Russia hacked the FBI to help Russian spies located in the U.S.

The news has shaken the North American government: Back in 2010, Russian engineers were able to hack their way into FBI computers in order to impede the institution’s efforts to identify potential spies.

 

Back in 2012, The U.S. realized the “serious danger” that Russia’s ability to hack into certain types of secure communications and homing signals poses for the FBI, according to an article posted in Yahoo News. Besides fearing the Russians may have access to North American intelligence channels, authorities also fear that the Russian spies may have information that could endanger the lives and missions of covert FBI teams, as well as access to all manner of secret communications.

 

To be specific, agents placed in Washington, New York and San Francisco by none other than Vladimir Putin managed to access communications meant for those at the highest echelons in the FBI.

 

The Russians managed not only to avoid all manner of security measures and reach human sources, but also obtained information on their tails. A source of concern for the North American authorities who suspect the presence of a Russian spy in the FBI offices.

 

The Russians made off with the FBI strategies for identifying spies, as well as information on the weak points of the counter-intelligence efforts made by the U.S. against Russia.

 

This all but confirms the rumors of an extensive network of Russian intelligence that influences difference governmental processes in the U.S., and have been doing so for over a decade.

 

Investigation details

 

The report says that Russia’s hacking of the FBI systems was the main reason why Barack Obama’s government deported 35 Russian diplomats and closed two diplomatic centers in December 2016.

 

Back then, president Barack Obama remarked that his actions were due to Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections. However, Yahoo News’ investigation points to previous intentions by the U.S. to close said installations due to Russian efforts of intercepting FBI communications.

 

Suspiciously, the agents burned hundreds of files before FBI and CIA agents reached their doors.

 

Back in 2010, the FBI opened an investigation into Russian efforts to scout American agents. One of their main objectives was Carter Page, who later acted as Foreign Policy Aide during president Donald Trump’s campaign.

 

FBI told Page, back in 2013, that the Russians were trying to take advantage of him, but Page ignored them and even publicly boasted of his connection to important Russian figures.

 

On the other hand, claims have been made that the Russians have broken the secure communication channels used by the FBI, something that, according to a former member of the organization, is taken “extremely seriously” by the U.S.

 

The reported breaches in security reflect the great challenges that the North American intelligence agencies face when it comes to safekeeping the secrets of the nation.

 

An ex-member of the National Security force expressed great worry regarding this matter, claiming that “every time we face an adversary with such skills, it ends up in a domino effect. The Russians are able to make the best of all sorts of tech; they are particularly dangerous in this area.”

 

Both Russia and the U.S. have increased their counter-intelligence and cyber-security efforts in the past few years, while tension between both countries continues to increase.

 

The U.S. in particular has been a recent victim of the Russian network, who managed to infect it with a potentially dangerous malware, according to an article published this past June in The New York Times.

 

Networks have, for a long time, been the main arena for cyberattacks, but the U.S.’s performance has been the most aggressive yet reported, aiming to warn Russia and, at the same time, give the U.S. an advantage should it come to a conflict with Moscow.

 

The investigation points to a continuous fight against Russian hacking. Experts claim that, “for now, those who know about Russian operations say that Moscow’s threat is far from being under control.”

 

A North American ex-officer added that “do not be mistaken, we are in the middle of an intelligence war against Russia, one just as dangerous as the Cold War was. They are always trying… and we sometimes catch then,” he said.

 

North American and Russian measures

 

 

The FBI has adopted preventive measures to ensure that deported Russian spies cannot return. The U.S. government has made sure many cannot go back, but claim that “little by little they have found their way back, though the FBI makes it harder for them every day. The old school is almost done with. They need to bring in an entire new generation.”

 

On the other hand, Russia gave a declaration on the matter, claiming that all accusations against Russian employees in Washington’s Russian embassy have no evidence to back them up.

 

For now, the Russian embassy plans to talk to the U.S.’s Department of Estate to demand an answer about these “inflammatory accusations” that can be considered as a threat against the safety of their staff and “can end up in acts of violence against embassy staff and their families.”

 

The declaration published by the diplomatic envoy points out that the Yahoo News article authors, the one that accuses Russian diplomats of spying on the FBI from their vacation homes in Maryland and New York, closed off by the North American authorities back in 2016, do not include “either facts of evidence of the violations of North American norms and laws by Russian citizens.”

 

Meanwhile, María Zajárova, spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, declared the Yahoo News article as pure fantasy, linking it to the upcoming presidential elections in the U.S., that will take place next year. “I am sure there will be plenty more of those fantastical and wonderful stories to hear, in the coming months,” said the spokeswoman during an interview at Govorit Moskvá radio.

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