No breach of classified system, says White House

The White House has said that it experienced a “spear phishing attack against an unclassified network” but asserted that there was never any impact or attempted breach of any classified system.

“This was a spear phishing attack against an unclassified network. These types of attacks are not infrequent and we have mitigation measures in place,” the White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters abroad Air Force One yesterday.

Spear phishing is a cyber-attack that uses disguised emails that seek to convince recipients of a specific organisation to provide confidential information.

In this instance, Carney said that the attack was identified, the system was isolated, and there is no indication whatsoever that any exfiltration of data took place.

“Moreover, there was never any impact or attempted breach of any classified system,” Carney asserted responding to reporters’ questions in news reports about hacking of White House computer system whose source is said to be originating from China.

“Hackers linked to China’s Government broke into one of the US Government’s most sensitive computer networks, breaching a system used by the White House Military Office for nuclear commands, according to defence and intelligence officials familiar with the incident,” ‘The Washington Free Beacon’ reported yesterday.

“One official said the cyber breach was one of Beijing’s most brazen cyber-attacks against the United States and highlights a failure of the Obama Administration to press China on its persistent cyber-attacks,” said Beacon, which broke the news.