PILLED IN KANSAS AND GEORGIA. THERE'S A LOT GOING ON.
I WANT TO START TONIGHT WITH AN INTRIGUING PIECE OF NEWS OUT OF
SPAIN. NOW, THIS IS AN FBI STORY, BUT
THE FBI IS OFFICIALLY NOT COMMENTING ON IT.
SO I WILL TELL YOU AT THE OUTSET WE'RE ON OUR OWN.
THIS IS A WEBSITE CALLED SPAM HOUSE WHICH SOUNDS LIKE A
DELICIOUS IDEA FAR DOWNSCALE
RETRO HAWAIIAN FAST FOOD PLACE.
IT'S AN ONLINE INTERNATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE FOR INFORMATION
AND NEWS AND STATISTICS AND LEADS ABOUT THE WAYS PEOPLE USE
THE INTERNET TO COMMIT CRIMES AND STEAL STUFF.
IT'S ABOUT SPAM AND HACKING AND MALAWARE AND VIRUSES, ALL THE
MEANS PEOPLE USE TO MOUNT ONLINE ATTACKS.
THEY'VE DONE THEIR BEST AT SPAM HAUS TO MAKE THE WORST SPAMMERS
IN THE WORLD VERY FAMOUS. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS THE SORT OF
CRIME THAT YOU CAN COMMIT WITHOUT ANYBODY EVER LAYING EYES
ON YOU, BUT SPAM HAUS HAS DONE THEIR BEST TO CREATE AN FBI
STYLE TEN MOST WANTED LIST FOR SPAMMERS, QUOTING FROM SPAM
HAUS, DO UP TO 80% OF SPAM TARGETED AT INTERNET USERS
AROUND THE WORLD IS GENERATED BY A HARD COREY GROUP OF 100 KNOWN
PERSIST TANT SPAM GANGS WHO'S NAMES, ALIASES ARE DOCUMENTED IN
THE REGISTER OF KNOWN SPAM OPERATIONS DATABASE.
AND THEY POST THAT EXPLANATION RIGHT ALONG WHAT IS BASICALLY
THEIR VERSION OF THE TEN MOST WANTED LIST.
THIS TOP TEN CHART OF SPAMMERS IS BASED ON SPAM HAUS'S VIEW OF
THE HIGHEST THREAT, LEAST REPENTANT, MOST PERSIST TANT AND
JOURNAL THE WORST OF THE CAREER SPAMMERS CAUSING THE MOST DAMAGE
ON THE INTERNET CURRENTLY. IF YOU NEED TO PUFF UP YOUR
PATRIOTIC PRIDE A LITTLE BIT, WORRYING ABOUT WHETHER THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS NOT HOLDING OUR OWN REST ASSURED
TURNS OUT WE'RE DOING GREAT. OF THE TOP TEN WORST SPAMMERS IN
THE WORLD, SEVEN OUT OF THE TEN ARE USA, USA!
TWO OF THE TEN ARE FROM UKRAINE. AND THERE'S ONE GUYN'T LIST
WHO'S BEEN ON THAT LIST FOR A LONG TIME WHO IS RUSSIAN.
AND THIS IS THE NEWS. THE RUSSIAN GUY JUST GOT
ARRESTED. HE IS KNOWN ONLINE HAS PETER IS
A VERA. HE'S ALSO KNOWN AS PETER LEV
SHOVE. ACCORDING TO SPAM HAUS.ORG HE'S
A SPAMMER WHO WRITES AND SELLS VIRUS, SPAMMING SPAM WARE AND
BOTTOM NET ACCESS. HE'S PROBABLY INVOLVED IN THE
WRITING AND RELEASING OF ADVISORS AND TROJANS.
HE'S ONE OF THE LONGEST CRIMINAL SPAM LORDS O ON THE INTERNET.
NOW, THE REASON THIS KIND OF CRIMINAL ARREST IS NOW AMERICAN
POLITICS NEWS IS BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE ALL HAD TO
LEARN IN REPORTING AND UNDERSTANDING THE STORY OF THE
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT HACKING OUR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION LAST YEAR,
ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAD TO GET FAMILIAR WITH ABOUT THOSE
ATTACKS, WE'VE HAD TO LEARN ABOUT THE OVERLAP IN RUSSIA
BETWEEN CRIMINAL HACKING, HACKING FOR PROFIT, HACKING JUST
FOR THIEVERY, AND RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT INTELLIGENCE WORK.
