WASHINGTON - Foreign hackers targeted the computers of Mike Mullen, ex-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the
Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, calling it the latest in a pattern of attacks on computers of former high-ranking US officials.
The FBI is pursuing the hackers, the
Journal reported. The agency was not immediately available for comment.Mullen's office confirmed that the retired admiral was cooperating with a cyber investigation.
"Admiral Mullen, now a private citizen, has responded to very specific requests and is cooperating with an ongoing cyber investigation he has been informed is focused overseas," it said in a statement.
The hackers targeted personal computers Mullen used while working on the grounds of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, after his retirement in 2011, the report said, citing officials and others familiar with the probe.
One official said the evidence pointed to China as the origin of the hacking and that it appeared the hackers were able to access a personal email account.
