‘Grizzly Steppe': How Russia hacked the US election—intel report

‘Grizzly Steppe': How Russia hacked the US election—intel report

Agence France-Presse / 11:39 AM December 30, 2016

https://technology.inquirer.net/file...-Consulate.jpgPeople walk past the Consulate-General of Russia in San Francisco, California on December 29, 2016.
President Barack Obama unleashed a barrage of retaliatory measures against Moscow for meddling in the US election, imposing sanctions on two intelligence agencies, expelling 35 agents and shuttering two Russian compounds inside the United States in New York and Maryland. The US government said the latter facility, a summer house a short drive from the US capital, is now used “for intelligence-related purposes.”
AFP

WASHINGTON, United States — Russian intelligence agencies over the last two years blanketed Democratic Party targets with malicious emails and have likely continued such efforts after November’s elections, a US federal law enforcement report showed Thursday.

The report’s release coincided with an array of measures unveiled by Washington as retribution for what American officials have described as Moscow’s malicious efforts to tip the vote in favor of President-elect Donald Trump by stealing embarrassing information from Democratic Party operations and senior party members before releasing it to the news media.

READ: Obama retaliates against Russia for election hacking

The report, produced jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security, traces the routes allegedly taken by hackers to infiltrate party operations, using targeted campaigns of “spearphishing,” or fraudulent emails designed to cause the recipients to reveal passwords and other information, and then stealing large volumes of email.

US officials refer to the Russian hacking efforts collectively as “Grizzly Steppe,” it said.

The report corroborated or matched much of what had already been revealed by news media, which pointed to broad-based hacking by outfits such as APT 28 for “advanced persistent threat” tied to the Russian military intelligence body known as GRU, and APT 29, which may be associated with the FSB, or Russian federal security service.

“This activity by Russian intelligence services is part of a decade-long campaign of cyber-enabled operations directed at the US government and its citizens,” DHS and FBI said in a joint statement with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the sprawling US intelligence community.

READ: Russia vows ‘reprisals’ over US sanctions

US intelligence officials in October formally accused Russia of responsibility for the hacking but have since reportedly been at pains to provide evidence without compromising their own intelligence collection.

The report contained technical specifications and IP addresses that the authors said network administrators could use to identify malicious activity as well as a set of recommendations for hardening networks against attack.

According to the report, in mid-2015 APT 29 used legitimate internet domains from US educational institutions and other organizations to host malware and send spearphishing emails to more than 1,000 accounts, including some belonging to US officials, successfully stealing email in bulk from several accounts.

In the spring of 2016, APT 28 also attacked, tricking victims into changing their emails on a fake website hosted by APT 28.

The New York Times reported this month that APT 28 stole emails belonging to John Podesta, then the chairman of Democrat Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, and also penetrated computers used by the Democratic National Committee as well as the campaigning arm of Democrats in the House of Representatives.

“The US government assesses that information was leaked to the press and publicly disclosed,” Thursday’s report said.

“Actors likely associated with (Russian intelligence services) are continuing to engage in spearphishing campaigns, including one launched as recently as November 2016, just days after the US election.” CBB

https://technology.inquirer.net/5725...#ixzz4UNOwi2gE

Russian Cyber Espionage Declassified

The liberals are leading us around by the nose. We are all obsessed about alleged hacking of Democrat emails by Russia.

Nobody has ever denied that the contents of the emails are the truth because the information is undeniably, factually true. Exposing the corruption of Hillary Clinton to the public is what caused here to loose the election. She was defeated by the truth not the Russians or any other entity.

So with a mountain of proof of massive Democrat corruption it is Donald Trump who is on the defensive as if he were the bad guy. This Russian myth is being promoted to create the false idea that Trump was in a dark collusion with a foreign power, the Russians, to steal the election from Hillary Clinton. It is a vicious smear designed to forever poison the public’s opinion of Trump.

Almost all of the leaked emails came from WickiLeakes and its chief officer, Julian Assange, has stated publicly that they did not get their information from the Russians.
WickiLeakes has a impeccable reputation for being 100% accurate.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch commenting on the alleged Russian hacking stated
”we didn’t see the sort of tactical interference that I know people had concerns about.”

