Report: Russians failed to hack RNC

Russian hackers were unsuccessful in their attempts to breach the Republican National Committee (RNC), The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

U.S. officials briefed on the attempted intrusion told the publication that the alleged hackers used the same methods that allowed them to hack the Democratic National Committee (DNC) but were ultimately thwarted by the RNC cybersecurity systems.

According to the report, RNC officials became concerned that they would also be targeted by hackers after the DNC breach was made public. However, after contacting a security firm and the FBI, a closer inspection reportedly revealed that dangerous emails similar to those used to gain access to DNC accounts had been blocked by the organization’s cyber defenses.

{mosads}Sources close to the investigation also told the newspaper that the attempted attack on the RNC was much less persistent and aggressive than the effort against Democratic officials.

According to the report, hackers targeted only a single email account of a former RNC staffer.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have called for congressional investigations into the alleged Russian interference in the presidential election, after a CIA assessment reportedly revealed that the agency is confident that Russia was attempting to help Donald Trump win the presidency, not just generally undermine the process.

According to NBC News, U.S. intelligence officials also now believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally directed the hacking campaign.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the accusations of Putin’s involvement, stating that he was “astonished” when he saw the report.

“I think this is nothing but nonsense. There is not a chance that anybody could believe that,” he said on Thursday.