Explaining the troubling tactics of the Kremlinand the White House.

Hannah Levintova, Bryan Schatz and AJ VicensJuly/August 2017 Issue

Information warfare is at the heart of the scandal engulfing the Trump administration. We spoke with four experts to help explain it, from WikiLeaks role to Putins long gameand Trumps own use of disinformation. Heres what they had to say.

Help MoJo mount a truly independent investigation into Trumps ties to Russia. Make a tax-deductible monthly or one-time donation today.

Andrei Soldatov is a longtime Russian investigative reporter, the co-founder of Agenta.ru, a website focusing on the Russian secret services, and the co-author of two books on Russian intelligence activities.

Mother Jones: Do you think WikiLeaks is actively coordinating with Russian interests?

Andrei Soldatov: Yeah, after 2016 I think its pretty clear.

MJ: How does that relationship work?

AS: The entire history of the Russian hacking operations is mostly outsourced operations, so you can easily deny your responsibility. Its not so hierarchical and direct, like you have the government secret agency and you have WikiLeaks and you have one guy in between. It might be much more complicated.

MJ: Can you walk us through the ecosystem of how the Russian hacking operations work?

AS: You have three elements: You have the secret services, mostly the FSB. They have extremely good connections to criminal hackers and the IT industry because the FSB is also in charge of licensing all activities in cyber, like encryption. The military is a second actor, extremely active now, extremely adventurous. Then you have informal actors, people who have their own direct access to the Kremlin. Some of them might work for the security services, but a lot of these guys work directly for the administration of the president.

This tactic was developed in 1999, when the Chechens found a way to start all these websites about whats going on in Chechnya. That was a real threat. So the security agencies got some students to hack these websites. And immediately the Kremlin understood that if youve got students, not government actors, attacking your targets, it provides you deniable responsibility. And immediately they started encouraging these people to attack other sensitive targets. Some targets were based in Russia: independent media, political opposition. Some were based outside the country. But the Kremlin understood outsourcing is much more effective. They have been using this trick ever since.

MJ: The US intelligence community has concluded that the hacking operation was closely directed by Putin.

AS: Its entirely plausible to me. This election was really personal for Putin because he believed that Clinton is a personal enemy. He genuinely believed she was behind the Moscow protests in 2012, 2011. I do not think these groups would try to do something without his authorization or his knowledge. It would be really crazy.

MJ: How do everyday Russians view this whole episode?

AS: Its a strange combination of two thoughts. The first one is, Look how ridiculous are Americans. They blame us for everything. And the second thought is, Look how great we are. We are to blame for everything in the world, which means we are really, really important.

Steven Hall/CIA

Steven Hall, who retired in 2015 after a decorated career at the CIA, ran the agencys Russia operations.

Mother Jones: If you were involved in the Trump-Russia investigation, who or what would you hone in on?

Steven Hall: Mike Flynn, no doubt. Its fun to think about what I would do if I was a Russian intelligence officer in charge of running these various operations. Not just the influence operation, which its quite clear now was pretty successful in increasing the likelihood that Donald Trump would be elected. But if I was the SVR [Russian foreign intelligence] guy who was told, Okay, your job is to try to find whether there are members of the campaign who would be willing to play ball with us, No. 1 on my list would be Flynn. First of all, hes a former chief of the DIA [Defense Intelligence Agency]. Hes an intelligence officer, so he understands how discreet and clandestine you need to be if youre going to cooperate on that level. And then, theres the future: Hes probably going to land a pretty good job, assuming Trump wins. So its a win-win-win in terms of targeting Flynn. Furthermore, hes come to Moscow. Hes accepted money from Russian companies, and hes tried to conceal that. So on paper, hes a really good-looking candidate for a spy.

MJ: Is there any parallel to this moment that you saw in your 30-plus year career with the CIA?

