Clues in DNC hacking point to Russia, despite Trump claims
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrived for a campaign rally, Wednesday, in Toledo, Ohio.
WASHINGTON » Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is reasserting that whoever hacked the Democratic National Committee and stole years of internal emails remains a mystery. But private security experts — although not yet any U.S. government agencies — say they found persuasive clues that point to hacking groups whose previous targets track closely with the strategic interests of Russia’s government, especially its civilian and military intelligence and security agencies.
Q: Who got hacked? What happened?
A: During the primary elections in April, months before Hillary Clinton had effectively clinched her party’s presidential nomination, the Democratic National Committee said it noticed unusual activity on its internal computer network. It hired Crowdstrike Services Inc. of Irvine, California, to investigate, which secretly monitored the hackers and discovered evidence of separate break-ins by two groups it recognized. The first happened in mid-2015 and the second was earlier in April.
The hackers stole opposition research on Trump, information about Democratic donors and years’ worth of internal DNC emails before Crowdstrike cut off their access last month. Most of the DNC emails appeared to have been stolen on May 25. The committee publicly acknowledged the hacking on June 14.
The website Gawker said June 15 a hacker claiming responsibility gave it the Trump research report. The same hacker set up a website June 15 and a Twitter account June 20. The Smoking Gun website said June 21 the hacker provided it with stolen files, and the trade publication Motherboard said June 23 it interviewed the hacker. The Hill news organization said July 13 the hacker gave it stolen DNC files, and WikiLeaks on July 22 published on its website more than 19,000 stolen DNC emails.
The emails showed DNC staffers supporting Clinton when they were publicly promising to remain neutral during the primary elections between her and rival Sen. Bernie Sanders. The head of the DNC, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, resigned July 24 over the disclosures and the DNC formally apologized July 25 to Sanders about its staffers’ remarks in the emails.
Q: Trump says the identity of the hackers is a mystery? Why is Russia the chief suspect?
A: Trump said Wednesday and repeated Thursday that no one knows who was responsible for hacking the DNC. “They have no idea if it’s Russia, if it’s China, if it’s somebody else,” Trump said. “Who knows who it is?”
But Crowdstrike and another security firm, ThreatConnect Inc. of Arlington, Virginia, said they found compelling clues pointing to Russia’s government when they analyzed the hackers’ methods and efforts to distribute the stolen emails and other files. The hacker groups, identified by Crowdstrike as Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear, used different but sophisticated techniques to break into the DNC and try to avoid detection.
“Our team considers them some of the best adversaries out of all the numerous nation-state, criminal and hacktivist-terrorist groups we encounter on a daily basis,” the company said.
Comparing the groups’ tools, techniques and previous known targets, CrowdStrike said the groups were affiliated with Russia’s civilian and military intelligence agencies, including the GRU.
Separately, ThreatConnect said it studied the communications between the hacker and news organizations using French computers and a Russian-based privacy-masking technology that it said was characteristic of a careful, government-controlled hacker. “The persona is a Russia-controlled platform that can act as a censored hacktivist,” the company wrote. “Moscow determines what (the hacker) shares and thus can attempt to selectively impact media coverage, and potentially the election, in a way that ultimately benefits their national objectives.”
Leo Taddeo, chief security officer at Cryptzone who previously oversaw FBI cyber investigations in New York, said he believed CrowdStrike was correct in blaming Russia. He said the company had been thorough in tying malicious code from the DNC hack to samples previously used by the suspected hackers, and correlating programming features and other indicators. “I think if you follow a straight line, there’s reason to believe that the Russians were likely the ones to provide that information to WikiLeaks,” he said.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said at an Aspen Institute conference on Thursday that “I don’t think we’re quite ready yet to make a call on attribution” but added that “we all know there are only just a few usual suspects out there.”
Q: Who is Guccifer 2.0? Did he openly claim responsibility?
A: A self-described Romanian hacker, calling himself Guccifer 2.0, has claimed responsibility and delivered stolen DNC materials to news organizations. His name is a rip-off of another hacker, Marcel Lehel Lazar of Romania, who called himself Guccifer and pleaded guilty to hacking charges in May in U.S. District Court in Virginia.
Lazar admitted hacking into the email and social media accounts of U.S. politicians and celebrities between October 2012 and January 2014, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell and the family of former presidents George W. and George H.W. Bush. Lazar is expected to be sentenced to prison Sept. 1.
The new Guccifer has denied working for Russia, but Motherboard said when it interviewed him online he did not appear to be a native Romanian speaker. And Crowdstrike and ThreatConnect concluded that the hacker was a ruse intended to obfuscate Russia’s involvement. “Guccifer 2.0 is a Russian propaganda effort and not an independent actor,” ThreatConnect said.
Q: Who gave the stolen DNC emails to WikiLeaks?
