Russian hackers got under your bed again

I warned you about those nasty Russian hackers getting under your bed, but did you listen to me? Noooo.
Now you've got an infestation.

Consider the recent NotPetya cyberattack.

A government spokesman for Ukraine blamed Russia for starting the attack.
"It's difficult to imagine anyone else would want to do this," Roman Boyarchuk, head of Ukraine's cyber-protection centre told technology magazine Wired.

Yes, it is difficult to imagine anyone else. Isn't it?
I can't argue with that statement, especially when so many experts say it was Russian hackers.

Experts are saying that the complexity and scale of the latest global cyberattack point to a hostile government, not a criminal group, as the originator of the attack. And many of them have an educated guess about who it was: Russia.

So true. "Complexity" and "scale".
It had to be the Kremlin itself.

Or maybe not.

The ransomware software was very advanced and more sophisticated than the software used in the previous WannaCry attacks, said Neil Walsh, head of the UN Global Program on Cybercrime in Vienna.
...The botched attempt at collecting ransom suggests the hackers had little criminal experience and points to a state-run or amateur operation, Walsh said. But he added that the identity of the attackers remains unknown.
"This could be anything from one kid sitting in his basement...to a nation state," he said.

Ah yes. Either a nation state attack, OR a single teenage kid sitting in his parent's basement in his underwear.
It's easy to mistake one for the other, amirite?

This is effing ridiculous.
Is there no one in the news media that can tell the difference between a complex cyberattack and simple malware that was released into the wild? Not every malware attack is the Kremlin, you morons.
CyberCRIME is a huge, under-reported problem.

It’s estimated that cybercrime will cost approximately $6 trillion per year on average through 2021. That’s a massive figure, one that is almost impossible for most people to imagine.

The reported loss from cybercrime last year was $1.3 Billion last year, but the number is thought to be dramatically larger.
Cybercrime is like government corruption or climate change - an enormous, real, measurable problem that we absolutely must deal with. The consequences of not dealing with this problem is catastrophic.

However, that's reality, and we don't do reality anymore.
Instead, we are going to blame everything on those mysterious, all-powerful, Russian hackers that ruin everything for everyone. It also enables authorities from not having to deal with the actual problem, because LOOK! A DISTRACTION!

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Arrow's picture

caught me again. Russian hacker that I am. How am I supposed to get any money?
Vlad won't send any and I'm still miffed about that!

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I want a Pony!

@Arrow

You're miffed? I keep checking under the bed and Vlad still hasn't sent me a good-looking one!

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

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The Aspie Corner's picture

@gjohnsit Wasn't that the guy who leaked the 47% video?

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Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.

Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.

@The Aspie Corner @The Aspie Corner

David Corn? Wasn't that the guy who suddenly became pro-Monsanto?

Edited for the obligatory letter typo noticed just after hitting save...

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

@The Aspie Corner @The Aspie Corner

David Corn? Wasn't that the guy who suddenly became pro-Monsanto?

Edit: sorry, dupe.

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

We hates them, Precious!

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They say that there's a broken light for every heart on Broadway
They say that life's a game and then they take the board away
They give you masks and costumes and an outline of the story
And leave you all to improvise their vicious cabaret-- A. Moore

dervish's picture

@Johnny Q and gived it to the Trump. Her is very angry, and wants the Precious back.

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"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

travelerxxx's picture

One of the main companies fighting malware such as the recent WannaCry exploit is the Russian company Kaspersky. Of course, they charge for this.

So, look how very devious they are! First, they put this malware into the wild, then they charge to eradicate it! What a racket!

/s

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@travelerxxx such a great and profitable American tactic!

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Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur

Pluto's Republic's picture

@travelerxxx @travelerxxx @travelerxxx

They were banned in the US today. Which is ironic since it is estimated that every other computer in the US runs one of their software products, including the Department of Defense.

U.S Bans Kaspersky Software For Links To Russia

Kaspersky Labs, the Russian cyber security software manufacturer, has been banned in the United States from developing software due to its alleged ties with Kremlin and its intelligence agency FSB.

A couple of weeks ago it was reported that U.S’ Senate Armed Services Committee wants a ban on Kaspersky’s products so that the U.S Defense Department can not use them. Now, the General Services Administration has told AFP that Kaspersky Labs has been removed from their list of approved software vendor.

I'm not sure who is facing the worst fate in this fake dust-up:

What to know about the Russian cyberfirm pulled from US contractor list

Kaspersky Lab was founded 20 years ago by Eugene Kaspersky and it now has offices in 32 countries, with at least two of those offices in the United States.

Kaspersky Lab has helped reveal some of the biggest cyberweapons ever used by foreign spies and criminal hackers. Its antivirus software is one of the most well-regarded cybersecurity products in the world.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
dervish's picture

@Pluto's Republic Whole Foods will stop baking Russian black bread.

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"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

@dervish
freedom bread?

