Happy Friday, the 13th (why does no one ever say that?) Let's dig in:
WORSE THAN 'SALT TYPHOON'?: You know a cyber attack is pretty bad when six months after the U.S. government discovers it, they still can't get the hackers out of the hacked systems. This is the case with 'Salt Typhoon', a cyber breach aimed at U.S. private sector telecommunications companies, first brought to the attention of the U.S. Government by Microsoft, according to NSA Director General Timothy Haugh. Beijing is widely believed to be behind the breach but the headline here might just be the answer that Haugh gave under questioning by New York Times reporter David Sanger when he said that 'Salt Typhoon' is not the 'highest-end operation we've seen'. Uh, care to elaborate? In case we're not reading between the lines quite enough, CISA Director Jen Easterly told The Cipher Brief's Cyber Initiatives Group this week that Chinese attacks on U.S. infrastructure are the 'tip of the iceberg'... We're not exactly alarmist here at the Dead Drop, but maybe it's time we started paying closer attention?
'TRENTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM': Okay, it doesn't quite have the same ring to it but a series of unidentified flying objects spotted over the Garden State are not exactly your typical garden-variety drones. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s sources describe the mysterious 'drones' as being “car-sized” flying objects. Did we mention that nobody knows where they're coming from? The Associated Press says the FBI is investigating “mysterious nighttime drone flights” across central New Jersey (which have also been spotted near President-elect Trump’s Bedminster golf course). NBC has video of local authorities launching their own drones to try to track down the source. On Wednesday, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R, NJ) told Fox News that the drones were coming from an Iranian “mothership” off the East Coast. According to NBC Pentagon officials quickly sank the mothership theory with spokesperson Sabrina Singh saying, “There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States.” So far, officials have not been successful at determining where the drones are coming from but perhaps a sharp-eyed employee at McDonalds will solve the case. New Jersey is no stranger to reports of odd aerial reporting. Back in 1938, a radio drama narrated by Orson Welles set off panic with a tale of aliens landing on a farm in Grovers Mill, New Jersey. That one though, turned out to be science fiction.
FRONTLINE AFFRONT: The Daily Mail apologized last week, for publishing a photo which claimed to show “two North Korean women” in combat gear fighting in Ukraine on behalf of Russia. Turns out the shot was photoshopped…the original had Russian women soldiers but in the modified version which reportedly had been widely shared on social media – the women were given Asian features and mis-identified as North Korean. Just another reminder that you can’t always trust what you see these days.
WE SUPPOSE THIS MAKES AS MUCH SENSE AS ANY OTHER EXPLANATION: An official from the Belarus Defense Ministry claims that the Pokémon Go game was actually a ploy by Western intelligence. Alexander Ivanov says that back when the game was popular, spies used it to gather information on Belarus’s military capabilities. According to Politico, when Pokémon was at its pinnacle years ago, Russia warned that it was a CIA plot. Jeez, you can't even trust video games anymore?
THE GAMES THESE WESTERNERS PLAY: Keeping with the theme of child’s play, the South China Morning Post says that China’s Ministry of State Security has warned that foreign agents are recruiting Chinese teenagers to “collect sensitive information, exploiting their lack of judgment and awareness of national security risks.” The MSS claims teens have been lured into taking photos of local billboards, docks, ports and airports —- and then asked to collect information about key military installations (which all sounds strangely familiar). Next thing you know, they’ll be asking them to play Pokémon Go.
THE GAMES RUSSIANS PLAY: Remember Anna Chapman? The redheaded Russian has a penchant for attracting attention. In 2010, she was arrested in New York on charges of acting as a foreign agent. She was jailed and then sent back home as part of a prisoner swap. Well now, she’s published a book titled “BondiAnna: From Russia with Love.” In it, according to multiple various tabloid accounts, she reveals some of her exploits while living in London – prior to going to the U.S. Anna does not lack self-confidence, writing “I knew the effect I had on men.” Adding: “Nature had generously endowed me with the necessary attributes: a slim waist, a full chest, and a cascade of red hair.” And also: "I never wore jewelry – I didn’t feel the need for it. Most importantly, I didn’t try too hard to please.” She says she was recruited by Russian spies in London to work her magic on targets of interest there. She claims that one billionaire Boris Berezovsky, said to be Vladimir Putin’s main enemy - had her on speed dial. She also claims to have rejected his requests to spend more time together. He died under mysterious circumstances in 2013. Radar Online’s headline about Chapman’s book says she “used her sex appeal to target bungling men.” Chapman says some of the names in the books have been altered and “5% of the events in the story are fictional.”
SPEAKING OF ‘PARTIALLY’ FICTIONAL: The name Amaryllis Fox (Kennedy) is well-known to loyal Dead Drop readers. Fox has been mentioned in these spaces at least a dozen times – the first being in June 2016. Now, there are rumors that the former CIA officer, former inspirational speaker, former campaign manager for father-in-law Robert Kennedy Jr., and former a lot of other things – is being pushed by RKF Jr. to be the next deputy director of the CIA. In 2019, The Cipher Brief reviewed Fox’s book Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA and found it “beautifully written, made for Hollywood…” but noted that many of the details in it “if true” would violate typical CIA officer secrecy agreements (sounds like a problem). There were press accounts at the time that Fox did not get the book cleared in advance by the Agency's Publication Review Board - which is tasked that no classified secrets make their way into public conversation via books and articles and movies and things of that nature. In an interview, Fox told NBC’s Ken Dilanian that she had changed some facts, including names, places and other details in the book in order to not disclose some information.
WELL, THAT’S HARSH: Last week, we mentioned that Russian TV talking heads were praising some of President-elect Trump’s national security nominees. While that is true – once again we owe thanks to Russian Media Monitor Julia Davis who posted a clip making clear that not all those tapped by Trump are getting praise. Davis cited one Russian television segment where retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg - who has been named envoy for Russia and Ukraine matters - was described as an elderly, “partially plucked hawk.” Ouch.
THE ALOHA SPIRIT: There is a long two-part series in SpyTalk by former investigative reporter Christine Gralow titled “My Battle with Tulsi Gabbard’s Cult Followers in Hawaii.” It is impossible to briefly summarize the piece, but we mention it for two reasons. One, Gabbard is President-Elect Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence and two, SpyTalk doesn’t generally post such material outside their paywall – but this one is free – so might be worth the read.
POCKET LITTER: Dead Droplets and bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
THIS ONE TAKES THE CAKE: Federal prosecutors say an active-duty U.S. Army soldier made off with about $41,000 of taxpayer funds in 2020, by falsely claiming to be running a business selling pies. He said the business was named “Granny’s Delight” and he applied for COVID-19 relief funds which were granted by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The soldier, who oddly was not named in the press reports we saw, was described as a sergeant first class who allegedly took the money from his half-baked scheme and spent it at “Victoria’s Secret, Sunglass Hut, the Virginia ABC store and Reeds Jewelers” according to prosecutors. Granny would not have been pleased.
ANY WAY YOU SLICE IT, IT WOULD BE CRUMMY IF YOU DIDN’T SHARE NEWS TIPS WITH US AT: TheDeadDrop@theCipherBrief.com
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