The Russia watchThe crisis of election security; new Russian meddling tactic; Canada & cyberattacks, and more
· The crisis of election security
· Is a new Russian meddling tactic hiding in plain sight?
· Fancy Bear, the Russian election hackers, have a nasty new weapon
· The old-school double-agent tactics governments will use to erode trust
· Russia is trying to influence the 2018 US election. But this time the U.S. is prepared.
· A comprehensive account of Russia’s scheming in the 2016 election
· Voting machine used in half of U.S. is vulnerable to attack, report finds
· Researchers find Russian “VPNfilter” malware was a Swiss Army hacking knife
· How prepared is Canada for cyberattacks ?
· Revealed: What Erik Prince and Moscow’s money man discussed in that infamous Seychelles meeting
The crisis of election security (Kim Zetter, New York Times)
As the midterms approach, America’s electronic voting systems are more vulnerable than ever. Why isn’t anyone trying to fix them?
Is a new Russian meddling tactic hiding in plain sight? (Kevin Roose, New York Times)
To an untrained eye, USAReally might look like any other fledgling news organization vying for attention in a crowded media landscape. Its website publishes a steady stream of stories on hot-button political issues like race, immigration and income inequality. It has reader polls, a video section and a daily podcast.
But this is no ordinary media start-up. USAReally is based in Moscow and has received funding from the Federal News Agency, a Russian media conglomerate with ties to the Internet Research Agency, the “troll farm” whose employees were indicted by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, for interfering in the 2016 presidential election.
Caught flat-footed by the influence campaigns of 2016, intelligence agencies and tech companies in the United States have spent months looking for hidden Russian footprints ahead of the midterm elections.
USAReally’s website, which began publishing in May, does not advertise its Russian roots. But in many ways, it is operating in plain sight.
Fancy Bear, the Russian election hackers, have a nasty new weapon (Kevin Poulsen, Daily Beast)
If Putin’s new malware hits you, don’t bother wiping your hard drive. Just throw out your computer.
