We need to conduct a thorough investigation of the cyber attacks Russia on our country and its interference in our elections not just in order to understand what the Russians have done and how they did it, but in order to prevent this in the future.
Because the attacks continue.
A day after President trump fired the FBI Director James Komi (James Comey), two high-ranking officials of his administration told the Senate Committee on intelligence that cyber-attacks Russia now are for the United States the number one threat and that with time they will become bigger and more dangerous.
Dan Coates (Dan Coats), the Director of National intelligence and the head of the CIA Mike Pompeo (Mike Pompeo) reiterated the warnings contained in the annual threat report, which was prepared by us intelligence agencies, that Russia will continue to attack the United States. Pompeo said, “I hope that we will learn from this lesson and will be better able to reflect the attacks”.
Russia continues to carry out their daring attack not only against the US but against our allies and other democracies. A similar attack was recorded in the recent elections in France, and she had a shocking and disturbing resemblance to hacker attacks perpetrated against Hillary Clinton last fall. The cyber attacks perpetrated during the election campaign in the United States may have helped to tip the scales in favor of Donald trump. Cyber attack on France, apparently, did not affect the results of the vote, however, they may have long-term negative consequences.
The impression is that of an attack on America and attack on France was carried out the same players with the same methods and achieve the same goals, namely to destabilize the Western democracies and the weakening of those alliances that threaten the Kremlin. Why did the Kremlin to change tactics? His methods worked, and we do not show readiness to resist them.
Two days before the vote in France’s election headquarters of the candidate of Emmanuel Macron (Emmanuel Macron) was the victim of a “massive and coordinated” hack attack, which was stolen and then published a number of documents. In France it seems to be called “déjà vu”, isn’t it?
Rival Makron was an ultra-right candidate, marine Le Pen (Marine Le Pen), who, like Donald trump, maintains relations with Putin and Russia. In their statement, the representatives of the election headquarters of Macron, said that “this operation is undoubtedly part of a campaign to destabilize democracies that we saw during the election campaign in the United States.”
Experts agree with this point of view. Leading companies dealing with security in cyberspace, I believe that the Makron was a victim of the same Russian hackers who broke into the national Democratic Committee and the system of the members of the campaign staff for Clinton. Earlier experts found traces of hackers who, in their opinion, are associated with division of Russian intelligence, were engaged in stealing passwords of the members of the election headquarters of Macron.
How many times are we willing to allow this? In a recent CNN interview, Hillary Clinton said that “he (President Vladimir Putin), of course, intervened in our elections. And there is no doubt that he did it to hurt me and to help my opponent.” However, it is unclear, could it rival to help Putin to hurt her.
Meanwhile, Russia will continue to implement its cyber attacks against the US and against our allies around the world. In his testimony, that James Comey gave on Capitol hill a week before his dismissal, he said: “I think one of the lessons that the Russians learned from all this is that their methods work, so, as I said last month or earlier, they’ll be back in 2018 and then in 2020.” Komi called Russia “the most serious threat in the world” for our democracy.
We were warned.
These words, spoken in Komi Republic, which at that time was the Governor of Russia’s intervention in our elections have become a grim warning that Russia might inspire the success of her attempts to interfere in our democratic system. A few days later, trump fired Komi Republic. On the very day when heads of its intelligence agencies went to Congress to warn of new cyber attacks Russia, trump tweeted that the unrest around the Russian intervention in the elections represented “an attempt by the Democrats to justify their defeat in the elections”. What signal might this send a tweet to the Kremlin?
White house trump wants the investigation just stopped. A White house spokesman Sarah Huckabee Sanders (Sarah Huckabee Sanders) said, “We want it to come to an end, we want to summarize the results of the fair, and we believe that, dismissing Director, Komi, we have taken steps to ensure that this happened.”
They consider the outrage around Russia’s interference as a threat by Democrats as an attempt to challenge the legitimacy of the presidency of the trump. But in fact it is not. Our outrage is an attempt to protect the integrity of our elections and our democracy as a whole, that is what you have to appreciate any American.
As warned by the former Director of the Komi, if we don’t stop them now, they’ll do it again. The only question is who will be the next Hillary Clinton. They will try to attack congressmen who want to put an end to their attacks? Or those who support measures that would prevent Russian aggression? Or those who supports a strong and United Western Alliance, ready to thwart Putin? But next time, danger may threaten our system of voter registration and databases, as well as the correct operation of our machines to count the votes.
As we give them the green light, they can afford to wage a long game and with impunity to interfere in our elections, spread false information in an attempt to undermine voters ‘ confidence in our democratic system and democratic institutions.
It is important to note that at the time of the hacking attacks in France at the Macron was a significant advantage, according to polls. There was no doubt in his victory, and he was able with ease to win. But the motives hacker attacks Russia in France and previously in the US go beyond attempts to influence the election results. The Russians continue their attacks, because regardless of their efficiency — they win simply because they reduce the degree of people’s confidence in the election results and harm leaders like him and Clinton who have the courage to speak out against Putin. Like many Russians expect that the elections will win in the US with Clinton. Their attacks against her were intended to undermine her position as the President and the people’s confidence in democratic institutions.
The ultimate goal of Russia is to destroy democracy, whose existence is a major threat to the authoritarian regime of Putin. We Americans must preserve their democracy, and therefore we all must insist on a thorough investigation and take all necessary measures to prevent such attacks in the future.
