Slashdot Mirror
Taiwan Under Cyber Attack from China
An anonymous reader writes: "O'Reilly Developer News is reporting this morning that Taipei is under cyber attack by a Chinese 'army of hackers'. The Taipei government is saying that the attacks are trojan-horses against windows machines that are being staged to break in to government databases."
It's only with the advent of the Internet that the two are suddenly in contact in meaningful ways. In a strange twist, and in many cases the Chinese government is in a position where they have to defend Taiwan against these kinds of attacks from their own citizens!
It's a strange, strange world. And as we grow more connected, it's getting more so every day. So buy SCOX stock.
It's interesting that this is happening now, after china has acquired windows' source code. Could they have found newer vulnarabilities that no one knows about yet?
Disclaimer: My opinions are my own and do not, in any way, reflect the opinions of my employer or university.
Especially the last part of the article:
1 52525 2
"If there's any lesson from this experience, it is not to use software developed in China or hire Chinese computer programmers, because you're running the risk of having the software you use implanted with the Trojan-horse program"
on the heels of this report, regarding China's intentions of developing their own OS:
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/31/
Because of the vast popularity and many weaknesses of the Windows operating system, most of the damage is done to Windows users, Tsai said.
Department of Hoeland Security, take note.
I remember after 9/11 alot was said about information warfare being the new medium. It was made into a big deal by the media, but I also remember Wired writing an excellant article on how physical attacks would be much easier, much more destructive, and much less expensive to implament. Since all that, I have been very skeptical about if digital warfare is ever going to be in our future. Assuming this is a true claim, des this now prove that we are in that age? Its one thing to claim a few kids are doing it, its a whole different ball park if you say military trained personell are carrying out the attack...
until the power grid gows down, or a nuclear reactor suddenly can't lower its rods, or ... Get the picture?
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
I think you are being a bit hard on the Slashdot editors.
I for one read comments like yours, and also consider my own past experience. The "headline" on Slashdot and even the referenced story is only part of the information.
I often find useful links about a topic in the comments... this is often where the "real story" is found. This is the whole reason I find Slashdot a great place! Warts ("editors") and all.
erm no. USA is a bigger threat then any other country at the moment.
Although US and China do share the same human rights, or lack there of.
> Or it could be preparation for an all out invasion by China. Now that would be a fun war to watch.
Yeah it would be nice to hear about a big war that we (being the U.S.) aren't involved in. Of course, I don't think it would be more than a week or so before they'd stick their dicks into this one.
Yeah, critical computer equipment in nuclear power plants, training track switching computers and etc. isn't gonna kill anyone...
Political correctness is the newest form of slavery.
1) It would be cool in a movie, but in real life these things are true weapons. You can bring down electrical systems, stall trains, release sewage into the water supply. Real people can die real deaths because of these.
2) I think the possibility of low-level warfare is more dangerous than bombs. The cold war shows this: if you only have maximum response, then you will hesitate to use it. If you have lots of low-level responses (car bombs, plane hijackings, etc ) than it is easier to assault your enemy short of war. This is a totalitarian regime attacking their enemy without anybody raising their DEFCON levels. That is scary.
That's not the point. The point is not to use closed-source software anymore. If their software was supplied with source code, they could have scanned it thoroughly for trojans before implementing it.
I'm sorry, but that's a rather funny statement, coming from an American these days...
But anyways, since the collapse of communisum, I haven't heard of any expansionist tendencies on the part of China. In the matters of Taiwan and Tibet, China actually has pretty substantial "prior ownership" claims. Aside from that, and internal issues such as govt. corruption and a lack of civil rights, the culture of China is actually quite pacifist -- just look into Confucionism to see what I mean.
What are they doing that would threaten "world security"?
"Orthodoxy is unconsciousness" - Orwell
Ummm.. hello? Slashdot, will you please sit down and shut up until we get to the end of the discussion?
In case no one else has bothered to notice, there's absolutely NO evidence that this is actually happening. Maybe the gov't of Tawain is just as technically incompotent as the U.S. gubment and they're just being bowled over by shitty administration of their systems. Maybe nothing's happening. Maybe outer space aliens have hidden data signals in their computers that are blocking traffic, who knows?
If I write my name in the paper under the lottery results and put $1,000,000,000,000 next to it, it doesn't really mean I won anything. Sheesh... show a little composure and demand to see at least a tiny bit of evidence before you piss your pants over this...
Alito: A vote for Alito is a punch in the eye to put that bitch back in her place!
Furthermore, I heard recently on CNN that the only restriction on defense weapons is that 50% be developed by US companies. Only 50%!!!
IMHO, one of the primary reasons USA is so strong in defense is because all the brains from overseas came to our country to profit from their work and flee from religious persecution. Now we're shipping opportunities overseas and the judge in Alabama is giving people the impression that Christianity is favored over all other religions here. Smooth move (imagine the next Einstein staying overseas and deveoping the next great weapon for some other country instead of us).
What will happen to our national security when we offshore 90%+ of all of our high-tech jobs and what will happen to the national security in countries (like India & China) where most of the high-tech jobs will be based?
And workers of US companies overseas don't have to pay taxes on the first $75,000 so think of all the lost taxes (billions in income taxes alone) that our government loses--not to mention that those workers if based in the US would have spent their earnings here.
Does anyone in Washington give a damn about our future or is it all about returning favors to those who contribute to campaigns while sacrificing our government budgets and national security?
