Posted on 06/17/2003 6:47:22 PM PDT by Nexus
Edited on 04/13/2004 2:58:58 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Security researchers believe they have identified a new breed of Trojan horse that is infecting machines on the Internet, possibly in preparation for a larger coordinated attack.
However, experts have been unable to pin down many of the details of the program's behavior and are unsure how many machines might be compromised by the Trojan.
(Excerpt) Read more at eweek.com ...
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1. It has just been told to me by an investigator of foreign sources and web sites that there is a extreme risk of cyber attack on the U.S. This attack will include, but will NOT be limited to identity theft for the purpose of hitting our financial infrastructure.
2. These reports are coming from one of the countries leading Tactical survailence and cyber investigators. The major data base in the nation for L.E.O.'s is being hit as I type this. The attack has been traced to a foreign cyber terrorist group. The main cyber attack will occur between 6/19 and 7/4 coupled with a concurrent ground attack on CONUS. (Continental United States) It is advised that any "high profile" persons begin putting into place any extra security measures that they may have planned for.
3. they are stealing I.D.'s, bank info, credit card reports, everything financial they can lay their hands on
4. Other sites I have been monitoring show that they plan to start the cyber attack at 6:00 GMT on June 19th
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6:00 GMT June 19th is 1 AM EST Friday morning, I believe.
Feel free to flame me for posting this, but I'm sure some of you are interested.
http://cybercrimes.net/Terrorism/ct.html
In order to appreciate the seriousness of cyber terrorism, it is important to discuss what cyber terrorists can do by examining incidents that have actually occurred in the past. Most of the following incidents cannot be classified as cyber terrorist acts because most were not done to further any political or social goals. However, these incidents demonstrate what a cyber terrorist could do with the proper training.
In 1988, a man named Robert Morris released a computer worm that infected between three and four thousand of the Internet’s approximately 60,000 servers. In 1989, a hacker group known as the Legion of Doom essentially took over the BellSouth telephone system. The group tapped phone lines, re-routed calls, and posed as technicians on the phone. In 1994, a hacker known as Merc dialed into a server at the Salt River Project and searched their computer’s network which was used to monitor the water levels of canals in the Phoenix region. In 1996, a hacker with ties to a white supremacist movement took out a Massachusetts internet service provider and damaged part of its record keeping system. The hacker was trying to send out worldwide hate and racist messages under the ISP’s name. The hacker signed off with the message, “you have yet to see true electronic terrorism. This is a promise.”
In 1997, a hacker disabled the computer system of an airport control tower at the Worcester, Mass. Airport. No accidents were caused, but service was affected. Also in 1997, a hacker in Sweden jammed the 911 emergency telephone system all throughout west-central Florida. In 1998, NASA, Navy, and university computers were attacked. Servers were prevented from answering network connections and many computers crashed. Also in 1998, the Defense Department was attacked, and hackers accessed personnel and payroll information.
In 2000, in Maroochy Shire, Australia, a disgruntled consultant hacked into a waste management control system and released millions of gallons of raw sewage on the town. In 2001, two post-graduate students cracked a bank system used by banks and credit card companies to secure the personal identification numbers of their customers’ accounts. The same system is used by the U.S. Treasury Department to sell bonds and treasury bills to the public over the Internet. Through these examples, it is evident that a cyber terrorist, with the correct training, may be able to do extreme damage to the government, private corporations, and civilians.
You had me concerned there for a moment.
Seriously, thanks for the post. A little frightening.
All doesn't do what you might think.
It doesn't ping anyone on this thread and and certainly not every user on the system.
That would bring the server to its knees I suppose!
Putting this in the breaking category is closest thing to do what you are thinking,
However I just looked at Symanec and they don't seem to have anything on this, nothing that can be downloaded that I saw!
As always anyone on a broadband connection needs to have good and up to date Firewall protection!
Others I pinged may help us all on whether we can do anything!
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