Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 18

Thread: North Korean "hackers" target "softer" Australian networks

  1. #1
    AO übergeek phishphreek's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Posts
    4,325

    North Korean "hackers" target "softer" Australian networks

    An army of more than 500 hackers hired by the North Korean military could find Australian businesses a "softer target" than their U.S. or European-based counterparts, according to security experts.

    The hacking army’s mission is to break into South Korean, Japanese and American corporate networks to gather intelligence and steal trade secrets, according to reports.

    But security experts are concerned because although Australian-based firms hold the same intellectual property as their U.S. and EU-based offices, they are not as paranoid about security.

    A U.S. security expert who requested anonymity said Australia could provide a "back door" into corporate networks and provide the North Koreans’ with intellectual property worth billions of dollars.

    "Countries like China and North Korea are not exactly poster children for copyright enforcement. North Korea’s economic position is not favorable and that makes it more dangerous. They want the ability to manufacture goods better and cheaper," the security expert said.

    Terry O'Keeffe, Leader of the Asia Pacific Cyber Attack Tiger Team at telecommunications giant Cable and Wireless, said Australia could be seen as a softer target than the U.S.

    "We are a trusted ally--along with the UK, Canada and New Zealand--but we are not quite as paranoid as the Americans," said O’Keeffe.

    A spokesperson from the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), which is responsible for warning the government of any potential threats to national security, admitted to ZDNet Australia that electronic espionage attacks "happen all the time".

    The spokesperson said the ASIO is aware of the problem and is taking an interest in it, but would not be able to comment on anything not specifically mentioned in its annual report.

    However, Mikko Hyppönen, director of anti-virus research at European security firm F-Secure, is skeptical.

    "This is probably more boasting than a real threat. In the past we have seen similar claims from the Taiwanese and the East Timorese," said Hyppönen.
    I wonder exactly how much these "hackers" know?
    Are they just looking for weak points and running scripts (s.kiddies)?
    What kind of material was used for their training?

    I want to know more about their training. Because you can't teach someone to "hack"... they have to teach themselves. But you can teach someone how to run scans and scripts.

    EDIT: It would seem that they are trained rather well...
    http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,59043,00.html

    Wonder if there are any colleges in the states that teach the same?
    I'd imagine the US .gov would have a similar program...
    Quitmzilla is a firefox extension that gives you stats on how long you have quit smoking, how much money you\'ve saved, how much you haven\'t smoked and recent milestones. Very helpful for people who quit smoking and used to smoke at their computers... Helps out with the urges.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Posts
    171
    Funny, but the first thing that popped into my head is how do they know it is more then 500 hackers? Could be 499 scriptkiddies, and 1 hacker...?

    Ya gotta figure thou, hacking has worked very well in the past to take out foreign goverments... worked great for the Goths, Vandals, and Huns
    ~ I'm NOT insane! I've just been in a bad mood for the last 30 years! ~ Somepeople are like Slinky's: Not good for anything, but the thought of pushing them down the stairs brings a smile to your face!

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Posts
    131
    if wonder if the journalist who wrote this knows (or cares) bout difference between hacker and script kiddie.
    More cowbell! We need more cowbell!
    http://www.geocities.com/secure_lockdown/
    - - -
    \"Is the firewall there to protect you from the outside world or is it there to protect the outside world from *YOU*?\"

  4. #4
    Senior Member kr5kernel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Posts
    347
    Trust me on this one, every place has got something like this. I interviewed for a government job once. Needless to say it was a little over my head. Without getting to descriptive, there is some serious anti-cyber terror stuff in the US. Real serious.
    kr5kernel
    (kr5kernel at hotmail dot com)
    Linux: Making Penguins Cool Since 1994.

  5. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Posts
    131
    Originally posted here by kr5kernel
    Trust me on this one, every place has got something like this. I interviewed for a government job once. Needless to say it was a little over my head. Without getting to descriptive, there is some serious anti-cyber terror stuff in the US. Real serious.
    you really mean there are 13 yr old zit kids with US gov sec badges walking around in the basement of the pentagon? no wayyyy!
    More cowbell! We need more cowbell!
    http://www.geocities.com/secure_lockdown/
    - - -
    \"Is the firewall there to protect you from the outside world or is it there to protect the outside world from *YOU*?\"

  6. #6
    Senior Member kr5kernel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Posts
    347
    No not like that. But the US spends quite a bit on computer security and there are departments devoted to not only protecting goverment security, but also agencies that dabble with private sector as well.
    kr5kernel
    (kr5kernel at hotmail dot com)
    Linux: Making Penguins Cool Since 1994.

  7. #7
    interesting ^^_

  8. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Posts
    131
    Originally posted here by snoweagle
    interesting ^^_
    dude, they ain't gonna hire you. give it up. you are a north korean script kiddie and you can't formulate legible english. i got a better chance getting hired cause i live within NORAD.
    More cowbell! We need more cowbell!
    http://www.geocities.com/secure_lockdown/
    - - -
    \"Is the firewall there to protect you from the outside world or is it there to protect the outside world from *YOU*?\"

  9. #9
    the beign of authority kurt_der_koenig's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Pa
    Posts
    567
    I wonder exactly how much these "hackers" know?
    Are they just looking for weak points and running scripts (s.kiddies)?
    What kind of material was used for their training?
    umm.maybe it could just be a freak tactic, a deversion of some sort to make "us" put our energy into something else or somewhere else instead of seeing the true method of attack? Like Britain did with its "ballon" army during WW2 that made Germany think there was an attack from here instead from there.

  10. #10
    Senior Member kr5kernel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Posts
    347
    Quite possible, how secretive can something be when you announce you are training people to become corporate spies. Could very well be a diversion, but one more thing we will have to watch out for and call their bluff on.
    kr5kernel
    (kr5kernel at hotmail dot com)
    Linux: Making Penguins Cool Since 1994.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •