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US Believes Hackers Are Shielded By Russia To Hide Its Role In Cyberintrusions: WSJ (newsmax.com)

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal (Warining: may be paywalled), U.S. officials are all but certain that the hacker Guccifer 2.0, who hacked the Democratic National Committee in June, is connected to a network of individuals and groups who are being shielded by the Russian government to mask its involvement in cyberintrusions. Even though the hacker denies working for the Russian government, the hacker is thought to be working with the hacking groups Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear, which have ties to the Russian government. The Wall Street Journal reports: Following successful breaches, the stolen data are apparently transferred to three different websites for publication, these people say. The websites -- WikiLeaks, DCLeaks.com and a blog run by Guccifer 2.0 -- have posted batches of stolen data at least 42 times from April to last week. Cybersecurity experts believe that DCLeaks.com and Guccifer 2.0 often work together and have direct ties to Russian hackers. Guccifer 2.0 said in a Twitter direct message sent to The Wall Street Journal that he wants to expose corruption in politics and shine light on how companies influence policy. The hacker said he also hopes to expose "global electronization." "I think I won't have a better opportunity to promote my ideas than this year," Guccifer 2.0 added in a long exchange with a Journal reporter. The Journal cannot verify the identity of the person sending messages on behalf of Guccifer 2.0, but the account is the same one that was used to publish personal information about Democrats. A posting on a blog run by Guccifer 2.0 says he is a man who was born in Eastern Europe, has been a hacker for years and fears for his safety. "I think u've never felt that feeling when u r crazy eager to shout: look everyone, this is me, this is me who'd done it," the hacker wrote to the Journal. "but u can't." WikiLeaks officials didn't respond to requests for comment on whether Russia fed them the stolen files published by WikiLeaks in July. A representative for DCLeaks.com asked the Journal to submit questions via email but hasn't responded to them. Last week, U.S. intelligence chielf James Clapper said it "shouldn't come as a big shock to people" that Russia is behind the hacking operation. While Russia has tried to interfere in U.S. elections since at least the 1960s by spying and funneling money to particular political groups, "I think it's more dramatic maybe because now they have the cyber tools," he said.

56 of 109 comments (clear)

  1. So what? by Nyder · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Doesn't matter who is doing the hacking, what matters is how serious the USA takes with it's security measures to protect computers/devices from being hacked to begin with. And to be quite honest, the USA Government doesn't take it's computer security serious at all. That you can tell from letting Clinton off with her mismanagement of her server and the fact that our Government wants back doors in everything even though they keep being told that is how you get hacked.

    Let's not even get into the encryption bullshit.

    --
    Be seeing you...
    1. Re:So what? by rockout · · Score: 1, Insightful

      It doesn't matter who's doing the hacking? Are you that myopic that you take any excuse to crowbar in your anti-Hillary rants? Of course it matters. And thanks for trying to take a Slashdot post about Russian hackers and turning it into yet another "Clinton vs. Trump" debate, which will probably work. You dick.

      --
      I've learned that they're worthless, so I don't read AC comments anymore.
    2. Re: So what? by bestweasel · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Trump says we don't know it's the Russians, and he knows about the cyber.

      Does that help?

    3. Re:So what? by ravenshrike · · Score: 2

      Sooo, the Russians are hacking us now, but totes weren't interested in hacking us while Hillary was Secretary of State? Is that your position?

    4. Re: So what? by dmbasso · · Score: 1

      Yes, but what about the nuclear?! And he's going to eliminate the Department of Environmental!

      --
      `echo $[0x853204FA81]|tr 0-9 ionbsdeaml`@gmail.com
    5. Re:So what? by Agripa · · Score: 1

      It is a vast right wing Russian hacking conspiracy.

  2. Ties to Government? by rtb61 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Nothing but PR=B$, news at eleven all citizens of a country have ties to their government. They have ties to the government at Federal level, ties to the government at state level and ties to their government at municipal level. Look a whole article about immunity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.... So US spies have immunity when they break other countries laws and are safe from extradition, not just computer crimes but even rape and mass murder and no matter how public those crimes have been those American criminals are still be protected. Even an entire war based on lies, the criminals behind that, are still being protected, hence the desperate bid to corruptly elect another guaranteed not to prosecute high crimes, criminal is being elected. Remember those hacking stories about hacking of state electoral roles and patches to security, now were those patches to fix or to break security and is the electronic fix in. I'd bet a substantial amount of the Russian hacking is actually the CIA and it's private for profit contractors pretending to be Russian, keeps the NSA and FBI off the backs and drives more CIA contractor revenue (NATO command is screwing about in there as well, separate from the US government, collusion between US/UK/German/French corrupt players).

