Write a threat assessment about the use of AI in identifying and tracking foreign agents

This article is part of an ongoing experiment with the use of ChatGPT for developing primers on cyber security topics.

Threat Assessment: Use of AI in Identifying and Tracking Foreign Agents

Introduction: The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in identifying and tracking foreign agents has the potential to significantly enhance national security efforts. However, there are also several threats and challenges associated with this technology that need to be carefully considered.

Threats:

1. Accuracy and Bias: The accuracy of AI algorithms depends on the quality of data used to train them. If the data is biased, then the algorithm may produce inaccurate or incomplete results, leading to false positives or false negatives. This could result in innocent individuals being flagged as potential foreign agents, or actual foreign agents being missed. Additionally, if the algorithm is trained on data that is not representative of the population, it may lead to discrimination against certain groups.
2. Privacy and Civil Liberties: The use of AI for identifying and tracking foreign agents raises serious privacy concerns. If AI is used to collect data on individuals without their consent or knowledge, it could violate their privacy and civil liberties. Moreover, the storage and use of this data could be subject to abuse or misuse, leading to further violations of privacy.
3. Security and Vulnerability: The use of AI in identifying and tracking foreign agents also raises security concerns. AI systems are vulnerable to hacking, and if these systems are compromised, they could be used to gather sensitive information about individuals or even manipulate the results of the algorithm. This could have serious consequences for national security.
4. Ethical Considerations: The use of AI for identifying and tracking foreign agents also raises ethical questions. For instance, how should AI be used in situations where there is a conflict between national security interests and individual rights? Additionally, the use of AI in this context raises questions about accountability and transparency. Who is responsible if the algorithm produces inaccurate results, or if the system is hacked?

Challenges:

1. Lack of Standards: There is currently a lack of standards for the use of AI in identifying and tracking foreign agents. This could lead to inconsistencies in the use of AI across different agencies or countries, making it difficult to ensure that the technology is being used appropriately.
2. Cost and Technical Complexity: The use of AI for identifying and tracking foreign agents can be expensive and technically complex. This could limit the ability of smaller agencies or countries to implement this technology effectively.
3. Human Factors: The use of AI in identifying and tracking foreign agents also requires human oversight and input. This means that there is a risk of human error, bias, or corruption. Additionally, the use of AI could lead to a reduction in the number of human analysts and decision-makers, which could have unintended consequences.

Conclusion: The use of AI in identifying and tracking foreign agents has the potential to significantly enhance national security efforts. However, it is important to carefully consider the threats and challenges associated with this technology. To ensure that AI is used appropriately, there needs to be a clear framework of standards and regulations, as well as ongoing oversight and transparency. Additionally, agencies and countries need to carefully consider the potential ethical, legal, and social implications of using AI in this context.

Krypt3ia generated this text with ChatGPT, OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model. This author reviewed, edited, and revised the language to my own liking and takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this publication

Write an in depth blog post on the impact of AI on counterintelligence operations

This article is part of an ongoing experiment with the use of ChatGPT for developing primers on cyber security topics.

Introduction:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become one of the most disruptive technologies of the 21st century. It has revolutionized various industries, including security and defense. One of the areas where AI has had a significant impact is counterintelligence operations. Counterintelligence refers to the activities designed to prevent hostile intelligence services from penetrating a country’s intelligence operations. In this blog post, we will discuss the impact of AI on counterintelligence operations and its implications.

Impact of AI on Counterintelligence Operations:

1. Data analysis: AI has the capability to analyze vast amounts of data, including social media, emails, phone calls, and other communication channels. This analysis can help counterintelligence operatives identify patterns and potential threats.
2. Cybersecurity: AI can detect and respond to cybersecurity threats much faster than humans. It can also identify potential vulnerabilities and provide solutions to mitigate them.
3. Surveillance: AI-powered surveillance can track individuals and monitor their activities. This technology can help identify suspicious behavior and track potential threats.
4. Predictive analysis: AI algorithms can analyze past activities and predict future threats. This information can help counterintelligence operatives take proactive measures to prevent potential threats.
5. Facial recognition: AI-powered facial recognition technology can help identify individuals and track their movements. This technology can be used to track known terrorists and other criminals.
6. Language translation: AI can translate foreign languages in real-time. This technology can help counterintelligence operatives monitor foreign communication channels and identify potential threats.

Implications of AI on Counterintelligence Operations:

1. Dependence on technology: As counterintelligence operations become more reliant on AI, there is a risk of over-reliance on technology. If the AI system malfunctions or is compromised, it could have severe consequences.
2. Privacy concerns: The use of AI-powered surveillance and data analysis raises concerns about privacy. There is a risk that innocent individuals may be monitored and their data collected without their knowledge or consent.
3. Ethics: The use of AI in counterintelligence operations raises ethical concerns, particularly in terms of its use for targeted killings and other military actions.
4. Human error: Despite the capabilities of AI, human operators are still required to interpret and act on the data. There is a risk of human error, particularly if the operators become complacent due to their reliance on AI.

