SolarWinds Taps Krebs, Stamos to Help Investigate Hack

(Bloomberg) -- SolarWinds Corp. has tapped prominent security experts Chris Krebs and Alex Stamos to review its practices after suspected Russian hackers compromised the company’s software and conducted a sprawling hack across the U.S. government and private sector.

Krebs led the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, and was known for instilling confidence in the integrity of the 2020 elections until he was fired by President Donald Trump in November. Stamos served as chief security officer at Facebook until 2018 and is currently director of the Stanford Internet Observatory.

“Armed with what we have learned of this attack, we are also reflecting on our own security practices and seeking opportunities to enhance our posture and policies,” a SolarWinds representative said in a statement. The company brought in the experts as consultants to “provide best-in-class guidance on our journey to evolve into an industry leading secure software development company.”

SolarWinds Chief Executive Officer Sudhakar Ramakrishna said in a Thursday blog post that the company is investigating the hack “in cooperation with important stakeholders – including industry colleagues, third-party cybersecurity experts, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies around the world.”

The contract with SolarWinds is the first for a newly formed venture Krebs and Stamos have created together. The Krebs Stamos Group will advise clients on cybersecurity, with a focus on areas including foreign threats and crisis situations. The group will work toward “national and economic security,” Krebs said in a statement Friday.

“Our first clients are experiencing real challenges to their businesses and their CEOs are committed to driving change in their industries,” Stamos said in the statement.