RUSSIA/РОССИЯ THREAD—ASSANGE CHRGD W/ SPYING—DJT IMPEACHED TWICE-US TREASURY SANCTS KILIMNIK AS RUSSIAN AGNT
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Is Schindler insinuating the NSA hack was related to the election 
Reports Reveal Sorry State of Security at the National InSecurity Agency
Reports Reveal Sorry State of Security at the National InSecurity Agency
By John R. Schindler • 10/06/17 11:00am
Opinion
Hackers in Europe. Patrick Lux/Getty Images
The National Security Agency’s unending tale of counterintelligence woe has gotten even worse, based on reports in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times this week, which reveal yet another truly shocking penetration of our country’s most important intelligence agency.
According to these reports, an NSA affiliate in early 2016 took highly classified information home—a gross violation of a raft of security rules and regulations—and placed it on a home computer, where they were stolen by hackers connected to the Russian government. This information was compromised thanks to this individual’s use of Kaspersky anti-virus software, although the precise role the software played here is under debate.
What’s not up for debate is the enormous intelligence loss this compromise represents, since what was purloined included above-top-secret information on how NSA penetrates foreign computer networks, as well as how the Agency protects American government systems from foreigners doing the same to us.
The Kremlin’s interest in NSA is intense and perennial, for reasons I’ve explained before:
It would be difficult to overstate Moscow’s interest in how the Five Eyes countries encrypt their sensitive government communications. During the Cold War, the KGB referred to NSA as Target OMEGA, and for the Kremlin there was no higher-priority espionage target on earth. That’s because by penetrating NSA you get access not just to that agency’s signals intelligence, the richest espionage source on earth, you can also crack into the top secret communications of the United States and its closest allies.
NSA’s security failures in recent years defy belief and raise awkward questions about whether the Agency and its counterintelligence structures can be reformed at all. First, we had the global media sensation created by the defection of Edward Snowden, an NSA contractor, to Moscow in June 2013. Snowden made off with some 1.5 million secret documents, many of them highly classified, which compromised literally thousands of NSA projects and programs.
Then, in August 2016, another NSA contactor was arrested for removing terabytes of highly classified information from his Agency office. Harold Thomas Martin III was not a mole, since there’s no evidence that he passed any secret files to a foreign intelligence service, yet his crime revealed yet again the sorry state of security at NSA. That said, the Martin case remains mysterious, and it’s quite a coincidence that his arrest came in the same month that the “Shadow Brokers”—in reality a front for Russian intelligence—dumped a trove of highly classified NSA hacking tools on the internet.
Most recently, there was the arrest this June of the memorably named Reality Winner, who stole an above-top-secret NSA report on Russian efforts to interfere in our 2016 election by stuffing it in her pantyhose, then passed it to The Intercept. She was so inept in her crime that Winner was in FBI custody before The Intercept posted the stolen NSA document online. Per the custom, Winner was a contractor.
The Journal reported that the Agency’s new miscreant is also a contractor, while the Times stated this person is an employee (the NSA workforce consists of civilian employees, military members, and contractors). In response to this latest debacle, Sen. Ben Sasse asserted that “NSA needs to get its head out of the sand and solve its contractor problem. Russia is a clear adversary in cyberspace and we can’t afford these self-inflicted injuries.” This is good advice regardless of the exact circumstances of this latest compromise.
Congress should follow up with more pressing questions for the Agency. Specifically, why has Admiral Mike Rogers, Agency director for three years now, presided over so many security disasters? Why is NSA seemingly impervious to counterintelligence reform? Is this latest intelligence compromise linked to clandestine Russian efforts to influence our 2016 election? Last, are the Russians reading all our classified mail?
Last year, I lambasted my former employer by terming it the National INsecurity Agency, and this week’s news makes clear that nothing’s improved over the last 12 months. The extent of this debacle appears serious indeed, giving the Kremlin access to our most sensitive communications, while showing them what we know about them. The possibilities for the Russians to execute a truly massive deception operation against us are very real.
As I warned late last year, we need to contemplate the possibility that President Obama’s shortcomings vis-à-vis Moscow may have been about more than mere policy failures:
Putin knew what the Obama administration would (and would not) do about this massive and aggressive jump in the SpyWar thanks to his moles in Washington. It seems highly likely, based on available evidence, that Russian intelligence has been reading secret U.S. communications for years—that’s what moles inside NSA are for—which would give Putin the ability to beat American spies every step of the way, not to mention deep insights into top-level decision-making in Washington…Putin acted so brazenly in 2016, subverting our election, because he knew he could get away with it…it bears pondering that some of his underperformance may be attributable to the serious possibility that the Kremlin has been reading his mail.
This week’s news makes it increasingly obvious that my speculation was accurate—and that it has not gotten any better with Donald Trump in the White House, a man with his own raft of Russia problems. NSA and the Five Eyes espionage alliance it leads represent the most powerful and informed intelligence operation on earth. It’s the West’s secret shield against terrorism, our ace in the hole against jihadists worldwide, a major accomplishment that saves lives and remains little known to the public.
However, in recent years that shield has been repeatedly tarnished by counterintelligence failures. Although our whole Intelligence Community has long treated counterintelligence as an afterthought, NSA’s security problems are unusually serious. Whether the Agency’s present leadership and organization are capable of reforming this mess is something Congress needs to examine without delay.
At bottom, if you’re not willing to take counterintelligence and security seriously, there’s not much point in having intelligence agencies, since you’re giving away your secrets—which were obtained at high cost in treasure and sometimes blood—to your adversaries. Although NSA’s 65-year history with catching moles and keeping its secrets since the Agency’s establishment in 1952 is middling at best, it’s painfully evident that basic security is lacking at present.
It’s welcome news that Washington is finally asking why anyone in the U.S. government is using Russian software for security purposes—especially when Kaspersky has been known for years to possess troubling ties to the Kremlin—but it should be also asked why anybody thought that was a good idea in the first place. Reports that the Pentagon will continue to purchase software that’s been examined by Russian intelligence defy belief and bespeak a fundamental lack of seriousness in Washington about security in the online age. Left unchecked, these systemic shortcomings will cripple our national security and make war more likely—and that we will lose any war that comes.
John Schindler is a security expert and former National Security Agency analyst and counterintelligence officer. A specialist in espionage and terrorism, he’s also been a Navy officer and a War College professor. He’s published four books and is on Twitter at @20committee.
More by John Schindler:
False Flag Terrorism: Myth and Reality
The Dead Sing With Dirt in Their Mouths
AfD Shakes Up German Election—but It Has an Espionage Backstory
Two Decades Later, Algeria Protects Mystery of Bentalha Massacre
RT just got fukked 
Many US staffers at Russian news organization are quitting amid ‘fear for their security’
'We can't even hire a stringer': Russia Today says its US staff leaving in 'masses'
Jack Moore
Published 1 Hour Ago
The editor-in-chief of Russia Today, the propaganda arm of the Russian government, said on Thursday that American members of its staff are quitting in their "masses" because of security concerns, appearing to suggest they were at threat of U.S. law enforcement action.
Margarita Simonyan, the head of the news site, told a parliamentary hearing on Thursday that its staff on American soil "fear for their security."
It has become so tough for the news site to operate in the U.S. that "it's hard for us now even to find a stringer in the USA," Simonyan said.
More from Newsweek:
Syria's 'ISIS hunters' offer $1 million for Russian hostages
US military stops gulf exercises over Qatar crisis
Nobel Peace Prize: What is the international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons?
Her comments come as concerns about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election continue to gather pace. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating possible collusion between Donald Trump's successful campaign and Russian entities, as well as a suspected hack of the Democratic National Coalition's servers in the months before the election.
"There is another enormous negative effect we are having today," Russia's state-run TASS news agency cited Simonyan as saying in testimony at a Russian parliamentary hearing Thursday. "People are scared, people are afraid," she said.
