Hacking

20080806
Hacking - Business - Computer - Consumer - Data - Identity Theft - Privacy - US - Ukraine - China
"Theft ring accused of hacking 41 million credit card numbers." ... "Eleven people, including a U.S. [United States] Secret Service informant, have been charged in connection with the hacking of nine major retailers and the theft and sale of more than 41 million credit- and debit-card numbers, the Justice Department announced Tuesday." ... "The data breach is believed to be the largest hacking and identity-theft case ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice, which said the suspects were charged with conspiracy, computer intrusion, fraud and identity theft." ... "Three of those charged are U.S. citizens, while the others are from places such as Estonia, Ukraine, Belarus and China." -StarTribune 

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20080621
China - Hackers - US - GOV - Lawmakers - Human Rights - Politics - Military -Intelligence - Investigation - Va - NJ - Ill
"More congressional computers hacked from China." ... "More Members of Congress have had their computers infiltrated by hackers within China than initially suspected, a lawmaker has revealed." ... "[Representatives] Reps. Frank Wolf (R-Va. [Republican-Virginia), Chris Smith (R-N.J. [Republican-New Jersey), and Mark Kirk (R-Ill. [Republican-Illinois]) admitted to having data removed from their Capitol Hill computers last week, but Wolf says there are more." ... "“I would suspect that the Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, Intelligence, (and) Appropriations committees would all be top targets,” Kirk said." ... "Wolf and Smith said they believe the hackers focused on them because of their continued objections to China’s human rights violations, and suspected that the hackers were looking for information on dissidents." ... "The FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] asked the lawmakers not to speak publicly, fearing that if they did, they would be unable to track the IP addresses of the hackers, Kirk said." ... "“When you’re in the middle of a criminal investigation, you try not to alert the criminal of what’s happened so you can track it down,” he said." -By Jordy Yager -TheHill.com

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20080421
• Corporate - Hackers - Manufacture - Electronics - Technology - California - Texas - US - Global - TV - Telecom - Media - Copyright - Enforcement - German - Canada - UK - Israeli - Intelligence - Spying - "Rupert Murdoch Firm Goes on Trial for Alleged Tech Sabotage." ... "Did a Rupert Murdoch company go too far and hire hackers to sabotage rivals and gain the top spot in the global pay-TV war?" ... "This is the question a jury will be facing in a spectacular five-year-old civil lawsuit that is finally being tried this month in California but which has, oddly, received little notice from U.S. [United States] media." ... "The case involves a colorful cast of characters that includes former intelligence agents, Canadian TV pirates, Bulgarian and German hackers, stolen e-mails and the mysterious suicide of a Berlin [Germany's capital] hacker who had been courted by the Murdoch company not long before his death." ... "On the hot spot is NDS Group, a UK-Israeli firm that makes smartcards for pay-TV systems like DirecTV. The company is a majority-owned subsidiary of Murdoch's News Corporation. The charges stem from 1997 when NDS is accused of cracking the encryption of rival NagraStar, which makes access cards and systems for EchoStar's Dish Network and other pay-TV services. Further, it’s alleged NDS then hired hackers to manufacture and distribute counterfeit NagraStar cards to pirates to steal Dish Network's programming for free." ... "NagraStar and one of its parent companies, EchoStar, are seeking about $101 million for damages for piracy, copyright infringement, misconduct and unfair competition. The list of witnesses in the case includes EchoStar's founder and CEO Charlie Ergen; several hackers and pirates; and Reuven Hazak, an Israeli who heads security for NDS and is a former deputy head of Shabak, or Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security agency (the equivalent of Britain's MI5)." ... "According to court documents, the scheme began to unravel in 2000 when law-enforcement agents in Texas seized suspicious packages containing CD and DVD players stuffed with more than $40,000 in cash. Parcels similar to this were being sent almost daily from Canada, via Texas, to a hacker in California named Christopher Tarnovsky, who was working for NDS as an engineer. The money was allegedly part of the conspiracy between Tarnovsky and NDS Group to sabotage NagraStar's cards." -By Kim Zetter -Wired

