Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE56709E20090709
Date: Jul 9, 2009
Blue Star Chronicles:
Beth: Multiple US government agencies were hit with a widespread computer attack on the 4th of July. South Korean government agencies experienced similar attacks. It is suspected that these were a North Korean cyber attack. Read about it and see a video on cyber attacks below.
Reuters
Thu Jul 9, 2009 7:20am EDT
By Jack Kim
SEOUL (Reuters) - A fresh wave of cyber attacks that slowed U.S. and South Korean websites this week hit more targets on Thursday, a Web security firm said, while the South's spy agency has said the hacking may be linked to North Korea.
The impact of the attacks, aimed so far at dozens of sites including the White House and the South's presidential office, was seen as negligible, experts said, but served as a reminder that Pyongyang has been planning for cyber warfare.
"The anticipated attack did take place, but considerable counter-measures were taken and it did act as a defense to some degree," an official at the online security firm Ahnlab said.
Some government websites, including the Defense Ministry and the National Intelligence Service, were affected. Access to some U.S. government sites, including the State and Defense Department, from South Korea appeared to be disabled.
The Internet sites of some South Korean banks also experienced a surge in access requests but a bank official said programs were run to disperse traffic and bring service back up within an hour.
If the North was responsible, it would mark an escalation in tension already high from Pyongyang's nuclear test in May, a barrage of ballistic missiles in July and repeated taunts of long-time foes Seoul and Washington in its official media.
But some analysts raised doubts about the North's involvement, saying it may be the work of industrial spies or pranksters.
One online expert was quoted as telling a South Korean daily that tracking of the spread of the malicious software by showed it had originated from an IP address based in United States.
The attacks will likely be regarded by the North's leadership as a victory for Kim Jong-il -- even if Pyongayng was not behind them -- because they hurt the country's traditional foes, adding a new dimension to the threat level posed by the reclusive state.
The attacks saturated target websites with access requests generated by malicious software planted on personal computers. This has overwhelmed some targeted sites and slowed server response to legitimate traffic.
PYONGYANG PLANS FOR CYBER WARFARE
The attacks did not lead to a breach of sensitive government material or damage online infrastructure in South Korea, the world's most wired country, government officials said.
But the National Intelligence Service said in a statement it was stepping up alert to monitor potential attack against the network of energy and communications facilities.
South Korean media quoted parliament members as saying after an intelligence briefing on Wednesday that the spy agency believed "North Korea or pro-North elements" were behind the attacks.
The defense ministry is allocating 26 billion won ($20.33 million) to beef up security for its computer system, according to a budget request it released on Thursday.
Wiki Cyberwarfare: Known Past Attacks
On March 28, 2009, a cyber spy network using servers mainly based in China has tapped into classified documents from government and private organizations in 103 countries, including the computers of Tibetan exiles,[18][19] but China denies the claim.
The United States had come under attack from computers and computer networks situated in China and Russia. See Titan Rain and Moonlight Maze.
On May 17, 2007 Estonia came under cyber attack. The Estonian parliament, ministries, banks, and media were targeted.
On 14 December 2007 the website of the Kyrgyz Central Election Commission was defaced during its election. The message left on the website read "This site has been hacked by Dream of Estonian organization". During the election campaigns and riots preceding the election, there were cases of Denial-of-service attacks against the Kyrgyz ISPs.
Georgian and Azerbaijani sites were attacked by hackers during the 2008 South Ossetia War.
No comments:
Post a Comment