THE RUSSIANS DID NOT HACK THE ELECTION AND THIS LATEST REPORT DOES NOT PROVE THE RUSSIANS DID ANY HACKING. THE HEADLINE IS TOTALLY MISLEADING

Adviser contradicts Trump: Russians hacked the US

By Barbara Starr, Jim Sciutto and Ryan Browne, CNN
Updated 11:26 AM ET, Tue January 3, 2017

Washington (CNN)A top adviser to President-elect Donald Trump said Monday he thinks the Russians were involved in election-related hacking of the US -- a very different view than that held by the incoming administration.

Former CIA director James Woolsey, an adviser to Trump on national security issues, told CNN's Jim Sciutto that determining who was behind the hacks is difficult, but that he believes the Russians -- and possibly others -- were involved.

"I think the Russians were in there, but it doesn't mean other people weren't, too," he said. "It's often not foolproof to say who it is because it is possible and sometimes easy to hide your tracks. There's lots of tricks."

Asked if Trump is playing the media with his comments on who was culpable, Woolsey said it was a "possibility," noting that Trump is an "expert in weaving around" on issues like this.

"Sometimes people may have been talking to somebody in the National Security Agency and have an idea that maybe it was one type of hacking rather than another," he said. "I don't think this is of substantial matter. I think it's basically just dialogue back and forth."

Speaking on Tuesday on CNN's "New Day," Woolsey stressed his belief that more than one country was involved in hacking US Democratic organizations and individuals.

"Is it Russian? Probably some," the Trump adviser told Chris Cuomo, adding that China and Iran could also have been involved.

"It shouldn't be portrayed as one guilty party. It's much more complicated than that."

He added, "This is not an organized an operation ... It's not like taking a number at a bakery and standing in line to politely get your dozen cookies ... it's more like a bunch of jackals at the carcass of an antelope."

Woolsey's comments come even as Trump and his aides continue to cast doubt on the links between Russia and recent hacks against Democrats, while US intelligence officials say that newly identified "digital fingerprints" indicate Moscow was behind the intrusions.

One official told CNN the administration has traced the hack to the specific keyboards -- which featured Cyrillic characters -- that were used to construct the malware code, adding that the equipment leaves "digital fingerprints" and, in the case of the recent hacks, those prints point to the Russian government.

In response to the US information, Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov told CNN: "I don't understand what this means exactly, but Cyrillic characters can be used everywhere. Once again, I reject any possibility that official Russia can be involved in any way."

Despite an initial public assessment by the US intelligence community in October that Russia was behind the intrusions, Trump and his staff continue to voice doubts.

"The idea that we're jumping to conclusions before we have a final report is, frankly, irresponsible," Trump's incoming press secretary, Sean Spicer, told CNN's Alisyn Camerota Monday.

Trump expressed skepticism on New Year's Eve, saying, "I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove. So it could be somebody else."

He also claimed to have inside information on the matter, which he said he would reveal later this week.

Asked how Trump would be getting that type of information, Woolsey said on "New Day" that people inside the US intelligence community may be reaching out for Trump. "He could have people talking to him from within the system," Woolsey said.

Spicer said Trump was "going to talk about his conclusions and where he thinks things stand," adding the President-elect would "make sure people understand that there's a lot of questions out there."

A second US official told CNN Monday there is increasingly confidence in the intelligence analysis, citing the ability to collect extremely high-quality intel on Russia, compared the difficulty of doing so with more secretive regimes like North Korea.

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security released a report last week that they said "provides technical details regarding the tools and infrastructure used by the Russian civilian and military intelligence Services to compromise and exploit networks and endpoints associated with the US election."

The report added that the Russian culprits also have historically targeted "a range of US Government, political, and private sector entities" using similar tactics.

Spicer said Trump would await the results of the investigation ordered by President Barack Obama as he insisted that the assessments of the intelligence community published so far did not constitute the "final report."

He said Trump was expected to be briefed about that report in coming days.

Trump is facing mounting pressure to undertake a robust response to Russia's activities, with Republican leaders in Congress saying that Obama's recent cyber-related sanctions of Russian intelligence entities and expulsion of some Russians from the US don't go far enough.

