Bitcoin Couldn't Hide Russia's Operatives From Mueller's Investigation (cnn.com) 143
"Russian operatives used cryptocurrency at almost every stage in their online efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, according to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's final report on his investigation." So says CNN, adding that "Systems used in the hacking of the Democratic Party were paid for using Bitcoin, as were online hosting services that supported websites which published hacked materials and were used in the targeting of disinformation at American voters."
The Russian operatives (a.k.a. the Fancy Bear team) withdrew funds from both the CEX.io and BTC-e.com cryptocurrency exchanges to fund domain purchases, server rentals, and VPN services, reports Draconi, Slashdot reader #38,078. He's correlated the Mueller report with the Bitcoin blockchain addresses referenced (indirectly) in two indictments brought by America's Department of Justice -- one for interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, and one for the public leak of Olympic drug-testing results -- and shared the results of his investigation with CNN.
CNN reports:
Russian agents, including those from the GRU, Russia's military intelligence agency, had sought to, as the Mueller indictment of GRU agents last July outlined, "capitalize on the perceived anonymity of cryptocurrencies." But while Bitcoin allowed Russians to "avoid direct relationships with traditional financial institutions, allowing them to evade greater scrutiny of their identities and sources of funds," according to the same indictment, it wasn't enough to evade Mueller's investigation.
Tim Cotten, a blockchain developer and security researcher who has done extensive work in tracking Russian Bitcoin accounts unearthed by Mueller's team, noted in an interview with CNN Business that trading Bitcoins on exchanges usually requires users to set up Bitcoin wallets that are tied to an email address. Federal investigators were able to access at least some of the email accounts used in the operation, which, Cotten says, would have made tracing Bitcoin transactions a lot easier. Investigators' access to the "the other side of the blockchain equation," as he described it, was important because, "Rather than having to search the blockchain for clues, they already had all of the receipts demonstrating which accounts were under the GRU's control."
The Russians used stolen and false identities in setting up some of these accounts, according to Mueller's team, but had used some of the same accounts to purchase servers and website domains involved in the hacking of the Democratic Party and the publishing of the hacked materials, Mueller's indictment outlines. That, Cotten said, would have made it easier for investigators to tie the case together.
"The purchase trails are fully exposed in the Bitcoin blockchain as funds are used, consolidated, and deposited into secondary online wallets such as SpectroCoin.com and Xapo.com," Cotten writes on his site. "Anyone can follow along and trace the payment chains to see exactly how the Russians were spending their money, when, and on what."
The Russian operatives (a.k.a. the Fancy Bear team) withdrew funds from both the CEX.io and BTC-e.com cryptocurrency exchanges to fund domain purchases, server rentals, and VPN services, reports Draconi, Slashdot reader #38,078. He's correlated the Mueller report with the Bitcoin blockchain addresses referenced (indirectly) in two indictments brought by America's Department of Justice -- one for interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, and one for the public leak of Olympic drug-testing results -- and shared the results of his investigation with CNN.
CNN reports:
Russian agents, including those from the GRU, Russia's military intelligence agency, had sought to, as the Mueller indictment of GRU agents last July outlined, "capitalize on the perceived anonymity of cryptocurrencies." But while Bitcoin allowed Russians to "avoid direct relationships with traditional financial institutions, allowing them to evade greater scrutiny of their identities and sources of funds," according to the same indictment, it wasn't enough to evade Mueller's investigation.
Tim Cotten, a blockchain developer and security researcher who has done extensive work in tracking Russian Bitcoin accounts unearthed by Mueller's team, noted in an interview with CNN Business that trading Bitcoins on exchanges usually requires users to set up Bitcoin wallets that are tied to an email address. Federal investigators were able to access at least some of the email accounts used in the operation, which, Cotten says, would have made tracing Bitcoin transactions a lot easier. Investigators' access to the "the other side of the blockchain equation," as he described it, was important because, "Rather than having to search the blockchain for clues, they already had all of the receipts demonstrating which accounts were under the GRU's control."
The Russians used stolen and false identities in setting up some of these accounts, according to Mueller's team, but had used some of the same accounts to purchase servers and website domains involved in the hacking of the Democratic Party and the publishing of the hacked materials, Mueller's indictment outlines. That, Cotten said, would have made it easier for investigators to tie the case together.
"The purchase trails are fully exposed in the Bitcoin blockchain as funds are used, consolidated, and deposited into secondary online wallets such as SpectroCoin.com and Xapo.com," Cotten writes on his site. "Anyone can follow along and trace the payment chains to see exactly how the Russians were spending their money, when, and on what."
