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from the did-they-get-the-size-on-Hillary's-pant-suits? dept.
Two separate groups of Russian hackers have reportedly had their way with the Democratic National Committee's network for months... up until last weekend:
Russian hackers have been accessing the Democratic National Committee's computer network for the past year, and have stolen information including opposition research files on presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
According to CrowdStrike, the security firm the DNC called in to deal with the massive data breach, one group of hackers tied to the Russian government has been stealing information from the national party for about a year. "They infiltrated the DNC's network last summer and were monitoring their communications, their email servers, and the like," company co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch told NPR.
A second group, also tied to Russia, accessed the DNC's network in April. "They went straight for the research department of the DNC and exfiltrated opposition materials on Mr. Trump," Alperovitch said.
The Washington Post first reported the DNC break-in.
CrowdStrike doesn't believe the two distinct groups of Russian hackers — which the company has internally nicknamed COZY BEAR and FANCY BEAR — collaborated with each other. "Instead," company co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch wrote in a lengthy blog post, "we observed the two Russian espionage groups compromise the same systems and engage separately in the theft of identical credentials."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 15 2016, @04:37PM
It is just learned helplessness. People bail them out of their problems when it hits the fan or they don't want to look dumb so they never ask to get the info to learn. Then it gets to the point that when you talk computer, thy already believe they can't understand it or that they already understand it, so either way the message is ignored and the cycle just reinforces. One of the best things I've done over the years is given such people various thin clients or using VMs. Screw it up and roll it back, plus many pieces of malware refuse to run in VMs. Yeah, that also reinforces the cycle because they are going to learn that way, but they already have show they won't; so it is my job to minimize the damage.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 15 2016, @06:19PM
I agree part of the problem is learned the helplessness. The point of these scams, generally, are to either hold data for ransom or to pilfer sensitive information. I really do not care if the computer gets destroyed; it's is a couple hundred dollars these days to replace it. However, if they get control of the computer, they can use my clueless user's credentials to pilfer files and data from anything the user has access to. Re-imaging or replacing the computer is nothing compared to the damage of leaking accounting numbers for ACH debits, address histories for properties, confidential sales information, or various infomatic bric-a-brac generated on a daily basis by your average business.
Technical measures to prevent that will always be behind the curve; it requires users who exercise a modicum of sound judgement. These are common sense judgements that we use every day day when we do not give the disheveled looking gentlemen with meth-mouth in the drug store parking lot "a ride home" or when, at 2AM, we do not walk down the poorly-lit cardboard house filled back-alley shortcut. However, when the website you do not recognize asks you to do something, it's "The website said it was a serious error" or, when the stranger calls you on the phone claiming to be from Microsoft and asking you to let them control your computer, it's "But he was from Microsoft."
I see way too much, "Sit in front of computer, remove brain." I do not think it is a generational issue. I have seen users in their 20s fall for the same scams.
Though, if I really knew why, I would be a billionare flying around on my jet, summering in the Turks and Cacos and wintering at Whistler, instead of prognosticating on this site...