Thursday, February 10, 2011

"Night Dragon", cyber-attacks on energy infrastructure

ROME - It 's going all over the world, a new "cyber attack" against the energy infrastructure, similar to that at the end of last year struck the Indian and Iranian nuclear industries and that was attributed to unspecified intelligence " West. This time, the primary source of the offensive appears to come from China and has already struck at least a dozen multinational petrochemical, energy and oil.

Five of these were confirmed to be under attack, even if it was not possible yet to know the identity of the companies involved. The offensive cyber-criminal has been called "Night Dragon" and it would participate - according to a report by McAfee, a company specializing in the protection and security - Many organizations scattered across different countries.

Cybercriminals seem to use different facilities in China, but the attack has already spread, via the Netherlands. companies in Kazakhstan, Taiwan, Greece and the United States. Are not known yet if any damage from the attack, but identified the mechanisms by which cyber-criminals are operating.

The offensive appears to have been planned for some time (there is even talk of the end of 2009) and provides for the compromise of information security controls "outside" of the companies identified as a target, through phishing attacks to employee laptops, so fit in (VPN "tunnels" used to connect computer remotely, via the Internet to secure servers), and thereafter to take control of the IT infrastructure of companies under attack.

In practice, the cyber-criminals allowing them to acquire the rights of system administrators and insert into the programs residing on the servers of the companies involved, the necessary software to sabotage, in various forms, the operation of society. Currently it is not possible to know whether the action has already been successful and actually compromise the servers of companies affected, but as was the case for cyber attack on Iranian nuclear companies late last year, the gradual expansion of the malicious software is likely to create several problems, with costs for that event were estimated at several tens of millions of dollars.

But we are under attack not only the large multinational energy. In these hours, the hacker group 'Anonymous' attacks announced to the websites of the Iranian government, in conjunction with the celebrations of the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, which will be held tomorrow.

In a message addressed to "noble people of Iran ', the' anonymous', describing the repression they have undergone the activists of the opposition after the disputed presidential election in June 2009." We know how great you are. You have been killed, imprisoned, tortured and silenced by an illegal regime that is appropriate in your country for 32 years.

They can kill a person every eight hours, but will not kill your spirit or your freedom. Know that we are with you and that you are not alone. "The group" Anonymous ", an international network of 'anonymous hacker,' he claimed in the past attacks against websites of the governments of Italy, Yemen and Egypt.

Last week ' Anonymous' has obscured the site of the Information Ministry and the Egyptian National Democratic Party of President Hosni Mubarak. The attack, reported the claim, was a response to the blackout of the internet to the Government of Cairo to stop anti-government protests underway across the country.

And the group is also under attack Italy, the telematic network of supporters of Wikileaks, announces a new "cyber attack" against government sites for Sunday, February 13th at 12 GMT (the 13 in Italy). It is called 'Operation Italy, Part 2 ". "We are determined to continue our protest - the statement of the group - Anonymous is the voice of the people was clearly expressed on several occasions and against the current Italian government.

The Italians deserve something better than Berlusconi and his political class. " Sources within the group stated that the attack was originally scheduled for 11 February, but then the network has decided to match his own initiative with the event for the dignity of women held in Rome Sunday, Feb.

13. Among the targets of the attack computer - Anonymous on which keeps the reserve - the subject of a referendum among the people, government included. com and justice. com.

No comments:

Post a Comment