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Australian Intelligence HQ Blueprints Hacked
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."
Until China starts to face real responses?
Great warrior...hrmph! Wars not make one great.
Always assume your advasaries have these things and plan accordingly. Anyone in charge of operational security who would bat an eye about posting this information on the Internet deserves to be fired.
TFA comments there are wifi access points installed in government systems. I think they deserve everything they get, if they're stupid enough to allow any form of wireless communications inside a secured government facility.
the game
The original site is loading perfectly here... rendered in under 0.2 of a second.
... wait, what?
Is it the same agency that wants more money?
Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
Which is the bigger threat:
China spying on Austrailia now that it knows the floor plan of the intelligence agency?
Or them using the blue prints to rebuild it in China
God spoke to me
Anyone who says a "cyber attack" originates from China should be smacked in the head with an Ethernet cable. How would you know exactly where an attack originates?
Oh, and anyone who says "cyber attack" should be shot.
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).
Boss: Have you organised that world-class penetration testing of our new system yet?
Dazza: Yes, I'll need to expense $150,000 for the consultants though.
Boss: No worries.
Dazza: *clickety click ftp mss.cn files sent* Great. It should be done very soon.
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?
At the risk of spilling top-secret intelligence procedures, I've heard about this thing called an "air gap" where, if you don't want anyone to be able to hack into a particular system, you don't plug it into the Internet. Seems like something they might want to consider.
(Yes, I know Stuxnet was designed to penetrate air gaps. But it wasn't designed to send packages home, either.)
Stop learning! Only you can prevent esoterrorism.
Networked computers are great. I work with them all day every day. But if I had something even a 1/1000th as secret (say an embarrassing video) I would keep it offline, encrypted, and in a physically secure location. My assumption from a security standpoint is that networked cyber security is 99.9% to keep the script kiddies out. Keeping out the determined evildoer take some serious and continuous effort; or you just make it a physical effort for the bad guys.
Even the guys with the Rob Ford Crack video wouldn't let the reporter hold their phone.
just saying, if they were hacked then they would biuld a gigantic MEC using the same parts just reconfigured, breaking into a computer system and stealing files does not mean those files were hacked, the system was
Canberra is the capital of Australia? Huh... I learned something new today.
I wonder if they are as idiotic as a lot of US intelligence agencies and still insist on using Windows everywhere. The PLA really should send Microsoft a nice fruit basket thanking them for all the easily-gathered intelligence that Microsoft's combination of shitty coding and massive lobbying efforts have enabled.
Monstar L
Back when most people on the internet were still computer literate, a report like this would explain how the attack happened, how it was discovered, and other interesting/important details.
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.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
Thanks to things like VPNs and Tor, it's trivial to fake your location to make people believe you're coming from somewhere else. Thanks to the political climate right now, it seems obvious to route traffic trough China when cracking as they are an easy scapegoat.
Some of your clowns believe in the utter voodoo of polygraph tests so don't you dare pretend a small but professional agency is the weak link. Bay of Pigs is just the start of a long list of failures from a highly politicised bunch. Other places that keep politics out of their agencies are vastly more professional.
As you are aware the word was "China" and not "Indian rebels that follow a cause that even China has given up on". Please stop pretending to be mentally retarded just to overwhelm the gullible. Deliberately stupid lies are not a sign of honour, and ends justifying the means are not a sign of honour.
You're not taking security seriously and you deserve to be embarrassed repeatedly until you do or fail so spectacularly that no one ever trusts you again with anything.
Its a big issue in the US as well. Old government agencies and shotty IT.
You're not paranoid enough. You're literally paid to be paranoid and you're not doing your job. Its disgusting. Wake up and realize if you don't assume worst case you'll always be playing catch up.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
I think I've seen this episode of 24. Don't worry, the Australian Jack Bauer will keep everyone safe.
wow. I used to think that you were an ok guy. Now, I realize that you do not have a fucking clue of what you are talking about. Worse, the only thing that you have available to you, is to talk down to others when you have zero knowledge of something.
And since you do not have a clue, let me point out that the next president and prime minster of India are going to be VERY conservative due to this
It was not needed at this time, but, perhaps it is for the best.
But then again, you will not get it.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Any attack made by against ASIO headquarters would be a useless gesture, no matter what technical data they've obtained.
