“WISH LIST”

Report: Russian Election Hackers Had Other Worldwide Targets

Unearthed Fancy Bear “hit list” included emails of Ukrainian officers, Putin opponents, and U.S. defense contractors.

The hackers who tried to interfere in the U.S presidential election had other international targets corresponding with Russian interests, the AP reported Thursday morning. The hackers reportedly tried to breach 4,700 Gmail accounts worldwide and targeted the emails of Ukrainian officers, Russian opposition leaders, members of Pussy Riot, and U.S. defense contractors, among others, according to a recently discovered digital hit list. Cybersecurity firm Secureworks found the list, which covers those targeted between March 2015 and May 2016, after the “Fancy Bear” hacking group forgot to set an active Bitly account to private. “It’s a wish list of who you’d want to target to further Russian interests,” said Keir Giles, director of the Conflict Studies Research Center in Cambridge, England. “[It’s] a master list of individuals whom Russia would like to spy on, embarrass, discredit, or silence.” The hackers targeted at least 573 inboxes in the U.S., including those belonging to then-Secretary of State John Kerry, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, then-NATO Supreme Commander Philip Breedlove, and U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark. Among its Russian targets, the hit list also includes Serhiy Leshchenko, a opposition leader who helped uncover undisclosed payments to Paul Manafort.