Impersonation of White House chief of staff under federal probe

Investigation into a cyberattack against the personal mobile device of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has reportedly been commenced by the federal authorities, Reuters reports.

Attackers who infiltrated Wiles' phone were able to impersonate the official in text messages and calls to senators, governors, and business executives across the country, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal, which cited statements from individuals close to the matter. Such a probe has not been confirmed by the White House but the FBI emphasized its commitment to deal with threats impacting President Donald Trump and his staff, as well as U.S. cybersecurity. "Safeguarding our administration officials' ability to securely communicate to accomplish the president's mission is a top priority," said FBI Director Kash Patel. Before the incident, Wiles was noted to have had her messages compromised by alleged Iranian state-sponsored threat actors at the tail end of Trump's presidential campaign last year. Meanwhile, other Trump officials were noted to have their messages intercepted following the breach of TeleMessage.