Report: Trump campaign was hacked

Hackers have breached computers used by Republican nominee Donald Trump’s campaign team, according to Reuters.

Hackers have breached computers used by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign team, according to Reuters.

A Trump staffer’s email was originally compromised by malware and subsequently infected at some point in 2015, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed campaign insider and security expert with knowledge of the incident.

At the moment, little is known about the breach. It remains unclear, for example, if the hacker was able to gain lateral access to other campaign computers, which contain separate data.

A Trump campaign spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Silicon Valley cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike — a company that has already scored notable contracts with both the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee — was originally named by Reuters as having been hired to provide support to Trump’s camp.

However, Cyberscoop has learned CrowdStrike is not consulting or providing direct support to the Trump campaign. Executives leading the firm have not met with Trump or his campaign as a result of the breach. It is possible, however, that a Trump campaign employee purchased off-the-shelf CrowdStrike products to deploy throughout the campaign’s operations.

A spokesperson for the cybersecurity firm could not confirm the report because: “Unless we get permission from our customers, we can’t disclose who we’re working with, or not, regardless of rumors or speculation.”

Government

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• CIA’s Michael Ellis says cyber intelligence is changing how the agency operates

• The G7 tells industry to hurry up and prep for post-quantum encryption

Technology

• European parliament members call for slowdown of Serbia’s EU entry over spyware use

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• Pegasus, NoviSpy variant spyware found on devices of Serbian activists

• Wyden seeks upgraded NSA security guidance on commercial VPN use

Threats

• Microsoft discloses two actively exploited zero-days among 974 vulnerabilities

• Russian national extradited to US for alleged involvement in bank-account takeover scheme

• Attackers exploit zero-days in consistently besieged SonicWall product

• Jail time for Maine child in 764 marks turning point in federal law enforcement

Policy

• Whistleblower says USPS deploying new, ‘untested’ IT systems governing mail-in ballots

• ‘Watershed 250’ test program in Texas looks to private sector for water cybersecurity help

• Former sexual abuse victims say Grok used their images, videos to train deepfake capabilities

• Cyber threats nudge Trump to sign executive order on foreign equipment in U.S. energy infrastructure