Foreign hackers targeted the computers of Mike Mullen, ex-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in the latest in a pattern of attacks on computers of former high-ranking U.S. officials, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The FBI is pursuing the hackers, while 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, according to The Journal.
The hackers targeted personal computers Mullen used while working on the grounds of the U.S. 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.
