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[M.D]

How Israel Caught Russian Hackers Scouring the World for U.S. Secrets

It was a case of spies watching spies watching spies: Israeli intelligence officers looked on in real time as Russian government hackers searched computers around the world for the code names of American intelligence programs.

What gave the Russian hacking, detected more than two years ago, such global reach was its improvised search tool — antivirus software made by a Russian company, Kaspersky Lab, that is used by 400 million people worldwide, including by officials at some two dozen American government agencies.

The Israeli officials who had hacked into Kaspersky’s own network alerted the United States to the broad Russian intrusion, which has not been previously reported, leading to a decision just last month to order Kaspersky software removed from government computers.

The Russian operation, described by multiple people who have been briefed on the matter, is known to have stolen classified documents from a National Security Agency employee who had improperly stored them on his home computer, on which Kaspersky’s antivirus software was installed. What additional American secrets the Russian hackers may have gleaned from multiple agencies, by turning the Kaspersky software into a sort of Google search for sensitive information, is not yet publicly known.

 

[takriel]

Everything was hack.

 

[Syriel]

Dat cyber.

 

[Acyl]

I'm pretty sure I used that software before

 

[Mivey]

I'm pretty sure I used that software before

Do you have anything that is of high importance to the Russian secret service? I would remove it from your PC if so. Also, you really shouldn't store top secret files in your private PC.

 

[CarbonatedFalcon]

TFW your anti-virus is actually Russian spyware 😑

Whoopsies!

 

[Ozigizo]

Do you have anything that is of high importance to the Russian secret service? I would remove it from your PC if so.

Or, have you said bad things about Putin?

 

[theWB27]

Messed up. Pretty much the scene where one actor has to tell another they're on fire.

 

[Acyl]

Do you have anything that is of high importance to the Russian secret service? I would remove it from your PC if so. Also, you really shouldn't store top secret files in your private PC.

lol it just feels icky.

 

[nampad]

NSA employee stored files on his home computer 🤦*♂️

 

[Koren]

I'm pretty sure I used that software before

Well, you have the choice of which country will have easier look into your files... I don't think I trust US software more.

 

[killatopak]

jokes on israel. usa is actually spying on israel waiting for them to tell usa that they spied on russia as russia spied on usa as usa spied on russia while spying on israel.

 

[Lonewulfeus]

Lol so many people defend kaspersky labs without realizing it's an arm of the Russian intel apparatus. Just like the thread on here a few months ago about a kaspersky "password strength analyzer" aka give us your password machine.

 

[MidgarBlowedUp]

Well what have you learned?

Those guys are spying on those other guys and those other guys are spying on these here guys who are probably spying on us.

 

[Yoshi]

Lol so many people defend kaspersky labs without realizing it's an arm of the Russian intel apparatus. Just like the thread on here a few months ago about a kaspersky "password strength analyzer" aka give us your password machine.

If you are not using the computer for activities that are of specific interest for the Russian intelligence, provided the virus protection of Kaspersky works well, it could still be a viable choice on a private computer. It is of course damning for a security program to introduce vulnarabilities either way.

 

[Lonewulfeus]

If you are not using the computer for activities that are of specific interest for the Russian intelligence, provided the virus protection of Kaspersky works well, it could still be a viable choice on a private computer. It is of course damning for a security program to introduce vulnarabilities either way.

That's the whole if you aren't doing anything wrong you have nothing to hide argument. Privacy be damned

 

[fierrotlepou]

I think it's kinda weird that there's still spying going on between nations. Even between nations that aren't necessarily enemies.

 

[Yeoman]

Lol so many people defend kaspersky labs without realizing it's an arm of the Russian intel apparatus. Just like the thread on here a few months ago about a kaspersky "password strength analyzer" aka give us your password machine.

No different from Google, Facebook, and Microsoft Windows being tools for American intelligence gathering.

 

[NullPointer]

I've never really trusted anti-virus software for exactly this reason. Its the ultimate vector.

I remember installing some anti-virus app on my old phone, a common one, and a week after I had it installed it prompted me to secure my phone settings and then asked me to enter my phone's pin. Deleted it a second later.

Also reminds me of our former IT guy at work who was in the process of moving us all to LogMeIn for remote access. I asked him who ran LogMeIn and he had zero idea. Fucking technology.

 

[GrantDaNasty]

I think it's kinda weird that there's still spying going on between nations. Even between nations that aren't necessarily enemies.

Always be 3 (hundred) steps ahead of your (potential) allies/enemies.

 

[dragonelite]

No different from Google, Facebook, and Microsoft Windows being tools for American intelligence gathering.

Forget software how about Intel chips being remotely accessible if I'm not mistaken.

Still I have accepted that privacy on the internet or pc is something you control with how much you share.

 

[Hierophant]

I think it's kinda weird that there's still spying going on between nations. Even between nations that aren't necessarily enemies.

every nation spies on each other, only when they get caught are when the apologies come out

but they'll all still spy on each other

 

[Sinfamy]

Use Bitdefender instead, help my peoples economy.

