【澳洲时代】China blamed for US net raids

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China blamed for US net raids
http://www.theage.com.au/world/china-blamed-for-us-net-raids-20090529-bq98.html

Anne Davies, Washington May 30, 2009

A FEW weeks ago inthe offices of a Washington company with links to the ObamaAdministration a server crashed, setting off an alarm. The chieftechnology officer who was called in to investigate was puzzled.

Overthe next few days staff began reporting that their computers weresluggish. Because of the sensitive nature of the work it was doing, thecompany called in the FBI and the sleuthing began.

The logrevealed the server has been talking to a computer which runs theswitchboard in a large hotel, even though it was not supposed to talkto anyone outside the company.

The hotel's ISP records showed itssystem has been regularly talking to a computer in Shanghai, which wasusing the hotel computer as a control centre to relay instructions tothe compromised computers — the zombies — in the Washington office.

Thezombies were coming alive each night and disgorging emails,directories, personal financial information and documents to a hackerin Shanghai, whom investigators believe is part of a team sponsored bythe Chinese Government to probe computers in the US.

The FBI haseven found out who the hacker is. He'd left his initials in the virus —undetectable by more than 40 commercial anti-virus programs. Aftervisiting the hacking chat rooms, the FBI identified a man with theinitials in question — they've even seen his photo on his Facebook page— but they are no closer to catching him.

The Dalai Lama'soffices and computers in the Indian embassy were hacked in March, againby a group that appeared to be emanating from China (the ChineseGovernment denied involvement). Lockheed Martin had its computersaccessed by hackers over two years seeking information on the F-35fighter project.

If hackers can penetrate a defence contractor,why not air traffic control, the electricity grid, the transportsystem, the financial system or a chemical plant?

Now, PresidentBarack Obama has announced plans for a multimillion-dollar initiativeand the creation of a cyber security office within the White House totackle the problem of cyber security.

Soon after taking office heappointed Melissa Hathaway, a former Bush administration official whoworked on cyber security, to conduct a 60-day review of the problem.Her review was due to be released last night.

The President wasalso expected to announce "a cyber czar" — possibly Ms Hathaway — whosejob will be to ensure the many agencies now dealing with internetsecurity are working together.

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