CBS News reports that classified elements of the network were not affected.
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Officials called the attack a “sophisticated cyber intrusion” that relied on an automated system to download large amounts of data and distribute it to thousands of different accounts on the Internet.
A defense official to the Daily Beast that the cyberattack involved “new and unseen approaches into the network” and was the “most sophisticated” attack of its kind in military history.
Although the attack did not result in the loss of any confidential material, the scope of the breach led to the Pentagon shuttering the entirety of the email server until it could be secured (likely by the end of the week).
The officials said the attack was launched from Russia and, although they said it was not clear the Russian government was behind it, its sophistication indicated it was the work of a state actor. According to CNN, the hack only affected unclassified information but still necessitated that the State Department take the email system offline for repairs in November 2014. The Pentagon expected to restore the system Thursday.
NBC cited unnamed officials attributing the intrusion to Russia, saying however it was unclear whether it was the work of Russian government or individuals.
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That alleged cyberattack, which the Wall Street Journal reported was carried out by hackers in China, may have compromised identifying information belonging to as many 4 million federal workers at every federal agency.
