IBM Whistleblower Alleges Cover-Up of Foreign Cyber Breaches

A former IBM cybersecurity executive, William Barlow, has filed a lawsuit alleging that IBM covered up multiple data breaches by foreign state actors, particularly Chinese hackers, from 2013 to 2016. The breaches reportedly affected IBM's core network and at least two subsidiaries, with Barlow claiming that IBM failed to notify the U.S. government and other stakeholders as required by law. The lawsuit, filed in 2020 but only recently made public, indicates that IBM's internal investigations revealed over 56,000 unauthorized accesses by the APT 10 group. Barlow asserts that the company downplayed these incidents to secure government contracts. IBM has not provided specific responses to the allegations, citing the lawsuit's age and the lack of DOJ intervention. The implications of these allegations are significant given IBM's role as a cybersecurity vendor for the U.S. federal government.

Key Points: • IBM is accused of covering up multiple data breaches by foreign state actors from 2013 to 2016. • The lawsuit claims over 56,000 unauthorized accesses by the APT 10 hacking group. • IBM allegedly failed to notify the U.S. government and stakeholders about the breaches.