April 2022 - cypherpunks@lists.ogf.org

Cryptocurrency: Banks Banksters and Dimon - All Dying Frauds
by grarpamp 07 Apr '22

07 Apr '22

Janet Yellen was preaching last year about how BTC is "extremely inefficient" and is used "often for illicit finance". And now that banks are buying crypto she goes "there are benefits from crypto and we recognize that the innovation in the payment system can be a healthy thing" Worldcoin, which scans your eyeball with The Orb for free crypto, turns out to be suffused with crooks and corruption from top to bottom. How completely unpredictable! https://www.jpmorganchase.com/content/dam/jpmc/jpmorgan-chase-and-co/invest… "I personally think that bitcoin is worthless," - Jamie Dimon It seems the pressure from both his shareholders, as well as the global interest in crypto, has made him change his tune: "We now process payments for eight of the top 10 global Big Tech companies (up from three out of 10 companies five years ago), consistently winning business from strong competitors. We continue to bring to the market and commercialize innovative products, such as embedded banking; AI-driven fraud controls and forecasting; and account validation and programmable payments on JPM Coin. Decentralized finance and blockchain are real, new technologies that can be deployed in both public and private fashion, permissioned or not. JPMorgan Chase is at the forefront of this innovation. We use a blockchain network called Liink to enable banks to share complex information, and we also use a blockchain to move tokenized U.S. dollar deposits with JPM Coin. We believe there are many uses where a blockchain can replace or improve contracts, data ownership and other enhancements; for some purposes, however, it is currently too expensive or too slow to be deployed." Give it a few months, and Chase will have its own BTC mortgage division.

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Cryptocurrency: Who Endorses Banning Crypto and Privacy The Most... Democrats Socialists Leftists Greens Progressives EU
by grarpamp 07 Apr '22

07 Apr '22

EU "Ban" on private Wallets - Vote shows Greens and progressive Left were massively in favour - Conservatives against mostly https://decrypt.co/96539/eu-parliament-votes-impose-kyc-private-crypto-wall… https://preview.redd.it/byvm7rbewvq81.png?width=439&format=png&auto=webp&s=… The often so-called progressive forces from left-wing and green parties were the driving forces in sealing the fate of the DeFi sector and crypto in general in the EU. Yes, for the individual holder there will be solutions, but an industry has been massacred and the EU once more gave up the possibility to take a leading role in cutting edge technology in favour of massive over-regulation. The interesting thing is also, as many people in other threats stated that the problem would be old bas**s clinging to power or boomers not understanding crypto/blockchain. Fact is, leading politicians, in this case, were for example Paul Tang (ok he is 54), but also a renowned economist from Spain Ernest Urtasun (40) and even a POC Assita Kanko (42). The problem here are not old white males at least, the conservative PPE voted against all together but are socialists, social democrats, left-wing liberals and greens... a sad truth but a truth nonetheless Please see the table below for detailed results of the final vote for the shady compromise on the law that doomed the crypto industry in the EU:

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Department of Justice Seizes $34,000,000 in Crypto From Florida Man Accused of Selling Stolen Data on Dark Web
by jim bell 07 Apr '22

07 Apr '22

https://dailyhodl.com/2022/04/06/department-of-justice-seizes-34000000-in-c… "The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has seized tens of millions of dollars in crypto assets from an individual who allegedly sold illicit goods and laundered funds through the Dark Web." "According to a new press release, the DOJ captured $34 million in digital assets from a Florida man in one of the largest cryptocurrency forfeiture actions ever." "The authorities’ complaint alleges that the man, who has yet to be identified, stole and then sold online account information for services like HBO, Netflix or Uber using the TOR (The Onion Router) browser."The DOJ also alleges that in order to avoid detection, the man used tumblers, also known as mixers, which pool together crypto transactions and distribute them in random increments at arbitrary times into a designated crypto wallet." “Records analyses revealed that the South Florida resident utilized so-called ‘tumblers’ and illegal Dark Web money transmitter services to launder one cryptocurrency for another – a technique called ‘chain hopping’ – in violation of federal money laundering statutes…" "The goal is to obscure the original source of funds. Law enforcement agents seized various cryptocurrency wallets associated with the illegal...