The U.S. Justice Department has ordered that RT and Sputnuik News, another news organization with ties to the Russian government, are "obligated to register" under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA. The law seeks to ensure that foreign organizations that play a role in influencing American public opinion give detailed information about their operations and funding to U.S. authorities.
Simonyan is the chief of Russian state media conglomerate Rossiya Segodnya, which owns Russia Today and Sputnik, according to The Moscow Times.
She complained that the BBC and Al-Jazeera had not been required to register under FARA, as they are both state-funded channels, from Britain and Qatar respectively.
In January, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said that the Kremlin used media outlets such as RT and Sputnik to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election, possibly in favor of Trump.
"State-owned Russian media made increasingly favorable comments about…Trump as the 2016 U.S. general and primary election campaigns progressed, while consistently offering negative coverage of Secretary [Hillary] Clinton," the intelligence report said.
On September 1, the FBI and Justice Department reportedly questioned Andrew Feinberg, the former White House reporter for Sputnik.
"They wanted to know where did my orders come from and if I ever got any direction from Moscow," Feinberg told Yahoo News. "They were interested in examples of how I was steered towards covering certain issues."
It remains unclear if the questioning of Feinberg is part of the wider investigation by Mueller.
The U.S. is not the only country to have accused Russia Today and Sputnik of playing a role in trying to influence the country's vote. French President Emmanuel Macron, standing next to Putin in their first face-to-face meeting in May, called them "agents of influence" that had attempted to smear him during the election.
@DonKnock @SJUGrad13 @88m3 @Menelik II @wire28 @smitty22 @Reality @fact @Hood Critic @ExodusNirvana @Blessed Is the Man @THE MACHINE @OneManGang @dtownreppin214 @JKFrazier @tmonster @blotter @BigMoneyGrip @Soymuscle Mike @Grano-Grano @.r.
Many US staffers at Russian news organization are quitting amid ‘fear for their security’
'We can't even hire a stringer': Russia Today says its US staff leaving in 'masses'
Jack Moore
Published 1 Hour Ago
The editor-in-chief of Russia Today, the propaganda arm of the Russian government, said on Thursday that American members of its staff are quitting in their "masses" because of security concerns, appearing to suggest they were at threat of U.S. law enforcement action.
Margarita Simonyan, the head of the news site, told a parliamentary hearing on Thursday that its staff on American soil "fear for their security."
It has become so tough for the news site to operate in the U.S. that "it's hard for us now even to find a stringer in the USA," Simonyan said.
More from Newsweek:
Syria's 'ISIS hunters' offer $1 million for Russian hostages
US military stops gulf exercises over Qatar crisis
Nobel Peace Prize: What is the international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons?
Her comments come as concerns about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election continue to gather pace. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating possible collusion between Donald Trump's successful campaign and Russian entities, as well as a suspected hack of the Democratic National Coalition's servers in the months before the election.
"There is another enormous negative effect we are having today," Russia's state-run TASS news agency cited Simonyan as saying in testimony at a Russian parliamentary hearing Thursday. "People are scared, people are afraid," she said.
The U.S. Justice Department has ordered that RT and Sputnuik News, another news organization with ties to the Russian government, are "obligated to register" under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA. The law seeks to ensure that foreign organizations that play a role in influencing American public opinion give detailed information about their operations and funding to U.S. authorities.
Simonyan is the chief of Russian state media conglomerate Rossiya Segodnya, which owns Russia Today and Sputnik, according to The Moscow Times.
She complained that the BBC and Al-Jazeera had not been required to register under FARA, as they are both state-funded channels, from Britain and Qatar respectively.
In January, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said that the Kremlin used media outlets such as RT and Sputnik to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election, possibly in favor of Trump.
"State-owned Russian media made increasingly favorable comments about…Trump as the 2016 U.S. general and primary election campaigns progressed, while consistently offering negative coverage of Secretary [Hillary] Clinton," the intelligence report said.
