By Aaron Miller-
Seven Russian intelligence officers have been charged following a wide investigation into “malicious” cyber activity that targeted Canadian-based doping agencies , an international chemical weapon organization, and other international organisations.
The U.S. Justice Department has indicted seven Russian military intelligence officers for their alleged involvement in a series of cyber-attacks aimed at spreading misinformation to Russia’s advantage. The indictment comes after Britain exposed cyber attacks conducted by the same Russian military intelligence service officers(GRU) for their multiple cyber attacks.
Allegations of malicious cyber attacks from Russia have been common place for a while, and are nothing new. Russian spokesmen and women have always been quick to dismiss allegations as propaganda or lacking evidence, as they did with the Novichok poisoning until overwhelming proof was provided. The pursuit of a defense from the Kremlin will forever be unavailing, the Russians see this as a political game of chess aimed at winning, not being accountable. They operate an ideology in which the end justifies the means, and if that means revenge or retribution, it’s all fine.
Among the accusations leveled against Russian military intelligence service officers (GRU) , are the 2016 hacking of the Canada-based World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA); as well as compromising the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, and other sporting federations and organizations.
The intrusive hacks led to the divulging of the personal medical information of more than 250 athletes from 30 counties illegally released online. Intelligence agencies consider the hacks to be retaliatory in nature, having been executed against the agencies that publicly supported a ban on Russian athletes in international sports competitions . The targeted agencies had also condemned Russia’s state-sponsored athlete doping program.
Four of the officers were also charged for cyber-targeting the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) network. The OPCW was investigating the poisoning of a former Russian intelligence official in Salisbury, U.K., as well as looking into chemical weapons used in Syria.
The criminal activity described in the 41-page indictment is perceived to be in retaliation for people and organizations who revealed Russia’s doping program for its athletes. The revelations believed to have sparked the cyber attacks are related to the stripping of dozens of Olympic medals from Russian athletes and the associated banning of that country’s athletes from the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The hacking which began in December 2014 and continued until at least May 2018 intruded into computers and networks of U.S. citizens and corporations, and international corporations and their workers around the world, according to officials .
NUCLEAR COMPANY TARGETED
The Russians hacking group are also accused of targeting a Pennsylvania-based nuclear energy company, according to the U.S. officials. Three of the seven spies have previously been charged by Special counsel Robert Mueller in his ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Among the charges the spies are facing: aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud.
The charges were announced by the U.S. Justice Department Thursday morning, at a press conference attended by RCMP Cybercrime Director Mark Flynn.
“International law enforcement are collaborating on this,” Flynn said, adding that a parallel investigation pertaining to Canadian victims is ongoing in Canada.
Authorities in The Hague described what they called a cloak-and-dagger operation by Russians to spy on chemical weapons analysts, using a rental car full of electronic spy equipment.
The conspiracy is believed to have been aimed at publicizing stolen information as part of an influence and disinformation campaign designed to undermine and retaliate against the efforts of international anti-doping organizations and officials. Anti-doping organisations had exposed a Russian state-sponsored athlete doping program, one officials believe led to corrupt attempts to damage the reputations of athletes around the world by falsely claiming that such athletes were using banned or performance-enhancing drugs, officials said.
The Justice Department filed criminal charges against seven members of the GRU, Russia’s main military intelligence unit, accusing them of hacking into the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as well as four international sports governing bodies. A grand jury indictment said the operation was in retaliation for the exposure of Russia’s state-sponsored athlete doping program that resulted in a ban from the 2016 summer Olympics in Brazil.
The indictment describes the hacking as having been often conducted remotely. If that wasn’t successful, Hackers are believed to have also conducted “on-site” or “close access” hacking operations with trained GRU members travelling with sophisticated equipment to target their victims through Wi-Fi networks.
“Today, Canada joins its allies in identifying and exposing a series of malicious cyber-operations by the Russian military. These acts form part of a broader pattern of activities by the Russian government that lie well outside the bounds of appropriate behaviour, demonstrate a disregard for international law and undermine the rules-based international order,” said Global Affairs Canada in a statement.
Global Affairs Canada said these incidents “underscore the Russian government’s disregard for the rules-based international order, international law and established norms.”