[BreachExchange] Russians Stole NSA Cyber Weapons And Are Using Them Against Us, Report Shows

[Audrey McNeil]

http://www.newsweek.com/russia-nsa-cyber-weapons-hacking-710053

The National Security Agency suspects that Russian hackers are behind the
biggest intelligence breach in modern history.

A 15-month ongoing investigation has found that the Kremlin is the prime
suspect in the leak of various cyber weapons, along with the help of an
unknown insider. The group in possession of the stolen NSA secrets, the
Shadow Brokers, has so far wreaked havoc across the world.

“Created at huge expense to American taxpayers, those cyber weapons have
now been picked up by hackers from North Korea to Russia and shot back at
the United States and its allies,” the New York Times reported on Sunday.

The Shadow Brokers has so far infected millions of computer with
ransomware, wiped the databases of multiple companies, and even impeded
hospitals from admitting patients, the Times reported. Experts say that
more of these attacks are “all but certain.”

“These leaks have been incredibly damaging to our intelligence and cyber
capabilities,” Leon E. Panetta, the former defense secretary and director
of the Central Intelligence Agency, told the Times. “The fundamental
purpose of intelligence is to be able to effectively penetrate our
adversaries in order to gather vital intelligence. By its very nature, that
only works if secrecy is maintained and our codes are protected.”

So far, the NSA has not been able to find the person responsible for
leaking the code from its headquarters. The investigation has taken a toll
on employees at the agency who now have to face intense rounds of
questioning.

“The agency is questioning people who have been 100 percent
mission-oriented, telling them they’re liars,” an NSA employee told the
Times.

Experts blame the agency for focusing too much on offensive capabilities
and not enough on its cyberdefense.

The U.S. has been embroiled in a cyber rivalry with Russia since at least
2014 when American security researchers exposed Russian state-sponsored
hacking groups. The Russians did not take the move lightly and began
improving its cyber capabilities.

Since then, Russian hackers are suspected to have influenced last year’s
presidential election by hacking into the Democratic Party’s national
committee computers and releasing unfavorable emails from members of
Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Russian hackers have also recently targeted companies and individuals
outside of the United States, such as Ukrainian officers and Russian
opposition figures.
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