The fallout from the SolarWinds attack continues with the revelation that the attackers accessed email accounts belonging to high-ranking officials in the Department for Homeland Security.

One such account belonged to then-acting Secretary Chad Wolf, illustrating just how extensive the SolarWinds attack was and serves further notice that victims of the attack will continue to be unveiled for the foreseeable future.

DHS Top Brass Hacked in SolarWinds Attack

As reported by the Associated Press, the then-acting Department for Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf's email account was accessed during the SolarWinds attack. The information accessed in Wolf's account at the time isn't known, nor is the length of time the attackers had access to his account.

However, that the attackers gained access to the email account of an individual sitting at the top of one of the US's most important national departments sends a strong message.

Talking to the AP, Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, top Republican on the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said, "The SolarWinds hack was a victory for our foreign adversaries, and a failure for DHS. We are talking about DHS's crown jewels."

Wolf wasn't the only high-level US official affected by SolarWinds. At least "one other Cabinet member" was hit, with the hackers gaining access to schedules, email accounts, and other employee computers.

SolarWinds Fallout Continues to Reveal Victims of Attack

Unsurprisingly, yet more high-level victims of the SolarWinds attack are coming to light. Given the massive scope of the attack, it was only a matter of time before the attack's true depth surfaced.

Related: What Is the SolarWinds Attack? Have I Been Affected?

The Department for Homeland Security was one of the first US government departments to reveal it had been hacked back in December 2020. Given the length of time the attackers remained hidden in their victim's networks, it's no wonder that high-profile targets such as the DHS leaders were compromised.

Related: Microsoft Confirms SolarWinds Breach Affecting Core Products

Although there have been many victims of the SolarWinds attack, there is still no solid attribution to a single attacker. The finger has been pointed squarely at a Russian hacking group or a group with alleged ties to the Russian government.

Several high-ranking US officials have gone on record stating that it is their strong belief that this is the case, though the US government cannot reveal its final card for fear of revealing other classified data in the process.

As such, although President Biden's administration is weighing up a response to SolarWinds, it is yet to make a specific announcement of any sanctions against the attacker. According to White House spokeswoman Emily Horne, "Cybersecurity is a top priority" for the Biden Administration, so expect an appropriate response in the near future.