Image: Michelle Maher/IDG
The Moscow bureau of The New York Times was the target of a cyberattack, though there are no indications yet that the hackers were successful, according to the newspaper.
The hackers are believed to be Russian, the newspaper said Tuesday evening. It quoted a spokeswoman for the newspaper as saying that it had not hired outside firms to investigate the attempted breach.
Earlier in the day, CNN reported that the FBI and other U.S. security agencies were investigating attacks by hackers, thought to be working for Russian intelligence, that targeted reporters at the New York Times and other U.S. news organizations. CNN quoted unnamed U.S. officials briefed on the matter.
The attack on the New York Times is likely to be seen as connected to the hack of Democratic Party organizations such as the Democratic National Committee, whose hacked emails were leaked by whistleblower website WikiLeaks, ahead of the convention of the Democratic Party in late July.
WikiLeaks did not disclose the source of the emails, which proved to be embarrassing for the DNC as the mails suggested that the officials of the organization favored Hillary Clinton as presidential candidate of the party over Senator Bernie Sanders.
Security analysts have speculated that the hacks could have come from the Russian government aiming to influence the U.S. elections. Another Democratic party agency, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, was also reported to have been hacked.
The attack on the New York Times happened this month, according to the newspaper.
CNN reported Tuesday that intelligence officials believe that that Russian spy agencies are using the attacks, including against think-tanks in Washington, to get insight into the U.S. political process. The administration of President Barack Obama has not yet named the Russian government or any of its agencies in connection with the hacks.