Couldn't hide? (Score:5, Informative)
The blockchain is public.
How many fucking times do we need to repeat that? Even the fucking article and summary says that.
With that in mind, how can any fucker expect to "hide" by using bitcoin?
The only thing you can do is try and make sure a wallet number cannot be traced back to you.
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It is the same for all types of privacy. You could be using the best tools in the world (let's say if I am hiding behind TOR) but if I say my name is xyz and I live at xyz location then my privacy will still be compromised. It is the same for bitcoin.
If the Russians wanted to really conceal their actions then they would have needed to probably acquire the bitcoins through mining or buying them with cash.
If anything it shows that even the best "security professionals" are vulnerable to human weaknesses.
Re: Couldn't hide? (Score:5, Interesting)
I wonder if their concern was more about not being able to be cutoff by the international American banking cartel, rather than anonymity.
It's not too hard for BTC to be effectively private (if you've got spare BTC to burn anonymizing).
It strains credibility that these are A) professional intelligence operatives and B) they don't know how to cover up small BTC transactions.
More likely they were not professionals (perhaps being chosen for the English skills or knowledge of American culture) or anonymity wasn't important to the operation, as long as they couldn't be shut down.
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It strains credibility that these are A) professional intelligence operatives and B) they don't know how to cover up small BTC transactions.
Not really, in 2017 the FBI had seized the servers of BTC-e, a Russian based BTC exchange. That *greatly* assists the US linking transactions to persons.
Re: Couldn't hide? (Score:2)
So, now you know Dmitry Kolonov bought some BTC from BTC-e. Then you also know those bitcoins were send to a remixing service for anonymity. But at that point, you lose track unless the volumes are so great you can track heuristically (on this day, $20k was sent to remix and one wallet gets a $19k payout the following day; that sort of thing). If the transaction volumes are small (like for renting servers) it's effectively impossible to track.
Again, assuming Russian intelligence professionals are competent
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Dude, WTF? How can you say all that and forget to mention the colour "orange"!
#sadtroll
Re:Couldn't hide? (Score:5, Insightful)
The blockchain is public.
How many fucking times do we need to repeat that?
You know the blockchain is public. I know the blockchain is public. Lots of people out there do not know, and it will take this type of "major news" to perhaps shake a few of them out of their stupor. Do not underestimate the need for constant enlightenment on obvious topics in The Age of Stupid.
Re:Couldn't hide? (Score:5, Insightful)
Do not underestimate the need for constant enlightenment on obvious topics in The Age of Stupid.
An excellent point. But is is not only stupidity, even in professionals it is a lack of experience and that it is really difficult to estimate how much you actually know. For example, one of my students in my infoSec lecture wrote on the evaluation that in his view the main purpose of the lecture was to make it clear how difficult it is actually to get this right and that it warns away people from trying this by themselves. That is extremely insightful. Of course, I do expect a few students to actually become security experts themselves eventually, but for the majority this is just about warning them of pitfalls again and again to allow the to get a realistic self-evaluation of their respective skills.
The worst failure of the IT and applied CS field is that is has collectively forgotten (or never learned) about KISS. You cannot be a competent engineer that way, you can at best be a gifted amateur and on average you will be a dangerous hack.
Re:Couldn't hide? (Score:4, Funny)
Do not underestimate the need for constant enlightenment on obvious topics in The Age of Stupid.
Carl Sagan predicted this in 1995 in his book The Demon-Haunted world:
The dumbing down of American is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance.
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Who the fuck can focus for a whole 10 seconds to listen to a soundbite?
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As did Asimov in 1980:
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that âoemy ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.â
https://media.aphelis.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ASIMOV_1980_Cult_of_Ignorance.pdf [aphelis.net] (PDF of his article from Newsweek)
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Why do we continue to have to repeat in this age, Innocent until proven guilty. That idiot Mueller who spent 2 years to find a dozen Russian click baiters, can save what ever the fuck he wants. Nobody did nothing until it is proven in court.
Hey Mueller you dickhead, want to say something say it to a judge, try them in absentia and prove your case in court, otherwise shut the fuck up with your bullshit claims of GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT, you lying fuck.
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The blockchain is public.
How many fucking times do we need to repeat that? Even the fucking article and summary says that.
With that in mind, how can any fucker expect to "hide" by using bitcoin?
The only thing you can do is try and make sure a wallet number cannot be traced back to you.