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20080409
• Connecticut - Hack - Political - US Attorney - Censorship - 2006 Election - Web - E-Mails - Federal - Attorney - US - Iraq - Military - "FBI probe: Lieberman campaign to blame for crashing own Web site." ... "A federal investigation has concluded that U.S. [United States Connecticut Independent Democrat Senator] Sen. Joseph Lieberman's 2006 re-election campaign was to blame for the crash of its Web site the day before Connecticut's heated Aug. [August] 8 Democratic primary." ... "The FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] office in New Haven [Connecticut] found no evidence supporting the Lieberman campaign's allegations that supporters of primary challenger Ned Lamont of Greenwich [Connecticut] were to blame for the Web site crash." ... "Lieberman, who was fighting for his political life against the anti-Iraq war candidate [Ned] Lamont, implied that joe2006.com was hacked by Lamont supporters." ... ""The server that hosted the joe2006.com Web site failed because it was overutilized and misconfigured. There was no evidence of (an) attack," according to the e-mail." ... "The e-mail, dated Oct. [October] 25, 2006, was included in a technical packet of information recently sent to The Advocate in response to requests under the Freedom of Information Act filed in late 2006 with the offices of state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor." ... "The Advocate filed the requests after Blumenthal and O'Connor closed the case but declined to divulge details. They stated only that they found no evidence that Lamont supporters were to blame." ... "Visitors who tried to access Lieberman's site at the time received a message calling on Lamont to "make an unqualified statement denouncing this kind of dirty campaign trick and to demand whoever is responsible to cease and desist immediately."" ... "Blumenthal denied The Advocate's FOI [Freedom of Information] request on the grounds it was a federal matter, and it took more than a year for the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice to respond." ... "According to the FBI memo, the site crashed because Lieberman officials continually exceeded a configured limit of 100 e-mails per hour the night before the primary." -By Brian Lockhart -StamfordAdvocate.com 

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20080220
• US - China - Bain Capital - Networker - Foreign - Military - Government - Hacking - Communications - Technologies - Politics - Mass - "3Com's sale to Bain, Huawei stymied: National-security agency fails to approve $2.2 billion deal." ... "Concerns about national security could scuttle the $2.2 billion sale of networker 3Com Corp. [Corporation], shares of which dropped as much as 20% on Wednesday." ... "Marlborough, Mass.[Massachusetts]-based 3Com (COMS) and its two partners -- Bain Capital Partners LLC [Limited Liability Company] and Huawei Technologies Co. [Company] -- said they would withdraw their application with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States." ... "The source of the agency's concern is the participation of Huawei, the largest networker in China and a company with links to the mainland's communist government. Huawei is run by a former mid-ranking officer in the Chinese army whose firm has raised the ire of the U.S. [United States] government and Western rivals such as Cisco Systems Inc. [Incorporated]." ... "It's no longer a top-tier networking company, but 3Com still does substantial business with the U.S. The vendor's TippingPoint subsidiary, for example, sells anti-hacking and other network-security services to the Defense Department." ... "The U.S. has been particularly sensitive about foreign ownership of networking and communications assets, especially in light of repeated attempts to hack the nation's defense systems. Chinese-based hackers are viewed as a major concern. " -By Jeffry Bartash -MarketWatch 

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20080107
• South Carolina - Voting Machines - Hacking - 2008 Election - Politics - Ohio - Colorado - "S.C. to use voting machines banned in other states." ... "South Carolina election officials say they still plan to use touch-screen voting machines [in the 2008 Elections] despite the fact that other states have banned the use of similar systems made by the same company." ... "Last month, top election officials in Ohio and Colorado declared that Election Systems and Software's iVotronic is unfit for elections." ... "The ban was prompted by a study done for the state of Ohio in which researchers found electronic voting systems could be corrupted with magnets or handheld electronic devices such as Palm Treos." ... "The Ohio study found the machines "lack the fundamental technical controls necessary to guarantee a trustworthy election under operational conditions."" ... ""Exploitable vulnerabilities allow even persons with limited access — voters and precinct poll workers — to compromise voting machines and precinct results, and, in some cases, to inject and spread software viruses into the central election management system," the report says. " -AP via -PostAndCourier

