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fleur-de-lisa

(14,624 posts)
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 03:18 PM Jul 2018

Microsoft reveals first known midterm campaign hacking attempts

Source: Politico

By ERIC GELLER 07/19/2018 01:33 PM EDT

Microsoft detected and helped block hacking attempts against three congressional candidates this year, a company executive said Thursday, marking the first known example of cyber interference in the midterm elections.

“Earlier this year, we did discover that a fake Microsoft domain had been established as the landing page for phishing attacks,” said Tom Burt, Microsoft’s vice president for security and trust, at the Aspen Security Forum. “And we saw metadata that suggested those phishing attacks were being directed at three candidates who are all standing for election in the midterm elections.”

Burt declined to name the targets but said they were “people who, because of their positions, might have been interesting targets from an espionage standpoint as well as an election disruption standpoint.”

Microsoft took down the fake domain and worked with the federal government to block the phishing messages. Burt said that none of the targeted campaign staffers were infected. Burt declined to name the targets but said they were “people who, because of their positions, might have been interesting targets from an espionage standpoint as well as an election disruption standpoint.”

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/19/midterm-campaign-hacking-microsoft-733256

29 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Microsoft reveals first known midterm campaign hacking attempts (Original Post) fleur-de-lisa Jul 2018 OP
The protection of our election in November leftieNanner Jul 2018 #1
And many of the states (WI/KS) probably have open ports from RU erronis Jul 2018 #8
Paper tiptonic Jul 2018 #20
We have paper ballots in Oregon leftieNanner Jul 2018 #24
k&r . . . .. . .n/t annabanana Jul 2018 #2
If you see ads with Russian hookers in them, don't click. sandensea Jul 2018 #3
Just looked for something in my spam folder. I swear, there are 20 "Russian Women Want You" emails. Hoyt Jul 2018 #11
To our wild and woolly days, Hoyt. sandensea Jul 2018 #14
Sounds like the only thing wooly... ret5hd Jul 2018 #27
Well, hey. sandensea Jul 2018 #28
wonder if that is where trump found malaria dembotoz Jul 2018 #17
So the answer is YES, the interference is still continuing Freethinker65 Jul 2018 #4
..... ailsagirl Jul 2018 #5
I hope DU is taking all the steps possible elmac Jul 2018 #6
My first thoughts, also. It's got to be hard to be such a target. Thanks DU! erronis Jul 2018 #7
There are worse things than getting shut down. JustABozoOnThisBus Jul 2018 #9
now that we know what to look for I hope the trolls are easy to spot elmac Jul 2018 #12
Me, too. I strongly suspected on election night that it was Russia... Honeycombe8 Jul 2018 #13
oh, it was a targeted attack elmac Jul 2018 #15
Yep. Keep Dems from GOTV, notifying poll place changes, reports of inconsistencies.... Honeycombe8 Jul 2018 #18
exactly! an imformation shut down elmac Jul 2018 #19
K&R Scurrilous Jul 2018 #10
We need analog elections. Counties should tally the votes like it was 1959. Marcuse Jul 2018 #16
Fully agree...nt 2naSalit Jul 2018 #21
About time that some Republican sites will just happen to get hit..... Bengus81 Jul 2018 #22
Are our "security and trust" companys Maxheader Jul 2018 #23
I wish Apple would start cracking down on phishing using their safeinOhio Jul 2018 #25
Still can't understand why someone as experienced as John Podesta fell for it ? MichMan Jul 2018 #26
#PutinsWinsAgain and the GOP is now The #PartyOfPutin BadGimp Jul 2018 #29

leftieNanner

(15,083 posts)
1. The protection of our election in November
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 03:22 PM
Jul 2018

will now be the responsibility of companies like Microsoft and the States who are interested in running a free and fair election.

Sick that the Repukes in Congress won't lift a finger. I know. I know. They like it that way.

erronis

(15,241 posts)
8. And many of the states (WI/KS) probably have open ports from RU
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 03:41 PM
Jul 2018

Of course fighting cyber-anything is complicated and expensive. Being on defensive is much harder than attacking.

