Attack on FBI systems? Chinese hackers allegedly broke into a secret network

U.S. investigators believe hackers linked to the Chinese government are responsible for a cyber intrusion into the Federal Bureau of Investigation's internal computer network that stores information related to domestic surveillance warrants, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The scope and scale of the hack are unknown and the investigation is in its early stages, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. The FBI declined to comment, as did the Chinese embassy in Washington.

The FBI began investigating abnormal log activity on a targeted system on its network on February 17, the FBI said in a report sent to Congress. Hackers attacked a classified system that contains information about the communications of people under FBI investigation, according to the alert.

The FBI described the hackers' techniques as “sophisticated” and added that remediation and forensic investigations were ongoing.

A White House official told Reuters that he “convenes regularly to discuss any cyber threats to the United States,” but would not discuss the details of any specific incident or meeting. (PAP)

wr/