Re: Chinese hackers breach white house computer systems[RISKS] Risks Digest 25.45

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Marc Aniballi | Personal" <marcaniballi () gmail com>
> Date: November 18, 2008 1:49:59 AM EST
> To: <dave () farber net>
> Subject: RE: [IP] Chinese hackers breach white house computer  
> systems[RISKS] Risks Digest 25.45
>
> Dear David;
>
> This strikes me as laughable. Just because some government geek  
> tracked a hack back to a server in China, does not mean that the  
> attack originated in China! It could have come from anywhere! Unless  
> the Chinese government is fully supporting US investigations into/ 
> through Chinese telecom networks and datacenters (oh, that's  
> likely), there is no way for a technologist to unequivocally state  
> that it is a "Chinese Threat;" Unless, of course, the US has  
> (unofficially. of course) completely hacked the Chinese  
> infrastructure and has (secret and undetected) root access to that  
> infrastructure. (Quid Pro Quo, Clarisse! . . .  Not likely).
>
> So here we are again - why are the Chinese "supposedly" hacking the  
> White House? I can't see ANY reasonably valuable upside for them.  
> What is the benefit to the US government to CLAIM that they are  
> being attacked by China . . . hmmm. Anyone looking for a bigger  
> budget?
>
>
> Marc Aniballi
>
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
> Sent: November-17-08 7:22 PM
> To: ip
> Subject: [IP] Chinese hackers breach white house computer  
> systems[RISKS] Risks Digest 25.45
>
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:44:23 PST
> From: "Peter G. Neumann" <neumann () csl sri com>
> Subject: Chinese hackers breach white house computer systems
>
> Chinese hackers have penetrated the White House computer network on
> multiple
> occasions and obtained e-mails between government officials, a  
> senior US
> official told the *Financial Times*.  On each occasion, the attackers
> accessed the White House computer system for brief periods, allowing
> them
> enough time to steal information before US computer experts patched  
> the
> system.  US government cyber intelligence experts suspect the attacks
> were
> sponsored by the Chinese government because of their targeted nature.
> But
> they concede that it is extremely difficult to trace the exact source
> of an
> attack beyond a server in a particular country.  "We are getting very
> targeted Chinese attacks so it stretches credulity that these are not
> directed by government-related organisations," said the official.
> [Source:
> The *Financial Times* website has items by Demetri Sevastopolu, dated
> 7, 8,
> and 17 Nov 2008.  The above text is an excerpt from the most recent.
> PGN-ed]
>
>
>
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