INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WOWO): An Indiana-based security and anti-terrorism expert says the Russian hacking of a non-classified White House computer network isn‘t cause for serious alarm.

U.S. officials say it happened for several months last year and forced the White House to shut the system down for several days. It‘s believed the hacking was in retaliation for U.S. sanctions against Russia. Indianapolis-based Peter Beering calls the hacking, “the quintessential business of spying.”

Beering says hackers didn‘t gain access to much information that isn‘t already publicly available. He says it‘s also “the stuff of spy versus spy.” Beering says nation-states are in the business of finding out “as much as they can” about rivals and even allies.

He says Russia clearly wants to return to the powerful stance it had during the days of the old Soviet Union.