private sector partners. CISA advises that no classified systems were compromised, but the exposed operational data could inform adversarial cyber activity.
This is a developing story. Further details will be provided as the investigation progresses.
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