IBM Accused of Covering Up Chinese Hack Breaches
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- IBM was allegedly breached by Chinese state‑linked hackers (APT 10) between 2013 and 2016, with the complaint stating the attackers accessed the core network over 56,000 times.
- William Barlow, former IBM VP of threat intelligence, filed a 2020 lawsuit alleging IBM covered up the breaches and failed to notify U.S. government agencies or the Five Eyes alliance.
- IBM reportedly lacked basic security logs, preventing further investigation into the breaches, according to the complaint.
- IBM spokesperson Miki Carver said the company is confident its actions complied with the law and noted the DOJ declined to intervene in the case.
- AT&T was mentioned as a partner whose core network infrastructure was described as “archaic,” allowing hackers to roam undetected.
Why it matters: U.S. agencies and IBM’s federal customers lose confidence in a key security supplier, while IBM faces a lawsuit alleging it hid breaches and failed to notify authorities.
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