YES, AMERICA IS STILL KING. WORLD WHEN IT COMES TO ONLINE
SPAM AND STEALING, BUT RUSSIA IS PRETTY GOOD TOO.
OVER THE YEARS, THE RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICES INCLUDING
THEIR MILITARY INTELLIGENCE SERVICE, THEY HAVE MOVED BEYOND
JUST TRYING TO TAP BRIGHT, YOUNG COMPUTER SCIENCE UNDERGRADS TO
ENLIST AND JOIN THE SPY SERVICES.
THEY HAVE MOVED BEYOND THAT SORT OF RECRUITING OF PEOPLE INTO THE
INTELLIGENCE SERVICES FROM THE COMMUTER WORLD, AND THEY INSTEAD
HAVE MOVED INTO THE CRIMINAL PART OF THE HACKING WORLD.
THEY HAVE TAKEN GREAT PAINS TO COOPT THE MOST SUCCESSFUL
CRIMINAL HACKERS AND SPAM ARTISTS OPERATING ILLEGALLY IN
RUSSIA. RATHER THAN PROSECUTE THEM,
INSTEAD THEY USE THEM. THEY ESSENTIALLY PIGGY BACK ON
THE CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AND TAKE OVER SOME OF THAT CRIMINAL
ACTIVITY FOR THEIR OWN PURPOSES. THEY ARE STEALING INFORMATION
FROM TENS OF MILLIONS, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF USERS OF
YAHOO.COM. FINE, THAT'S A CRIMINAL ACT,
THEY'RE DOING IT FOR PROFIT. BUT RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE USES
THAT HACK TO SPECIFICALLY TARGET INDIVIDUAL JOURNALISTS AND
OPPOSITION FIGURES WHO THEY WANT TO GO AFTER FOR POLITICAL
REASONS. THAT'S THE WAY IT WORKS.
AND WITH THIS GUY WHO JUST GOT ARRESTED IN SPAIN, THAT
PARTICULAR OVERLAP BETWEEN CRIMINAL WORK AND INTELLIGENCE
WORK FOR RUSSIA, THAT OVERLAP IS VERY, VERY CLEAR WITHH HIM.
AS LONG ING A AS 2012 THERE WAS OPEN SOURCE REPORTING IN RUSSIA
HE CROSSED OVER FROM RUSSIA FROM BEING A HACKER TO WORKING FOR
THE FSB, THE SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO THE KBG.
HE WAS MAKING THE PITCH TO OTHER HACKERS ASKING OTHER HACKERS TO
DO WORK ON BEHALF OF THE RUSSIAN SPY SERVICE.
ALSO, HIS OWN ONLINE CRIMINAL ACTIVITY WAS COMPLICATED IN A
PRO-PUTIN RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT OPERATION.
I'LL QUOTE THIS PART FROM TODAY'S "NEW YORK TIMES."
PETER SEVERA RAN A FAMILY OF COMPUTER VIRUSES.
A SOPHISTICATED VOEFG FAMILY OF COMPUTERS CALLEDUAL EDAC AND
KELLY HOSS. THE KELLY HOSS VIRUS HAS BEEN
DESIGNED TO SPREAD SPAM, BUT DURING THE ELECTION IN 2012 IT
WAS USED TO SEND POLITICAL MESSAGES TO E-MAIL ACCOUNTS ON
COMPUTERS WITH RUSSIAN E-MAIL ACCOUNTS THAT LED TO FAKE NEWS
STORIES THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN CAME OUT AS GAY.
THESE VIRUSS MADE HIM FABULOUSLY WEALTHY.
WHEN BUZZFEED WROTE UP THIS STORY TODAY, THEY QUOTED A
FELLOW RUSSIAN HACKER IS DESCRIBING PETER LOVE SHOVE
LIVING A LIFESTYLE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EMBARRASSED AN OLIGARCH.
HE'S A TOP TEN INTERNATIONALLY LISTED CRIMINAL SPAM KINGPIN.
HE'S REPORTED TO HAVE RECRUITED OTHER HACKERS ONLINE TO WORK FOR
THE RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE.
HIS OWN VIRUSS WERE PUT TO WORK IN A RUSSIAN ELECTION.
AND NOW HE'S BEEN ARRESTED IN SPAIN.
