The disclosure that the DCCC was hacked escalated concern among US national security officials that the intrusions are aimed at swaying the outcome of the presidential election. Donation processing company ActBlue had no immediate comment.
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A senior USA official told NBC News that the FBI is investigating the intrusion on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s computer system but that agents have not yet found a link to the earlier DNC hack. They said in a statement early on Friday that they have hired cyber security firm CrowdStrike to help with the investigation. It is believed the latest hacking of the party may have begun only last month.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is probing a breach at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. This group is one of two such groups suspected in the DNC hack. Her resignation follows the leak of some 19,000 emails, presumably stolen by hackers and posted to the website Wikileaks, that suggest the DNC favored Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders.
“The FBI is investigating a cyber intrusion involving the DNC and are working to determine the nature and scope of the matter”.
Russian Federation on Thursday reiterated that it wasn’t behind the intrusions and said that the onus was on the U.S.to sort it out.
Cyber security experts and USA officials have said there was evidence that Russian Federation engineered the DNC hack to release sensitive party emails in order to influence the US presidential election.
Russian officials have dismissed the allegations of Moscow’s involvement.
“We have taken and are continuing to take steps to enhance the security of our network”, the DCCC said. “It is so absurd it borders on total stupidity”, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said on Thursday.
A former White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said any formal accusation would require overwhelmingly certain evidence.
Potential links to Russian hackers in both incidents were likely to heighten accusations, so far unproven, that Moscow is trying to meddle in the US presidential election campaign to help Republican nominee Donald Trump.
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Trump went on to make headlines after a press conference in which he pooh-poohed the theory, saying, “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing”. Trump said on Thursday he was being sarcastic in his remarks. News of the latest hack is sure to add to the already significant level of concern in the White House about potential Russian interference in the USA electoral process.
