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Former cyber executive turned whistleblower accuses IBM of covering up severaldata breaches
William Barlow, a former IBM cybersecurity executive, accuses the company of covering up multiple data breaches by foreign governments, including incidents related to APT 10 between 2013 and 2016. His lawsuit claims IBM did not notify relevant authorities about these breaches, raising significant concerns given IBM's role as a cybersecurity vendor for the U.S. government.
Key points
- William Barlow, ex-IBM VP of threat intelligence, alleges IBM was hacked thrice by foreign governments, particularly China.
- He claims breaches spanned from 2013 to 2016, with IBM aware of over 56,000 penetrations by APT 10.
- IBM purportedly failed to notify the U.S. government and relevant authorities about these breaches.
- Barlow's suit states that IBM's internal investigations were inadequate due to a lack of logging.
- IBM's cybersecurity practices were criticized as 'archaic,' allowing unauthorized access.
Why it matters
- Historical breaches at major corporations mirror current cybersecurity challenges faced by companies.
- Data breach notification laws have been implemented in recent years to enhance disclosure requirements.
- The incident illustrates significant trust issues for cybersecurity vendors managing sensitive government data.
- The APT 10 hacking campaign reflects ongoing cybersecurity threats from government-linked actors.
The allegations against IBM underscore critical vulnerabilities in cybersecurity practices, particularly for vendors handling sensitive government information, and highlight the importance of transparency in breach disclosures.