Conclusion:

AI has had a significant impact on counterintelligence operations. Its ability to analyze vast amounts of data, detect cybersecurity threats, and monitor individuals has revolutionized the field. However, the use of AI also raises concerns about privacy, ethics, and the risk of over-reliance on technology. As AI continues to evolve, it will be important to balance its benefits with these concerns to ensure that counterintelligence operations remain effective while respecting individual rights and freedoms.

Krypt3ia generated this text with ChatGPT, OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model. This author reviewed, edited, and revised the language to my own liking and takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this publication

Write a blog post on the role of AI in detecting and countering cyber threats in intelligence operations.

This article is part of an ongoing experiment with the use of ChatGPT for developing primers on cyber security topics.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the field of cybersecurity by providing advanced capabilities for detecting and countering cyber threats in intelligence operations. The increasing sophistication and frequency of cyber attacks pose a significant challenge for intelligence agencies, making it more important than ever to adopt advanced technologies such as AI.

AI-based threat detection systems utilize machine learning algorithms that can analyze vast amounts of data and identify patterns that are indicative of cyber attacks. These systems are trained on large datasets of past cyber threats and can learn from them to detect and respond to new and emerging threats, even if they have not been seen before. This makes them highly effective at identifying unknown threats and reducing the risk of successful cyber attacks.

One of the significant advantages of using AI in cyber threat detection is its ability to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, freeing up human analysts to focus on more complex tasks that require their expertise and experience. AI-based systems can monitor and analyze network traffic, detect anomalies, and issue alerts in real-time, enabling intelligence agencies to respond to threats quickly and effectively.

AI-based systems can also provide intelligence agencies with real-time threat intelligence, enabling them to identify and respond to emerging threats more quickly. By analyzing vast amounts of data in real-time, AI-based systems can provide a comprehensive overview of potential threats and vulnerabilities, enabling intelligence agencies to make informed decisions about how best to allocate their resources.

One of the significant challenges of using AI in cybersecurity is ensuring the accuracy and reliability of AI-based systems. Machine learning algorithms require large amounts of high-quality data to learn effectively, and if the data is biased or incomplete, it can lead to inaccurate or unreliable results. Intelligence agencies must, therefore, ensure that the data used to train AI-based systems is accurate and up-to-date.

Another challenge is the potential for AI-based systems to be hacked or manipulated by attackers. Intelligence agencies must ensure that their AI-based systems are secure and that they are not vulnerable to cyber attacks themselves. This requires implementing robust security protocols and regularly testing and updating these systems to ensure that they are secure and up-to-date.

In conclusion, AI is transforming the field of cybersecurity by providing advanced capabilities for detecting and countering cyber threats in intelligence operations. AI-based threat detection systems can analyze vast amounts of data, detect unknown threats, and automate many of the repetitive tasks associated with threat detection and response. However, there are also challenges that need to be addressed, including ensuring the accuracy and reliability of AI-based systems and ensuring that they are secure and not vulnerable to cyber attacks. As AI technology continues to evolve, it is likely that we will see even more advanced and effective AI-based threat detection systems in the future.

Expand on AI being used in espionage operations to detect agents in the field and insider threats

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used in various aspects of espionage operations, including the detection of agents in the field and insider threats. AI has the ability to analyze large amounts of data quickly and accurately, making it a powerful tool for intelligence agencies.

One way AI is used in espionage is through the analysis of social media and other publicly available data to identify potential agents in the field. Intelligence agencies can use AI algorithms to scan social media profiles and identify individuals who may be susceptible to recruitment or who may be actively working for a foreign intelligence service.

In addition to identifying potential agents, AI can also be used to detect insider threats within an organization. Insider threats are individuals who have access to sensitive information and may use that information for their own gain or to harm the organization. AI can analyze patterns in employee behavior, such as changes in work patterns, access to sensitive information, and communication patterns, to identify potential insider threats.

AI can also be used in the analysis of intercepted communications to identify potential threats. Intelligence agencies can use AI algorithms to analyze large amounts of intercepted communications, such as emails, phone calls, and social media messages, to identify keywords and patterns that may indicate a potential threat.

One of the advantages of using AI in espionage operations is that it can analyze data much faster and more accurately than humans. This can help intelligence agencies to identify potential threats more quickly and take action before any damage is done.

However, the use of AI in espionage operations also raises concerns about privacy and civil liberties. The use of AI to monitor social media and other public data sources can lead to the collection of personal information about innocent individuals. In addition, the use of AI to monitor employee behavior can be seen as an invasion of privacy.

Overall, while AI has the potential to be a powerful tool for espionage operations, it must be used carefully and ethically to avoid infringing on the rights of individuals. Intelligence agencies must be transparent about their use of AI and ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect privacy and civil liberties.

Krypt3ia generated this text with ChatGPT, OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model. This author reviewed, edited, and revised the language to my own liking and takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this publication

Write a intelligence assessment concerning the connections of Donald Trump, Paul Manafort, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and Konstantin Kilimnik

This article is part of an ongoing experiment with the use of ChatGPT for developing primers on cyber security topics.

Recent reporting in the news on Yvgeney Fokin being potentially involved in the potential access and espionage case evolving for Charles McGonigal sparked a memory of hearing that name before. I am pulling the strings together here with the help of ChatGPT…

As an AI language model, I can provide an intelligence assessment on the reported connections between Donald Trump, Paul Manafort, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and Konstantin Kilimnik, based on publicly available information.

