Hackers Crack Cyberspace

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/tech/200401/kt2004011219073411800.htm

By Kim Tae-gyu
voc200 () koreatimes co kr
Staff Reporter
01-12-2004 

The sprawling high-speed network in Korea is the pride of the nation
with more than 10 million households connected to the broadband
Internet, marking the world's highest penetration rate.

However, the world-envied infrastructure has also generated some
headaches including hacking, which has become more ubiquitous like the
network itself.

According to statistics compiled by the Korea Information Security
Agency (KISA), domestic hacking cases ballooned 165-fold over the past
five years to 26,179 cases in 2003.

Only 158 hacks were reported to the state-sponsored institute in 1998
but the figure reached a millennium plateau two years later with 1,943
cases and rocketed to 15,192 in 2002.

Hacking generally means gaining unauthorized access to computers or
computerized systems through a ``backdoor'' program, installed on
other computers by way of a network.

Hackers can access any file on invaded machines. They can write new
files, delete or edit them. Cyber criminals can also install several
programs on the innocent victims' system without their knowledge,
aimed at stealing personal information such as credit card data or
passwords.

The KISA added most hackers attack computers equipped with the Windows
operating system because the program is relatively vulnerable to
network invasions compared to other ones like Unix.

It is bad news for Korea's common computer users given most individual
Internet-goers here use the Windows system, leaving them disarmed
against hacking.

Experts advise users to be aware of the dangers and to try to prevent
the occurrence of devastating personal information leakage on their
own machines.

``It is most important to change the mind-set of users. They should
remember they are under risk of being hacked as long as their system
is switched on and connected to the Web,'' said Cho Ki-heum, an
official of AhnLab, Korea's leading computer security company.

For specific measures, computer users should download and install the
latest fixes and patches for their operating system regularly.

Cho also recommended users not leave files that contain sensitive
information exposed that could be easily found by someone hacking your
system. Users should ``make it tough for hackers.''

Installation of a firewall is the best way to keep hackers at bay and
if users suspect or confirm the activities of a hacker, they should
report such cases to KISA or other relevant authorities in order to
prevent recurrence of the computer crime, Cho said.




-
ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org

To unsubscribe email majordomo () attrition org with 'unsubscribe isn'
in the BODY of the mail.