Russians Cheer Hack Of Joint Chiefs Of Staff
Some top US military leaders have said recently that Russia poses a greater threat to Washington than ISIS or al Qaeda
By John Knefel and Vladi Vovcuk on Aug 07, 2015 at 12:50 PM
Russian media outlets praised their country’s alleged role in the recent successful attack against the U.S. government’s computer systems, which targeted the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
One popular editorial cartoon, originally created for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2014, was shared widely on social media, depicting a bear—one of the strongest national symbols for Russians—hacking into a computer.
Another cartoon depicted an enraged American screaming, “There’s a bear in the computer!”
One report boasted, “Russian hackers left the Pentagon without mail”
The hack was discovered late last month, and the Joint Chief’s email system was taken offline immediately. The Washington Post reports that the email system is still down as a precaution. The hack involved what is known as “spear-phishing,” which is similar to phishing emails except that the malware appears to come from a friend or co-worker. The hackers reportedly accessed classified military data, but there’s been further detail on what specifically they may have seen or stolen. The Russian government hasn’t issued any public responses to the U.S. claims.
U.S. officials believe that Russian hackers were also responsible for successful attacks earlier this year against the White House, State Department and Pentagon. Another massive breach of government data, against the Office of Personnel Management, was blamed on the Chinese government.
Earlier this summer, several nominees to top spots on the Joint Chiefs made comments during their confirmation hearings calling Russia the top national security threat to the U.S. Responding to a question from Sen Joe Manchin (D-VA) at a hearing in July, Marine General Joseph Dunford argued that the U.S. should send arms to Ukraine to deter what he called Russian aggression.
“My assessment today, Senator, is that Russia presents the greatest threat to our national security,” said Dunford, who was later confirmed for the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, which is the top military adviser to the White House.
http://www.vocativ.com/news/219477/russians-cheer-hack-of-joint-chiefs-of-staff/
