Russia's Hackathon Continues, Targeting The New York Times And Other News Agencies
from the all-up-in-the...-everything dept
If this keeps up, the list of entities not hacked by Russian intelligence will be shorter than the list of those who have. [Caution: autoplay annoyance ahead.]
Hackers thought to be working for Russian intelligence have carried out a series of cyber breaches targeting reporters at the New York Times and other US news organizations, according to US officials briefed on the matter.
The New York Times has brought in investigators to “assess the damage.” If anything truly damaging was obtained during the hack, there’s a good chance we’ll all get a chance to see it. While national security investigators are theorizing that the Russian hackers’ targeting of non-government organizations is designed to give them a look at the government’s inner workings without actually having to breach a government server, there’s also the possibility that this hacking is more aligned with the focus of the Democratic National Committee hack: to find something potentially embarrassing and publish it for the world to see.
According to the CNN article, Clinton’s campaign believes the DNC hack was politically-motivated. Hardly unsurprising, considering most Russian hacking attempts are propelled by politics. The claim that Russia wants Trump to win the election isn’t an entirely outlandish theory. If so, the hacking of news agencies may be similarly motivated. The press hasn’t been shy about pointing out Trump’s lies and bad behavior, so it could be hackers are seeking communications pointing to an anti-Trump conspiracy.
It’s likely they’ll find evidence that fits this description, but it’s hardly a conspiracy, no matter how theorists choose to spin it. Donald Trump is an exceptional presidential candidate — and not in the most favorable definition of that term. While most candidates would at least pay lip service to presenting a unified front, Trump has been intentionally divisive, setting up “us vs. them” narratives that go beyond simple Republican vs. Democrat terms and deep into the party he supposedly represents.
Beyond the alleged backing of Trump, there’s more to be gained than simply pointing out the media’s transparent disdain for the Republican candidate. There are also leaked — but unreleased — documents stored on agencies’ servers.
News organizations are considered top targets because they can yield valuable intelligence on reporter contacts in the government, as well as communications and unpublished works with sensitive information, US government officials believe.
It could very well be that the Russian government is seeking to provoke a cyberwar, utilizing hackers to fire its opening salvos. There’s also money to be made — on both sides — from a variety of cybersecurity firms who will do all they can to turn high-profile hacking into a multi-decade cyber-Cold War that will provide them with plenty of lucrative contracts. So, instead of seeing these attacks as a very normal state of affairs, hyperbolic theorizing will take precedence over more measured responses.
Filed Under: hacking, journalism, russia
Companies: ny times
Comments on “Russia's Hackathon Continues, Targeting The New York Times And Other News Agencies”
Is this Russia practicing do unto others what they claim they will do unto you?
Russians?
Which evidence exists that says this was done by the Russians?
Several week ago, Clapper came out and said that there was no evidence that would implicate the Russians re: the DNC hack.
Looks like the FBI playbook of spreading falsehoods to cover for others who are friendly to Obama and Hillary is working like a champ!
Re: Russians?
And what you are spreading is … ?
Re: Re: Russians?
Have you seen any evidence? Do you deny that Clapper said there is no evidence re: The Russians and the DNC?
Re: Re: Re: Russians?
“Have you seen any evidence?”
I thought that was the point – oh well.
Re: Re: Russians?
Truth. I know, it’s unfamiliar territory.
http://mondoweiss.net/2016/08/despite-assertions-government/
Re: Russians?
Tim taking sides ??
Get your facts right Tim..
https://www.rt.com/usa/356916-nyt-hack-cnn-report/
Re: Re:
Facts all come with points of view
Re: Re:
It’s like on 911 when they blamed Osama and Osama was like whaaa?
http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/09/16/inv.binladen.denial/index.html?iref=storys
You dont go through the time, expense, and loss of life then deny involvement with the whole thing. That is not what terrorism is about.
Re: Re: deny involvement with the whole thing
You really don’t understand what America does in this world, do you?
Techdirt of all sites should know how difficult attribution is in the cyber realm, so a title like this is simply negligent.
A bit of a different take on this from non-CNN source https://www.emptywheel.net/2016/08/24/the-two-tales-of-russia-hacking-nyt/
“instead of seeing these attacks as a very normal state of affairs, hyperbolic theorizing will take precedence over more measured responses. “
This article is an excellent example of such.
“The claim that Russia wants Trump to win the election isn’t an entirely outlandish theory.”
The claim that Russia wants Trump to win the election isn’t an entirely outlandish CONSPIRACY theory. FTFY, Timmah.
Re: Re:
and you can find the low down at infowars
Where is the punchline?
I kept waiting for the joke about how stupid our media is in blaming “Russia” and “Putin” for everything . . . . Joke is on me I guess.
