Cyber Attacks Hit US Oil Industry

25 January 2010

AXCESS NEWS (HOUSTON) - Marathon Oil, ExxonMobil, and ConocoPhillips were victims of cyberespionage in 2008. The companies were unaware of the attack until the FBI alerted them in early 2009. The most senior executives at the companies were the targeted for the attack. Valuable bid data, information such as location, quantity, and value of oil reserves discovered around the world, was siphoned from computers. The attacks on the oil companies follow the same pattern as the attacks seen recently on Google and other companies. The spyware used is sophisticated enough that it is virtually undetectable by current anti-virus software and precautions. Source: http://www.axcessnews.com/index.php/articles/show/id/19305 (Reliability: Moderate 39.74)

Cyber Attack Takes Down Website Of Russia's Leading Opposition Newspaper

27 January 2010

THE EXAMINER (ERIE)- A cyber attack targeted the Novaya Gazeta, Russia's leading newspaper on Tuesday, January 26. The newspaper is one of Russia's few independent ones. It has a reputation of publishing criticisms of the government. Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-15391-LA-Eurasian-Affairs-Examiner~y2010m1d27-Cyber-attack-takes-down-website-of-Russias-leading-opposition-newspaper

(Source: Moderate-36.56)

China Denies Involvement In Cyber Attacks On Google

25 January 2010
THE GUARDIAN (BEIJING)- China recently came out and denied involvement in the recent cyber attacks against Google. The country still maintains its right to punish people who challenge party control online as it continues to counter criticism of its internet policies. A spokesman from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology releases a statement saying that "Any accusation that the Chinese government participated in cyber attacks, either in an explicit or indirect way, is groundless and aims to denigrate China." Source:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jan/25/china-denies-cyber-attacks-google
(Reliability: High - 56.53)

Cable Modem Hacker Arrested

28 January 2010

PCWORLD.COM (BOSTON MA) — Matthew Delorey, a 26 year old man sold modified cable modems that enabled free internet access. US federal authorities arrested and charged him with one count of conspiracy and one count of wire fraud. Delorey could face a USD 250,000 fine and up to 20 years in prison. He ran a website called Massmodz.com where he sold his hacked modems.
Source: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/188130/fbi_arrests_alleged _cable_modem_hacker.html (Reliability: 52.88 -- High)

Perceptions Of Organized Crime As A Cyber Security Threat

28 January 2010

DELOITTE (NEW YORK) —
On 22 January 2010, Deloitte released their report "Cyber Crime: A Clear And Present Danger" based on their review of the 2010 CSO Cyber Security Watch Survey. The report lists traditional organized crimes' addition of cyber crime to its portfolio as a factor heightening the current cyber crime wave. According to the survey, only 6% of respondents listed "organized crime" as the greatest threat to cyber security, while 26% named "hackers." The report concluded that companies may not associate groups of cyber criminals with organized crime, and that organized crime is a potentially greater threat to public and private organizations than they realize.
Source: http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedStates/Local%20Assets/Documents/AERS/us_aers_Deloitte%20Cyber%20Crime%20POV%20Jan252010.pdf (Reliability: High)

Hackers Infiltrate House Websites

Congressional investigators are exploring how hackers managed to infiltrate 49 House web sites overnight, zeroing in on the technology vendor that manages some House Web sites. Only hours after the State of the Union, hackers replaced the usual pages that congressmen and committees use with a profane attack on President Barack Obama reading,"F— OBAMA!! Red Eye CREW !!!!! O RESTO E HACKER !!! by HADES; m4V3RiCk; T4ph0d4 — FROM BRASIL."
The Red Eye Crew has been around for a while, and have thousands of web site defacements to their credit.

