Russia reportedly launched a 'sophisticated cyberattack' on Pentagon computers

(Image credit: Staff/AFP via Getty Images)

published 6 August 2015

U.S. officials told NBC News Thursday that Russia hacked the Pentagon's Joint Staff unclassified email system, affecting 4,000 military and civilian personnel working for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and resulting in the system being shut down and taken offline for almost two weeks.

Officials estimate the cyberattack occurred around July 25, and "relied on some kind of automated system that rapidly gathered massive amounts of data and within a minute distributed all the information to thousands of accounts on the internet," NBC News says. It remains unclear whether the attack, which officials stressed only affected unclassified accounts, was sanctioned by the Russian government or was the work of individuals.