US: Hack of federal agencies ‘likely Russian in origin’

Top national security agencies in a rare joint statement have confirmed that Russia was likely responsible for a massive hack of US government departments and corporations, rejecting President Donald Trump’s claim that China might be to blame.

The statement represented the US government’s first formal attempt to assign responsibility for the breaches at multiple agencies and to assign a possible motive for the operation.

It said the hacks appeared to be intended for “intelligence-gathering,” suggesting the evidence so far pointed to a Russian spying effort rather than an attempt to damage or disrupt US government operations.