Russians Hacked Ukrainian Gas Company at Center of Impeachment

[Dennis Donovan]

Source: NYT

By Nicole Perlroth and Matthew Rosenberg
Jan. 13, 2020, 6:35 p.m. ET

With President Trump facing an impeachment trial over his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden, Russian military hackers have been boring into the Ukrainian gas company at the center of the affair, according to security experts.

The hacking attempts against Burisma, the Ukrainian gas company on whose board Hunter Biden served, began in early November, as talk of the Bidens, Ukraine and impeachment was dominating the news in the United States.

It is not yet clear what the hackers found, or precisely what they were searching for. But the experts say the timing and scale of the attacks suggest that the Russians could be searching for potentially embarrassing material on the Bidens — the same kind of information that Mr. Trump wanted from Ukraine when he pressed for an investigation of the Bidens and Burisma, setting off a chain of events that led to his impeachment.

The Russian tactics are strikingly similar to what American intelligence agencies say was Russia’s hacking of emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman and the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 presidential campaign. In that case, once they had the emails, the Russians used trolls to spread and spin the material, and built an echo chamber to widen its effect.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/us/politics/russian-hackers-burisma-ukraine.html

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BREAKING

[JDC]

1. Maybe the hackers were adding something

And not taking or searching per se.

[Dennis Donovan]

4. Since Biden / Burisma's been investigated already, I think them adding something is plausible n/t

[yonder]

7. Yep

[Captain Zero]

11. Exactly JDC, the first thing I thought !!

Here, we (the Russians), we will help you 'find' something. How convenient.

[dweller]

2. Rudy Rudy Rudy ...

where's that breaking news investigative material your client, individual1,
was crowing about ?

✌🏼

[Baitball Blogger]

8. +1

[blm]

3. Probably trying to plant something against Bidens.

Some of the emails from HRC campaign were slightly doctored, weren’t they?

“All roads lead to Russia.”

[Faux pas]

5. The

Swamp is as big The Pacific by now

[Maxheader]

6. Maybe just to show they can do it?

Doubtful the commy fucks want a liberal in the captains chair...

could be searching for potentially embarrassing material on the Bidens

[PSPS]

9. Bad headline, Should be "Gas Company at Center of trump's principal impeachment lie"

[BigmanPigman]

10. I am watching this on Chris Hayes right now.

Sen. Markey is saying that Russia will hack the elections, etc. and that is why we need to stay on top of this since it will continue in every way imaginable. Russia wants the fucking moron to stay and will do anything to make it so.

If the Dems win the next election, how should we legally punish Putin? More sanctions isn't enough in my opinion, especially when you think of the past 3 years and how long it will take to try to correct what this disastrous admin has done (about 40 years is realistic).

[JudyM]

12. Wholesale reinforcement of every state's election infrastructure is needed, and it's not happening.

[FailureToCommunicate]

17. So, take heart. There IS such an effort, nationwide since 2017. It's known as

Last edited Mon Jan 13, 2020, 11:41 PM - Edit history (1)

Defending Digital Democracy Project (D3P) out of Harvard University.

Helping election officials fortify their election processes against cyber and mis/disinformation attacks:

https://apnews.com/222bd1402c96bc487f5a0a2dc5bff12c

https://www.belfercenter.org/D3P

[elleng]

19. SPRINGFIELD, Va.

'These government officials are on the front lines of a different kind of battlefield — one in which they are helping to defend American democracy by ensuring free and fair elections.

“Everyone in this room is part of a bigger effort, and it’s only together are we going to get through this,” the officer said.

That officer and other past and present national security leaders had a message to convey to officials from 24 states gathered for a recent training held by a Harvard-affiliated democracy project: They are the linchpins in efforts to defend U.S. elections from an attack by Russia, China or other foreign threats, and developing a military mindset will help them protect the integrity of the vote.'

[JudyM]

21. Is this effectively closing the technical loopholes that have allowed rethugs to mess with the vote

count in past elections? It’s hard to know what this team is doing, and there are apparently only 4 of them. Every swing state should have its system locked down solid.

Secretary of States’ offices mess with voting too... massive voter purges and messing with voting locations, etc... Arizona, Ohio, on and on.
Greg Palast is working with Stacy Abrams and Jesse Jackson to fix what they can of the voter purging issue, needs financial support http://www.palastinvestigativefund.org/?StopTheStealAction

[FailureToCommunicate]

22. The teams have so far worked with over 40 states since 2017.

It's a bi-partison program, though their efforts, of course, are only as effective as the good faith of the election officials.

[JudyM]

23. Here's hoping it does what we need, what our democracy needs, to fill the gaping holes.

The Cheaters have gotten so far ahead of us.

[elleng]

13. ATTENTION!

[Mersky]

14. Schiff was just on Rachel's show

Said he wished the intelligence community had presented this information to the Intelligence Committee, rather than it first appearing in the newspaper.

Chuck Schumer is coming up next

[dweller]

16. please update

tia

✌🏼

[Mersky]

20. Oof, sorry! Had to continue watching on my feet while making dinner.

Schumer also had not heard of this activity before the NYT published it.

[BlueIdaho]

15. If Rudy can't do it

Putin will.

[elleng]

18. Russia still interfering,

we're skunked. (Per Schumer, not the 'skunked' part.)