Russia Directing Hackers To Attack UK and West, Says Director of GCHQ (theguardian.com) 47
Russia is increasingly seeking to encourage and direct hackers to attack British and other western targets, the director of GCHQ has said in her first keynote speech as head of the British intelligence agency. From a report: Anne Keast-Butler said her agency was "increasingly concerned about growing links" between the Russian intelligence services and proxy hacker groups who have long taken advantage of a permissive environment within the country. "Before, Russia simply created the right environments for these groups to operate but now they're nurturing and inspiring these non state cyber actors," she said in a speech to the Cyber UK conference, in what she described as a "globally pervasive" threat.
The spy chief, appointed last year to be the first woman to hold the role, referenced the threat from ransomware -- "the most acute and pervasive cyber threat" -- where cybercriminals, typically from Russia, take control of a company's data and systems and demand significant sums to regain access. GCHQ was "doing everything we can" to counter ransomware actors, Keast-Butler said, degrade their ability to attack systems across government and business and to "produce intelligence that means those involved in ransomware are held to account." There is "no hiding place" for cybercriminals she added.
The spy chief, appointed last year to be the first woman to hold the role, referenced the threat from ransomware -- "the most acute and pervasive cyber threat" -- where cybercriminals, typically from Russia, take control of a company's data and systems and demand significant sums to regain access. GCHQ was "doing everything we can" to counter ransomware actors, Keast-Butler said, degrade their ability to attack systems across government and business and to "produce intelligence that means those involved in ransomware are held to account." There is "no hiding place" for cybercriminals she added.
what could possibly go wrong? (Score:4, Insightful)
i feel like that courting hackers can backfire on russia at some point. once the army has been created, they will need to be kept happy.
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Do they keep their current army happy after duty? Wasn't there a thing about them taking washing machines and other "luxury" goods? I don't personally have no travel experience to Russia, so I can't validate this:
https://www.quora.com/Why-are-... [quora.com]
Honestly, I doubt their government will look after any form of service once they're no longer of net gain. As the saying goes, windowsills can be terribly slippery this time of year.
Re: (Score:1, Troll)
No, that was propaganda, the same as the claims the Russian troops were booby trapping children's beds and the other absurd statements from Ukraine. They actually had a person in charge of writing 'atrocity propaganda', making up stories to make the Russian troops look like barbaric animals. She finally got fired when her stories got so absurd (Russian troops routinely raping babies to death in front of their mothers was the last one) that not even the NYT would publish them any more. Even though refuted
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No, that was propaganda,
Yes, so much propaganda that the Russians had an open air market [businessinsider.com] where they were selling things they looted from Ukraine, such as washing machines [mirror.co.uk].
claims the Russian troops were booby trapping children's beds and the other absurd statements from Ukraine.
And by "absurd" statements you mean real ones [newsweek.com]. This is in addition to the mass graves which have the people's hands tied as well as booby trapped bodies [dailymail.co.uk].
Do try to lie a bit better, Vasily. The truth is out there.
Re:what could possibly go wrong? (Score:5, Informative)
No, that was propaganda, the same as the claims the Russian troops were booby trapping children's beds and the other absurd statements from Ukraine. They actually had a person in charge of writing 'atrocity propaganda', making up stories to make the Russian troops look like barbaric animals.
Earlier in the war drone and gopro videos of Russians transporting washing machines and toilets were posted to the Internet daily. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of them between telegram, twitter and reddit.
Russians don't need any help looking like barbaric animals. On a daily basis they intentionally fire dozens of long range guided weapons at civilian housing and critical infrastructure to terrorize entire populations. Official state media explicitly and repeatedly condones heinous acts of barbarism on tape for the world to see.
Drowning children, burning homes, old ladies wishing they were raped by invading Russians...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Looks like cusco picked a real winner.
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This is probably one of the two main reasons putler won't end the war.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne... [dailymail.co.uk]
Once the army comes home, they will eat everyone alive, including him.
Re: Stormshadows (Score:4, Insightful)
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I also heard that Russia is supplying Stormshadow missiles to be launched directly into civilian population centers in Britain.
Or something like that.
