Any Minute Now, the US Counter Cyber Strike on Russia

[Chasing Dreams]

We've felt pretty helpless the last few months from the Russian cyber intrusions, Assange, Wikileaks, and the direct links between the Trump campaign and Putin. But recently we've seen our Great President provide evidence to the international community of Russia's interference in our election. (e.g., http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/fbi-probing-potential-hack-democratic-officials-phones-by-suspected-russian-hackers-1583652)

Vice President Biden began prepping us for the necessary retaliatory strike yesterday (10/14 -http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/trackers/2016-10-14/biden-on-meet-the-press-u-s-sending-message-to-russia-on-hack)

"We’re sending a message" to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vice President Joe Biden says in NBC "Meet the Press" interview with Chuck Todd, and "it will be at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that will have the greatest impact," according to excerpt released by NBC.

When asked if American public will know a message is sent, Biden says, "hope not"
In interview that will air in its entirety Sunday, Biden also says he isn’t concerned that Americans will question the outcome of the Nov. 8 balloting because Russia doesn’t have the ability to "fundamentally alter the election"

Then NBC - why are they getting all of these scoops? - announced this bombshell about 2/3 of the way through Rachel Maddow last night
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/cia-prepping-possible-cyber-strike-against-russia-n666636

The Obama administration is contemplating an unprecedented cyber covert action against Russia in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the American presidential election, U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News.

Current and former officials with direct knowledge of the situation say the CIA has been asked to deliver options to the White House for a wide-ranging "clandestine" cyber operation designed to harass and "embarrass" the Kremlin leadership.

Meanwhile, this morning the Clinton Campaign began calling it like it is: Watergate II (under the direction of Roger Stone, Roger Ailes and Donald Trump).

Four decades after five men broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate, Hillary Clinton’s campaign is trying to frame the hacking of her campaign chairman’s email as a repeat of the most famous political scandal in American history – and to directly implicate Donald Trump.

“What did Trump know, and when did he know it?” the campaign asks in an essay that will post on Medium, a play on the famous line from the Senate’s Watergate investigation. (“What did the President know and when did he know it?” Sen. Howard Baker asked then.)

“We’re witnessing another effort to steal private campaign documents in order to influence an election,” Clinton campaign spokesman Glen Caplin writes in an early version of the post, which was shared with POLITICO. “Only this time, instead of filing cabinets, it’s people’s emails they’re breaking into…and a foreign government is behind it.”

In addition to rightfully taking Russia out as a player for the remainder of this election, a brilliant side effect of the upcoming cyber strike is creating additional divisions between trumpians and the rest of the Republican party. I expect that despite Biden's "hope not" that we will all know about the "embarrassment" inflicted on Putin by the time the last debate starts on Wednesday night. The media might even be calling it a Cyber War, and the second major question area (after a half hour what everyone thinks of Disgusting Donald) will concern the attack. Are you with President Obama or not, Mr. Trump? Followed by a two minute diatribe about getting along with Russia, there's no proof the Russians or Putin did anything, blah blah blah.

At which point Hillary Clinton will deliver an impassioned foreign policy defense of The President, laying out the evidence, and yes, the ties to the trump campaign, Watergate II. And the challenge to the press and Republican elected officials. Are you with the President, or not? And a whole bunch of rotten scoundrels and cowards will side with Donald J. Trump against the President of the United States. And then -- with increasing proof of Watergate II provided by our fired-up press -- they'll get to be viewed as unpatriotic misogynist fascist rotten scoundrels and cowards who are supporting a Traitor.

And then...can you say?- LANDSLIDE!

[BlueStreak]

1. Several scenarios

Sometimes "leaks" like this are psych ops. Head fakes. Not necessarily real, immediate actions.

My sense with this one is that not only is it real, but the "hack" has already occurred. That is to say, if we are wanting to do some financial chaos, then we already have access to the servers that are going to be manipulated. It just doesn't make sense to announce such a strong, specific threat and then hope that you might actually be able to do something.

[LeftRant]

2. I agree, the announcement is fishy.

And I think we have a lot more to lose and a lot more holes. I don't think this is a fight we want right now, rather this may just been telling them to butt out of our goddamn elections.

[BlueStreak]

4. Stuxnet

Remember that one. That was a virus that was implanted in the control system running Iran's centrifuges. It might have been installed for weeks or months before the command was sent to destroy the centrifuges.

The NSA employs thousands of people to do stuff like this. They probably already have infiltrated hundreds of important computer systems vital to the Russian military and economy. Surely we won't show very many cards at this point, but I bet there are some serious back-channel discussions going on to "persuade" the Russians to stop tampering with our elections.

And I bet Donald is not hearing about those in his security briefings.

What things are possible?

Disable communication satellites -- or even make them crash?

Shut down banks by corrupting their books?

Transferring millions of dollars from the international bank accounts of Putin's best supporters?

Plant fake news stories?

Really, the possibilities are endless.

[Coyotl]

3. What "Russian intrusions" are you talking about? Name one.

There are mentions of degrees of confidence that some Russian officials were involved in.. yarta yata. But when did suspicion become bedrock?

I don't think the Obama administration is about to break international law and commit an act of war because we suspect some hacker is using a server in Russia. Get real.

[BlueStreak]

5. There is a fine line

Re: "I don't think the Obama administration is about to break international law and commit an act of war "

there is a find line between what you call an "act of war" and what I call "proportional gamesmanship."

And it needn't be directed at the Russian government to be effective. Putin has his one-percenters. Make them hurt and Putin will feel the pain.

[Chasing Dreams]

6. Here's a link

http://www.scmagazine.com/fbi-russia-likely-hacked-florida-election-contractor-and-clinton-campaign-chairman/article/548363/

And their are many others should you desire to educate yourself. BTW, such a retaliatory strike would be met by cheers from our NATO allies who are looking to the United State to stand up to Russian aggression, particularly cyber attacks.

And yes, we've done this before:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/02/massive-us-planned-cyberattack-against-iran-went-well-beyond-stuxnet/

[Coyotl]

7. And there's that word "likely" again the degree of confidence is obviously ambiguous.

I'm thinking there is more threat and manipulation going on than actual action. We have to remain within the confines of the rule of law. You don't complain about criminal acts and then respond by becoming the new criminal on the block. What we are likely trying to accomplish is push Russia to control the bad actors behind the firewall preventing us from controlling them.