FBI Probes Bid To Hack Democratic Party Officials’ Phones, Sources Say

The FBI is currently investigating reported attempts to compromise cell phones belonging to unidentified Democratic Party officials by suspected Russia-backed hackers, reports Reuters, quoting people close to the matter. Though there was no official confirmation from party officials, sources said the Bureau had contacted the probable victims and taken custody of their phones to image them and then conduct detailed examination.

This incident, if confirmed, would mean theft of confidential data -- including sensitive emails and contact lists -- and could also raise security concerns if a Congress member was targeted, says the source. Investigators are also probing whether hackers used credentials or other data stolen from Democratic Party servers or emails to breach the victims’ phones .

US officials have repeatedly blamed Russia for the recent hackings on US political entities with a view to disrupting the November 8 presidential election.

Read details on Reuters.