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Hacked Emails Reveal Russian Plans To Obtain Sensitive Western Tech

Posted by Soulskill on from the mainly-just-breadmakers dept.

blando writes: A trove of emails provided to The Intercept detail Russian schemes to obtain a crucial component for military thermal-imaging systems. Though emails about the thermal imaging systems date back as far as 2006, the plans to acquire them began in earnest much more recently, in 2013. To try to hide Russian involvement, a company called Cyclone established a new company in the Republic of Cyprus. They did so with the help of a company called Rayfast, which was owned by three other companies itself. After obfuscating the new company's ownership and military ties, they reached out to several Western companies who worked with the technology.

8 of 131 comments (clear)

  1. it gets worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    hacked emails also reveal that sourceforge is full of malware. Put there by sourceforge. When will slashdot report that?

    1. Re:it gets worse by jellomizer · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Like how the Russian are spying on us? That isn't new either.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  2. Just...wow. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    FTA:"In April 2014, Viktor Tarasov wrote to the head of Ruselectronics, a Russian state-owned holding company, about a critical shortage of military equipment. The Russian military lacked thermal imaging systems — devices commonly used to detect people and vehicles — and Tarasov believed that technology might be needed soon because of the “increasingly complex situation in the southeast of Ukraine and the possible participation of Russian forces” to stabilize the region."

    Are they saying for the last 30 years they have had "zero" military thermal imaging capabilities? Couldn't they have just bought a few off e-bay? Something doesn't fit here...

    1. Re:Just...wow. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Military grade thermal imaging of the sort on fighter jets or heat seeking missiles is not really the same as the consumer level junk you'd find on e-bay that people use to look for Sasquatch or find people in burning buildings.

      The only way to deal with these kinds of situations is to punish the Western companies suckered into the deal SEVERELY. Doing business with unknown, shady companies that involve regulated tech just to try to chase every dollar that someone hints they may throw your way ... well, the executives of the company should be jailed.

    2. Re:Just...wow. by Rei · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No, fines for violating export laws.

      Being slapped with massive fines is usually pretty good motivation for a company. And given that the US spends nearly half of the world's total military spending, and the EU a good chunk of the rest, simply "hopping overseas" and choosing to serve other markets isn't exactly the smartest of plans, financially.

      It's idiodic for a company to wilfully risk sales of hundreds of thousands of units per year to NATO to sell a couple hundred units to Russia. Russia's economy is barely bigger than Canada's. And less than 80% the size of Brazil's.

      --
      "Who the **** put an emergency exit in the interrogation room?!" -- Police chief, "Jesus Christ Supercop"
    3. Re:Just...wow. by PPH · · Score: 3, Informative

      Being slapped with massive fines is usually pretty good motivation for a company.

      Some years ago, Boeing was slapped with $500 million in fines by the DoJ. Within a few weeks, the Pentagon cut Boeing a check for .... $500 million for "additional expenses".

      When you are the only source for some hardware, you don't pay fines. The taxpayer pays fines. And sometimes, you even make a profit on the transaction.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
  3. What is the point? by Karmashock · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Russia can't build any of that stuff even if they got the plans.

    Their tech is mostly bluster and bravado at this point.

    Take their new fighter jet... looks cool right? Well, that's about all it does with any competence. That is in fact its point. To look cool. As a weapons platform, it is a joke.

    And that goes for the majority of the Russian armory. It is either some cold war rusting piece of shit that hasn't been upgraded with new sensors or weapons. Or it is some Potemkin village farce.

    The Russians have their heads so far up their own asses that they're using mobile crematoriums to hide their own war dead from their own people in Ukraine.

    Talk to a Russian about Ukraine. They'll swear that this talk of Russian soldiers in Ukraine is just western propaganda.

    Never mind that literally everyone else contradict that from the Ukrainians to about a dozen NATO members to sat photos showing Russian tanks crossing the border... etc.

    So what are the Russians going to do if they steal our tech? They're not competent enough to build it regardless.

    Their economy is a joke... look at this:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    So, they rank lower than Slovakia and Slovenia... below Greece.... you know, that country in the EU that everyone is laughing at for being incompetent.

    Seriously, what is Russia going to do?

    They talk a big game but Russia is the Black Knight of Asia:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

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    I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
  4. Citation? by forand · · Score: 3, Insightful

    That is pretty damning. Do you have an references that one could read up on the exact situation to which you are referring?