CIA Director, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Have Personal E-mails Hacked
It’s believed that neither of the hacks resulted in sensitive information being compromised.
The FBI and U.S. Secret Service are investigating the hacks.
The personal E-mail accounts of CIA Director John Brennan and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson were reportedly hacked on Monday.
ABC News reports Brennan’s account was not used for government business after he was appointed CIA director. It also reports the hacking of Johnson’s account exposed a small amount of information not believed to be sensitive.
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“We are aware of the reports that have surfaced on social media and have referred the matter to the appropriate authorities,” a CIA spokesman said.
The New York Post reports the accounts were compromised through the use of “social engineering” techniques, which involve leveraging open-source information about an individual to gain access through changing or resetting passwords.
The FBI and U.S. Secret Service are investigating the hacks.
The news comes on the same day that cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike reported that China is still carrying out cyberattacks on U.S. companies.
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