FBI, DHS Russia Report Begins With Giant Disclaimer 'Providing No Warranties of Any Kind'

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday released a joint report detailing how federal investigators linked the Russian government to hacks of Democratic Party organizations.

The document makes clear reference to the hacks of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, though it does not mention either by name.

The 13-page report provides technical details regarding tools and infrastructure used by Russian civilian and military intelligence services to “compromise and exploit networks and endpoints associated with the U.S. election, as well as a range of U.S. Government, political, and private sector entities.” (See the entire report below.)

But security experts say that the document provides little in the way of forensic "proof" to confirm the government's attribution. Private security firms — like CrowdStrike, who investigated the DNC breach — went much further, they say.

"The DHS statement is a restatement of already known public information, a series of technical indicators that are intended for use by cybersecurity professionals in finding and remediating APT28 malware on private sector networks, and some generic advice for companies as to how to improve their network security," said Matt Tait, founder of the U.K.-based security consultancy Capital Alpha Security.

APT28 refers to one of the hacking groups affiliated with Russian intelligence believed to have infiltrated the DNC.

The U.S. report, known as a “Joint Analysis Report” or JAR, refers to the Russian hacking campaign as “Grizzly Steppe.”

Today's Obama "hacking report" has a disclaimer. It also doesn't mention @WikiLeaks anywhere. pic.twitter.com/GAneSo83Q2

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) December 29, 2016

"Russia does not share America's interests. In fact, it has consistently sought to undermine them, sowing dangerous instability around the world," Ryan said shortly after the White House announced the punishments. "While today's action by the administration is overdue, it is an appropriate way to end eight years of failed policy with Russia. And it serves as a prime example of this administration’s ineffective foreign policy that has left America weaker in the eyes of the world."

Ryan’s evenhanded statement is notable because President-elect Donald Trump, with whom he has had a rocky relationship, has repeatedly dismissed the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that the Kremlin interfered in the November election. The U.S. says Russian hackers were behind the cyberattacks that led to massive email leaks from the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman.

“I think we ought to get on with our lives. I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole, you know, age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what’s going on,” Trump said Wednesday of the U.S. allegations against Russia.

Sen. John McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham, both prominent Republicans, released a joint statement on Obama’s announcement that echoed Ryan’s language, but they did not use the moment as an opportunity to attack the administration as harshly as Ryan had.

“The retaliatory measures announced by the Obama administration today are long overdue,” they wrote. “But ultimately, they are a small price for Russia to pay for its brazen attack on American democracy. We intend to lead the effort in the new Congress to impose stronger sanctions on Russia.”