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CIA Prepping For Possible Cyber Strike Against Russia (nbcnews.com)

Slashdot reader schwit1 reports that the Obama administration "is contemplating an unprecedented cyber covert action against Russia in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the American presidential election," according to U.S. intelligence officials who spoke to NBC News: Current and former officials with direct knowledge of the situation say the CIA has been asked to deliver options to the White House for a wide-ranging "clandestine" cyber operation designed to harass and "embarrass" the Kremlin leadership. The sources did not elaborate on the exact measures the CIA was considering, but said the agency had already begun opening cyber doors, selecting targets and making other preparations for an operation. Former intelligence officers told NBC News that the agency had gathered reams of documents that could expose unsavory tactics by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Vice President Joe Biden told "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd on Friday that "we're sending a message" to Putin and that "it will be at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that will have the greatest impact." When asked if the American public will know a message was sent, the vice president replied, "Hope not."

Not mounting a response would weaken U.S. credibility, one senior U.S. official said, while others said hundreds of millions of dollars has been allocated to the team mounting the attacks. Thursday US officials familiar with the investigation told CNN there was "mounting evidence" that Russia was supplying leaked emails to WikiLeaks, and last week in a conference call organized by the Clinton campaign, former Acting CIA Director Mike Morrell said it was "absolutely clear... WikiLeaks and Guccifer 2 are working with the Russians on this."

20 of 352 comments (clear)

  1. For them theoretically hacking a private org? by ArtemaOne · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We're really escalating toward what could become war over completely unproven allegations that Russia hacked a private organization like the DNC? This wasn't even a hack of the real government. This is pure insanity.

    1. Re:For them theoretically hacking a private org? by bigfinger76 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Because we've yet to be shown a single shred of evidence to back up the claim. Statements by 'anonymous government sources' don't count.

    2. Re:For them theoretically hacking a private org? by bigfinger76 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If you're claiming that evidence exists, then the burden of proof falls on you.
      If no evidence is forthcoming, then your claim is baseless. We owe it to ourselves to demand proof before stirring the pudding. Especially after Iraq.
      How soon we forget.

    3. Re:For them theoretically hacking a private org? by h33t+l4x0r · · Score: 4, Funny

      We're really escalating toward what could become war over completely unproven allegations that Russia hacked a...

      Well on the bright side, a nuclear winter would offset global warming. Unless of course that's a Chinese hoax.

    4. Re:For them theoretically hacking a private org? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No one wants to read links that lead to propaganda organizations writing articles about corrupt 3 letter organizations.

    5. Re:For them theoretically hacking a private org? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      WaPo, The Clinton News Network, and theguardian.com are not reliable sources of information when the DNC is involved any more than RT is trustworthy when Putin is in the news.

    6. Re:For them theoretically hacking a private org? by ZenShadow · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Calling people who want proof "trolls" is the oldest trick in the book. It's the sign of a completely unsupportable position.

      We're talking about an act of war against a nuclear state that can actually attack us on our home soil if they so choose. If an American citizen doesn't want to see at least some evidence of WHY we're committing an act of war against that state, then they're an idiot.

      And "The government said so" is not the same as proof. That's like saying "My favorite politician is honest!".

      --
      -- sigs cause cancer.
    7. Re:For them theoretically hacking a private org? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "FBI investigators believe the the hacks and attempted intrusions of state election sites were carried out by hackers working for Russian intelligence."

      Make up your mind. Is the US government an all-seeing intrusive eye that's hoovering up every bit of our data on the internet or are they unable to figure out that Russians are behind the hacks? It's unlikely that both conditions are true.

      If Putin will kill a critic with polonium, imprison three young girls for making fun of him and enact legislation making being gay a crime, do you really doubt that he'd take the relatively low-cost step of trying to help out his pal and debtor Donald become president? Especially if he can gin up a new cold war to distract his subjects from the Russian economy which is in free fall?

