Did the Trump organization have a server communicating with a Russian bank?

[DrDoug]

This article is for the network nerds out there. Some interesting excerpts from the article:

The researchers quickly dismissed their initial fear that the logs represented a malware attack. The communication wasn’t the work of bots. The irregular pattern of server lookups actually resembled the pattern of human conversation—conversations that began during office hours in New York and continued during office hours in Moscow. It dawned on the researchers that this wasn’t an attack, but a sustained relationship between a server registered to the Trump Organization and two servers registered to an entity called Alfa Bank.

...

Earlier this month, the group of computer scientists passed the logs to Paul Vixie. In the world of DNS experts, there’s no higher authority. Vixie wrote central strands of the DNS code that makes the internet work. After studying the logs, he concluded, “The parties were communicating in a secretive fashion. The operative word is secretive. This is more akin to what criminal syndicates do if they are putting together a project.” Put differently, the logs suggested that Trump and Alfa had configured something like a digital hotline connecting the two entities, shutting out the rest of the world, and designed to obscure its own existence. Over the summer, the scientists observed the communications trail from a distance.

...

The Times hadn’t yet been in touch with the Trump campaign—Lichtblau spoke with the campaign a week later—but shortly after it reached out to Alfa, the Trump domain name in question seemed to suddenly stop working. When the scientists looked up the host, the DNS server returned a fail message, evidence that it no longer functioned. Or as it is technically diagnosed, it had “SERVFAILed.” (On the timeline above, this is the moment at the end of the chronology when the traffic abruptly spikes, as servers frantically attempt to resend rejected messages.) The computer scientists believe there was one logical conclusion to be drawn: The Trump Organization shut down the server after Alfa was told that the Times might expose the connection. Weaver told me the Trump domain was “very sloppily removed.” Or as another of the researchers put it, it looked like “the knee was hit in Moscow, the leg kicked in New York.”

I like that last sentence: Or as another of the researchers put it, it looked like “the knee was hit in Moscow, the leg kicked in New York.”

I wonder if this was the info that Harry Reid was talking about the FBI investigating. If this is true then there are strange happenings going on between Trump and Russia that he needs to be called out on.

Updated to add: Found a link to the blog where this info was posted on Oct. 5th. Interesting.

 

[Schmide]

I read this earlier. Liked it.

 

[DrDoug]

The bit about them contacting the bank and then the Trump server disappearing shortly thereafter is telling, thus the line “the knee was hit in Moscow, the leg kicked in New York". It's also interesting that the bank was then trying to communicate with the new Trump server DNS because someone from the Trump organization would have had to inform them of the new address.

Comey's FBI better be looking very closely at this. He may be concerned about the emails but I'm far more concerned with a Presidential candidate who has a back channel to a Russian bank that is linked to the Russian government.

 

[vi edit]

Will be interesting to see if The Times ramps up their writing on this and comes out with something formal in the next day or two. Clinton's twitter acct is posting about it now:
https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/793234169576947712

The Manafort thing took to the flame in a matter of a couple days. Slate scooped it earlier this spring. Times finally got in on it in August and it took a few days before he slithered away from the campaign. Could be an interesting finish to this election cycle if the times can figure out a way to make this digestible to the average tech-impaired simpleton.

 

[thraashman]

Funny thing is there's at least as much evidence of this connection and of wrongdoing as there is anything that Hillary has been accused of, but you probably won't hear much about it because the media wants this election to be close so people tune in. If there really were such as thing as the liberal media, then Clinton would be leading by the largest margin in history.

 

[DrDoug]

I tripped across a tweet that links to a BuzzFeed article from last year about Alfa Bank and "Russian oligarchs" gathering in NYC. One of the bank owners is quoted as saying:

“People are scared — sanctions and all that,” Fridman told BuzzFeed News, saying he felt increasing fear among Western investors regarding Russia. “For us, it’s sad,” he said. “As businesspeople, it’s doubly sad.” He called the exhibit a “way to keep communication open.”

