Hackers Hit Ex-Military Head

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323316804578161571035393836.html

By DEVLIN BARRETT, JULIAN E. BARNES and EVAN PEREZ
The Wall Street Journal
December 5, 2012

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is pursuing foreign hackers who 
targeted the computers of retired Adm. Mike Mullen, the former chairman 
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in the latest example of what current and 
former officials call a pattern of attacks on computers of former 
high-ranking U.S. officials.

The hackers targeted Mr. Mullen's personal computers, which he used 
while working on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy since his 
retirement in 2011, according to officials and others familiar with the 
probe. Those people said FBI agents took away two computers in late 
October and returned them in mid-November.

One official said that evidence gathered by the FBI points to China as 
the origin of the hacking, and that it appeared the perpetrators were 
able to access a personal email account of Mr. Mullen. The official 
declined to be more specific.

Geng Shuang, the spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said 
he wasn't aware of the investigation into the hacking of Mr. Mullen's 
computers, and that his government prohibits cyberattacks. "China is a 
major victim of hacker attacks," he said. "The Chinese government would 
like to work with other countries, including the U.S., to explore 
effective ways to combat cyberattacks."

[...]


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