Posted on 03/21/2013 1:41:14 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
The cyber attack that rocked South Korean TV stations and banks yesterday apparently wiped out the hard drives of the affected computers, according to an analysis of the incident by McAfee.
The involved malware infections destroyed the master boot record of the hard drives of the machines attacked. The MBR on a hard drive contains crucial information on how file systems on the drive are organized. The malware involved overwrote data in the MBR with the following string of characters: “PRINCPES, PR!NCPES, HASTATI.” It also overwrote random parts of the file system with the same characters.
After that the system was given a forced reboot command, but because the MBR and file system had been corrupted, it was unable to restart, McAfee said in a blog post today.
Meanwhile, Renesys, the research company that closely monitors the pulse of the Internet, watched the attacks take place, and noticed what appeared to be a smaller, secondary attack against the network in North Korea. “It is impossible to know from connectivity measurements alone whether these outages were the direct result of cyber attacks,” the firm wrote in a corporate blog post. “However, given the recent rhetoric between these two nations, it is hard not to see these as ominous developments on the Korean peninsula.
It sounds like the writer of this article is a little overwrought. If all the malware did was overwrite the MBR and some random sectors, the damage was minimal. It is a fairly easy task to restore the MBR, and recovering any corrupted data should not be a problem if the computer is being backed up regularly.
Its a significant escalation between the countries. US media isn’t really talking about the tension over there. The govt and media in SK are getting quite nervous.
Details from McAfee,,,FR thread:
South Korean Banks, Media Companies Targeted by Destructive Malware
What else is a cyber attack going to target? Pencil sharpeners?
Hastati (singular: Hastatus) were a class of infantry in the armies of the early Roman Republic who originally fought as spearmen, and later as swordsmen. They were originally some of the poorest men in the legion, and could afford only modest equipment—light armour and a large shield, in their service as the lighter infantry of the legion. Later, the hastati contained the younger men rather than just the poorer, though most men of their age were relatively poor. Their usual position was the first battle line. They fought in a quincunx formation, supported by light troops. They were eventually done away with after the Marian reforms of 107 BC
Principes (Singular: Princeps) were spearmen, and later swordsmen, in the armies of the early Roman Republic. They were men in the prime of their lives who were fairly wealthy, and could afford decent equipment. They were the heavier infantry of the legion who carried large shields and wore good quality armour.[1]
Their usual position was the second battle line. They fought in quincunx formation, supported by light troops. They were eventually done away with after the Marian reforms of 107 BC.
And the North Koreans have studied Roman history?
So, do you think it was more?
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