US claims Russia hackers on rampage to interfere with election

Putin and Obama, the two countries are not in good term

The US has accused Russia of hacking political websites, claiming it is trying to interfere with the upcoming presidential election.

Intelligence officials say they are confident Moscow directed breaches of emails from US citizens and institutions, including American political organisations.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security released a statement saying that based on the "scope and sensitivity" of the hacking, only Russia's "senior-most officials" could have authorised it.

Pressure has been mounting on the Obama administration to call out Russia over allegations it has hacked political groups, including the Democratic National Committee.

The latest claim is another setback for already strained relations between the two countries and comes as the US called for a war crimes investigation over Russia's actions in Syria.

John Kerry said Russia and Syria should explain to the world

The White House declined to say whether the formal attribution would lead to sanctions against Russia.

A senior Obama administration official said Washington would respond "at a time and place of our choosing", but any retaliation might not take place in the open.

The official, who requested anonymity, added the public would not necessarily know what actions the US had already taken or would take in the future against Russia in cyberspace.

Federal officials are looking into cyber attacks at the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Election data systems in at least two states have also been breached.

"We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities," the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a joint statement with the Department of Homeland Security.

It said the disclosure of allegedly hacked emails on websites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks, and by the Guccifer 2.0 online persona, are consistent with the methods and motivations of efforts directed by Russia.

"These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the U.S. election process," the statement added.

"Such activity is not new to Moscow.

"The Russians have used similar tactics and techniques across Europe and Eurasia, for example, to influence public opinion there."

Intelligence officials say some states have been the subject of scanning or probing of their election systems, which in most cases originated from servers operated by a Russian firm.

They stopped short, however, of attributing this activity to the Russian government.

Obama administration officials said it would be difficult to change the results of the election because of the decentralised nature of the American electoral process.

Moscow has not yet responded to Washington's claim.

Source: Sky news