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Anarchists against KGB Putin
by professor rat 07 Apr '22

07 Apr '22

And we believe that right now every anarchist from Belarus, Ukraine or Russia should make every possible effort to fight Putin’s fascism, which is marching all over the planet under the symbols Z and V. https://anarchistnews.org/content/we-and-war European democracy is terrible, but what is much more terrible is what the so-called ‘Russian world’ is bringing from the East. The remnants of freedoms and rights that the working class won in Europe, after a long struggle, will be completely destroyed by the Russian dystopia https://anarchistnews.org/content/message-belarusian-anarchist-fighting-ukr…

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" AP ' as a failed science project
by professor rat 07 Apr '22

07 Apr '22

Now its obvious Jim Bell has become a fringe crank that associates with known criminal-garbage its time to lay his ' epoch shattering ' system to rest. There are parts of it that are original and even good - unfortunately the parts that are good are not original and the original parts are not good - Sigmund Freud? Really!? For those interested in drilling down on this Quack, Imre Lakatos was a theorist of failed science projects https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/lakatos/ Might be worth a look.

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FBI, State Department Announce $5 Million Reward for Fugitive Semion Mogilevich
by Gunnar Larson 06 Apr '22

06 Apr '22

Washington, D.C. FBI National Press Office (202) 324-3691 Share on Twitter <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=FBI,%20State%20Department%20Announce%…> Twitter <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=FBI,%20State%20Department%20Announce%…> Share on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.fbi.gov/news/press…> Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.fbi.gov/news/press…> Email <?Subject=%22FBI,%20State%20Department%20Announce%20%245%20Million%20Reward%20for%20Fugitive%20Semion%20Mogilevich%22&body=https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-state-department-announce-5-million-reward-for-fugitive-semion-mogilevich/layout_view> Email <?Subject=%22FBI,%20State%20Department%20Announce%20%245%20Million%20Reward%20for%20Fugitive%20Semion%20Mogilevich%22&body=https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-state-department-announce-5-million-reward-for-fugitive-semion-mogilevich/layout_view> April 6, 2022 FBI, State Department Announce $5 Million Reward for Fugitive Semion Mogilevich The FBI, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Rewards Program, announced today a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Semion Mogilevich, wanted for his alleged participation in a scheme that defrauded thousands of investors out of more than $150 million. Mogilevich was federally indicted in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2002 and 2003. The charges against him include racketeering, securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. The indictments allege that between 1993 and 1998, Mogilevich headed and controlled the Mogilevich Enterprise, an association which consisted of numerous individuals and a network of companies in more than 20 different countries that orchestrated a sophisticated scheme to defraud investors in stock. The scheme was allegedly funded and authorized by Mogilevich. This complex network of corporations was set up to create the illusion of a profitable international business. [image: SEMION MOGILEVICH] <https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cei/semion-mogilevich> SEMION MOGILEVICH <https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cei/semion-mogilevich> Fraud by Wire; RICO Conspiracy; Mail Fraud; Money Laundering Conspiracy; Money Laundering; Aiding and Abetting; Securities Fraud; Filing False Registration With the SEC; False Filings With the SEC; Falsification of Books and Records Semion Mogilevich is described as a white male, 5’6” to 5’7”, 290 pounds, balding, with gray hair and green eyes. He was born on June 30, 1946, in Kyiv, Ukraine, but also uses July 5, 1946, as an alias date of birth. Mogilevich has Russian, Ukrainian, and Israeli passports. His current residence is believed to be in Moscow, Russia. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS) of the Department’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case. Individuals with information on Mogilevich that could be helpful to investigators are asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, via WhatsApp (neither a government-operated nor government-controlled platform) at 215-839-6844, or online at tips.fbi.gov. All identities are kept strictly confidential. -- *Gunnar Larson - xNY.io <http://www.xNY.io> | Bank.org <http://Bank.org>* MSc <https://www.unic.ac.cy/blockchain/msc-digital-currency/?utm_source=Google&u…> - Digital Currency MBA <https://www.unic.ac.cy/business-administration-entrepreneurship-and-innovat…> - Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ip) G(a)xNY.io +1-646-454-9107 New York, New York 10001

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Fwd: Announcement: Rebalancing of Grayscale Diversified Funds
by Gunnar Larson 06 Apr '22