On September 1, the FBI and Justice Department reportedly questioned Andrew Feinberg, the former White House reporter for Sputnik.
"They wanted to know where did my orders come from and if I ever got any direction from Moscow," Feinberg told Yahoo News. "They were interested in examples of how I was steered towards covering certain issues."
It remains unclear if the questioning of Feinberg is part of the wider investigation by Mueller.
The U.S. is not the only country to have accused Russia Today and Sputnik of playing a role in trying to influence the country's vote. French President Emmanuel Macron, standing next to Putin in their first face-to-face meeting in May, called them "agents of influence" that had attempted to smear him during the election.
@DonKnock @SJUGrad13 @88m3 @Menelik II @wire28 @smitty22 @Reality @fact @Hood Critic @ExodusNirvana @Blessed Is the Man @THE MACHINE @OneManGang @dtownreppin214 @JKFrazier @tmonster @blotter @BigMoneyGrip @Soymuscle Mike @Grano-Grano @.r.
LOL Trump only calls someone a showboat, when they have upstaged him, or critiqued him, and regarding the Tillerson, I was under the impression he actually called him a moron in person, or am I mistaken?
MR. Conclusion
All Star
Former Secretary Cohen said some real shyt at the end of this video about Obama and Kaepernick. All unsolicited.
Ahhhhhhh shyt....
Did Russia hack the 2016 vote tally? This senator says we don't know for sure
Did Russia Hack the 2016 Vote Tally? This Senator Says We Don’t Know for Sure
Ron Wyden also raises questions about the Senate’s handling of the Trump-Russia investigation.
David CornOct. 6, 2017 12:55 PM
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)Andrew Harnik/AP
At a packed press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, provided a progress report on his panel’s investigation of the Trump-Russia scandal. Naturally, this is a touchy and dicey matter for a Republican, and Burr tried to make some points that appeared designed to limit President Donald Trump’s political vulnerabilities on this front.
First, Burr declared that although Russian hackers had probed or penetrated the election systems of at least 21 states, he could confidently state that the Russian meddling in the 2016 election resulted in no changes to the vote tallies. That is, there’s no reason to question Trump’s Electoral College win. And second, Burr said that Russia’s use of Facebook ads during the presidential campaign seemed “indiscriminate” and not designed to help a particular candidate—meaning the recent revelations do not bolster the case that Trump was the Kremlin’s choice.
But Sen. Ron Wyden, (D-Ore.), a feisty member of the intelligence committee, says both assertions are bunk. In an interview with Mother Jones on Thursday, Wyden argued that Burr’s confidence in the election system was unwarranted. “The chairman said that he can say ‘certifiably’ that there was no vote tampering,” said Wyden. “I do not agree with this judgment. I don’t think it is possible to know that. There was no systematic analysis of the voting or forensic evaluations of the voting machines.”
Wyden pointed out that the Department of Homeland Security has noted that its assessment that there was no finagling with the vote count was made with only “moderate confidence.” For Wyden, that’s not good enough for such a sensitive and significant matter—and it sends the misguided signal that the voting system is doing just fine. Wyden believes that’s the wrong message. This week he sent a letter to the major manufacturers of voting machines demanding information about how they protect themselves from cyberattacks.
Wyden also said that Burr erred in declaring that the Russian Facebook ads—some of which targeted swing states—did not favor a presidential candidate. (Presumably Wyden has seen or been briefed on the content of the ads.) “That’s one reason why the ads need to be released to the American people,” Wyden remarked, “so Americans can make up their minds.”
At the press conference, Burr said the committee would not be releasing the ads, which Facebook has turned over to the panel. And Facebook so far has declined to make the ads public. Wyden and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chairman of the committee, have called on Facebook to release the material. “If the ads don’t come out,” Wyden noted, “it’s within the power of the committee to get them out.” The Russian social media campaign targeting the 2016 election, Wyden said, “certainly hasn’t gotten the attention it should have.” And he noted it has been a focus of his efforts on the intelligence committee. The intelligence committee has scheduled a hearing with representatives from Facebook, Google, and Twitter for November 1.
