US Homeland Security, thousands of businesses scramble after suspected Russian hack

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and thousands of businesses scrambled Monday to investigate and respond to a sweeping hacking campaign that officials suspect was directed by the Russian government.

Emails sent by officials at DHS, which oversees border security and defense against hacking, were monitored by the hackers as part of the sophisticated series of breaches, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters Monday.

The attacks, first revealed by Reuters on Sunday, also hit the US departments of Treasury and Commerce. Parts of the Defense Department were breached, the New York Times reported late Monday night, while the Washington Post reported that the State Department and National Institutes of Health were hacked. Neither of them commented to Reuters.