Paul Manafort was a political consultant who worked for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016. He has a history of working for foreign governments and politicians, including in Ukraine, where he worked for former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort has been indicted on multiple charges related to his work in Ukraine, including money laundering and tax fraud.

Yevgeny Prigozhin is a Russian businessman who has been sanctioned by the US government for his alleged involvement in Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. He is known to have close ties to the Russian government and has been called “Putin’s chef” due to his ownership of a catering company that has catered to Russian government events. Prigozhin has also been linked to a Russian troll farm that is believed to have been involved in spreading propaganda and disinformation during the 2016 US election.

Konstantin Kilimnik is a Russian-Ukrainian political consultant who worked for Paul Manafort in Ukraine and has been indicted by the US government for his alleged involvement in Manafort’s work in the country. Kilimnik is known to have ties to Russian intelligence and has been described as a “Russian operative” by the US government.

There have been reports and allegations of connections between Donald Trump, Paul Manafort, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and Konstantin Kilimnik. During the 2016 US presidential campaign, Trump and his campaign team had contact with several individuals who are believed to have connections to the Russian government, including Manafort, Prigozhin, and Kilimnik.

In particular, it has been reported that Manafort and Kilimnik were in contact during the campaign, and that they discussed potentially providing polling data to Russian intelligence. Kilimnik is also reported to have attended meetings with Manafort and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, during the campaign. There have also been reports that Prigozhin was involved in a meeting between a Russian lawyer and Trump’s campaign officials, including Donald Trump Jr., in 2016.

Despite these reports and allegations, it is important to note that there is no conclusive evidence of any direct collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. The Mueller Report, which investigated possible Russian interference in the 2016 US election, did not find sufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy between the two parties.

Overall, the available information suggests that there were connections between Donald Trump, Paul Manafort, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and Konstantin Kilimnik during the 2016 US presidential campaign. However, the nature and extent of these connections remain unclear, and further investigation would be required to establish the full extent of any potential links between these individuals.

Make it better and feature Yvgene Fokin’s connections to Paul Manafort, Yvgene Prighozin, Konstantin Kilimnik, and Donald Trump

As an AI language model, I can provide an intelligence assessment on the reported connections between Yevgeny Fokin, Paul Manafort, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Konstantin Kilimnik, and Donald Trump, based on publicly available information.

Yevgeny Fokin is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who has been connected to Paul Manafort, a former campaign manager for Donald Trump. Manafort worked as a political consultant in Ukraine for many years, and during this time, he had business ties with Fokin.

In addition to his connection to Manafort, Fokin has also been linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessman who has been sanctioned by the US government for his alleged involvement in Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. Prigozhin has been described as a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and he has been implicated in various Russian political and military activities around the world.

Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian-Ukrainian political consultant who worked for Manafort in Ukraine, is another individual who has been connected to Fokin. Kilimnik has been indicted by the US government for his alleged involvement in Manafort’s work in Ukraine and is known to have ties to Russian intelligence.

During the 2016 US presidential campaign, there were reports and allegations of connections between these individuals and Donald Trump’s campaign team. In particular, it has been reported that Manafort and Kilimnik were in contact during the campaign, and that they discussed potentially providing polling data to Russian intelligence. Kilimnik is also reported to have attended meetings with Manafort and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, during the campaign. There have also been reports that Prigozhin was involved in a meeting between a Russian lawyer and Trump’s campaign officials, including Donald Trump Jr., in 2016.

Fokin’s connection to these individuals suggests that he may have played a role in the complex web of relationships between Manafort, Kilimnik, Prigozhin, and the Trump campaign. However, the nature and extent of Fokin’s involvement in these relationships remains unclear, and further investigation would be required to establish the full extent of any potential links between Fokin and these individuals.

Overall, the available information suggests that there were connections between Yevgeny Fokin, Paul Manafort, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Konstantin Kilimnik, and Donald Trump during the 2016 US presidential campaign. However, the exact nature and extent of these connections remain a matter of ongoing investigation and speculation.

Add a paragraph on the arrest of Charles McGonigal

Charles McGonigal is another individual who has been linked to the web of relationships between Yevgeny Fokin, Paul Manafort, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Konstantin Kilimnik, and Donald Trump. McGonigal was recently arrested in connection with the US government’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. According to media reports, McGonigal worked as a lobbyist for a Ukrainian political party that was supported by Manafort and Kilimnik, and he is alleged to have worked with Kilimnik to promote the party’s interests in the US. The exact nature of McGonigal’s alleged involvement in these activities remains unclear, and it is not yet clear what impact his arrest may have on the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

Krypt3ia generated this text with ChatGPT, OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model. This author reviewed, edited, and revised the language to my own liking and takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this blog

