14 DAY TRIAL // Over the past week, we’ve had a lot of headlines related to state-sponsored cyber espionage. Organizations from all over the world were hacked and officially or unofficially they pointed the finger at another country.
One of the biggest hacks targeted Belgium’s largest telecoms company Belgacom. The company’s Belgacom International Carrier Services (BICS) was breached. After the initial investigation, two main suspects were named: the United States National Security Agency (NSA) and Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).
Documents leaked by Edward Snowden have shown that the GCHQ is behind the hack, which the agency has named as being successful.
In light of the numerous espionage operations allegedly launched by the NSA against Brazilian organizations, oil giant Petrobras has announced that it plans to invest billions in IT and cyber security over the upcoming period. On the other hand, the company’s director appears to be confident that the most sensitive information cannot be obtained easily.
The NSA is also the main suspect in the cyberattack that targeted Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Officially, no one has been blamed for the high-tech espionage operation, but sources close to the investigation say that the US intelligence agency is responsible.
The US is also launching accusations of its own. Some say a foreign government is responsible for a recent attack on the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission. However, the state’s governor has noted that there’s no evidence to back up these claims.
In related news, security firm VUPEN admits selling exploits services to the NSA. Documents have shown that the NSA purchased a 12-month subscription. The company refused to reveal if the subscription, which expired recently, was renewed.
A major group of state-sponsored (Chinese) cybercriminals has been monitored by Symantec. The firm has published a detailed report on the group, which is said to be responsible for the attack on Bit9.
As far as website defacements are concerned, we’ve had a lot of them. However, the hacktivist attacks that stood out were the ones against Brazil’s National Federation of Federal Chief Police Officers (FENADEPOL), the Tordesillas town of Spain, Pakistan’s Mobilink, and Chile’s Ministry of Agriculture.
Other hacktivists were busy leaking data. For instance, Anonymous Cambodia published administrator details from the country’s Anti-Corruption Unit. In New Zealand, hackers published five encrypted files that allegedly contain sensitive information stolen from government systems. The hackers demand that the government amend “poorly-envisioned legislation” or they'll leak the encryption keys.
On Thursday, a massive DDOS attack disrupted the systems of Sweden’s state-owned passenger train operator SJ. Rumors emerged regarding Anonymous’ implication in the attack. However, the hacktivists quickly came forward to deny the allegations.
In Canada, Anonymous threatened the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party (NDP), which it accused of launching an online manipulation campaign. The party’s representatives have denied the accusations, stating that they only have three Twitter accounts, not 250 as the hackers say.
Here are some other interesting stories, in case you’ve missed them:
Expert says organizations that fail to upgrade to 2048-bit SSL certificates are like sitting ducks.
8 individuals arrested for hacking Barclays computers with KVM device.
New Mac malware spotted. Syrian Electronic Army says it has nothing to do with it.
New virus protects itself by freezing the hard disk.
VIDEO: eBay accounts can be easily hijacked, experts warn.
Anonymous veteran says he’s been tortured by the FBI.
Siri vulnerability gives hackers access to locked iPhones.