"It is clear that Russia has attacked the United States of America. All of our intelligence agencies will affirm that that's been the case. We will work in the Congress to have stronger sanctions in order to prevent further attacks," Republican Sen. John McCain said while in Georgia, a country that fought a war with Russia in 2008.

McCain, who was also visiting NATO's easternmost members in the Baltic region and the Ukraine, also promised to hold hearings into the cyber-attacks when Congress is back in session this month.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/02/politi...ussia-hacking/

No proof Russian hacking influenced U.S. election: Trump spokesman

https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/uA...b5cec5193.jpeg
Reuters January 2, 2017
500 Comments

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/R_...UMP.JPG.cf.jpg
Chief Strategist & Communications Director for the Republican National Committee Sean Spicer arrives in the lobby of Republican president-elect Donald Trump's Trump Tower in New York, New York, U.S. November 14, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri More

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - No evidence has emerged to suggest Russian hacking influenced the outcome of the U.S. presidential election and it would be irresponsible to jump to conclusions before receiving a final intelligence report, Donald Trump's spokesman said on Monday.

"There is zero evidence that they influenced the election," Sean Spicer told Fox News.

Due to become White House press secretary when Trump enters the White House on Jan. 20, Spicer told CNN the president-elect would see the intelligence report once it was completed later this week. On Saturday, Trump warned against being quick to pin the blame on Russia for the hacking of U.S. emails.

"The idea that we're jumping to conclusions before we have a final report is irresponsible," Spicer told CNN.

President Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies last week for alleged Kremlin involvement in hacking that intelligence officials said aimed to help the Republican Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election.

Leading lawmakers from both parties have voiced alarm at the suggestion of Russian interference, whether or not it made a difference in the outcome.

Republican John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has scheduled a Thursday hearing on foreign cyber threats. The new Congress, elected on Nov. 8, takes office on Tuesday.
Calling for closer ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump has repeatedly played down the hacking affair.

Over the weekend Trump said he knew "things that other people don't know" and would disclose some information on the issue on Tuesday or Wednesday.

He gave no further detail.

"He's going to talk about his conclusions and where he thinks things stand," Spicer told CNN. "He's not going to reveal anything that was privileged or shared with him classified."

On Sunday Spicer said the White House may have disproportionately punished Russia.

"It's baffling," U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told MSNBC on Monday. "President-elect Trump does not have any better information than President Obama."

A Gallup Poll released on Monday showed less than half of Americans were confident in Trump's ability to handle an international crisis, to use military force wisely or to prevent major scandals in his administration.

The poll said at least seven in 10 Americans were confident in presidents Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton in those areas before they took office.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/no-proof-...195718377.html

There is no proof at all that the Russians hacked anyone they don't normally track as part of their own intelligence operation. They did not release anything to WikiLeaks. They did not "interfere in our election". They did not "attack America". Anyone who says otherwise is on the take with the Ukrainians and up to their ears in false information to start another war.

Trump said in 2014 that Russian hacking was a ‘big problem’

POSTED 3:43 PM, DECEMBER 19, 2016, BY CNN WIRE

https://tribwpmt.files.wordpress.com...0&h=225&crop=1
A picture taken on October 17, 2016 shows an employee typing on a computer keyboard at the headquarters of Internet security giant Kaspersky in Moscow. / AFP / Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY Thibault MARCHAND (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images)

President-elect Donald Trump continues to question whether Russia was behind the hacks during the 2016 presidential campaign. Just two years ago, however, Trump said he was very aware of Russia’s hacking, calling it out — along with China — as a “big problem.”
In an interview with Fox News Sunday earlier this month, Trump questioned the CIA’s assessment that Russia played a role in the election, calling it “ridiculous” and saying, “It’s just another excuse. I don’t believe it.”

On Fox News in 2014, however, Trump was quick to agree with a similar assessment by FBI director James Comey about hacking by China, and also raised the threat from Russia.

“I think that’s great, I think what he said is fantastic,” Trump said, referring to comments Comey had made on “60 Minutes.”

“I’ve been talking about China for a long time,” Trump added. “You know, they put on the front like, we’re your friend and everything, and in the meantime the cash comes out of your back pocket. It’s disgraceful what’s going on with China generally. No, I think he’s 100% right, it’s a big problem, and we have that problem also with Russia. You saw that over the weekend. Russia’s doing the same thing.”