A: WikiLeaks won’t say. “We never identity our sources,” it wrote Wednesday in a tweet. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said in television interviews there is no proof Russia was behind the hack and has promised that more material was on its way. He has also declined to say how WikiLeaks got the documents and would not say whether Guccifer 2.0 was involved.
Q: If the U.S. government decides Russia is responsible, will it go public with that conclusion?
A: Probably yes, if past is any precedent.
The Obama administration’s inclination in the last few years has been to “name and shame” foreign governments believed to be responsible for attacks on American corporations and infrastructure. Federal officials have tied North Korea to the hack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, accused Chinese military officials of siphoning secrets from nuclear power and solar companies and indicted Iranian hackers in connection with a cyberattack on a small dam outside New York City.
Though foreign hackers may never see the inside of an American courtroom, Justice Department officials believe public attribution can function as an important deterrent.
Pointing the finger at Russia isn’t as simple as blaming North Korea, given Russia’s significant diplomatic clout and America’s dependence on it for critical national security matters.
Even so, there will be pressure on the administration to make its findings known eventually.
“I would hope that when the administration feels comfortable with the attribution, they would be blamed, they would be shamed, they would potentially be indicted,” Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in an interview.
30 responses to “Clues in DNC hacking point to Russia, despite Trump claims”
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What difference does it make at this point? the emails were hacked!
The point is Donald Trump is in debt to the tune of $600 million plus to Russian oligarchs with ties to Vladimir Putin. Calling in this debt will bankrupt Trump. Trump is under the thumb of the Russian government which is why Putin wants him the win the presidency. This is dangerous and why President Obama will have to be careful what secret intelligence information is shared with Donald Trump.
If what you say is true why waste time. Bust out those emails.
As far as sharing, I would be more worried about the extremely careless Secretary of State.
Let’s see facts.
First of all, who are you ? Donald Trumps Accountant ? And why would Putin’s Government be so hostile to Hillary after gaining approval by her when SOS. The approval by Clinton gives Russia control over 20 % of the Uranium produced in the USA. Yes, it was done the old fashion way, Bribery. By having Corporations it controls making large campaign contributions along with over-priced speeches given by Bill Clinton and donations to “The Clinton Crime Family Foundation”. [ See “Clinton Cash” on You Tube. This attempt to blame Russia is so you look where they want you to look. It very well may be a Russian Hacker who did it, but probably not for and directed by the Government It really doesn’t matter who did it, it does matter we know about the deceitful shenanigans going on at at the DNC.
The Dem Rats are famous for casting aspersions. That’s all they got. Talking stink is what they do.
OD…where’s the beef? You put out statements without supporting facts. Please list your source for this info. Oh, and who has been totally careless and reckless with secret intelligence information? I believe that would be Hillary Rotten Clinton.
Where did you get your $600M fantasy? I’d guess the Russians have Hillary’s e-mails to blackmail her with and they are probably worth more than your fantasy $600M. Putin has zero respect for Obama and probably less for Hillary. America will not be safer with Hillary standing between us and Russia.
Check this one out…http://johngaltfla.com/wordpress/2016/07/29/wikileaks-hillary-and-russia-revenge-is-a-dish-best-served-cold/
Donald is a total shibai artist. He could not care less about un uneducated white men who are losers in the global economy. He is just suing them to gain power. It is so sad to see how easily he manipulates them.
Therefore you prefer a deceptive con artist preaching what you want to hear while you ignore her documented history? Have we regressed so far that we’d rather elect the lesser of two evils while a qualified, experienced, and actually honest third candidate asks for our support? For moving towards sanity instead of further away, the only truly wasted votes are those cast for either Hillary or Donald.
Hawaiikone, Just don’t vote for Crooked Hillary pretty please.
It is amazing that you can see into the hearts of people. It is also wonderful that Laureate University brought WJ Clinton onboard as honorary chancellor for the bargain price of $16.4 million. Business is good in the online diploma (student loan) sector.
Yeah, and ain’t it grand that Laureate received taxpayer monies from Cankles after Slick Willie became a honorary chancellor.
What about Chump university. Chump owned the da-n thing.
Who cares who hacked it? Cause there’s more than one entity that has.
And the hole they entered the DNC thru was found in Hillary’s “private” emails hacked from her unsecured server.
I know I’m not suppose to share my DNC password – is 1234 safe?
ext batch of emails to be released by WikiLeaks will lead to arrest of Hillary Clinton – Julian Assange….
The Sea Hag looking appalling unappealing wild-eyed and sounding utterly unelectable. If you can’t charge her you may console yourselves by witnessing her own self-immolation.
She looks and sounds like hell. No way she will be able to salvage her election hopes after tonight’s dog and pony show.
And once in office, Trump will buddy up with Putin, scour/torch the cowardly ISIS scum from the face of the planet and forestall WW3. And maybe the economy gets a boost to boot.
I’m with you.
Agree sarge22.