Anyone get the idea that Trump is trying to use the position of President to do some deals with Russia that enrich his bottom line? That's what I'm starting to think.

 

[Kazukian]

Don't know if this applies.

 

[DrDoug]

NBC is on it now...

NBC News reported in August that Manafort was a key player in multi-million-dollar business propositions with Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs — one of them a close Putin ally with alleged ties to organized crime — which foreign policy experts said raised questions about the pro-Russian bent of the Trump candidacy.

...

Trump has taken a series of pro-Russian positions that experts from both parties say are far outside the mainstream, and inexplicable from a political viewpoint. He continues to cast doubt on Russian involvement in election hacking, for example, despite the intelligence community's public assessment.

"The relationships that Trump's advisors have had with pro-Russian forces are deeply disturbing," David Kramer, a former senior State Department official in the George W. Bush administration and a former adviser to Marco Rubio's presidential campaign, told NBC News in August. "Trump's attitude on Russia is not in line with most Republican foreign-policy thinking. Trump has staked out views that are really on the fringe."

On the fringe is putting it lightly, I think Trump would sell America out if given the chance because all he believes in is money and himself.

ETA: Remember that Trump said this at a rally yesterday:

Trump: “Wouldn’t it be nice? Wouldn’t it be smart?” To “put everything together with Putin” and Russia?

Wow. pic.twitter.com/xTZNYLztF7

— Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) October 31, 2016

Maybe someone can ask him what he meant by this.

 

[MongGrel]

NBC is on it now...

On the fringe is putting it lightly, I think Trump would sell America out if given the chance because all he believes in is money and himself.

It's been a bit of in issue may loyal Trump supporters have refused to look at, most US banks will not deal with the guy and the majority of his major investors seem to be from foreign banks.

That was evident back when the Manafort connection went public.

I'd posted this once, but seems applicable to the thread.

US election 2016: Clinton camp blasts FBI 'double standards'

http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37830521

 

[agent00f]

This article is for the network nerds out there. Some interesting excerpts from the article:



I like that last sentence: Or as another of the researchers put it, it looked like “the knee was hit in Moscow, the leg kicked in New York.”

I wonder if this was the info that Harry Reid was talking about the FBI investigating. If this is true then there are strange happenings going on between Trump and Russia that he needs to be called out on.

TL;dr: this indicates communication, seemingly of the human kind by the timestamps which also correlates with election activity, between folks in the trump org and a large russian bank, likely via email given what the server's running.

 

[DrDoug]

Updated with link to blog post that has the raw info on this. It was created on Oct. 5th and this is the only material on it.

 

[agent00f]

Also worth noting that the orgs themselves aren't exactly forthcoming. "We know of no connection", well, you have the server logs. AND reestablished the link on another new server after taking down the old when someone called up the bank for comment.

They've supposed hired a security company to look into this, but I doubt anything'll come of that given it can't possibly look good for them even if there's a relatively mundane explanation.

 

[DrDoug]

I tripped across a quote from another article by Foer for Slate:

"More recently, Richard Burt, a Reagan administration official, has begun advising Trump on foreign policy. His criticisms of NATO and pleas for greater cooperation with Putin grow from a deeply felt realism. Yet his ideological positions jibe with his financial interests. Burt is on the boards of Alfa-Bank, the largest commercial bank in Russia, and an investment fund with a large position in Gazprom."

Speaking of where there's smoke, there's fire... this Russia/Trump crap is more than just coincidence.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I tripped across a quote from another article by Foer for Slate:

Speaking of where there's smoke, there's fire... this Russia/Trump crap is more than just coincidence.

This guy apparently sits on the boards of several banking, finance, etc companies. What does he have to gain from this?

 

[MongGrel]

This guy apparently sits on the boards of several banking, finance, etc companies. What does he have to gain from this?

I would think that would be obvious if Trump went into office and he was associated with Russian connections.

