Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has become the first top level Trump administration official to come out and specifically blame Russia for what was widely reported this week as a “massive cyberattack against multiple US federal agencies” including the agencies which oversee America’s nuclear arsenal, namely the Energy Department and the National Nuclear Security Administration.
Without offering any evidence or specifics, Pompeo said Russia was “pretty clearly” behind the cyberattack during an appearance on the conservative talk radio Mark Levin Show.
“I can’t say much more, as we’re still unpacking precisely what it is, and I’m sure some of it will remain classified. But suffice it to say there was a significant effort to use a piece of third-party software to essentially embed code inside of US government systems and it now appears systems of private companies and companies and governments across the world as well,” Pompeo explained.
“This was a very significant effort, and I think it’s the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity,” he added.
Pompeo was then pressed on whether or not Trump is mulling a particular response, to which Pompeo responded, “a wiser course of action to protect the American people is to calmly go about your business and defend freedom.”
But again noticeably absent was definitive proof from the administration that Russia was behind the hack, which was in progress for months. The slew of headlines linking Russia to the breach out this week also without fail contained language typically located deep into the stories noting proof or evidence was yet to be forthcoming.
A number of independent media pundits said this looks like possible last-ditch efforts to revive the previously failed Russiagate narrative.
The US is under attack again by Russiagate. First sentence of this article notes "many experts blame" Russia — an acknowledgment that this isn't a proven fact. Article also notes that "the president-elect did not pin blame on Russia." https://t.co/EUXIqQTP3j pic.twitter.com/bmITTGk2Z6
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) December 18, 2020
The hack was reported starting a week ago with the Washington Post alleging Russia-backed hackers were behind it, after Texas-based IT infrastructure provider SolarWinds’ Orion Network Management products used across several industries and government applications was breached earlier in the year.
“The compromise of SolarWinds’ Orion Network Management Products poses unacceptable risks to the security of federal networks,” said US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) acting director, Brandon Wales. The agency had issued an emergency directive to federal and civilian agencies to review their networks for suspicious activity and to disconnect or power down SolarWinds Orion products immediately.
Trump will now be under pressure to “do something” no doubt. This could take the form of sanctions on Russian agencies. The Washington Post previously confirmed that the FBI is now specifically investigating groups believed connected to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, SVR.
I cannot underscore enough that you’re claiming we need an aggressive response to info that you’re also acknowledging we haven’t found out yet: https://t.co/vlBpTmichk
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) December 18, 2020
Russia vehemently denied any involvement and earlier brushed off the allegations. “Once again, I can reject these accusations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “If for many months the Americans couldn’t do anything about it, then, probably, one shouldn’t unfoundedly blame the Russians for everything.”
Trump says it s China pompeo says it s russia. They should pay more attention to their communication skills.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ab8e9d03a15476bb133ce4d5aa9594155b894df5f51226da6a8b9b0916641591.jpg Sums up liberty without the head:
Just use a lubricant because all the others also do it. Just do it. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7cc4f28f8bd94760c2686ed6e05e8300dc97527a7c4104ba95099903b4998e15.jpg
Whatever. Putin is still all for business and partnership with the Ziocorporate terrorist globalists. Doubtlessly, US corporate Big Oil’s gonna be profiteering a lot from Russia’s Arctic, regardless of what Pompeo or his replacement say. Wall St./City of London. thru BP are the 2 largest investor in Rosneft, for an example, after all.
“Putin congratulates Biden on presidential victory, expects respect-based cooperation to serve US, Russian & wider global interests” https://www.rt.com/russia/509688-putin-congratulates-biden-presidential-victory/
Russia’s great: Unlike Usa,they fall,they don’t expect to fall on you,huge difference in ethics,night of day:
1) Russia is not clever enpugh in oilto take up a lot of it amd 2) BP and others are private companies fianced by stoclholders, which get th benefit and 3) Instead of almost nothing from many of those oilfields Puting and Co noe get 2-3 times more.
The lieing blob has spoken:
Only because https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a4cc94adfe933479a3427c0f3dee0eda0924af19df75e4795761fb9d6a4802ae.jpg
Even if it was the Russians, it took 6 months to discover the hack. Not very good of US anti cyber countermeasures.
Its very difficult to avoid. Too many still not even try to do their best.
Russia and China must help the Americans to gain independence and multiple countries to appear on the territory of the artificially created USA
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d9fc8893b4992c988edf68ebad8fc33a711be5d20c2e2c667ea9d7526b11b7fc.jpg
We should assist our American friends with the investigation, as we have one of the best cyber agency in the world. last time Iran tried to hack our water systems, we sent them a clear message and shut down their ports, and they didn’t do it again. The U.S must respond.
That’s all russians and chinese do, steal foreign technology and reverse engineer it.
turks have learned how yet
we are not pathetic like chinese and russians, we don’t steal other countries’ technology.
All politics… Pompeo wants to have some sort of post-Trump role. Highly likely the cyber attack was the NSA.
Orthodox Russia has bright future and doesn’t attack anybody. Seek for peace America before it is too late. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2GGrN9bc7w
bacon hacked a love note at FB between jens and Tommy—top secret
Yup, like how Saddam had 100s oh nukes under his house….not the Zion.
I don’t usually say this but, Russia did it (or one of their freelancers). It’s their version of negotiating from a position of strength. Why does the U.S. feel entitled to do that but consider ‘war’ if anyone else does?
Russia did all of the following …. asked for the START treaty, open skies, a space weapons ban, ABM missile treaty, and a cyber networking protocols. The U.S. withdrew from all of these treaties, refused the space weapons ban, and any treaty pertaining to network security. Why did the U.S. do this? Because we believe we can win in all of those areas because we broke the Soviet Union in the 1980’s (thank God Reagan did not listen to the appeasers and useful idiots).
The point is that we in the U.S. are savage brutes. If we think we can win, we don’t negotiate with you, we destroy you. So Russia spoke our language and fired a shot over our bow, well actually gave us more of a broadside. They are telling use either 1. we have as good or better engineers, or 2. you have more automated systems (crappy Microsoft Operating Systems) than we do because you are more ‘advanced’. So if you want to trade blows, have at is or we can negotiate.