Sources: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/32145.html (High)

http://praetorianprefect.com/archives/2010/01/congressional-web-site-defacements-follow-the-state-of-the-union/ (High)

China, More, Engaged In Assymetrical Cyber Warfare

22 January 2010
FOXNEWS (NEW YORK) - Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute (a computer security firm), claims that "there are [at] least 100 countries with cyber espionage capabilities." Tom Patterson, chief security officer of MagTek Inc. (manufacturer of electronic security devices), said that "the Chinese air force has an asymmetrical warfare division" whose job is to devise ways to disable government command and control systems. Asymmetrical warfare is a term that originated in the counter terrorism field to describe cyber attacks designed to destabilize governments. Google and 30 other companies were attacked in this latest hack. Companies do not like to show weaknesses and therefor they often do not report breaches. China's People's Liberation Army has been tied to many of the cyberattacks that major corporations have recently withstood. Source: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/01/22/google-vs-china-tip-cyberwar/ (Reliability: Moderate)

Project Grey Goose Report On Critical Infrastructure: Attacks, Actors, and Emerging Threats

21 January 2010

INTELFUSION (WASHINGTON)- Project Grey Goose's latest report details the attacks perpetrated against critical infrastructure systems world-wide. According to the report, China and Russia are nation states that see military potential in attacking the critical infrastructure of enemies, and they are developing capabilities in this arena. Meanwhile, some attacks on control systems originate from non-state actors in China, Russia, and Turkey. Chinese hackers typically have nationalist motivations. In several cases Russian hackers targeted their own government. Turkish hackers exhibit both religious and political motivations. Source: http://www.intelfusion/wordpress/
(Reliabilty:48.47--High)

U.S. Plans To Issue Official Protest To China Over Attack On Google

16 January 2010
WASHINGTON POST (WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The United States plans to issue a formal "demarche" to the Chinese government in the near term in regards to "Operation Aurora" and allegations of state-sponsored hacking. A formal diplomatic message will signal a shift in U.S./China relations says Richard N. Rosecrance, who is the director of the Project on U.S.-China Relations at Harvard University. He continues to say that due to alleged state-sponsorship, the previously held favorable U.S. policy toward China "might now begin to shift in another direction". Source:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/15/AR2010011503917.html
(Reliability: 56.53 -- High)

Eighth District GOP Website Hit By Anti-Israel Hackers

18 January 2010

THE MINNESOTA INDEPENDENT (MINNESOTA)- The for Minnesota’s 8th District GOP website showed a burning American flag, the words “death to Israel,” masked militants with RPGs and the telltale words "HaCKeD by CWkomando" on Monday. The site now contained no links, but only words and images, including a dedication, “For Palestine,” the repeated phrase “Allahu Akbar” (”God is great,” in Arabic) and photos of masked militants with rocket launchers and rifles. Minnesota’s GOP isn’t the only organization that had to deal with hackers that morning. The hackers defaced the website of a French/Italian restaurant in Chicago the same way, as well as a Twitter user in San Francisco. The group also hit a site called GrowSmartBusiness recently.

Source: http://minnesotaindependent.com/53933/eighth-district-gop-website-hit-by-anti-israel-hackers (Reliability: Moderate)

Bluring The Line Between Cybercrime And Cyberwarfare

23 January 2010

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (SYDNEY) —
Attempted intrusions to government systems are not only committed by rival governments, but also by criminal gangs, primarily in Russia and Eastern Europe, who sell stolen state secrets. According to Alistair MacGibbon, a former director of the Australian High Tech Crimes Centre, government use of botnets is blurring the line between cyberespionage and cybercrime, since botnets are a traditional tool of cybercriminals. Paul Ducklin, the regional head of technology at the security vendor Sophos, adds that purchasing exploit capabilities can be inexpensive and appealing to governments who would prefer not to generate exploits themselves.
Source: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/cyberwar-rekindles-arms-race-20100122-mqpc.html (Reliability: Moderate)

Twitter “Terrorist”

Twitter “Terrorist”

22 January 2010

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR (BOSTON, MA) —

Paul Chambers of Doncaster, England posted a message to Twitter, venting about a bad experience at the airport. It said, “Robin Hood airport is closed. You’ve got a week and a bit to fix the problem, otherwise, I’m blowing the airport sky-high!!” Based on this post, police arrested him on January 13 as a terrorist under the aegis of the Terrorism Act, Britain’s version of the Patriot Act. Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/print/content/view/print/275234 (Reliability: High)