06 Apr '22

Look at the add, loss chart. Amazing. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: The Grayscale Team <hello(a)grayscale.com> Date: Wed, Apr 6, 2022 at 4:16 PM Subject: Announcement: Rebalancing of Grayscale Diversified Funds To: <g(a)xny.io> Announcement: Rebalancing of Grayscale Diversified Funds View it in your browser <https://go.grayscale.com/webmail/652383/355073204/3c0c2479a8465a17898078721…> [image: Grayscale_Logo] <https://go.grayscale.com/e/652383/nds-db-utm-content-header-logo/f1bph/3550…> [image: Grayscale_Logo_white] <https://go.grayscale.com/e/652383/nds-db-utm-content-header-logo/f1bpl/3550…> REBALANCING Grayscale Diversified Funds Each quarter we review the weightings for our diversified funds: Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund (GDLC), Grayscale Decentralized Finance Fund (DeFi Fund), and Grayscale Smart Contract Platform Ex-Ethereum Fund (GSCPxE). Please see below for the changes and updated fund component weightings for each diversified fund in connection with each of their respective first quarter 2022 reviews. The table below summarizes the changes: [image: image] *DETAILS* *Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund* In accordance with the construction criteria, Grayscale has adjusted the fund’s portfolio by selling certain amounts of the existing fund components in proportion to their respective weightings, and using the cash proceeds to purchase *Avalanche (AVAX)* and *Polkadot (DOT)*. No tokens were removed. Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund’s components* as of EOD April 5, 2022: - Bitcoin (BTC), 60.07% - Ethereum (ETH), 28.57% - Solana (SOL), 3.06% - Cardano (ADA), 2.74% - Avalanche (AVAX), 1.77% - Polkadot (DOT), 1.56% - Litecoin (LTC), 0.62% - Chainlink (LINK), 0.57% - Uniswap (UNI), 0.55% - Bitcoin Cash (BCH), 0.49% *Grayscale DeFi Fund* In accordance with the CoinDesk DeFi Index methodology, Grayscale has adjusted the fund’s portfolio by selling certain amounts of the existing fund components in proportion to their respective weightings. *SushiSwap (SUSHI)* and *Synthetix (SNX)* have been removed from the CoinDesk DeFi Index and the DeFi Fund. No new tokens were added. Grayscale DeFi Fund’s components* as of EOD April 5, 2022: - Uniswap (UNI), 42.34% - Curve (CRV), 17.56% - Aave (AAVE), 13.27% - Amp (AMP), 9.58% - MakerDAO (MKR), 8.32% - Compound (COMP), 5.86% - Yearn Finance (YFI), 3.07% *Grayscale Smart Contract Platform Ex-Ethereum Fund* In accordance with the CoinDesk Smart Contract Platform Select Ex ETH Index methodology, Grayscale has adjusted the fund’s portfolio by selling certain amounts of the existing fund components in proportion to their respective weightings, and using the cash proceeds to purchase *Cosmos (ATOM)*. No tokens were removed. Grayscale Smart Contract Platform Ex-Ethereum Fund’s components* as of EOD April 5, 2022: - Solana (SOL), 26.47% - Cardano (ADA), 25.12% - Avalanche (AVAX), 14.95% - Polkadot (DOT), 13.95% - Polygon (MATIC), 7.54% - Cosmos (ATOM), 5.23% - Stellar Lumens (XLM), 3.43% - Algorand (ALGO), 3.31% For more information, we invite you to read the full press release <https://go.grayscale.com/e/652383/ds-for-First-Quarter-2022-html/f1bnl/3550…> . If you are interested in investing in any of our diversified funds, please use this link <https://go.grayscale.com/e/652383/-db-utm-content-body-hyperlink/f1bnp/3550…>. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. All the best, The Grayscale Team **Holdings are subject to change.* Visit "The Source" Your hub for Grayscale news, insights and ideas. 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MLB is turning to an electronic pitch-calling system to fight cheating
by jim bell 06 Apr '22

06 Apr '22

https://www.engadget.com/mlb-pitchcom-electronic-pitch-calling-devices-sign… PitchCom could prevent opposing teams from stealing signs.

