Hackers thought to be working for Russian intelligence have carried out a series of cyber breaches targeting reporters at the New York Times and other US news organizations, according to US officials briefed on the matter.
The intrusions, detected in recent months, are under
investigation by the FBI and other US security agencies. Investigators so far
believe that Russian intelligence is likely behind the attacks and that Russian
hackers are targeting news organizations as part of a broader series of hacks
that also have focused on Democratic Party organizations, the officials said.
The FBI declined to comment and a spokesperson for The
New York Times would not confirm the attacks or the investigation.
"Like most news organizations we are vigilant about
guarding against attempts to hack into our systems," said New York Times
Co. spokeswoman Eileen Murphy. "There are a variety of approaches we take
up to and including working with outside investigators and law enforcement. We
won't comment on any specific attempt to gain unauthorized access to The
Times."
The breaches targeting reporters and news organizations
are part of an apparent surge in cyber attacks in the past year against
entities beyond US government agencies.
US intelligence officials believe the picture emerging
from the series of recent intrusions is that Russian spy agencies are using a
wave of cyber attacks, including against think-tanks in Washington, to gather
intelligence from a broad array of non-governmental organizations with windows
into the US political system.
News organizations are considered top targets because
they can yield valuable intelligence on reporter contacts in the government, as
well as communications and unpublished works with sensitive information, US
government officials believe.
The Times has brought in private sector security
investigators who are working with US national security officials to assess the
damage and determine how the hackers got in, according to the US officials.
Attention has grown on the hacks thought to be carried
out by Russians since Wikileaks released a trove of emails stolen from the
DNC in the weekend before the Democratic Party's convention to nominate
Hillary Clinton for president. US intelligence officials say there is strong
evidence showing Russian intelligence behind the DNC hack. The Clinton campaign
has claimed the hack as proof that the Russians are trying to aid the election
of Donald Trump.