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State-sponsored Hackers Targeting Prominent Journalists, Google Warns (politico.com)

Posted by msmash on from the security-woes dept.

State-sponsored hackers are attempting to steal email passwords of a number of prominent journalists, Google has warned. The hackers are suspected to be Russians, reports POLITICO. Some of the journalists who have received such warnings from Google as recent as two-to-three weeks ago include Jonathan Chait of New York Magazine, Julia Ioffe, who recently started at The Atlantic, Ezra Klein of Vox, and CNN's Brian Stelter. From the report: "The fact that all this started right after the election suggests to me that journalists are the next wave to be targeted by state-sponsored hackers in the way that Democrats were during it," said one journalist who got the warning. "I worry that the outcome is going to be the same: Someone, somewhere, is going to get hacked, and then the contents of their Gmail will be weaponized against them -- and by extension all media."

8 of 102 comments (clear)

  1. If your personal emails are released... by iMadeGhostzilla · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... and there's nothing unprofessional in them, the more embarrassing some personal stuff may be the more sympathy you'll get from the public and against the hackers.

    On the other hand if the emails reveal unethical behavior, collusion with one party or one particular candidate of the party that goes against the journalistic integrity, then what I can tell you. Be a better professional.

    1. Re:If your personal emails are released... by Fire_Wraith · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him.

      -Cardinal Richelieu

    2. Re:If your personal emails are released... by iMadeGhostzilla · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I never made that argument. Privacy should be protected. What I'm saying is *if* you are a journalist, and *if* you get hacked, and *if* those emails reveal unethical journalistic behavior, don't expect any sympathy from the public. And on the contrary, if anything like you listed is revealed, we will be on your side, because we hate the weak being hit, even if you were a little bit unprofessional.

      I'm saying that because this warning appears to preemptively control damage to the reputations of journos who probably know their emails would reveal they have been unethical but they thought it was OK because they were fighting for the "just cause".

    3. Re:If your personal emails are released... by DerekLyons · · Score: 3, Insightful

      and there's nothing unprofessional in them, the more embarrassing some personal stuff may be the more sympathy you'll get from the public and against the hackers.

      Hardly. The embarrassing personal stuff will be turned into evidence that the journalist is unprofessional - or at least undesirable. ("Scott Mediapersonality is into $kink, how can we trust him!".) The goal here, on the part of the hacker's Masters is weaponize the email - and that's terrifyingly easy.

      "If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him."

      Dig into my email, and you'll find nothing unethical... But you will find a lot of otaku/anime material. A couple of quotes from those emails, put into an article with plenty of fanservice and hentai screenshots... and there's a lot of people who don't know who'll willingly believe I'm a rapist, a pervert, a pedophile. Hell, if they really wanted to, my SCA emails could be similiary spun - "here's a guy who gives fealty to a King! How can he believe in democracy!".

      Etc... etc...

      People in general won't believe the facts. They aren't even interested in the facts. All they know and think is what their Masters tell them to know and think.

    4. Re:If your personal emails are released... by x_t0ken_407 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So, this is what I don't get. Why aren't ALL OF US mad at BOTH PARTIES? Instead of always pointing the finger with "see, you guys do it too and or did it first!" I'll never understand why the latter is always the case. We all get fucked in the end, do we not?

  2. Re:Russian hackers = the best by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    You're apparently a moron or pretending to be one for the purpose of conflating news events... The fact is there are state sponsored crackers in Russia and their methods have been documented. They attack journalists in Russia and opposition figures, Ukraine military, and yes they attacked bot GOP and DNC campaigns. Being stupid is your right as an American I suppose, but no one here should bother entertaining your sarcastic and poorly conceived notions of how intelligence and propaganda campaigns are carried out in 2017.

  3. Re:Russian hackers = the best by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1, Insightful
    Allow me to summarize your post for the benefit of everyone:

    This news story doesn't fit my worldview and/or my personal agenda, so I'll just mock and ridicule it, LOL

  4. Re:Russian hackers = the best by negRo_slim · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You're apparently a moron or pretending to be one for the purpose of conflating news events... The fact is there are state sponsored crackers in Russia and their methods have been documented. They attack journalists in Russia and opposition figures, Ukraine military, and yes they attacked bot GOP and DNC campaigns. Being stupid is your right as an American I suppose, but no one here should bother entertaining your sarcastic and poorly conceived notions of how intelligence and propaganda campaigns are carried out in 2017.

    No proof, no belief.

    And I don't even doubt much that it could be Russians but show us the fucking proof for Christ's sake!

    --
    On the Oregon Cost born and raised, On the beach is where I spent most of my days