Who Is Responsible? https://medium.com/@jeffreycarr/the-dnc-breach-and-the-hijacking-of-common-sense-20e89dacfc2b#.23x0f9uad
“The person or persons responsible are unknown, but let’s assume that CrowdStrike is correct and the responsible party are Russian hackers employed by one or more of Russia’s intelligence services. They used APT28 malware developed and maintained by a Russian lab. Or — the DNC was breached by a Russian-speaking hacker (Guccifer 2.0?) who is not employed by the Russian intelligence services but has access to the APT28 malware. Or — the DNC was breached by a Russian hacker who does contract work for the FSB when he isn’t running his own hacker-for-hire business for Russian oligarchs and Swiss lawyers. Or — the DNC was breached by multiple actors including all of the above.
Definite proof is impossible: NBC news: Why Experts Are Sure Russia Hacked the DNC Emails.
“Like other cyber-experts, however, [retired four-star Adm. James] Stavridis said definitively proving such connections is virtually impossible. “I don’t know the answer to that and I’m not sure anyone knows the answer to that except for a few individuals in the Kremlin.””
More Thoughts on the DNC Hack
Earlier today I wrote the following tweets, collected here in one place, in reaction to the DNC hack.
1/ In assessing the DNC hack, remember that USG is no innocent when it comes to infiltrating foreign computer networks.
2/ The cyber-attack on Iranian nuclear centrifuges was one of the most consequential in history.
3/ USG openly & aggressively supports technologies that weaken foreign gov’t control over networks.
4/ The Snowden docs reveal that the U.S. penetrates an unfathomable number of networks worldwide.
5/ These are but some of many reasons why the USG is widely viewed as most aggressive nation for cyber ops.
6/ It’s also well known that US has in past used covert ops to influence foreign elections.
7/ Current U.S. cyber-espionage almost certainly extends to political organizations in adversary states.
8/ The difference w the Russian DNC op, if true, is that Kremlin published the stolen data. Otherwise it’s ordinary state espionage.
9/ The point is not that US is hypocritical if it complains about Kremlin op in USG/DNC networks.
10/ Nor is the point to defend Russia (or whoever is responsible), obviously.
11/ The point is that USG plays rough in cyberspace, and should expect others to do so as well.
12/ And yet USG seems perpetually unprepared. DNC hack is tiny tip of iceberg of possible electoral disruptions via cyber.
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