Vermont utility hack not linked to Russia
Source: Press Herald
As federal officials investigate suspicious internet activity found last week on a Vermont utility computer, they are finding evidence that the incident is not linked to any Russian government effort to target or hack the utility, according to experts and officials close to the investigation.
An employee at Burlington Electric Department was checking his Yahoo email account Friday and triggered an alert indicating that his computer had connected to a suspicious IP address associated by authorities with the Russian hacking operation that infiltrated the Democratic Party.
Officials told the company that traffic with this particular address is found elsewhere in the country and is not unique to Burlington Electric, suggesting the company wasn’t being targeted by the Russians.
Indeed, officials say it is possible that the traffic is benign, since this particular IP address is not always connected to malicious activity.
Read more: http://www.pressherald.com/2017/01/02/vermont-utility-hack-not-linked-to-russia/
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Response to oberliner (Original post)
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oberliner
(58,724 posts)https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russian-government-hackers-do-not-appear-to-have-targeted-vermont-utility-say-people-close-to-investigation/2017/01/02/70c25956-d12c-11e6-945a-76f69a399dd5_story.html?utm_term=.0d6804bb6492
Same article - original source (WaPo).
C Moon
(12,213 posts)They ARE on a hacking war path.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)A guy checking his Yahoo email account got malware.
C Moon
(12,213 posts)Just that, considering the current atmosphere of Russian hacking (especially hacking that effected putting an idiot as the President of the U.S.), it's not a bad thing to be paranoid that Russia was involved.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)I would suggest, though, that in this current atmosphere of Russian hacking, news outlets ought to do their due diligence. Jumping the gun, as WaPo did, is not smart.
IthinkThereforeIAM
(3,076 posts)... that have been known to drop trojans on unsuspecting surfers. They get on that list because someone has previously been infected from that site. They do not say which software blocked it or found it. Just trying to add some context here.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)It's important we refer to inaccuracy as BS... it strengthens our long-running narrative better.
still_one
(92,190 posts)the information on Russian hacking of the election and this event are independent of each other, and those who would use this to justify the invalidation of the Russian hacking of the election, such as Glen Greenwald on Tucker Carlson's show, and others, are desperate to take attention away from any Russian involvement.
Ironically, the ones so intent on doing this are those who have a personal bias against Hillary, President Obama, or the Democratic party. Perhaps that is why Jill Stein, julian assange, and Glenn Greenwald feel so motivated to dispel an talk of Russian involvement in interference in or election.
All the OP is doing is pointing out that the Vermont electric company has nothing to with Russia
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Hugely irresponsible of them to run that story in the first place without basic fact checking.
still_one
(92,190 posts)
pnwmom
(108,978 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)
blue neen
(12,321 posts)They don't just use Grizzly Steppe.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)But it is not accurate to say definitively that this is "Russian malware". It might be from Russia. It might be from somewhere else. There are lots of criminal hackers all over the world doing nefarious things. The point is that the initial story was BS and was bad reporting on the part of WaPo.
blue neen
(12,321 posts)There is going to be a lot more news coming out about what the Russians did and when they did it.
The biggest point of all is that we have a President-elect who wants to give the Russians a pass even though they interfered in our election. If the Groper in Chief and the RussianPublicans refuse to hold Putin accountable, then we'll be relying on the Washington Post and the New York Times to do the investigating and the accounting. I have faith in both The Post and The Times.
NWCorona
(8,541 posts)
Vinca
(50,273 posts)It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. If the Burlington Electric case brings attention to it that's a good thing.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Especially with respect to publishing stories online. When even the Washington Post won't do their due diligence in a rush to get a story online, we have a real problem, I think.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)It's a ratings-driven media. 