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20080106
• Mitt Romney - Bain Capital - US - China - Military - Intelligence - Telecommunications - Manufacturing - Computer - Networking - Hackers - Technology - Corporation - Government - Lawmakers - Politics - Mass - California - India - 2008 Election - "Telecom Firm in China Sets Sights on U.S. Market: Ownership, Tactics Raise Security Issues." ... "From a fortress-like corporate campus in this southern city [of Shenzen, China], retired army officer Ren Zhengfei is building one of China's most successful experiments in capitalism. A mammoth operation with 70,000 employees and strong backing from the state, Huawei Technologies brags that its goal is to dominate telecommunications equipment markets all over the world." ... "Its current focus: America." ... "Three months ago, Huawei teamed up with Bain Capital Partners [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney's venture capital firm] in a $2.2 billion takeover bid for U.S. [United States] networking pioneer 3Com Corp. [Corporation], a Marlborough, Mass. [Massachusetts], company that makes systems to protect against computer hackers." ... "Fueling [American] lawmakers' unease about the Huawei deal is that no one knows exactly who owns it. Technically, Huawei is a private venture, not state-owned. But the company won't reveal information about its shareholders except to say it's "100 percent employee-owned," with its chief executive owning 1 percent." ... "Research organization Rand Corp. said that Huawei has "deep ties" with the Chinese military. It is not only a customer of Huawei's, Rand said in an analysis prepared for the U.S. government, but also was a "political patron and research and development partner."" ... "The United States is not the only place where Huawei's operations have triggered national security concerns. In India, where Huawei operates its largest research and development facility outside of China, the company's efforts to build a manufacturing base have raised concerns among the country's intelligence agencies." ... "In a note circulated at a meeting of India's joint intelligence committee on Nov. [November] 8, Huawei is listed as a "sectoral threat."" ... "Huawei's approach to leadership and innovation is in some ways the antithesis of its Silicon Valley competitors. While California's high-tech giants pride themselves on their flat management structure, in which chief executives sit down next to engineers to brainstorm and allow their scientists and engineers the freedom to think big thoughts, Huawei is known for its military-style approach." (1, 2) -By Ariana Eunjung Cha with contributions by Wu Meng and Rama Lakshmi -WashingtonPost

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20071218
• Colorado - Electronic - Voting Machines - Technology - Hacking - Elections - Federal - Politics - 2008 Election - "Colo. Bans Most Electronic Voting Machines: Security Risks, Inaccuracy Cited; Federal Certification Process Called "Inadequate"." ... "Colorado's top election official decertified electronic voting machines used in many of the state's largest counties Monday, calling into question equipment used in past elections in a move he said could have national implications." ... "Electronic voting machines used in [Colorado counties:] Denver, Arapahoe, Pueblo, Mesa and Elbert counties cannot be used in the next [2008] election because of problems with accuracy or security, Secretary of State Mike Coffman said." ... "A number of electronic scanners used to count ballots were also decertified, including a type used by Boulder County as well as more than three dozen small to mid-size counties around the state." ... "His decision affects six of Colorado's 10 most populous counties and three of the four equipment manufacturers allowed in the state." ... "The four systems are manufactured by Hart InterCivic, Premier Election Solutions - formerly known as Diebold Election Systems - Sequoia Voting Systems and Election Systems and Software [ES&S]." -By George Merritt -AP via -CBSNews 

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20071215
• Hacking - Ohio - Voting Systems - Computers - Elections - Technology - Politics - 2008 Election - "Ohio Elections Official Calls Machines Flawed." ... "All five voting systems used in Ohio, a state whose electoral votes narrowly swung two elections toward [Republican] President Bush, have critical flaws that could undermine the integrity of the 2008 general election, a report commissioned by the state’s top elections official has found." ... "“It was worse than I anticipated,” the official, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, said of the report. “I had hoped that perhaps one system would test superior to the others.”" ... "At polling stations, teams working on the study were able to pick locks to access memory cards and use hand-held devices to plug false vote counts into machines. At boards of election, they were able to introduce malignant software into servers." ... "Ms. Brunner proposed replacing all of the state’s voting machines, including the touch-screen ones used in more than 50 of Ohio’s 88 counties. She wants all counties to use optical scan machines that read and electronically record paper ballots that are filled in manually by voters." ... "The study released Friday found that voting machines and central servers made by Elections Systems and Software; Premier Election Solutions, formerly Diebold; and Hart InterCivic; were easily corrupted." -By Bob Driehaus -NYTimes 

