Hackers are becoming a major source of political leaks in this year’s presidential race. Case in point: On Tuesday, stolen emails from former secretary of state Colin Powell became headline news after a mysterious site with possible ties to Russian cyber spies gave them to the press. Since then, media outlets have been pointing out juicy details found in the emails. For example, Powell called Clinton “greedy” and her rival Donald Trump a “national disgrace.” The incident has security experts worried that hackers are manipulating U.S. media outlets to influence this year’s election. “The media is certainly being used as a battlefield here,” said Rich Barger, CIO with security firm ThreatConnect.
… The leaked files may seem legitimate, but security experts warn that hackers could end up tricking the U.S. media with leaked documents that turn out to be fake.
“This is possible and it will happen,” said Bruce Schneier, a longtime security guru. For example, hackers could release a trove of legitimate documents but falsify a few of the details, he said.
“Just remember when you see them, maybe they are not what you think they are,” Schneier said.
Full Article: Hackers are already shaping U.S. election coverage with data leaks | Computerworld.