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[Netherscourge]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/...ailov-russian-cybercrimes-agent-arrested.html

A senior official in the Russian cyberintelligence department that American officials say oversaw last year’s election hacking has been arrested in Moscow on charges of treason, a Russian newspaper reported Wednesday.

The arrest of Sergei Mikhailov, a senior officer of the Federal Security Service, or F.S.B., the main successor agency to the K.G.B., is a rare instance of turmoil in the country’s usually shadowy cybersecurity apparatus slipping into public view.

Mr. Mikhailov served in the F.S.B.’s Center for Information Security, the agency’s cyberintelligence branch, which has been implicated in the American election hacking. But it is not clear whether the arrest was related to those intrusions.

He was detained along with one of Russia’s leading private-sector cybersecurity experts, Ruslan Stoyanov, the head of computer incident response investigations at the Kaspersky Lab, which makes antivirus programs.

...

Alternatively, the detention of an official who would have been in a position to engage in the election hacking in America could indicate a good-will gesture to the United States, which has penalized Russia for the electoral meddling.

How convenient.

 

[Barzul]

Ah they found a fall guy. Hope his family is eating good.

 

[Sectorseven]

Poor guy

 

[BronsonLee]

'fuck, fuck, fuck, just give them this guy and hope it goes away'

 

[PopeReal]

One guy did it! We got him!

Now move on everyone. Unify and obey.

 

[Gouty]

Guy probably doesn't even know how to turn a computer on.

 

[dr3upmushroom]

Guy probably doesn't even know how to turn a computer on.

Dude was a yak farmer from Siberia.

 

[Tagyhag]

I wonder if they drew straws or they just said "Hey, no one likes that Sergei guy anyway, choose him"

 

[Ithil]

Guess he annoyed someone high up, maybe beat them at poker or something, so they picked him as the fall guy.

 

[gcubed]

I think the opposite... Wasn't a fall guy, but a guy who leaked shit out or got caught by not being careful enough

 

[Netherscourge]

"Hi Donald, dis is Vladdy. Veee vill trade you dis super-evil nasty agent for the lifting of the sanctions. Da?"

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

Seems like he will catch whatever is going around in Ruissian politicians and business men, sudden onset dead.

 

[KO Traveling Hobo]

I think the opposite... Wasn't a fall guy, but a guy who leaked shit out or got caught by not being careful enough

That was my first thought when I read the thread title.

 

[rjinaz]

I hope he just agreed to take the fall because he's dying anyway...

 

[>:)]

 

[B-Dubs]

This guy's the fucking janitor isn't he?

 

[Dai101]

Ah they found a fall guy. Hope his family is eating good.

Or alive.

 

[Wag]

Guy probably doesn't even know how to turn a computer on.

So he was the janitor at Kaspersky Labs?

 

[Rur0ni]

:comeon:

 

[Already Torn]

"Here America, we executed a fall guy. We square?"

 

[Netherscourge]

He's either trade-bait or a foiled potential whistleblower.

 

[JORMBO]

RIP

 

[NimbusD]

But wikileaks said it wasnt Russia?

 

[RustyNails]

Trump: "Vlad, you gotta help me out buddy. CNN wont stop asking me questions about cyber. I dont know what to say!!"

Putin: "You tell them you dont know"

Trump: "They wont listen. You got no idea how lowlife these scum are. They will look for everything under the sun. They're all losers. I think they know what went down and I'm scared"

Putin: "There is nothing to worry. I will help you. But first the Seichin Oil pipeline..."

Trump: "Ok you got it whatever. I will talk to Rex. Just fix this mess!!"

BREAKING NEWS: A senior official in the Russian cyberintelligence department that American officials say oversaw last year’s election hacking has been arrested in Moscow on charges of treason, a Russian newspaper reported Wednesday.

 

[XMonkey]

I hope this means he already gave solid evidence to the proper channels.

 

[Zynx]

If he really did it, he should've been secretly given a damn medal. It's not like he betrayed HIS country.

 

[Chmpocalypse]

Patsy.

