116 See SM-2589105, serials 144 & 495. 117 Investigative Technique█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ 118 Investigative Technique█ █ █ 119 Investigative Technique█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ 120 A VPN extends a private network, allowing users to send and receive data across public networks (such as the internet) as if the connecting computer was directly connected to the private network. The VPN in this case had been created to give a small number of DCCC employees access to certain databases housed on the DNC network. Therefore, while the DCCC employees were outside the DNC’s private network, they could access parts of the DNC network from their DCCC computers (IAEN). 121 Investigative Technique█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ SM-2589105- HACK, serial 5. 122 Investigative Technique█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ M-2589105- HACK, serial 5. 123 “Malware” is short for malicious software (IAEN), and here refers to software designed to allow a third party to infiltrate a computer without the consent or knowledge of the computer’s user or operator. 124 Investigative Technique█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ 125 Investigative Technique█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ 126 In connection with these intrusions, the GRU used computers (IAEN) (virtual private networks, dedicated servers operated by hosting companies, etc.) that it leased from third-party providers located all over the world. The investigation identified rental agreements and payments for computers located in, inter alia, Investigative Technique█ █ █ all of which were used in the operations targeting the U.S. election. 127 Netyksho Indictment ¶ 25. 128 Netyksho Indictment ¶ 24(c). 129 Netyksho Indictment ¶ 24(b). 130 Netyksho Indictment ¶¶ 27-29; Investigative Technique█ █ █ 131 Investigative Technique█ █ █ 132 Investigative Technique█ █ █ █ █ █ 133 Investigative Technique█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ 134 Investigative Technique█ █ █ █ █ █ SM-2589105-HACK, serial 5. Investigative Technique█ █ █ █ █ █