Wyden worries that US elections remain vulnerable to interference from Russia and other adversaries. He emphasized that Trump has yet to nominate a secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, the lead federal agency that deals with protecting state voting systems from cyber assaults. Other key cybersecurity DHS positions remain vacant, as well. He said that at the moment just three or so states are taking significant steps to secure their voting systems from hackers. Wyden scoffed at Burr’s assertion that the Trump administration was treating the issue seriously. “The idea that Trump and DHS are full steam ahead on election security? No way!” Wyden exclaimed. “They certainly haven’t moved quickly on this.”
Wyden cited one example of an issue that requires deeper digging from the intelligence committee. When Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and a White House adviser, met privately with committee investigators, Kushner released a statementdeclaring he had engaged in no wrongdoing. He insisted, “I did not collude…with any foreign government. I had no improper contacts. I have not relied on Russian funds to finance my business activities.” Wyden pointed out the wording of the last part of this denial: I have not relied on Russian funds. “Some lawyer got paid a lot of money to come up with that,” Wyden said. “It doesn’t mean ‘I did not have business dealings with Russians.'”
Wyden added that Kushner should not be able to get away with only a private meeting with the committee instead of a full public hearing where he could be questioned by senators about this statement and many other topics. “Jared Kushner has to come to the intelligence committee in the open,” he said. (Wyden, the top Democratic on the Senate finance committee, has blocked the confirmation of a senior Treasury Department nominee because the department has not provided the finance committee with documents he requested related to Russian banking and money laundering. )
Wyden also took issue with Burr saying that it was not the intelligence committee’s role to probe Trump’s firing of FBI chief James Comey and that this matter should be left to the Senate judiciary committee. “I don’t agree with that,” Wyden said. “This is about connections with Russia.”
While Burr suggested that the intelligence committee might finish its investigative work regarding the Trump-Russia scandal by the end of the year, Wyden said the panel still had “a long way to go.” Wyden noted that the committee’s efforts to “follow the money” require much more work, and he hinted that the committee might not have enough people working on the investigation to do the job thoroughly. “The committee will need a lot of staff power to get all this done,” he said.
@DonKnock @SJUGrad13 @88m3 @Menelik II @wire28 @smitty22 @Reality @fact @Hood Critic @ExodusNirvana @Blessed Is the Man @THE MACHINE @OneManGang @dtownreppin214 @JKFrazier @tmonster @blotter @BigMoneyGrip @Soymuscle Mike @Grano-Grano @.r.
Did Russia hack the 2016 vote tally? This senator says we don't know for sure
Did Russia Hack the 2016 Vote Tally? This Senator Says We Don’t Know for Sure
Ron Wyden also raises questions about the Senate’s handling of the Trump-Russia investigation.
David CornOct. 6, 2017 12:55 PM
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)Andrew Harnik/AP
At a packed press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, provided a progress report on his panel’s investigation of the Trump-Russia scandal. Naturally, this is a touchy and dicey matter for a Republican, and Burr tried to make some points that appeared designed to limit President Donald Trump’s political vulnerabilities on this front.
First, Burr declared that although Russian hackers had probed or penetrated the election systems of at least 21 states, he could confidently state that the Russian meddling in the 2016 election resulted in no changes to the vote tallies. That is, there’s no reason to question Trump’s Electoral College win. And second, Burr said that Russia’s use of Facebook ads during the presidential campaign seemed “indiscriminate” and not designed to help a particular candidate—meaning the recent revelations do not bolster the case that Trump was the Kremlin’s choice.
But Sen. Ron Wyden, (D-Ore.), a feisty member of the intelligence committee, says both assertions are bunk. In an interview with Mother Jones on Thursday, Wyden argued that Burr’s confidence in the election system was unwarranted. “The chairman said that he can say ‘certifiably’ that there was no vote tampering,” said Wyden. “I do not agree with this judgment. I don’t think it is possible to know that. There was no systematic analysis of the voting or forensic evaluations of the voting machines.”