SH: The short answer is no. There have certainly been big spy cases in the pastAldrich Ames, Robert Hanssen. But I cant think of one that would be as senior a guy as somebody like the national security adviser, or even more unprecedentedif it turns out that the Trump camp had the go-ahead from the big dog to talk to the Russians prior to the election.

MJ: How likely is it that the Kremlin has collected kompromat on Trump?

SH: I can absolutely tell you that the FSB [Russias Federal Security Service] are rigged up to collect as much compromising information against any target they consider to be valuable. So when Trump was there in Russia, would they have collected against him? I think the answer is yes. I think they would have seen Trump for what he was at the time, which to the Russian lens would have just been an American oligarcha rich guy with considerable power who you might need something on at some pointHes a good guy to have at your beck and call.

If there was compromising material that had a shot at actually making Trump behave the way the Russians wanted him to, I would imagine it would be something financialillegal, dirty dealings, or something with legal import.

MJ: Do you think Congress is able to investigate the Trump-Russia allegations effectively?

SH: I dont think so, given where Congress is right now in terms of partisanship. There might have been a time historically15, 20 years ago. Short of having an independent investigator or some other mechanism that can get rid of some of the partisanship, I just dont think its going to happen.

Jack Barsky

Jack Barsky is a former KGB officer who spent a decade spying in the United States before defecting in 1988. His 2017 memoir, Deep Undercover: My Secret Life and Tangled Allegiances as a KGB Spy in America, details his path from a Soviet intelligence operative to a proud US citizen.

Mother Jones: What type of intelligence interest would have been aroused by Donald Trumps 2013 trip to Moscow? Is it likely he was surveilled?

Jack Barsky: Absolutely. In todays Russiaif you go over there and talk business with senior businessmen, then youve had some contact with Russian intelligence without knowing it.

MJ: Why was Russia so brazen in interfering in the US election?

JB: It wasnt so much about getting Trump elected. It was about creating disorder, stirring up problems, destabilizing to the extent you can. Even prior to the internet, the KGB was famous for planting false news and somehow getting information circulated in the Western world that was entirely phony. They are taking advantage of the weaknesses of an open society. Its actually a strength. But from the point of view of a tightly controlled regime, our openness, the ability to plant all kinds of information with all kinds of people because we dont have a tightly, centrally controlled mediathat is a weakness. They absolutely succeeded to some degree. And we are helping with this success. Thats what bothers me. We took the bait, the media and the politicians. We are wallowing in this internal bickering. The longer this goes on, the more folks back in Moscow will rub their hands and say, Hey, this is going pretty well.

MJ: Whats Russias endgame?

JB: Reestablishing the Russian empire. It doesnt necessarily mean conquering Europe and being super aggressive like Hitler was, but establishing themselves again as a power to be reckoned with in the world. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia lost significant influence and power. And Putin wants to restore this. Thats historically something thats part of the Russian national character. And obviously, any kind of intelligence efforts will try to support that end goal.

Help us dig deep on Trumps ties to Russia. Make a tax-deductible monthly or one-time donation to Mother Jones today.

There are four basic techniques of propagandathe 4Dsaccording to Ben Nimmo, an England-based analyst of Russian information warfare. Though hes mostly applied them to Putins disinformation operations, they also provide a helpful lens for understanding Donald Trumps mastery of spin.

1. Dismiss: Reject uncomfortable allegations or facts.

Example: One day before he fired FBI Director James Comey, Trump tweeted, The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax.

2. Distract: Throw out diversionary stories or shiny counterclaims.

Example: As reports of his staffers Russian ties heated up in March, Trump tweeted that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory.

3. Distort: If you dont like the facts, invent your own.

Example: The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process, Trump tweeted in March, just after National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers and Comey testified that Russia had tried to do exactly that.

4. Dismay: And if all else fails, try to scare them into shutting up.

Example: During the election, Trump threatened to prosecute Hillary Clinton if he became president. Trump has also threatened to roll back First Amendment protections for journalists who report purposely negative and horrible and false articles about him: Were going to open up libel laws, folks, and were going to have people sue you like you never got sued before.

