Thursday, December 02, 2010

FBI Allegedly Looking for Russian Spy Inside NSA

Ian Allen writes on intelNews.org:

American counterintelligence investigators are allegedly trying to uncover at least one Russian-handled double agent operating inside the US National Security Agency (NSA), according to information published on Wednesday in The Washington Times.


The paper based its allegation on an interview with an anonymous “former intelligence official” with close ties to the NSA —America’s largest intelligence agency, which is tasked with worldwide communications surveillance as well as communications security.


The anonymous source told the Times that the probe is directly connected to the arrest of nearly a dozen Russian deep-cover operatives by the FBI last summer. Washington eventually exchanged the Russian spies with several Western-handled Russian operatives captured by Moscow and held in Russian prisons. But the FBI allegedly believes that the deep-cover operatives, most of whom used false identity papers and had lived in the US for years, were primarily tasked with aiding at least one Russian-handled double spy operating inside the NSA’s Forge George F. Meade headquarters, in the US state of Maryland.


The anonymous intelligence source said that, not only the FBI, but the NSA is also “convinced” that “one or more Russian spies” are active inside the Agency, as well as perhaps in other Pentagon-affiliated intelligence agencies, including the Defense Intelligence Agency.


The Times contacted NSA and FBI representatives in connection with the anonymous revelations, but both agencies refused comment.


Link.

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Mark Fiore: WikiWorld


More Mark Fiore brilliance.


Via The San Francisco Chronicle.

- ferg

Fraud Gang Infects All ATMs in Russian City

Lucian Constantin writes on Softpedia Security News:

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) has dismantled a fraud ring whose members managed to infect all ATMs in the city of Yakutsk with malware designed to steal credit card data.


Yakutsk is the capital of the Russian Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, the largest federal subject of the Russian Federation, by area. The city is average-sized compare to others in the country and has a population of around 210,000.


According to the authorities [Google translation], the organized crime group made up of three men, contracted a hacker from Moscow, who they met on an underground forum, to build a custom ATM virus for them.


The gang paid a total of 100,000 rubles (almost $3200) for the malware and proceeded to infect ATMs with it. Everyone got assigned tasks based on their expertise.


For example, one of them who worked as the head of an IT department, took care of obtaining access to the targeted ATMs.


A system administrator, who also acted a the leader of the group, handled the infection part, while a third man acted as money mule.


The suspects were arrested simultaneously and their apartments were searched. The police claims that it found copies of ATM malware on their computers, as well as stolen credit card information and other evidence of the fraud.


More here.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

In Passing: Leslie Nielson


Leslie Nielson
February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010