Category Archives: FSB

Report: Kaspersky Lab to open new data center in Switzerland to curb espionage suspicions

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Hoping to curb suspicions surrounding its alleged relationship to Russian intelligence, Moscow-based cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab is set to start building a new data center in Switzerland, Reuters reports.  The aim is to address recent concerns that Russian spies have supposedly leveraged the anti-virus platform to steal confidential files, according to documents seen by Reuters. In an official statement, the company explains that this new building is part of their larger Global Transparency Initiative. “We understand that during a time of geopolitical tension, mirrored by an increasingly complex cyber-threat landscape, people may have questions and we want to address them,” a company statement reads.  The Swiss lab will store and analyze malicious computer files with unusual characteristics that come from customers geographically located in the United States and European Union. Only “abnormal” files will be sent on to Kaspersky headquarters in Moscow for further manual review. A source told Reuters that 99.6 percent […]

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Telegram Ordered to Hand Over Encryption Keys to Russian Authorities

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Popular secure messaging service loses battle with Russian courts and now must hand over encryption keys or face being blocked from country. Continue reading Telegram Ordered to Hand Over Encryption Keys to Russian Authorities→

U.S. sanctions Russia over attempts to hack energy grid, NotPetya

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The Trump administration announced Thursday sanctions against Russian entities for a multitude of actions, including meddling in the 2016 presidential election, the NotPetya attack and persistent attempt to break into the U.S. energy grid. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned five entities and 19 individuals with ties to the Kremlin, including high-ranking officials in Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). “The administration is confronting and countering malign Russian cyber activity, including their attempted interference in U.S. elections, destructive cyber-attacks, and intrusions targeting critical infrastructure,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.  “These targeted sanctions are a part of a broader effort to address the ongoing nefarious attacks emanating from Russia.” Senior administration officials say that a number of those sanctioned are responsible for attempts to breach industrial control systems tied to the U.S. energy grid. Officials say attackers conducted a “multi-stage campaign” […]

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Guilty plea for Canadian charged in 2014 Yahoo hacking case

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A man pleaded guilty in federal court in San Francisco on Tuesday for his role in helping Russian spies hack into email accounts. Karim Baratov, a 22-year-old Kazakhstan-born Canadian citizen, was arrested in Toronto in March before waiving his right to fight extradition to the U.S. earlier this year. Baratov is charged, along with three other men including two intelligence agents from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), for a role in the 2014 data breach where information tied to 500 million Yahoo accounts was stolen. Baratov pleaded guilty to eight criminal counts including conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse and aggravated identity theft. American prosecutors say Baratov worked under the order and pay of the FSB officers Dmitry Dokuchaev and Igor Sushchin. When FSB targets had non-Yahoo emails, the agency allegedly paid Baratov to break into at least 80 accounts. At least 50 of the targets Baratov allegedly hacked used Gmail. The defendant’s lawyers […]

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Russia: An Expert in Active Measures, Including Cyber Meddling

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Russia, neatly tucked away in the rather large northeast corner of Europe and Asia with its 11 time zones, is the bastion of a most colorful political history. Since time immemorial there has always been underlying efforts to adjust perception, foment … Continue reading Russia: An Expert in Active Measures, Including Cyber Meddling→

The confrontation that fueled the fallout between Kaspersky and the U.S. government

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The United States’ hostile relationship with Moscow-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab may have been partially shaped by an incident two years ago in which an eyebrow-raising Kaspersky sales pitch eventually led to a secret and previously undisclosed confrontation between Russian intelligence and the CIA. The confrontation, which ended in Russia’s domestic intelligence agency issuing a diplomatic démarche, was the result of the U.S. government’s intrusive treatment of the Russian company and helped set off a chain of events that is still unfolding today, according to multiple people with knowledge of the matter. These officials spoke to CyberScoop anonymously in order to freely discuss the sensitive nature of the ongoing saga. In the first half of 2015, Kaspersky was making aggressive sales pitches to numerous U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and NSA, multiple U.S. officials told CyberScoop. The sales pitch caught officials’ attention inside the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division […]

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FBI needs to show its Kaspersky cards or fold

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The FBI, in conjunction with other U.S. intelligence agencies, is making the case that Kaspersky has Russian intelligence ties and its products can’t be trusted.  CyberScoop broke the story that the bureau has been briefing additional intelligence to U.S. companies using Kaspersky products, warning them to stop. To date, the intelligence the FBI is briefing Kaspersky users on has not been made part of the public debate. It needs to be as soon as possible. On Capitol Hill, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., is moving to block the use of Kaspersky products in Defense Department networks. She laid out her rationale for this move in the New York Times on Monday.  Shaheen makes the same tired and weak argument that Kaspersky has Russian intelligence ties and that classified assessments would allay any public doubts. The entirety of the public evidence against Kaspersky boils down to the fact that company founder and CEO Eugene […]

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Canadian allegedly paid by FSB officers to breach Yahoo will be extradited to U.S.

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A Canadian man charged with hacking into Yahoo! under the order of Russian intelligence officers waived his right to an extradition hearing and will now be transported to U.S. custody. Karim Baratov, 22, was arrested in March by Toronto police for allegedly breaching personal accounts tied to Yahoo! and other email providers between 2014 and 2016. Authorities said Beratov served as a contractor for Russia’s Federal Security Services (FSB). He faces 10 counts, including wire fraud and computer hacking. Baratov’s lawyer has said he may consider a plea deal in return for less chargers. The Justice Department has said that Baratov conducted cyber-espionage under the order of two FSB officers, Dmitry Dokuchaev and Igor Sushchin. Federal prosecutors estimate that the scheme led to upwards 500 million compromised Yahoo! accounts. CBC first reported the extradition agreement. When “a target of interest had accounts at webmail providers other than Yahoo, including through […]

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Spearphishing attacks on energy firms tied to years-long global hacking operation

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A recent barrage of well-crafted phishing emails aimed at employees at U.S. energy companies, including one nuclear facility, is tied to a years-long international campaign to steal user credentials and gather intelligence from the world’s largest energy firms. The New York Times and Bloomberg reported Thursday that the FBI and Department of Homeland Security had recently warned several U.S. energy companies about the threat of hackers attempting to break into their networks by using specially tailored spearphishing emails and watering hole-style attacks. John Hultquist, who leads U.S. cybersecurity firm FireEye’s cyberespionage analysis division, said that he’s been independently tracking this same operation and that FireEye customers were warned about it roughly five weeks ago. “We’ve tied this recent operation to a campaign that started all the way back in 2015, which extends beyond the U.S., and has targeted companies in the Middle East and Western Europe … specifically in Turkey […]

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