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Fwd: The metaverse rises
by Gunnar Larson 06 Apr '22

06 Apr '22

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: McKinsey Quarterly <publishing(a)email.mckinsey.com> Date: Wed, Apr 6, 2022 at 3:40 PM Subject: The metaverse rises To: <g(a)xny.io> Defining the metaverse ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [image: McKinsey & Company] <https://email.mckinsey.com/T/v7000001800064136a9a9d0df4bbe5c898/4beaeb2f3a3…> *Share this email* [image: LinkedIn] <https://email.mckinsey.com/T/v7000001800064136a9a9d0df4bbe5c898/4beaeb2f3a3…> [image: Twitter] <https://email.mckinsey.com/T/v7000001800064136a9a9d0df4bbe5c898/4beaeb2f3a3…> [image: Facebook] <https://email.mckinsey.com/T/v7000001800064136a9a9d0df4bbe5c898/4beaeb2f3a3…> Share this email on *LinkedIn* [image: >] <https://email.mckinsey.com/T/v7000001800064136a9a9d0df4bbe5c898/4beaeb2f3a3…> [image: LinkedIn] <https://email.mckinsey.com/T/v7000001800064136a9a9d0df4bbe5c898/4beaeb2f3a3…> Share this email on *Twitter* [image: >] <https://email.mckinsey.com/T/v7000001800064136a9a9d0df4bbe5c898/4beaeb2f3a3…> [image: Twitter] <https://email.mckinsey.com/T/v7000001800064136a9a9d0df4bbe5c898/4beaeb2f3a3…> Share this email on *Facebook* [image: >] <https://email.mckinsey.com/T/v7000001800064136a9a9d0df4bbe5c898/4beaeb2f3a3…> [image: Facebook] <https://email.mckinsey.com/T/v7000001800064136a9a9d0df4bbe5c898/4beaeb2f3a3…> <http://email.mckinsey.com/homefeed?__hScId__=v7000001800064136a9a9d0df4bbe5…> [image: A drawing of Lareina Yee] <https://email.mckinsey.com/our-people/lareina-yee?__hScId__=v70000018000641…> *NEXT BIG THING?Signals of the metaverse* *Lareina Yee* *Internet searches for the term “metaverse”* rose 7,200% in 2021. Those aren’t media mentions. That’s individual curiosity, a clear signal of how much people want to understand the term. The metaverse* is* a confusing term, because at this point it isn’t just one thing. For now, the metaverse is a combination of elements <https://email.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights…> with the potential to create a vast virtual environment where new kinds of interactions and new kinds of B2C *and* B2B commerce are possible. This integrated physical and virtual experience will have three core characteristics: immersive, interactive environments that use technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality to give a sense of presence and mimic the realism of the real world; a modifiable but persistent state where you can build, create, and interact similar to the way you interact in the physical world; and a digital identity that is as valuable and unique as your physical identity. People sometimes confuse the metaverse with the technologies that enable it. For instance, the metaverse is not virtual reality <https://email.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunicatio…>. Virtual reality is just a part of the metaverse tech stack, which has a lot of existing technologies and some that are incipient. For instance, 5G is essentia <https://email.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunicatio…> l for the metaverse. Great connectivity, particularly low latency, is your ticket to board the flight in, as it were. But you also need payments technology, cloud and edge infrastructure, 3-D developer tools, creator tools, security and identity platforms, virtual worlds and content, and even better devices and peripherals. One big issue is that there’s no portability. What passes for the metaverse today is actually a set of microverses—you can’t move your avatar, social graph, virtual assets, and data seamlessly from, say, Fortnite to Roblox. That’s no good for the over 200 million monthly active users who spend an average of 2.5 hours per day on the services. That will have to change. Those gaming platforms are giving people—especially young people—new expectations for how they can interact online. They assume that they’ll be able to connect, create, and buy and sell in similar worlds. We’ll need a better trust architecture (which may be decentralized and very different from current models) if they’re going to do all that seamlessly across multiple platforms. For now, I’d say we have just the glimmer of the metaverse. Given that, companies are asking tough questions: Is this all hype and a distraction? Should I pilot an experiment to learn about it? Is this an investable thesis that I should take seriously now? Is it such a serious pivot that I should worry about my core business? And if I can’t answer those questions with confidence, what should I do now? For almost everyone, learning about the potential of the metaverse <https://email.