Russian Proxies

In the Cipher Brief today, Rob Dannenberg has a nice piece on Russia's use of proxy groups to further their political means and make attribution more difficult.   As he points out, Putin came from a KGB background and it doesn't seem to have worn off much since he took over the government.  He can't stop the kinds of behavior that he was engaging in when he was working his way up.  What makes you successful, will only take you so far.

China and Russia are variations on the same theme, only the Chinese have always been a little smoother than the Russians.  One scientist with a lot of secrets in his head told me that the Russians regularly offered him prostitutes, travel, and a general good time, followed by very clear threats if that didn't work.  The Chinese offered him praise, an interpreter who he always felt was close by not too close because of their understanding, and dinner out with other scientists when it felt right.  They were patient, coddled his graduate students and invited them to China.

Proxies are a variation on the cyber intelligence collection and harassment themes.  The government denies involvement and feigns surprise that any such thing could be blamed on them.  But the psychology of the two countries is still much the same as it was.  The Russian example is about knocking out the power grid in the Ukraine.  The Chinese steal the database of security clearances from the US government so it can be used for blackmail of government employees.  No subtlety from Russia.  A warning from China about how cyberwars will be conducted in the future.