Porous DNC Email Leaks — Put a Stopper in Them — Um, Plug in Which End

Enemy #1 to Decent People and Society at Large 

Possible Culprit and Beneficiary 

Hold down the cheering and yelling and premature celebrating.

The big question in the news: Is Russia behind this DNC email WikiLeaks of some 20,000 stolen emails from DNC computer servers. Discussion about the role of Russian intelligence agencies in disrupting the 2016 campaign is now back in the limelight based their previous track record of such hacks.

Proving anything this early is difficult, but researchers and cyber experts have concluded that the DNC was breached by two Russian intelligence agencies, which happen to be the same attackers behind previous Russian cyber operations at the White House, the State Department, and in the JCS just last year. Plus, this theft would be among the most important state-sponsored hacks yet of an American organization rivaled by the attacks on OPM by state-sponsored Chinese hackers, or the attack on Sony Pictures blamed on North Korea.

In those cases, too, embarrassing emails were released, but they had no political significance. This WikiLeaks release, however, has more of a tinge of Russian-style information war, in which the intent of the revelations is to alter political events – but exactly how, is still bit of a mystery, apart from embarrassing Democrats and further alienating Bernie Sanders supporters.

Evidence thus far suggests that the attack was the work of at least two separate agencies, each apparently working without the knowledge that the other that was inside the DNC computers. And it is also unclear how WikiLeaks obtained the emails but with the presumption is that the intelligence agencies turned it over, either directly or through an intermediary for this release – the timing of which between the end of the GOP convention and start of the DEM one seems to be too well-planned to be coincidental.

Metadata from the released emails suggests that the documents passed through Russian computers with at least one hacker claiming responsibility for giving the emails to WikiLeaks. Whether the thefts were ordered by Putin, or merely carried out by apparatchiks (Russian word for operatives) who thought they might please Putin is a big question, too.

However, the Russians might have good reason to support Trump since he has indicated in an interview with The New York Times last week that he might not back NATO nations if they came under attack from Russia — unless he was first convinced that the counties had made sufficient contributions to the Atlantic alliance.

That was a remarkable moment since even at the height of the Cold War, it was hard to find a presidential campaign willing to charge that its rival was essentially secretly doing the bidding of a political adversary.

Mr. Trump not only as an isolationist, but also as one who would go soft on confronting Russia as it threatens nations that have shown too much independence from Moscow or, in the case of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, joined NATO. Plus Trump has also said he would like to “get along with Russia” if he is elected, and complimented Putin, saying he is more of a leader than President Obama. Putin in turn praised Trump.

The Trump camp just on Sunday strongly rejected any connections between their candidate and efforts to undermine the Democrats via Putin or Russia.

George Stephanopoulos (ABC This Week) asked Paul Manafort (Trump’s campaign manager): “Are there any ties between Mr. Trump, you or your campaign and Putin and his regime?” He shot back: “No, there are not. That’s absurd. You know there’s no basis to it.”  TIMING & RELEASE CLEVER PLAN OR NOT? THAT IS THE KEY QUESTION.

In my View and related: What Assange said to the media in relation to this story is OLD NEWS and he knows it, too.

He is remarks highlighted a summary of what the public already has seen and heard and witnessed via tons of GOP-run hearings and such. Nothing new there.

Maybe Assange will skillfully manufacture (like cut and paste) some old stuff to make it look like new stuff? You think? It is possible for any seasoned hacker or leak expert – of which Assange has proven to be and able to sponsor.

Plus, all this attention keeps Assange in the limelight, well-paid, and out of handcuffs, just like Snowden.

Stay tuned. So, will this impact the DNC convention? I don't think so, but we'll have to wait and see.

Thanks for stopping by.