Russian Intelligence Has A Data Security Problem

Leaked data has revealed intimate details about the officials and businessmen surrounding Vladimir Putin. Photograph: Sputnik/Reuters 

The Guardian: Outing of FSB hit squad highlights Russia's data security problem 

Analysis: trade in stolen data is a boon for investigators and a headache for Kremlin 

 In early 2019, the journalist Andrei Zakharov managed to buy his own phone and banking records in a groundbreaking investigation into Russia’s thriving markets in stolen personal data, in which law enforcement and telecoms employees can be contracted anonymously to dip into their systems and pull out sensitive details on anyone. 

A year and a half later, investigators from Bellingcat and the Insider used some of the same tools and clever analysis to out a secret FSB team that had been tasked with killing Alexei Navalny using a novichok nerve agent. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: It appears that Russia's intelligence agencies are operating under rules that were efective and standard 30 years ago but are totally ineffective in today's internet age.

Shooting Near FSB Intelligence Offices In Moscow Kills One, Injures Five (Update)

RT: ‘Volleys of automatic fire’: Kalashnikov-armed attacker killed 1, injured 5 in shooting on busy Moscow street

A festive December evening turned deadly as a man armed with an assault rifle opened fire in the very heart of Moscow, killing one and injuring five people just across the street from a children’s department store.

It is just after 6pm on Thursday, twelve days before the end of the year. The city is all strung up with holiday lights and Muscovites are leaving work to shop for food and gifts for the upcoming New Year and Christmas holidays. The Central Children’s Store on Lubyanka Square, a few minutes’ walk from the Kremlin, is bustling. Nearby streets, cafes and restaurants are filled with people. Then shots ring out.

Read more ....

More News On Today's Shooting Near FSB Intelligence Offices In Moscow

Four FSB officers, one civilian wounded in Lubyanka shooting — investigators -- TASS
Russian security officer dead, five injured in shooting at Moscow headquarters of security agency -- NBC/AP
One dead in shooting at Russian intelligence agency in Moscow -- The Guardian
Russia: Shooting near FSB intelligence offices in Moscow -- DW
Gunman Opens Fire in Central Moscow, Killing at Least 1 Near FSB Building -- Moscow Times
Videos From Deadly Shooting Outside Federal Security Service HQ in Central Moscow Emerge Online -- Sputnik

Deadly Shooting Reported Near Russian Intelligence (FSB) Building In Moscow

RT: Man opens fire in central Moscow near FSB building, 3 killed – reports

Gunfire is being reported in central Moscow's Lubyanka Square in the immediate vicinity of the Federal Security Service building. Three people have been killed, according to unconfirmed media reports.

The shooting occurred right at the heart of Russia’s capital – it’s merely some 10 minutes on foot from the FSB building to the Kremlin.

Footage from the scene, circulating on social media, shows multiple law enforcement officers, gunfire can also be heard in the background.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: That is one building with a long history of murder and violence. According to reports there were three shooters. My Moscow condo is a few blocks away, and I know the area well. There are cameras and surveillance everywhere, and the police presence is strong. If there is more than one shooter, I am sure they will be capturing/killing them soon (if not already).

More News On Today's Shooting Near Russia's FSB Building

Three Reportedly Killed in Shooting Near FSB Security Headquarters in Moscow -- Sputnik
Gunman Open Fire in Central Moscow, Killing at Least 1 Near FSB Building -- Moscow Times
Deadly Shooting Reported Near FSB Building In Moscow -- RFE
Deadly shooting at Moscow security HQ -- BBC
Three dead including a police officer as gunman opens fire near Moscow's FSB headquarters -- Daily Mail
Three people killed in shooting in central Moscow: Izvestia -- Reuters
Moscow shooting: Three people dead in attack near Russian security service HQ -- The Independent

Head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB): U.S. Helped Moscow Foil Recent Terror Plot

Alexander Bortnikov Kremlin.ru

Moscow Times: U.S. Helped Moscow Foil Recent Terror Plot With Intel, FSB Says

The United States has recently shared intelligence with Russia about a terrorist plot, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) intelligence agency said Thursday.

FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov’s remarks come almost two years after news that the CIA helped Russia foil a terror attack in St. Petersburg. The FSB said it detained seven Islamic State suspects in December 2017 as a result of the cooperation and President Vladimir Putin thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for the tip-off.

Read more ....

Update: US Has Recently Assisted Foiling Terror Attacks in Russia by Providing Info - Russia's FSB (Sputnik)

WNU Editor: U.S. and Russia have also resumed cyber cooperation .... Russia says it is starting to resume US cyber cooperation: TASS (CNBC).

Russia's Intelligence Agency Has Been Hacked In Its 'Largest Data Breach In Its History'

Demyanchuk Alexander / TASS

Forbes: Russia's Secret Intelligence Agency Hacked: 'Largest Data Breach In Its History'

Red faces in Moscow this weekend, with the news that hackers have successfully targeted FSB—Russia's Federal Security Service. The hackers managed to steal 7.5 terabytes of data from a major contractor, exposing secret FSB projects to de-anonymize Tor browsing, scrape social media, and help the state split its internet off from the rest of the world. The data was passed to mainstream media outlets for publishing.

FSB is Russia's primary security agency with parallels with the FBI and MI5, but its remit stretches beyond domestic intelligence to include electronic surveillance overseas and significant intelligence-gathering oversight. It is the primary successor agency to the infamous KGB, reporting directly to Russia's president.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I am surprised that the Russians are admitting this.

Addressing FSB Officials Russian President Putin Claims That The Activities Of 600 Foreign Spies Was Foiled

BBC: Putin: Russia foiled work of almost 600 spies

President Vladimir Putin has accused foreign intelligence services of beefing up activities in Russia, announcing that hundreds of spies were stopped in 2018 alone.

Without going into details, he said "129 staff members and 465 agents of foreign special services were foiled".

Russian spies have themselves been accused of several plots, including the poisoning of ex-agent Sergei Skripal.

Dutch, Czech and Swedish intelligence all say they have foiled attacks.

Russia has also been accused by the West of trying to interfere in elections. Without naming Russia, the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, warned on Tuesday that "anti-European forces" might try to target EU Parliament elections in May.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: 600 spies?!?!?! Makes me wonder on how many foreign spies are in Russia. On a side note. Noticed no women FSB officials in the assembly hall when President Putin made his address.

More News On Russian President Putin's Claims That The Activities Of 600 Foreign Spies Was Foiled

Russia foiled about 600 spies in 2018 as foreign intelligence 'boost activities' – Putin -- RT
Putin warns that foreign spy agencies are beefing up activities in Russia -- TASS
Putin urges stronger protection of Russian military secrets -- NBC/AP
Putin says Russia stopped nearly 600 spies last year -- CNN

Russia’s Military Spies Are A Laughing Stock

Anna Nemtsova, and Kimberly Zenz, Daily Beast: Russia’s Military Spies Are a Laughing Stock, But They’re Dangerous as Hell

Every failure is another degree of pressure to deliver a win, pressure exacerbated by high levels of infighting among Russia’s security services.

MOSCOW—A curious game of spy versus spy has gone public in Russia over the last week. According to the official news agency of the Russian Federation, Rosbalt, agents of the Federal Security Service (the FSB) have staged raids on more than 60 state officials and private investigators to try to stanch the flow of leaks revealing the incompetence of Russia’s main military intelligence agency, the GRU (full name: Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation).

That won’t be an easy job.

The GRU has gained a reputation

Read more ....

WNU Editor: They are making many mistakes .... but they also have abilities to cause great harm. Never underestimate what Russian intelligence is capable of.

The BBC Looks At Russia’s Elite FSB Spy Club

The Lubyanka - infamous during the Soviet terror - is now the FSB headquarters

BBC: Putin, power and poison: Russia’s elite FSB spy club

FSB. The letters are not just familiar to fans of spy thrillers. They have come to symbolise Vladimir Putin's grip on power in Russia.

Russia's secretive security agency has gained notoriety around the world with its intelligence and counter-terror operations.

But with roots in the Soviet Union's KGB secret police, allegations of state-sanctioned killings and close ties to the president, it faces questions about its true nature and ambitions.

What does the FSB do?

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Russia's own version of the "Deep State".

