back to article Ex-NSA boss: Election security focus helped dissuade increase in Russian meddling with US

Russia appears to be having second thoughts on how aggressively, or at least how visibly, it attempts to influence American elections, according to a former head of the NSA. I wonder if the Russians have said to themselves, 'Look, we think there's a return to be made, but perhaps being overly aggressive ... overly visible isn …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Revolving doors

    "Since leaving the service, he has held roles in the commercial security space, and is now operating partner at Israeli security investment group Team8."

    Israeli "security " firms hiring top NSA managers? That might explain some things. It doesn't help to build trust in the NSA and co.

    The founder of team8 Nadav Zafrir has some interesting background in cyber weapons as also used by NSO.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Revolving doors

      Business as usual. Remember most offensive cyber companies needs a permit from the Department of Defense of the country, to operate/export. After all, it is national security business.

      Some new players might disrupt some chains. As usual.

  2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    Why meddle

    When you own the candidate ?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Russian propaganda has NEVER been negative about Trump. All other presidents were covered with mud together with fervent anti-Americanism. Why such a difference?

    2. DS999 Silver badge

      Re: Why meddle

      For those who would downvote, can you point to one thing Trump has done since taking office that is indisputably against Russia's interest?

      Seriously, if he isn't their man it sure is a coincidence how he is doing everything possible to strengthen Russia's position in the world and weaken America and its alliances that have existed for decades and in some cases centuries.

      I think Putin has given up on Russia trying to compete with the world's nations and has instead decided that if the world's nations (including the US) are all a lot poorer by pursuing isolationism that Russia will not be as far behind.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: Why meddle

        >Russian propaganda has NEVER been negative about Trump

        "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake" Napoleon Bonaparte

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Why meddle

        I mean its not like any European country has ever helped Russia by say buying huge amounts of gas and oil or helping negotiate the Minsk agreements that ceded territory from Ukraine pretty much to Russia.

      3. SundogUK Silver badge

        Re: Why meddle

        Why should Trump do anything that is "indisputably against Russia's interest?" I really don't get this.

        Trump wants Russia onside because the biggest threat to the US is China and he wants Russia as an ally against China, not an enemy on his flank.

        1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

          Re: Why meddle

          The biggest threat to Europe is Russia (and America) - perhaps they should get China on side ?

        2. Andrew Scott Bronze badge

          Re: Why meddle

          isn't trump best buds with xi jinping? Doubt Russia would be much help against china. China's industrial capacity and population far outstrip russias. They probably will eventually take a big chunk of eastern Russia someday.

          1. DS999 Silver badge

            Re: Why meddle

            To echo Putin and JD Vance, Xi will say "Siberia has always been part of China".

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why meddle

      Have you ever wondered why his hair is the colour it is?

  3. HuBo Silver badge
    Gimp

    and 'The right answer' is ...

    ... yessir, I will bend over and kiss your ass right away!

    Example 1: Yo Raffensperger, 'I just want to find 11780 votes'. You need to answer (or else!): yessir, I will bend over and kiss your ass right away!

    Example 2: Yo Zelenskyy, 'I just want you to give me dirt on Biden'. You need to answer (or else!): yessir, I will bend over and kiss your ass right away!

    And for good measure one might add this cherry on top: 'and I am so grateful for the honor of being allowed to do so at your pleasure sir, while wearing a most respectful of three-piece suits, Mr. Orange sir, and sidekick chihuahua'! and 'please do not hesitate to order me when I should be kissing your ass, again'! (or else!)

    1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

      Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

      Example 2: Yo Zelenskyy, 'I just want you to give me dirt on Biden'. You need to answer (or else!): yessir, I will bend over and kiss your ass right away!

      Example 3: Yo Parashenko, If you don't fire that prosecutor investigating Burisma, I'm going to withhold $1bn in aid.

      And then there were probably other examples, like much of the whole Russiagate nonsense, with a lot of that 'intelligence' being fed by Ukraine. But would seem reasonable to try and found out just how compromised the Bidens were over Ukraine, and maybe if that's why Biden has been so generous with US taxpayers money.

      On the plus side, Trump has revoked security clearances from a lot of the far-left, and I've never really understood why that became a tradition. Or if that casual disregard for good security practices is why Clinton felt empowered to run her own mail server, or Biden keep boxes of classified documents in insecure locations.

      1. HuBo Silver badge
        Gimp

        Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

        Eh-eh-eh! The infamous Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!

