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Asian Hackers Blamed for Attacks On U.K., U.S. Computer Networks
Bid to Steal Valuable Data Targets Corporate Systems, Government InstitutionsAuthorities say unidentified hackers from Asia have been launching a wave of attacks on government and corporate computer systems in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. in an effort to steal sensitive commercial data. The British government Thursday announced that hackers seeking commercially and economically valuable information were attacking vital U.K. government and corporate computer networks. It cited the source of the attacks as "often linked to the Far East." The problem appears to be more widespread than the U.K. government initially indicated. The attacks started at least two years ago and have targeted institutions in the U.S., Canada and Australia, among dozens of other countries, authorities say. The revelations show that computer viruses released via the Internet increasingly are being used to garner confidential information, ranging from personal banking details of consumers to industrial espionage. Thursday's report was issued by the U.K.'s National Infrastructure Security Coordination Center, or NISCC. The agency reports to the Home Office, the government department responsible for combating threats to U.K. national security. Home Office spokesman James Cox said the attacks are "well organized" and "appear to be the work of a coordinated group." probably Chinese As for whether data have successfully been stolen, he said NISCC had no evidence that it had but couldn't be certain that it hadn't. U.S. institutions have suffered similar attacks for at least a couple of years, and investigators suspect that the hacking is coming mostly from computers in China, yup, starting with the Red Lion virus according to a law-enforcement official. Hundreds of U.S. institutions have been targeted, this official said. Many of the targets are involved in technology research and development but also include financial institutions, he said. Government agencies and suppliers, such as defense contractors, were also targeted, he added. The official added that the government data targeted have been unclassified, rather than classified, information. Still, unclassified information includes valuable details such as emails, contact lists and travel schedules. He said some data had been taken, including information related to technology research and development. Because computers can be commandeered from afar, security experts say it can be hard to pinpoint the source of cyber attacks. An official at China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said he wasn't familiar with the attacks. "I have no information to provide at this moment," he said. or ever Zuwena Robidas, a spokeswoman for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, the equivalent of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said attacks in Canada date back to November 2003 but recently have increased in frequency. Ms. Robidas said hackers had gained access to information, which could include some information about the user of an infected computer. "This would likely be limited to their username and password," said Ms. Robidas. She added that an investigation is under way, and it would be "inappropriate to speculate" about who was behind the attacks. According to Britain's NISCC, the hackers are sending computer code attached to emails to individuals who work with sensitive or "privileged" information. The emails are designed to appear as if they come from trusted contacts, and often carry subject lines that refer to news articles that would be of interest to the recipient. The software in the emails secretly installs itself on the computer, typically either when the recipient opens an attachment or clicks on a link to a Web site. Once installed, a remote hacker can gain access to the system to obtain passwords, scan the network or gather information. A spokeswoman at the Australian Embassy in London said no one was immediately available to comment. Posted by: too true 2005-06-20 |
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