Indeed. The amount of stupidity needed to think Bitcoin is anonymous is staggering.
In theory Bitcoin should be idea for layering (Score:2)
FBI seized Russian exchange BTC-e servers (Score:2)
The blockchain is public.
How many fucking times do we need to repeat that? Even the fucking article and summary says that. With that in mind, how can any fucker expect to "hide" by using bitcoin? The only thing you can do is try and make sure a wallet number cannot be traced back to you.
Yes the blockchain is public but identifying an individual is still not a sure thing. In this particular case the FBI seized the servers of the Russian bitcoin exchange BTC-e. That is likely how Russians were identified as being behind the websites and ads.
In short, to be identified some exchange or some vendor has to identify a person. Assuming they don't have your computer or phone with your wallet.
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It isn't just a few operatives, although I agree we shouldn't damn an entire people because its government and a good part of its businesses are run by a thugs. That is not a small enterprise and many Russians are involved with the idea of getting theirs and screwing the rest of the people. If the fish rots from the head, Putin is fetid dingo kidney (thanks Douglas Adams).
different goal (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Did the Russians hack voting machines? (Score:4, Insightful)
It's not a dumb thing to say. You cannot stop another country from saying something, and you shouldn't have to. If your own "democracy" is worth its money, it wouldn't have a significant effect when another country is doing propaganda.
Note also that the US is involved in constant propaganda in other countries. Note also that almost all countries are involved in constant propaganda in other countries. It is the default.
Why are you surprised that Russia tries to tilt US elections in such a way that it's favorable to them? It is the default. Every country does this to other countries. And especially the US does this. The US even has an entire three letter agency, the CIA, devoted to doing exactly that. And the CIA's main task is, and does, almost nothing but, subversion and subversive action outside of the US. It's the very reason why the CIA exists.
So why are you surprised that Russia does this, too?
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You should have a law against political parties having weakly secured E-mail servers, and you should have a law against a foreign minister using her private E-mail account for classified secret government information.
I don't see or hear much about Russian soldiers or operatives killing US citizens constantly in the streets. Like what you seem to be trying to convince me of.
I didn't say it's OK that propaganda between countries is ongoing. I said that it's ongoing, that it's the default and that it's the way
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Yes.
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/n... [sun-sentinel.com]
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Oh ye of oversimplistic world views. You people do more damage than all politicians combined.
Trump Tower Moscow (Score:4, Informative)
Lets be clear about it, the bank signed on to fund Trump Tower Moscow is under sanctions.
It was under sanctions when Trump signed the deal mid election.
The only way Trump Tower Moscow could be built is if sanctions were lifted.
And the only way he could lift sanctions is by becoming president.
And he DID become President and so far FAILED to lift sanctions, despite multiple attempts. i.e. his part of the deal he hasn't delivered yet.
So the current story, that Trump tower Moscow deal was cancelled when he became President is a another lie. He always needed to become President to get that deal, the deal just needs him to lift sanctions, the contract is still signed, the deal is still on, his reward is $130-200 million in "name license" fees.
It's a lie on top of a lie on top of a lie, and Russia knew it they were lies and worked with him to keep it secret. He lied to Fox News and he lied to Fox News viewers and told the truth to Putin.
So lets see the rest of the Mueller report, and do the Congress finance investigation. The Deutsch-Bank, Russian laundering money, some $10 billion in missing Russian bribe money floating around.
Are you serious? (Score:1)
Really now....is that the best you can come up with?
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Unless someone important (Hillary/Obama/Comey) goes to prison, every future presidential challenger will have FISA warrants on their campaign staff feeding right into the incumbent's (or appointed successor's) political campaign.
This is serious as a heart attack, for the last two years the _guilty_ have been running a full time distraction on Trump. And all the usual suspects are full tilt deranged.
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Look forward to FISA warrants on your favorite candidate next cycle.
IF it comes to light, you will then understand. Right now you are blinded by partisanship.
Imagine Trump does to Warren (or whichever commie the Ds nominate in 20) what Obama did to Trump. You'll be 'up in arms' (it might even open your eyes about the 2nd amendment.
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Hint, pointing as some dyspeptic web site isn't really a valid reference.
No Bitcoin in Federal Prison. (Score:1)
Sorry, Trump traitors.
Who Cares! (Score:1)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/1... [nytimes.com]
The "holy" Mueller. (Score:1)
I thought Trump was to be led out in handcuffs. And Her Royal Thighness, "saint" Hillary was to be installed as godqueen?