I have discovered a wonderful
.. being as subtle as ever. An enormous building in the heart of the capital shaped like an A. There's probably a big sign on the front saying "Nothing to see here, move along".
since when did "hacked" mean "took a copy off" - come on if they had hacked the building plans they'd have added secret tunnels or something, at the very least installed the doors with the hinges on the outside
Since you wrote inflated hysterical shit like "Just 3 weeks ago, they invaded India" over thirty guys in the mountains who later went home I do not really know why you expected a more polite response. You are setting a very bad example here.
Thanks for the link anyway even though I think you are making far too much of it. Originally I thought with your "invasion" you were referring to Maoist rebels in India which is far more serious and got some news coverage where I live unlike the thirty guys wandering over a border as appears to have been happening in that area for years. I withdraw my insult since it appears you were referring to actual Chinese and not Indian rebels.
Humans live in Antarctica, equatorial Africa, and everything between. Even vacuum. We'll have no trouble adapting our tech to supporting us wherever we care to be.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
The most recent 'battle' is from 1988 and it was only a skirmish. I fail to see your point.
Non-Linux Penguins ?
As a kid I used to wonder around the grounds and bildings of the Russell Offices in Canberra and home of the Australian Department of Defence. Security in the 80's was a joke,I used to just wander in and out of buildings and around the grounds.. I was only quested once, and that was when I was about 13.. I sort of stopped going after that.
Most of my floppy disks as a kid came from ones just thrown out the windows.. If i needed paper to scribble on, reams of old school data prints were just thrown out, half used notepads etc, pens all sorts of cool bits and pieces..
Its not like that anymore =>
You have 5 Moderator Points!
Which Helpless Linux zealot/MS basher do you want to mod down today?
I mean, really. If you got shit you don't want anyone to get into, you do NOT put the fucking stuff on a computer that has internet access. How many stupid ass people/corporations/governments are going to keep getting hacked? Lots. Mainly if your a government, you are 100% a target.
Be seeing you...
May 2013: blueprints to the new Australian federal intelligence agency ASIO headquarters have been stolen
June 2013: a man in London plants a small tenant garden outside a flat in London. The peas and carrots are arranged in geometric shapes that depict the seating arrangement of the ASIO conference room. By the time this pattern is discovered in August, he will have disappeared.
June 2013: Better Bathrooms magazine June issue contains an artist's rendition of "a functional yet stylish layout, corporate washroom of the future", whose commodes and sinks are a direct match for ASIO facilities.
July 2013: A teacher presents an odd but intricate crayon drawing done by one of her students that matches the basement layout of ASIO HQ. This uncanny similarity is never explained, the parents are questioned then released.
August 2013: The first copies of ASIC HQ 3D plans are uploaded to Pastebin.
October 2013: Small 3D models of ASICHQ are being printed and displayed, feature in Wired Magazine: "Your own HQ"
February 2014: Full size scale 3D printed models of ASIC HQ are spotted all over the world, including one only a block away from the original ASIC HQ building. New employees and service companies become confused and arrive at the faux copy.
May 2018: China publishes the plans for its newest metropolis, from above the planned city's layout bears a striking resemblance to ASIC HQ.
June 2018: The jungle is cleared from around a newly discovered Aztec city abandoned around 1400AD... its network of narrow streets and communal buildings suggests...........
<blink>down the rabbit hole</blink>
How long will idiotic governments and corporations put ultra-sensitive information on computers connected to a public network (Internet)? The only reason they do this is so lazy-ass and OCD PHBs can access this information with the least effort as possible. THIS is the problem, not a third party exploiting the blatant stupidity.
There are still some notable U.S. tool brands:
http://www.starrett.com/
http://www.graceusaguntools.com/screwdrivers.htm
http://www.bridgecitytools.com/ (almost bought a JointMaker Pro instead of a CNC Mill)
Here's a further list of brands w/ specifics: http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/tools.html (though I'm given to understand the quality of Klein tools has fallen off somewhat recently).
But yeah, it's depressing how few tools appear under the ``USA Made'' link at http://www.garrettwade.com/made-in-america/c/13618/
I really wish some politician would urge ``Buy American'' for say the Independence Day Holiday and try to get every retailer in the U.S. to (say) fill their end-caps (the displays at the end of an aisle) w/ only 100% Made in U.S. stuff (and to leave such empty as a symbolic gesture if they can't fill it w/ U.S. produced goods).
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
This is how a government, relates to, and coerces it's people into buying more security. The truth is they are all at it - hacking, lying, cheating, disinformation.
