Russians Allegedly Hacked Gas Company Linked To Trump-Ukraine Scandal: Report

Ahead of President Trump’s impeachment trial over the Ukraine scandal, Russian hackers successfully penetrated the Ukrainian gas company that played a significant role in the scandal, according to ABC News.  

What Happened

Hackers from the Russian military intelligence unit GRU successfully infiltrated the internal systems of Burisma Holdings Limited, the Ukrainian energy firm, in which former Vice President Joe Biden's son was a board member.

The hacking attempts started in early November, reported ABC News, citing a report by Area 1, the Silicon Valley-based cybersecurity company that detected the hacking.

The Russian hackers targeted the “email credentials of employees at Burisma Holdings and its subsidiaries and partners,” said the report.

"Our report is not noteworthy because we identify the GRU launching a phishing campaign, nor is the targeting of a Ukranian company particularly novel. It is significant because Burisma Holdings is publically entangled in U.S. foreign and domestic politics," the report said.

The report, however, does not clarify what the hackers were looking for or found.

Why It Matters

The U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Trump in December last year, accusing him of withholding around $400 million in approved military aid to pressure Ukraine's president to launch an investigation into his Democratic rival and former Ukrainian Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden.

The latest hacking mirrors the hacks on Democrats leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

At the time, Russians successfully targeted the email account of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 election campaign adviser through similar means.

"The timing of the GRU's campaign in relation to the 2020 U.S. elections raises the specter that this is an early warning of what we have anticipated since the successful cyberattacks undertaken during the 2016 U.S. elections," added the report.