Slashdot Mirror
Seven Russian Hackers Charged With Hacking Anti-Doping Organizations (theverge.com)
Seven Russian intelligence officers have been indicted by the Justice Department for computing hacking, wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft -- all as part of an effort to distract from Russia's state-sponsored doping program. The defendants reportedly stole and disseminated the personal information of several prominent anti-doping officials and 250 athletes following the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The Verge reports: The indictment names all seven of the accused as members of the Russian Federation intelligence agency (or GRU) housed within the intelligence directorate of the Russian military. Three of the defendants were also charged as part of the Mueller investigation regarding hacking the Democratic National Convention in an attempt to compromise U.S. election infrastructure in 2016. The Justice Department claimed in its indictment that the GRU officials were working to undermine the advocacy of anti-doping organizations, officials, and athletes following the exposure of a Russian state-sponsored doping campaign in 2015. Login credentials were stolen through classic phishing techniques, which, in some cases, gave the hackers access to the medical profiles of some athletes. This information was then disseminated over social media by the hackers who disguised themselves as a hacktivist group called the Fancy Bears' Hack Team.
In the case of four-time Olympic gold medalist runner Mo Farah, the Fancy Bears' Hack Team had gained access to his "biological passport." This set of information tracks the blood data of athletes in order to monitor the potentiality of doping. The group then posted the contents of Farah's profile over social media, pointing to results that claimed he was "likely doping." By use of this method, the hackers were able to subvert media attention away from Russia's doping accusations and point the finger at other countries as well. The indictment claims that the hackers spoke to 186 different reporters in order to "amplify the exposure" of their message.
In the case of four-time Olympic gold medalist runner Mo Farah, the Fancy Bears' Hack Team had gained access to his "biological passport." This set of information tracks the blood data of athletes in order to monitor the potentiality of doping. The group then posted the contents of Farah's profile over social media, pointing to results that claimed he was "likely doping." By use of this method, the hackers were able to subvert media attention away from Russia's doping accusations and point the finger at other countries as well. The indictment claims that the hackers spoke to 186 different reporters in order to "amplify the exposure" of their message.
Countdown to "It's just more anti-Russian hysteria. I'm shocked...SHOCKED I tell you that someone would suggest there would be any shenanigans regarding their Olympic athletes. #MAGA" Signed, Not a Russian Troll, But a Totally American Guy Named Pyotr
You are welcome on my lawn.
ABC news breathlessly reported this spy ring has conducting a cyber attack on the Dutch lab to cover up the use of a nerve agent against a Russian defector and his daughter in England?
So is this about the attempted assassination on English soil with a WMD, or is this about some lame concerns about sports cheating? Which is it?
Military intelligence service is now so free for time it has ability to get into the pastime of sport? Who would use military intelligence service for international spy networks for sport?
I think the security of the Russian government depends on a public that feels that they are members of a great nation that is unfairly targeted by the Western powers. The exposure of Russia's athlete doping is a wound against national prestige, so discrediting the responsible party shows that 1) Russia is unfairly targeted by Western powers and 2) Russia really is a great nation at sports (the Olympics, World Cup, etc.)
When a nations spies it uses its best spies with the best change of never getting detected.
Why task a military intelligence service for a role they are not experts in?
Nations can't always use their best spies--half will always be below average, and crap like this is a low-stakes opportunity to make them better. Trump is in the Whitehouse, Putin is in Ukraine, and some poisoned are people in England: getting caught hacking a sports agency will have little real consequence, but could have paid reasonable dividends domestically.
The West is fixated on the GRU for some reason. Its not the intelligence service that would be used internationally for "sport". They have NATO tanks to count and advanced drones to watch for.
I think public budgets and secret satellites keep Russia appraised of NATO tanks. My impression is that spycraft is a use-it or lose-it skill. Russia is using it.
This has been known for a very long time.
ASSASSINS' SQUADS LINKED TO MOSCOW - MARCH 25, 1984
. . . if Mr. Suvorov's facts are correct, some of these potential attackers have already been visiting target areas at the West's invitation, since they are among the most accomplished athletes in the Soviet Union. . . .
In a war, Mr. Suvorov writes, the Russians would have 41 Special Forces companies, one with each army, and 16 brigades attached to each front, or army group. There also would be four naval brigades, he says, one with each Soviet fleet, and 20 intelligence units. . . .
Because its wartime duties and peacetime training are so rigorous, Mr. Suvorov says, the organization attracts athletes. In return, the athletes receive special privileges.
