Breach, Threat Management, Threat Intelligence, Data Security, Network Security

Hacker persona Guccifer 2.0 insists he breached DNC, not Russian threat actors

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Guccifer 2.0, a purported hacker claiming responsibility for breaching Democratic National Committee (DNC) networks and leaking their election campaign strategies, published a new blog post yesterday to further refute claims that the true culprits are Russian cyberespionage agents.

Offering additional insight into his character and motives, the possible hacker confirmed that he is male and was born in Eastern Europe, while disputing accusations from parties including cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike that the DNC that Russian APT groups Fuzzy Bear and Cozy Bear are behind the recent online leaks.

“At first I was annoyed and disappointed. But now I realize they have nothing else to say. There's no other way to justify their incompetence and failure. It's much easier for them to accuse powerful foreign special services,” Guccifer 2.0 wrote in the blog post.

Guccifer 2.0 criticized theories pointing to similarities in hacking tools used in other purported Russian hacks, arguing that “all the hackers in the world use almost the same tools. You can buy them or simply find [them] on the web.” Meanwhile, CrowdStrike previously suggested that Guccifer 2.0's recently postings could be part of a disinformation campaign on the park of the Russian threat actors.

Addressing his hunted status, Guccifer 2.0 said he's not afraid of prosecution and thinks it will be difficult to catch him, noting that he's “among the best hackers in the world.”

Guccifer 2.0 also wrote that he takes inspiration from previous document leakers such as Julian Assange and Edward Snowden – “people who are smart and brave, who are eager to fight for their ideals, who can sacrifice themselves for the better future.”

As for him, Guccifer 2.0 said that his ideology does not align with Trump's, but he nevertheless targeted Hillary Clinton and the DNC because he doesn't like what they stand for. “Hillary seems so much false to me, she got all her money from political activities and lobbying…she is bought and sold,” his blog post states. “And her collision [sic - collusion] with the DNS turned the primaries into a farce.”

Guccifer 2.0 also conceded that committing this act, or admitting to it, would get him a lot of attention, noting that “the U.S. election race is one of the most exciting events that attracts people from all over the world. My hack wouldn't go unnoticed… And now I have my own fans who put me in a line with Assange and Snowden, so my bet has played I think.”

Stating that he lost his unauthorized access since the DNC rebooted its systems on June 12, Guccifer 2.0 said it would be easy enough to break back in again.

Hacker persona Guccifer 2.0 insists he breached DNC, not Russian threat actors

Guccifer 2.0, a purported hacker claiming responsibility for breaching the DNC's networks and leaking their election strategies, published a blog post yesterday to further refute claims that the true culprits are Russian cyberespionage agents.

Bradley Barth

As director of multimedia content strategy at CyberRisk Alliance, Bradley Barth develops content for online conferences, webcasts, podcasts video/multimedia projects — often serving as moderator or host. For nearly six years, he wrote and reported for SC Media as deputy editor and, before that, senior reporter. He was previously a program executive with the tech-focused PR firm Voxus. Past journalistic experience includes stints as business editor at Executive Technology, a staff writer at New York Sportscene and a freelance journalist covering travel and entertainment. In his spare time, Bradley also writes screenplays.

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