    --
    Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    1. Re:Ties to Government? by Burz · · Score: 3, Interesting

      FBI is not even interviewing the CEO of the server farm where the attacks were launched. He says he'll even provide logs, but no one is asking. I think the US govt knows it won't be good for their image.

    2. Re:Ties to Government? by jandersen · · Score: 2

      Just making an observation in passing, and I may be completely wrong, of course, in which case somebody can earn a few, cheap points by correcting me; but over the recent years there has been a number of similar articles about "Chinese Hackers", and the majority view has always appeared to be that this was undoubtedly true. Now we have seen a few articles saying exactly the same abour "Russian Hackers", with more or less the same level of authority behind, but now, apparently, it is "obviously wrong". Why is that?

    3. Re:Ties to Government? by tinkerton · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Could be, but what I'm certain of is that the pentagon has decided a while back it needs Russia as an enemy, for budgetary reasons let's say, so we are /will be getting a constant stream of russian evil.

    4. Re:Ties to Government? by khallow · · Score: 1

      Just making an observation in passing, and I may be completely wrong, of course, in which case somebody can earn a few, cheap points by correcting me; but over the recent years there has been a number of similar articles about "Chinese Hackers", and the majority view has always appeared to be that this was undoubtedly true.

      rtb61 is not the "majority view" and he's been quite consistent in his opinions. I find that once you go from an imaginary viewpoint to a real one, there is a surprising amount of consistency.

    5. Re:Ties to Government? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Wikileaks and Snowden's leaks did massive international damage to the US' image.

      Do you really think it's opponents wouldn't have noticed that? Do you really think that those that seek to weaken it would not want to get in on that?

      Pretending nation states that would prefer to see a much weaker US in the world wouldn't get involved in this sort of thing is naive at best. Ranting about it being an inside job is just outside nonsensical paranoid delusion.

      You need help, like, real fucking help. You are to states like Russia what would be termed a "useful idiot".

    6. Re:Ties to Government? by wiredog · · Score: 2

      " it is "obviously wrong". Why is that?"

      Russian astroturfers all over the net.

    7. Re:Ties to Government? by tinkerton · · Score: 1

      And I'm serious. I'm not saying russia is doing nothing wrong but that's how propaganda works. It doesn't necessarily invent things, it can just as well highlight things, select and amplify others, and choose to ignore yet others. The russia hacking claims went from 'they're behind it' to 'they're protecting the hackers'. Fuzzy claim , protection. It can range from forms of cooperation over neglect, to inable to act effectively and plain 'we decide it's a good idea to hold you responsible, whatever the background'.

      And I wouldn't put the pentagon and the president on the same line either. The general rule for presidents is 'don't cross the pentagon'. The president and Kerry wanted cooperation with Russia on Syria, and the Pentagon said no. And no it was.

    8. Re:Ties to Government? by loonycyborg · · Score: 2

      Strictly speaking neither Russia nor US can do anything wrong or right, because you need to be a single person, or at least a single mind to do anything. Since the whole idea of a nation of doing something is nonsensical it's very amenable to manipulation, if you buy into nation as person meme then you can be convinced to do absolutely anything.

    9. Re:Ties to Government? by SadButResolved · · Score: 1

      Agreed.
      To add: This news Rag is 100% owned and operated by the NWO and CIA. If it says something assume its opposite world. As in Exactly opposite of the lies it prints.

    10. Re: Ties to Government? by Agripa · · Score: 1

      Given that that particular CEO has been found to have lied under oath, it's not particularly surprising that no one cares what he says.

      Boy. Wolf. Etc.

      If the FBI thinks he lied to them, then they can give him the Martha Stuart treatment.

    11. Re:Ties to Government? by tinkerton · · Score: 1

      Alright, but speaking strictly is also not very useful, while being able to designate/identify the main players has a value even if it is a huge simplification. It's a skill and if your model is weak you will draw weak conclusions. In that respect I recall an interesting comment from turkish negotiators in the Iran-US conflict. They said with many countries you have a person you can talk to and which you can try to make an agreement with. But Iran and the US are the kind of countries with multiple power players where you have to talk to all of them. Knowing who to talk to is a realworld necessity. Knowing whose concerns you have to take really seriously and whose concerns are merely optional is very important too.

