White House battles cyberattacks on a daily basis

The White House is under attack every day.

Cyber attack.

The methods change, and the suspects range from individual actors to governments like Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.

The goal is basically the same, to penetrate government computers for classified information.

Government networks are probed continually, including the White House, said one Obama administration official, speaking on anonymity to discuss internal security.

The upshot: a constant behind-the-scenes cyber battle between the United States and would-be hackers, some with links to foreign governments. Few offensives are made pubic, though an October breach that may have involved Russia continues to draw media scrutiny, including a CNN story Tuesday.

The battle lines are constantly moving: Hackers try to penetrate government computer systems; governments set up defenses to try and thwart them; hackers try new methods; the government tries new defenses.

Cyber defense isn't the only goal here, officials said. Security systems are designed so that U.S. officials can understand what would-be intruders are trying to do, how they're trying to do it, and what their intentions are.

The private war became somewhat public when the White House disclosed in October that it made changes to one of its networks because of an attempted intrusion.

In an Oct. 29 statement, the White House said it had "identified activity of concern" on the unclassified Executive Office of the President network, and that officials "took immediate measures to evaluate and mitigate the activity."

The statement also said that "the Executive Office of the President receives alerts concerning numerous possible cyber threats on a daily basis" and that all are taken seriously. "Certainly a variety of actors find our networks attractive targets and seek access to sensitive government information," the White House said.

Administration officials said no classified files were hacked during that incident. They declined to point the finger specifically at Russia but said Russian interests are among the suspects.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest declined to discuss the case in detail on Wednesday, saying only that "we took appropriate steps to address" the problem. "And we did so," he added, "mindful of the fact that our computer network here is going to continue to be a target."

There have been times when officials have pointed the finger at other nations. The administration accused North Korea of being being behind last year's hack attack of Sony Pictures, calling it retaliation for a comedy film mocking leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea denied the accusation (and, like other countries, accused the U.S. of hacking other nations).

Administration officials said they are constantly updating cybersecurity systems in efforts to meet ever-evolving threats and that the issue is a high priority for President Obama.

In January, during a visit to the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, Obama pitched cybersecurity legislation that included new law enforcement tools. In his State of the Union Address that same month, Obama said, "no foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets, or invade the privacy of American families, especially our kids."

The U.S. should fight cyber threats "just as we have done to combat terrorism," Obama said.

In February, the administration unveiled the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center.

Ben FitzGerald, with the Center for a New American Security in Washington, D.C., said the White House is wise to assume there are "daily, persistent, ongoing efforts" to tap into its computer systems.

Not only is the information valuable, there are relatively few risks to hack attacks on the White House. FitzGerald, who directs the center's Technology and National Security Program, said it's hard to prove who is behind an attack. He also said making accusations against a specific country like Russia or a China could lead to a diplomatic incident that isn't worth it.

Given the lack of public information, it's impossible to say specifically how many times the White House has been attacked, and how successful its defenses are, FitzGerald said.

"That," he said, "would require being on the inside."

Contributing: Gregory Korte