• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechMost Powerful Women

Russian Hackers Are Suspected of Leaking Michelle Obama’s Passport Online

By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 22, 2016, 4:12 PM ET
White House Turnaround Arts Talent Show
On Wednesday, May 25, in the East Room of the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed students and artists from across the country to perform at the White House Turnaround Arts Talent Show. As part of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the talent show showcased America's budding artists, students who performed alongside Turnaround Artist mentors including: Keb Mo, Tim Robbins, Bernie Williams, Charles "Lil Buck" Riley, and Paula Fuga. (Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images)NurPhoto NurPhoto via Getty Images

An image purported to be a scanned copy of U.S. first lady Michelle Obama’s passport was leaked online on Thursday alongside personal emails said to belong to a low-level White House staffer who worked with Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Reuters was unable to verify the authenticity of the passport or related documents, the latest dump of sensitive material by a hacking entity U.S. intelligence officials suspect is linked to Russia.

The White House on Thursday declined to comment on their validity, but spokesman Josh Earnest said the administration was taking the matter seriously.

“We’re aware of those media reports, and it is something we’re looking into,” U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said at a news conference.

The emails published on Thursday appear to be from a Gmail (GOOG) account belonging to staffer Ian Mellul and largely contain mundane information concerning planning logistics for Clinton campaign events.

The leak is the latest in a set of files targeting U.S. politicians and political insiders to be disclosed by a group calling itself DC Leaks.

Last week the group published personal emails from former Secretary of State Colin Powell showing his distaste for Clinton and her Republican rival, Donald Trump.

 

 

Powell confirmed to Reuters the hacked messages were authentic.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Cyber security experts and U.S. intelligence officials have said the DC Leaks group, which says it is operating in the name of anti-secrecy, is a front for a wide-ranging hacking operation by the Russian government that also has breached Democratic party organizations and at least two state election systems.

The U.S. Secret Service “is concerned any time unauthorized information that might pertain to one of the individuals we protect, or our operations, is allegedly disclosed,” said Nicole Mainor, a spokeswoman for the agency. She declined to comment further, citing a policy of not providing information about investigations.

About the Author
By Reuters
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

‘Downward mobility is incredibly radicalizing’: The college bargain is broken. What comes next could reshape America
EconomyColleges and Universities
‘Downward mobility is incredibly radicalizing’: The college bargain is broken. What comes next could reshape America
By Nick LichtenbergApril 10, 2026
2 hours ago
Who’s really in control as AI and Big Tech race ahead?
MagazineEurope
Who’s really in control as AI and Big Tech race ahead?
By Francesca CassidyApril 10, 2026
4 hours ago
Photo: Donald Trump
EconomyMarkets
U.S. and Iran begin peace talks as Trump’s White House goes to war against the media, insider traders, and the Pope
By Jim EdwardsApril 10, 2026
5 hours ago
Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2019 in Aspen, Colo. (Photo: Fortune)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Who’s speaking at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026
By Andrew NuscaApril 10, 2026
6 hours ago
Schools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies
InnovationEducation
Schools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezApril 10, 2026
7 hours ago
Dario Amodei
NewslettersTerm Sheet
What Anthropic’s too-dangerous-to-release AI model means for its upcoming IPO
By Beatrice NolanApril 10, 2026
7 hours ago

Most Popular

The U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined
Economy
The U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
1 day ago
A Meta employee created a dashboard so coworkers can compete to be the company's No. 1 AI token user—and Zuckerberg doesn't even rank in the top 250
AI
A Meta employee created a dashboard so coworkers can compete to be the company's No. 1 AI token user—and Zuckerberg doesn't even rank in the top 250
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
1 day ago
Gen Z doesn't want your full-time job. They want several part-time roles, and it's reshaping the entire workforce
Success
Gen Z doesn't want your full-time job. They want several part-time roles, and it's reshaping the entire workforce
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
1 day ago
Mark Cuban admits he made a mistake letting go of the Mavericks: 'I don't regret selling. I regret who I sold to'
Investing
Mark Cuban admits he made a mistake letting go of the Mavericks: 'I don't regret selling. I regret who I sold to'
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
23 hours ago
'I hate working 5 days': Zoom CEO says traditional work schedules are becoming obsolete—and predicts a 3-day workweek by 2031
Success
'I hate working 5 days': Zoom CEO says traditional work schedules are becoming obsolete—and predicts a 3-day workweek by 2031
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of April 9, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 9, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.