I heard that Britain and other Western powers are sending weapons to kill Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
Oh wait. They Are.
Did Western leaders not think there would be payback for that? And with British generals telling the public that they should prepare to go to war with Russia [politico.eu], I'd say that aiding hackers is pretty much a low-level response from the Russians, all things considered.
Unlike, say, Javelin missiles killing your tank crews.
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Nice try comrade.
Supplying weapons to a country to defend itself is not the same as invading a neighbour.
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Was this supposed to be sarcasm? Not really sure.
The Stormshadow is a British weapon with a max range of 560 kilometers (the French version is called a SCALP). They'd have to be supplying ones they captured in Ukraine to Norway, the Netherlands, France or Spain if they were going to be used against Britain. Admittedly the UK regularly pisses off everyone else in Europe, but I think they're still all a long way from launching missiles at them.
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Same as you sarcastically claiming Russians aren't barbaric animals. [slashdot.org]
It was sarcasm wasn't it?
Been doing that for more than while (Score:5, Insightful)
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Every nation does it. When was the last time your country arrested and deported someone to Russia for hacking them?
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"Every nation does it."
28 modern nations are represented by the parties that acceded to the Paris Declaration, including Russia. The US did not accede to this nor any other treaty which would prohibit Congress from authorizing letters of marque.
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Xi would get mad at us for doing to you what you are doing to the west.
That does not mean that western groups are not targeting your nation and Russia, however, there is a difference in having military/intelligence target your military/intelligence, vs your nation allowing citizens to legally sell drugs to the west, esp to America, as well as legally being able to crack these systems.
HUGE differ
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Who is "you"? I live in Europe. The UK does prosecute and try to extradite people to the US for hacking... But not China. No extradition treaty, although in theory if they ask we will consider it.
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Sounds like the appropriate tactic then is to hack the hacking groups and make it look like they're attacking their host countries.
I assume the announcement is the news (Score:4, Insightful)
We know Russia's been doing this since hacking was a thing. Presumably we're now past the point of being concerned with the diplomatic issues that may result from openly acknowledging it.
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>Everyone pretends like the US doesn't do the same thing,
Oh god no. The US has a filthy, bloody history of treating other countries like playthings. I don't doubt there are cybercrimes to add to the list.
Let me save you some time. (Score:5, Insightful)
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As before, the forces of authoritarianism and fascis
Re:Let me save you some time. (Score:4, Informative)
The Bradleys got eaten alive. Why do you think they're parked in the desert?
In Ukraine Bradley IFVs have been eating Russians alive. Ukrainians absolutely love them.
A goodly portion of the Abrams never even made it to the front before breaking down
The US mostly sent Abrams to get Germany to send Leopard. The things have turbine engines and opportunity costs to support them logistically are high.
Re: Let me save you some time. (Score:2)
And the Leopards are long gone. Tanks can no longer stand up to modern antitank weapons, even the Israeli Merkava, supposedly the best tank in the world, is regularly taken out now.
The only reason I can see that Ukraine might want more Bradley tin cans is that the alternative is meat waves.
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The only reason I can see that Ukraine might want more Bradley tin cans is that the alternative is meat waves.
They want them because they kick ass.
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You're relying on the word of the Ukrainian war ministry? Both sides lie with abandon, I wouldn't believe either of them about their own or each other's casualties. Someone totaled up the daily claims of kills of both sides since the start of the conflict, I can't find it now but the numbers were utterly absurd. Hell, it's foolish to believe the Pentagon's own numbers for US casualties in a conflict, even though they only exaggerate a moderate amount.
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Indeed. My current tag line is something I'm glad I realized, because it boils down our authoritarian enemies to their essence. They are failures who have not progressed beyond the toddler state of absolute self-in
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Oh, good grief. Now even the school shooters are Russian operatives? Damn, that is a really heaping helping of stupid.
casting central (Score:2)
Didn't they kill her off in Skyfall?
Just cut off ... (Score:1)
... any existing communications line to the evil russian empire. We did that back in the ussr time so why not now again?
Not us (Score:1)
babies (Score:1)
ive never known such a whiny generation as the current world leaders. what planet were they brought up on? pot kettle black ffs