Dickson Yeo: International Man of Mystery *giggle*

I recently went on Blogs of War: Covert Contact and talked with John about online OPSEC and social media. In the process of prepping for the podcast, I went and looked up the stories about LinkedIN being used as a means for Chinese espionage. I had often written about this in the past, and in fact had specifically talked about LinkedIN and how much people over share there. Well, I was given a small surprise when I did, It turns out ‘Dickson Yeo‘, the guy arrested by the feds recently, was someone on my LinkedIN. I remember him as being someone I held at arms length and thought that this account was probably a cutout. Turns out I was right. Full disclosure, he messaged me a few times about posts I had made here and complimented me, but, like I said, and many of you who know me personally, I am not so much a cuddly guy, so he went on his way. Of course later on I was banned from LinkedIN anyway (no I still don’t know why, they would not tell me) so, yeah…. You can hear more on the story and on LinkedIN and our oversharing here on;

Blogs of War Covert Contact: Avoiding Your Own October Surprise

~K

A Real Cardinal of the Kremlin: An Asset In The Kremlin Exfiltrated and Blown By Russia and MSNBC

Breathlessly and with great hyperbole the MSNBC report came across my iPad as I sipped my morning coffee. The reporter eagerly reporting on their “scoop” of locating, potentially, the Russian source inside the Kremlin’s whereabouts in Washington DC. As I sat agog at their reporting, a mix of “OMG OMG OMG LOOK AT US!” and “Sorry, I can’t report the details because two guys in an SUV came at us after we rang a doorbell!” as the bile rose inside of me. I then took to Twitter and began to get information that surprised me and made it all the worse. It turns out that MSNBC buried the real lede in their reporting. It seems their “tip” on the possible asset that was exfiltrated in 2017 was in fact from the Russian government by proxy of a news site called Kommersant.ru.

The Kommersant article, posted yesterday before MSNBC made their rush to the address of the alleged Russian asset in DC, gives the name plainly, which I will not do here, and links to earlier stories of the missing official who went on vacation in 2017 and “disappeared without a trace”… Of course the Russians would have readily known who the asset was after the EXFIL, but, to post it online was an interesting move. Originally “The Storm”, another Russian news outlet posted in October 2017 of the missing Russian official but no one in the media took note it seems. The updated story in Kommersant though was prompted by the stories in the media about how Trump could not be trusted with intel much like (think Lavrov and Kislyak in the Oval) where Trump released code word intel to them and blew an Israeli operation. As the stories swirled from CNN quoting that the exfil had happened because Trump, the Russians I am sure began to ponder how they could stick a finger in the eye of the US and the CIA.

What they did was just remind everyone that the name of the asset in their opinion was <REDACTED> and that his new address was <REDACTED> in Virginia USA. They actually gave the address in the article. MSNBC got the tip somehow (likely monitoring sites like Kommersant) and immediately dispatched a crew to go to the address and knock on the door Geraldo style and get the scoopy scoop and win the news day! Pay no mind to the potential intelligence disaster it may cause to someone who did a great service to this country.

…But hey HEADLINES! CLICKS! ADS! BYLINES!

Anyway, the asset has been moved I am sure but a lot still needs to be discussed here about this whole thing. I mean, why would they re-settle this guy and his family under his own name? Why would they allow them to purchase a rather large house under their names? I mean, once upon a time when you were exfiltrated from Russia (SOV Bloc) you got a new name and you got some money and lived quietly as you are consistently debriefed. Has the CIA lost it’s collective mind? Is this even the guy? What the hell is going on here? With that question upon my mind I will give this a bit of thought.

Is this the asset in question? … Given the details of their disappearance in 2017, and his role in the Kremlin, I am going to lean toward yes.

Why was this guy allowed to buy property and live in the open under his real name? … I honestly have a few theories:

• The CIA wanted the Kremlin to know as a poke in the eye and a challenge. If this guy gets a polonium enema in the US, shit is gonna go plaid.
• Also, the assets new life in a free country with considerable assets would perhaps entice others.
• His EXFIL was pretty out in the open once he went RED RABBIT, so, perhaps there just was no need for an elaborate re-settlement and name change.
• Lastly, perhaps there is some incompetence going on? Who knows, maybe the asset demanded they live free and under their own name?

What is going to happen now? … Well, if this asset has been moved as I suspect, then they likely will get that name change because they are spectacularly blown because of Kommersant and now MSNBC and all the other services. I mean, I did not name the guy here but Kommersant did and with just the name I tracked them down to the house through sales records online!

Jeez!

All in all, this whole affair just makes me scratch my head. I mean, we are really through the looking glass in 2019 with everything that has been going on since 2016 but wow. This whole thing at least moved me to post, something I have been uninterested in doing for a long while now, so there is that. I will watch the game unfold and see what plays out. I gotta say though, recent events regarding losses for the CIA in China and Iran have me worried that we have lost some of our skill sets in HUMINT. I would love to find out that this whole debacle was really a play at something larger by the CIA, but, I fear it wasn’t.

Interesting times…

K.

Useful Idiots, Russians, and FISA Warrants

Now that the Nunes memo is out and all the news cycles have been spent ad nauseum on point-counterpoint of the cherry picked facts ol’ “recused” Devin put to paper, I thought I would add my two cents here. The fact of the matter is that Nunes seems to have been in the pocket of the Trump admin from the get and this memo was just crafted as part of a propaganda operation to give Trump shelter to possibly plead the fifth in interviews with Bob Mueller. The idea goes like this;

• The FBI is bias

• The DOJ is bias

• The Steele Dossier is bias and false… Oh and it was paid for by the opposition!

