Russia reportedly hacks DNC, steals opposition research on Trump

Russian government hackers reportedly broke into the Democratic National Committee's computer network sometime in the last year and gained access to the group's internal communications and databases. The hack, according to security experts and DNC officials, specifically targeted opposition research on presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, which NBC reports could provide Russia material "in seeking to embarrass or apply pressure to targets."

"The purpose of such intelligence gathering is to understand the target's proclivities," Robert Deitz, former senior councilor to the CIA director and a former general counsel at the National Security Agency, told The Washington Post. "Trump's foreign investments, for example, would be relevant to understanding how he would deal with countries where he has those investments. [...] They may provide tips for understanding his style of negotiating. In short, this sort of intelligence could be used by Russia, for example, to indicate where it can get away with foreign adventurism."

The DNC was first notified of the hack by the FBI. The hackers also reportedly attempted to penetrate the White House, the State Department, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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