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Kaspersky Lab Denies Involvement in Russian Hack of NSA Contractor (theguardian.com)
Moscow-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab has hit back at a report in the Wall Street Journal which accused it of being involved in a Russian government hack of an NSA contractor in 2015. From a report: The paper reported on Thursday that the NSA contractor, a Vietnamese national who was working to create replacements for the hacking tools leaked by Edward Snowden, was hacked on his personal computer after he took his work home. There, the report says, the contractor's use of Kaspersky's antivirus software "alerted Russian hackers to the presence of files that may have been taken from the NSA." Once the machine was in their sights, the Russian hackers infiltrated it and obtained a significant amount of data, according to the paper. Calling the allegations "like the script of a C movie," Eugene Kaspersky, the infosec firm's founder, gave his own explanation of what might have happened. Mr Kaspersky vehemently denied that his company had played any active role in the breach, noting: "We never betray the trust that our users put into our hands. If we would do that a single time that would be immediately spotted by the industry and our business would be done." Instead, he implied that the root of the problem was that Kaspersky Lab had correctly identified the hacking tools the contractor was working on as malware -- perhaps through Kaspersky Lab's own research into the Equation Group, a "sophisticated cyber espionage platform" believed to be linked to the NSA.
In the US if you refuse to sabotage your product the worst they can do is maybe find out you cheated on your taxes and/or publicly shame you somehow.
Nope, your business gets destroyed by the government if you refuse. See: Lavabit
In Russia you fall down elevator shaft, after shooting self in back of head 4 times.
Where as in US you can get shot by government in clear daylight with everything caught on video and murderers escape all punishment.. Apples and oranges.
"Instead, [Kaspersky] implied that the root of the problem was that Kaspersky Lab had correctly identified the hacking tools the contractor was working on as malware..."
Given the circumstances, this may be the best unintentionally ironic example ever of the well-worn meme, "It's not a bug, it's a feature."
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
Not necessary evil but insidious is a better term for the Russian Government. After the chaos after the Soviet Union dissolved, there population in general has accepted a strong man government to keep order. Russia is a major world player and with its strong man government in charge, it isn't happy with just controlling it local populous but also the rest of the world. They realize that the military would suffer losses if they try to openly attack NATO countries, or China and its allies.
However after generations of being a master in the propaganda engine under the USSR, they can use these skill sets with modern technology to manipulate other countries.
Being that it is strong man government with a lot of control, a company based in Russia, wouldn't be free from government influence and if the company had built up some good will with rival nations, that could be used for Russia's advantage.
Trump became president due to Russian influence in our election, If Trump and his team was involved with the Russians is a different question, but with the Russians spamming Facebook with fake news, raising the ideas of divisions where they were more or less settled in the past, and create chaos in the systems. Allowed for people be afraid of the establishment and vote for the Simple Fix.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
a) A contractor was allowed to take his work home on an unencrypted, unsecured laptop
b) The contractor was a foreign national (hint: you can't get top secret clearance unless you're a US citizen)
c) The contractor created viruses and malware directly in his "core" work environment, where I suppose he also keeps his e-mail and other stuff, not in a VM
d) The NSA then also installed Kaspersky even though the NSA has quite publicly said Kaspersky is all sorts of bad (unsubstantiated)
So the crux of the story:
1) NSA is lying
2) NSA is incompetent
3) Both
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Trump became president due to Russian influence in our election
No, that's not why he became president, but it's a wonderful ego-saving belief for a segment of the country.
I wonder if, when Mueller's report comes out showing collusion, the shrinking minority of Republicans who still support Trump will eat their words? Or if they'll act like Fox News analysts caught in a lie, and just move onto the next hot topic with their credibility among other conservatives mysteriously intact?
But you're right to a tiny degree, Trump didn't become president due to Russian influence alone. Voter suppression, moving from dog whistles to overt racism and sexism that appeal to a segment of the country, and the Democrats refusing to acknowledge how weak a candidate they chose... All of these things played a role.
I'm curious to see if Republicans will switch from ignoring the evidence of foreign influence to excusing it. It'll be fascinating to watch that play out, even as we figure out what to do with the court appointments and other fruit of the poison tree of an illegitimate president.