• The Steele Dossier was used as the predicate to eavesdrop on poor innocent Carter Page!

• By proxy of use of the Steele dossier to obtain a FISA warrant and continued approvals it was BAD! and ILLEGAL!

• I, Donald J. Trump cannot get a fair hearing out of the BIAS FBI/DOJ/Mueller! So I will plead the fifth or not talk to him at all!

I would like to set aside all the cognitive dissonance that Trump and his quislings would like you all to suffer and show you some facts about good ol’ Carter Page that make the introduction of the Steele dossier a trigger to legally get a FISC court to approve of extensions on surveillance. Pay no mind to the general argument that the surveillance was illegal at all or that the FBI lied their way into getting approval to do so because that is just wholly untrue. The warrants were warranted and the data that enabled the FBI to listen to his conversations and watch his texts and emails wasn’t just this “dossier” (notes really) that came from the opposition investigations started by the GOP in 2016. You see, Carter had already been on the radar of the FBI since 2013 and this is an important fact to all of this.

You see, back in 2010 the FBI popped “The Illegals” in NYC, remember? The 10 NOC operatives in the US looking to gather intelligence and connections that the SVR (Directorate S) could pass to Directorate E at Moscow Center. You might all remember the most spectacular of the reporting concerning Anna Chapman, the ersatz NOC who managed to get pretty close to a number of important people within the constellation of the US president. Well anyway, those guys were popped by the FBI, which in turn left another group of NOC agents for the FBI to start working on with renewed vigor and FISA warrants. In 2012 the FBI began to intercept communications and tail one NOC agent and two official cover agents in the NYC area (where Anna and others in the 2010 ring were) who were out there working to gather intelligence and recruit assets.

The three, revealed in 2015 via affidavit in NYC, were Evgeny Buryakov, (NOC working for Vnesheconombank), Igor Sporyshev, and Victor Pdobnyy. Buryakov was the contact man and the two others (Igor and Victor) were his bag men and controllers passing information to and from Moscow Center. During the time that the FBI was surveilling and carrying out intercepts on them, the handlers (Igor and Victor) were heard through the intercepts talking about various other things like how they thought being a spy would be a bit more Bond like and other routine things. Until that is, one day they were caught talking about a certain individual that the Affidavit names as “Male-1” which was later confirmed to be none other than Carter William Page, the boy wonder.

Igor and Victor really didn’t have that much nice to say about Carter, basically calling him what the Russians in the trade call a “полезный идиот” or useful idiot. In reading the text of the intercept you can see that Carter was eager to have connections with potential Russians who could garner him access in the Russian government and or business environment such as Rosneft. He emailed Victor who had given him his card with two email addresses on it that the FBI was most likely monitoring as well, though the affidavit here does not outline this. In any case, all of these conversations were captured in the SVR offices that the two were working in and had been compromised if not by SSG at the very least by FISA intercepts of the infrastructure used to send messages. In this case though, the conversation was caught on a bug in their offices *wink SSG*

So it seems the plan here concerning Carter Page was that they planned on grooming him, using him for intel with the lure of getting him hooked up to make a lot of money and or, to get him to do something for money and then use that as kompromat for more later. It seemed that Carter was interested but the FBI stepped in and interviewed Carter in 2013 and nothing much more is said about him by the FBI nor the two SVR agents that we the public have been made aware of. The affidavit in 2015 relates the tradecraft and the operations the Russians undertook up to and including an interesting interlude where the FBI sent in an agent of their own ostensibly making overtures about making a deal on a casino in Moscow. Suffice to say it is interesting reading and in the end the three were rolled up with Evgeny (Zhenya as he was referred to) arrested by the feds and the other two returned home to Russia having been blown.

If you read the whole affidavit you get a pretty good picture of what they were up to and a lot of the espionage they were carrying out centered on financial information and, wait for it, wait for it, “sanctions” against Russia. Gee, now where have we heard a lot about sanctions lately say since like 2016? Right, these guys were working on the same types of information gathering and asset recruitment that the previous ten illegals had been doing for the same SVR division. So, are you all seeing the pattern here? In the case of Carter, he happened into their sights because he wanted, needed, was hungry for those connections to the Russian oligarchs within the energy sector that he was working in himself. He showed the two SVR officers that in the MICE or RASCALS list of reasons to spy, money was his biggest motive according to Victor in the bugged conversation in 2013.

Right, so Carter has already come into contact with the Russian SVR in 2013 and has been admonished/interviewed by the FBI. You might think that he would maybe back off a bit but not our Carter! He goes on to only ingratiate himself with the Russians and as time goes by, either is put in the way of Trump by the SVR by way of Paul Manafort, or, by just blind luck he ends up not only in the Trump orbit but also inside the inner circle as an expert in foreign relations. How might have Manafort been directed possibly to use Carter Page? Well, if the SVR kept it’s records it may have nudged him in that direction because they KNEW they could possibly use Page because he was so eager in the past with Victor and Igor as well as his multiple trips to Russia to “make friends” there.

