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Russian Government Gets 'Hacked Back', Attacks Possibly Launched By The NSA (bbc.com)

An anonymous reader write: Russian government bodies have been hit by a "professional" cyber attack, according to the country's intelligence service, which said the attack targeted state organizations and defense companies, as well as Russia's "critically important infrastructures". The agency told the BBC that the powerful malware "allowed those responsible to switch on cameras and microphones within the computer, take screenshots and track what was being typed by monitoring keyboard strokes."
ABC News reports that the NSA "is likely 'hacking back' Russia's government-linked cyber-espionage teams "to see once and for all if they're responsible for the massive breach at the Democratic National Committee, according to three former senior intelligence officials... Robert Joyce, chief of the NSA's shadowy Tailored Access Operations, declined to comment on the DNC hack specifically, but said in general that the NSA has technical capabilities and legal authorities that allow the agency to 'hack back' suspected hacking groups, infiltrating their systems to gather intelligence about their operations in the wake of a cyber attack... In some past unrelated cases...NSA hackers have been able to watch from the inside as malicious actors conduct their operations in real time."

29 of 173 comments (clear)

  1. That's nice by fustakrakich · · Score: 2

    Good to see the NSA point their guns in the right direction, no?

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    1. Re:That's nice by fustakrakich · · Score: 2

      Oh please! The situation is stable.. The sun is going to consume the earth in a few billion years anyway. Let's not sweat the small shit. Just tell them you're Canadian.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    2. Re:That's nice by Sax+Russell+5449D29A · · Score: 2

      There are no right directions in this kind of game any more. Nobody has any moral high ground left to call an end to it, which means it's an ever-escalating cat-and-mouse game. The agencies and politicians doing this should sober up and call an end to it. Make the world a safer place by blocking holes in software products, not create them.

      --
      -SR
  2. Wait... by Budgreen · · Score: 2

    Didn't anonymous post something a day or so ago claiming something similar?

    --
    The greatest right given is the right to be wrong...
  3. Re:I dobut it was NSA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Are you just born yesterday? NSA hacked a lot of countries before this hack. Even allies. Are you really that stupid? USA is a bully for a very long time. USA is only the best at one thing: creating their own enemies.

  4. In other news by Budgreen · · Score: 2

    Russian intelligence agencies use computers with Webcam's and mic's in uncovered and useable condition?

    I find this a bit hard to believe.

    --
    The greatest right given is the right to be wrong...
    1. Re:In other news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      A bit hard. try impossible to believe. It would be like suggesting the NSA sit in front of computers with open webcams and mics. I work with one defense agency (from another country) and cameras are not permitted in the building, any permanent device with a web cam either has it mechanically disabled or tapped over. I would be stunned if this is not standard practise everywhere, especially agencies in the US and Russia where they take paranoid to whole new levels.

    2. Re: In other news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Have been inside NSA facility, can confirm they are not dumb enough to have webcams, or for that matter non air gapped systems. They are very thorough about that.

  5. Re:I dobut it was NSA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I doubt NSA would be that dumb..

    Wow,... did you miss the entire set of leaks from Edward Snowden? Because the NSA has been doing _exactly that_ to the entire world for over a decade. Sorry man, that ship sailed a long long long time ago. It's not a matter of guessing: it's established fact.

  6. Re:I dobut it was NSA by bloodhawk · · Score: 3, Informative

    Not openly and so apparently obviously they haven't,

  7. Tit for Tat by guises · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah, woo! Take that! You fuck with our elections?! Well we'll fuck with your elections, Russia...

  8. Re: Tit for Tat by wasteoid · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ha ha ha! Russian elections! Oh wait, you were serious.

  9. Re:Hmmm by sumdumass · · Score: 4, Funny

    But the trick was getting them to install it by putting out a package called "DNC hack files complete ".

  10. Russia's "critically important infrastructures". by EvilSS · · Score: 4, Funny

    So their vodka distilleries and botnets got hit?

    --
    I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
  11. Re:Favoritism by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The favoritism is all from the media - notice how quickly attention was diverted from the DNC fixing the nomination process? If this had been the republicans, they'd be all over the nomination fixing like flies on shit.

    Subverting the election process is a lot more damaging long-term than a one-time hack by someone in Russia who may or may not be from the government.

