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Microsoft Reveals First Known Midterm Campaign Hacking Attempts (politico.com)

Posted by msmash on from the where-we-are dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Microsoft detected and helped block hacking attempts against three congressional candidates this year, a company executive said Thursday, marking the first known example of cyber interference in the midterm elections. "Earlier this year, we did discover that a fake Microsoft domain had been established as the landing page for phishing attacks," said Tom Burt, Microsoft's vice president for security and trust, at the Aspen Security Forum. "And we saw metadata that suggested those phishing attacks were being directed at three candidates who are all standing for election in the midterm elections."

Burt declined to name the targets but said they were "people who, because of their positions, might have been interesting targets from an espionage standpoint as well as an election disruption standpoint." Microsoft took down the fake domain and worked with the federal government to block the phishing messages.

6 of 163 comments (clear)

  1. The hacking isn't nearly as troubling... by RyanFenton · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As the electorate that pursues their greed and cruelty to such a degree, that they would throw away the any pretense of defending democracy in the face of open attack.

    That's like 42% of likely voters.

    What happened to America. I'm not a democrat myself - I'm just amazed that this is what conservatism has allowed itself to become. Beyond any ideals, just driven by cruelty to hurting the other side, at all costs.

    Ryan Fenton

    1. Re:The hacking isn't nearly as troubling... by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Republicans are conservative in the same way Putin is communist.

    2. Re:The hacking isn't nearly as troubling... by mlw4428 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      All of this is very much open for debate. Multiple Republican states were found guilty in various lawsuits on gerrymandering. There was no shortage of reports of Red states pushing laws/practices which were targeting minority voters to make it very hard for them to get to a voting booth (either by limiting the hours to during work hours typically worked by low income voters or by setting up voting stations far from population centers). The "fantasy" as you call it has produced numerous indictments and some cases high profile persons have begun cooperating with the investigations in an attempt to minimize the penalties they now face. Russian media has actively chided Trump and said that he is Russia's puppet. Our allies are extremely alienated in what is, perhaps, the most egregious display of international diplomacy outside of major historical dictators like Hitler, Stalin, or Hussein. Our allies are working towards a future in which they no longer need to be our allies. People like you work actively to undermine the American system because you're stupid. There's no need for pretense. People like you have been working to block the investigation claiming it has taken too long - and ironically supported decades worth of investigations of the Clintons. The sheer amount of hypocrisy is either from malicious intent or vast stupidity. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt and casting people like you as a stupid instead of malicious.

  2. Re:But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Trump was the only one saying the election was going to be hacked during the election.
    Hillary, the DNC and CNN were all saying it couldn't happen.
    After Trump won, suddenly it was Russian hacking 24/7.

  3. Re: But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    He also introduced sanctions against Russia.

    I'm not sure anything he said in public would have made a difference. Nothing he would have said would have convinced anybody who wasn't already convenced. Thus, the only reason for him to say something would be so that later (about now) he could say "I told you so". He never was that kind of guy, and I like that in him.

  4. this is true, and also... by gosand · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Trump was the only one saying the election was going to be hacked during the election.
    Hillary, the DNC and CNN were all saying it couldn't happen.
    After Trump won, suddenly it was Russian hacking 24/7.

    After Trump won, suddenly he does an about face and says there was no meddling in the election.

    One side changed their stance based on evidence. Well... I guess they both did.

    Trump is the president, election meddling or not. Please STOP talking about Hilary and the DNC. It's past, gone, they lost.
    It has nothing to do with them anymore. All that matters now is how our president handles things. Which is embarassing.

    --

    My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.