[cryptome] Hacking for China - ABC Lateline 22/07/2013
- From: Jeremy Compton <comptojere@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Jeremy Compton <comptojere@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 11:44:16 +0000
Interesting, l think this will likely explain some thing incidents but how
about the more professional attacks.
Formerly these attackers use to attack enemies of china in aid of nationalism,
but now are defending foreign companies as advisors.
Hacking for China Videoclip link
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2013/s3808606.htm
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Broadcast: 22/07/2013
Reporter: Stephen McDonell
Young Chinese cyber hackers are attacking organisations that they believe are
enemies of China as a way of demonstrating their national pride.
Transcript
STEVE CANNANE, PRESENTER: As the cyber war between China and the United States
escalates, some hackers are switching sides from attack to defence.
One of China's leading hackers, Lao Ying, is now working for Western
multinationals, helping them protect their computer systems.
He used to attack American targets in the name of Chinese patriotism, although
it's not clear if he ever worked directly with the Chinese Government.
Both the US and Chinese governments have accused each other of targeting their
respective key institutions, but one of the biggest threats still comes from
those working outside the system.
China correspondent Stephen McDonell reports from Beijing.
STEPHEN MCDONELL, REPORTER: Lao Ying is a Chinese hacker. In fact, he's seen as
something of a godfather of patriotic hackers. For love of country, he and his
friends have targeted the governments of the United States and Taiwan, human
rights groups and anyone who they believed was humiliating their country.
'EAGLE', CHINESE HACKER (voiceover translation): I needed a place to release
the rebellion I developed as a teenager and to show myself off. We thought our
government was weak and we wanted to express ourselves as young men.
STEPHEN MCDONELL: Lao Ying, meaning 'Eagle', isn't his real name, and we
interviewed him on the condition that we use his title in cyberspace. These
days he works for a major Western multinational computer company as well as
other clients, putting his old skills to work to protect against attacks.
But at one time, as head of the Eagle Union, he led a team of so-called red
hackers who were responsible for major security breaches.
'EAGLE' (voiceover translation): We chose targets which were easy to attack and
would attract media attention. We would prefer officials or government
websites, but really, it all depended on whether the hosting server had
vulnerabilities or not.
STEPHEN MCDONELL: Now many of the old hacking crew are employed at Eagle's
cyber security firm. He won't confirm whether in the old days they ever worked
with Chinese Government officials to target the country's enemies. But he does
say that a true hacker should be independent of government.
We enter a room protected by a face scan security lock. This is where these
hackers-turned-advisors keep their most serious gear. Here, Eagle shows us a
real-time hacking attack map of the world. This technology tracks an attack
from one IP address to another. And there's a breach taking place in Melbourne
even as we watch. Eagle doesn't see any contradiction in now working with the
police to help track down other hackers.
'EAGLE' (voiceover translation): If a former criminal works for the police,
does he become the enemy of other criminals? Well I never think of hacking as
being in opposition to cyber police. In fact, the two are complementary.
Hackers are young people who are good at discovering and raising problems.
STEPHEN MCDONELL: There do seem to be some pretty confused rationales at play
here. Eagle says that the anger which drove him to becoming a hacker in the
first place stemmed from the frustrations of growing up in China, including
being a one-child policy only child. But if he really blames China for his
anger, then why target China's enemies with his hacking? Shouldn't it be the
other way round? Well Eagle in part acknowledges these inconsistencies and
blames them at least a little bit on immaturity.
'EAGLE' (voiceover translation): While we attack American websites, we may
still eat McDonald's, drink Coca-Cola and watch Hollywood movies.
STEPHEN MCDONELL: One thing's for certain: Eagle and his security team are now
in demand. This is a problem not going away in a hurry. So who better to help
protect you than the very same geeky invaders who were once on the attack?
Stephen McDonell, Lateline.
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