Watch An Insane Russian FSB Counter-Terror Shooting-Confidence Drill (Video)

WNU Editor: The video is a few years old .... but it is intense and it can be found here .... Watch: Russian Special Forces shooting drill. Not for the faint of heart (SOFREP).

FSB Graduates Celebrate By Posting A Video That Is Getting Everyone Else Upset

CNN: Geliki joyride puts Russian FSB grads in spotlight

(CNN)If you drive the mean streets of Moscow you no doubt know enough to watch out for the hulking, boxy, menacing Mercedes-Benz G-Klasse SUVs, the luxury cross-country "Geländewagen" that Russians have nicknamed "geliki."

They're usually driven by bodyguards employed by the capital's rich, famous and politically connected. They're also the favorite vehicle of the mafia. (Check out YouTube to see video of them ramming other cars and creating mayhem as they speed around the city.)

But, it turns out, there are other geliki aficionados, and a new video of their boisterous joy ride around Moscow has exploded on the Russian Internet.

It started June 21, when new graduates of the FSB academy (the FSB is the successor agency to the KGB) climbed into 28 gleaming black Mercedes G-Klasse geliki and hit the road, two and three vehicles abreast, horns blaring. They videotape their gleeful ride and posted it on the Internet, showing the young male graduates laughing and cheering like frat boys, giving thumbs up through open windows and the roof hatch.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I like the Mercedes-Benz G-Klasse SUV .... one of my cousins drives a version of it, and I certainly wish I had one. But this FSB video showing graduates celebrating .... while avoiding traffic regulations that would put anyone else in jail (or heavy fines) .... is a little too much. Imagine if CIA and FBI graduates did the same thing around the Capital building in Washington .... well .... you get the picture .... it won't fly.

Russian Intelligence Is Playing A Key Role In Putin's Foreign Policy Strategy

Russian President Putin At Russia's FSB Agency

US News and World Report: Russia's Valuable Weapon

Vladimir Putin's spies are critical to his strategy in Syria and Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is a former KGB spymaster. Since he became president in 2000, Russia has invaded Georgia, retaken Crimea from Ukraine, supported separatists fighting the Ukraine government and is now taking military action in Syria to bolster the brutal regime of Bashar Assad and to counter advances from the Islamic State group. How important is Russian intelligence to Putin's global adventures?

To find out, U.S. News contributor Thomas K. Grose recently talked to British historian Jonathan Haslam, currently a professor at Princeton's School of Historical Studies, and author of the newly published book "Near and Distant Neighbors: A New History of Soviet Intelligence." Excerpts:

WNU Editor: Russian intelligence makes mistakes .... and some of them are big ones. Case in point .... the fall of the Soviet Union comes to mind. But the West should not underestimate Russian intelligence .... they have a President that has unleashed them to pursue his foreign policy. On the U.S. side .... the exact opposite .... with many key intelligence operations now being done with a legal committee behind them.

CIA Spy Arrested In Moscow Outed As The CIA Station Chief In Russia

 

Russia Reveals Identity Of CIA Moscow Chief Following Ryan Fogle's Expulsion -- The Guardian  

Federal Security Service spokesman breaches protocol as he accuses US agency of crossing 'red line' in its recruitment efforts. The Federal Security Service in Russia has revealed the identity of the CIA's station chief in Moscow in a breach of protocol. The revelation, made by an FSB spokesman who accused the US agency of crossing a "red line" in its attempt to recruit turncoats among Russian spy agencies, will up the ante in the unfolding spy scandal that emerged earlier this week when Russia detained and expelled an alleged CIA agent working undercover as third secretary at the US embassy in Moscow. Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy advisor, have taken pains to say they believe the scandal will blow over quickly.   Read more ....

