China Crafts Cyberweapons

MitmWatcher writes to mention that a recent report by the Department of Defense revealed that China is continuing to build up their cyberwarfare units and develop viruses. "'The PLA has established information warfare units to develop viruses to attack enemy computer systems and networks,' the annual DOD report on China's military warned. At the same, Chinese armed forces are developing ways to protect its own systems from an enemy attack, it said, echoing similar warnings made in previous years."

OH NOES!

[HappySmileMan]

At the same, Chinese armed forces are developing ways to protect its own systems from an enemy attack, it said, echoing similar warnings made in previous years.

China are trying to secure their computers? Do they not realise this is a declaration of war on the US?

Cowboys

[SpectreBlofeld]

"...ICE patterns formed and reformed on the screen as he probed for gaps, skirted the most obvious traps, and mapped the route he'd take through Sense/Net's ICE. It was good ICE. Wonderful ICE... ...His program had reached the fifth gate. He watched as his icebreaker strobed and shifted in front of him, only faintly aware of his hands playing across the deck, making minor adjustments. Translucent planes of color shuffled like a trick deck. Take a card, he thought, any card.

The gate blurred past. He laughed. The Sense/Net ice had accepted his entry as a routine transfer from the consortium's Los Angeles complex. He was inside. Behind him, viral subprograms peeled off, meshing with the gate's code fabric, ready to deflect the real Los Angeles data when it arrived."

From Neuromancer, by William Gibson, following protagonist Henry Dorsett Case as he uses a Chinese military-made icebreaker to hack a virtual fortress...

If only computer security were really so dramatic :)

Good..

[Pranab]

Now we can buy millions of pirated copies of these weapons at almost nothing.

Re:OH NOES!

[Anonymous Coward]

At the same, Chinese armed forces are developing ways to protect its own systems from an enemy attack

PLA Cyber-Defence Directive #1 : No Rindows!

PLA Cyber-Defence Directive #2 : No Rindows!

PLA Cyber-Defence Directive #3 : No Rindows! ...

Re:One word ...

[LiquidCoooled]

I'm sorry, but I cannot get the image of Stallman bashing a tambourine singing 'Kum by Yar' whilst crossing the battlefield.
Linux is many things, but its not a cyber weapon.

Re:Sensible

[smilindog2000]

We've been doing the same for years, I hear with some success. In the first Iraq war, I heard a story about an infected printer driver that Iraq downloaded that in theory played havoc with their network during the invasion. I also hear we have a special unit tasked to attack information systems in real time, during an invasion, and to protect our own network. How much fun would that job be? I am seriously envious.

Re:One word ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Linux itself might be, but Linux users (being communists) will leave the gates wide open.

Or so a /. troll said.

OK Here's the Plan

[onkelonkel]

1. Convince Chinese government that spam is a plot by Falun Gong.
2. Half a million Peoples Liberation Army Cyberwar Programmers attack!
3. ???
4. Profit?

And they both use Windows

[dattaway]

...this should get interesting.

"Crafting Cyber-Weapons"

[drDugan]

I have an image of thousands of Chineese computer specialists, working tirelessly in huge warehouses of cubicles. I can hear them mumbling now... "Collect metal, collect wood, collect magic talisman of sharpness, rrrun to forge, use skill +5 "Weapon Craft" with added +2 ring-of-the-crafter proficiency." Bingo! a new Shadow Axe of Sharpness, sold for 350 RMB on Ebay. Rinse and repeat.

Re:US military has one too: USAF Cyberspace Comman

[Puff of Logic]

Last year the Secetary of the Air Force (SECAF) hijacked the realm of cyberspace for the Air Force, when he announced the Air Force's new mission to provide the President with "[options] in in air, space and now cyberspace."

Yes, but in all fairness it's certainly part of the USAF's mission. We've been defending freedom from our cubicles for a long time now and they don't call us the "chair force" for nothing!

Imagine the following:

[Anonymous Coward]

Flash forward ten years ... a group of American military commanders are gathered around a conference table deep inside the pentagon to discuss the most recent Chinese cyber attacks on US infrastructure. Voices are raised, tensions are running high, and nobody can seem to reach agreement on the best way forward. But everyone knows that time is running short and that a response is needed.

Suddenly, the huge video conference screen on the wall springs to life. A stern Chinese communist party official appears in a smart beige chairman-Mao suit. The shouting and arguments stop and an eerie silence descends. All eyes turn toward the Chinese official.

He speaks.

"How are you today gentlemen? All your base are belong to us."

Re:Good..

[Tablizer]

Now we can buy millions of pirated copies of these weapons at almost nothing.

Yes, but the death and destruction only satisfies for a few hours and then you are hungry again.
         

Countermeasure

[Matz0r]

# iptables -I INPUT -s 60.0.0.0/8 -j DROP

Holy Crap!

[glwtta]

Please tell me they don't have anything at Kuang Grade, Mark Eleven yet - we are so fucked if they do.