Posted by Avik Sarkar
On 1/31/2012 11:38:00 pm
Chinese Hackers Targeted 7 Different Law Firms Stolen 40 Billion Dollar & Sensitive Data
Again hackers from China strikes again. Few months ago
US Chamber of Commerce faced massive attack and investigator suspected that Chinese hackers ware behind this one. This time the target was world’s largest potash producer by an Australian mining giant zeroed in on offices on Toronto’s Bay Street, home of the Canadian law firm. Experts said that hackers installed back door on the system and they ware looking to derail the $40 billion acquisition.
Over a few months beginning in September 2010, the hackers rifled one secure computer network after the next, eventually hitting seven different law firms as well as Canada’s Finance Ministry and the Treasury Board, according to Daniel Tobok, president of Toronto-based Digital Wyzdom. His cyber security company was hired by the law firms to assist in the probe. The investigation linked the intrusions to a Chinese effort to scuttle the takeover of Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. by BHP Billiton Ltd. as part of the global competition for natural resources, Tobok said. Such stolen data can be worth tens of millions of dollars and give the party who possesses it an unfair advantage in deal negotiations, he said.
Though the deal eventually fell apart for unrelated reasons, the incident illustrates the vulnerability of law firms. They are increasingly threatened with a loss of client business if they can’t show improved security as such attacks continue to escalate. Stephen Surdu, vice president of professional services at Mandiant Corp., a cybersecurity firm that tracks industrial espionage, compared the risk of hacking in the mergers and acquisition arena to gambling. “You’re playing poker, and there’s a mirror over the other guy’s shoulder,” Surdu said.
-Source (Bloomberg)
SHARE OUR NEWS DIRECTLY ON SOCIAL NETWORKS:-
Posted by Avik Sarkar
On 2/16/2012 05:15:00 pm
Nortel Network Breached By Chinese Hackers, More Than 10 Years Data Stolen
Nortel Networks- the Giant telecommunication farm who have wide access to have corporate computer network has been breached by Chinese hackers. While investigation it has been found that the hackers stolen seven passwords from the company's top executives - including the CEO - which granted them widespread access to the entire Nortel network. According to Brian Shields, a former 19-year Nortel veteran who led an internal investigation- China—penetrated Nortel's computers at least as far back as 2000 and over the years downloaded technical papers, research-and-development reports, business plans, employee emails and other documents. Nortel's breach offers a rare level of detail about a type of international corporate espionage that is of growing concern to U.S. officials. A U.S. Nortel responded by changing affected passwords, but wound down an internal investigation into the breach after six months due to a lack of progress. Mike Zafirovski, who was Nortel's CEO between 2005-2009 said "we did not believe it was a real issue". Though the China government has denied allegations of cyberspying. When asked about Nortel specifically, the Chinese embassy in Washington issued a statement saying in part that "cyber attacks are transnational and anonymous" and shouldn't be assumed to originate in China "without thorough investigation and hard evidence."
-Source (wsg & NS)
SHARE OUR NEWS DIRECTLY ON SOCIAL NETWORKS:-
Posted by Avik Sarkar
On 5/16/2011 02:43:00 pm
A serving Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officer Major Sameer Ali hacked an Indian Army major's e-mail account in 2010 and extracted many sensitive documents, intelligence sources said. Ali has been named by India in the list of 50 'most wanted' terrorists sheltered by Pakistan for involvement
in the Mumbai attacks conspiracy,The news of the hacking was given to Indian probe agencies by the FBI, which was then interrogating Mumbai attack accused David Coleman Headley. The US agency told the CBI Ali had been accessing an Indian Army officer's rediffmail account from the ISI headquarters.
The hacked account was traced to Major Shantanu De of 21 Bihar Regiment, who was at that time posted in the Andamans. De's computer was seized and scrutinised jointly by the Intelligence Bureau, National Investigation Agency and the Military Intelligence.
What was baffling was that his computer and e-mail had more than 4,000 sensitive documents - some of them marked 'secret' and 'top secret'-which he was not supposed to be in possession of, leading to suspicions of espionage on part of Major De.
While the joint investigation cleared De, it came to light how an innocuous posting of his own photograph in uniform in the social networking site Orkut with his various details made him the ISI's target.
He had collected the documents out of interest and also to prepare for his departmental exams that were slated for September 2010.
De has since been demoted after being held guilty of violating the Army's Standard Operating Procedures on cyber security.
Another of Ali's colleague in the ISI, Major Iqbal, who also figures in India's "most wanted" list, was Headley's handler for the ISI.
On April 26, a US court had also chargesheeted Major Iqbal for conspiracy in the 2008 Mumbai terror strike. Iqbal's role has also been confirmed by Headley during his confessions.
SHARE OUR NEWS DIRECTLY ON SOCIAL NETWORKS:-
