That’s what they do: Trump on suspected Russian role in US court system hack

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday did not rule out the possibility of Russia being behind the recent hack of the computer system that manages US federal court documents, including highly confidential files, saying, “They are good at it.”

When asked by a reporter whether he believed reports of Russian involvement in the breach of the US federal court filing system—and whether he would raise the issue with Vladimir Putin at their upcoming meeting on August 15—Trump said, “I guess I could…They hack in; that’s what they do. They are good at it. We are good at it; we are actually better at it. I have heard about it.”

Earlier, US investigators uncovered evidence suggesting that Russia was partly responsible for the hack of the US federal court filing system, which contains highly sensitive records, including information that could reveal sources and individuals charged with national security crimes, according to several people briefed on the breach, international news agency Reuters reported.

The hack occurred on August 7, when the electronic case filing system was compromised, according to Reuters.

It affected the Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF), which legal professionals use to upload and manage case documents, and the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER), which provides the public with pay-for access to some of the same data.

The case management system—which contains sensitive information about indictments and arrest warrants—has long been a target for foreign spies.

– Ends