5 ms·

They do when it leaves the law enforcement world and goes to shadowy government agencies as in Colonial pipeline that have a lot more resources and don't have t

They do when it leaves the law enforcement world and goes to shadowy government agencies as in Colonial pipeline that have a lot more resources and don't have to play by many rules when dealing with hostile foreign based attacks. If LockBit suddenly crippled the US electric grid or stock market it would be the end of them. So these groups try to extract as much money as they can without getting that heat.

flangola7 3y ago
If the operators are in Russia how would the US touch them?
- QuadmasterXLII 3y ago
  Polonium in their tea?
- whinenot 3y ago
  As long as they never leave Russia, they're fine... for now. But even Snowden knows Putin's imminent fall from power could upend his extradition protection.
- specialp 3y ago
  Russia could touch anyone in the US that they really wanted to, and vice versa. There is just this understanding that whatever you do, they are going to know it was you most likely, and something is coming back. So Russia turning a blind eye to cybercriminals extorting the USA and others is their way at annoying the USA just as the USA does to them in various ways. But when that annoyance turns into something more than annoying, and verges on an act of war, there will be a response. That is why you don't really see foreign acts of assassination. Because other parties can do the same thing.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- cvs268 3y ago
  They will probably contact the real-life folks that were the basis for the character played by Liam Neeson in Taken. "I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don't have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you." - Liam Neeson, Taken.
  - seunosewa 3y ago
    Are they real though?
    - eric-hu 3y ago
      Apparently there was someone who claimed Taken was based on him. It was a case of fraud though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taken_(film)#Controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taken_(film)#Controversy > In 2011, a self-proclaimed counter-terrorism expert was convicted of wire fraud after claiming the film was based on a real-life incident in which his daughter was killed. William G. Hillar, who pretended to be a retired Green Beret colonel, claimed to have spent more than 12 years lecturing US government agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation on security issues. However, records revealed he had actually been a radar operator in the Coast Guard Reserve between 1962 and 1970, and had never been in the US Army. Nevertheless, his website claimed Taken was based on events involving him and his family. Hillar, who admitted the charges, was sentenced to 500 hours of community service at Maryland State Veteran Cemeteries. He also agreed to repay $171,000 in speaking fees that he had received from various organizations to which he had presented himself as an expert in terrorism and human trafficking.[29]
- neoromantique 3y ago
  Russia is famously a country where you can buy full personal dossier of basically anyone for pocket change on dark net, with extremely corrupt law enforcement and literal private militaries operating on its territory. If one set out to do it without much bureaucracy, it is honestly fairly simple given the resources.
- chx 3y ago
  You seriously think the US can't get a few mercenaries inside Russia if they wanted to? Especially in this case... I am reasonably sure more or less neutral forces like the Middle East states or India would rather frown at disrupting TSMC and wouldn't be against a little underhanded action to take a few civilians out. It's not like you are doing a coup or such, you just need to accident a few civilians.
  - sampa 3y ago
    you confuse Russia with some middle-east/asia countries those hollywood stories about mercs acting as in cia/jason-bourne movie in reality won't fly in Russia
    - all2 3y ago
      You're describing a standard CIA black op. And if they aren't going after a Russian government asset, I'd wager there would be less likelihood of catching heat, especially if the one's doing the work are native Russians looking to make a quick buck.
      - Melting_Harps 3y ago
        > You're describing a standard CIA black op. And if they aren't going after a Russian government asset, I'd wager there would be less likelihood of catching heat, especially if the one's doing the work are native Russians looking to make a quick buck. Black OPs are not necessary, and would likely be too messy, what is more effective is flooding weapons into a border nation (like Ukraine) currently at conflict with Russia and then tapping into the local dissenting populace (aptly justified) and allowing them to infiltrate a porous border. While I'm not stupid enough to think that the CIA aren't above such things, the truth is just like with Cuba/Castro they cannot resort to such tactics anymore: land invasions end up like Afghanistan and Iraq, Stuxnet leads to further instability for almost no gain (blame Israel/Mossad) and this seems more like what they did in the Iran-contra situation mixed in with operation fast and furious. This allows for nearly absolute plausible deniability, while also letting Russia know it's not beyond the West's touch. The Pentagon/DoD supplying the weapons is just the right amount of overt message that gets the pint across. Geopolitics and War are absolutely disgusting, but at least their is a logic behind it instead of Red scare BS they were once so headlong to follow; what I ultimately fear is the path these psychopaths are likely to lead us as a Species down if this doesn't end soon.
- ceejayoz 3y ago
  Hire a hitman?
  - sroussey 3y ago
    Anything under $70m is a bargain. Wagner could do it. Any hired gun. Put up a bounty.
- suumcuique 3y ago
  Even if they are out of reach of western intelligence agencies, they are stepping on the Russian government’s toes with unsanctioned attacks on critical infrastructure.
- QuarterReptile 3y ago
  Ratchet up enforcement and surveillance and sanctions on the whole ecosystem, so that their lives are all less pleasant. Given enough political willpower, the US could stop accepting it as the price of business, and even start finding WMDs in Iraq, so to speak. E.g. move from sanctioning and charging the leaders to sanctioning and charging everyone in the whole operation, so they and their families can't leave Russia without facing arrest.

flangola7 3y ago

If the operators are in Russia how would the US touch them?

