Unlimited NO RUSSIA WAT R U DOIN, STAHP RUSSIA thread

[Cain]

Because we probably need one, the way things are going.  For example, this is what our Baltic friends are thinking:

http://www.politico.eu/article/america-welcome-to-the-war-russia-hack-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-democrats-emails/

The revelation that Russia's intelligence services hacked the computer systems of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in what appears an attempt to weaken her in the U.S. election against Donald Trump may seem like the stuff of conspiracy.

But the truth is far more alarming. Russia's activities aren't part of a conspiracy. They are elements of an openly stated doctrine — a resurrection of Soviet style political warfare, in which intelligence agencies seek to amplify divisions among their enemies, weakening the Western front by sowing discord and dissent whenever the opportunity presents itself.

The political warfare of the Cold War is back — in updated form, with meaner, more modern tools, including a vast state media empire in Western languages, hackers, spies, agents, useful idiots, compatriot groups, and hordes of internet trolls. The target of the hacks wasn't just Clinton. Nor is Moscow much interested in supporting Trump (willing useful idiot though he may be). What the Russians have in their sights is nothing less than the democratic fabric of American society and the integrity of the system of Western liberal values.

Russia is effectively using our democracies and our systems of rule of law against us. The method works like a computer virus. They insert a lie, a false accusation, a fabrication, an illegally-obtained private conversation — some form of kompromat — into our media, competing for ratings and ad revenue, and then they let us tear ourselves apart.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Because we probably need one, the way things are going.  For example, this is what our Baltic friends are thinking:

http://www.politico.eu/article/america-welcome-to-the-war-russia-hack-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-democrats-emails/

The revelation that Russia's intelligence services hacked the computer systems of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in what appears an attempt to weaken her in the U.S. election against Donald Trump may seem like the stuff of conspiracy.

But the truth is far more alarming. Russia's activities aren't part of a conspiracy. They are elements of an openly stated doctrine — a resurrection of Soviet style political warfare, in which intelligence agencies seek to amplify divisions among their enemies, weakening the Western front by sowing discord and dissent whenever the opportunity presents itself.

The political warfare of the Cold War is back — in updated form, with meaner, more modern tools, including a vast state media empire in Western languages, hackers, spies, agents, useful idiots, compatriot groups, and hordes of internet trolls. The target of the hacks wasn't just Clinton. Nor is Moscow much interested in supporting Trump (willing useful idiot though he may be). What the Russians have in their sights is nothing less than the democratic fabric of American society and the integrity of the system of Western liberal values.

Russia is effectively using our democracies and our systems of rule of law against us. The method works like a computer virus. They insert a lie, a false accusation, a fabrication, an illegally-obtained private conversation — some form of kompromat — into our media, competing for ratings and ad revenue, and then they let us tear ourselves apart.

Oh. My.

[Cain]

And if you scroll to the bottom, you'll see that's the former head of Estonian intelligence.  Admittedly not a fan of Russia for many reasons, but not necessarily wrong.

[I_Kicked_Kennedy]

I'm not too scared. They've been doing it for decades, and the worst it has caused is a bunch of nimrods to think the US government created AIDS to kill blacks.

On the flipside, the Farewell affair blew up their pipeline, established more Russian products as dangerous and faulty, and possibly caused Chernobyl. Ignoring that last one, I think USA wins here..

Just wait until the Russians see what we did to their EHF transceiver technology. So much bad math in those sheets, and they've only recently gotten around to trying it out. I miss those days

[P3nT4gR4m]

What the Russians have in their sights is nothing less than the democratic fabric of American society and the integrity of the system of Western liberal values.

Kinda like Bing Crosby taking credit for the sun going out in Connecticut Yankee 

[Cain]

I'm not too scared. They've been doing it for decades, and the worst it has caused is a bunch of nimrods to think the US government created AIDS to kill blacks.

On the flipside, the Farewell affair blew up their pipeline, established more Russian products as dangerous and faulty, and possibly caused Chernobyl. Ignoring that last one, I think USA wins here..

Just wait until the Russians see what we did to their EHF transceiver technology. So much bad math in those sheets, and they've only recently gotten around to trying it out. I miss those days

I don't know about that...all it will take is another hack and some doctored emails dropped off to Julian Assange and you could see some serious political violence come election time.  It's what I'd do, if I was an FSB office whose prime directive was "fuck with America as much as possible".  Trump's already priming people to believe things are going to be rigged...

Plus I am in Europe, and I, er, may have tutored and gotten expelled some children of people who are in Putin's inner circle.  So I can't say I'm entirely happy at this turn of events.

[Cain]

Incidentally, speaking about the DNC hack...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-11/russian-hackers-of-dnc-said-to-scoop-up-secrets-from-nato-soros

The biggest revelation on DCLeaks involves U.S. Gen. Philip Breedlove, who retired in May and was formerly the top military commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. E-mails from Breedlove's personal account show him complaining that the Obama administration wasn't paying enough attention to European security. ("I do not see this WH really 'engaged'," he writes at one point, later wondering "how to work this personally with the POTUS.") The Intercept subsequently wrote a story about the e-mails, picked up by some cable news channels, inflaming tensions between the U.S. and its European allies.

Breedlove told CNN in July that the e-mails were stolen as part of a state-sponsored intelligence operation and didn't respond to a request for comment this week.

The leaks highlight the effectiveness of some of the hackers' tricks, including the targeting of private e-mail accounts to gather sensitive military and political intelligence. DCLeaks also offers some insight for investigators on what appears to be the hackers' early missteps and ad hoc approach.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-election-democrats-hack-idUKKCN10N009?utm_source=applenews

U.S. intelligence officials told top congressional leaders a year ago that Russian hackers were attacking the Democratic Party, three sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, but the lawmakers were unable to tell the targets about the hacking because the information was so secret.

The disclosure of the Top Secret information would have revealed that U.S. intelligence agencies were continuing to monitor the hacking, as well as the sensitive intelligence sources and the methods they were using to do it.

The material was marked with additional restrictions and assigned a unique codeword, limiting access to a small number of officials who needed to know that U.S. spy agencies had concluded that two Russian intelligence agencies or their proxies were targeting the Democratic National Committee, the central organising body of the Democratic Party.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Incidentally, speaking about the DNC hack...

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-election-democrats-hack-idUKKCN10N009?utm_source=applenews

...the lawmakers were unable to tell the targets about the hacking because the information was so secret.

Wait, what?

[Cain]

Presumably there were issues regarding the ongoing NSA operations against that APT.

Any change in the behaviour on the part of the target could tip off the hackers that they've been made.  It's the classic intelligence conumdrum - keep watching and gather as much information as you can in hope of wrapping up the whole network, or act now and possibly let people get away, only to cause problems down the line.