Washington Post: The Trump campaign has an astonishing number of connections to Russia, as many analysts have discovered. Max Boot [of the LA Times] writes:
“Trump has sought and received funding from Russian investors for his business ventures, especially after most American banks stopped lending to him following his multiple bankruptcies. Trump’s de facto campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was a longtime consultant to Viktor Yanukovich, the Russian-backed president of Ukraine who was overthrown in 2014. Manafort also has done multimillion-dollar business deals with Russian oligarchs.
Trump’s foreign policy advisor Carter Page has his own business ties to the state-controlled Russian oil giant Gazprom. He recently delivered a speech in Moscow slamming the United States for its “hypocritical focus on ideas such as democratization” and praising Russia for a foreign policy supposedly built on “noninterference,” “tolerance” and “respect.” (Try telling that to Ukraine.) Another Trump foreign policy advisor, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, flew to Moscow last year to attend a gala banquet celebrating Russia Today, the Kremlin’s propaganda channel, and was seated at the head table near Putin. Flynn is a regular guest on Russia Today; he refuses to say whether he gets paid.”
Washington Post:Fish Wrap:Liberal Rag Bernie voters going for Trump. They get no respect.
Typical Trumpist response — when confronted with facts (or science) resort to name-calling.
So, lets recap the dimocrat convention:
1. DNC chair resigns day before the start because of emails where the DNC calls hispanic outreach as “taco bell voters.”
2. Former DNC chair immediately hired by shrillary.
3. Shamed into bringing American flags onto the stage, while the flag is burned outside by people holding Soviet Union flags.
4. Erected two fences outside and one inside to keep out the mass of people that don’t want shrillary while they preach about not needing a border fence.
5. Shouts of “black lives matter” during a moment of silence for fallen police officers.
6. Turn their backs and shouts “no more war” during a Medal of Honor recipient’s speech.
7. Mothers of thugs who were shot by police were invited on stage, but not mothers of fallen police officers.
8. The nominee is interrupted several times by people who don’t like her.
9. Shrillary’s daughter, for whom shrillary got a $900k a year job right out of college, reflects on the low times in the White House but doesn’t mention anything about her dad’s impeachment or adulterous behavior.
10. Mentions Donald Trump more than twice the number of times the RNC mentioned shrillary, but doesn’t once mention ISIS.
Shameful…
Todd W French
very good post. Yes, there are many unspoken dark truths about Donald. I hope the media start exposing him for what he is: not an entertainer keeping us all laughing, but a danger to national security and an anti-American Manchurian candidate.
Yes, put up or put a zip on it.
allie. There are many, many dark truths out there about the Clintons but you people ignore them. But, you liberals have a leg up as the lamestream media will publish absolutely unfounded accusations about Trump, but not pursue known issues about the Clintons. The anti-American Manchurian is OBOZO and the proven danger to national security is Cankles. Don’t you pay attention? See if you can find the FBI Director’s findings on the email server fiasco. I believe his words were “careless” and “reckless”.
Here you go—Here’s a full transcript of the exchange:
Gowdy: Good morning, Director Comey. Secretary Clinton said she never sent or received any classified information over her private e-mail, was that true?
Comey: Our investigation found that there was classified information sent.
Gowdy: It was not true?
Comey: That’s what I said.
Gowdy: OK. Well, I’m looking for a shorter answer so you and I are not here quite as long. Secretary Clinton said there was nothing marked classified on her e-mails sent or received. Was that true?
Comey: That’s not true. There were a small number of portion markings on I think three of the documents.
Gowdy: Secretary Clinton said “I did not e-mail any classified information to anyone on my e-mail there was no classified material.” That is true?
Comey: There was classified information emailed.
Gowdy: Secretary Clinton used one device, was that true?
Comey: She used multiple devices during the four years of her term as Secretary of State.
Gowdy: Secretary Clinton said all work related emails were returned to the State Department. Was that true?
Comey: No. We found work related email, thousands, that were not returned.
Gowdy: Secretary Clinton said neither she or anyone else deleted work related emails from her personal account.
Comey: That’s a harder one to answer. We found traces of work related emails in — on devices or in space. Whether they were deleted or when a server was changed out something happened to them, there’s no doubt that the work related emails that were removed electronically from the email system.
Gowdy: Secretary Clinton said her lawyers read every one of the emails and were overly inclusive. Did her lawyers read the email content individually?
Comey: No.
Gowdy: Well, in the interest of time and because I have a plane to catch tomorrow afternoon, I’m not going to go through any more of the false statements but I am going to ask you to put on your old hat. Faults exculpatory statements are used for what?
Comey: Well, either for a substantive prosecution or evidence of intent in a criminal prosecution.
Gowdy: Exactly. Intent and consciousness of guilt, right?
Comey: That is right?
Gowdy is a republican. How you figgah?
Hard to believe: That out of the 340 million Americans it’s come down to Hillary and Trump. Go figure.
More amazing is the Bush family, Clinton family and I’m sure the Obama’s aren’t done yet. Ain’t democracy great. Something about power corrupts.