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dervish's picture

@gjohnsit but I suspect that they'll just make us all eat Wonderbread(tm) instead. I think Wonderbread pretty much embodies everything that's wrong with this country.

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"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

@dervish

Too much Styrofoam?

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

@Pluto's Republic
on the Senate Armed Services Committee does not reassure me very much.

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native

dervish's picture

@native The peace movement doesn't have any representation in Congress.

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"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

@dervish The mass media is priming and fertilizing the propaganda field for war with Russia. Real war. And as far as I can tell, the only "bigger visible media" voice against the Russia conspiracy and anti-interventionist voice is Tucker Carlson. MSNBC is all in with Maddow on pushing for the case against the dastardly Russians. Colbert had on Oliver Stone about his Putin interviews, and at one point Stone expressed real shock and asked if diplomacy or talking a bad thing now. I forgot which, and fk it, will not watch that clip again. It is like anybody who comes on any media outlet must hate on Putin and the Russian people and the country.

Tucker to the face of war mongering neocons. How long even with this right wing creds can Fox stand to have him on.
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2017/07/13/tucker-carlson-neocon-slayer/

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GreatLakeSailor's picture

@Pluto's Republic

Rooskies!!1! plus this:

Kaspersky Lab researchers were also behind the 2010 discovery of Stuxnet, the U.S. National Security Agency's special cyberbomb targeting Iranian nuclear facilities that later became the subject of an award-winning documentary titled "Zero Days."

equals ban in paranoid, reactionary 2010's 'Merica.

Sigh.

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Compensated Spokes Model for Big Poor.

zett's picture

@Pluto's Republic I got Kaspersky on this machine right now. I wonder if I'm going on a list? Are you going on a list if you reply to me? Is my antivirus why I've hated Hillary Clinton since the 1990s?

LOL

The useless fops having a shit fit over the best computer protection software while not saying shit about letting foreign nationals (Pakistanis) dig around in Congressional computers, including members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence?

I need a drink.

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Deja's picture

@zett

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travelerxxx's picture

@Pluto's Republic

What idiots!

Kaspersky is what I trust to keep my Windows 7 machines free from the bad guys. They do a damn good job, too. The fool U.S. government may not want them, but they're definitely on my list of approved software. In fact, I think I'll renew ahead of time due to this idiocy...

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@Pluto's Republic

... Kaspersky Lab has helped reveal some of the biggest cyberweapons ever used by foreign spies and criminal hackers. Its antivirus software is one of the most well-regarded cybersecurity products in the world.

That would be why - the US private/public spy agencies hack into everyone's stuff and don't want people protecting themselves against anyone using their kind of tactics.

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

and nobody likes them at all, especially not our duly elected representatives. And not our CIA either, though it is not duly elected. But they should know, because it is their business to know, that the fucking Russians are trying right now to steal away our freedoms. And we must never, ever allow them to get away with it. The sneaky bastards. Like our precious freedom to choose between Democrats and Republicans, and our wonderful freedom to attack our enemies no matter who they are, or why or where, and our freedom to buy tons of cheap stuff at Walmart, and to drive nice big cars, and oh all sorts of other freedoms that we now enjoy, more or less. Are we going to sacrifice all this freedom just because the fucking Russians want to snatch it away from us? No way Jose. It's sure a lucky thing that we have such a free press so that it can say whatever it wants to say. And especially so it can warn us about the Russians' evil schemes -- before it is too late!

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native

dervish's picture

@native was interviewing an American GI early in the Iraq War, and he summed up freedumb as shopping malls and access to fast food. That likely represents a wide swath of the people's understanding.

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"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

Bollox Ref's picture

is that all those now up in arms, stateside, never bat an eyelid when the US infiltrates and manipulates across the globe, decade after decade. That's just 'business as usual... for the Exceptional Nation.' Love and daisies and cola ads. All good.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Creosote.'s picture

See this illustration by the Guardian's Steve Bell:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2017/jul/12/steve-bell...

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Given the way the entire media establishment and democrats talk about the Russians, it would not surprise me if and when they gain power, that all immigration to the United States from Russia is stopped. They will do to the Russians what Trump is trying to do to Muslim immigrants.

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edg's picture

I wonder which US-based antivirus company has been making donations to members of Congress to get them to go after Kaspersky? Maybe Symantec-Norton?

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travelerxxx's picture

@edg

edg, I think you're exactly right with your suspicions. The first thing that needs be done in regard to investigating the antics of the corrupt Democrats is to check their wallets and see whose fingerprints are on those federal reserve notes. In the case of these latest Russia! Russia! Russia! antics, bribery is almost a sure bet.

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Pluto's Republic's picture

@edg

The president of the company is former FBI cyber director and the Founder is Atlantic Council.

CrowdStrike is the cybersecurity firm the DNC (was told to hire). They looked at the DNC computer and screamed "The Russians are Coming!" They are on retainer to the Intelligence community.

Someone should share the facts with the American people.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato