More
about the Russian connection
Arrested
Russian FSB Agents Allegedly Passed Information to CIA
Did agents working for
the FSB's cyber unit tip off American intelligence?
A top cyber security
specialist and his deputy in Russia’s intelligence service, the FSB, are
reportedly being accused by the Kremlin of “breaking their oath” by working
with America’s Central Intelligence Agency.
Sergei Mikhailov,
allegedly detained at a board meeting last December, and his deputy, Dmitry
Dokuchaev, were arrested by the Kremlin on Jan. 27 for treason and
illegal hacking.
Then, on Tuesday, Russian news agency Interfax,
after hearing from unidentified sources, reported that they, along with Ruslan
Stoyanov, the head of cybercrime investigations at Kaspersky Labs, and a
fourth, as yet unnamed person, are suspected of passing along secret information to the CIA — or of passing it to someone who passed
it to the CIA.
The Kremlin, for its
part, has refuted such claims through spokesperson Dmitri Peskov, who said, “…we categorically deny any assertions about the
possible complicity of the Russian side in any hacker attacks,” adding, “All
the suspects have been charged with high treason. This is the sole count in the
case. There are no other accusations.”
These are the latest
in a series of developments regarding the FSB’s cyber security unit and Kaspersky Labs that has unfolded since the U.S. presidential election, colored
as it was by the leaking of a dossier alleging the Russians had compromising
information on Donald Trump (kompromat, if you
will.) The idea is that the Russians could get Trump to do their bidding
once he was elected. U.S. intelligence officials did summarize the dossier for
Trump and President Barack Obama.
It is unclear if the
people just arrested allegedly passed on the information in question directly,
or worked with other individuals to do so (The Moscow Times has more on how the four allegedly worked
together).
It is also unclear
whether this is connected to the charges of illegal hacking levelled against
Mikhailov — at least one source has said that the hacking is separate from the
leaking of secret information.
What was that secret
information? According to Novaya Gazeta, Mikhailov tipped off U.S. intelligence
officials to “King Servers,” a computer server rental company run by Vladimir
Fomenko. King Servers has been identified by an American cyber security
researchers as helping Russia carry out cyber attacks.
On Jan. 13, three days
after news of the dossier leaked, Kommersant reported that Andrei Gerasimov, head of the
FSB’s Information Security Center since 20009, would be dismissed. The center
was being investigated for its relationship with certain cyber companies,
including Kaspersky Labs. Some speculated that the news
was linked to the dossier. But the FSB security center dealt with internal, not
external, cyber issues.
Unless, of course,
somebody inside the FSB cyber center took it upon themselves to warn those
outside of Russia what was going on within it. As Churchill said in a different context, Russia is a
riddle wrapped in mystery wrapped in a terribly confusing story of leaks,
showers, and spies.
Update,
Feb. 1 2017, 10:52 am ET: This post has been updated to include the Kremlin’s
statement of denial.
If
I were you, and you use ANY kind of security software made by Kaspersky Labs …
I’d ditch it instantly.
I’d also hold my nose, as more smells
will undoubtedly emerge. Nazdroveeah Kamarade!
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