State Department Computers Hacked

CBS News ^ | July 11, 2006 | (CBS/AP)

[VRWCtaz]

(CBS/AP) The State Department is recovering from large-scale computer break-ins worldwide over the past several weeks that appeared to target its headquarters and offices dealing with China and North Korea, The Associated Press has learned.

Investigators believe hackers stole sensitive U.S. information and passwords, said U.S. officials familiar with the hacking. Whoever did the hacking reportedly tried to leave so-called back doors so they could come back later and keep intruding into the computers, CBS News correspondent Jim Stewart reports.

[VRWCtaz]

"...appeared to target its headquarters and offices dealing with China and North Korea..."

Is it just me, or is this as ominous as it seems?

[markedmannerf]

Related maybe? http://entmag.com/news/rss.asp?editorialsid=7603

North Korea has been operating a cyber warfare unit that seeks to hack into South Korea's military command communication network and destroy Internet servers, a South Korean intelligence official said Wednesday. The North set up a cyber warfare unit about eight years ago with some 1,000 personnel, said the intelligence official, who declined to be named because it was the agency's policy to remain anonymous. The North's operation, called unit 121, "has hacked into the South Korean and U.S. Defense Department" and has caused much damage in the South, the official said without elaborating.

[mewzilla]

Are they sure it was a hack-job and not a freaking give-away? We are talking about Foggy Bottom here.

[InvisibleChurch]

hacked or xxxlinton state department toadies just giving it away?

[b4its2late]

hacked or xxxlinton state department toadies just giving it away?

Probably both, but in reverse order.

[VRWCtaz]

Good point.

[Wuli]

Where is our POTUS that will take ALL sensitive U.S. computers OFF of connections to any public net.

[VRWCtaz]

My shiny metal hat may be showing, but one of my first thoughts was how this could tie into the NK missile launches.

[InvisibleChurch]

they could keep the secrets in a thread at the dummieunderground... no one ever goes there

[mewzilla]

LOL. Not without MOPP gear anyway :)

[longtermmemmory]

sounds like state department leakers are trying to cover their own misdeeds by creating a hacker attack.

"oh no, i didn't talk to the NYT. it was the eeeevil hackers who revealed the secrets."

The state department is still morning the departure of jimmy "the snake" carter.

[taxcontrol]

I have long advocated that the US needs to develop a NORAD like capability that can monitor hacker activity on the Internet.

[twntaipan]

Hacked by the demonRATs

[BigTex5]

What makes you think we haven't already?

[taxcontrol]

Communications with the National Security Counsel, the NSA and Dept of Homeland Security.

[VRWCtaz]

"I have long advocated that the US needs to develop a NORAD like capability that can monitor hacker activity on the Internet."

I agree. And the need for such an organization will only grow as we become ever more Internet reliant.

[madison10]

Sounds plenty ominous to me.

Great. DoS computers hacked, Israel on the brink of full-scale war, N. Korea rattling their missiles, Russia and China encouraging Little Kimmie, and Mexico banging on the back door. We ALL need a vacation.

[Little_shoe]

yup.. sounds like state sponsored "terrorism" to me.

[VRWCtaz]

"The North set up a cyber warfare unit about eight years ago with some 1,000 personnel..."

Post #12 has an idea for how we should respond to this.

[VRWCtaz]

I picked the wrong decade to stop drinking.