【the mainstreaming of masturbation: the auto eroticism】

Apparently,the mainstreaming of masturbation: the auto eroticism no one learned a damn thing from the infamous Democratic National Committee (DNC) email hacks that marred Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign because several liberal groups are now reportedly being blackmailed by Russian hackers who accessed their emails.

According to a report by Bloomberg, the hackers are targeting progressive groups and sifting through emails for embarrassing details that would allow them to leverage "hush money" out of the hacking victims.

The report says that at least a dozen organizations have faced extortion from hackers who have gathered sensitive information. The monetary demands from the hackers apparently range from $30,000 to $150,000, payable in untraceable bitcoins.

In the report, Bloomberg only names two groups allegedly affected by the hack: the Center for American Progress (CAP) and Arabella Advisors. A spokesperson for Arabella told Bloomberg, “Arabella Advisors was affected by cyber crime. All facts indicate this was financially motivated.’’ Mashablehas reached out to the company for additional comment.

Meanwhile, the CAP is denying it was the victim of any hack, a spokeswoman telling the publication the group has "no evidence we have been hacked." Neera Tanden, the group's president, also tweeted a denial.

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The FBI is assisting in the probe of the hacks, which contain some similar traits to previous hacks by the Russian collective Cozy Bear, one of the groups that is alleged to have hacked the DNC, leading to the leaks of emails.

While the targeted groups are all left-leaning, there's no confirmation from investigators if these attacks are politically motivated or in any way connected to the alleged interference in the 2016 election or if they're more straight-forward shake-down attempts.

Still, it's an added twist on the ongoing scandal linking Russia to the Trump victory in the 2016 presidential election, a scandal that keeps heating up the further we head into Trump's presidency.

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