Bloomberg
US exposes hackers’ accomplices to punish Russian attacks
(Bloomberg) – In the wake of Russian hacks and interference in the election, the Biden administration on Thursday released new details about the Russian intelligence’s big information and cyber operations, including the names of companies that allegedly help facilitate cyber attacks and sites that are accused of spreading false claims. to harm the US The release of information is intended in part to damage Russian intelligence services by blowing up coverage of its support network, including companies providing essential services and, in one case, the location of a technology park near the Black Sea that used by spies for Russians. “This is how you build people’s networks,” said James Lewis, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. ‘You identify them so that they have to rebuild their trade and rebuild their coverage. It’s cheap for us, but it can be very expensive for them. ‘The names of companies and individuals, including a deputy chief of staff of Russian President Vladimir Putin, have been officially announced in connection with the US sanctions imposed on Thursday, but the greater damage could stem from According to the US Treasury Department offers a Russian cyber security company called Positive Technologies large-scale conventions used as a recruitment pipeline for Russian intelligence agencies, the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the GRU. While the US has not identified the name of the conference, an annual event hosted by Positive Technologies – which Societe Generale, UniCredit and Enel mention as customers on their website – is called ‘Positive Hack Days’. In 2019, 8,000 people hosted, and contestants competed to hack into money machines and a Tesla car. The announcement about the company’s alleged ties to Russian intelligence comes just after reports that it was considering an initial public offering, the newspaper Kommersant reported in March. , referring to an unknown person familiar with the plan. The newspaper earned 5.6 billion rubles ($ 73 million) in 2020 and was aimed at a valuation of between $ 2 billion and $ 4 billion. Positive Technology did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The US also has ERA Technopolis, a research center and technology park in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, near the Black Sea. U.S. officials claim that ERA Technopolis “houses and supports” units of the GRU, which they say were responsible for offensive cyber and information activities. The technology park is publicly linked to the Russian Ministry of Defense, which claims the facility has scientific and educational functions. The fact that GRUs are now known to house units is likely to be an inconvenience for an agency thriving in secret. Russian officials have repeatedly denied allegations of hacking, interference in the election and dissemination of information in the United States. It is likely that many of the details about the intelligence agencies’ support networks were classified until recently, but Lewis said the decision to release them was the result of an internal U.S. government debate over how tight costs should be imposed for what the US calls ‘malicious behavior’. These activities include aggressive efforts to end the 2016 and 2020 US presidential election, the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, and the recent hijacking of US government agencies and private companies through software created by SolarWinds Corp. Texas. ” It’s really a problem. “These kinds of attacks are cheap and high-yielding for Russia,” said Holden Triplett, a former director of counter-intelligence in the Trump administration’s National Security Council. “The sanctions may eliminate their operational infrastructure, but they can be rebuilt. It seems unlikely that this will deter Putin. The Biden government has also released new details on how Russian intelligence agencies used information outlets and companies to secretly try to influence American voters and spread false allegations about candidates and elections. ” Private and public sector corruption facilitated by President Vladimir Putin has enriched his network of confidants, who have used their illegal business ties to advance Russia’s campaign to undermine the 2020 US presidential election – and to make Russia credible in its disinformation activities, ”according to the Department of Treasury. The FSB operates several disinformation outlets, including SouthFront, which is registered in Russia and seeks to appeal to military enthusiasts, veterans and conspiracy theorists while concealing its ties to Russian intelligence, according to the Biden administration. Following the US presidential election in November, SouthFront allegedly published content alleging fraud against voters during the election. Another information publication, NewsFront, is based in the Crimea and allegedly worked with FSB officials to undermine the credibility of a news website human rights. NewsFront was also used to spread false information about the Covid-19 vaccine, “further demonstrating the irresponsible and reckless behavior of Russian disinformation networks,” according to the Treasury Department. False identities In addition, SVR sends an online journal called the Strategic Culture Foundation. which created ‘false and unfounded narratives’ about US officials involved in the 2020 presidential election, while operating GRU InfoRos, which used a network of websites to spread false conspiracy theories and disinformation, according to the US One of the companies on Thursday was based in Pakistan, but appears to have provided an essential – if illegal – service to Russian intelligence agents. The treasury has approved the company for creating and selling false identities to Russian intelligence, including documents to help companies and individuals evade sanctions. Since at least 2012, Second Eye Solution, also known as Forwarderz, has provided digital copies of fake passports, driver’s licenses and bank statements to help verify social media and financial services, according to a Treasury statement. The solution site advertised the sale of illegal documents in confirmation of banned or suspended accounts on sites including Facebook, Amazon.com, Google Wallet and CoinBase. “We offer high quality documents from which many of our customers recover their accounts, of high quality. This reads the website that is no longer available. The website, using the Wayback Machine web archive, now reads:” soon. “(Updates with quote from Holden Triplett in the 13th paragraph.) Visit us at bloomberg.com for more articles like this. Sign up now to stay ahead of the most trusted business news source. © 2021 Bloomberg LP