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20071128
• Noteworthy - Scott Bloch - Karl Rove - Military - Government - Computer - Intelligence - Company - Hacking - 2006 Election - Politics - Employee - Justice - Investigation - Kan - "Head of Rove Inquiry in Hot Seat Himself: Bloch Used Private Company, Geeks on Call, to Delete Files On His Office Computer." ... "The head of the federal agency investigating [Republican President Bush's former aide] Karl Rove's White House political operation is facing allegations that he improperly deleted computer files during another probe, using a private computer-help company, Geeks on Call." ... "TScott Bloch runs the Office of Special Counsel, an agency charged with protecting government whistleblowers and enforcing a ban on federal employees engaging in partisan political activity. Mr. Bloch's agency is looking into whether Mr. Rove and other White House officials used government agencies to help re-elect Republicans in 2006." ... "TAt the same time, Mr. Bloch has himself been under investigation since 2005. At the direction of the White House, the federal Office of Personnel Management's inspector general is looking into claims that Mr. Bloch improperly retaliated against employees and dismissed whistleblower cases without adequate examination." ... "TRecently, investigators learned that Mr. Bloch erased all the files on his office personal computer late last year. They are now trying to determine whether the deletions were improper or part of a cover-up, lawyers close to the case said." ... "In an interview, the 49-year-old former labor-law litigator from Lawrence, Kan., confirmed that he contacted Geeks on Call but said he was trying to eradicate a virus that had seized control of his computer." ... "Mr. Bloch believes the White House may have a conflict of interest in pressing the inquiry into his conduct while his office investigates the White House political operation." ... "Depending on circumstances, erasing files or destroying evidence in a federal investigation can be considered obstruction of justice." ... "Mr. Bloch had his computer's hard disk completely cleansed using a "seven-level" wipe: a thorough scrubbing that conforms to Defense Department data-security standards. The process makes it nearly impossible for forensics experts to restore the data later. He also directed Geeks on Call to erase laptop computers that had been used by his two top political deputies, who had recently left the agency." -By John R. Wilke -WSJ.com

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20071031
• US - Global - Ron Paul - Criminal - E-Mail - Internet - Hacking - 2008 Election - Politics - Texas - "'Criminal' Botnet Stumps for Ron Paul, Researchers Allege." ... "If Texas congressman [and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Ron Paul is elected president in 2008, he may be the first leader of the free world put into power with the help of a global network of hacked PCs spewing spam, according to computer-security researchers who've analyzed a recent flurry of e-mail supporting the long-shot Republican candidate." ... ""This is clearly a criminal act in support of a campaign, which has been committed with or without their knowledge," says Gary Warner, the University of Alabama at Birmingham's director of research in computer forensics. "The question is, will we see more and more of this, or will this bring shame to the campaigns and will they make clear that this is not a form of acceptable behavior by their supporters?" Warner pointed to provisions of the federal Can-Spam Act." ... "Ron Paul spokesman Jesse Benton says the campaign has no knowledge of the scam. Warner himself says that he has no reason to believe that the Paul campaign had anything to do with these messages." ... "Some participants in the online political world have long suspected Paul's technically sophisticated fan base of manipulating online tools and polls to boost the appearance of a wide base of support. But the UAB analysis is the first to document any internet shenanigans." -By Sarah Lai Stirland -Wired 