Do you read anything before you post ?

 

[DrDoug]

/another irrelevant question...

I know you like to try to distract and whatnot, but catch up on the topic and use a bit of reason... oh yeah, that's right...

ETA: A piece of Trump Tweet history:

I just got back from Russia-learned lots & lots. Moscow is a very interesting and amazing place! U.S. MUST BE VERY SMART AND VERY STRATEGIC.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 11, 2013

Trump humping Russia...lol!

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I would think that would be obvious if Trump went into office and he was associated with Russian connections.

Do you read anything before you post ?

Do you believe that if person X sits on the board of company Y, anything they do should be viewed from the perspective that they are likely doing things for the benefit of company Y? Or that if person Z is an associate of person X, that person Z should be assumed to be working for the benefit of company Y?

I know you like to try to distract and whatnot, but catch up on the topic and use a bit of reason... oh yeah, that's right...

ETA: A piece of Trump Tweet history:

Trump humping Russia...lol!

I didn't ask you about Trump, sugartits, I asked you about this Richard Burt fellow.

 

[DrDoug]

Do you believe that if person X sits on the board of company Y, anything they do should be viewed from the perspective that they are likely doing things for the benefit of company Y? Or that if person Z is an associate of person X, that person Z should be assumed to be working for the benefit of company Y?



I didn't ask you about Trump, sugartits, I asked you about this Richard Burt fellow.

I'm looking at the connections... I'll leave the minutia and other distractions up to you, Fat Nazi Actor. File a report and I'll get back to you.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I'm looking at the connections... I'll leave the minutia and other distractions up to you, Fat Nazi Actor. File a report and I'll get back to you.

DID YOU KNOW THAT THE CLINTON FOUNDATION ACCEPTED MONEY FROM THE ARAB WORLD HOLY SHIT CLINTON IS A CRYPTO-MUSLIM END THE CLINTON FOUNDATION RIGHT NOW IT'S A CONSPIRACY DON'T YOU SEE IT?!??!!?!?1/1/1/2321/2312/32/423/42452435

Try substantiating your connections bro, you're like the Breitbart spammers of the left.

 

[DrDoug]

/MOAR LOUDER!.

How about we stick to the story, fuckchops?

 

[HamburgerBoy]

How about we stick to the story, fuckchops?

I don't have much comment on the story in the OP. There doesn't seem to be much discussion about it and I don't know really anything about how servers work from a technical standpoint. From what I can tell, it doesn't look good for Trump, but at the same time the FBI apparently had investigated it earlier and found nothing too concerning.

I do have a comment on your silly little conspiracies where anyone working for Trump who at any point also had some connection with Russia is an automatic Putin plant. If you don't want people to reply to you, don't make posts that might encourage replies. Just make your little threads like a good robot.

 

[DrDoug]

I don't have much comment on the story in the OP.

Then comment about it and go start your own thread if you think your irrelevant questions are so great that they deserve answers. BTW, I don't give a shit what you think about me or my thoughts so fire away...lol!

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Then comment about it and go start your own thread if you think your irrelevant questions are so great that they deserve answers. BTW, I don't give a shit what you think about me or my thoughts so fire away...lol!

Do you think the way forums work is that you create an OP and everyone has to respond only to the OP no matter what dumb stuff the OP says later in the thread? Am I interrupting your little tea party here? Did I cut Mr. Snuffles off?

 

[MongGrel]

I don't have much comment on the story in the OP.

So in other words your just thread crapping ?

 

[MongGrel]

Do you think the way forums work is that you create an OP and everyone has to respond only to the OP no matter what dumb stuff the OP says later in the thread? Am I interrupting your little tea party here? Did I cut Mr. Snuffles off?

The way the forums used to work is someone posts a topic and someone does not randomly derail it.

Times may have changed a bit apparently.

Flexibility is always a bit less Draconian, but there is a lot of ranting for the sake of ranting going on here these days.