 

[Fat4all]

HAXS

 

[Kareha]

Wonder when the US Govt. will outright ban Kaspersky usage in the entire country, they can do that can't they?

 

[NullPointer]

Wonder when the US Govt. will outright ban Kaspersky usage in the entire country, they can do that can't they?

For whats its worth hasn't Russia threatened to reciprocate if we were to do that? Not necessarily in terms of anti-virus, but with other software deals.

 

[SmokeMaxX]

Wonder if Israel informed the Obama administration.

 

[Fat4all]

Wonder if Israel informed the Obama administration.

if they did they didnt do enough

 

[Kill Your Masters]

For whats its worth hasn't Russia threatened to reciprocate if we were to do that? Not necessarily in terms of anti-virus, but with other software deals.

Oh no, what will the world do without Acronis and VK, said no one ever.

 

[NullPointer]

Oh no, what will the world do without Acronis and VK, said no one ever.

I think the threat was in regards to US software entering the Russian market.

Don't remember where I read it though.

 

[Kill Your Masters]

I think the threat was in regards to US software entering the Russian market.

Don't remember where I read it though.

Well yeah that would be a consequence of this, would be interesting to see if silicon valley giants would lobby the shit out of this to have the government not do anything about cyber warfare.

 

[Spectone]

Kaspersky is pretty much doomed now, it doesn't matter if they didn't work for the Russian government. No one is going to trust them in an industry that is built on trust.

 

[cameron]

Well what have you learned?

Those guys are spying on those other guys and those other guys are spying on these here guys who are probably spying on us.

Methods and vulnerabilities.

 

[Fat4all]

i learned to always look for the lock symbol next to the web address

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

This thread is hilarious. I have nothing further to contribute.

 

[Edris]

a spy, spying a spy?
Spyception

 

[jelly]

Didn't Russia arrest the Kaspersky head or someone big when he divulged some big hacking thing that directed back to Russia. I think they may have been okay years ago but like everything Russia now, the state has an interest and you can't say no.

 

[CadetMahoney]

GAF, tell me who I gotta be mad at.

 

[Fat4all]

GAF, tell me who I gotta be mad at.

me

 

[Ryuuroden]

But but but America spy's on everyone too. "You think our country's so innocent?"

 

[BlueTsunami]

NSA employee stored files on his home computer 🤦*♂️

WITH Kaspersky installed. I'd be looking sideways at him if I were an NSA official. Sounds like a good way to drip feed info to the other side while trying to maintain ignorance.

 

[jorma]

Kaspersky is pretty much doomed now, it doesn't matter if they didn't work for the Russian government. No one is going to trust them in an industry that is built on trust.

I mean i kinda trust them more now since they did find the hacking tools and exploits the nsa employee kept on his computer. Just like a virus program is supposed to.

 

[Jag]

Oh no, what will the world do without Acronis and VK, said no one ever.

Is Acronis Russian? I just moved my entire backup platform over to it. I paid for the full version because they were offering a rebate for the full price....oh fuck.

 

[Boylamite]

I think the threat was in regards to US software entering the Russian market.

Don't remember where I read it though.

You mean people won't pass around CD-Rs of their favorite cracked american software anymore?

 

[norinrad]

Fake, liberal media. #sad.

 

[Deleted member 80556]

I just remembered this is an episode of Person of Interest, but instead of national secrets it

Spoiler

was a multinational searching for an AI that was hiding.

Still, now I know I ain't using that spyware.

EDIT: Also, is no one going to show posts of that one thread where people were calling a guy xenophobic for not wanting to use Kapersky because of its Russian origin? Nah, better not to derail the thread.

 

[mf.luder]

Come on, just ask baron about cyber. He can tell you!

 

[Jeremy]

Do you have anything that is of high importance to the Russian secret service? I would remove it from your PC if so. Also, you really shouldn't store top secret files in your private PC.

lol it just feels icky.

Right? It's not even about having anything of value, it's the idea of the intrusion by someone that's legitimately foreign. Not only that but now the contents of your private computer have been stored by Kaspersky and intercepted by Israel and the US government and whoever else has been watching all of this unfold for the last 4+ years. It's weird to see it written off by everyone as nothing, Kaspersky was a highly suggested antivirus for years by the tech community (which also seems dubious in retrospect but I don't know if they started out well-intentioned or not).

e: i guess thinking about it a little more we give away a lot of private info to huge corporations in the US and all over the world completely at will already so I guess the only difference is knowing the underlying intention, maybe it really should be a 'who gives a shit, we deserve it' type thing

 

[bionic77]

FoxNews: "Everything is just fine! We don't have time to focus on the fact that our candidate is a puppet for a government that has been our enemy for the past 70 years so lets go life to Richard Spencer who has a new hot take on those uppity negroes that keep disrespecting our flag and veterans!"