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20071029
• US - Iraq - Military - Government - Politician - EMail - 2008 Election - Computer - Web - Hacking - "Gen. Petraeus' Spokesman Denies Sending Angry Email -- Plot Thickens." ... "A disturbing email allegedly sent by a top U.S. military spokesman to a leading blogger at Salon.com this past weekend is just starting to draw mainstream attention. Howard Kurtz at The Washington Post mentioned it today, for example. It requires a good deal of background information to fully appreciate it, so I will provide a link to Glenn Greenwald’s blog page at Salon where he offered extensive postings (and updates) Sunday [*] and today [*] about the email purportedly from Army [Colonel] Col. Steven Boylan. But E&P has its own correspondence from Boylan, and I want to focus on that." ... "The long and short of the Greenwald postings: For months the popular blogger -- a former attorney and author of the recent bestseller "A Tragic Legacy" -- has criticized the growing “politicization” of the military attached to Iraq, starting earlier this year and peaking around the appearance of [General] Gen. David Petraeus before Congress (and the media) in September. This was even before William Safire declared, this past weekend, that the general ought to be considered as a running mate for a [2008 Election] Republican candidate for president next year." ... "In the past, Greenwald had received, and printed, emails from Boylan, a public affairs officer and chief spokesman for Gen. Petraeus, denying this trend and/or defending the general. So when he received an angry email from Boylan yesterday, he posted much of it on his blog (and linked to the entire message), while asserting that the views and language in it proved his point about “politicization.”" ... "Then it got really interesting. Boylan in another note to Greenwald seemed to deny that he wrote the email, while denouncing Greenwald for publishing it. But he did not state this clearly and refused to respond to Greenwald’s subsequent request for clarity. Meanwhile, various purported computer experts compared past and present emails from Boylan to Greenwald and suggested (to the latter) that they did seem to come from the same military email address. But no one was certain and, at the least, it raised troubling questions about someone "hijacking" the email account of Gen. Petraeus's chief spokesman. " -By Greg Mitchell -EditorAndPublisher.com 

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20070827
• Germany - China - Military - Computer - Hacking - Science - Economy - Politics - "Computer-hacking charges mar German leader's visit to China." ... "Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday that he viewed with "grave concern" a news report that hackers linked to the Chinese army had broken into the computer system in Merkel's office." ... "Over the weekend, Germany's Der Spiegel magazine reported that Chinese hackers — reportedly connected with the People's Liberation Army — had penetrated computer networks in Merkel's office and several ministries." ... ""When the Chinese government ascertained there were reports saying hackers were breaking into German government networks, we took it as a matter of grave concern," Wen said after a meeting with Merkel. "Hackers breaking into and sabotaging computers are a problem faced by the entire world."" ... "Der Spiegel said in its Monday edition that Germany's domestic intelligence agency had discovered the hacking attempts against Merkel's office and the foreign, economy and research ministries in May." -By Tim Johnson -McClatchyDC.com

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20070805
• Hacking - 2008 Election - Electronic - Voting Machines - Los Angeles - California - Politics - "39 counties' vote systems in question: [Los Angeles, California] L.A.'s InkaVote method may be recertified, but others face starting from scratch with a primary [2008] election looming." ... "County election officials scrambled on Saturday to develop contingency plans for the February presidential primary election after California's secretary of state imposed broad restrictions on electronic voting machines that she said are susceptible to hacking." ... "Secretary of State Debra Bowen decertified the voting machines used in 39 counties, including Los Angeles County's InkaVote system." ... "The decision places California at the center of the national debate on electronic voting machines. And with Bowen's action, the state now has some of the nation's strictest regulations governing their use." ... "Last week, Bowen's office released its audit of the electronic voting machines used in California that found some could be manipulated either by breaking into the hardware or by hacking into the software." ... "The hardest-hit counties were the 39 using machines manufactured by Diebold Election Systems or Sequoia Voting Systems. Bowen ruled that those machines could be used only in special circumstances." ... "During the March 2004 primary in California, touch-screen voting terminals by Diebold malfunctioned, and state election officials discovered that the machines contained uncertified software." (1, 2, 3) -By Hector Becerra and Jordan Rau -LAtimes 