More News On Russia Revealing Who Is The CIA Station Chief In Moscow  

Russian secret service publicly reveals identity of the ‘CIA station chief’ in Moscow following capture of US ‘spy’ -- Daily Mail Russia Outs Alleged Moscow CIA Station Chief -- RIA Novosti Russian secret service publicly reveals identity of the ‘CIA station chief’ in Moscow following capture of US ‘spy’ -- Daily Mail Russia's FSB reveals identity of CIA Moscow station chief -- The Telegraph FSB: CIA crossed ‘red line’ with agent Fogle -- RT The Spy Scandal In Moscow: Nothing To See Here -- Mark Adomanis, Forbes Russian spies still seek to humiliate the West -- Ben Macintyre, The Australian/The Times

Russia's Spy Agency Is Back In Business

Russian Spy Agency Targeting Western Diplomats -- The Guardian

FSB using psychological techniques developed by KGB to intimidate and demoralise diplomatic staff, activists and journalists.

Russia's spy agency is waging a massive undercover campaign of harassment against British and American diplomats, as well as other targets, using deniable "psychological" techniques developed by the KGB, a new book reveals.

The federal security service (FSB's) operation involves breaking into the private homes of western diplomats – a method the US state department describes as "home intrusions". Typically the agents move around personal items – opening windows, or setting alarms – in an attempt to demoralise and intimidate their targets.

Read more ....

My Comment: Goodbye to the old boss .... hello to the new boss.

Hello To The New KGB (Called The FSB Today)

The KGB Rebuilds Itself -- The Strategy Page

The FSB (the successor to the Cold War era Russian KGB) is being given more and more of its old powers, and personnel, back. Before the Soviet Union disappeared in 1991, the KGB was the most powerful organization in the country. It was a law until itself, as long as it stuck to its main task; keeping the Communist Party in charge of the country. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the KGB lost most of its power, but did not disappear. It was split into many separate organizations, with the main ones being the FSB (a counterintelligence organization with police powers) and the SVR (conducted overseas espionage). But since the late 1990s, the FSB has been regaining a lot of its Cold War powers, and personnel.

Read more ....

My Comment: I have trouble seeing the FSB approaching anything near to what the KGB was responsible for during the time of Stalin. Unfortunately .... what is the future role and goals of the FSB are still clouded in secret, and until that is resolved, present concerns and worries of this police agency are justified.

Russia's FSB Gets Added Security Powers

Russian Upper House Increases KGB Successor's Power, To Activists' Dismay -- Deutsche Welle

President Medvedev's bill to increase secret police powers has won parliament's approval. Human rights activists fear the government may use the law against the opposition, returning to a Soviet-style police state.

The Russian upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, has approved a bill aimed at widening the powers of the secret police (FSB), successor to the Soviet-era KGB.

The new law would allow the FSB to call citizens in for "precautionary talks" in connection with potential crimes that agents believe may be committed in the future. Secret police would be allowed to take such measures without firm evidence.

Those who fail to attend such meetings could be slapped with fines of about $1,500 (1,160 euros) or 15 days of jail time.

Read more ....

More News On The KGB's Successor FSB Getting More Security Powers

New powers given to Russia's security agency -- AP
Russian Opposition Sees Shadow of KGB in New Security Bill -- Voice of America
New Law Would Restore KGB-Era Powers In Russia -- NPR
Russian lawmakers expand powers of security service -- L.A. Times
Russia’s upper house passes bill expanding FSB powers -- RT
Federation Council passes bill expanding FSB powers -- Barents Observer
Draft Law Revives Practice of Soviets -- New York Times

Why Are Russia's Intelligence Agencies Interested In Climate Change?

The Tomsk office from which emails may have been leaked

Were Russian Security Services Behind The Leak Of 'Climategate' Emails? -- Daily Telegraph

Suspicions were growing last night that Russian security services were behind the leaking of the notorious British ‘Climategate’ emails which threaten to undermine tomorrow’s Copenhagen global warming summit.

An investigation by The Mail on Sunday has discovered that the explosive hacked emails from the University of East Anglia were leaked via a small web server in the formerly closed city of Tomsk in Siberia.

Read more ....

My Comment: I recall hearing a few years ago President Putin discussing the virtues of global warming, and the benefits that it would bring to Russia. That it may bring ecological hardships to many countries was of no concern to him, what was of concern to him was that raising temperatures would only help to warm up much of the frigid Russian tundra, and make life more easier for most Russians.

Is someone in the Russian services taking his comments to heart .... I do not know. But I do know that these leaks have come from Russia .... and they are not hiding their involvement or interest in the matter.