        That's what the Joke Alert icon was designed for ... ho-oh-ho-oh-ho-oh ... ih-ih-ih-ih-ih!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

          What was it that Biden claimed he said?

          “I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money.”

        2. Jellied Eel Silver badge

          Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

          That's what the Joke Alert icon was designed for

          Yep. Here's Joe, in his own words.. for once-

          https://www.c-span.org/clip/campaign-2018/user-clip-biden-tells-story-of-getting-the-ukraine-prosecutor-fired/4820105

          1. Paul Crawford Silver badge

            Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

            https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/10/21/fact-check-joe-biden-leveraged-ukraine-aid-oust-corrupt-prosecutor/5991434002/

            TL;DR the prosecutor was not investigating his son when he was fired due to pressure about him failing to deal with corruption. Check your facts please.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

              But Shokin WAS investigating Burisma. The claim is that Shokin wasn't investigating the politicians for corruption so he had to go. It just happened that his replacement halted the investigation into Burisma....

              https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/10/01/ukraine-opens-case-against-ex-prosecutor-yuriy-lutsenko/3828779002/

              "Lutsenko has drawn scrutiny in recent days because he was Ukraine's prosecutor general – broadly equivalent to the attorney general in the United States – when an investigation was halted into Burisma, a Ukrainian company"

              Awfully convenient eh?

            2. Jellied Eel Silver badge

              Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

              TL;DR the prosecutor was not investigating his son when he was fired due to pressure about him failing to deal with corruption. Check your facts please.

              Perhaps check yours. Biden was recorded boasting about getting the prosecutor fired, and witholding funds until he had been. The prosecutor had been investigating Burisma, because that was a very shady business. Burisma just so happened to hire one H. Biden Esq, who had no oil, gas or Ukraine expertise for.. something. The thing about conflicts of interest, or corruption is it's often not enough to be 'innocent', but to be seen to be innocent. Especially when Hunter is now pleading poverty and asking to drop litigation he started because now that Papa Joe is out of office, he's just not making the money that he used to. His 'art' isnt selling, people aren't throwing money at him any more. It's almost as though he was just trading on the family name.

              (And in other news, Papa Joe is apparently looking to get back in to politics and save the DNC..)

              1. DS999 Silver badge

                Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

                who had no oil, gas or Ukraine expertise

                Sort of like how the Saudis gave Jared Kushner $2 billion to manage even though he has no experience as a fund manager?

                1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

                  Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

                  Sort of like how the Saudis gave Jared Kushner $2 billion to manage even though he has no experience as a fund manager?

                  Nope, not really-

                  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Kushner#Business_career

                  Following his father's conviction and subsequent incarceration between March 4, 2005, and August 25, 2006, Kushner took a much bigger role in the family real estate business.[22] He set about expanding the business and acquired almost $7 billion in property over the next ten years, much of it in New York City.

                  and

                  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Kushner#Conflicts_of_interest

                  After his appointment as Senior Advisor to Donald Trump (in January 2017), Kushner resigned as head of his family's real-estate firm, Kushner Companies, and partially divested himself of some of its assets, including all his stake in Thrive Capital, a venture capital firm co-founded by his brother, all common stock holdings and over 35 other investments, and his stake in 666 Fifth Avenue.

                  Thrive is interesting given they were a big investor in OpenAI. But then Hunter also took money from China, Romania, Russia, and of course Burisma.. Which was probably the shadiest given the antics of this chap-

                  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mykola_Zlochevsky

                  Zlochevsky was accused of having illegally issued, while he was Ecology Minister in 2010–2012, oil and gas licenses to the companies that belonged to him... On 1 August 2023 the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine convicted, after 2.5 years of trial, Zlochevsky to a fine of four thousand tax-free minimum incomes, equivalent to 68,000 Ukrainian Hryvnia's. This case was started in 2020 and was about the "record bribe" of $6 million given for closing a criminal case against Burisma he had offered to (then) SAP head..

                  And of course Burisma was ultimately controlled by this chap-

                  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ihor_Kolomoyskyi#Relationship_with_Volodymyr_Zelenskyy

                  Who created a novel form of banking via his Privat Bank, bankrolled Zelensky and then had a bit of a falling out. But it's one of those things where any sensible person would have done a bit of due diligence and run far, far away from any board appointments. But not Hunter, (in)famously described by Papa Joe as the smartest man he knew. Which didn't say much about the other people Biden appointed as advisors.

