Malcolm Nance - The Plot to Hack America

The 2016 cyber attack was not just another case of simple Kompromat—meddling in the political affairs of a satellite nation or an individual dissenter. It was a direct attempt to hijack and derail the traditional processes and norms that held the United States together for more than 240 years. The attempt was even more brazen due to the apparent belief that Putin assumed that he and his oligarchy could charm, groom, and select a candidate, then with the right amount of cybercrime and enough organized propaganda they could actually choose a President of the United States to do their bidding.

In terms of Russia’s cyber capability its worthy to note that LUCKY-7 managed to fuse together all aspects of the traditional KGB-style operations and then marry them up with the advanced cyber warfare capabilities of the more modern FSB. Their human intelligence officer, oligarchs, and the Russian news media apparently groomed powerful but friendly American associates over several years through financial, personal, and political patronage. If they sought to create a cadre of fellow-travelers in their hatred of Hillary Clinton and deep admiration of Russia’s political hardball, they got it in spades. Until 2016 it was unthinkable that Americans could be assembled in mutual endeavor to manipulate the goodwill of the American people in order to further their own personal financial interest at the behest of a hostile government. But it appears to have not only happened, but even managed to completely usurp the stridently anti-Communist Republican party and replace it with a presidential nominee that openly lavishes praise on Russia’s leader, disparages NATO, and promises to dismantle America’s superiority in order to allow Russia to take the role of world’s superpower. The fact that Russia can smile, deny, and at the same time conduct cyber and propaganda operations and still have Donald Trump beg them for cyber espionage assistance to hurt another American is unbelievable. If it reveals anything it proves the old KGB policy that money or promise of riches can create in the mind of a potential recruit that loyalty to one’s country is elastic if the money is right.

On September 8, 2016 Trump gushed with admiration and at the same time insulted America’s President. 1He was quickly seconded by Vice Presidential nominee Mike Pence who agreed “I think it’s inarguable that Vladimir Putin has been a stronger leader in his country than Barack Obama has been in this country…”

By publically choosing a known, dangerous, and proven autocratic adversary who has murdered opponents, killed his own citizens, conducted acts of terrorism and has invaded and seized other nations in violation of global norms, Trump and Pence chose Russia’s values over America’s. It has been said that this election would spell the rise of fascism and end the two century long run of American democratic governance. It may be worse than that. The deliberate subornation of America’s interests over that of a hostile adversary has never before been suggested aloud in polite company in the history of this nation.

When asked at the Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran’s of America’s Commander-in-Chief’s forum about Putin Trump said “Well, he does have an 82 percent approval rating, according to the different pollsters, who, by the way, some of them are based right here.” Trump continued,

If he says great things about me, I’m going to say great things about him… I’ve already said, he is really very much of a leader. I mean, you can say, “Oh, isn’t that a terrible thing—the man has very strong control over a country.” Now, it’s a very different system, and I don’t happen to like the system. But certainly, in that system, he’s been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader.

Spoken at a forum of men and women who fought and served against the Soviet Union in the Cold war, Trump’s ability to make them forget their service to the nation and agree with him that Russia is a better nation than America because a dictator showed him some love, revealed that the subornation of the unwitting asset appeared complete.

The more excited partisans often misuse the word “treason” when discussing support for the ideals of another nation. The U.S. Code on treason reads,

Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States. 2

No one is accusing Trump or his associates of treason, sedition, or treachery. That kind of talk should be squelched. Unless true evidence of deliberate collusion between the campaign and the Russia government is found by US counter-intelligence officers an brought forth in charges by the U.S. Justice Department, and that is highly unlikely, then no one should ever accuse an American citizen of these dangerous and litigious words. Fighting words. We should defend his right under the First Amendment to continue saying any and all the stupid things he will most assuredly continue to do. That is his right.

Nor are any of the statements or activities of the Trump campaign, no matter how distasteful, the behaviors or actions of clandestine agents of the Russian regime. However, even a cursory glance at the evidence reveals to intelligence professionals that the probability that Vladimir Putin has handled Trump and his associates, doing their bidding without even knowing it, is well within the KGB playbook. These Americans may be not be real agents of the Russian Federation but they may have unwittingly exposed themselves to a massive intelligence manipulation machine that, once involved, may be completely out of their control to extract themselves. The rhetoric election of 2016 reveals that damage has already been done.

Worst of all is that the rise of an American ideologue that firmly admires and wishes to emulate the murder-based power politics of America’s strategic nuclear opponent with the intent to dismantle the defensive systems and treaties that kept this nation safe for over seventy years, reveals that the intelligence community’s ability to detect real national security threats can be defeated through demagoguery.

Russia’s capability is so absolutely organized to benefit the regime that it generates billions through authorized cybercrime so long as the Kremlin gets what it wants. Another former NSA member of the elite Tailored Access Operations program warned, “Do not underestimate the food chain that Putin has assembled.” That food chain is topped by the CYBER BEARS; every nation below is intended to be consumed. Alex Cochenour, President of Hoplite Security, agreed with this aspect of Russia’s cyber capacity:

So complete is Russia’s control over its vast and profitable cybercrime and cyber propaganda campaigns that virtually no collateral damage ever lands within the Russians’ own border. This effect is amusingly referred to as the “Russian Cyber Force Field,” everything from making their malware exploit kits geo and language aware to manipulating malicious advertising campaigns, the Russians go to great lengths to keep their hands clean. The attached screenshot from Hoplite’s global sensor network show this effect visually, notice the lack of activity inside Russia’s borders? The activity inside Russia is virtually always from machines owned by Europeans and Americans traveling with already infected machines. If that graphic is at all useful, you have my permission to use it.

What are the nation’s options? A few recommendations have been universally recognized by some of the top cyber security people in the world including: