US presidential campaigns face threats from hackers bent on espionage and other activity more nefarious than mere political mischief, the office of US National Intelligence director James Clapper said
US presidential campaigns face threats from hackers bent on espionage and other activity more nefarious than mere political mischief, the office of US National Intelligence director James Clapper said on Wednesday, but did not provide details on specific intrusions.
“We’re aware that campaigns and related organisations and individuals are targeted by actors with a variety of motivations — from philosophical differences to espionage — and capabilities, from defacements to intrusions,” Mr Clapper’s spokesperson, Brian Hale, said in a statement, deferring to the FBI for details on specific incidents. Earlier, Mr Clapper said the intelligence community had “already had some indications” of hacking attempts against presidential campaigns.
“As the campaign intensifies we’ll probably have more” attacks, Mr Clapper said at a morning event at the Bipartisan Policy Centre in Washington.
The hacking efforts against the campaigns are considered so serious that some congressional committees have been briefed on the activity, a government source said.
The Secret Service, charged with protecting the candidates, said that it works to prevent and detect cyber security threats and makes the candidates aware of vulnerabilities.
