> their pattern of behavior doesn't really say, "state actor," to me.
This is the fascinating thing about Russian hackers to me. Maybe sometimes political favors change hands, but ultimately they're autonomous, self-funding, self-training, completely deniable assets. IMO Russia's brilliant in how they've managed their offensive hacking assets.
Well, exactly. The gang in question rather publicly issued a mea culpa and said they will be taking steps to make sure that doesn't happen again specifically because they're worried about that. I doubt things would ever progress as far as Afghanistan, but I'm sure they're thinking that their government might not continue to let them do their thing if the specter of international sanctions should arise.
This is the fascinating thing about Russian hackers to me. Maybe sometimes political favors change hands, but ultimately they're autonomous, self-funding, self-training, completely deniable assets. IMO Russia's brilliant in how they've managed their offensive hacking assets.