A new report shows that Russia hackers did, in fact, attempt to breach the Republican National Committee’s computer networks during the 2016 election, but were not able bypass the RNC’s cybersecurity system.
Reince Priebus hugs Donald Trump during an election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown (Getty Images)
According to the Wall Street Journal, hackers attempted to infiltrate the RNC system “using the same techniques that allowed them to infiltrate its Democratic counterpart.” The attempts were unsuccessful, according to the report.
The report claims that hackers sent the same “phishing” emails to an RNC address that were used to breach the DNC, but were stopped by a spam filter and quarantined as “potentially malicious.”
Jason Miller and Sean Spicer brief reporters at Trump International Golf Club on November 19, 2016 (Getty Images)
Sources briefed on the situation supplied the Wall Street Journal multiple interpretations for what the latest revelation reveals about the “intent” of the Russian hackers.
One source stated the attempts to hack the RNC “indicated a less aggressive and much less persistent effort,” while a second offered that the hacks began as an “information-gathering campaign aimed at both parties,” that only escalated once Russia accessed the trove of DNC documents later published by DCLeaks and WikiLeaks.
Donald Trump arrives at his election night rally at the New York Hilton Midtown (Getty Images)
A third source added the RNC didn’t even notice the attempted hacks until the DNC announced its own infiltration over the summer.
The RNC declined The Daily Caller’s request for comment on the story.
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