Thousands of emails allegedly from Brexist supporters including former British spymaster Richard Dearlove, campaigner Gisela Stuart, historian Robert Tombs, and others.
Be aware that the emails are almost certainly incomplete and cherry-picked.
Allegations of State Sponsorship
According to Reuters' reporting:
Shane Huntley, who directs Google's Threat Analysis Group, told Reuters that the "English Coop" website was linked to what the Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O)-owned company knew as "Cold River," a Russia-based hacking group.
"We're able to see that through technical indicators," Huntley said.
Huntley said that the entire operation – from Cold River's hacking attempts to publicizing the leaks – had "clear technical links" between one another.
Thomas Rid, a cybersecurity expert at Johns Hopkins University, also pointed out similarities in the MO between to Guccifer 2.0 and DCLeaks.
Disclaimer
This dataset was released in the buildup to, in the midst of, or in the aftermath of a cyberwar or hybrid war. Therefore, there is an increased chance of malware, ulterior motives and altered or implanted data, or false flags/fake personas. As a result, we encourage readers, researchers and journalists to take additional care with the data.
This is a standard disclaimer that will be added to all datasets in the Cyberwar category, even absent specific suspicions.
Any specific concerns will be added and noted below.
- Dearlove, one of the victims, who led Britain's foreign spy service - known as MI6 - between 1999 and 2004, told Reuters the leaked material should be treated with caution given "the context of the present crisis in relations with Russia."
References
Editor Notes
According to Google's Threat Analysis Group, the leak is linked to a group they knew as "Cold River," a Russia-based hacking group. One of the victims, a former British spymaster, agrees.