The network serving the Democratic National Committee (DNC) was penetrated by a Russian government cyber operation which gave the hackers access to DNC communications and databases since at least last summer.
This same Russian cyber group has previously targeted the White House, the State Department, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Most concerning for the DNC is the fact that one of the databases compromised included opposition research, which sources reveal was specifically targeted by the hackers. Opposition research is done by compiling unflattering information on Republican opponents such as presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. The goal is to use such information against an opponent as part of a campaign strategy.
When the DNC realized their network had been compromised, they immediately called in computer security company CrowdStrike. DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz commented:
“The security of our system is critical to our operation and to the confidence of the campaigns and state parties we work with. When we discovered the intrusion, we treated this like the serious incident it is and reached out to CrowdStrike immediately. Our team moved as quickly as possible to kick out the intruders and secure our network.”
Shawn Henry, the president of CrowdStrike, had this to say about how prevalent hacking is:
“We know with certainty that foreign intelligence services are constantly interested in political processes. They’re interested in strategies, they’re interested in foreign policy. 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.”
As for the Trump campaign, spokesperson Hope Hicks said all inquiries should be directed to the United States Secret Service.
A Russian Embassy spokesman said he had no knowledge of such intrusions by anyone in his country.
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