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    8. Re:For them theoretically hacking a private org? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

      If they hadn't been sent to jail, the highly religious parishioners would have attacked them and torn them to pieces.

      So benevolent Putin put them in jail for their own good?

      Those women would have been arrested if they had done that in America too, and possibly have been tainted for life by being labeled a sex-offender.

      In Soviet Russia, sex-offender votes for you.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    9. Re:For them theoretically hacking a private org? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Interesting

      and Hillary's credibility which is in free fall?

      You might as well start calling her "President Clinton", so you can get used to it. Call it aversion therapy.

      http://projects.fivethirtyeigh...

      And just so you can get the bad news from conservative sites, too:

      http://www.realclearpolitics.c...

      https://electionbettingodds.co...

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      You are welcome on my lawn.
    10. Re:For them theoretically hacking a private org? by ZenShadow · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Hillary was trumpeting "But Russia!" the day of the leak, before any investigation could possibly have taken place.

      To use your police analogy, sure, maybe Russia can benefit -- and that gives us motive. In police terms, that's enough to possibly get a search warrant (a bit thin, really), but not to arrest you or throw you in jail, let alone convict you of a criminal offense.

      Right now it's going something like this:

      Hillary: "Hey, Joe Bob can benefit from stealing my car, he must've done it!"
      Me: "But where's your proof that Joe Bob actually stole your car?"
      Hillary: "Joe Bob did it!"
      Me: "Where was Joe Bob on the day your car was stolen?"
      Hillary: "Joe Bob!"
      Newspapers: "Joe Bob! Joe Bob! Joe Bob!"
      Citizens: "Joe Bob! Joe Bob! Joe Bob!"

      Meanwhile, Joe Bob is a few thousand miles away vacationing in Hawaii, where he's been this whole time, and Hillary's car is actually in her neighbor's garage, and they're letting people come look at it. They moved it there because she forgot to lock it, and they don't like her, so they want the public to see the deplorable state she's kept it in.

      And to the other poster on this, yeah, this is not a partisan issue. This is a "someone is trying to put us on a collision course with Russia" issue. If they're going to do that, they damn well need to provide evidence that Russia is the bad actor here. Motive is not even remotely close to evidence. I've not seen anything that lends even the slightest bit of credibility to the claim.

      That someone can, or might want to does not in any way mean that they did.

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      -- sigs cause cancer.
  2. Fuck it. by ruir · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Since when is slashdot a propaganda tool?

  3. must be a new meaning for 'clandestine' by Black+Parrot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    since we're talking about it before it happens.

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    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  4. I'm with Snowden by Dunbal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "is contemplating an unprecedented cyber covert action against Russia"

    Usually the first step in covert actions is you don't tell anyone. Especially not the enemy.

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    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  5. Don't vote for the Underwoods by lucm · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's what you get when you elect people who see the federal government as their personal army. And yet that s nothing compared to what would happen under Clnton.

    Yeah, let's all get our panties in a bunch over the buffoon and his crude behavior and lack of class, meanwhile the spawn of Satan is getting ready to go back to the White House to monetize the presidency again. Who cares if American lives are lost in the process, as long as it's not her princess she doesn't care. There's already a trail of corpses behind that couple that makes Gacy look like Mother Teresa.

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    lucm, indeed.
  6. War under false pretenses by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Hmm. How is it unproven? Because you and other civilians haven't seen or read the evidence, you believe there is none? Or, it's it because certain news outlets and other propaganda deny such evidence? Anyway, I can see a clear case for avoiding any proactive action on our part but also see good cause to do so. It's a difficult decision to make that the average person can't contemplate due to our lack of insight and knowledge.

    Let's not forget that the previous administration (Bush) took us to war under false pretenses.

    If you're old enough to remember that era, recall that Bush and Cheney were all over the news saying that the evidence was real, and Tony Blair even came out and confirmed the evidence of WMDs.

    Everyone *else* in the world, including the UN inspectors, claimed that there were none.

