Chinese Hackers Resume Attacks on US Targets

Chinese Hackers Resume Attacks on U.S. Targets - A cyberunit of the People’s Liberation Army in China appears to have resumed its attacks using different techniques, hitting several of the same victims it has gone after in the past.

Chinese Hackers Resume Attacks on U.S. Targets - NYTimes.com: "It is not clear precisely who has been affected by the latest attacks. Mandiant, a private security company that helps companies and government agencies defend themselves from hackers, said the attacks had resumed but would not identify the targets, citing agreements with its clients. But it did say the victims were many of the same ones the unit had attacked before. The hackers were behind scores of thefts of intellectual property and government documents over the past five years, according to a report by Mandiant in February that was confirmed by American officials. They have stolen product blueprints, manufacturing plans, clinical trial results, pricing documents, negotiation strategies and other proprietary information from more than 100 of Mandiant’s clients, predominantly in the United States."

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Anonymous helped expose Chinese hackers

How Anonymous accidentally helped expose two Chinese hackers | Ars Technica: " . . . they're a reminder that even talented hackers slip up all the time in little ways that can eventually give them away. Indeed, this whole story is rife with slip-ups at HBGary Federal, at rootkit.com, and even among Anonymous. A year after the rootkit.com hack, nearly everyone involved had been arrested, with ringleader Sabu turned into a snitch by the FBI. By leaving traces in their code and on sites like rootkit.com, hackers like UglyGorilla and SuperHard_M may have slipped up as well. Or not—one theory making the rounds among some security researchers contends that the hackers simply work with impunity in China and thus don't actually care that much about obscuring their identities."

US prepares economic countermeasures in light of recent cyberattacks | The Verge: " . . . the US government is preparing some measures to help address the situation. The Associated Press is reporting that the White House will release a new strategy tomorrow, outlining penalties, fines, and trade restrictions designed to deter countries from participating in such efforts. The announcement would come just days after The New York Times detailed a report from security firm Mandiant. That report traced many of the attacks on US corporations and business back to the People's Liberation Army base in Shanghai. While China has steadfastly denied any involvement in the recent attacks, both The Washington Post and the Times have stated that China was to blame. Facebook and Twitter have also been hit with cyberattacks, and while the details of the White House's proposal aren't known just yet, it's clear that government officials realize steps need to be taken beyond the recentcybersecurity executive order signed by President Obama. . . ."

Anonymous hacked US State Dept, investment firm in homage to Aaron Swartz, Lulzsec — RT: "Anonymous has announced it gained access to the State Department’s website, captured a database, and published it online. It also entered the site of investment firm George K. Baum & Company – all in the name of Aaron Swartz and Lulzsec. The databases which they claimed to have obtained were posted on ZeroBin website. The data dump is part of “round five” of “Operation Last Resort” – Anonymous’ anti-US campaign which was launched shortly after the suicide of internet activist Aaron Swartz. The group published the names and email addresses of State Department consular and careers staff members. In some cases, their phone numbers and date of birth were also revealed."

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