New war: Chinese hackers pick on US comps

[OhioChick]

Source: Bloomberg

14 Feb 2009, 0134 hrs IST, Bloomberg

Chinese government and freelance hackers are the primary culprits behind as many as several hundred daily attacks against US government,
electric-utility and financial computer networks, a senior congressman said.

"Sophisticated hackers could really wreak havoc on our financial systems if they were successful," House Homeland Security Committee chairman Bennie Thompson said. The threat is "primarily from China."

While cyber plots to disrupt US computer networks have been thwarted, significant vulnerabilities exist, said Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat.

Many of these problems will be detailed in a 60-day review the Obama administration on February 9 said it would conduct on government cyber-security efforts, Thompson said.

Currency trading is among the financial networks targeted by hackers, Thompson said. An attack would be particularly damaging in light of the financial system's troubled state, he said. He said electric utilities' networks also have several points of weakness. "We were provided alarming data on the vulnerability of our electrical grid in this country," he said.



Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Chinese-hackers-pick-on-US-comps/articleshow/4127253.cms

[Hekate]

1. Oh brother. Thanks for the article, Ohio Chick. nt

[Norrin Radd]

2. They are putting melamine in our tubes.

[kentauros]

3. We have a financial system left for them to hack?

Why don't they hack into all those offshore banks instead and spread the wealth? :D

[Doctor Cynic]

9. They need to find out how they could be paid back, right?

[bemildred]

4. They wanna steal our precious bodily fluids. nt

[chemp]

5. My wife was just detailing this to me last night.

Her company's annual conference had been canceled and replaced with a virtual one. This was causing difficulty with various business units that work with or for the government. Video, images and more could not make it past their firewalls.
I recommended a alternate web site for this and other such conference calls, a good idea but too little time to react.

AAH! Technology weakens security every time?

[CatholicEdHead]

6. Well, many governent desktops are well behid the times

Usually it is 3-4yr old computers for full price of 3-4yrs ago when the machines were new. :crazy: We have many Win98 and Win95 boxes still running in the government.

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. And this comes from an India paper - interesting - where's the USA's media???

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wow

[ChromeFoundry]

8. convering Britney

you know... all that important stuff.