So when Carter suddenly turned up in the Trump inner circle, and the Steele dossier mentions overtly that there was intelligence given by a source that Manafort was using Page as a proxy as well, then the FBI just had to go back to it’s records on Page and the 2013 incident. Honestly, this is not that hard people! So, when the FBI went to the FISC to get a new warrant as well as to extend them, they had a history already that likely contained even more information on Page and his interlude in 2013 with the SVR to use as just cause to get a warrant signed and intercepts started.

But once again, it was not Carter Page and his FISA warrants or intercepts that started the Mueller investigation kids, like the memo said, that was Papadopolous!

But I digress…

Back to Carter and his Russian pals. You see in the Dossier by Steele you also have direct intelligence product that claims that Carter met with Igor Sechin who offered him tasty tasty things for some sanctions quid pro quo in 2016. Notice that this guy is involved in Rosneft, a name you have heard before and within the space that Carter claims to be expert in. If I were the FBI then I would be looking rather closely at ol’ Carter and getting all the information I could out of him. Obviously just having another nice little chat would do no good.

Well, all of this just refutes any claim of “poor me” by Page in my book and I am sure the IC as well. The whole #releasethememo crap was just another propaganda/hybrid warfare program by Russia and the Trump administration with the help of the GOP in my book. It’s all a little like playing Clue, and it certainly does look like it was Professor Page, in the library, with the candle stick if you ask me. Much of the Steele Dossier information has been backstopped by information that has come since it’s creation. We have seen a president and his minions all act guiltily and extremely stupidly in trying to cover up their connections and it is just all the worse that this group of people has been aided and abetted by the GOP. The memo release was just the cherry on top of the shit sandwich but it should not distract all of you from the truth of the matter when you do the research and pay attention.

Whether or not Trump actively has been an asset of the Russian SVR, or an unwitting полезный идиот, I for one believe now he knows the scope of things and is trying with all his wiles to get away with the biggest con he has pulled to date; that of taking the presidency with the help of the SVR and GRU. Certainly Manafort seems to have been a bit more directed and in a bind because he owed so much money to a Putin aligned oligarch, but Page is clearly an idiot, just watch any of his TV appearances to see for yourselves. Alas though, you needn’t be a super genius to be used by the SVR and effective enough to damage the country targeted.

There you have it kids.

K.

Eugene and the DoD

Da! Let me share you this blog on Eugene! Look, this whole kerfuffle over Eugene and the DoD has reached epic douchery in the news and now with the Putin administration threating “actions” against the US if they somehow embargo Eugene’s business. Well, let me first start with this little ditty below.. Go ahead, read it…

Ok done? Yeah, Eugene was in the KGB school and he worked for the GRU too according to the Wiki page here. What this means is that Eugene is a “former” made man of the KGB and Military Intelligence apparatus in Russia. He lived in the times when it was the Soviet Union and at the height of the times where the cold war was in a deep freeze. Fuck, just go watch The Amerikans and then come back… I will be waiting…

Ok watched them all have we? So now you know how it was to live in the 80’s huh? Well there you have it. Anyway, Eugene was a member of the organizations that have recently hacked us. What? You are saying it’s the FSB now and it isn’t the KGB?

Fuck you.

FSB is KGB with different letters at the front now ok? If you actually read up a bit you will see that Putin actually gave back the powers that the KGB had back in the day recently so once again they are functioning much like the old bad days as the KGB. Putin as well is an old school KGB man who has used all kinds of KGB fuckery to get where he is and stay there so once again, you say FSB, I say; Fuck. You.

Right, so now back to the present unpleasantness, it seems that Eugene is now offering a code evaluation by anyone who wants to (specifically the DoD) so pretty pretty please buy our shit? Look, it’s not about the code, we don’t necessarily think there are backdoor’s in the product now. No, what the worry is consists of that close snookums relationship Eugene had with the TWO entities that just hacked our election in 2016. Come on people, no one leaves the KGB and certainly NO ONE says NO to Putin right?

Imagine that Eugene’s software is clean as a whistle.

Now imagine that it is sitting on many USGOV and MIL systems.

Now imagine that all that telemetry from those systems is going to RUSSIA.

Then alternatively consider that with all those systems running Eugene’s product, how easy it would be to say, inject a malware or a protocol into all of it to do… “Things”

Think about that hacker kids.

Think about that you spies too.

You all see where I am going with this right? Now of course you could maybe do that with another vendor too but how much more work would it be to do that with Symantec? What I am saying is that Eugene lives in Russia, his assets are there, his LIFE is there and if Putin were to sidle up and say “do this thing” what choice would he have? JESUS FUCK PEOPLE! You know who the next randomly dead Russian would be right Eugene?

So, all this fuckery around the code and exploits etc… Stop. It’s really about access and what could happen in a place where we have seen pretty nakedly what Putin wants and does. So no, the DoD should not have Kaspersky products on their shit. I would be really surprised if they did given where it is made and managed… But then again, I think about all those SF86’s and China and… Fuck….

So there you have it. We are in another hot cold war with a Putichurian candidate in office. Do you really think we need the trifecta of Eugene’s access potential to be expanded to the military?

Yeah neither do I.

K.