QuadmasterXLII 3y ago
Polonium in their tea?
whinenot 3y ago
As long as they never leave Russia, they're fine... for now. But even Snowden knows Putin's imminent fall from power could upend his extradition protection.
specialp 3y ago
Russia could touch anyone in the US that they really wanted to, and vice versa. There is just this understanding that whatever you do, they are going to know it was you most likely, and something is coming back. So Russia turning a blind eye to cybercriminals extorting the USA and others is their way at annoying the USA just as the USA does to them in various ways. But when that annoyance turns into something more than annoying, and verges on an act of war, there will be a response. That is why you don't really see foreign acts of assassination. Because other parties can do the same thing.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
cvs268 3y ago
They will probably contact the real-life folks that were the basis for the character played by Liam Neeson in Taken. "I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don't have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you." - Liam Neeson, Taken.
- seunosewa 3y ago
  Are they real though?
  - eric-hu 3y ago
    Apparently there was someone who claimed Taken was based on him. It was a case of fraud though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taken_(film)#Controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taken_(film)#Controversy > In 2011, a self-proclaimed counter-terrorism expert was convicted of wire fraud after claiming the film was based on a real-life incident in which his daughter was killed. William G. Hillar, who pretended to be a retired Green Beret colonel, claimed to have spent more than 12 years lecturing US government agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation on security issues. However, records revealed he had actually been a radar operator in the Coast Guard Reserve between 1962 and 1970, and had never been in the US Army. Nevertheless, his website claimed Taken was based on events involving him and his family. Hillar, who admitted the charges, was sentenced to 500 hours of community service at Maryland State Veteran Cemeteries. He also agreed to repay $171,000 in speaking fees that he had received from various organizations to which he had presented himself as an expert in terrorism and human trafficking.[29]
neoromantique 3y ago
Russia is famously a country where you can buy full personal dossier of basically anyone for pocket change on dark net, with extremely corrupt law enforcement and literal private militaries operating on its territory. If one set out to do it without much bureaucracy, it is honestly fairly simple given the resources.
chx 3y ago
You seriously think the US can't get a few mercenaries inside Russia if they wanted to? Especially in this case... I am reasonably sure more or less neutral forces like the Middle East states or India would rather frown at disrupting TSMC and wouldn't be against a little underhanded action to take a few civilians out. It's not like you are doing a coup or such, you just need to accident a few civilians.
- sampa 3y ago
  you confuse Russia with some middle-east/asia countries those hollywood stories about mercs acting as in cia/jason-bourne movie in reality won't fly in Russia
  - all2 3y ago
    You're describing a standard CIA black op. And if they aren't going after a Russian government asset, I'd wager there would be less likelihood of catching heat, especially if the one's doing the work are native Russians looking to make a quick buck.
    - Melting_Harps 3y ago
      > You're describing a standard CIA black op. And if they aren't going after a Russian government asset, I'd wager there would be less likelihood of catching heat, especially if the one's doing the work are native Russians looking to make a quick buck. Black OPs are not necessary, and would likely be too messy, what is more effective is flooding weapons into a border nation (like Ukraine) currently at conflict with Russia and then tapping into the local dissenting populace (aptly justified) and allowing them to infiltrate a porous border. While I'm not stupid enough to think that the CIA aren't above such things, the truth is just like with Cuba/Castro they cannot resort to such tactics anymore: land invasions end up like Afghanistan and Iraq, Stuxnet leads to further instability for almost no gain (blame Israel/Mossad) and this seems more like what they did in the Iran-contra situation mixed in with operation fast and furious. This allows for nearly absolute plausible deniability, while also letting Russia know it's not beyond the West's touch. The Pentagon/DoD supplying the weapons is just the right amount of overt message that gets the pint across. Geopolitics and War are absolutely disgusting, but at least their is a logic behind it instead of Red scare BS they were once so headlong to follow; what I ultimately fear is the path these psychopaths are likely to lead us as a Species down if this doesn't end soon.
ceejayoz 3y ago
Hire a hitman?
- sroussey 3y ago
  Anything under $70m is a bargain. Wagner could do it. Any hired gun. Put up a bounty.
suumcuique 3y ago
Even if they are out of reach of western intelligence agencies, they are stepping on the Russian government’s toes with unsanctioned attacks on critical infrastructure.
QuarterReptile 3y ago
Ratchet up enforcement and surveillance and sanctions on the whole ecosystem, so that their lives are all less pleasant. Given enough political willpower, the US could stop accepting it as the price of business, and even start finding WMDs in Iraq, so to speak. E.g. move from sanctioning and charging the leaders to sanctioning and charging everyone in the whole operation, so they and their families can't leave Russia without facing arrest.