Australian Intelligence HQ Blueprints Hacked 180
SandmanWAIX writes "In an embarrassing revelation today it appears as though the blueprints to the new Australian federal intelligence agency ASIO headquarters have been stolen, reportedly by a cyber attack originating from China. Several other governmental departments have been reported as being breached also. The blueprints which have been compromised include the security system, comms network, floor plan and server locations of the new ASIO headquarters located in the Australian capital city, Canberra."
Re:how long will this behavior be tolerated... (Score:4, Insightful)
When every other country stops doing the same?
Re:how long will this behavior be tolerated... (Score:3, Insightful)
They won't face any response at all. It just gets filtered out, like their firewall.
Re:how long will this behavior be tolerated... (Score:5, Insightful)
U.S. and Britain have been doing it wholesale since at least World War II so that would set the bar to at least 70 years.
Could be a decoy (Score:5, Insightful)
There's always the possibility the attackers found a "fake" blueprint under a lighter level of security, put there to make them think they found something worthwhile and back out to avoid further detection. Then you make it public (like it now has) and make the enemy believe something that's actually a complete ruse.
Sure, it looks embarrassing for you, but one of the major elements of intelligence is counter-intelligence and misdirection. Let the enemy believe they now know something juicy, and they'll further base actions on incorrect intel.
Just a thought. Of could be as simple as the Aussie Government completely fucking up by running a poorly patched Windows XP infected with a compromised USB. Some idiot on the article's comments section (tonyy) did suggest Linux would have been more secure. As if the Chinese wouldn't know how to write Linux malware and infect via social engineering if it were the predominant OS used on Government machines (which it will never be - Windows is just too well designed for corporate use on the desktop).
Re: the closer that australia gets to china, .... (Score:2, Insightful)
As an Aussie I would like to remind you of a certain gentleman by the name of Bradley Manning -I seem to remember he was responsible for the largest recent security breach of the Western Alliance.
So who exactly is the weakest link?
Re:how long will this behavior be tolerated... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: how long will this behavior be tolerated... (Score:2, Insightful)
Americans.
China holds far less debt than mist people think.
Re:how long will this behavior be tolerated... (Score:3, Insightful)
You are just FOS and you know it. Even Petroleum is mostly produced in the USA. Only a small percentage is imported and of the oil imports, most come from immediate neighbours Canada and Mexico.
Maybe the cheap tools you use for your hobbies to drive two nails and one screw per year come from China, but professional tools and parts are produced in the USA.
Food, well, as i said, you are just FOS.
The 'Oh my Gawd China Rulez de Werld!' nonsense, is just that. China is still a poor and struggling country with a long road ahead.
I miss the old internet (Score:5, Insightful)
Now all we hear is a few buzzwords, a few propaganda works, and no more real information than what is in the headline. For all we know it never actually happened. Maybe they just found malware on a computer and overreacted.
Re:how long will this behavior be tolerated... (Score:4, Insightful)
Chinese manufacturers made up for less than 1% [fleetcare.com.au] of auto sales in Australia last year.
I'm not denying you can buy Chinese cars overseas; my point was that the "average" consumer won't be driving a Made in China car in the West.
That's what they used to say about Japanese and Korean cars.