Computer systems at the White House, the Obama campaign and the McCain campaign have all been attacked recently by foreign hackers, authorities say.

The Financial Times reported yesterday that officials believe the White House's computer servers were compromised by Chinese hackers, who obtained unclassified e-mails between government officials.

Sources told the paper that the hackers were likely working for the Chinese government because of "their targeted nature." American officials declined to comment for the record on the reports, as did Chinese officials who in the past have called such accusations reminiscent of "Cold War-era thinking."

The White House revelations come on the heels of reports that computers at the campaigns of President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain were hacked into by an "unknown foreign entity," sparking an FBI investigation, Newsweek reported.

The cyberattack at the Illinois Democrat's headquarters midsummer was followed by a similar incident at McCain's campaign offices. Obama's team has speculated that Russian or Chinese hackers might be involved.

"Officials at the FBI and the White House told the Obama campaign that they believed a foreign entity or organization sought to gather information on the evolution of both camps' policy positions -- information that might be useful in negotiations with a future administration," Newsweek reported.