Chinese Cyberspies Use PRISM (and Petraeus) As Bait

Foreign Policy ^ | Wednesday, June 19, 2013 | John Reed

[nickcarraway]

Cyberspies have wasted no time exploiting the release of secret document about the National Security Agency's digital surveillance methods. Just this week, a new spearphishing campaign that tries to lure its victims by sending a malware-laden email that claims to have information on PRISM, the NSA's famous program that collects information on people's Internet activities.

The best part about this email? It's designed to look like it's from Jill Kelley, the woman who played a role in revealing David Petraeus' affair with Paula Broadwell.

The email itself contains a malicious Microsoft Word document, titled Monitored List 1.doc that attempts to infect victims' machines with malware that matches that used by the Chinese hacker crew known as Red Star APT, according to Brandon Dixon, who first discovered the attack.

(Red Star APT is the team that cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab revealed as being behind the NetTraveler attacks that we wrote about earlier this month.)

[nickcarraway]

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

The NSA got really angry with the late commerce secretary Ron Brown, because he allegedly gave the Chinese a listing of the NSA listening posts outside of China.

After the fact, when politicians were queried about his demise, they all responded enigmatically, that “It is against US policy to assassinate *foreign* leaders.” No further comment.

[Sawdring]

Really? I thought it was the Clinton’s who offed him after he came under indictment for money laundering. Ron Brown was also suspected of transferring US missile technology through the Commerce Department in exchange for campaign contributions to the DNC from Loral Space Company and the Chinese military.

[familyop]

"a malware-laden email...The email itself contains a malicious Microsoft Word document"

Typical for government offices and offices of global corporations (using M$ and gobbling spam). We American low-tech peasants don't have higher education degrees as evidence of the high-tech skills needed for global "intelligence." ;-)