Russian hackers hit Democratic party servers, get Trump files

Hackers tied to the Russian government gained access to servers at the Democratic National Committee, securing files of opposition research on presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, according to party officials and a cybersecurity company.

The groups, which have previously targeted the White House, the State Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, specifically targeted the DNC’s research units. US National Intelligence director James Clapper said last month he was aware of attempted hacks on campaigns and related organisations and that he expected to see more as the November presidential election nears. DNC chairman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) acknowledged the breach in a statement Tuesday afternoon. She said the party “treated this like the serious incident it is”. “Our team moved as quickly as possible to kick out the intruders and secure our network”.

“It’s the job of every foreign intelligence service to collect intelligence against their adversaries”, CrowdStrike president Shawn Henry said. They also say Trump’s recent entry into politics could prompt foreign agencies to seek more intelligence about the candidate’s negotiation style and investment history. Their job when they wake up every day is to gather intelligence against the policies, practices and strategies of the U.S. government. “The DNC and other NGOs have been targeted over the years by this very, very sophisticated group with a high degree of capability and some very sophisticated technology”.

“Both adversaries engage in extensive political and economic espionage for the benefit of the government of the Russian Federation and are believed to be closely linked to the Russian government’s powerful and highly capable intelligence services”, cyber security firm CrowdStrike said.

Dmitri Alperovitch, CrowdStrike’s co-founder, told NBC News that the Russian government is “extremely interested in Mr. Trump, his positions, and any weaknesses he may have”.

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman reportedly denied Russia’s hand, and explained that, “I completely rule out a possibility that the (Russian) government or the government bodies have been involved in this”. It is believed that the DNC was just one of many USA political organizations targeted by the hackers.

The information gained in the DNC cyber intrusion allows for further Russian based phishing attacks, which, as Fox News previously reported, has led to similar intrusions into the White House, State Department, and USA private sector companies.

The last two U.S. presidential cycles in 2008 and 2012 witnessed a barrage of cyber attacks from a range of adversaries targeting President Barack Obama’s campaign and the campaigns of his Republican foes. Both Barack Obama and John McCain’s campaigns were hacked in 2008.