    Does anyone remember the Iraq war? It took 9 years and cost us $2 trillion, caused half a million civilian deaths, 4500 American serviceman deaths, and several hundred American amputees.

    I think it's entirely reasonable that, before we go to war with a fukkin' nuclear power, that we be shown some of the evidence first.

    Do you disagree?

    1. Re:War under false pretenses by hairyfeet · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It just shows how truly fucked up and corrupted this country is when so many get called right wingers for NOT wanting to go to war without concrete evidence from reputable sources just because the war mongers have a D instead of an R, and as far as the FBI is concerned? After their very own head got in front of congress and admitted under oath that Hillary was guilty of at least a dozen crimes, any one of which at the very least would warrant stripping of security status and at worst were worth a MINIMUM of 5-10 years a pop and he STILL refused to press any charges or bring it before a jury for the people to decide? If the FBI told me it was raining I'd want a second opinion, they are about as untrustworthy as the CIA at this point.

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      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
  7. Re:The Donald by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 4, Funny

    And here is photographic proof of Trump grabbing a pussy...

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    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  8. Further by s.petry · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The claim defies history and basic reasoning. Wikileaks gained notoriety by publishing a shit-ton of information from a US Soldier fed up with the system. The Guardian (now looks like a leftist rag) gained notoriety by publishing a shit-ton of information from a NSA contractor fed up with the system. Obama has jailed a record 31 Whistle blowers during his term so far, and wanted a 32nd in jail who fled to Russia. They also want Assange in jail or dead. Make it 33.

    The DNC leak is thought to be attributed to the person killed in the Robbery where nothing was Stolen. We have countless people working in Federal law enforcement fed up with the system who are forced to leak information for fear of being jailed or worse. The damages from these dumps are not anti-America, they are anti-corrupt politician. Russian gains nothing from seeing Hillary lie, they probably laugh and think "just like us".

    Write your Congress and Senate representatives and demand a halt to any action. It could be blowing smoke, but given the massive amount of visible corruption I'm not so sure. I sure as hell don't trust Obama or Clinton who have on numerous occasions stated that they want to censor web sites "they" find unfavorable. Consider that the US is currently bombing Yemen without any public inspection of policy and media refuses to talk about it. They are way too busy fabricating false victims to smear Trump to talk about the real world.

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    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  9. Re:You've outed yourself as a crazy Hillary-hater by vel-ex-tech · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There are rational reasons for hating Clinton. The ties to Wall Street are the ones that matter for me. (Well, in addition to being a lizard person--I'm a mammal supremacist and speciest towards lizard people.)

    Whether it's because of a deep-seeded hatred for women (did your mommy not hug you enough?), or just maybe the sight of a powerful woman is a trigger for your micro-phallyic self-loathing

    Woah, there! You're dangerously close to asserting that anybody who dislikes Clinton a.) is male b.) suffers from a medical condition (warning: penis!) c.) for some reason hates women because of that medical condition. A guy I knew who said he suffered from that would indicate that he was perfectly capable of pleasuring a woman in other ways. I forget why it even came up. Probably lots of alcohol.

    What would you say to a woman who isn't voting for Clinton? Or is that unpossible in your mind? What about Stein voters? Are they also all sexually inadequate men? Are Stein voters sexists now too?

    I was encouraged that the media did not go down the macho white knight rabbit hole you just went down. Does bigoted shit like that get you all the Hunnies? No? Yes? Good for you.

    Protip: there's still a chance I might vote for Clinton. But please be my guest and fly off the handle and post something equally bigoted in response to this comment that will completely turn me off to the idea. Obviously I must be a Trump supporter. Because how dare I question the Lizard Queen?!

    Disclaimer: No, I've never had a girlfriend. I made out with a girl once while drunk. I can confirm that I am not attracted to women no matter how much you want to pretend I am in your response. I have no problem getting boyfriends. Some of us don't view women as sexual objects or define our lives in terms of creeping on women and popping cherries. I know that's a radical concept to a white knight like you.