US authorities said in an official statement that they are holding Russians accountable for the release of confidential information on such websites as WikiLeaks and DCLeaks.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence allege that the Russian government compromised the emails of US officials and institutions and released them to the said public websites.
According to the statement, "These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the U.S. election process."
While the agencies did not point to any specific evidence, they said that the “methods and motivations” were consistent with Russian efforts.
"Such activity is not new to Moscow — the Russians have used similar tactics and techniques across Europe and Eurasia, for example, to influence public opinion there," the statement further said.
The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but their government has consistently denied any involvement in these security breaches.
While DHS has asked for assistance in protecting the election systems, and cautioned officials to be vigilant, it also said that widespread hacking will be difficult because the system is distributed across 50 states and security measures are already in place.