      So with Russia, we have big players which prefer to treat Russia as an enemy and the weapons industry and the pentagon are major players in that. To put it in old language, the Military Industrial Complex has won.

    12. Re:Ties to Government? by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      All governments should be required to prove their claims with evidence prior to taking any actions. These empty propgandist press releases at budget times are just getting lamer and lamer. The government, any government want to shoot off it's mouth, than it should prove it's claims in a court of law with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... or shut the fuck up. With so much main stream media and government and corporate propaganda and bullshit flying around as the norm, the new stance is prove in court or shut up because we are not listening any more.

      I do not give a crap about which countries government wants to bullshit about what ever, be they US, Russian or Australian, unless the prove it in a court of law and the evidence is properly challenged and proven in an open court, than it is just empty political bullshit.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
  3. Clapper lied to Congress before by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Given that Clapper directly lied to Congress before, how can anyone accept anything he says at face value now?

    It seems that in the U.S. everything is being blamed on Russia right now, and U.S. media consistently fails to mention all of the aggressive actions that the U.S. is performing against Russia. So Russia may or may not be behind some of the things that have been happening, but you definitely can't trust the U.S. government to tell the truth about things they know let alone the things that are really just speculation.

  4. A Lot of Effort to Bury the Lede by Kunedog · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So the mainstream press really never did come up with a way to spin the DNC Leaks.

    They've repeatedly shown they had NO answer except to try to ignore the real story (like with Snowden), and pretend that the source of the info is more important than the fact that the DNC was nothing but a branch of Hillary's campaign, colluding to push Bernie to the side at all costs.

    1. Re:A Lot of Effort to Bury the Lede by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      If the message is real, create a new story about the messenger?
      The truth was kind of hard to work as a narrative, so just cover the issue with tech media going on about super magical Bear network code?
      What nation would risk a known method, code thats well understood by the private sector, their own ip ranges to enter and stay deep in networks?
      To just drop litter that points back with code, ip ranges and not get caught on network entry or during the bulk plain text data flows out?
      Smart national "cyberintrusion" that cant even escape with no logs and easy to find code fragments left all over?
      Most nations use domestic staging servers, unexpected domestic or internal ip ranges that seem totally normal to any admin doing realtime work. Data is removed and no log litter later exists.
      Why would any nation state even risk a method that was so well underwood by private sector security? That could have been detected on entry or while in use?
      As a cover story for the US media it seems so rushed.
      They should have found nothing, said nothing and then had the gov hint at secret efforts to trace methods much later. That would have seemed more realistic and been more in line with tracking a gov.
      But to have speaking points from private sector security with a "Bear" name they all knew about?

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    2. Re:A Lot of Effort to Bury the Lede by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      There's no vast left- or right-wing media conspiracy. There's a small number of owners of the mainstream press, and they will not print anything that directly contradicts the interests of these owners. This has no allegiance to any political party or ideology other than a desire for certain individuals to increase their personal power.

      Various governments have allowed mergers and acquisitions among news companies until there's very little independent press. Most countries don't want to regulate press freedom too heavily (for good reason - there's a very fine line between regulating truth in journalism and forcing propaganda and it's incredibly easy for the former to slip into the latter), so we're left with the majority of the population being informed by untrustworthy sources.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    3. Re:A Lot of Effort to Bury the Lede by wiredog · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yeah, shame on the Democratic Party for supporting a lifelong Democrat who had done massive amounts of work to support other Democrats over the Socialist who became a Democrat recently only so he could run for President. They should've been more like the Republicans!

    4. Re:A Lot of Effort to Bury the Lede by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If that's the way they want to run their party, so be it. Why not just tell Sanders and other non-Democrats that they are not allowed to run in the party primaries and caucuses?

      The Democrats' wrongdoing wasn't in supporting Clinton over Sanders The misconduct was in creating a giant charade under the false pretenses that the nominating process was fair and open while surreptitiously working to help Clinton and undermine Sanders. There would have been nothing to leak if the party officials had done this openly and before the contest began.

    5. Re:A Lot of Effort to Bury the Lede by SadButResolved · · Score: 1

      Now who controls the DNC, its not the Clintons. Follow that money folks.

  5. Vid that Explains it Pretty Well by Kunedog · · Score: 1
  6. James Clapper is now a reliable source .. by bongey · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The same James Clapper that lied under oath about NSA spying and has this fancy website http://www.hasjamesclapperbeen....

    1. Re: James Clapper is now a reliable source .. by bestweasel · · Score: 1

      "Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?"