                  1. DS999 Silver badge
                    Facepalm

                    Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

                    And that has to do with being operating a hedge fund how, exactly?

                    1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

                      Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

                      And that has to do with being operating a hedge fund how, exactly?

                      A fund is a fund. But Kushner obviously had a track record of investing in real estate and venture capital, Hunter only seems to have successfully invested in hookers & blow. Plus now being deeply indebted now that he can't trade on Papa Joe's influence. Also from a quick look, I couldn't find any evidence of this supposed Saudi 'hedge' fund investment anyway. I assume you can cite a reliable source for this? Wiki is usually quick to pick up on anything vaguely anti-Trump and didn't mention this in the Kushner controversies section, but then again they also don't mention the Biden's relationship with the Baturinas, or why Elena Baturina avoided the sanctions list.

                      (now I'll wait patiently for you to cite one of the Biden's PR outfits doing a convoluted denial)

      2. Wang Cores

        Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

        I guess Biden also deviously conspired to keep the national parks away from mining interests between naps.

        Sooner or later you're gonna grow up and learn that life is messier than a Marvel movie. I don't hate you, I pray for you.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

        "Or if that casual disregard for good security practices is why Clinton felt empowered to run her own mail server, or Biden keep boxes of classified documents in insecure locations."

        It has been said before:

        Every accusation by a Republican is a confession of their own guilt

        Just read the papers or watch the news*.

        *Assuming you can distinguish fiction from non-fiction programs.

        1. SundogUK Silver badge

          Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

          Every accusation by a Democrat is a confession of their own guilt.

          See, we can all do that.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

            "See, we can all do that."

            But we cannot all give the evidence.

        2. Andrew Scott Bronze badge

          Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

          Wasn't her server that got hacked. Looks like she took the better path.

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

        “Or if that casual disregard for good security practices is why Clinton felt empowered to run her own mail server, or Biden keep boxes of classified documents in insecure locations.”

        I’m just going to leave this here - https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/trump-administration-accidentally-texted-me-its-war-plans/682151/

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

          £10 says that is fake.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

            whoops you owe him £10

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

              Why? Cos all the fake media are sharing the fake story?

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

                Here it is in coloring book form for you, anon:

                https://www.foxnews.com/politics/atlantic-reporter-publishes-more-texts-about-attack-houthi-targets

                Also the Whitehouse acknowledged it. You saying they're lying too? You're down £10, pay the man.

          2. collinsl Silver badge

            Re: and 'The right answer' is ...

            I'll take your money, plus all the other people in this thread too!

            Don't go bankrupt!

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Uninformative answers

    We learn absolutely nothing from this interview. Any casual reader of The Register could have given more informative answers than this guy did.

    He has probably a lot of legal obligations to not divulge anything at all (or go to jail). But then, don't interview such people.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Uninformative answers

      He could probably have injected an aphoristic rhetoric antimetabole into the exchange imho, for good measure and entertainment, something like the Saganesque:

      "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence!"

      It could have helped to contextualize his "I am a bit surprised that it hasn't been a little bit more aggressive" ... could be our monitors ain't yet tuned to their newest cyber-trick-cycling methodologies and all?!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Good friends don’t piss on each other

    Well…in Trump’s case, some pissing is OK between consenting adults.

    1. Paul Crawford Silver badge

      Re: Good friends don’t piss on each other

      Ah, well that explains his yellow/orange hue at least.

    2. Andrew Scott Bronze badge

      Re: Good friends don’t piss on each other

      yes, we know why he has gold plated toilet seats. can't see the stains from a golden shower.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    seems like he's useless at what he supposedly did and is now helping genocidal isreal.

    Not surprised putin now has control of the whitehouse.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Am I hallucinating? Did the NSA say Trump won easily when there wasn't Russian interference? Russia wanted Biden?

    1. collinsl Silver badge

      Putin said he wanted Biden, but we don't know why he said that - most likely choices are:

      1) He wanted to attach himself to Biden to lower Biden's reputation, to help Trump, since being attached to a Russian dictator is not a good look

      b) He actually wanted Biden to win because he's a known quantity who is predictable in his responses to Putin, whereas Trump can be a loose cannon, and whilst Trump looks up to Putin and wants to be his buddy, there's nothing like a Trump scorned, and it's easy to upset Trump and ruination awaits if you upset Trump too much and he throws the entire US state at you.

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