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Russians arrest 'CIA hacker'
From: William Knowles <wk () C4I ORG>
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 13:40:38 -0500
Forwarded by: "James M. Atkinson, Comm-Eng" <jmatk () tscm com> http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_806000/806984.stm The Russian authorities say they have arrested a man who allegedly spied for the United States by hacking into Russian security service computers. The man's name has not been revealed, but he is said to be a Lithuanian who passed secrets to his own government as well as to the US. News of the arrest was given by the Russian domestic security service, the FSB - the successor to the KGB. The most important thing for the Americans was to use the agent to penetrate information systems used by the Russian FSB FSB statement It said the man had hacked into FSB computers and passed on secrets to the US Central Intelligence Agency. The man is said to have given "detailed testimony" about his spying activities for both the Lithuanian state security department and the CIA. The statement said the man had been "active on a CIA special operation" from the beginning of 1999. "The penetration of the FSB's computer network was an important element of the US operation," said the FSB in a statement. According to the Russians, the man hacked in to the FSB's own computer system to find out the organisation's structure, staffing, and what counter-measures the Russians might be taking against Western operations. "The most important thing for the Americans was to use the agent to penetrate information systems used by the Russian FSB in order regularly to obtain operative and other information," the FSB said. The man is also said to have confessed to attemping to recruit an FSB agent as a spy, during a planned meeting in Poland. "The CIA aimed to stage a political provocation against Russia, recruit an FSB employee and penetrate the FSB's computer network," the agency said. Expelled Even though the Cold War is over, Russia and the US have both accused a number of people of spying over the past year. In early April, American Edmond Pope was arrested in Russia as an alleged spy, and is still being held. His arrest came only months after US diplomat Cherie Leberknight was ordered to leave the country for allegedly trying to obtain military secrets. Shortly afterwards, Washington expelled a Russian diplomat. And less than a fortnight ago, the Americans arrested a retired Reserve Army officer and accused him of spying for the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The spying expulsions did not halt a summit meeting between US President Bill Clinton and Russian President Vladimir Putin - himself a former KGB head - earlier in June. The two men said they had held constructive talks, but disagreed strongly on a proposed US defence system, and correspondents said there was little evidence of personal warmth between them. =================================================================== Everybody's into computers... Who's into yours? =================================================================== James M. Atkinson Phone: (978) 546-3803 Granite Island Group 127 Eastern Avenue #291 http://www.tscm.com/ Gloucester, MA 01931-8008 jmatk () tscm com =================================================================== "...any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke =================================================================== ISN is hosted by SecurityFocus.com --- To unsubscribe email LISTSERV () SecurityFocus com with a message body of "SIGNOFF ISN".
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