RNC again denies that computer systems were breached by Kremlin-backed hackers


Hackers from the group Cozy Bear, which has ties to Russia's foreign intelligence service, breached the computer systems of the Republican National Committee last week, Bloomberg reports, citing two people familiar with the matter. The RNC denied the breach occurred.
The RNC previously issued the same denial over the weekend after reports indicated that one of their service providers, Synnex, was targeted in a massive ransomware attack allegedly carried out by a different Russian cybercriminal gang known as REvil (it's unclear if Moscow was involved in that operation). Bloomberg's updated reporting now suggests the two situations were separate, though, if the Cozy Bear hack did occur, there's no evidence that there was any coordination between the two strikes.
"Is it just coincidental timing for the Russian government to do some of the other things they're doing right now?" Charles Carmakal, a senior vice president at Mandiant, which is part of the cybersecurity company FireEye Inc., said, per Bloomberg. "Is this coordinated and planned? I have no idea. I know that both things are happening, that's just a fact, I just don't know why." Read more at Bloomberg.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
5 unusually elusive cartoons about the Epstein files
Cartoons Artists take on Pam Bondi's vanishing desk, the Mar-a-Lago bathrooms, and more
-
Lemon and courgette carbonara recipe
The Week Recommends Zingy and fresh, this pasta is a summer treat
-
Corbynism returns: a new party on the Left
Talking Point Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's breakaway progressive party has already got off to a shaky start
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murders
speed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bail
Speed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambush
Speed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrial
Speed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside home
speed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
-
DOJ, Boulder police outline attacker's confession
speed read Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned the attack for a year and 'wanted them all to die'
-
Assailant burns Jewish pedestrians in Boulder
speed read Eight people from the Jewish group were hospitalized after a man threw Molotov cocktails in a 'targeted act of violence'
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC parade
speed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack