Were Russian FSB Officers Involved in Hacking Yahoo Accounts?

A California grand jury indicted four defendants on charges of computer hacking, economic espionage and wire fraud for allegedly accessing information on millions of Yahoo, Google and other webmail providers.

The case is unconnected to fabricated Russian US election allegations. In February, Moscow expressed outrage over FSB intelligence officers detained on suspicion of complicity in hacking America’s 2016 election, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying:

“(N)o matters of of this sort can have any relation to such absurd insinuations (about hacker attacks) or, as we have already said, we categorically deny any assertions about the possible complicity of the Russian side in any hacker attacks.”

He’s yet to comment on allegations against FSB officers Dmitry Dokuchaev and Igor Suschin. Are they guilty as charged, along with alleged hackers Karim Baratov and Alexey Belan, or are the indictments part of relentless Russia bashing?

Targeted individuals are charged with “unauthorized access to Yahoo’s systems to steal information from about at least 500 million Yahoo accounts and then used some of that stolen information to obtain unauthorized access to the contents of accounts at Yahoo, Google and other webmail providers, including accounts of Russian journalists, US and Russian government officials and private-sector employees of financial, transportation and other companies.”

Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary McCord said “(t)he criminal conduct at issue carried out and otherwise facilitated by officers from an FSB unit that serves as the FBI’s point of contact in Moscow on cybercrime matters, is beyond the pale.”

Indictment allegations state “FSB officer defendants, Dmitry Dokuchaev and Igor Sushchin, protected, directed, facilitated and paid criminal hackers to collect information through computer intrusions in the US and elsewhere. In the present case, they worked with co-defendants Alexsey Belan and Karim Baratov to obtain access to the email accounts of thousands of individuals.”

McCord accused both Russian FSB officials of acting on behalf of their agency, citing no evidence proving it. The indictments are the first ones against Russian officials for alleged cyber offenses.

The breach occurred in 2014. Yahoo announced it last September, saying it believed the attack was state-sponsored – despite no evidence suggesting it.

Thousands of political prisoners languish in America’s gulag, at home and abroad. Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko is one of them, framed for importing cocaine into America despite no evidence proving it.

Viktor Boot is another, outrageously called a “Merchant of Death” and “Lord or War.” He ran a legitimate cargo business, mostly in Africa and Eurasia, conflicting with CIA objectives.

The agency wanted him eliminated. They wanted full air transport control. They mischaracterized him as an illegal arms trafficker.

No evidence proved it. No weapons existed. No money changed hands. It didn’t matter. He was extradited to America, his business destroyed, his welfare irreparably harmed.

His legitimate rights were denied. He languishes unjustly in gulag hell. FSB officials Dokuchaev and Sushchin are more fortunate. Washington has no extradition treaty with Moscow.

It’s authorities are unlikely to hand over it officials for guilty by accusation prosecutions, followed by harsh treatment in prison.