Why Worship Putin?
The Russian, or Soviet totalitarian state, having murdered thirty million of its own people, has long since used up its presumption of innocence. Vladimir Putin, the heir and successor of this totalitarian state, having murdered sundry of his political opponents, has also used up his presumption of innocence. Donald Trump is profoundly unwilling to call the dictatorship of Russia “an evil empire,” as Ronald Reagan did, but on the contrary, brags of his mutual admiration with Vladimir Putin, and publicly invites just such hacking as has taken place, and calls for the Russian invasion of the Baltic states– which would of course be a first step in the Russian invasion of Europe. The next immediate target would be Denmark, the gateway to the Baltic. Since Trump chooses to implicate himself in whatever the Russians are up to, I think we may take him at his word.
“Herr Hitler has assured me, and I believe him” — we all know how that ended up. Obviously, Vladimir Putin, like Adolph Hitler in his time, is out for whatever he can get. He in an opportunist who continually probes for weaknesses in the Western Democracies, and exploits them when found.
Russia has a hypothetical sort of territorial claim to the American West Coast. From 1812-42, there was a Russian settlement at Fort Ross, just north of San Francisco.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ross,_California
Naturally, this claim has been picked up by Russian Nationalists. Faaced with such a moral weakling as Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin might very well assert a claim to California, Oregon, Washington State, Alaska, and Hawaii, as well as the Camadian province of British Columbia, and the Canadian Territory of the Yukon. Putin would propose to strip the residents of this territory or their American or Canadian citizenship, and declare them to be Russian subjects, thus making Russia a superpower again.
I don’t know what Putin may be blackmailing Trump with. However, it is quite likely that pressure will be applied, and Trump might very well endorse Putin’s claims.
Of course, Putin is stupid, in the largest sense of the word, as Hitler was stupid in the largest sense of the word. If territorial boundaries become negotiable, China will promptly invent reasons why Siberia and Russian Central Asia have always been part of China. The Chinese will dredge up claims going back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). China has the population to occupy Siberia, and Russia no longer does. China wants to become more self-sufficient in raw materials, and less dependent on the United States. The logic leads north. All that really stops it is the rule of law.
So why on earth would Americans want to vote for Vladimir Putin for President of the United States?
Re: Why Worship Putin?
“So why on earth would Americans want to vote for Vladimir Putin for President of the United States?”
Schizophrenia?
Election Day: “Hey, ten million votes for ‘TЯUMP’ suddenly appeared in the system….”
It’s well worth reading what James Bamford has said on this issue:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-election-intelligence-commentary-idUSKCN10F1H5
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-intelligence-nsa-commentary-idUSKCN10X01P
The crap ruskie trolls are out in force today I see. Good job comrades!
I for one would like to thank whoever has been doing all this hacking to point out the flaws in our networking systems, and remind us that our spooks have been too focused on offensive side of network security instead of trying to beef up our defenses.
Re: Re:
Pity they’re guaranteed to take the wrong lesson from it, if they pay any attention at all.
‘See, sensitive systems being hacked left and right, if we had our unicorn gates in place we could have spotted those hacks and stopped them before they were able to get away with any data!’
To admit, even to themselves that weaker security means more US systems hacked would be to admit that they have been dead wrong the entire time they’ve been pushing for weaker encryption and stockpiling exploits for their own use rather than informing companies so the vulnerabilities could be fixed, and since clearly they, the sterling Guardians of the US could never be wrong, obviously it’s anyone’s fault but theirs.
Considering how much those rogue US agencies have gone out of their way to make America less safe so it is easier to hack.
There cannot be much in the way of foreign hackers at this point, when it comes to hacking government affiliated corporations.
Shoe to Foot Two
“It could very well be that the Russian government is seeking to provoke a cyberwar, utilizing hackers to fire its opening salvos. There’s also money to be made — on both sides — from a variety of cybersecurity firms who … hyperbolic theorizing will take precedence over more measured responses.“
But… but…. wouldn’t that qualify as a ………….
………………. c o n s p i r a c y
——————–drumroll——————
But, we were all promised that conspiracies are nothing more than the fantasies of deranged mouth breathers, but there above is a definite claim that our blessed politicians and their millionaire owners might actually be sitting down and conspiring together, to lie and falsify public information, in order to profit monetarily at public expense.
That’s simply impossible because, as we have been told time and time again, there would obviously be too many people involved to keep this plan a secret and at least one of those people would “leak” the truth to the public and like every other conspiracy That Never Happened, the people involved would all be caught and the conspiracy would fail, if it actually existed, which it doesn’t of course.
Musta bin a typo…
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Wasn’t the NYT one of the news organizations which received the Snowden documents? Most of which, reportedly, have not been released.