Russian Hackers Targeted US Conservative Think-Tanks, Says Microsoft (reuters.com)

retroworks shares a report: Hackers linked to Russia's government tried to target the websites of two right-wing U.S. think-tanks, suggesting they were broadening their attacks in the build-up to November elections, Microsoft said. The software giant said it thwarted the attempts last week by taking control of sites that hackers had designed to mimic the pages of The International Republican Institute and The Hudson Institute. Users were redirected to fake addresses where they were asked to enter usernames and passwords. There was no immediate comment from Russian authorities, but the Kremlin was expected to address the report later on Tuesday. It has regularly dismissed accusations that it has used hackers to influence U.S. elections and political opinion. Casting such allegations as part of an anti-Russian campaign designed to justify new sanctions on Russia, it says it wants to improve not worsen ties with Washington. Further reading: Microsoft Reveals First Known Midterm Campaign Hacking Attempts, and Microsoft Launches Pilot Program To Provide Cybersecurity Protection To Political Campaigns and Election Authorities.

Comments

Re:Russians

[Anonymous Coward]

Well Podesta's email password was "password", so anyone could have gotten those emails (Russia might have been involved here, but there will be no proof)
Sydney Blumenthall was hacked by Guiccifer 2.0, a Romanian not a Russian (People claim he is Russian, but have no evidence of that)
DNC emails were hacked by their own admin from Pakistan, and once found out DW Schultz covered up for it and is to this day. Pakistan intelligence has all of the DNC emails since the admin was a family member of a high ranking Pakistani intelligence officer.

The DNC gave their servers to Crowdstrike, paid by Clinton to say Russia hacked them. DNC servers never given to FBI even to this day. Crowdstrike lied for the DNC helping cover the Pakistan hack, but when it looked like they would have to go to court under oath they recanted and have since said Russia did not hack the DNC servers.

So there is literally NO ONE with evidence Russia hacked anything. Muller indicted 17 Russians based on lies and Putin called him out on it by saying he would extradite any Russians guilty once he was shown proof. Muller declined to show ANYONE his evidence because it doesn't exist.

That leaves us with Russia buying $50,000 of Facebook ads AFTER the election. However, Facebook has also not released evidence of this to date. They originally claimed it was $11 million, but when asked for evidence it suddenly became $50k and no evidence released.

So Russia bought Facebook ads after the election is what it looks like happened.

Hope that helps you out.

Putin is not partisan

[mi]

Unlike that of the USSR, who only supported foreign Leftists, Putin's Russia is non-partisan, looking for support and influence wherever they can find it. In Germany, for example, thay happen to be particularly successful among the Left (no doubt with the aid of the old Stasi files). In France they supported the supposed rightists.

Western societies aren't immune to corruption — if the price is right — and for years Putin could afford bribes on the scale of millions.

Likewise, their targeting computers of all political parties is not at all surprising. That the GOP runs a tighter ship is not surprising either...