Tag Archives: south-korea

Mikrotik routers pwned en masse, send network data to mysterious box

Researchers uncover botnet malware pouncing on security holes More than 7,500 Mikrotik routers have been compromised with malware that logs and transmits network traffic data to an unknown control server.…

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Mikrotik routers pwned en masse, send network data to mysterious box

South Korean authorities worry about DDoS attacks ahead of elections

A new report from a South Korean government agency, the country is at risk of DDoS attacks ahead of the country’s possible election. South Korean authorities are reportedly worried about ramped up attacks from the country’s hostile northern neighbour. A recently released report predicted DDoS attacks, leveraging IoT botnets, would be used to attack government ministries. Authored by the state-run Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), the report warns of DDoS attacks just before the country’s upcoming elections. The attacks, which leverage widely insecure IoT devices, could be launched against government ministry, national infrastructure or social bodies to destabilise South Korea. Jeon Kil-soo, from KISA told South Korean news agency, Yonhap, that “there is the possibility that huge DDoS attacks could occur by using IoT devices from both home and abroad”. Kil-soo added that such attacks could be deployed against presidential candidates. Current president Park Geun-hye is currently faced with an impeachment motion, which, if adopted by Korea’s Constitutional Court, will trigger another election. The decision is expected to be made in the next two months. According to KISA’s report, such an occasion would be ripe for exploitation by, some expect, North Korea. South Korea are not the only country bracing themselves for cyber-interference in upcoming elections. Against a backdrop of accusation of Russian interference in the American election, top government officials from Germany, France and other countries have expressed fears about such threats. North Korea’s cyber-offensive activities have long been suspected. The North Korean government was reported to be behind the attacks on Sony Pictures on the eve of the 2014 release of The Interview, a comedy which satirised the country’s leader Kim Jong Un. In November 2014, Sony Pictures Entertainment was breached by a group calling itself the “Guardians of Peace”. The hackers released a slew of emails, personal information and other data from inside the company, prompting sanctions against the country. North Korean agents are also suspected to be behind the heist on the Bangladesh Central Bank. In early 2016, hackers stole US$81 million (£65 million) by impersonating legitimate money orders. The money was then laundered through Sri Lanka and the Philippines into the coffers of, some suspect, the North Korean government. This kind of activity takes on a new light when applied to South Korea. South and North Korea have technically been at war since the middle of the twentieth century. Split in two against the backdrop of the Cold War, the countries fought a war between 1950 and 1953. The war never technically ended and the countries remain separate with a Chinese backed opaque dictatorship under the Kim Jong family in the north and a liberal democratic regime in the south. The two countries exist in a state of formal hostility, and while not effectively at war are believed to regularly meddle in each other’s societies, the cyber-realm included. James Hoare, an associate fellow at Chatham House and the man formerly charged with setting up a British embassy in North Korea, “the report is all very speculative, with nothing much in the way of hard facts.” There are many such claims about North Korean cyber-attacks, “including claims of interference with aircraft landing at Inchon airport – though having watched the behaviour of people on flights into and from Inchon, I would not be surprised if some of the alleged attacks were in reality people on their mobile devices while the planes are taking off and landing.” These kinds of claims are common but “tend to be somewhat unspecific, but on at least one recent occasion, the North Korean released information that indicated that they had been approached to stage some sort of diversion at the time of an election.” Source: https://www.scmagazine.com/south-korean-authorities-worry-about-ddos-attacks-ahead-of-elections/article/633651/

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South Korean authorities worry about DDoS attacks ahead of elections

Central banks of South Korea and Indonesia bulk up security following DDoS attacks by hacktivists

The central banks of Indonesia and South Korea are reportedly bulking up security on their public-facing websites after being hit with cyberattacks and distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) disturbances linked to notorious hacking collective Anonymous. In response to the attempted cyberattacks, Ronald Waas, deputy governor of Bank Indonesia (BI), told Reuters his institution was forced to block 149 regions that don’t usually access its website, including “several small African countries”. The central banks of Indonesia and South Korea are reportedly bulking up security on their public-facing websites after being hit with cyberattacks and distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) disturbances linked to notorious hacking collective Anonymous. In response to the attempted cyberattacks, Ronald Waas, deputy governor of Bank Indonesia (BI), told Reuters his institution was forced to block 149 regions that don’t usually access its website, including “several small African countries”. As previously reported, a video statement posted to YouTube on 4 May by the group said: “We will not let the banks win, we will be attacking the banks with one of the most massive attacks ever seen in the history of Anonymous.” Later, the central bank of Greece admitted its website was taken offline for a short period of time. This was followed by other banks in countries including France, England, Scotland and Sweden. In June, the hackers announced that ‘phase three’ of the operation has started – dubbed Project Mayhem – and that the focus of the campaign would change to include major stock exchanges. In any case, the global banking system has been left shaken by a number of successful hacks, breaches and cyber-heists throughout 2016. In one attack, the Bangladesh central bank was targeted by a highly coordinated team of hackers that were able to steal a massive £81m via fraudulent money transfers. Source: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/central-banks-south-korea-indonesia-bulk-security-following-ddos-attacks-by-hacktivists-1566836

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Central banks of South Korea and Indonesia bulk up security following DDoS attacks by hacktivists