      Director Clapper responded "No, sir."

      Wasn't that because he had a special, secret definition of the verb "collect" which became "have one of our agents read" in NSA World?

      So it was only a Bill Clinton sort of lie, just redefine common words but only in your head, the sort of thing politicians and bad lawyers do every day.

  7. Spelled as in the article "Warining" ... by quax · · Score: 1

    ... makes it sound really scary.

  8. The rumors are true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This is why I run an IP filter list that includes all of Russia and most of Ukraine on the sites that I manage. Sure there are a couple of honest Russians that just want some information, but 99% of their traffic is attacks.

    When 90+% of an entire nation is hack attempts and attacks, it's just easier and better for me and my clients to deny them access.

  9. Are gays OK now? by bjwest · · Score: 1

    Since we're hating on Russia again, are the gays off the list? Can we allow them to get married and live in peace?

    --

    --- Keep the choice with the user..
    1. Re: Are gays OK now? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yes, as long as they're not Russian gays.

  10. WikiLeaks by AHuxley · · Score: 2

    What was said:
    http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07... (July 27, 2016)
    ""Perhaps one day the source or sources will step forward and that might be an interesting moment some people may have egg on their faces."
    That sounds like the classic US insider going to the press. The Pentagon Papers, Watergate, a person with information going to the media who can give a lot of information due to their access.

    Now the media is pushing ever more about some nation who can access data, look over the data, stay in a distant network, get the data in plain text, move the data out and not get caught.
    Once US security experts look over the vast amounts of litter left on the network its some "Bear" code they all know about and tell the press about.
    The code and method of access is so well understood that easy to find logs, code, ip details go to the waiting press.
    The same very early private sector security experts talking points to the media then get picked up by gov and other media and reported as some long term gov investigation...
    The origins of what was found and how it was traced become forgotten only that an existing well understood method was left to be found.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  11. This Is How Rumors Get Started by g0rd0 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This is also why I run an IP filter list that blocks all of Russia and most of Ukraine from every site I maintain. 99.9% of their traffic is hack attempts and attacks. If 95+% of a nation's users are up to no good, then it is in my and my client's best interest to ban the entire nation. Nothing personal, and nothing against the Russian people, but 99.9% of their internet traffic is shit.

  12. Content is king by cfalcon · · Score: 2

    It doesn't matter that Russia wants to "interfere" with our elections. What matters is how they go about it. If they go about it by dumping what is actually going on- the hidden truth- who could argue against that?

    Given the highly political nature of the topics, and the fact that there's a lot to be gained by blaming a state actor instead of discussing the improprieties and casual ethical violations disclosed... well, even if it isn't the Bear-pair behind it, there would be plenty of people claiming that it was for personal and political advancement.

    1. Re:Content is king by g0rd0 · · Score: 2

      Then why not hack Trump's tax returns? Russia is acting deliberately and forcefully to influence the American electorate.

    2. Re:Content is king by quenda · · Score: 1

      Russia is acting deliberately and forcefully to influence the American electorate.

      Why would Putin care about the electorate? If anything, this is to influence the next president. A warning not to screw with him.

  13. New top 40 hit: "The Ruskies did it!" by bradley13 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yahoo: It's not our fault that our security sucked, and that we didn't tell anyone about it for two years. The Ruskies did it!

    DNC: It's not our fault that we got caught rigging primaries - the Ruskies did it! It's not our fault that Hillary's poll results suck - the Ruskies did it!

    Everybody together now: "It's not our fault - the Ruskies did it!"

    Can we put that to music? Seriously, this is ridiculous. Even if it were true (which I doubt), it's still ridiculous.

    --
    Enjoy life! This is not a dress rehearsal.
    1. Re:New top 40 hit: "The Ruskies did it!" by NotAPK · · Score: 1

      And when Sony was hacked 2-3 years ago, North Korea got blamed, so maybe they can be mentioned in the reprise.

  14. The NSA is shielded by the U.S. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    and they have done more damage than anyone else. So what is different? Well here's one important difference: NSA and its intrusions and damage to foreign countries have been definitely proven, but the worn-out old stories of Russian hackers are and have only ever been accusations, made by none other than the U.S.

  15. 'Shielded' defined by TheRealHocusLocus · · Score: 1

    SHIELDED now means --- any country that merely contains an Internet framework consisting of just-routers and just-links that is designed to let their population access the Internet in the most basic, streamlined and packet-passing manner possible.

