Hackers affiliated with the Russian military have taken aim at Burisma, the Ukrainian natural gas company at the center of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump Donald John TrumpHR McMaster says president's policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is 'unwise' Cast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE, according to The New York Times.

Hacking attempts began in early November against the company on whose board former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenCast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response Biden tells CNN town hall that he has benefited from white privilege MORE’s son sat, the Times reported. At the same time, the House was investigating a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during which Trump asked Zelensky to investigate the Bidens.

Security experts told the Times the hackers’ findings, as well as what they were looking for, remain unclear, but the timing indicates they could have been in search of the same sort of potentially embarrassing material on the family Trump sought when he asked Zelensky to launch the investigation.

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The hackers were affiliated with the GRU military intelligence unit and used phishing emails to target usernames and passwords in a similar manner to the 2016 hack of the Democratic National Committee, according to the Times, in this case establishing mockups of Burisma subsidiaries and sending company employees emails designed to look like internal communications.

The hackers successfully secured login credentials from some employees and successfully infiltrated one of the company’s servers, according to Area 1, the California-based security company that first caught wind of the hack.

“The timing of the Russian campaign mirrors the G.R.U. hacks we saw in 2016 against the D.N.C. and [Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonHillicon Valley: FBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden | Treasury Dept. sanctions Iranian government-backed hackers The Hill's Campaign Report: Arizona shifts towards Biden | Biden prepares for drive-in town hall | New Biden ad targets Latino voters FBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden MORE campaign chairman] John Podesta,” Area 1 co-founder Oren Falkowitz said, according to the Times. “Once again, they are stealing email credentials, in what we can only assume is a repeat of Russian interference in the last election.”

Special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE indicted seven officers with the GRU in 2018.