Sometimes superpowers don't get along any better in the virtual world than they do in the real world. During the past few years, the China and the United States have traded allegations of hacking, cyber-espionage and other malicious activity. And even when it is not foreign governments pointing the figure for diplomatic reasons, there are some in the research community more than willing to pick up the slack if the conclusion is suggested by the evidence.
The latest flap involved allegations that China Telecom re-routed massive amounts of Internet traffic, though researchers are quick to point out there is no evidence this was done purposefully. As a backdrop, the United States has spent the past two years touting cyber-security as a key piece of securing America. In 2009, President Barack Obama declared protecting the country’s digital infrastructure a "national security priority." But in the nearly three years he has been in office, there has been no respite in attacks. In fact, the Department of Defense has stated publicly that its networks are probed thousands of times per day. Cyber-security sometimes reads like a mix between a tech journal and a spy thriller. Here, eWEEK takes a look inside some of the major controversies that have touched the political and digital realms, from the United States to China and beyond.
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Cyber-Security's New Global Battlefield: U.S., Russia, China
by Brian Prince
Hijacking the Internet
A report from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission aired accusations that China Telecom had intercepted massive amounts of traffic, rerouting traffic to 15 percent of the Internet’s destinations through servers in China. China Telecom has denied the allegations.
Google vs. Aurora
In January, Google revealed it had been attacked in what came to be known as Operation Aurora. The attack is believed to have stretched from the middle of 2009 to that December, and affected dozens of organizations, including Adobe Systems and Juniper Networks. Blame for the attack was laid at China’s doorstep, with the State Department at one point condemning the attacks and requesting an explanation from the Chinese government. Chinese officials denied involvement.
Twitter as a Weapon of Unrest?
In the aftermath of the Aurora revelations in January, China’s state-run People’s Daily newspaper accused the United States of fomenting unrest in Iran using Twitter and YouTube during controversial elections there in 2009. The editorial criticized America as being hypocritical. The State Department acknowledged contacting Twitter to urge the company to delay an upgrade that could have disrupted the flow of information for people in Iran.
Stuxnet Finger-Pointing
There has been plenty of speculation about the authors of the Stuxnet worm, which makes its living targeting industrial control systems. What there hasn’t been much of is direct proof. However, that has not stopped some people from contending the worm was meant to sabotage Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Vietnamese Dissidents Hit
Vietnamese dissidents were twice reported to be victims of cyber-attacks this year. In March, Google and McAfee uncovered evidence of a malware campaign targeting critics of Chinese-backed mining operation in Vietnam. Vietnamese officials denied any involvement. Then in October, SecureWorks reported DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks against blogs and forums criticizing the Vietnamese Communist Party.
Cyber-Attacks Proceed Ground War
Prior to Russian’s invasion of Georgia in 2008, DDoS attacks were launched against the Georgian government, news media and other Websites. Though some said the timing of the attacks suggested the involvement of the Russian government, an August 2009 report by the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit said the culprits were civilian hacktivists, though the organizers of the attacks had advanced knowledge of Russia’s military plans.
Estonia Gets Attacked
Starting in late April 2007, hackers began a major campaign against Estonian government and commercial sites. At the time, the country's leadership was locked in a heated debate with the Russian government over a memorial to fallen soldiers. Most of the attacks were DDoS. Estonia immediately blamed the Russian government for the attacks, while Russian officials denied any culpability. In the time since, there have been various claims of responsibility.
GhostNet Haunts the Web
GhostNet was a massive cyber-espionage operation revealed in 2009 by researchers at Information Warfare Monitor, or IWM, following a 10-month investigation. GhostNet is believed to have infiltrated computer systems in 103 countries, including embassies and government offices. GhostNet’s command-and-control infrastructure was based mainly in China, but IWM said there was no conclusive evidence to link the Chinese government to the operation.
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Sometimes superpowers don't get along any better in the virtual world than they do in the real world. During the past few years, the China and the United States have traded allegations of hacking, cyber-espionage and other malicious activity. And even when it is not foreign governments pointing the figure for diplomatic reasons, there are some in the research community more than willing to pick up the slack if the conclusion is suggested by the evidence. The latest flap involved allegations that China Telecom re-routed massive amounts of Internet traffic, though researchers are quick to point out there is no evidence this was done purposefully. As a backdrop, the United States has spent the past two years touting cyber-security as a key piece of securing America. In 2009, President Barack Obama declared protecting the country’s digital infrastructure a "national security priority." But in the nearly three years he has been in office, there has been no respite in attacks. In fact, the Department of Defense has stated publicly that its networks are probed thousands of times per day. Cyber-security sometimes reads like a mix between a tech journal and a spy thriller. Here, eWEEK takes a look inside some of the major controversies that have touched the political and digital realms, from the United States to China and beyond.