Isn't it retarded to offshore development of critical products like anti-virus software to other countries? If this story about China attacking Taiwan (which I thought was part of China) is true, then we should stop all security-related software from being offshored--or simply requiring the use of only those developed 100% by companies AND individuals with security clearances.
It seems that China's mushrooming economy is also cementing their national security, I wish we could say that!
You can't really take a pee in China without government sanction. If you think that rebellious feeling Chinese can just spontaneously gather and cary out a non-approved actiivty, then I have a nice prison cell filled with falun gong practicers to sell you. Get real.
"He who laughs last, didn't get the joke."-Cap
Mmm, what makes you say this? Oh, I know. A war in Iraq, right? Saddams and miloshevitches of the world are the only people to feel less secure because of it. Not much less secure, unfortunately -- thanks to you and your kind.
Confucionism or not, China maintains huge army and is known to have used it for highly illegal purposes. Your heart, I'm sure, bleeds, because of the questionable legal grounds for attacking Iraq, but you don't seem to care for China's annexation of Tibet and parts of India's northeast -- for which there are no legal grounds at all.
Criticizing US' and praising China's foreign (and domestic) policies in one breath is sheer stupidity.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
... and do not forget to compare to USA (And as long as people are killed and tortured software piracy is a minor issue to me)
So all they had to say against Taiwan was that they have the death penalty? (and they seem to be in the process of abolishing it.) So what do you think of USA?
"He'd already RATHER be bowhunting!" -Max Filmont
Of course. However, the USA report is as long as it is mostly because a lot of information is still available. The Chinese report contains sentences such as
"In June at least 150 people were executed across China for drug-related crimes to mark the UN-designated International Anti-Drugs Day on 26 June."
whereas, if the US tried to pull such a stunt, Amnesty International would devote lengthy paragraphs to reporting the incident.
China, the US, and Taiwan should each clean up their acts. On the other hand, a PRC condemnation of Taiwan on human rights grounds is absurd.
Anything to stem the flood of SPAM from those two countries.
China would argue that they're not two countries...
# init 5
Connection closed.
Oh...
Regan is a old man with "alzheimers". Again, he did a lot of good, but sill managed to willfully break the law--better keeping quiet. As well as his lacky (responsible for pulling off the whole Iran-Contra thing) Bush Sr. who also needs to keep quiet to avoid jail time for the incident.. and like republicans, spend their time and wealth on themselves! Clinton left the position with all sorts of personal problems (whitewater, Paula, Monica, etc) that again, he's better off shutting up to stay out of jail.
So realize that Carter can spout off all he wants. He's the only living american president not to have any reason to go to jail..that would seem to be pretty impressive. Also, the contacts that a president makes have huge weight in the rest of the world. Carter seems to be the only President to make anything of them. (OK, Nixon did help out in China. That had to take guts.)
He inherited a disgraced position after years of presidents that started wars and trampled on rights. He was the first president since FDR that didn't throw the country INTO a war and tried to end some of them.
Boo-hoo: we don't treat illegal combatants as prisoners of war;
Okay, so we declare war, and then declare that anyone who fights against us is doing so against our will, and thus illegally. Viola! No more POW problems.
<i>we had a few incidents of police brutality (which will be punished)</i>
Uh, there are no US police in Iraq. What you meant to say was "We killed some people more brutally than others, and put on a show, but people will eventually forget about them, and nothing well become of it."
<i>we are so backwards as to execute murderers</i>
The US is the only first-world country that still executes prisoners. In fact, it's written into several extradition treaties that suspects will not be released to the US unless the US Gov't assures that the suspect will not be executed.
<i>we won't dilute our sovereignty by being a party to the Internation Criminal Court (motto: we bring to justice what the United Nations has brought to legislation)</i>
Translation: we won't be held accountable, except to ourselves, and even that's negotiable lately.
<i>Amnesty International has deviated terribly from its original fine purpose (William F. Buckley used to be on its board, I believe--he was at least a member). Their leftist stance has wounded them greatly.<i>
Yeah, because "leftist = bad", right? Only a true conservative could see such a complex issue in terms of black and white.
Brandon
Carter is NOT an elected official anymore (see my post above)... he just acts like one, and worse, he's one with NO accountability. He's not president now, and he needs to start acting like the regular citizen he is, instead of screwing with things he's uninformed on.
Whenever he places himself in the midst of a negotiation or international crisis, he runs the risk of sending mixed messages to the parties involved. If you get terrorist/thug/dictator/third-world-strongman listening to Carter instead of Bush, one might get the idea that the US isn't serious about backing up their positions... that's a BAD, BAD thing, especially for the parties that will actually have to answer to the voters. Carter only has to answer to Rosalyn.
Carter needs to stay out of situations where he doesn't have the intel, hasn't heard the briefings, has no clout, and isn't accountable.
There's plenty of good reasons why ex-presidents are encouraged to be cautious about what they say. I get the impression that some people think ex-presidents are circumspect about their remarks just to be nice...
Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
> From you grammar and spelling it's obvious that you're not an American. Who are you to criticize our country and presidents?
I guess you don't think Americans should criticize other countries and their leaders either, eh?
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Taiwan is the real China, the Beijing regime is just a wannabe.
-uso.
Dreams, dreams, don't doubt dreams, dreaming children's dreaming dreams. Sailor Moon SS