COLUMNS

Ironically, the GRU Gets Bitten by the Internet

undefined and VP of Tactical Analysis
Scott Stewart
VP of Tactical Analysis, Stratfor

Oct 9, 2018 | 09:30 GMT

An FBI 'Wanted' poster shows several members of the Russian military intelligence service on Oct. 4, 2018

A 'WANTED' poster of Russian individuals is seen during a news conference to announce criminal charges October 4, 2018, in Washington, D.C.. Seven Russian GRU intelligence officers have been indicted for their alleged roles in hacking and related influence and disinformation operations targeting international anti-doping agencies, sporting federations and anti-doping officials.

(ALEX WONG/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • Seven Russian intelligence officers have been indicted in the U.S. in connection with hacking operations against a variety of targets in several countries.
  • These officers have also received a great deal of embarrassing attention from activists on the internet and social media.
  • This case illustrates how technologies such as social media, often used as a weapon by intelligence agencies, can also be turned against them.

Last week was a rough week for Russia's military intelligence service. On Oct. 4, the U.S. Justice Department announced the indictment of seven officers of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) in connection with hacking operations. At the same time, Dutch intelligence services released a report on the April arrest of four of the men, showing their passports and hacking equipment. Then independent investigators, using the internet and social media, dug up additional information on the GRU's cyberwarfare unit, confirmed the identity of one of the suspects in the nerve agent poisoning in the United Kingdom and identified the second suspect for the first time....

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