Microsoft confirms Russian spies stole source code, accessed internal systems

https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/08/microsoft_confirms_russian_spies_stole/

by jycr753 • 2 years ago

62 36 2 years ago

Remember when we all learned from the vault 7 leaks that the US government has the ability to create cyberattacks that appear to investigators to have come from another nation?

We were doing that prior to 2017. Thank God someone like China can't ever do that, even nearly a decade after we did and we can trust these sort of accusations at face value and not at all think critically about them.

wenebego2• 2 years ago

So is there any evidence for it being done by China beside that its been done by the US before?

willcipriano6• 2 years ago

No that's why we all can naively say it isn't happening even though many of us here could do it ourselves as a fun side project.

ipython6• 2 years ago

Attributions are about more than the code flow. You also need infrastructure to funnel exfiltrated data back to yourself.

As you can imagine, it’s harder to reuse someone else’s infrastructure. Easy to copy code patterns but you can’t exactly reuse domains, listening posts etc.

rightbyte4• 2 years ago

Attributions are about more than the code flow. You also need infrastructure to funnel exfiltrated data back to yourself.

How is that even possible and how does it help? A computer is like a state machine where a minuscule amount of states are logged. When the state is gone the trace is gone. And you don't control the other involved computers anyway. And what good does accessing "exfiltrated data" do?

Starman_Jones2• 2 years ago

The cyberattacks which used the Marble framework were limited to those where a payload was delivered. Marble is comparable to mailing a bomb and putting a fake return address on the package.

For data exfiltration, which is like robbing a bank vault, you'll need more than a fake address. It's orders of magnitude more difficult to cover your tracks, and you only need to leave one clue behind to undo all that work.

willcipriano6• 2 years ago

You don't think you can smuggle a few terabytes of traffic over the internet undetected?

For the US to have the capability to be aware of that they would have to be engaged in unconstitutional spying on US citizens. A thing they have claimed to have stopped doing.

"Trust us, we are lying"

P.S. this also means the feds have the ability to stop child sexual exploitation that takes place over the internet in its tracks but decided not to.

lionkor• 2 years ago

This may be a silly question, but how do they know who did it?

adriancr• 2 years ago

They investigate, but seriously, forensics, monitor active intrusions, honey traps, etc

hulitu• 2 years ago

This may be a silly question, but how do they know who did it?

They don't know. But it is fashionable to blame the Russians. /s

darthrupert• 2 years ago

And being against nazis is 1940s was just another fashion statement. "/s"

zrn900• 2 years ago

"Blame it on the X"

X: Russians Chinese Iran (current US enemy)

ChrisArchitect• 2 years ago

[dupe]

Some more discussion on official post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39641953

And here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39648170

DuskHorizon• 2 years ago

Bad ruskies again… Maybe it’s time to find another enemy of the state? How about reptilians from outer space?

mistrial9• 2 years ago

when caught being completely run over, change the subject to the awfulness of some enemy.. do not relent! every ounce of effort on media spin! oh wait

wstrange• 2 years ago

This is a big story, and it seems curious why it isn't on the front page of HN.

Also weird are the comments alleging this is really some US spy op, and not the Russian state.

Russia has the motive and means and unless other evidence comes to light, it seems likely that they are behind it.

probably_satan3• 2 years ago

Because Microsoft sold out the US to China, and is now trying to play victim it seems.

Microsoft confirms Russian spies stole source code, accessed internal systems

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