Hannah Levintova is a reporter in Mother Jones' DC bureau. You can email her at hlevintova[at]motherjones[dot]com. For more of her stories, click here.

Bryan Schatz is a reporter at Mother Jones. Reach him at bschatz@motherjones.com.

Mother Jones is a nonprofit, and stories like this are made possible by readers like you. Donate or subscribe to help fund independent journalism.

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Four Spy Experts on Trump Blackmail, WikiLeaks, and Putin's Long Game - Mother Jones

WikiLeaks has published another set of leaked documents from the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). This latest leak is part of WikiLeaks' Vault 7 batch and details a malicious app for Android devices called HighRise. Also called TideCheck, this app allows a remote hacker to redirect or intercept SMS text messages that are sent to a target's cellular phone, and have those communications forwarded to a remote web server.

This appears to be an old tool that was used by the CIA, or at least the version described in the leaked documents is an older piece of malware. The accompanying manual is dated December 16, 2013, and describes a tool that was designed to work on mobile handsets running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) to 4.3 (Jelly Bean). There have been four other major Android releases since then, including KitKat, Lollipop, Marshmallow, Nougat. Google is also close to releasing yet another Android build, Android O.

One thing that is interesting about this particular malware is that it cannot be installed remotely, unlike some of the other tools the CIA is known to have used. HighRise must be installed physically and then manually run once before it will automatically run in the background or after a reboot. As a consequence of this, HighRise also shows up in the list of installed apps so it can be started by the HighRise operator, according to the user guide.

These features suggest that this particular version probably was not used for spying on a target, at least not directly, and instead was used as a secure line of communication with CIA agents in the field, perhaps as a backup. Previous versions of the app did not have these attributes.

It is not known if the CIA continues to use this tool, albeit and updated version that supports newer version of Android (and perhaps iOS as well).

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WikiLeaks Exposes CIA's HighRise SMS Spying Tool In Latest Vault 7 Dump - Hot Hardware

The latest addition to WikiLeaks' Vault 7 cache of leaked CIA documents details an app that can be used to intercept SMS messages on Android devices. The HighRise tool can grab messages before sending them on to a CIA-controlled server.

The app itself goes by the name of TideCheck and it serves as an SMS proxy to allow for the interception of messages on a target's phone. The app itself is password protected (with the word "inshallah") to prevent unwanted tinkering. It also seems to serve a dual purpose, acting as a secure communication channel for CIA operatives.

Unlike many of the other CIA tools revealed as part of the Vault 7 leaks, HighRise/TideCheck cannot be installed remotely, and requires physical access to a phone to get it installed and running. The leaked documentation shows that the app only works on Android 4.0 to 4.3, but as the file dates back to late 2013, it's likely that the app was updated for future versions of Google's mobile operating system.

Writing about the SMS tool, WikiLeaks says:

Today WikiLeaks publishes documents from theHighriseproject of the CIA.HighRiseis an Android application designed for mobile devices running Android 4.0 to 4.3. It provides a redirector function for SMS messaging that could be used by a number of IOC tools that use SMS messages for communication between implants and listening posts.HighRiseacts as a SMS proxy that provides greater separation between devices in the field ("targets") and the listening post (LP) by proxying "incoming" and "outgoing" SMS messages to an internet LP.Highriseprovides a communications channel between theHighRisefield operator and the LP with a TLS/SSL secured internet communication.

The documentation for HighRise can be found on the WikiLeaks website.

Image credit: Pakpoom Phummee / Shutterstock

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WikiLeaks reveals CIA tool for SMS spying - BetaNews

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Saturday that he supports the lawsuit filed this week arguing that President Trump and members of his communications staff should not be blocking users from his Twitter account.

"I support this suit against Trump. It a constitutional violation for a state official to block political comments," Assange wrote on Twitter. He added that the "only exception" would be "if the user makes the same comment endlessly which would have the effect of denying others space to speak."

