Joe Gould was the senior Pentagon reporter for Defense News, covering the intersection of national security policy, politics and the defense industry. He had previously served as Congress reporter.
Some major defense contractors use the compromised software at the center of the breach, but figuring out whether hackers got inside their systems will be difficult and time-consuming.
Congress is rocketing to pass a massive $2.3 trillion spending package by Dec. 21 at 11:59 p.m. that includes pandemic relief and federal spending, with $696 billion for the Pentagon.
"We’ve got to get this defense bill passed because there’s so much to help us defend ourselves,” said Sen. Angus King, co-chair of the Cyber Solarium Commission.
The Senate minority leader said the U.S. needs to "respond in kind" to a newly disclosed cyberespionage campaign that targeted government agencies by exploiting SolarWinds' network tool.
President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for defense secretary, retired Gen. Lloyd Austin III, will testify before the House Armed Services Committee as a prerequisite for a waiver to serve, panel chairman Rep. Adam Smith said Tuesday.