by Erez Linn, Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
"Only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities," says U.S. • Russian Foreign Ministry says accusations lack proof, are attempt to fan "unprecedented anti-Russian hysteria" • U.S.: Attacks "consistent with Russian motivations."
The U.S. government on Friday for the first
time formally accused Russia of a campaign of cyberattacks against
Democratic Party organizations ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential
election.
"We believe, based on the scope and
sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia's senior-most officials
could have authorized these activities," a U.S. government statement
said on Friday, referring to the hacking of political groups.
"These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the U.S. election process."
U.S. intelligence officials concluded weeks
ago that the Russian government was conducting or orchestrating
cyberattacks against the Democratic National Committee and the
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, possibly to disrupt or
discredit the election, in which Democrat Hillary Clinton faces
Republican Donald Trump.
A Kremlin spokesman called the U.S. allegations "nonsense," the Interfax news agency reported.
On Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said
the U.S. accusations lacked any proof and were an attempt by Washington
to fan "unprecedented anti-Russian hysteria."
"This whipping up of emotions regarding
'Russian hackers' is used in the U.S. election campaign, and the current
U.S. administration, taking part in this fight, is not averse to using
dirty tricks," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on
Saturday in comments posted on the ministry's website.
The Obama administration's decision to blame
Russia for the attacks marks the latest downward turn in relations
between the two countries, which are under strain over Russia's actions
in Syria and Ukraine and in cyberspace.
Also on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John
Kerry said Russian and Syrian actions in the Syrian civil war, including
the bombings of hospitals, "beg for" a war crimes investigation.
In addition, a U.S. intelligence official said
on Friday that Russia was moving short-range nuclear-capable missiles
into Kaliningrad, a tiny Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania,
confirming Estonian news reports.
Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta,
said the public blaming for the hacks left the question of "why Donald
Trump continues to make apologies for the Russians." Trump had
previously expressed doubt about Russia's involvement. In July, he
suggested Russia should attempt to retrieve and publish emails from
Clinton's private server.
Trump's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hours after the U.S. government's accusation
was levied, WikiLeaks posted hundreds of emails on its website
purportedly hacked from Podesta's private account.
Until Friday, the Obama administration had
avoided publicly singling out Russia in connection with the mounting
civilian deaths in Syria or the cyberattacks.
The statement by the Homeland Security
Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did
not blame the Russian government for hacking attempts against state
election systems, but said "scanning and probing" of those systems
originated in most cases from servers operated by a Russian company.
A Homeland Security Department spokesman said
U.S. officials had concluded that the hacking attacks or probes of state
voter registration systems were "consistent with Russian motivations."
Concern has grown about the reliability of the
U.S. voting system as a result of the breach, and Trump has called the
system "rigged," but without providing specific evidence.
U.S. intelligence officials have said there is no evidence that voting recording systems have been manipulated.
Identifying Russia as the actor behind the
cyberattacks on political organizations falls short of more punitive
measures the United States has taken against other countries for cyber
intrusions.
Lawmakers of both political parties welcomed
the formal accusation. Republican Senator Cory Gardner, chairman of the
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and
International Cybersecurity, said he planned to introduce sanctions
legislation.
Earlier this year, a U.S. grand jury indicted
seven Iranians employed by two Iran-based computer firms on charges of
hacking into the U.S. financial sector. In 2015, Obama announced
sanctions against North Korea for hacking into Sony Pictures.
In 2014, the United States charged five
Chinese military hackers for economic espionage aimed at U.S. nuclear,
metals and solar industries.
A senior U.S. official said the administration
is considering other retaliatory steps against Russia, but he declined
to identify them. Those steps may remain covert, the official said.
The Democratic National Committee publicly
disclosed intrusions into its systems in June and held Russia
responsible. Leaks of committee emails from pro-transparency group
WikiLeaks soon followed, demonstrating what appeared to be favoritism
for Clinton over another Democrat, Bernie Sanders, by committee
chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Wasserman Schultz, a Florida
congresswoman, stepped down.
In Friday's statement, the government said
disclosures of emails by WikiLeaks and hacking entities known as DCLeaks
and Guccifer 2.0 "are consistent with the methods and motivations of
Russian-directed efforts."
WikiLeaks has not identified the source of its leaks and
criticized those who have claimed it was Russia. Guccifer 2.0 has
identified itself as a Romanian hacker, but U.S. intelligence officials
have concluded that Guccifer 2.0 and DCLeaks are both a front for
Russian spy units.
Erez Linn, Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=37019
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