AND GET THIS, HE WAS ARRESTED IN SPAIN AT THE REQUEST OF THE FBI.
AND THE FBI IS NOT TALKING ABOUT WHY THEY WANTED HIM ARRESTED OR
WHAT THIS IS ABOUT BUT IN RUSSIAN LANGUAGE MEDIA REPORTING
ON THIS ARREST TODAY AND IN SPANISH MEDIA REPORTING ON THIS
ARREST TODAY, MULTIPLE PUBLICATIONS HAVE RUN QUOTES
FROM THIS GUY'S WIFE WHO WAS WITH HIM IN BARCELONA WHEN HE
GOT ARRESTED, AND SHE SAYS WHAT HE TOLD HER ABOUT WHY HE WAS
BEING ARRESTED IS IT HAD TO DO WITH A COMPUTER VIRUS THAT HE
HAD CREATED THAT WAS RELATED TO DONALD TRUMP WINNING THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN THE UNITED STATES LAST YEAR.
SO THIS GUY HAS BEEN A KNOWN NOTORIOUS SPAMMER FOR YEARS.
FOR YEARS. BUT HE HAS TRAVELED FREELY
AROUND THE WORLD AND HE HAS NEVER BEEN ARRESTED THAT WE KNOW
OF, NEVER BEHAVED AS OF HE FEARED ARREST BY THE FBI BY
TRAVELING TO A COUNTRY THAT HAD AN EXTRADITION TREATY WITH THE
U.S. LIKE IN SPAIN. WHY NOW?
SHOULD WE BELIEVE THESE QUOTES FROM HIS WIFE WHO SAYS THAT HE
TOLD HER HIS ARREST HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE U.S.
ELECTION? WE DON'T KNOW.
THE FBI WILL NOT SAY. THE NO COMMENT THAT THE FBI'S
GIVING ON THIS STORY CAME FROM THE CRIMINAL DIVISION OF THE
FBI, NOT FROM THE NATIONAL SECURITY DIVISION OF THE FBI.
SO MAYBE THE ORIGIN OF THE NO COMMENT IS SIGNIFICANT IN SOME
WAY. I DON'T KNOW.
THIS COMES AT A TIME WHEN NEW PIECES ARE STARTING TO FALL IN
PLACE IN TERMS OF PACE AND SCOPE AND FOCUS OF THE INVESTIGATION
INTO THE RUSSIA ATTACK AND THIS CRUCIAL QUESTION OF WHETHER THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN WAS INVOLVED IN THE ATTACK.
THE "FINANCIAL TIMES" REPORTED LAST WEEK THAT THE FBI HAS
CREATED A SPECIAL UNIT IN WASHINGTON TO OVERSEE ALL
ASPECTS OF THIS INVESTIGATION. OF IT HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN
REPORTED THAT THE INVESTIGATION WAS SPREAD OUT AMONG MULTIPLE
FBI FIELD OFFICES AROUND THE COUNTRY.
NOW THEY WILL BE OPERATING OUT OF A SINGLE UNIT IN WASHINGTON.
ALTHOUGH THE FBI INVESTIGATION DIDN'T START UNTIL JULY OF LAST
YEAR, ACCORDING TO CBS, THE FOCUS OF THE FBI INVESTIGATION
HAS NOW SHIFTED TO MONTHS EARLIER THAN THAT.
CBS REPORTS THAT THE FBI IS NOW LOOKING AT THE INITIAL RUSSIAN
HACK OF THE DPEMZ WHICH HAPPENED ALL THE WAY BACK IN MARCH.