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights…> is a no-brainer. One great way to do so is to follow venture-capital (VC) funding. For example, Goldman Sachs estimated that there was $10 billion in venture funding for gaming and virtual worlds in 2021, more than twice the previous year. Seeing where the VC money goes can give companies a helpful perspective on what the metaverse might look like as it scales into something bigger. *200 million* monthly users spend an average of 2.5 hours a day on Fortnite and Roblox Experimentation can also be a great way to learn. To date, the experiments we have seen fall into three categories: brand integrations to extend existing experiences such as buying a virtual asset or NFT; ephemeral experiences such as the Gucci Garden; and persistent metaverse experiences such as we see in gaming. In the past few months alone, we have seen brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Forever 21, Ralph Lauren, Nike, NASCAR, and Warner Brothers launch metaverse plays. Experiments can be a way to open the window to the art of the possible—we may not fully know where they lead us, but we’ll certainly learn a lot in the process. For experiments in the metaverse <https://email.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights…> to work, companies may need to embrace open-ended investments, even small ones. In many cases, the people pushing for metaverse experimentation, who often come out of IT, haven’t tied the effort to a business case. Leaders may have to give them some leeway by expanding their tolerance for small failures. But the experimentation crowd must make more of an effort to think through the potential business value. In addition, a lot of these technologies require expertise that most companies have in short supply. At this moment of sharp talent shortages, companies may not have the mix of engineering, software, analytics, and IT talent required to execute some of these ideas. Partnering with platform providers like Roblox or Decentraland can alleviate some, but not all, of this problem. There are many obstacles and much uncertainty. It may well take a decade or more to fully build out the potential of the metaverse. There’s no hard-coded road map. For example, while today’s hype is about consumer use cases, enterprise or B2B cases may be the ones to scale first. Just like in the early days of the internet, it was not clear where it would go and how long it would take to develop, but we knew it was an exciting direction of innovation. This feels like that kind of moment. Once again, technology is driving innovation <https://email.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights…> into something that’s just around the corner, that could transform our experience in some unforeseen way. It reminds me that the potential of technology is infinite. That’s so humbling, and so inspiring. *ABOUT THE AUTHOR* *Lareina Yee* <https://email.mckinsey.com/our-people/lareina-yee?__hScId__=v70000018000641…> is a senior partner in the Bay Area office. *MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR* <https://email.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-per…> *Confronting the early-career gender gap* <https://email.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-per…> To achieve workforce parity, businesses should apply the same practices they are using against the glass ceiling. 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Russia's FSB malign activity: factsheet
by zeynepaydogan 06 Apr '22