Mueller farce that never investigated DNC servers (Score:2, Troll)
If this was ever a real investigation, the first thing Mueller would have done is subpoena the DNC servers for a proper investigation.
Aka a term and group that Crowdstrike pulled out of their asses. It should bother Russiagaters most of all that Mueller never did a proper examination, given the fact that the FBI is a high level intelligence organization and knows perfectly well that there could be exploits not contained in the storage images taken by Crowd
#SHUM (Score:2)
At what point ... (Score:2)
... do people start to wise up and realize that weaponizing the FBI against your domestic political opponents is a bad idea?
Yeah, I know, you hate Trump. Somehow that magically justifies this. But it may be hard to put this genie back in the bottle.
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So previous use of bitcoin? (Score:1)
Hospitals, businesses, all kinds of places have been held up for bitcoin. So is anyone tracing these down to get to the criminals?
In some cases people have been denied life saving help from hospitals for ransom that wasn't met in time.
Slashdot deleting posts? (Score:2)
Re: frosty piss (Score:3, Insightful)
Hillarys emails! Bengazi bengazi! Hillarys emails! Bengazi!! Wow, blind partisanship sounds stupid no matter what party you like!
Don't pretend those two are equivilant (Score:1)
Russiagate is just Bengazi for liberals - a deranged partisan witch hunt. Hillary's email server....would have seen anyone else die in prison if their last name wasn't Clinton. Decades for mishandling classified information for years, and then another decade for obstruction of justice (destroying evidence while under active FBI investigation.
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Benghazi didn't bring us closer to global thermonuclear war than we've been since the Turkish Missile Crisis (I prefer that term as the USSR only tried to place nukes in Cuba to counter American missiles placed in Turkey).
What conservatives could have - and should have done - with the Obama Administration is impeach their asses for starting a war without Congressional authorization. But a common threat amongst partisan tribalists in the US is to ignore the real shit and go after the supremely stupid shit, l
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We're closer to nuclear war? Really? With whom?
And yes, I agree that Benghazi (and the entire Libyan war) was illegal and should have been pressed harder, but I am also a realist and realize that not a single Democrat would support the effort (meaning it would fail) and the media would have tarred-and-feathered the entire GOP for the next 50 years to dare impeach a black President - it must have been racism, not actual high crimes, that would have caused an impeachment.
Nevertheless, my point stands - an A
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So what? Like impeaching Bush over the Iraq invasion, going after Obama's flagrant violation of the Constitution would have been worth doing. Actual impeachment hearings would cut through the bullshit of "executive privilege" and help set the state for future prosecutions, even if the vote to remove Obama from of
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Your mom.
I don't think any more needs to be said. Childish, at best...
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Says the toolbag fully aware of the years the political establishment has spent accusing Russia of attacking the United States, rhetoric that has supported the US sending Navy ships into the Black Sea. Which would be like Russia sending a fleet to the Gulf of Mexico to 'contain American aggression'.
If you want to insult your own intelligence and be willfully obutse, it's a free country.
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Don't pretend those are equivalent either (Score:2)
Are you insinuating that I am a Democrat? If so, no need to be so crude or insulting. And all the never-Trump politicians like Adam Shitt who have been claiming that Trump is a hot headed Putin Puppet - have merrily voted to give him new spying powers and ever-increasing military budgets.
Putting all posturing aside, the United States is arming neo-Nazis in Ukraine, ha
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Your continued problems with remdial current events are you problem, not mine.
https://www.thenation.com/arti... [thenation.com]
You say that like its supposed to mean something. Israel has also armed your literal neo-Nazi pals in Ukraine.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel... [haaretz.com]
You done yet, or are you insisting on digging deeper with that shovel?
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That's last year. This year's conspiracy theories focus on the deep state - a claim that the only reason Trump hasn't saved America yet is that the federal government is riddled with a secret network of Obama's loyal agents who are disobeying orders and sabotaging Trump policies.
LYING TRAITOR FOX NEWS FAGGOT SCHOOLED AGAIN : (Score:1, Interesting)
https://www.justice.gov/storage/report.pdf = GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY DRUMPFTARDS
1. "In July 2010 the government said small businesses -- 60 percent -- will lose their health care, 45 percent of big business and a large percentage of individual health." Sean Hannity, Nov. 11, 2013 False
* * *
2. "And President Obama has offered to pay out of his own pocket for the museum of Muslim culture out of his own pocket, yet it's the Republican National Committee who's paying for this." Anna Kooiman, Oct. 5, 2013 ht
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