Georgian cyber attacks launched by Russian crime gangs Last year's cyber attacks that brought internet traffic to a standstill in Georgia were carried out by civilians and Russian crime gangs, in some cases with the unwitting help of websites and software companies located in the US, according to researchers. In a report released Monday, a non-profit research group called the US …
"The first wave of traffic from the botnets coincided almost exactly with the time that (Russian) planes were taking off from the carriers off the coast"
That could be a bit tricky given that the Russian navy doesn't have any servicable ones. But why bother when Russia and Georgia share a land border. I do hope this "researcher" does his other research a bit better.
Never seen the need for state bodies to get involved.
Most countries have a pool of "patriots" who will do this off their own backs!
I can think of several actions which are sure to cause a reaction, just think of the Danish cartoon incident. Also saying that nothing happens in Russia without state knowledge and control is very much living in the past.
Still good way of raising money isn't it?
Well, according to the linked Wikipedia article, the Admiral Kuznetsov was being overhauled at the time.
I have never heard of any "aircraft carrier" in operation in the Georgian war. Countries other than the US need less "aircraft carriers" because their targets happen not to be half a world away. And the Russians are not so hot on carriers to begin with; they regard them as sitting ducks in any serious conflict.
If putin says "Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest." there are plenty who will do exactly that to curry favour, but unlike the knights who bumped off Thomas Becket they will indeed be rewarded. Just look at the activities of the Nashi youth movement, the role of the Oligarchs and the Litvinenko affair, state involvement is deniable but it just happens that by pure coincidence the outcome is not at all unwelcome to the state.
Any business in Russia needs to pay what most of us would consider to be mafia style protection money. The same organisations are involved with a wide range of internet activities most right-thinking people would consider illegal. Those guys are interested in keeping the state from clamping down on them. By making cyber attacks the state can totally deny any involvement with - but neverthless put the frightners on any other former soviet territories who may be getting too friendly to the EC/NATO and not showing due deference to Moscow they are doing Putins dirty work completely unbidden.
The Russians joke that the law is like a rope barring your path. Some (in the analogy, the underclasses) duck under the rope and some (the powerful and wealthy) just step over it, only the law abiding fools regard it as a barrier.
Prepare to see more of this.
It's the new form of 'political engagement'. A while ago people would go on the street, waving transparents and expose themselves to bashing with batons. Today You can get 'involved' from the safety of Your home, feel modern and smart, and part of a 'global movement', not realizing that You are no more than a puppet of some smart badasses.
Rogue governments are known to instigate cyber attacks and engage in cyper espionage. And often enough they use criminals to do the dirty work for them. But no ever so conclusive evidence will be enough to prove it.
Naive who thinks any governmental body concerned with intelligence or national security, no matter where, would have reason to refrain from exploring all options. If they can then turn around and use the havoc they create to justify measures to legally invade their citizens privacy, why wouldn't they?
So let's hear it for the cowards who turn their computers into weapons.
They might not long from now give reason to the authorities of even the most liberal and democratic countries to alter the legislation and illegalize almost everything You can do on Your computer apart from clicking buttons on state approved applications.
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