Posted on 07/11/2006 3:47:35 PM PDT by RDTF
Widespread break-ins appear aimed at HQ, East Asian office
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The State Department is recovering from large-scale computer break-ins worldwide over the past several weeks that appeared to target its headquarters and offices dealing with China and North Korea, The Associated Press has learned.
Investigators believe hackers stole sensitive U.S. information and passwords and implanted backdoors in unclassified government computers to allow them to return at will, said U.S. officials familiar with the hacking.
These people spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the widespread intrusions and the resulting investigation.
The break-ins and the State Department's emergency response severely limited Internet access at many locations, including some headquarters offices in Washington, these officials said. Internet connections have been restored across nearly all the department since the break-ins were recognized in mid-June.
"The department did detect anomalies in network traffic, and we thought it prudent to ensure out system's integrity," department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said. Asked what information was stolen by the hackers, Cooper said, "Because the investigation is continuing, I don't think we even know."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
The Chinese are supposedly preparing for a war in cyberspace with the United States. Could this be them?
from article:
China's government was considered by experts a chief suspect in computer break-ins at the Defense Department and other U.S. agencies disclosed last summer.
But China also is home to a large number of insecure computers and networks that hackers in other countries could use to disguise their locations and launch attacks.
The Pentagon warned earlier this year that China's army is emphasizing hacking as an offensive weapon. It cited Chinese military exercises in 2005 that included hacking "primarily in first strikes against enemy networks."
ping
Are the DUmmies trying their hand at hacking?
Dump windows !Get Root !
I've got a good idea let's outsource all of our software development offshore. China wages are cheap so let's go there.
this was removed from breaking news??
Just D*&% ping
This is hard to believe....we're not capable of stopping hackers...horrors!!!
?
Just wondering why they would not consider this breaking news, that's all.
Another poster posted what seemed to be the same article a bit after you, but it seems to have gotten pulled from the big, main list.
WHOA! It must be an inside job. Breaking in secured computer network infrastructure like us is almost impossible unless it's an inside job. I don't work for U.S. government computers but our wide area network servers have never been broken.
If I hated the US that last thing I would do would be to interfere with the State Dept. It's rigid bureaucracy appears to be made up entirely of anti-American Yalie pinkos.
Great post, Geek. Wonder where Wen Ho Lee is now? Maybe he's working for the Chinese since he avoided being jailed for his part in White Sands incident.
It could also be the Russians
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