THEY ARE REPORTEDLY WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN MIGHT HAVE HELPED DIRECT THAT INITIAL HACK, DIRECT
THOSE RUSSIAN EFFORTS AS EARLY AS LAST MARCH WHEN THE HACKING
AND THE STEALING FIRST STARTED. IN ADDITION TO THAT, ON THURSDAY
NIGHT AS THE U.S. NAVY LAUNCHED TOMAHAWK MISSILES AT A SYRIAN
AIR BASE, ONE OF THE PIECES OF NEWS THAT NIGHT THAT GOT LOST IN
THE SAUCE WAS WORD THAT THE CIA HAD COME ACROSS NEWS ABOUT THE
RUSSIAN ATTACK AND ABOUT THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN'S POSSIBLE
CONNECTIONS TO THAT ATTACK THAT THE CIA APPARENTLY FOUND VERY
ALARMING LAST SUMMER. ACCORDING TO
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" IN LATE AUGUST, CIA DIRECTOR JOAN
BRENNAN WAS SO CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT THE CIA WAS SEEING ABOUT
INCREASED EVIDENCE OF RUSSIA'S ELECTION MEDALING THAT HE BEGAN
A SERIES OF URGENT INDIVIDUAL BRIEFINGS FOR EIGHT TOP MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS. QUOTE, IT IS UNCLEAR WHAT NEW
INTELLIGENCE MIGHT HAVE FROFRPD BRIEFINGS BUT CONCERNS WERE
GROWING INTERNALLY AND PUBLICLY AT THE TIME ABOUT A SIGNIFICANT
RUSSIAN BREACH OF THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE, AND THE CIA
BEGAN SEEING SIGNS OF POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS TO THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN. IN AUGUST 25th BRIEFING FOR THEN
SENATOR HARRY REID, UNNAMED ADVISERS MIGHT BE WORKINGNG WIT
THE RUSSIANS TO INTERFERE IN THE ELECTION.
SO THE CIA THOUGHT THAT THAT WAS ENOUGH OF A POSSIBILITY THAT HE
NEEDED TO INDIVIDUALLY START BRIEFING SENIOR LEADERSHIP IN
CONGRESS, NOT JUST THE RUSSIAN ATTACK, TRUMP INVOLVEMENT IN THE
ATTACK. SO IN TERMS OF DIVISION OF LABOR
AND NATIONAL SECURITY LAW HERE, THE CIA CAN ONLY HANDLE THE
FOREIGN PART OF THIS, THE RUSSIAN ATTACK PART OF THIS.
WHEN IT COMES TO THE POSSIBILITY OF THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN OR ANY
OTHER AMERICANS HELPING THAT EFFORT, THEN YOU'RE TALKING
ABOUT AMERICANS. THAT'S A DOMESTIC ISSUE.
THAT BECOMES AN AMERICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT OPERATION, RIGHT?
AND THAT SORT OF THING IS NOT HANDLED BY THE CIA.
THAT HAS BEEN HANDLED BY THE FBI.
BUT THIS NEW REPORTING INDICATES THAT THE CIA LAST SUMMER SOMEHOW
CAME INTO POSSESSION OF INFORMATION THAT THE DIRECTOR
DID ONE-ON-ONE THINGS WITH THE LEADERSHIP IN CONGRESS TO TELL
THEM ABOUT RUSSIA INTERFERING WITH THE ELECTION AND THE
DISINTEGRATE POSSIBILITY THAT TRUMP CAMPAIGN WAS HELPING
RUSSIA DO THAT. SO THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN SIDE
SFLGTS SOMETHING THAT THE FBI WOULD HAVE TO HANDLE ULTIMATELY,
NOT THE CIA. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, BECAUSE
THAT'S FBI TERRITORY. AT THAT POINT THE INVESTIGATION
BECOMES A BLACK BOX TO US IN TERMS OF WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT IT.
BUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT THESE THINGS, WE
CAN SEE WHAT THEY'RE DOING. ONE OF THE THINGS THEY HAVE JUST
DONE IS REQUEST THE ARREST OF THIS RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE LINKED
CRIMINAL MEGA HACKER WHO'S NOW SITTING IN A JAIL CELL IN
BARCELONA PRESUMABLY ABOUT TO BE EXTRA INDICTED TO THE UNITED
STATES. AND THE FBI WON'T SAY BEEP ABOUT
IT. SO THERE'S A LOT GOING ON IN THE
WORLD RIGHT NOW. IN POLITICS, IN THE NEWS THAT
DOESN'T LOOK LIKE POLITICS UNTIL YOU SCRATCH THE SURFACE A LITTLE
BIT. AS SECRETARY OF STATE REX
TILLERSON PREPARES TO GO TO MOSCOW AS THIS ADMINISTRATION
CONTINUES TO ENJOY ITS FIRST REAL BOUT OF SHALLOW GOOD PRESS
ABOUT THEIR ABOMINATION 2,000% OF ALL THE PLANES IN SYRIA, THE
ONE SCANDAL OF THIS ADMINISTRATION REALLY IS STILL
MOVING. TONIGHT IT'S MOVING IN