FBI Looks Into Chinese Role in Darfur Site Hack

Amy Bennett writes "This past weekend we discussed an increasing level of attacks online, targeting Tibetan-based NGOs. Now the BBC is reporting that the Save Darfur Coalition has called in the FBI on what appears to be a similar matter. Allyn Brooks-LaSure, a spokesman with the group, doesn't know who is behind the attacks, but he said the IP addresses of the computers that had hacked his organization were from China. Save Darfur has been trying to get China, one of Sudan's largest trading partners, to pressure Sudan's government into stopping the mass killings in Darfur's ongoing civil war. 'Someone in Beijing is trying to send us a message,' Brooks-LaSure said. Probably the same message they're sending by continuing to shut down video sites covering the Tibetan unrest."

Comments

Not surprising

[InvisblePinkUnicorn]

"Save Darfur has been trying to get China, one of Sudan's largest trading partners, to pressure Sudan's government into stopping the mass killings in Darfur's ongoing civil war."

First, Sudan's north-south civil war is a separate matter from the Darfur genocide. Second, it has not only been Save Darfur, but also the entire UN, that has been trying to pressure China to stop funding the genocide. However, China has refused to budge, and likewise have the powers of the world. The only real progress that has been made is for individual states, universities, and organizations to remove all of their investments in companies that do business with the Sudanese government and indirectly profit from the genocide. Sudanese divestment has influenced many companies to pull out of contracts with Sudan and it is definitely having some effect.

For an excellent introduction to China's role in the Darfur genocide, watch Frontline's special for free online.

To see how much your state congressmen are doing to divest contracts from Sudan, see DarfurScores.Org. The Sudan Divestment Task Force has info on which states and organizations are divesting, and which ones are sitting on their hands.

simple and effective solution

[petes_PoV]

Sometimes the original emails from the attackers appear to contain press releases from other Tibet campaigners - but when they are opened they install a trojan,

OK, so don't open the emails. Really, does it need the FBI to tell you this?

Better, maybe use a platform that isn't susceptible to Word/OS viruses and trojans.

Better yet, how about some anti-virus software?

Re:IP was from China, sooo?

[Otter]

So what if the IP came from China? Are there not a billion people there, who probably do have computers with default exploitable installations of Linux or Windows that could be used to launch attacks elsewhere?

Exploitable installations of Linux?!? Unpossible!

Anyway, I don't think anyone is claiming that the FBI is taking these claims seriously, least of all the link, which doesn't even mention the FBI. Allyn Brooks-LaSure is free to float any wild theories he wants, but I'd be amazed if it were anything but some idiot script kiddie who was responsible.

hate to point out the obvious but

[confused one]

there are huge botnets in China. Just because the IP address was Chinese does not prove China is the origin of the attack.