How Israel caught Russian Hackers scouring the world for U.S. Secrets

[Jacque67 7,328]

Photo

Kaspersky Lab’s products require access to everything stored on a computer in order to scour it for viruses or other dangers. CreditSergei Ilnitsky/European Pressphoto Agency 

It was a case of spies watching spies watching spies: Israeli intelligence officers looked on in real time as Russian government hackers searched computers around the world for the code names of American intelligence programs.

What gave the Russian hacking, detected more than two years ago, such global reach was its improvised search tool — antivirus software made by a Russian company, Kaspersky Lab, that is used by 400 million people worldwide, including by officials at some two dozen American government agencies.

The Israeli officials who had hacked into Kaspersky’s own network alerted the United States to the broad Russian intrusion, which has not been previously reported, leading to a decision just last month to order Kaspersky software removed from government computers.

The Russian operation, described by multiple people who have been briefed on the matter, is known to have stolen classified documents from a National Security Agency employee who had improperly stored them on his home computer, on which Kaspersky’s antivirus software was installed. What additional American secrets the Russian hackers may have gleaned from multiple agencies, by turning the Kaspersky software into a sort of Google search for sensitive information, is not yet publicly known.

The current and former government officials who described the episode spoke about it on condition of anonymity because of classification rules.

Continue reading the main story

RELATED COVERAGE

Kaspersky Lab Antivirus Software Is Ordered Off U.S. Government Computers SEPT. 13, 2017

Trove of Stolen Data Is Said to Include Top-Secret U.S. Hacking ToolsOCT. 19, 2016

THE SATURDAY PROFILE 

A Russian Cybersleuth Battles the ‘Dark Ages’ of the Internet JUNE 10, 2016

Like most security software, Kaspersky Lab’s products require access to everything stored on a computer in order to scour it for viruses or other dangers. Its popular antivirus software scans for signatures of malicious software, or malware, then removes or neuters it before sending a report back to Kaspersky. That procedure, routine for such software, provided a perfect tool for Russian intelligence to exploit to survey the contents of computers and retrieve whatever they found of interest.

The National Security Agency and the White House declined to comment for this article. The Israeli Embassy declined to comment, and the Russian Embassy did not respond to requests for comment.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Russian hackers had stolen classified N.S.A. materials from a contractor using the Kaspersky software on his home computer. But the role of Israeli intelligence in uncovering that breach and the Russian hackers’ use of Kaspersky software in the broader search for American secrets have not previously been disclosed.

[Jacque67 7,328]

YUUGE.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/technology/kaspersky-lab-israel-russia-hacking.html

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

9 minutes ago, Jacque67 said:

YUUGE.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/technology/kaspersky-lab-israel-russia-hacking.html

I won't believe it until you post a link to a reputable site without an obvious slant and staffed by hacks. Like the Daily Caller, for instance.

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

27 minutes ago, elmcitymaven said:

I won't believe it until you post a link to a reputable site without an obvious slant and staffed by hacks. Like the Daily Caller, for instance.

Pfft the Caller is the new lamestream...let me hook-ya with some Hatreon! 

[Jacque67 7,328]

43 minutes ago, elmcitymaven said:

I won't believe it until you post a link to a reputable site without an obvious slant and staffed by hacks. Like the Daily Caller, for instance.

C'mon now, don't embarrass me, I post here all the time. Have some water, while I look for links.

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

1 minute ago, Jacque67 said:

C'mon now, don't embarrass me, I post here all the time. Have some water, while I look for links.

before I click on Jacque links let me update my anti-virus, let's see...whaaaa.... Kaspersky?

Edited October 11, 2017 by Il Mango Dulce

[Jacque67 7,328]

25 minutes ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

before I click on Jacque links let me update my anti-virus, let's see...whaaaa.... Kaspersky?

This is good, y'all.

http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/10/eminem-disses-donald-trump-for-2017-bet-hip-hop-awards-cypher/

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

I have said on here before that I have a really good foreign policy guy who does podcasts both free and paid for. He has even came forward many times before this came out saying that this firm is garbage and just tied to the Kremlin in order to steal information. 

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

8 minutes ago, cyberfx1024 said:

I have said on here before that I have a really good foreign policy guy who does podcasts both free and paid for. He has even came forward many times before this came out saying that this firm is garbage and just tied to the Kremlin in order to steal information. 

Thot all this Russia stuff was paranoid?

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

26 minutes ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

Thot all this Russia stuff was paranoid?

If you remember I have said on here many times that the whole Russia collusion is BS, but the idea that Russia wasn't trying to get our secrets is not BS. 

