U.S. Warns of Possible Cyber Biz Attack

mikesd81 writes "The AP has an article about a possible attack against the New York Stock Exchange via the internet by a radical muslim group. The notice was issued to the U.S. cybersecurity industry after officials saw a posting on a 'Jihadist Web site' calling for an attack on U.S. Internet-based stock market and banking sites in December, said Homeland Security Department spokesman Russ Knocke. Knocke has said: 'There is no information corroborating the threat and that the alert was issued as a routine matter and out of an abundance of caution.' There is no immediate threat to our homeland at this time. The attacks were to be conducted in December, 'until the infidel new year,' the site said, according to a U.S. government translation. It called for attackers to use viruses that can penetrate Internet sites and destroy data stored there. Spokespeople for the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq declined to comment on the cyber-terror threat."

Comments

Up next, nano-virus threat to create mutants!

[khasim]

So, some joker on some website posts a piece about how people should release viruses to attack the stock exchange ... and our government issues an alert?

What happens when the same joker posts a call for nano-viruses to be released into our water supply to create a generation of flesh eating mutants from our own children?!?

Seriously, you deal with terrorism by NOT being afraid.

You do NOT deal with it by hyping every single fantasy that they can post.

Re:Up next, nano-virus threat to create mutants!

[ScentCone]

Fortunately, this last set of elections proved that fear-mongering by itself isn't enough; or that it can last only so long.

Heh! Not really. This last election was all about fear mongering. The dems gained seats in the legislature entirely by talking about how people should be afraid of the other party being in control. They certainly didn't win seats by actually spelling out contstructive, real-world things they'd actually, successfully do that would actually be helpful in any way. In fact, just yesterday they made it clear they were already going to break one of their loudest campaign promises (to implement all of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission). Fear is exactly what it's all about, but they just played it differently ("the republicans want to starve your baby!" "the republicans want to make sure your social security money is wasted on dot-com investments!" "the republicans like to see our soldiers die!" "the republicans work for scary corporations that want to hurt you!"). Say you don't know exactly what I mean.

Interesting..

[AnswerIs42]

The news articles I have seen, read and heard all said there was "No Credible Evidence" that this was a real threat.

Save for the one slashdot finds and posts..

Re:Advertising attacks?

[truthsearch]

The intent of terrorists is to incite terror in order to bring about change. Terror can be spread without any actual attack. Just the fact that the government and companies are responding to a threat, plus the spread of this information through media, increases fear. Since we are listening the terrorists are successful to some extent, even without actually committing the cyber-attack.

Re:blame the muslims

[tritonman]

I heard about this in a news report yesterday. They said "there is no evidence that this is a threat, but the government is reporting..." uh, no evidence? So wtf? Let's just try to scare some people around xmas so they can remember that we are here to protect them when nothing happens.

Not a chance

[Salvance]

It's almost impossible that a bunch of radicalists with relatively sophomoric computer skills could infiltrate the NYSE or the Nasdaq in any substantial way. This is akin to high schoolers joking on forums and IRC that they are going to hack into the school's computers and change grades. Sure it happens, but not typically by a bunch of attention-seeking kids, but usually by some kid that is smart enough he didn't need to do it, just wanted to see "if he can".

If these "hackers" really had a chance to impact the exchanges, it means they've found a vulnerability that the exchanges don't know about. Any smart (but malicious) hacker wouldn't tip their hand to such a find, they'd wait until D-day to launch their attack. Obviously the security folks at the exchanges should take the threat seriously and evaluate their systems for holes, but it would be bordering on the ridiculous for the rest of us to be worried.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Advertising attacks?

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

When you get punched in the noce you have 2 choices, punch back and continue punching until the threat is GONE, or do nothing and accept the fact that it will continue to happen regardless of what action you take.

Bullshit. The world is not black and white and neither are your options.

Got punched in the face? Analyze the situation, figure out why you got punched in the face and take a-p-r-o-p-r-i-a-t-e action to reduce the chance of it happening again to an acceptable level. Maybe that means killing the guy punching you. Maybe it means using a different swing on the playground. Maybe it just means kicking the guy in the nads. Maybe it means calling your older brother over to intimidate the guy.

Whatever the case, your simplistic analogy has no place in the real world.

Make your choice, stick by it, and shut the hell up.

Yeah, because changing your mind in response to new information is just not macho. Grow up pequito.