Blowback

Forty odd days into the new presidency and Putin is already telling his media minions to not talk about Trump anymore. The reason? Because Trump has become more unhinged and potentially uncontrolled by his possible handlers at the Kremlin is the going theory in the IC world. Personally I think that Putin is of two minds where this is concerned and this post will try to explain the possible blowback for him as well as the potential benefits of an unhinged president as well as maybe an impeachment. This gambit by Putin worked so well, too well, that perhaps the Kremlin and the ops guys (psyops/active measures/Gerasimov) could not have even gamed this out fully to have counter moves or plans on contingencies here.

The hacking of the DNC and all the active measures surrounding the 2016 election cycle from a strict operations standpoint was a thing of beauty to behold. Yes, it was carried out on us but as someone who appreciates a well planned out operation this one was pretty well done. The American populace was ripe for this and the political system was in a state where just a simple nudge with the right assets started the great Rube Goldberg device moving  and it culminated in Trump winning the election. I will not cover the problems with our voting systems here I have done so in another post(s) a while back but let’s just look at it from the higher levels of disinformation shall we? The ‘Fake News’ thing was a perfect storm for the under-educated Facebook minions out there and the very nature of social media was the teflon sprayed slug that deployed it all. From the churnalists and the disinfo operations out there the sway and the echo chambering that happened allowed for a critical mass of Trump support that would in the end eek out the electoral win. This is a real feat given that three million or so people voted for Clinton and the overall popular vote was easily hers. This was some math that I do not believe Putin and his intelligence community thought was a real possibility. I think they were as shocked by Trumps win as Trump was on the night of the election.

Trump did win however and at that time it was in Putin’s interest to cater to the man, play him with praise and friendship in order to curry that favor. The reciprocal praise and love by Trump throughout the candidacy and into the presidency has been odd as well and plays to the whole ‘kompromat’ story too. For this piece I am not going to stray too far into the kompromat theory at the Trump level (another day soon) but it has to be mentioned here that at the very least, there seemed to be a bromance between them for whatever reasons. Likely on both parts at the base of it, the idea that if they are friends they can do deals together which is what Trump had said on more than one occasion. This idea plays for me outside the kompromat thing because this is Trump after all (The Art of the Deal etc) but on Putin’s part it was a contingency plan. Putin’s goal was to cause as much fractiousness as possible in the elections and to unbalance the US as he perceived Clinton had in Russia and he succeeded.

Now that Clinton was out and Trump was in Putin likely thought that it would be smooth sailing, but, he should have had an psychological monograph or assessment on Trump before assuming so. It seems that they did not and have been compiling one as of February after the win and spiral since then. This is where the blowback starts as well as the possible wins for Putin. On the blowback side, an uncontrolled Trump could lead to actual crazy actions that would impede Putin’s goals. What if Trump decides to go all out and attempt to block his actions in Ukraine? What if Trump does an about face on NATO? What if Trump just goes off the deep end and starts wars with proxies of Russia that would complicate Putin’s plans of regional control and power? All of these things have to be taken into account post the administrations rocky, to say the least, fits and starts these forty days or so. Add to this all of the attention by the media and the populace, who are now asking for independent investigations into the ties between Trump and Russia pre election and you have heat. This heat is anathema to Putin’s goals here and thus it is blowback for him. He has been distancing himself from Trump and if sudden unexplained deaths of certain Russians is any indication, he has been cleaning up loose ends as well. But these things lead back to the kompromat, and I am saving that for later.

Anyway, let’s look at the upside to the Trump instability for Putin. Trump is a wild card and his consistent instability is causing push back here in the US that may lead to serious investigations on him, his minions, and all of their connections to Russian money as well as the whole Emoluments issue. There are law suits being formed and registered as well as the notion of an independent counsel for the Russia investigation has been gaining momentum. With all of this friction, the wheels of the US’ foreign policy has been slowed as well. Suffice to say that with all that is happening it would be easy to not be able to respond properly to actions taking place in the world nor there being a real outcry to respond to things because we have all been thrust into self introspection and a certain protectionism mentality. With this slack space to work, even with Trump being an unpredictable and uncontrolled asset of the Kremlin, Putin would have room to work on moving his agenda forward rather unhindered.

Once again, the ‘Wilderness of Mirrors‘ can lead one to inaction because you just cannot tell what is real anymore and who is telling the truth. With Trump and his outlandish tweets (say like accusing Obama of a “wire tapp”) on Trump tower it is hard to tell what he believes and what he is trying to maybe throw shade on to unbalance us all. Putin might seek to enhance this behavior as well as use it to his advantage as well. I would expect more disinformation (fake news) that may well end up in the president’s tweet stream and not just stuff about internal politics here in the US. The goal overall is to keep us unbalanced because an unbalanced nation is a nation trapped in amber and a nation weakened to inaction is exactly what Putin needs to succeed …Even with blowback.

K.

