The FBI neglected to notify nearly 80 U.S. officials that their personal gmail accounts were the targets of Russian hacking attempts, the Associated Press reported Sunday.
Of the 190 affected officials and groups to which AP reached out, nearly 80 granted the outlet interviews. Although the FBI had been gathering evidence and knew for at least a year that the Americans were victims of a hacking scheme, the bureau failed to inform the victims of the threat posed to them. And after interviewing nearly 80 parties that had been targeted, AP found that the FBI had alerted only two of them before any hacked emails or information could be released.
While some of the hackers’ victims never heard from the FBI at all, others heard from the bureau only after their emails and information were leaked publicly.
AP’s report also came as the U.S. and Russia continue to battle over the extradition of Yevgeniy Nikulin, an alleged Russian hacker. Nikulin found himself slapped with a U.S. grand jury indictment in 2016 on charges related to identity theft and computer hacking. He currently is held in a Prague prison.
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