The New York Times and other US news organizations have been victimized by cyber attacks thought to have been carried out by hackers working for Russian intelligence, according to CNN.
The cyber breaches are currently under investigation by the FBI. Authorities believe that the attacks are part of a broader campaign that has also targeted the Democratic Party, according to CNN.
The Times’ email services are outsourced to Google, CNN reported. Times spokesperson Eileen Murphy said that there was no evidence that the newspaper’s internal systems were breached.
“We are constantly monitoring our systems with the latest available intelligence and tools,” Murphy said. “We have seen no evidence that any of our internal systems, including our systems in the Moscow bureau, have been breached or compromised.”
Intelligence officials believe the recent wave of hacks is part of an effort to gather intelligence from non-governmental organizations that have access to the US political system, CNN reported. News organizations are prime targets because reporters often have contacts within the government. Hacking news organizations could also yield unpublished documents containing sensitive information, CNN reported.
Russian cyber attacks have been in the news since Wikileaks released emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee prior to the party’s convention, CNN reported. The Clinton campaign says the hack was proof that the Russian government is trying to bolster the likelihood of Donald Trump’s election.