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  12. Wouldn't it be nice by Snotnose · · Score: 3, Insightful

    if the NSA would tell Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, et all of the vulnerabilities they knew about so the companies could patch their software? But no, the Kremlin uses the same vulnerable software so if the NSA protects American citizens it makes it harder to hack the Kremlin.

    1. Re: Wouldn't it be nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Even worse, the NSA makes companies leave holes open for reasons of national security.
      It really is a 1984 situation, insecurity is security.

  13. I call BS by mea2214 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    My bullshit detector is going full tilt over this entire affair. Somebody is making up stories to feed a gullible press that does little to no fact checking anymore.

  14. I predicted Trump would cause WW3 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    But I never imagined it would go down like this, or that it would even kick off before he is President.

  15. Re:Hmmm by ShakaUVM · · Score: 2, Funny

    >"allowed those responsible to switch on cameras and microphones within the computer, take screenshots and track what was being typed by monitoring keyboard strokes." Kindergarden level keylogger hack by standards of the indistry

    Or you just upgrade them to Windows 10.

  16. Re:WHAT FUN by fnj · · Score: 2

    Maybe we get crimea back, and russia becomes a democracy.

    Who is "we"? Russia *IS* a representative democratic republic, Sparky. It's just as much a "democracy" as the US. As for the Crimea, the people spoke in a referendum, and unification with Russia won. Look, the Crimea was always overrun since antiquity by one set of conquerors after another; it got its ass handed to it when it was annexed by Russia in 1783. Then the USSR colonized it pretty thoroughly from 1917 on. Unfortunate, but no way is that going to be undone, any more than the seizure of North and South America from the natives by Europeans will be undone.

  17. Re: Tit for Tat by aliquis · · Score: 2

    Ha ha ha! Russian elections! Oh wait, you were serious.

    I don't know how Trump consider himself relative Putin but I'm not sure he's got the upper hand.

    Anyone who's willing to vote for Trump would likely had been willing to vote for Putin too. Coming from Sweden I'd vote for all of Trump, Putin and Hitler if I had a choice but sadly I don't.

  18. Hack Hick Hick Hack by no-body · · Score: 2

    Does it pay????

    It's the boys in a sand box, eh - I get you back for destroying my sand castle.

    Only problem here is that this is not limited to just the sand box and the kids playing in it, maybe the parents to some degree but the billions of humans affected - and much fewer participating as string puppets making the games possible...

    A similar game is tit for tat where totally unrelated individuals suffer.
    The string pullers should be locked in a great cage so they can fight it out and hit their own heads bloody.
    Maybe the good Donald will finally get this fixed?

    Oh well.....

  19. Re:I dobut it was NSA by NotAPK · · Score: 2

    Is anyone else a little disappointed with season 2 so far? We're four episodes in and absolutely nothing has happened!! If Elliot spend most of this season pissing about inside his head then I'm afraid all the groove set up in season 1 will be lost :(

  20. Re:I dobut it was NSA by dunkelfalke · · Score: 2

    Americans being the bully on this planet is completely unrelated to Russia's behavour, but if you put it that way, then what Russia does is small potatoes in comparison, barely a blip on the radar. Even the UK has invaded more countries in the past 20 years and is responsible for more people killed.

    --
    "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
  21. Re: I dobut it was NSA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    speaking as a finnish dude..

    I find it crazy that USA first says that a cyberattack is an act of war and theb proceeds to give state agencies the rights to perform them without congressional oversight.

    Russia, sure, they do whatever shit they want but at least they don't pretend it would be acts of war.

  22. Re:I dobut it was NSA by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 2

    NSA hacked a lot of countries before this hack. Even allies.

    How do you even know this? Are you guessing?

    How do you not know this? Are you Trolling?

  23. Re:Favoritism by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 3, Informative
    The DNC was supposed to be impartial. The DNC favored Clinton before any votes were cast. Bernie was a "problem" for them.

    Other emails show DNC staff in damage control over allegations from the Sanders campaign, when a report - corroborated by a Politico - revealed the DNC’s joint fundraising committee with the Clinton campaign was laundering money to the Clinton campaign instead of fundraising for down-ticket Democrats. Regardless of the fundraising tactics, because both major campaigns didn’t agree to use the joint fundraising committee super-PAC with the DNC, the DNC should have recused itself from participating with just the Clinton campaign.

    Follow the money.

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  24. Re: I dobut it was NSA by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 3, Insightful

    American exceptionalism. "It's wrong except when we do it."

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.