This Article is From Oct 30, 2014

Only Top Legislators Informed of White House Computer Attack

Washington: An attack by hackers on a White House computer network earlier this month was considered so sensitive that only a small group of senior Congressional leaders were initially notified about it, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The officials said the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives and the heads of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, collectively known as the "Gang of Eight", were told last week of the cyber attack, which had occurred several days earlier.

Security experts said this limited group would normally be informed about ultra-secret intelligence operations and notifying them of a computer breach in this way was unusual.

Bernadette Meehan, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, told Reuters: "Consistent with sensitive intelligence matters, the Director of the FBI notified congressional leadership and the chairs and ranking members of the intelligence committees."

On Tuesday a White house official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed there had been a cyber attack on what was described as an unclassified computer network used by employees of the Executive Office of the President. The official would not say who might have been responsible.
© Thomson Reuters 2014
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