Government-sponsored cyberattacks

[Humpty]

Governments and allied groups worldwide are using the Internet to spy and launch cyberattacks on their enemies, targeting critical systems including electricity, air traffic control, financial markets and government computer networks, according to McAfee's annual report examining global cybersecurity.

 

This year, China has been accused of launching attacks against the United States, India, Germany and Australia, but the Chinese are not alone: 120 countries including the United States are said to be launching Web espionage operations, according to McAfee's Virtual Criminology Report (PDF format), issued today and developed with input from NATO, the FBI, the United Kingdom's Serious Organized Crime Agency, and various groups and universities.

 

"Cyber assaults have become more sophisticated in their nature, designed to specifically slip under the radar of government cyber defenses," McAfee states. "Attacks have progressed from initial curiosity probes to well-funded and well-organized operations for political, military, economic and technical espionage."

 

One attack against Estonia, allegedly carried out by Russia, disrupted government, news and bank servers for several weeks in April, McAfee notes. In the United States, a Pentagon computer network allegedly was hacked by China-based perpetrators in June, the McAfee report states

Computerworld Article

[Pfipps]

Who would have known your security and well being would hinge on "Nick Burns, Your Company's Computer Guy," (IT people).

[CTskifreak]

Geez...what is the world coming to??? I read about the Estonia story in MaximumPC, but they didn't attribute it to Russia. I guess they were able to trace it.

 

Please, I hope "big brother" isn't monitoring me....such a weird feeling.

 

AJ

[Andavari]

Cyber warfare!

[Caldor]

They do it on allies too. i.e. USA "acquiring" technology from Europe.

[Pfipps]

Here's a thought from a person I can't remember. Thesis: Since we continue to virtualize our world, who's to say our "real" world isn't virtualized either? In other words, the "virtual" world is a simulation of our "real" world, and our "real" world is a virtualization of our spirit world. Heavy stuff.

 

Why do I at least give it a grain of salt? Have you heard a person scream while dying in World of Warcraft?