Consequently, the defector adds, there is competition between the G.R.U. and the K.G.B. for athletes.
much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
Russia's chief problem these days is that, despite all the outward pretensions of being the Great Bear of the Czarist and Russian eras, much of its power is inherited from its own past. Syria is just about as distant a military campaign as it can hope to involve itself in. NATO may not be as big as it wants to be in Eastern Europe, but it has encroached into a number of Warsaw Pact states. Sure Ukraine has been split apart, but even there, the fact that a large portion of that nation remains outside Moscow's ability to control demonstrates just how far Russia has fallen in the last quarter century. Yes, it still has nukes, and it is largely because of those nukes that it has the international prestige it has, but the damage wreaked upon its economy even by the partial sanctions shows its vulnerability. Cyberwarfare is a potent weapon, as are the older mundane methods of terrorizing defectors, and it has shown some ability at sowing divisions among its rivals, but this is a nation that has fallen far.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
What kind of faggots are we allowing to be Republicans in the Trump era? This is retarded. Basta, traitors.
Derptastic analysis.
Who would use a military intelligence service to attack sport? A country whose foreign policy goals included winning at sport by cheating. Fucking duh. I mean. Fucking. Duh.
Soviet fleet? Naval brigades? GRU is a military intelligence agency. Not much use risking using a military intelligence agency for international intrigue.
Much better spies exist for international intrigue that have decades of better institutional expertise in the West.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Re "My impression is that spycraft is a use-it or lose-it skill."
Real "spycraft" and methods don't get declassified for decades. Nobody would allow methods to enter publication or approve such publication.
Reading about spycraft in the West in real time is not going to be anything to do with spycraft.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Real "spycraft" and methods don't get declassified for decades.
That is, this's the most intelligent answer for all those stupid conspiracy theories and fake news rampage on this page.
Too bad, I don't have mod points, and even I have, your posts will not survive in the age of fake news nonsense and witch hunt. But who care about logic when it's easier when to believe that God is in your side.
Real-life spy vs fiction (aka: fake news):
https://en.news-front.info/201...
It seems to me that the Russian government is free to employ GRU in any way it sees fit, whether or not it dovetails with your sensibilities.
Nothing to see here, folks... Just AHuxley once again attempting to misdirect through the use of strawmen, as AHuxley is wont to do...
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
Authors who get approval to write histories of the intelligence services can get support and approval to about 1950.
Thats without names and most methods still staying classified.
Political documents that should get released after 30-50 years still all get reviews for any publication of methods.
In 2018 we get to read along with real time discovery in the news?
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
There's so much news you're all swamped. For example, the Novichok nerve agents used in the attack on the UK. One of the Russians who did the poisoning, who appeared on Russian TV pretending to be just a tourist on a two day trip to see cathedrals, Ruslan Boshirov, was identified as a high ranking Russian intelligence agent Col. Anatoliy Chepiga.
https://www.businessinsider.com/skripal-poisoning-suspect-identified-as-russian-intelligence-officer-2018-9
Or in the Trump meeting, the 'accidental' death of General Saak Albertovich Karapety in a crash, the handler of Natalia Veselnitskaya (at the Trump tower meeting).
https://www.thedailybeast.com/russian-official-linked-to-natalia-veselnitskaya-the-trump-tower-lawyer-is-dead
The Maltese professor Joseph Mifsud (is also missing, maybe dead)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Mifsud
Lots of dead people that connected Trump to Russia, perhaps Sater should turn states evidence?
If you want to go accusing people of not being who they are, do it form a non-AC account with a user id that doesn't look like you made in the last 10 minutes. Otherwise, shut up.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
Propaganda money well spent!
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Athletes were useful to the dictators insofar as they showed the Glory of the Dictator's Dictatorship. So while decrying the evils of capitalism, up to and including banning professional athletes, they put their athletes on the government paycheck and then rewarded those who did well with upgraded living for their families and getting to keep goodies they brought back from the west like blue jeans and boom box radios.
Now look at the little girls in skating or gymnastics, among the most high profile of Olympic sports, and imagine ladling a better life for your family on them as motivation. And the coaches and others in the (government only) sports organizations.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Military intelligence service is now so free for time it has ability to get into the pastime of sport?
Yep. International sport has been an instrument of national prestige and diplomacy for over fifty years now.
Russia is ninth in the world in population with 144 million people; that puts it between Bengladesh and Mexico. It's twelfth in the world by GDP, between South Korea and Spain. But it once was the core of a powerful empire that counted nearly half the world in its sphere of influence. The loss of that influence stings, and Russia is very interested in raising its international prestige, either by positive means like sport or negative means like ratfucking other countries' political systems. That's why they've been involved in state sponsored athlete doping.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.