Is The Kremlin Late To Internet Espionage?

Russian President Vladimir Putin watches a display during the MAKS 2017 air show in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow. Credit: Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin-Sputnik

Joyce Hackel, PRI: How Putin learned to stop worrying and love internet espionage

Vladimir Putin came late to the cyber arena.

Up until a few years ago, the Russian leader seemed to all but ignore the internet and spoke out loudly against it. He called the web a "CIA project," with interests that opposed Russia.

Author Richard Lourie says that's basically because Putin is "a television guy."

"Television was the main way he got his news and the main way Russians got their news," says Lourie, who explores the Russian president's conversion to online espionage in his new book "Putin: His Downfall and Russia's Coming Crash."

Lourie notes that about 80 percent of Russians follow official TV news sources, about the same percentage that, according to some estimates, support the Russian leader.

Read more ....

WNU editor: The Kremlin's interest in the internet goes back a long time .... they are not late to the cyber arena. From conducting cyber attacks against Georgia during the Russia-Georgia war in 2008 .... Cyberattacks during the Russo-Georgian War (Wikipedia), to using the internet to discredit political opponents within Russia itself today .... the internet has been a vital tool for the Russian government to shape public opinion. The problem is for those who think the Kremlin is good at this .... the reality is that (at least in Russia) the Kremlin has been lousy at using the web to push their agenda and to discredit their opponents .... What is stirring Russia's youth to rally around Alexei Navalny? (CSM). This is why many Russians (myself included) are sceptical on Western media reports on Russian hacking and use of bots to influence the U.S. election. From our perspective .... we know how bad and inept they are .... a sentiment that is definitely not shared by many in the West who are sold on Russia-Gate. But the best part of this PRI report is the last ....

.... Still, the ease with which former CIA employee Edward Snowden leaked reams of classified documents demonstrated to Putin just how dangerous the internet could be for any leader. And Lourie says, ultimately, the internet's power and reach will leave Putin and his associates vulnerable.

"They're terrified of the Russian equivalent of an Edward Snowden appearing," Lourie says. "Younger people are increasingly getting their news and their views from the internet, not from newspapers or television.

Yup .... they are afraid of a Russian Edward Snowden not from the intel that he may leaked .... but because he may expose how inept they really are.

Hat tip to Fred for this story.