Russian Hackers Targeted New York Times Newspaper — Reports

Aug. 24 2016 

The Moscow bureau of The New York Times has been targeted by hackers believed to be working with the Russian authorities, the newspaper reported Wednesday.

Multiple American news organizations have faced similar cyber-threats in what U.S. officials believe to be a continuation of earlier attacks against the U.S. Democratic Party, the CNN news network reported.

CNN claimed that the cyber attacks were part of a Russian intelligence gathering operation targeting non governmental organizations. Washington-based think tanks and news agencies are thought to be prime targets due to their government contacts and unpublished works containing sensitive information, the news outlet reported. 

Eileen Murphy, a spokesperson for The Times, said the newspaper had no reason to believe the hackers had been successful. “We are constantly monitoring our systems with the latest available intelligence and tools,” she said Tuesday.

The F.B.I. are reported to be investigating the cyber attack on the Times, but have made no official statement on the case. The  New York Times newspaper has also denied reports that it has hired private security firms to investigate the incident.

Private investigators announced last month that hackers linked to Russian intelligence agencies had broken into Democratic Party computer systems days before the Democratic Party announced Hillary Clinton as Presidential Candidate. President Barack Obama has not made any formal accusations against Russia relating to the cyber-attack.

The Kremlin denies all allegations.