The lawsuit was filed by the Knight First Amendment Institute on Tuesday, which argues that Trump and his communications team are violating the Constitution through their use of Twitter. The institute, a project created by Columbia University and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, took issue with Trump blocking various Twitter users from viewing his tweets. The suit requests that the court force Trump to remove his Twitter ban on seven users seeking to view his profile.

The suit was filed in the Southern District of New York and follows a letter that the institute sent to Trump last month threatening legal action if he didn't make changes to his account.

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange supports Twitter lawsuit against Trump - Washington Examiner

Since launching its Vault 7 project in March, WikiLeaks has dumped documents outlining the CIAs efforts to exploit Microsoft and Apple technology. In this weeks latest release, it focuses on malware called HighRise, which the agency used to target Android devices.

WikiLeaks describes HighRise this way on its website:

HighRise is an Android application designed for mobile devices running Android 4.0 to 4.3. It provides a redirector function for SMS messaging that could be used by a number of IOC tools that use SMS messages for communication between implants and listening posts. HighRise acts as a SMS proxy that provides greater separation between devices in the field (targets) and the listening post (LP) by proxying incoming and outgoing SMS messages to an internet LP. Highrise provides a communications channel between the HighRise field operator and the LP with a TLS/SSL secured internet communication.

HighRise has to be installed manually on a targets phone, and it has to be set up manually, according to the 12-page HighRise user guide dated December 16 2013. Once the apk is installed on the targeted device,an application named TideCheck appears in the list of apps on the device.

TideCheck houses HighRise, and the agent must open the app to start the process. It then runs a special code once the word inshallah (God willing in Arabic) is entered into a text box disguised to look like its asking for an activation code for the app. Once the code is entered, the agent taps into the apps settings.

After initial installation, HighRise runs in the background and automatically activates whenever the phone is turned on. The app continuously intercepts texts.

Its a powerful spying tool but it has limits. For one thing, it must be installed onto a device manually and not remotely. The agent must have physical contact with the victims device to infect it.

Its unclear if the CIA still uses HighRise.

This latest leak comes nearly a month after WikiLeaks last dump,from a project dubbed Cherry Blossom (WikiLeaks variously writes both Cherry Blossom and CherryBlossom, but the leaked documents routinely refer to Cherry Blossom, or CB for short, if youre a stickler for precision).

In the words of its own Quick Start Guide, the CB project focused on internet surveillance:

The Cherry Blossom (CB) system provides a means of monitoring the internet activity of and performing software exploits on targets of interest. In particular, CB is focused on compromising wireless networking devices, such as wireless (802.11) routers and access points (APs), to achieve these goals.

Such leaks raise concerns that other attackers will use the tools for their own campaigns. Weve already seen that happen with the recent WannaCry and Petya outbreaks, which made use of NSA tools dumped by the Shadow Brokers hacking group. When the Vault 7 dumps began, we asked security experts if there were any silver linings for the good guys.

Eric Cowperthwaite, former VP of strategy for Core Security and now director of managed risk services for Edgile, said at the time that he was conflicted on that question.

He brought up the case ofChelsea Manning,a United States Army soldier convicted by court-martial in 2013 for violating the Espionage Act and other offenses, after givingWikiLeaks thousands of classified and/or sensitive military and diplomatic documents:

There is good and bad in this. We know that some of the Manning leaks had impacts on military operations. That was part of Mannings trial. I also found it interesting that Wikileaks alleges that the US intelligence community has a problem keeping its cyberwar tools off the black market. And if the CIA, NSA, etc. cant keep these things under control, that is something that citizens should know.

Its worth noting that this is an exploit for older, outdated versions of Android, and theres no way of knowing if theres a more current version that works with updated iterations of the mobile operating system. At Naked Security, well be keeping our ear to the ground.

