Officials are trying to explain that it's not as bad as it sounds

Oct 2, 2012 06:55 GMT  ·  By

Representatives of the United States White House have confirmed that Chinese hackers have penetrated their networks, but they claim that it’s not as bad as it seems.

Initially, it was believed that the hackers accessed the computer networks in charge of handling the government’s most sensitive systems, including the nuclear commands and presidential communications.

However, according to officials – cited by Politico – the network affected by the cyberattack is unclassified and it has been isolated. Furthermore, the White House reinforces the fact that no data has been stolen, or at least there isn’t any evidence of it.

Apparently, no classified systems were affected, and the attackers didn’t even attempt to breach critical parts of the network. The fact that a spear phishing email was behind the attack was also confirmed.

Spear phishing is not as high tech as it sounds. The attack involves a malicious email designed to trick the recipient into opening an attachment or click on a link.