[iwar] [fc:FBI.probing.Pakistan-based.hackers.Lahore]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2002-01-14 09:07:27

Next message: Fred Cohen: "[iwar] [fc:Systems.fail.to.deliver]"
Previous message: Ravi V Prasad: "[iwar] FBI probing GForce Pakistan who attacked USA & Israel via Taiwan"
Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]

Message-Id: <200201141707.g0EH7SX30110@red.all.net>
To: iwar@onelist.com (Information Warfare Mailing List)
Organization: I'm not allowed to say
From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
Mailing-List: list iwar@yahoogroups.com; contact iwar-owner@yahoogroups.com
Precedence: bulk
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 09:07:27 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [iwar] [fc:FBI.probing.Pakistan-based.hackers.Lahore]
Reply-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

FBI probing Pakistan-based hackers Lahore 
By Abdullah Iqbal, Gulf News, 1/14/2002
<a href="http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=37595">http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=37595>

A top-level investigation by the United States Federal Bureau of
Investigations (FBI) and Taiwanese officials is on into a group of
Pakistani computer hackers who have again invaded the computers of a
giant Taiwanese company GigaMedia. 
The computer 'invasion' is apparently part of another attempt to break
into computer systems of the Pentagon and the U.S. Department of Defence
using the Taiwanese system as a kind of "launch base". 
According to the Taiwanese media, the 'invasion' was detected recently
and the information swiftly passed on to the U.S. Soon after the
September 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., a warning had been sent by
the group calling itself 'G-Force Pakistan' that it had acquired access
to the U.S. Defence Department's computers, and was passing on
"sensitive information and secrets" to the Al Qaida network. 
The U.S. officials have already contacted their counterparts in Pakistan
to try and track down the group, and warned that their activities "could
prove very dangerous". 
According to sources in Pakistan, the U.S. has been alarmed by the
apparent threat to its computer network posed by the hackers. 
According to a source, "the U.S. planners have already believed
terrorism in the future could take the shape of attacks on secure
computer systems, including those holding secret information, and this
seems to be a part of this". 
The U.S. experts also believe that, as per the messages left on computer
systems and so on, the group "backs the Al Qaida and may even be working
for it". 
Several U.S. websites were defaced in September 2001 by the group and
similar attempts have been made again. It is unclear if they have
succeeded. 
"The method apparently used is rather sophisticated, and the idea of
utilising a mega-server in Taiwan is unique," said Kamran Asif, an
experienced Lahore-based systems analyst, who researched the work of
hackers for his thesis at a U.S. university. 
He also pointed out that often hackers "attempting such crimes" kept
altering the computers and the phone lines they used, making it harder
to trace the spot where they were based. 
"This is one of the reasons why crimes such as hacking pose such a
potent threat," he explained.

He also added that in his view, given the right level of expertise, and
patience, "any computer system in the world can be broken into",
including those maintained by top-security concerns. 
Investigations are said also to have established that the hackers are
indeed based in Pakistan.

Local investigation agencies, who have some information about the
incident, but little direct knowledge, say they believe the U.S. wishes
to investigate the matter "on its own for the moment". 
They also believe the hackers are based in a "major Pakistan city", but
concede that tracking them down could prove "quite difficult".

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Tiny Wireless Camera under $80!
Order Now! FREE VCR Commander!
Click Here - Only 1 Day Left!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/WoOlbB/7.PDAA/ySSFAA/kgFolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

------------------
http://all.net/ 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Next message: Fred Cohen: "[iwar] [fc:Systems.fail.to.deliver]"
Previous message: Ravi V Prasad: "[iwar] FBI probing GForce Pakistan who attacked USA & Israel via Taiwan"
Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : 2002-12-31 02:15:03 PST