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

16 minutes ago, cyberfx1024 said:

If you remember I have said on here many times that the whole Russia collusion is BS, but the idea that Russia wasn't trying to get our secrets is not BS. 

Ok, just having secrets doesn't do much, you need to use it to change things

[CaliCat 3,957]

14 hours ago, Jacque67 said:

Photo

Kaspersky Lab’s products require access to everything stored on a computer in order to scour it for viruses or other dangers. CreditSergei Ilnitsky/European Pressphoto Agency 

It was a case of spies watching spies watching spies: Israeli intelligence officers looked on in real time as Russian government hackers searched computers around the world for the code names of American intelligence programs.

What gave the Russian hacking, detected more than two years ago, such global reach was its improvised search tool — antivirus software made by a Russian company, Kaspersky Lab, that is used by 400 million people worldwide, including by officials at some two dozen American government agencies.

The Israeli officials who had hacked into Kaspersky’s own network alerted the United States to the broad Russian intrusion, which has not been previously reported, leading to a decision just last month to order Kaspersky software removed from government computers.

The Russian operation, described by multiple people who have been briefed on the matter, is known to have stolen classified documents from a National Security Agency employee who had improperly stored them on his home computer, on which Kaspersky’s antivirus software was installed. What additional American secrets the Russian hackers may have gleaned from multiple agencies, by turning the Kaspersky software into a sort of Google search for sensitive information, is not yet publicly known.

The current and former government officials who described the episode spoke about it on condition of anonymity because of classification rules.

Continue reading the main story

RELATED COVERAGE

Kaspersky Lab Antivirus Software Is Ordered Off U.S. Government Computers SEPT. 13, 2017

Trove of Stolen Data Is Said to Include Top-Secret U.S. Hacking ToolsOCT. 19, 2016

THE SATURDAY PROFILE 

A Russian Cybersleuth Battles the ‘Dark Ages’ of the Internet JUNE 10, 2016

Like most security software, Kaspersky Lab’s products require access to everything stored on a computer in order to scour it for viruses or other dangers. Its popular antivirus software scans for signatures of malicious software, or malware, then removes or neuters it before sending a report back to Kaspersky. That procedure, routine for such software, provided a perfect tool for Russian intelligence to exploit to survey the contents of computers and retrieve whatever they found of interest.

The National Security Agency and the White House declined to comment for this article. The Israeli Embassy declined to comment, and the Russian Embassy did not respond to requests for comment.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Russian hackers had stolen classified N.S.A. materials from a contractor using the Kaspersky software on his home computer. But the role of Israeli intelligence in uncovering that breach and the Russian hackers’ use of Kaspersky software in the broader search for American secrets have not previously been disclosed.

 

 

Come on now! We all know there is no such thing as Russians, and that "Russia" is a mythic place invented by the Hillary, Obama, Bill, and JFK, to fool Americans into thinking the fictitious people of this mythical place would want to affect the result of the elections, simply because the equally mythical ruler of Russia would have the American so-called president in his pocket. Wake up. Russia and Russians don't exist. It's all made up by the failing NYT! LOL.

Edited October 11, 2017 by CaliCat

[Jacque67 7,328]

1 hour ago, CaliCat said:

 

 

Come on now! We all know there is no such thing as Russians, and that "Russia" is a mythic place invented by the Hillary, Obama, Bill, and JFK, to fool Americans into thinking the fictitious people of this mythical place would want to affect the result of the elections, simply because the equally mythical ruler of Russia would have the American so-called president in his pocket. Wake up. Russia and Russians don't exist. It's all made up by the failing NYT! LOL.

https://newrepublic.com/minutes/142027/extent-carter-page-paul-manafort-grift-coming-focus

 

 

hahaha. Luckily I don't have short term memory loss.

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

15 hours ago, cyberfx1024 said:

If you remember I have said on here many times that the whole Russia collusion is BS, but the idea that Russia wasn't trying to get our secrets is not BS. 

Oh come on. You know the MDL never misses an opportunity to give CPR to failed Trump/Russia nonsense.  

 

Russia tried to spy on the USA (which it has been doing for over a century) this is somehow proof they rigged an election. For the record we spy on them, and Israel  have been caught spying on the US

 

This is a leap even for the MDL

[CaliCat 3,957]

5 hours ago, Jacque67 said:

https://newrepublic.com/minutes/142027/extent-carter-page-paul-manafort-grift-coming-focus

 

 

hahaha. Luckily I don't have short term memory loss.

 

LOL. You mean you don't suffer from alternate reality syndrome, where reality becomes what the so-called president and his sicarios declare it to be?