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Vault 7: new WikiLeaks dump details Android SMS snooping malware - Naked Security

Wikileaks: Highrise aka TideCheck manual published.

WikiLeaks Thursday published the manual of another CIA hacking tool Highrise, aka TideCheck, which is used to intercept and redirect text messages to a remote web server.

The manual, dated Dec. 16, 2013, was part of the Vault 7 leak series and the tool was designed to work on mobile devices running Android 4.0 to 4.3 though it has likely been updated to work on more recent versions.

Features at a glance include proxy incoming SMS messages received by HighRise host to an internet LP, send outgoing SMS messages via the HighRise host, provide a communications channel between the HighRise field operator & the LP, and TLS/SSL secured internet communications.

The last two features suggest Highrise isn't a tool for installing on a targets phone but an app that can be installed on the phones of CIA field operatives and provide a secondary, encrypted communications channel between operatives and supervisors, Bleeping Computer researchers said.

When starting the tool for the first time, CIA operatives must enter the special code "inshallah," which is the Arabic word for "God willing" in order to access its settings. Agents are then given the options to Initialize, Show Configuration, or Send Messages.

Continued here:
Wikileaks publishes Vault 7: Highrise tool for Android devices - SC Magazine

WikiLeaks has revealed details about HighRise, a tool allegedly developed by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which intercepts and redirects SMS messages to a remote web server through an Android application.

In other words, the malware can enable a CIA agent to access the message before it reaches its intended recipient.

The leaked manual comes from Vault 7, the codename given by WikiLeaks to documents it claims reveala repertoire of hacking tools and capabilities that the CIA has used in the recent past.

According to WikiLeaks, HighRise acts as a proxy server for text messages. However, it is limited to devices which have the malware installed on it manually meaning that the CIA would need physical access to the Android device to infect the handset.

The manual suggested that it only works on Android versions from 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) to 4.3 (JellyBean) although it could have been updated to work on more recent versions of the Android OS.

The HighRise tool is packaged inside an app called TideCheck. Once the CIA installs the app on the targets device, they have to run it at least once, in order for it to work at all times including when the phone is rebooted. The app starts when the phone is powered on, meaning that it can continue to run in the background and intercept text messages for longer than most other CIA malware, which disappeared after a restart.

According to the manual, CIA operatives have to enter the special code inshallah which is the Arabic word for God willing to access the apps settings.

Once activated, the app gives the user three choices they can return directly to the configuration to make changes, they can start the tool or they can send an SMS from the phone to a remote CIA server.

This is the first Vault 7 data dump to involve the Android OS; most of the other tools have been focused on Windows or Linux. This included Grasshopper, a builder for Windows malware, and Scribble, a beaconing system for Office documents. There has also been a tool geared to hack Samsung smart TVs, and a tool for hacking iPhones and Macs.

WikiLeaks claim that the CIA are, or have been using many of these tools- but critics suggest that the documents are several years out-of-date and have suggested that WikiLeaks has overhyped their importance.

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WikiLeaks Reveals CIA Tool Acting as SMS Proxy on Android - Infosecurity Magazine

A signature catchphrase, a heavy push forjobs, his son-in-laws digital operation and a blowhard, braggadociosstyle of speech ultimately handed President Donald Trump the White House on Election Day last year, a newly released study suggests.

He also benefited tremendously thanks to WikiLeaks email dumping and the social media site Twitter, which was used to heavily criticize Trump opponent and Democrat Hillary Clinton over the final two months of the campaign,according to Science Magazine.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh in tandem with the Qatar Computing Research Institute, examined the 50 most retweeted Twitter posts between September 1 and November 8 and discovered posts that slammed or ridiculed Clinton were three-times more prevalent than positive ones.

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And WikiLeaks, the government transparency site, was employed by Clinton defamers the most. Founded by Julian Assange, the site was responsible for leaking hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee, which only fueled flames of the private email server scandal that plagued Clinton throughout her campaign.