States usually don't have the resources to be able to deal with much extra IT work. That's why the per-state model is probably flawed.

leftieNanner

(15,083 posts)
24. We have paper ballots in Oregon
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 05:22 PM
Jul 2018

All vote by mail. Paper should be required for federal elections (actually, I think for ALL elections, but Kobach will do Kansas).

sandensea

(21,624 posts)
3. If you see ads with Russian hookers in them, don't click.
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 03:22 PM
Jul 2018

The same with e-mails from "Natasha" and "Anastasia" thanking you for "blowing their mind" last night.

 

Hoyt

(54,770 posts)
11. Just looked for something in my spam folder. I swear, there are 20 "Russian Women Want You" emails.
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 04:32 PM
Jul 2018

Where was all this when I was younger and spending Friday nights alone playing my mandola? I think it best I delete them.

JustABozoOnThisBus

(23,339 posts)
9. There are worse things than getting shut down.
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 03:42 PM
Jul 2018

New (or sleeper) accounts, trolling, bringing extremism into minor disagreements, all sorts of shit-stirring.

 

elmac

(4,642 posts)
12. now that we know what to look for I hope the trolls are easy to spot
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 04:32 PM
Jul 2018

and shut down. There will be disagreements but any anti Dem or progressive posts should be wiped with the loss of post privileges.

Honeycombe8

(37,648 posts)
13. Me, too. I strongly suspected on election night that it was Russia...
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 04:35 PM
Jul 2018

same people responsible for hacking the election enough for a Trump win.

That's what I thought election night. No one believed me, though. I wasn't certain...but I was highly suspicious, because the election results didn't make sense, according to the polls. And the biggest Dem site going down on election evening? I thought it unlikely that was a coincidence.

I then checked a couple of Repub sites. They weren't having any technical issues. Yeah...it was suspicious.

 

elmac

(4,642 posts)
15. oh, it was a targeted attack
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 04:39 PM
Jul 2018

and I would bet big money, by putin. Keep the site silent so the fascists could get away with stealing the election.

Honeycombe8

(37,648 posts)
18. Yep. Keep Dems from GOTV, notifying poll place changes, reports of inconsistencies....
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 04:55 PM
Jul 2018

or nt being able to vote, etc.

I mentioned all this on election night in another forum. People thought I was wacky & a sore loser. But that wasn't it at all. I had been following things closely, and I've been following politics for decades. And we knew some things about Russia. I just wondered out loud...could it be????

I turned on tv and expected to see others wondering the same thing. But what I saw was people everywhere, disregarding Russia and taking things at face value.

I am NOT prone to conspiracy theories. I REALLY thought something was up. I can't have been the only one who thought that! (Forums did not allow discussion of that.

 

elmac

(4,642 posts)
19. exactly! an imformation shut down
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 05:02 PM
Jul 2018

this was an act of war and tRump is inviting Hitler to the white house.

Bengus81

(6,931 posts)
22. About time that some Republican sites will just happen to get hit.....
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 05:20 PM
Jul 2018

Real low level,easy to detect and shut them down. Then they can claim their being hacked too by Dems. Watch for it..........

safeinOhio

(32,674 posts)
25. I wish Apple would start cracking down on phishing using their
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 05:24 PM
Jul 2018

fake web site. They got me twice. Looks official , message about a purchase made in NY using my account. After the third question I got a feeling they wouldn't ask for my password and SS number. Sent a screen shot of it to Apple and they said they will look into it and it wasn't them. A month later I got another one.

MichMan

(11,912 posts)
26. Still can't understand why someone as experienced as John Podesta fell for it ?
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 05:44 PM
Jul 2018

We all get phishing emails regularly in our inboxes. Most of us are intelligent enough to delete them

Still can't believe someone as smart as John Podesta fell for one and allowed so much of Hillary's campaign documents to be given away like that to hackers. I get that he asked some IT guy if they were legit, but IMO they both should have known better

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