[IP] Hacking from Chinese Networks
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/24/
AR2005082402318.html
Hackers Attack Via Chinese Web Sites
U.S. Agencies' Networks Are Among Targets
By Bradley Graham
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 25, 2005; A01
Web sites in China are being used heavily to target computer networks
in the Defense Department and other U.S. agencies, successfully
breaching hundreds of unclassified networks, according to several
U.S. officials.
Classified systems have not been compromised, the officials added.
But U.S. authorities remain concerned because, as one official said,
even seemingly innocuous information, when pulled together from
various sources, can yield useful intelligence to an adversary.
"The scope of this thing is surprisingly big," said one of four
government officials who spoke separately about the incidents, which
stretch back as far as two or three years and have been code-named
Titan Rain by U.S. investigators. All officials insisted on
anonymity, given the sensitivity of the matter.
Whether the attacks constitute a coordinated Chinese government
campaign to penetrate U.S. networks and spy on government databanks
has divided U.S. analysts. Some in the Pentagon are said to be
convinced of official Chinese involvement; others see the electronic
probing as the work of other hackers simply using Chinese networks to
disguise the origins of the attacks.
"It's not just the Defense Department but a wide variety of networks
that have been hit," including the departments of State, Energy and
Homeland Security as well as defense contractors, the official said.
"This is an ongoing, organized attempt to siphon off information from
our unclassified systems."
Another official, however, cautioned against exaggerating the
severity of the intrusions. He said the attacks, while constituting
"a large volume," were "not the biggest thing going on out there."
Apart from acknowledging the existence of Titan Rain and providing a
sketchy account of its scope, the officials who were interviewed
declined to offer further details, citing legal and political
considerations and a desire to avoid giving any advantage to the
hackers. One official said the FBI has opened an investigation into
the incidents. The FBI declined to comment.
One official familiar with the investigation said it has not provided
definitive evidence of who is behind the attacks. "Is this an
orchestrated campaign by PRC or just a bunch of disconnected hackers?
We just can't say at this point," the official said, referring to the
People's Republic of China.
,snip.
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