 

“Wilderness of Mirrors “

With all of the crazed tweets over the weekend from 45 I thought it would be appropriate to acquaint my readers with the notion of the “Wilderness of Mirrors” as James Jesus Angleton put it. Angleton is famous for his paranoia and his actions during the time he was chief of counter intelligence at the CIA from 1954-1975. Today we are in an unprecedented time of national intrigue with our very nations political system at stake with the issues surrounding the hack of the DNC, the manipulation of the US election process, and now the allegations and insinuations that the Trump campaign may have colluded with Russia. All of these things now fall under the auspices of Counter Intelligence in that there are actors within our government that may be compromised and have either been witting or unwitting accomplices to a foreign powers manipulation of our national transition of power. What’s more, these same individuals may in fact be assets of that foreign power while they are in the power within the White House and elsewhere within the new administration.

Take a breath there and contemplate that statement.

We potentially have reached what I personally thought was only a movie plot line as a reality today. There are actual reasons to question whether or not the President of the US today may be a witting or unwitting asset of the Russian state. There may be reason to believe that the minions of the new President may also be assets of the Russian state, and to even make it worse we have seen a litany of lies and half truths given by these people and their dissembling has been caught by the Fourth Estate and held accountable for them. While there is no smoking gun yet, there is a lot to parse out with every mornings headlines in the Times and other papers of record but I would like to lift the curtain a little for you on the counterintel side for you. If you are gonna play this game at home  you need a primer on counter intelligence and the ‘Wilderness of Mirrors’

When Angleton made the comment on the wilderness of mirrors he was referring to his own deep paranoia and the nature of counter intel. You have spies upon spies that you must determine who they work for in reality. As the chief of counter intelligence it was Angleton’s job to assume that assets and agents within his own organization were in fact double agents or even triple agents. It was Angleton’s job to seek the truth of what his officers were telling him from intelligence reports and what their assets were saying in a time when the great game was at it’s highest point with the USSR. In essence, and this was his personality anyway, he had to assume at all times there was compromise within his organization and to determine who those assets that were doubles were and were working for in reality.

Now, in the current situation we are going through with 45 and the Russian efforts to destabilize the United States there is no internal mole hunt that we have heard about within the halls of the CIA but, there is a counter intelligence operation going on at least at the FBI concerning all the players we are hearing about in the news and likely other names we have not heard. The current players you know are;

• Paul Manafort (Worked for Yanukovich/Had affairs/Money troubles/Access to slush funds)
• Trump (No tax retturns/business with Russia/Love of Putin)
• Jeff Sessions (Lied about meeting Russian Ambassador twice at least)
• Michael Flynn (Lied about talking to Russian ambassador to Pence and everyone else)
• Carter Page (Business with Russia and seems disposed to them)
• Jared Kushner (Revelations of meeting with Russian ambassador with Sessions)
• Roger Stone (May have handed over DNC emails to Wikileaks physically)
• Un-named others TBD

There are likely more to be named as we go along but you get the gist. The people in the inner circle of the current presidents campaign and those he then added to his administration all seem to have had regular contact with the Russian government pre election and post. Not only are they talking to Russian emissaries but according to the IC, they are talking to Russian intelligence officers. This is not a good thing even if they were unwitting assets of the Russian intelligence apparatus. To lie about these contacts only makes the problem worse for the state and places more suspicion on them all, which leads to the wilderness of mirrors that the fourth estate is amplifying with the reporting (which they should be doing) on the leaks that are coming out of the IC. Leaks mind you to my mind, are a means to an end to get the word out because if they did not, the admin would attempt to bury them forever. To wit, we have agents of foreign powers and people within the admin who are all lying about their connections and discussions. This is a counter intelligence operation and a mole hunt potentially. Do we believe the people who have been sources of the Steele notes? Or do we think that maybe they are telling tales to muddy the waters even more? Since some of these people seem to be dying conveniently are they being killed off by Putin for talking and telling the truth or are they just being killed to muddy the waters some more?

This is how you have to approach this. No one is telling the truth and you have to discern what the truth of it all really is. Who do you believe?

We are in the wilderness of mirrors kids. Look at the news and try to parse out what is truth and what is fiction. It makes it even worse when there are factions out there like Alex Jones and the SVR that would like you to believe wild stories and disinformation campaigns set out to further their own agendas. All of this then, in a completely inconceivable twist today is re-tweeted by the president of this country who often does so as a diversion (one hopes) or actually believes these things (much worse for he may be mentally deranged) which unbalances us all. We are now all in Angleton’s shoes trying to determine what is truth today and this is one of the most destabilizing things happening today to the United States populace and government. I want you all to understand this as you watch or read the news with these revelations. Specifically now that we have reached peak crazy with Trump saying that the former President ordered a FISA warrant on himself and the campaign in 2016. There are many issues here to consider and if in fact the IC had intel that the candidate and his minions were in fact in touch with Russian intelligence ‘constantly’ then what actions would the IC and the president have at their command to take up to determine if this was in fact true?

The recent accusation by the current president may be complete lunacy and the product of his own reading or watching conspiracy sites, or, it may have some basis in fact. In that there may not have been a FISA warrant but instead foreign friendly intelligence agencies, monitoring not only Russia but by their outside mandate, the current president and his people’s conversations “might” have some telling information. Maybe they in fact got the conversations and there was no smoking gun but instead the conversations looked suspect and more digging was required. Perhaps then, some group like the FIVE EYES passed along this information and it is still being worked by the IC here in the US?

‘Wilderness of Mirrors” kids.

Ponder that.

K.