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State-Sponsored Russian Hackers Actively Seeking To Hijack Essential Internet Hardware, US and UK Intelligence Agencies Say (bbc.com)
State-sponsored Russian hackers are actively seeking to hijack essential internet hardware, US and UK intelligence agencies say. BBC reports: The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security issued a joint alert warning of a global campaign. The alert details methods used to take over essential network hardware. The attacks could be an attempt by Russia to gain a foothold for use in a future offensive, it said. "Russia is our most capable hostile adversary in cyber-space, so dealing with their attacks is a major priority for the National Cyber Security Centre and our US allies," said Ciaran Martin, head of the NCSC in a statement. The alert said attacks were aimed at routers and switches that directed traffic around the net. Compromised devices were used to look at data passing through them, so Russia could scoop up valuable intellectual property, business information and other intelligence.
We need moose and squirrel to thwart them.
I mean, who enjoys competition in their core business?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
...every country's spy agencies are trying to suborn every other country's switching gear.
Are we back to the "exceptionalism" or "world police" nobnsense whereby it's ok ok if we do it to them, but not vice-versa, because we're the good guys? Every country's spy agencies think they're the good guys.
'nobnsense" is rubbish stated by one of the elite :)
Somewhat we are missing half (or maybe far more than half) of the story, the part of "we do". Most people not even know that they don't know.
And make them pay for it!
Ok.
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Amid all the snarky comments about how Russia's encroaching on the U.S. and U.K.'s state cyber hacking business, Russia does seem more dark and foreboding than anytime post Cold War- and Perestroika/Glasnost.
It always seemed to me the U.S. and its NATO allies lost an enormous opportunity to reach out to Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union to help them economically and socially embrace the West's principals. It would have been to our mutual advantage. Instead, it felt like we wasted that opportunity gloating over the USSR's demise, and secretly cheering on the corruption that took hold.
With Putin cemented in power, it feels like we've been transported back 30 years.
You mean only Russia does that? US is not, China is not? Iran is not? Those morons in EU are not?
I know telling Putin that he would have "more flexibility" on lowering the USA defense, then giving Puttins friends a bunch of money. What was he thinking?
Between them, the Americans and Chinese design and manufacture pretty much most the world's digital network.
Russians and all their hacking can't replace glaring disadvantage that they are, as a nation, basically a pilotfish getting dragged around by a shark they can only peripherally try to influence. Given such a disadvantage, their own IT security must be compromised eleventy billion interesting and critical ways I suspect.
Write laws that prevent hardware manufacturers from putting security patches behind paid fees. In the enterprise space, this is far too common, under the guise of "service contracts" and is fucking ridiculous. Its just a way for large companies to milk more money from other large companies, and those smaller companies that cannot always afford to pay continual service contracts are the ones getting fucked over and exploited because of things like this. Seriously, it is sad that there is an actual community dedicated to pirating and distributing security patches from major enterprise hardware manufacturers.
"Every country's spy agencies think they're the good guys."
If only security had gotten more that a passing nod from the manufacturers of that equipment, we would not be having this problem.
"I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
As part of my work I write various network standards, having anything but basic security requirements inserted into any network standard is fought tooth and nail by CISCO certification team. They oppose anything that would result in additional development time and try to insert poison pills through public review to undercut competition. They are largely successful, as such we have hard-to-secure infrastructure with insecure-by-design protocols and standard implementations.
As well, the US intelligence community wants the lack of good security so that they can exploit them to obtain intelligence. We pay an escalating cost for their ease of access.
"I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
Well, the original oligarchs got their starting capital through the inevitable corruption of the communist state... it's really a multi-factor disease. The only feet at which the blame can be firmly placed is the oligarchs themselves, and they don't care about blame one bit.
Someone had to do it.
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We already had a WWIII. It was called the Cold War.
Boy, do you have a nasty surprise coming!
The Cold War was worrying.
WWIII will *melt* you and set you on fire.
I am sure that there are many other solipsists out there.
So when did Obama say Russia was our friend? I mean all you seem to have come up with is Obama said they were not out enemy. Those two statements do not in any way mean the same thing.
Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
The summary said Russia was the greatest threat. Even though China makes so much of our electronics. It would be a shame (a shame!) if some imperfections were to slip into the manufacturing process.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
What did Obama say? I know Romney said "This is without question our No. 1 geopolitical foe." referring to Russia, but I can find no quote where Obama calls Russia our friend.
Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
Is it possible -- just hear me out -- that time flows linearly, that phenomena change through the time flow, and that Russia in 2012 might not have been an enemy but Russia in 2016 might have been? I know, it's crazy, I just want to play devil's advocate through my crazy theory that things change.
If Putin had to hand to pick anyone to do a counterintelligence investigation on him (and I do mean anyone at all), he would pick someone whose last name is Mueller (and, no, I don't mean this Mueller... any Mueller). Putin built his entire political career on having an alter ego of a Russian spy embedded in Germany in 1945. The spy's arch-nemesis is an SS counter-intelligence general by the name of Heinrich Müller. No matter what Mueller's findings are in the end, the fact that he was the one handling the investigation will already make Putin a legend at home. Putin was handed a domestic prize beyond anything even remotely conceivable the moment Mueller was appointed as a special prosecutor.
But, hey, good luck with that partisan hackery of yours. I am sure you'll drown it in some 1st grade pot after taking yet another seditious rhetorical piss at the President.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
Well, the original oligarchs got their starting capital through the inevitable corruption of the communist state
No, that's not true. Vast fortunes were made after the collapse of the USSR because there was a market for everything. This was post-USSR. The wealth became concentrated in a few hands because the rule of law didn't exist. Russia was a failed state. So both the "well-wishing" from Russia is retarded (because US has retained its rule of law despite Obama) and your libtard world view won't effect anything, either. The disease that is the modern Democratic Party will be healed.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
Vast fortunes were made after the collapse of the USSR because there was a market for everything.
...and the people in position to be the sellers of that everything were the corrupt and connected people from before the fall.
Someone had to do it.
"Russia is our most capable hostile adversary in cyber-space, so dealing with their attacks is a major priority for the National Cyber Security Centre and our US allies," said Ciaran Martin, head of the NCSC
Ciaran seems to have forgotten the tens of thousands of US trained crackers in the PRC
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Trump cares about upsetting Putin about as much as he cares about upsetting a doorman in one of his buildings. President Trump doesn't see any particular reason to raise hay with him except for those times when he is a problem.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
When his portrayer Vyacheslav Tikhonov died in December 2009, the Foreign Intelligence Service—one of the successor organisations of the former Soviet KGB—sent its condolences to his family. Ivan Zassoursky notes that Russian Prime Minister (and former and current President) Vladimir Putin, a former KGB agent, has been portrayed as "embod[ying] the image—very important for the Russian television audience—of Standartenführer von Stierlitz... If anyone missed the connection between Putin, who served in Germany, and von Stierlitz, articles in the press reminded them of the resemblance and helped create the association."[3] The connection went both ways; Putin was strongly influenced by the novels, commenting: "What amazed me most of all was how one man's effort could achieve what whole armies could not."
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
Just so we are clear, Trump challenged Putin after Russia presented US with a military ultimatum. Russia declared Syria its protectorate and stated the policy that it would not only attempt to shoot any missiles fired at Syria, but also any launch sites. This was an ultimatum to back off from Syria. And Trump ordered a strike the next day. That's how much he cares about Putin.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
We already had a WWIII. It was called the Cold War.
Boy, do you have a nasty surprise coming!
The Cold War was worrying.
WWIII will *melt* you and set you on fire.
I always figured that the cold war was just a continuation of WW2.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
You really don't understand how the world works, do you? You think the only other Superpower in the world is going to just take the position of being neutral? Either they are our enemy or they are our friend. There is not much middle ground here. Now that doesn't mean you have to deal with them publicly as an enemy, but tactically, you can never take your eye off the ball. This is the problem. Romney said that they are the biggest threat and Obama balked. He didn't come up with an even bigger threat. Instead he just made some snarky comment about Romney being stuck in the past.
We built missiles that could shoot down their missiles.
...and the people in position to be the sellers of that everything were the corrupt and connected people from before the fall.
No, anyone who could scrape enough money to go abroad for a week would see a return of a few multiples just by selling junk they brought back.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
... that CERT never sends out TA's about United States state sponsored cyber actors?
Hmmm...
