White House computers attacked by suspected Russian hackers

(Image credit: iStock)

last updated 8 January 2015

On Tuesday, Obama administration officials said that unclassified sections of the White House computer network have been hit by sustained cyberattacks in recent weeks, temporarily disrupting internet service and prompting a scramble by government cybersecurity experts to fend off the attack. The hackers, suspected to be working for the Russian government, didn't damage the computer systems, The Washington Post reports, and there's no evidence yet that the network was breached.

"The temporary outages and loss of connectivity that users have been experiencing is solely the result of measures we have taken to defend our networks," the White House said in an internal email. The FBI, NSA, and Secret Service are all participating in the investigation of the cyberattack. Suspected Russian government hackers are also believed to have targeted NATO, Ukraine's government, and U.S. defense contractors in recent months. Most cyberattacks on the White House computer networks don't go anywhere.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.