 

[Stinkles]

If he really did it, he should've been secretly given a damn medal. It's not like he betrayed HIS country.

Not how all this works. Russia was tipped off and made a preemptive move.

 

[Subpar Spatula]

Sounds like Russia is cleaning house with people involved in the hacking to hide their trail.

 

[JaggedSac]

I think the opposite... Wasn't a fall guy, but a guy who leaked shit out or got caught by not being careful enough

Yep, punishment for this shit getting out in such a big way.

 

[Ryuuroden]

He was arrested cause he got caught by America and left a trail that lead to the Russians.

 

[Woorloog]

Could this be cover up for hiding the agent? Basically retire the name but not really getting rid of him?

Though i guess covering trails is more likely

 

[Vena]

Not how all this works. Russia was tipped off and made a preemptive move.

The question would, tipped off to what?

 

[Muppet of a Man]

I think the opposite... Wasn't a fall guy, but a guy who leaked shit out or got caught by not being careful enough

This is likely the case. Probably how Putin got found out at the end of the day. So now he pays the price.

 

[daveo42]

Thank Putin, for wrapping that all up nicely. Now we'll never hear from him again and gain any info from his activities. How...convenient.

 

[Ether_Snake]

Timing is interesting.

Either people worked behind the scene against Putin's knowledge to influence the US election, and Putin had people dig to find who and they now found out and arrested him, or he had been involved at Putin's request and now Putin thinks things have backfired and he's trying to sort things out.

I see no gain from basically confirming that some were involved in the hacking. So I can only imagine that the dots-connecting that has been going on is causing investigations to be getting too hot.

If that's the case then I doubt it's the last we'll hear of it.

 

[DeviantBoi]

He probably passed on the pee tape to someone in the US.

 

[BrassDragon]

Sounds like standard Kremlin MO.

With all the scrutiny on Russian hacking and disinformation attacks, not just from the media but also from foreign services, Putin needs to send a strong message to involved FSB staff: no leaks, no whistleblowers, no turncoats - shut up or end up a traitor like your boss.

 

[Pbae]

This is getting more traction.

Rachael Maddow is just talking about this over all the other crazy stuff going on saying it's a huge smokescreen to cover up this.

 

[Syncytia]

Could just be some BS from Putin to give the media here something to run with - Look Russia arrested a guy for hacking the election! Result: further distrust and destabilization of the system.

 

[FromAtoX]

Now let's wait for the tweet from @realDonaldTrump congratulating Russia.

 

[New002]

Trump about to bust out a Mission Accomplished tweet. Case closed.

 

[Morts]

Wonder if Trump admin outed him.

 

[Kenclops]

Putin takes out the guys who could potentially expose the Russian hacking, those that were loyal to him. I expect this is how Trump will treat anyone who does his bidding when he doesn't want to be caught.

 

[kirblar]

Wonder if Trump admin outed him.

This is what I'm dreading.

 

[Kusagari]

This is the guy that had been theorized to have been the leaker right?

 

[Dominican Power]

There has to be a mole tipping The Russians off.

 

[Lonewolf_92]

Sounds like Russia is cleaning house with people involved in the hacking to hide their trail.

That or they see things are starting to look grim for their Patsy-in-chief and are cutting bait while trying to spin it as not being directly connected to Putin. Expect to see a bunch of politically convenient to get rid of politicians and/or businessmen get rounded up by Putin in the coming weeks as co-conspirators while he distances himself from the Trumpster Fire, maybe even says some stuff negatively about him.

 

[antonz]

Kaspersky guy was likely a source of info to the west. It was discovered from where Hackers carried out the attacks.

It was typical Russian operation from another country. Problem is Intel community was able to track back to its source with assistance. Which immediately linked to people with power. So heads roll and Russia denies everything

 

[jellies_two]

When I read the spy PDF if I remember it suggested aspects of the DNC hacking were a bit of a rogue operation in Russia and the people involved in it were vulnerable to putin deciding to cut it, and string them up to cover up. Doesn't this fit in with that narrative?