#russia hack

Today we discuss the vulnerabilities of our election system, how election security has already been breached, and what could happen next.  

We talk with journalist Kim Zetter. She’s been writing about cybersecurity and the integrity of our voting systems for more than a decade. “If you ask any security expert and election advocates, they cite a voter-verified paper trail as single most important step that states could take to ensure integrity of elections,” Zetter says. 14 states don’t produce a paper trail at all, and of the states that do, there have been cases of inadequate auditing.

Listen to this story:

There’s an exciting new development in the “Russia-gate” investigation, one  that has the potential to blast apart what is arguably the biggest hoax in the  history of American politics.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-California) has met with  Julian Assange – the first US congressman to do so – and returned with some  spectacular news:. The Hill reports:

“Julian Assange told a U.S. congressman  on Tuesday he can prove the leaked Democratic Party documents he published during  last year’s election did not come from Russia and promised additional helpful  information about the leaks in the near future.”

Assange has maintained all along that the Russians had nothing to do with procuring  the DNC/Podesta emails, despite the intelligence community’s assertions – offered  without evidence – that Vladimir Putin personally approved the alleged “hack.”  Yet credible challenges to this view have emerged  in recent days, including  from a group of former intelligence officials, that throw considerable doubt  on the idea that there was even a “hack” to begin with. “Pressed for more detail  on the source of the documents,” says The Hill,

“Rohrabacher said he had information to share privately with President Trump.  ‘Julian also indicated that he is open to further discussions regarding specific  information about the DNC email incident that is currently unknown to the public,’  he said.”

What this looks like is an attempt by Assange to negotiate with the US government  over his current status as a political prisoner: he has been confined to the  Ecuadorian embassy in London for many years. Hanging over him is the threat  of arrest should he leave and his rendition to the United States to face charges.  Could he be making a bid for freedom, offering to provide evidence of how he  got his hands on the DNC/Podesta emails in exchange for a pardon?

Vladimir Putin ordered attempt to influence US election, declassified report says

Russian President Vladimir Putin personally directed an attempt to harm Hillary Clinton's chances of winning the 2016 U.S. presidential election, according to an intelligence report declassified and made public Friday.

The report, "Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections," noted that Moscow has for years attempted to meddle in American politics, but 2016 operations "demonstrated a significant escalation in directness, level of activity and scope of effort." Read more

In a highly concerning breach of security, Russian state-sponsored cyber operatives have successfully infiltrated UK government data and systems, compromising sensitive corporate emails and personal information. The breach, which took place earlier this year, has raised significant alarms about the vulnerabilities in both government systems and the third-party suppliers upon which they rely for…

U.S. state, local governments impacted by SolarWinds cyberattack: officials

CISA did not identify the state or local agencies affected and did not immediately give additional details. Emci-Hub Technologies Ltd