Wyden pointed out that the Department of Homeland Security has noted that its assessment that there was no finagling with the vote count was made with only “moderate confidence.” For Wyden, that’s not good enough for such a sensitive and significant matter—and it sends the misguided signal that the voting system is doing just fine. Wyden believes that’s the wrong message. This week he sent a letter to the major manufacturers of voting machines demanding information about how they protect themselves from cyberattacks.
Wyden also said that Burr erred in declaring that the Russian Facebook ads—some of which targeted swing states—did not favor a presidential candidate. (Presumably Wyden has seen or been briefed on the content of the ads.) “That’s one reason why the ads need to be released to the American people,” Wyden remarked, “so Americans can make up their minds.”
At the press conference, Burr said the committee would not be releasing the ads, which Facebook has turned over to the panel. And Facebook so far has declined to make the ads public. Wyden and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chairman of the committee, have called on Facebook to release the material. “If the ads don’t come out,” Wyden noted, “it’s within the power of the committee to get them out.” The Russian social media campaign targeting the 2016 election, Wyden said, “certainly hasn’t gotten the attention it should have.” And he noted it has been a focus of his efforts on the intelligence committee. The intelligence committee has scheduled a hearing with representatives from Facebook, Google, and Twitter for November 1.
Wyden worries that US elections remain vulnerable to interference from Russia and other adversaries. He emphasized that Trump has yet to nominate a secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, the lead federal agency that deals with protecting state voting systems from cyber assaults. Other key cybersecurity DHS positions remain vacant, as well. He said that at the moment just three or so states are taking significant steps to secure their voting systems from hackers. Wyden scoffed at Burr’s assertion that the Trump administration was treating the issue seriously. “The idea that Trump and DHS are full steam ahead on election security? No way!” Wyden exclaimed. “They certainly haven’t moved quickly on this.”
Wyden cited one example of an issue that requires deeper digging from the intelligence committee. When Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and a White House adviser, met privately with committee investigators, Kushner released a statementdeclaring he had engaged in no wrongdoing. He insisted, “I did not collude…with any foreign government. I had no improper contacts. I have not relied on Russian funds to finance my business activities.” Wyden pointed out the wording of the last part of this denial: I have not relied on Russian funds. “Some lawyer got paid a lot of money to come up with that,” Wyden said. “It doesn’t mean ‘I did not have business dealings with Russians.'”
Wyden added that Kushner should not be able to get away with only a private meeting with the committee instead of a full public hearing where he could be questioned by senators about this statement and many other topics. “Jared Kushner has to come to the intelligence committee in the open,” he said. (Wyden, the top Democratic on the Senate finance committee, has blocked the confirmation of a senior Treasury Department nominee because the department has not provided the finance committee with documents he requested related to Russian banking and money laundering. )
Wyden also took issue with Burr saying that it was not the intelligence committee’s role to probe Trump’s firing of FBI chief James Comey and that this matter should be left to the Senate judiciary committee. “I don’t agree with that,” Wyden said. “This is about connections with Russia.”
While Burr suggested that the intelligence committee might finish its investigative work regarding the Trump-Russia scandal by the end of the year, Wyden said the panel still had “a long way to go.” Wyden noted that the committee’s efforts to “follow the money” require much more work, and he hinted that the committee might not have enough people working on the investigation to do the job thoroughly. “The committee will need a lot of staff power to get all this done,” he said.
@DonKnock @SJUGrad13 @88m3 @Menelik II @wire28 @smitty22 @Reality @fact @Hood Critic @ExodusNirvana @Blessed Is the Man @THE MACHINE @OneManGang @dtownreppin214 @JKFrazier @tmonster @blotter @BigMoneyGrip @Soymuscle Mike @Grano-Grano @.r.
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DaddyFresh
Superstar
Nah it was amongst other people in the administration