06 Apr '22

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/russias-fsb-malign-cyber-activit… Cyber operations and the Russian intelligence services Russia is one of the world’s most prolific cyber actors and dedicate significant resource into conducting cyber operations around the globe. The UK government has publicly attributed malign cyber activity to parts of three Russian Intelligence services: the FSB, SVR and GRU, with each having their own remits. A table of the parts of the Russian Intelligence Services that the UK Government has publicly attributed is below. RIS cyber organogram The FSB cyber programme The FSB (Federal Security Service; Russian: (Федеральная служба безопасности (ФСБ)) is Russia’s state security agency and the successor to the KGB. Since its formation in (1995 the FSB has conducted electronic surveillance of equipment. FSB Centre 16 FSB Centre 16 (16-й Центр) is responsible for cyber operations including the intercepting, decrypting and processing of electronic messages, and the technical penetration of foreign targets. Its full title is the Centre for Radio-Electronic Intelligence by Means of Communication (TsRRSS; Russian: Центр радиоэлектронной разведки на средствах связи (ЦPPCC)) and is also known as “Military Unit 71330” (V/Ch 71330) (Bойсковая часть B/Ч 71330). When the KGB was disbanded in 1991, the 16th Directorate of the KGB became FAPSI (Russian: ՓАПϹИ) or Federal Agency of Government Communications and Information (FAGCI) (Russian :Փедеральное Агентство Правительственной Ϲвязи и Информации), a Russian government agency, which was responsible for signals intelligence (SIGINT) and security of governmental communications. In 2003, FAPSI was dissolved, and the 3rd Main Department of FAPSI (responsible for SIGINT) was transferred to the FSB forming the basis for FSB Centre 16. The emblem of FSB Centre 16 hints at its activities in cyberspace: a satellite dish (signifying SIGINT activity) and a key, broken by lightning, (signifying the breaking of an encryption key) are both present. Cyber operations conducted by FSB Centre 16 FSB Centre 16 has been observed conducting cyber operations since at least 2010. They conducted significant campaigns against the energy sector in 2014 and the aviation sector in 2020. Cyber operations against worldwide critical national infrastructure Centre 16 of the FSB have targeted/gained unauthorised access systems in countries around the world that are necessary for a country to function and upon which daily life depends. Known as Critical National Infrastructure or CNI, Centre 16 has targeted systems essential for energy, healthcare, finance, education and local/national governments. This has been a concerted campaign over many years and in a wide range of countries across Europe, the Americas and Asia. NCSC and cyber security companies have warned network defenders on multiple occasions of the risks posed by this pattern of activity. While there has been speculation of FSB involvement, the UK government is confirming this activity was carried out by FSB Centre 16 and providing further details of specific examples of this activity to increase awareness and transparency around the threat. Table 2: Cyber operations against CNI Date Activity Description of targets Further information June to July 2013 Compromised software package, turning the software into a Trojan, a legitimate appearing programme that contains malware European manufacturer of programmable logic controller devices Symantec report:https://community.broadcom.com/symantecenterprise/communities/commun… April 2014 Compromised software European developer of wind turbines, bio gas and other energy infrastructure Symantec report:https://community.broadcom.com/symantecenterprise/communities/commun… April 2017 Conducted malicious cyber activity UK companies associated with the energy sector October 2017 Gained unauthorised access to and compromised multiple networks through malicious cyber activity including spear phishing European and North American energy sector Symantec report: Dragonfly: Western energy sector targeted by sophisticated attack grouphttps://symantec-enterprise-blogs.security.com/blogs/threat-intelligen…. Symantec indicate that the actors may have “access to operational systems” March 2018 Conducted spear phishing, captured user credentials, gained unauthorised access to CNI and exfiltrated data US energy, nuclear, commercial facilities, water, aviation and critical manufacturing sectors US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure security agency advisoryhttps://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ncas/alerts/aa22-074a. [The advisory states that the activity detailed was performed by Russia government actors and points to the Symantec report detailed above (October 2017) that details malicious activity performed by the group called “Dragonfly”] April 2018 Compromising UK organisations with focus on engineering and industrial control companies. Attackers may be able to access contact lists of hacked companies and establish long term access to networks UK engineering and industrial control companies NCSC advisory:https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/news/hostile-state-actors-compromising-uk-organisations-focus-engineering-and-industrial-control February 2020 to August 2020 Sustained and substantial scanning and probing of networks American aviation sector This reconnaissance could be used to gain access at a later date September 2020 onwards Targeted and exfiltrated data American aviation sector and other key US targets CISA alert AA20-296A Cyber operations against dissidents, political opponents and the Russian public The UK government has identified FSB Centre 16 actors using cyber operations to monitor or attempt to gain unauthorised access to the computer systems of dissidents, political opponents and the Russian public. Table 3: Cyber operations conducted by FSB Centre 16 against dissidents, prominent Kremlin critics and the Russian public Date Activity Further information September 2017 Gained unauthorised access to the email address of an associate of Aleksey Navalny Aleksey Navalny is a prominent critic of Putin and a strong advocate for democracy in Russia. In August 2020 Navalny was poisoned in Russia. Following treatment in Germany he returned to Russia and was arrested on arrival October 2019 to January 2020 Posing as the Russian Federal Tax Service, conducted spear phishing against multiple Russian nationals Many of the targets are critics of the current administration February 2020 Attempted to Spear-phish the press secretary of Mikhail Khodorkovskiy 1: Mikhail Khodorkovskiy is a prominent critic of the Russian administration and currently resides in the UK. 2: Mikhail Khodorkovskiy has said he believes himself to be at serious risk from harm at the hands of the Russian state. He currently resides in the UK. The press secretary would be expected to have access to Mikhail Khodorkovskiy’s diary and travel plans May 2020 Monitored the website “dossier.center”, a website set up by Mikhail Khodorkovskiy to expose corruption within the Russian government. This activity occurred shortly after the website released information about the FSB This activity likely represents intelligence gathering against groups connected to Mikhail Khodorkovskiy .

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