Microsoft Says Russian, Chinese, Iranian Hackers Stepping up Attacks on US Presidential Election, Calls for Increased Security to Safeguard Democracy
A report published by Microsoft on 10 September has warned of Russian, Chinese, and Iranian hackers found again to be attempting to interfere with the US presidential election. The report noted that the hackers were using more convert methods this time in their attacks on members of both the Democratic and Republican parties and associated think tanks.
As America entered the election year, cyber warfare was back. Microsoft analysed suspicious use of its products and found that hackers from Russia, China, and Iran were once again in action. Strontium, a hacker organization that has accessed and leaked emails of the former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and has ties to the Russian military intelligence agency GRU, has again launched attacks on the election this year. Besides the Democrats, the Republicans, and members of other political parties, their targets also included think tanks, advocacy groups, and enterprises. It is estimated that at least 200 US institutions related to the election have been attacked. According to Microsoft’s report, the Russian hackers have changed their methods. While they would obtain login credentials through phishing emails during the 2016 election, they have become more proactive this year by engaging in brute force attacks and password spraying, which is to break into many accounts using a few commonly used credentials. Meanwhile, they have become more cautious. They made some of the attacks using the Tor browser to stay anonymous and untraceable. This has made investigations more difficult and time-consuming.
Besides the Russians, Chinese and Iranian hackers were also on the move. Microsoft said they had discovered as early as in March 2019 that the Chinese hacker organisation Zirconium had launched thousands of attacks and compromised nearly 150 accounts. Their goal, said Microsoft, was to infiltrate email accounts of the candidates and individuals related to the campaigns. Using non-campaign accounts belonging to people related to the campaign, Zirconium directed an unsuccessful attack at the election effort of the Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Trump’s campaign has also been targeted with at least one “prominent person” affiliated with the current administration being attacked. Besides politicians, Microsoft said Chinese hackers had also attacked international relations scholars at 15 universities and 18 international relations policy organizations, including the Atlantic Council and Stimson Center. It was not revealed whether the attack was successful.
Source: Stand News #Sep11
#US #Russia #China #Iran #Microsoft #Election #Interference #Cyberattack
https://bit.ly/2HlR0EZ
A report published by Microsoft on 10 September has warned of Russian, Chinese, and Iranian hackers found again to be attempting to interfere with the US presidential election. The report noted that the hackers were using more convert methods this time in their attacks on members of both the Democratic and Republican parties and associated think tanks.
As America entered the election year, cyber warfare was back. Microsoft analysed suspicious use of its products and found that hackers from Russia, China, and Iran were once again in action. Strontium, a hacker organization that has accessed and leaked emails of the former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and has ties to the Russian military intelligence agency GRU, has again launched attacks on the election this year. Besides the Democrats, the Republicans, and members of other political parties, their targets also included think tanks, advocacy groups, and enterprises. It is estimated that at least 200 US institutions related to the election have been attacked. According to Microsoft’s report, the Russian hackers have changed their methods. While they would obtain login credentials through phishing emails during the 2016 election, they have become more proactive this year by engaging in brute force attacks and password spraying, which is to break into many accounts using a few commonly used credentials. Meanwhile, they have become more cautious. They made some of the attacks using the Tor browser to stay anonymous and untraceable. This has made investigations more difficult and time-consuming.
Besides the Russians, Chinese and Iranian hackers were also on the move. Microsoft said they had discovered as early as in March 2019 that the Chinese hacker organisation Zirconium had launched thousands of attacks and compromised nearly 150 accounts. Their goal, said Microsoft, was to infiltrate email accounts of the candidates and individuals related to the campaigns. Using non-campaign accounts belonging to people related to the campaign, Zirconium directed an unsuccessful attack at the election effort of the Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Trump’s campaign has also been targeted with at least one “prominent person” affiliated with the current administration being attacked. Besides politicians, Microsoft said Chinese hackers had also attacked international relations scholars at 15 universities and 18 international relations policy organizations, including the Atlantic Council and Stimson Center. It was not revealed whether the attack was successful.
Source: Stand News #Sep11
#US #Russia #China #Iran #Microsoft #Election #Interference #Cyberattack
https://bit.ly/2HlR0EZ
#TaxpayersMoney
Hong Kong Free Press: Hong Kong govt’s spends multi-million dollar in US lobbying operation
//HKFP has reviewed years worth of disclosure filings submitted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (#HKTDC) and its lobbying firms as part of requirements under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (#FARA), and found that the Hong Kong government lobbied US politicians specifically on the Act in at least six in-person meetings, after massive protests broke out in Hong Kong in 2014, and again in 2019.
The HKTDC paid close to HK$84 million (US$10.8 million) to US lobbying firms from 2014 to 2020, according to data provided by the Centre for Responsive Politics. It also received a total of HK$374 million (US$48.2 million) from its head office to cover expenses that require FARA disclosure during this time.
The HKTDC was just one of the myriad of entities among the China lobby that tried to influence US policies by making a case for mutual economic interests to American legislators, Hong Kong Democracy Council activist Samuel Chu said.
“Instead of them going directly [to say] that ‘we wanted to push back on the human rights and democracy part of the law,’ they send the trade and business people to say that the bill is bad,” said Chu.//
Read full article:
hongkongfp.com/2021/04/19/inside-hong-kong-govts-multi-million-dollar-lobbying-operation-on-capitol-hill/
Source: HKFP #Apr19
#FailedState #Interference #Lobby #Capitol
Hong Kong Free Press: Hong Kong govt’s spends multi-million dollar in US lobbying operation
//HKFP has reviewed years worth of disclosure filings submitted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (#HKTDC) and its lobbying firms as part of requirements under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (#FARA), and found that the Hong Kong government lobbied US politicians specifically on the Act in at least six in-person meetings, after massive protests broke out in Hong Kong in 2014, and again in 2019.
The HKTDC paid close to HK$84 million (US$10.8 million) to US lobbying firms from 2014 to 2020, according to data provided by the Centre for Responsive Politics. It also received a total of HK$374 million (US$48.2 million) from its head office to cover expenses that require FARA disclosure during this time.
The HKTDC was just one of the myriad of entities among the China lobby that tried to influence US policies by making a case for mutual economic interests to American legislators, Hong Kong Democracy Council activist Samuel Chu said.
“Instead of them going directly [to say] that ‘we wanted to push back on the human rights and democracy part of the law,’ they send the trade and business people to say that the bill is bad,” said Chu.//
Read full article:
hongkongfp.com/2021/04/19/inside-hong-kong-govts-multi-million-dollar-lobbying-operation-on-capitol-hill/
Source: HKFP #Apr19
#FailedState #Interference #Lobby #Capitol
Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
Exclusive: Inside the Hong Kong govt’s multi-million dollar US lobbying operation
When celebrity Hong Kong activists Joshua Wong and Denise Ho flew to the United States to testify before Congress about protests in the city and to lobby its members on a law that paved way for US …