State Department Computers Hacked, Large-Scale Computer Break-Ins Appeared

[Rose Siding]

Large-Scale Computer Break-Ins Appeared To Target Specific Offices

(CBS/AP) The State Department is recovering from large-scale computer break-ins worldwide over the past several weeks that appeared to target its headquarters and offices dealing with China and North Korea, The Associated Press has learned.

Investigators believe hackers stole sensitive U.S. information and passwords, said U.S. officials familiar with the hacking. Whoever did the hacking reportedly tried to leave so-called back doors so they could come back later and keep intruding into the computers, CBS News correspondent Jim Stewart reports.

Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the widespread intrusions and the resulting investigation.
...
Tracing the origin of such break-ins is difficult. But employees told AP the hackers appeared to hit computers especially hard at headquarters and inside the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, which coordinates diplomacy in countries including China, the Koreas and Japan. In the tense weeks preceding North Korea's missile tests, that bureau lost its Internet connectivity for several days.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/11/national/main1794152.shtml

[ReadTomPaine]

1. Interesting indeed. n/t

[NVMojo]

2. gee ...is the State Department like the NSA??? And we have to trust

these idiots with our personal stolen private info??? Give me a break!

[drm604]

3. Excellent Point!

And GREAT talking point! We need to use this!

[Ian David]

4. They left "back-doors" in the systems to come back later...

because, an hour after you're hacked by the Chinese, you feel like being hacked again.

[tanyev]

8. .

:spray:

[Ready4Change]

12. VERY nice.

Kudos to you for that one.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

14. Tell me, how goes the Pentagon's information battlefield battleplan??

[Ian David]

21. It looks great on The Discovery Channel! n/t

[Ian David]

5. They lost their internet connectivity for several days??

You mean they couldn't re-connect all those tubes they use to send their private internets?

How do these idiots manage to put food on their families?

[Betsy Ross]

6. Is the State Department outsourcing

computer work to China? Why wouldn't I surprised if the answer were yes?

[hang a left]

19. Isn't it PTech that has all the government computer

projects???

[Independent_Liberal]

7. The government is leaking like a sieve!

So many holes. They're running out of gum to plug them up with.

:D

[chat_noir]

9. DU thread from May...Made in China

US diplomats alerted over Chinese computers

American diplomats have been instructed not to keep classified material on 16,000 newly purchased computers because the manufacturer is partly-owned by the Chinese government.

Richard Griffin, the assistant secretary of state, told Congress he would ensure that the machines did not "compromise our information and communication channels".

The row erupted when a congressman raised questions about the purchase of machines from Lenovo, the world's third biggest personal computer maker. The company is 28 per cent owned by a state-controlled Chinese entity.

At least 900 of the computers were to be used by diplomats at embassies around the world and would have been used to access classified material.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/05/20/wlenovo20.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/05/20/ixnews.html

DU: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2295976

[bloom]

16. that's interesting. nt

[EFerrari]

18. In that case, we can't keep classified information anywhere in the country

because we are partly owned by the Chinese government. :silly:

[NastyRiffraff]

10. Do you feel safe yet?

These are the people who are supposedly "protecting" our country, AND our private information.

Laptops gone missing, insecure computers, and spying. Dunno about you, but I think that's a lethal combination.

[Zech Marquis]

11. makes you wonder

if these morons can't keep the State Department fromm being hacked numerous times--not to mention leaving back doors for return hacks--exactly WHAT are they remotely capable of protecting us from? oh yeah, thy sure know how to "fix" the voting machines :argh:

[HysteryDiagnosis]

13. Shocking.... but then, Windoze based systems are known for

their security.



Trinity did it right btw.....

www.insecure.org

[smtpgirl]

15. The RW's have a boner on spying,

but these assholes can't see the forest through the trees.

Network Security commands a 6-figure income in the WDC area.

I was able to hack into someone's email at my last job.

Not to mention the people hacking into the db are people who have at least a top secret security clearance or more.

[Monkeyman]

17. Is it just me

Or does it seem we are being invade by data hacks. LOL Lane Evans just hit back on Veterans data this just play into the Dems hand let see how they handle this

[GeorgeGist]

20. Another ratchet on the gear...

of fear? Or Treason? Or both?

"Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the widespread intrusions and the resulting investigation."

[newspeak]

22. remember when some Democratic computers were hacked?

How about the veteran's information? An administration that's pissing and moaning about the NYT article about tracing terror financing, when there's a website and Bush more than once has stated that they're going to track terror financing--I say this administration doth protest too much. Outing Brewster Jennings, then the hacking of computers, and how about the Israeli "spy" --wasn't he one of Wolfowitz's aids? Tell me why I should feel safe with this administration or trust them? I have the feeling that corporate loyalty trumps any fealty to this country or it's people.