    Like the United States used to be before consortium ISPs started intercepting traffic, building certain 'features' into their NAT boxes, installing FBI compliance platforms. Before the NSA started installing its split-to-dark-fiber taps and 'capture and forward' rooms at and between tier 1 providers, Charter be damned.

    Russia is not shielding anybody, it just lacks that Big Brother framework.
    Internet, the way it used to be.
    Because Pepperidge Farm remembers.

    --
    <blink>down the rabbit hole</blink>
  16. BAU by iserlohn · · Score: 1

    It's interesting to see so many messages defending Russian meddling on ./ early in the morning before the US wakes up.

    It seems to the MO these days on the Internet. China, Russia, etc. are doing overt and covert campaigns while the US and the West are doing SIGINT. Both are just as bad for the average man or woman.

  17. Here comes the propaganda machine, by jenningsthecat · · Score: 1

    and it's churning out another Cold War. I'm not saying the story isn't true; I'm saying that with all the similar news we've been hearing recently, a new Cold War is being created and sold to the world. After all, the last one was immensely profitable, and built many lucrative careers on both sides. There are still many old spooks and military people hanging around, longing for the good old days and salivating over a second chance; and there are many younger, heartless, cynical pricks willing to cash in on all that angst and fear, and on the 'need' for 'security'. War, (cold or otherwise), is good for (big) business.

    --
    'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
    1. Re:Here comes the propaganda machine, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The new Cold War started when Russia went back to its old habit of invading its neighbors.

      Whether you noticed or not tells us nothing about the situation, it only tells us about you.

  18. Pot, meet kettle by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 1

    As opposed to US backed hackers *cough* NSA *cough* who are sloppy enough to leave their hacking toolkit behind ?

    They hack us, we hack them. It's the reality of things. Get over it.

    Instead of finger pointing, maybe we should work to secure those systems that are vulnerable insteading of hoarding bugs and hacks to use.

    If you're not going to bother letting the vendors know about vulnerabilities in their systems, then it's silly to feign surprise when they get compromised.

  19. Re:To be fair by Fjandr · · Score: 1

    To be fair, only dumbass democrats believe anything of the sort. It is politically convenient to whip up some foreign boogeyman
    (Mexican rapists, Syrian terrorists) than to focus on more disturbing questions here at home, such as how child rapist Trump is the best their party has to offer.

    That was easy, and just as informative.(and non-authoratative) as the original. And no, I'm not a Hillary supporter either, but you don't have to be one to see how much stupid is encapsulated in your statement.

  20. No Credibility by StormReaver · · Score: 1

    The U.S. Government has no credibility with regards to security. Its M.O. is to do stupid stuff, then to blame the messenger who tells the world just how incompetent our federal government really is. Even if, against all odds, our government is correct this one time, it is factually wrong so many times as to mask the one time it may (or may not) be right.

  21. I Don't Know... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Trump insisted there was no evidence to that fact and that, surely, it could be a 400-lb hacker sitting in his parents' house or even Trump's 10-year-old son!

    I wonder who he will appoint to the Ministry of Truth.

  22. If the US government would tell the truth by JRV31 · · Score: 1

    we wouldn't need Russian hackers.

  23. paywall by ole_timer · · Score: 1

    just delete the cookies to get around the paywall...

    --
    nothing to see here - move along
  24. Re:Template story by SadButResolved · · Score: 1

    Quote:
    Every few days; DNC leaks are Russia!
    Whatever. More MSM bullshit; muddy the water on behalf of Clinton.
    Agreed.

  25. Re:Play with fire, you get burned by NotAPK · · Score: 1

    Drop the bullshit mate. Anyone can criticize anyone for anything.

  26. This news just in... by matbury · · Score: 1

    In geopolitics every government hacks every other government and corporation, friend or foe. There are no exceptions. Also, in the news, water is wet.

  27. You are being prepared for the next leak by anyaristow · · Score: 1

    The DNC leak taught the DNC and the Obama administration a lesson. They tried to ignore it, but a couple higher-ups actually apologized for their participation, ruining any chance they might have to later deny the content of the emails was authentic.

    So now they are getting out in front of the next leak. They are discrediting it by planting the story that the Russians did it, and the Russians might alter or fabricate documents.

    We don't know what it will be, but we know it was those damned commies.

    Go back to your entertainment, citizen. Nothing to see here.

  28. Hyphenate much? by thoughtlover · · Score: 1

    On a separate rant, why does the English language suddenly hate the hyphen?

    Cyberintrusions... it looks like a German word.

    --
    No sig for you! Come back one year!