Getty Cybersecurity firm doing entire restructuring of DNC management systems

The cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike retained by the Democratic National Committee is doing a complete "restructuring and rebranding" of the committee's management systems in response to a recent breach by suspected Russian hackers, according to interim DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile.

Brazile shared that information with top DNC officials and state party chairs during a private conference call Monday night. She praised the cybersecurity firm for its work and stressed that the committee is taking the hack very seriously.


"I'm pleased to tell you that CrowdStrike — which was retained back in May — is doing a fabulous job and not only restructuring and rebuilding our entire management systems, but they have monitored our systems 24/7 over the past few weeks and I can tell you we are stronger, we're very well protected,” Brazile said during the approximately one-hour call.

"Our wall is holding firm and we have not had any additional security breaches,” she added.

Brazile also said that top DNC officials, including Vice Chairman Ray Buckley, Finance Chairman Henry Muñoz, and Tom McMahon, who's running the DNC's transition team, met with federal officials to discuss the hacking after the party’s convention in late July.

"We met with federal officials to get an update on the status of the cyber breach that occurred here within our party," Brazile said. After that meeting, the DNC created and announced a new four-member advisory board in charge of cybersecurity.

Brazile, in the call, also stressed confidently that the hack was not done by a lone digital thief — the self-named “Guccifer 2.0” — but instead by a hacking group working for Russian intelligence services. Guccifer 2.0 has been gradually leaking digital documents stolen from both the DNC and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which acknowledged its own breach several weeks after the DNC.

“CrowdStrike — the cybersecurity firm hired by the DNC, the DCCC and other organizations — confirmed that this is a Russian state-sponsored attack, based on its investigation and the forensic evidence that has been collected," Brazile said during the call. "The Russians are engaging in a disinformation campaign, and we do know someone purporting to be a Romanian hacker and calling himself Guccier 2.0 has claimed responsibility for the hack. But these claims have been discredited by experts as a Russian disinformation campaign.”

Democratic leaders, as well as Hillary Clinton’s campaign, have argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin orchestrated the digital assault as part of an effort to undermine Clinton’s White House bid. Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the breaches.

The Obama administration is investigating the intrusions, and intelligence officials reportedly have “high confidence” that Russia is behind the digital campaign. But the White House has yet to officially blame Moscow.