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20070804
• Hacking - 2008 Elections - Electronic - Voting Machines - Politics - Los Angeles - California - "State decides to secure electronic voting machines: [California] Secretary of State orders more precautions be taken against tampering, and withdraws support of the InkaVote Plus machines used in Southern California." ... "Expressing concern that several brands of electronic voting machines used in California were vulnerable to tampering, Secretary of State Debra Bowen late Friday ordered new security protections be added and limited the use of two types of machines that were to be used in next year's [2008] elections in several Southern California counties." ... "Bowen also withdrew state approval of the InkaVote Plus machines used in Los Angeles County [California], saying that the machines' maker, Election Systems and Software, had failed to submit its equipment to her office in time to analyze its vulnerability to hacking." ... "Bowen ordered that some machines made by Diebold Election Systems and Sequoia Voting Systems be limited to one per polling place to limit the chances that they could be tampered with." ... "The security requirements Bowen imposed include: reinstalling the software before the Feb. 5. election to ensure it has not already been tampered with; placing special seals at vulnerable parts of the machines to reveal tampering; securing each machines at the close of each day of early voting; assigning a specific election monitor to safeguard each machine; and conducting a complete manual count of all votes cast." ... "Alan Dechert, president of Open Voting Consortium, and group that is critical of the electronic voting machines, said many activists would be critical that Bowen did not completely decertify those machines. "She's not asking for changes to hardware or software," he said. "This is not really doing much for transparency."" (1, 2) -By Jordan Rau and Hector Becerra -LAtimes

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20070803
• Electronic - Voting Machine - Election - Hacking - Technology - Secrecy - California - 2008 Elections - Politics - "Virus attack on single e-voting machine could tilt election: Review of Deibold's source code shows an attacker with access to a one electronic voting machine could change the outcome of an election using viruses." ... "Diebold Election Systems voting machines are not secure enough to guarantee a trustworthy election, and an attacker with access to a single machine could disrupt or change the outcome of an election using viruses, according to a review of Diebold's source code." ... ""The software contains serious design flaws that have led directly to specific vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit to affect election outcomes," read the University of California at Berkeley report, commissioned by the California Secretary of State as part of a two-month "top to bottom" review of electronic voting systems certified for use in California." ... "The assessment of Diebold's source code revealed an attacker needs only limited access to compromise an election." ... ""An attack could plausibly be accomplished by a single skilled individual with temporary access to a single voting machine. The damage could be extensive -- malicious code could spread to every voting machine in polling places and to county election servers," it said." ... "The report, titled "Source Code Review of the Diebold Voting System," [PDF]  was apparently released Thursday, just one day before California Secretary of State Debra Bowen is to decide which machines are certified for use in California's 2008 presidential primary elections." ... "The source-code review identified four main weaknesses in Diebold's software: vulnerabilities that allow an attacker to install malware on the machines, a failure to guarantee the secrecy of ballots, a lack of controls to prevent election workers from tampering with ballots and results, and susceptibility to viruses that could allow attackers to an influence an election." -By Sumner Lemon -IDG.net via -InfoWorld 

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20070801
• 2008 Election - Voting Machines - Computer - Technology - Hacking - Florida - Politics - "Diebold E-Voting Flaws Could Compromise Elections: Florida isn't crazy about optical scan voting devices slated to be used in the state's presidential primary [2008] elections next year." ... "Optical scan voting devices slated to be used presidential primary elections in Florida next year are significantly flawed and could compromise the outcome of the contest, according to a report released Tuesday by Secretary of State Kurt Browning." ... "The report [PDF] was compiled by researchers at Florida State University, who were hired by Browning in May to conduct an independent review of optical scan and touch-screen devices made by Diebold Election Systems, one of the largest voting machine vendors in the country and a major supplier of gear to Florida." ... "The report cited a number of security gaps in the Diebold systems." ... "For example, it said, Diebold's Accuvote OS optical scan machine is vulnerable to vote manipulation by illicitly inserting a pre-programmed memory card into a voting terminal. The card, the report said, could be coded to flip votes from one candidate to another without detection." -By Marc L. Songini -Computerworld via -PCWorld.com 

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