By Margaret Chadbourn
WASHINGTON Oct 1 (Reuters) – The White House’s computer
system was targeted in a cyber attack, a senior administration
official said on Monday, but no classified systems were
breached.
There is no evidence that data was taken in the incident,
the official said, adding that the attack was identified early
and did not spread.
The attack was described as “spear phishing,” the term for
an attempted penetration using fake emails from a trusted
sender, which the official said was “not infrequent.”
On Sunday, a report from a news website “Freebeacon,” that
describes itself as an alternative to “the professional left,”
said that Chinese hackers had breached a White House military
system.
The White House would not identify the group responsible
for the attack, or give specifics about its timing and target.
China has the world’s largest Internet user base, at 485
million users, and is believed to be responsible for a number of
hacking attacks aimed at the U.S. government and companies.
“In this instance the attack was identified, the system was
isolated, and there is no indication whatsoever” that any data
was extracted, the official said.
“Moreover, there was never any impact or attempted breach of
any classified system.”
The Obama administration is preparing to issue an executive
order that would direct federal agencies to develop new
guidelines to shield computer networks from cyber attacks. The
White House undertook the new rules after Congress failed
earlier this year to pass a comprehensive cybersecurity bill.
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