On October 7, 2016, WikiLeaks started to publish thousands of emails reportedly retrieved from Podesta's private Gmail account, some of which contained controversial material regarding Clinton's positions or campaign strategy. Podesta and the Clinton campaign did not confirm or deny the authenticity of the emails. Experts investigating the leak, including a private security firm called Secureworks, claimed that a Russian hacking group named Fancy Bear gained access to Podesta's account through phishing. Podesta said that Russian intelligence officials attempting to influence the presidential election in favor of Donald Trump were behind the leak.