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Russian government hackers reportedly compromised U.S. agencies as part of global espionage campaign: report
Russian government hackers reportedly infiltrated multiple U.S. government agencies, including the Treasury and Commerce departments, as part of a worldwide espionage campaign that dates back months, people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post in a Monday report.
Over the weekend, officials were clambering to evaluate the nature and extent of the breach and implement effective countermeasures, but initial signs suggested the breach was long-running and significant, the people familiar with the matter told The Post.
The hackers, known by the nicknames APT29 or Cozy Bear, are part of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and in some cases they breached email systems…
The hackers, known by the nicknames APT29 or Cozy Bear, are part of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and in some cases they breached email systems, the people familiar with the breach told The Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. This is the same Russian group that hacked the State Department and the White House email servers during the Obama administration.
The FBI is investigating the campaign, which may have begun as early as springtime, and had no comment Sunday, according to The Post. The list of hacking victims have included government, consulting, technology, telecom, and oil and gas companies in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, according to FireEye, a cybersecurity firm that was breached too.
On Sunday, the Russian Embassy in Washington called Russian hacking reports “baseless attempts by American media to accuse Russia of hacking on US government authorities.”
The statement continued, saying that “attacks in the information space contradict the foreign policy principles of our country, its national interests and understanding of how relations between states are built. Russia does not conduct ‘offensive’ operations in a virtual environment.”
It was through the update server of a network management system made by the firm SolarWinds that all of the entities were hacked, FireEye said in a blog post Sunday.
Want more information about this story? Read the full original Washington Post story here.
You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.
In a significant development, Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, was indicted on Thursday on federal gun charges as part of Special Counsel David Weiss’ ongoing investigation. The indictment alleges that Hunter Biden made false statements during the purchase of a firearm, among other charges.
The charges against Hunter Biden include:
• Making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm
• Making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federal firearms licensed dealer
•Possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance
According to the indictment, the alleged incident occurred on or about October 12, 2018, in the District of Delaware. Hunter Biden is accused of knowingly making a false and fictitious written statement during the acquisition of a Colt Cobra 38SPL Revolver. According to reports from Fox News, the statement, submitted on Form 4473, falsely certified that he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, or controlled substance.
Furthermore, the indictment further states that between October 12, 2018, and October 23, 2018, in the District of Delaware, Hunter Biden knowingly possessed the same firearm despite being an unlawful user of and addicted to controlled substances. This marks the first set of charges brought by Special Counsel David Weiss against Hunter Biden since being granted special counsel status.
The investigation came to public attention when it was reported by Fox News in 2021 that police had responded to an incident in 2018 involving a gun owned by Hunter Biden.
Reports state that, Hallie Biden, the widow of President Biden’s late son, Beau, who was in a relationship with Hunter at the time, discarded the gun. Hunter’s gun was thrown away in a dumpster near a market, located close to a school. It was subsequently revealed that Hunter Biden had purchased a gun earlier that same month.
Hunter Biden’s legal troubles do not end with the gun charges. Earlier in July, an original plea agreement collapsed, which would have seen him plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax counts for willful failure to pay federal income tax, thus avoiding jail time on a felony gun charge. Instead, he pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and one felony gun charge.
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed David Weiss as special counsel to oversee the Hunter Biden investigation and related matters. The White House has declined to comment on these developments, which continue to draw significant public and media attention.
Follow Alexander Carter on Twitter @AlexCarterDC for more!
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