Take what happened in Woolwhich for example: the Mi5 were following one of those crims for a long time; they even offered to recruit him as a mole. Then it all kicked off yet they didn't pre-emptively act. The natural reaction? "We are not safe - TAKE MY MONEY". Same old tired story yet everyone is perpetually caught in a wave of emotion.
Now, and for a long time passed, we have had our respective agencies telling us that the internet is SO bad that they drastic measures need to be taken. Things like long term logging, domain blocking, backdoors in software, master keys, massive data mining operations, Google.. who want to know where you've been, what you look like, what your WiFi passwords are, who your contacts are, what you search for on the internet, and a lot more.. all uploaded to the cloud - then step in CISPA and private data sharing. Now they are telling us that they want unequivocal powers to hack anyone they want - anyone deemed a 'criminal':
"If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who use the words" -- Philip K. Dick
So what.. if your network got hacked? You shouldn't have left it deliberately open. In fact it was probably one of your own who done the business.. deliberately.. as planned..
We all know we are lied to, not just on a daily basis, but about everything - yet the majority eat it up like a fat kid who hoovers up KFC.
Yeah - it is THAT simple. They make you feel like you know something they don't - therefore they are just old men doing, and fucking up, old men stuff. Oh by the way - we need more money, power, and resources to fight the war against the *cough* 'commies'.
Eat it up.
and the ouch just became DAMN.
America is the weak link. We continue to push Windows into our gov. and buy cheap chinese junk and then are surprised that we have high unemployment and that China is cracking us.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
I have in-laws from India and South Korea. Likewise, I have a number of friends from japan and Philippines. They will all tell you that China is to be FEARED. Not the average Chinese, but the gov.. The average Chinese simply wants to enjoy life( However, most are even more nationalistic than we are in the west). But the real issue is that China's gov. has no intention of becoming a democracy or allowing control of china to slip away from them. In fact, they are slowly going after any territory that they WANT.
India is in a real bad way because their 2 main rivers (indus and ganges) are fed from the Himalayas starting in tibet. And China is now putting dams on these. Originally China claimed that they were not doing dams on the river. Then when confronted with sat feeds from America and france that proved that China was building dams there, China said that it was for flood controls (supposedly, they did not even offer a reason why they lied in the first place). The problem is, that they are diversionary type dams.
And finally, it was not 30 guys that went over. It was one platoon that crossed in 19 KM over the LAC, and then was joined by 2 other platoons. And note that China has moved in a large amount of weaponry into the upper areas of the Himalayas, including sams.
China is about to make a LOT of trouble through Asia, and the question is, what will the west do?
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
They just invaded India and left. No real reason why, but it WILL cause a major change in the Indian gov. come the next elections. One that is a lot more conservative. The Indian citizens were pretty upset about China just marching in, but almost as upset that their current gov. did nothing while 3 platoons of men were camped out nearly 20 kms inside of their land.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
The makings for a successful attack of this nature include the intrusion not being detected. If they know that the plans were stolen then measures can be taken to mitigate the situation. The most successful cyber espionage or any other kind of espionage operation is a clandestine one; if everyone knows that you know what they know there is significantly less advantage there.
411 Y0UR 8453 4R3 8310NG 70 U5!! -NSA
Make ineffective bleating noises since China have the guys that pay for political campaigns and "lobby" money in the USA by the economic balls. See the US 1930s government and business reaction to Italy and Germany for what happens in such situations - Democrats wanted to appease and some Republicans were financing people deep in Nazi politics - make nobody look good at the rich end of town apart from Charlie Chaplin who took a lot of flak for opposing it.
As for Australia, we're too busy trying to sell the place a shovelfull at a time to China to care and we'll have not much of an economy once the Chinese mining industry and transport system drags itself into the 21st century.
You guys are headed down the same path that we allowed the neo-cons to take the US.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Yes in every way. For example we copied the way we run our electricity system off California in the Enron days FFS even though it was an obviously stupid idea. Funny thing is that's meant photovoltaics everywhere since even that is cheaper than getting gouged by a power company.
This pack of bastards and the fedral police have hacked my web sites for years to stop my criticism of the rampant corruption in the Australian government ,hope they like their own medicine.ha ha ha.junkies against crime liberation front.
I keep writing comments that don't get published due to account preferences I want my comments published or I wouldn't waste my fucking time writing them.