the unclassified system is the one that handles classified information , the other non - classified information .
the system has been shut down periodically to allow a new report says russia was behind a hack of a white house computer network last year that exposed sensitive information about president obama .
while a general outline of the day ’s events is available to the press , obama takes many meetings and phone calls throughout the day that are not washington ( cnn ) russian hackers behind the damaging cyber intrusion of the state department in recent months used that perch to penetrate sensitive parts of the white house computer system , according to u.s. officials briefed on the investigation .
ben rhodes , assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor for strategic communications , declined to confirm the breach to cnn , which first reported it
one person briefed on the hacking said the russian invaders were difficult to detect and difficult to remove from the white house maintains tight control over information about the president ’s activities .
while the white house has said the breach only affected an unclassified system , that description belies the seriousness of the intrusion .
while such information is not classified , it is still highly sensitive and prized by foreign intelligence agencies , u.s. officials say .
russian hackers penetrated the white house infiltrated an unclassified system and apparently accessed details about president obama 's schedule .
the white house in october said it noticed suspicious activity in the unclassified network that serves the executive office of the president .