Australian Government’s Computers Hacked Including PM’s – Chinese Intelligence Suspected
Posted by Jim Hoft on Tuesday, March 29, 2011, 5:11 AM
Chinese hackers are suspected of having penetrated the parliamentary computers of Prime Minister Julia Gillard and up to nine other senior ministers. Thousands of emails are believed to have been accessed in the cyber attacks.
The Epoch Times reported:
Chinese hackers are suspected of having penetrated the defenses of the parliamentary computers of at least 10 federal ministers in Australia and exfiltrated thousands of emails.
News of the major security breach emerged at around midnight local time on March 28, but attacks took place over a more than a month, government officials told The Daily Telegraph.
Four separate sources in the government told the Telegraph that they understood Chinese intelligence agencies were involved. It was U.S. intelligence that tipped off the Australians, who have now launched an investigation.
The hacked computers may not have been prized jewels for the Chinese, however, since they belonged to a network not chiefly used for sensitive communications.
Hackees included Defense Minister Stephen Smith and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd; the Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, was also struck.
Government sources told the Telegraph that they found it “deeply concerning,” adding that, “These claims need to be examined seriously.”
Chinese hackers—whether official or quasi-official—are among the most aggressive and bold in the world. Scores of high-profile hacking incidents over the last several years have been traced back to China, including the vast “GhostNet” which had ensnared over 1,295 computers in 103 countries, one third of them “high-value targets,” meaning that they belonged to embassies, banks, and news organizations.
The hackers may have found their jobs easier in the recent Australian case due to the lax standards for passwords employed by government departments. A recent study by the Australian National Audit Office found that 20 percent of the passwords it tested were able to be compromised using “brute force” cracking techniques.
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Published February 22, 2012 at 4:19 pm - 32 Comments
Blood for Oilbama commented:
What’s gonna happen if they hack into certain other computer systems and find al-Bama’s birth records, school transcripts, financial aid records, passport document, etc.?
RedBeard commented:
#1: Now that’s funny. And worthy of some thought. I wonder if Barry “The One” Soetero (or whatever name he’s using this month) actually realizes that treating the Chicoms to an undeserved state dinner hasn’t really turned them into our buddies.
But on the other hand, the Chicoms wouldn’t want to see Obama out of office; it’s far too beneficial for them to have a weak-kneed Marxist-leaning useful idiot in the White House.
squeaky commented:
the citizens against wasteful spending ad……..
http://www.good.is/post/chinese-professor-ad-now-they-work-for-us/
squeaky commented:
wasteful spending = government waste same thing i know
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Blood for Oilbama commented:
#2 “The Chicoms wouldn’t want to see Obama out of office; it’s far too beneficial for them to have a weak-kneed Marxist-leaning useful idiot in the White House.”
Well, yes, but if he needs a forceful push this way or that they can always threaten to publish this or that document to goad him along. I think it’s called blackmail.
Ginger commented:
squeaky #3
I hope that they keep airing that ad it is the most effective ad that I have seen in a long time. I remember the first time I watched it and it has stuck in my memory bank. I feel the same anger and contempt when I think that ad could be changed to the Communist in the white house and the little moron followers are doing the same thing to us!
Lord God…. please take over
John commented:
There is a simple solution to this problem: Put IP blocks on all the addresses IP addresses assigned to Mainland China.
Yes some companies might lose some business opportunities in the short term but the Chinese have more to lose than we do. Blocking them effectively cuts them off the Internet and they will have to wake up and realize it is in their best interest to stop this crap.
jim m commented:
Why would the Chinese hack US government computers when the democrats are so willing to sell or outright give them everything we have?
bg commented:
++
heh, that’s nothing, Obama not only takes our enemies on
intelligence tours, but employs them w/in our government..
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