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Right. Only the true Messiah would deny that he is a Messiah. I take it George Bush was then playing into Saddam's hands. This is nuts. Clintons got a hundred million dollars from Russia. And that's just what's in the public record. This was while HRC was a Secretary of State. She practically blew the Russian foreign minister while fawning over him with the "reset" button. But the first US President to kill Russian military personal since Woodrow Wilson is not enough of a Russia hater for you. The fact the he completely ignored a Russian ultimatum (forcing Russia to save face for domestic audience by claiming that they did shut down the missiles) makes him a President who "won't criticize Putin." Seek help. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
Which itself was just a continuation of WWI.
Almost as though when you win a war and carve up the spoils, the losers feel like they've been unjustly robbed and seek restitution by the only avenue open to them.
Don't really see a whole lot of alternatives though, aside from avoiding warfare or not pillaging the loser while they're down. Not sure which is more unlikely...
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
If state "sponsored" efforts are getting detected during the "seeking" part they are not state sponsored.
Governments have the skills to ensure they can get in, stay in and escape without detection.
With the mission done.
Some random code litter left for security researchers to ponder.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Fact: The Russians *are* out to get us.
Maybe. I am not sure why, but there could be some historical gripes. But another fact is that every time a Democrat mentions it, they are talking out of their ass and it's very, very transparent.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
US and UK can tell us about compromising internet infrastructure routers. Thanks to Edward Snowden, we know they are experts in that field.
Which itself was just a continuation of WWI.
Almost as though when you win a war and carve up the spoils, the losers feel like they've been unjustly robbed and seek restitution by the only avenue open to them.
Don't really see a whole lot of alternatives though, aside from avoiding warfare or not pillaging the loser while they're down. Not sure which is more unlikely...
A bit of both. Certainly after WW1, the Germans got a bit of nasty punishment. But when you are in a war and lose, you take what you get. So yes, the WW1 ending had a good bit to go with giving rise to the conditions that were a part of starting WW2.
Given the natural abilities that the Germans had - awesome engineering, industriousness, and some latent racism tendencies, coupled with the punishment, it was not terribly surprising that old Adolph found a receptive audience, and had early success.
But it also sealed the approach used against them in the final days of their participation in WW2. The Russians who had been so horribly savaged by Germany earlier in the war, were on a justified vendetta of destruction. The Americans as well, but not to such an extent. But it was a given that the German state was going to be beaten down to the point that they would think twice about starting another war.
Then afterwards having learned from the excessive punishment of WW1, the goal was to help rebuild Germany, and later Japan. Both are now Allies of the USA, which is much better than the alternative.
The German/Russian part of WW2 is as fascinating - if horrifying - bit of History I've ever read. I'd love to hear from our Russian brethren for any insights they have on that.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
Did you somehow miss the invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions on Russia?
Invasion of Ukraine was a profoundly dumb decision on the part of RF. But it doesn't make RF a US adversary. Yes, we imposed sanctions on some financial institutions in Russia (not on Russia itself, btw).
The Russians have a victim mentality, even when they're the aggressors.
Why do I have to care about their mentality? Their actions is what concerns me. The claim that they are acting in an adversarial manner towards the US is dubious at best. And it's made loudest by the party which had a lot to cover up (the Criminal Democratic Party). So excuse me when I call "bull shit".
Putin, his goons, the mafias and those who have plundered their country and now blame the west. Maybe they believe it. They complain about NATO on their borders because they want the freedom to invade their neighbours.
Blah, blah, balh. Ok. You convinced me. They have historic gripes. They are really just using those for internal consumption in order to divert the public's attention from their invasions (aka propaganda) and then the English-speaking RF citizens are just spewing right back out on the Internet. But this has nothing to do with what Russia actually did with respect to the US on the Internet. It's just a hyperbole of the pro-crime Criminal Democratic Party trying to create a boogie man to divert attention from the fact that they nearly destroyed the country.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
Comey seemed keen to let the world know that Trump is concerned about the 'pee tape'. It could be that Trump is acting like Putin's his friend because he's being blackmailed. Putin certainly has the means, motive and form - likewise Trump. I expect if that is the case, then once it's been milked for all it's worth, it will be revealed, just for the chaos that will ensue.
Strange times
Russian government trying to protect their citizens' own Internet-of-Things devices from attack by US and UK intelligence services, which they must not even think about trying to do.
We should side with competition. Capitalism preaches that competition in the market is good, monopolies are bad. Why should it be different for spying?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
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You are welcome, Hillary.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
You're spinning late-night freshman dorm philosophy here.