In contrast, Trump experienced an even number of positive and unfavorable posts on social media, according to the study.

"Our findings reveal a wide disparity between traditional media, which was very critical of Donald Trump, and social media, where Hillary Clinton was much worse off," the studys leader and University of Edinburgh School of Informatics Dr. Walid Magdy said.

The content of all of the tweets with nearly 3,500 total posts examined - perhaps reflected the national tone of the campaign, one that saw Clinton supporters lash out more at Trump than tweet praise ofthe Democrat and former secretary of state and first lady. All told, those posts were retweeted more than 25 million times.

Trumps social media campaign, unlike many of his speeches and personal tweets from his official Twitter account, proved to be more positive than Clintons as it pushed the signature slogan of Make America Great Again and many of the new president's pledges involved concrete actionslike the Mexican border wall and boosting the economy through developing U.S-basedindustries.

Fake news, a term the president has used to bashmainstream outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post, played a significant role among Trump supporters. The study showed that the presidents supporters were more likely to spread reports from less credible sources.

The U.S. intelligence community established that many of those fake news articles were part of a massive cyber attack perpetrated by Russia.Allegations of collusion with Moscowhavedogged the Trumpadministration ever since.

Following Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putins first face-to-face meeting Friday during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, the Russian leader stated Trump accepted his denials over hacking, according to The Times, though the White House pushed back on Putins comments by stating they were inaccurate.

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How Did Donald Trump Win? WikiLeaks, Twitter Helped President Beat Hillary Clinton, Study Shows - Newsweek

Mrquez-Greene pointed out that while we still have a ways to go in understanding grief and loss, it's unreasonable to expect survivors of high-profile tragedies to withstand public attacks from conspiracies. She even concedes that healthy questioning of government and people is important, though she makes it clear that is not how she sees Stone and his ilk.

"You intentionally use your platform to espouse theories debunked by law enforcement and that a bereaved family has expressly asked you to stop promoting," she wrote. "Your actions have real consequences for those of us grieving."

Mrquez-Greene also noted another simple fact: bereaved parents and family members from high-profile tragedies are no longer remaining quiet in the face of these conspiracies. Like Mrquez-Greene, others have begun speaking out about the real-life consequences of online conspiracies. Even the owner of Comet Ping Pong, the pizza shop in Washington D.C. caught up in a conspiracy that led to an armed gunman firing a round inside the restaurant, has been outspoken about the damage the conspiracy has done.

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Sandy Hook Mom Stands Up To Roger Stone Over WikiLeaks Conspiracy Theory - A Plus

LONDON: Criticism by documents posted by global whistleblower WikiLeaks on Twitter played a key role in the failure of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 US presidential race, an analysis of tweets suggests.

The study, which analysed viral tweets during the final two months of the 2016 election race, showed that Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, was much more heavily criticised on the microblogging site as compared to her rival Trump.

Posts relating to WikiLeaks were the most common form of attack on social media for Clinton, who was also heavily criticized on Twitter over an FBI investigation into her use of a private email server.

"Our findings reveal a wide disparity between traditional media, which was very critical of Donald Trump, and social media, where Hillary Clinton was much worse off," said lead researcher Walid Magdy from the University of Edinburgh.

By contrast, viral tweets relating to Trump were split equally in favour and against his campaign, the researchers said.

The results will be presented at the Social Informatics 2017 conference in Oxford in September.

Further, the posts from Trump's social media campaign and his supporters had a more positive tone than that of Clinton, with effective reach for slogans, policy promises and campaigning for swing states.

Whereas, tweets that backed Clinton compared her with Trump and attacked Trump rather than praising Clinton.

For the study, the team used computer analysis to analyse the top viral tweets. They analysed almost 3,500 posts, which together were retweeted more than 25 million times.

Tweets were labelled as being favourable to Trump, Clinton or neither.

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WikiLeaks caused Hillary Clinton's defeat in US elections - Economic Times