A report that month, as Trump noted, said hackers with ties to the Russian government had targeted NATO and the Ukrainian government.

“The problem with the Internet and frankly computerization is that there’s always some genius that can figure it out,” continued Trump. “I mean let’s face it. You know, the old ways, when Gen. MacArthur would hand a valise or an envelope with somebody with a written word and that was the attack. This is a different world today. You say things on the Internet, you say things over a computer and people are going to find out what you’re saying it’s very dangerous and very bad in many ways.”

A Trump transition team spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump has repeatedly called into question whether Russia meddled in the 2016 election to help him win.

Trump again tweeted about the hacking last week, writing, “If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?”

“Personally, it could be Russia. It — I don’t really think it is. But who knows? I don’t know either. They don’t know and I don’t know.”

Trump again tweeted about the hacking last week, writing, “If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?”


http://fox43.com/2016/12/19/trump-sa...a-big-problem/

US officials: Russian ‘digital fingerprints’ all over election hacks

POSTED 5:11 PM, JANUARY 2, 2017, BY CNN WIRE

https://localtvwghp.files.wordpress....0&h=225&crop=1(CNN)

WASHINGTON — Even as President-elect Donald Trump and his aides cast doubt on the links between Russia and recent hacks against Democrats, US intelligence officials say that newly identified “digital fingerprints” indicate Moscow was behind the intrusions.

One official told CNN the administration has traced the hack to the specific keyboards — which featured Cyrillic characters — that were used to construct the malware code, adding that the equipment leaves “digital fingerprints” and, in the case of the recent hacks, those prints point to the Russian government.

But, despite an initial public assessment by the US intelligence community in October that Russia was behind the intrusions, Trump and his staff continue to voice doubts.

“The idea that we’re jumping to conclusions before we have a final report is, frankly, irresponsible,” Trump’s incoming press secretary, Sean Spicer, told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota Monday.

Trump expressed skepticism on New Year’s Eve, saying, “I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove. So it could be somebody else.”

He also claimed to have inside information on the matter, which he said he would reveal later this week.

Spicer said Trump was “going to talk about his conclusions and where he thinks things stand,” adding the President-elect would “make sure people understand that there’s a lot of questions out there.”

A second US official told CNN Monday there is increasingly confidence in the intelligence analysis, citing the ability to collect extremely high-quality intel on Russia, compared the difficulty of doing so with more secretive regimes like North Korea.

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security released a report last week that they said “provides technical details regarding the tools and infrastructure used by the Russian civilian and military intelligence Services to compromise and exploit networks and endpoints associated with the US election.”

The report added that the Russian culprits also have historically targeted “a range of US Government, political, and private sector entities” using similar tactics.

Spicer said Trump would await the results of the investigation ordered by President Barack Obama as he insisted that the assessments of the intelligence community published so far did not constitute the “final report.”

He said Trump was expected to be briefed about that report in coming days.

Trump is facing mounting pressure to undertake a robust response to Russia’s activities, with Republican leaders in Congress saying that Obama’s recent cyber-related sanctions of Russian intelligence entities and expulsion of some Russians from the US don’t go far enough.

“It is clear that Russia has attacked the United States of America.

All of our intelligence agencies will affirm that that’s been the case.

We will work in the Congress to have stronger sanctions in order to prevent further attacks,” Republican Sen. John McCain said while in Georgia, a country that fought a war with Russia in 2008.

McCain, who was also visiting NATO’s easternmost members in the Baltic region and the Ukraine, also promised to hold hearings into the cyber-attacks when Congress is back in session this month.
Former CIA director James Woolsey told CNN Monday that determining who was behind hacks is difficult.

“It’s often not foolproof to say who it is because it is possible and sometimes easy to hide your tracks,” he said. “There’s lots of tricks.”

Asked if Trump is playing the media with his comments on who was culpable, Woolsey, an adviser to the President-elect, said it was a “possibility,” noting Trump is an “expert in weaving around” on issues like this.

But Woolsey also said that while he believes the Russians had intruded into the computer systems, it is possible they weren’t the only ones.

“I think the Russians were in there, but it doesn’t mean other people weren’t, too,” he said.

http://myfox8.com/2017/01/02/us-offi...lection-hacks/

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