The US Justice Department has identified six Russian hackers responsible for the breaching of the Democratic National Committee’s computers and leaking information during the 2016 presidential race.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Justice Department has gathered enough evidence to bring charges, expected to be filed next year.
Although investigators have linked the attack to Russian intelligence services, they have not disclosed information about the people who are allegedly responsible for the hack or how they reached their conclusions.
The US Justice Department has identified six Russian hackers responsible for the breaching of the Democratic National Committee’s computers and leaking information during the 2016 presidential race. Charges are expected to be filed next year (Pictured, left, Russian President Vladmir Putin and, right, 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton)
If brought before federal prosecutors, the case would reveal the hackers behind thousands of stolen DNC emails, including those from Hillary Clinton campaign manager John Podesta (pictured, July 2016), which appeared on WikiLeaks during the final stretch of the campaign
If the case is brought by federal prosecutors, it would pinpoint the specific Russian military and intelligence hackers behind the thousands of stolen DNC emails, including those from Hillary Clinton campaign manager John Podesta, which appeared on WikiLeaks during the final stretch of the campaign.
The intelligence community concluded in January that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the campaign to sway the election in President Donald Trump’s favor, although Russia has denied it meddled in the election.
In a series of tweets in June, Trump called the idea of Russia hacking the DNC a ‘big Dem HOAX’ and added that it was ‘a big Dem scam and excuse for losing the election!’
The hacking investigation, conducted by cybersecurity experts, is being conducted separately from the probe of Special Counsel Robert Mueller overseeing the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion with Trump’s campaign.
The investigation into DNC hacking (pictured, headquarters) is being conducted separately from the probe of Special Counsel Robert Mueller overseeing the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion with President Donald Trump’s campaign
In a series of tweets in June, Trump called the idea of Russia hacking the DNC a ‘big Dem HOAX’ (above). Russia has denied any sort of meddling in the hacking of the DNC and in the US presidential election
Mueller and the Justice Department agreed to allow the technical cyber investigation to continue under the original team of agents and prosecutors, the Journal said.
By identifying individual Russian military and intelligence hackers with charges, US authorities could make it difficult for them to travel, but arrests and jailing would be unlikely, according to the Journal report.
If and when charges are filed next year, it would be the second time the US has charged Russians with cybercrimes.
In March, the Justice Department charged two Russian intelligence agents and two hackers with masterminding the 2014 theft of 500 million Yahoo accounts.
Source: Daily Mail | BBC News & Gossip
