Federal Government Suffers Massive Hacking Attack

[MathewSmith]

WASHINGTON (AP) — China-based hackers are suspected of breaking into the computer networks of the U.S. government personnel office and stealing identifying information of at least 4 million federal workers, American officials said Thursday.

Federal Government Suffers Massive Hacking Attack

Treat others the same as you wish to be treated, remember? I'm not surprised at all. I don't like how our government represents the US to the rest of the world. Nothing, but a shame. One more reason our government should be torn up, chucked, and entirely rewritten. By the way, the attack occurred in the "beginning of May." It's now June 4. When did they realize it? Good job.

 

[Claudette]

Our Govt knows China has hackers and they've know about them for years.

Rather like Benghazi where we had plenty of warning and did nothing.

China doesn't hack for the hell of it and I sure hope they didn't get what they were looking for.

 

[usmcstinger]

Federal officials have known for more than six years that Microsoft would withdraw its free support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014. Despite a recent rush to complete upgrades, hundreds of thousands of machines will continue to run antiquated software uncommonly vulnerable to hackers. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg News )

Government computers running Windows XP will be vulnerable to hackers after April 8 - The Washington Post

Although some Agencies moved to Windows 8, some Federal Agency should try using the Apple OS. It would be a good idea to get the Apple Genius Steve Wozniak to help create a program to keep Hackers out.

 

[waltky]

China opposes Internet attacks and wants to work with the United States in cyberspace...

China will work with U.S. on hacking, defend its interests: official
17 Sept.`15 - China opposes Internet attacks and wants to work with the United States in cyberspace but will defend its interests, a senior Chinese official said on Thursday after U.S. President Barack Obama warned of a forceful response to Beijing over hacking.

Tensions over cyber security will take center stage during a trip by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington next week, Xi's first state visit to the United States. Obama told executives on Wednesday the United States has emphasized to China that industrial espionage in cyberspace would be considered an "act of aggression", and called for an international framework to prevent the Internet from being "weaponized".

Beijing and Washington face "common challenges" on Internet security, making it "especially important for the two sides to increase mutual trust and cooperation in cyberspace", Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang said. "At the same time, the Chinese government firmly safeguards its own interests in cyberspace and is resolutely opposed to any statements or actions that harm China's interests," Zheng told reporters at a briefing on Xi's state visit.

Zheng said "we can cooperate and we should cooperate", including on setting international Internet standards. Last week, U.S. officials said Washington was considering sanctions against both Russian and Chinese individuals and companies for cyber attacks against U.S. commercial targets. However, a person briefed on the White House's thinking said on Tuesday the United States does not plan to impose sanctions on Chinese entities for economic cyber attacks ahead of Xi's visit to avoid what would be seen as a diplomatic disaster. The New York Times, citing unidentified sources, reported that Beijing had sent a letter to some U.S. firms earlier this summer asking them to promise they would not harm China’s national security and would store Chinese user data within the country.

Law enforcement cooperation is also likely to be on the agenda during Xi's visit, with Beijing pushing Washington for help in tracking down and repatriating dozens of alleged Chinese fugitives living in the United States who are wanted in China as part of a widespread crackdown on corruption. U.S. officials say they are not averse to such cooperation but that, despite requests, Beijing has failed to produce the kind of evidence of criminality needed under American law to support deportation.

Zheng said Beijing had provided "ample" evidence. "The name list for recovering dirty officials and dirty assets overseas that China has provided was made after a process of strict verification," Zheng said. Xi has launched a sweeping campaign against graft after assuming power three years ago, but has been hampered to an extent by difficulty in getting back individuals deemed corrupt who have fled abroad.

China will work with U.S. on hacking, defend its interests: official

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - Obama gonna smack the naughty Chinaman's hands for dey's cyber hackin'...

Cyber Hacking Looms Over Xi’s US Visit
September 18, 2015 — Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first trip to the United States next week comes at a time of growing tension between the two countries, particularly over cybersecurity.

President Barack Obama says cyber theft is “probably one of the biggest topics” that he will discuss with President Xi. Earlier this week Obama told U.S. business leaders that China’s theft of trade secrets is an “act of aggression that we have to stop.” Cyber espionage is “fundamentally different from your government or its proxies engaging directly in industrial espionage and stealing trade secrets, stealing proprietary information from companies,” the president said.
Possible sanctions?

U.S. officials have suggested they could impose sanctions in response. Obama told members of the Business Roundtable that the U.S. government is preparing “a number of measures that will indicate to the Chinese that this is not just a matter of us being mildly upset.” An editorial in China’s state-backed Global Times newspaper Friday called the U.S. president’s comments “disappointing” and said the U.S. exaggerates the severity of the cyber security threats. China’s government claims it also is a victim of cyber attacks.

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping during a joint news conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing

China has repeatedly stressed that it is cracking down on cyber crime. This week, Zheng Zeguang, an assistant foreign minister, voiced the government’s opposition to any kind of hacking activity. “Whoever is carrying out hacking attacks or business espionage in China is violating the country's law and will be punished by law," Zheng said. China has denied past reports that showed evidence linking the hacking of foreign targets to Chinese military units.
High-tech summit

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - as good a confirmation as there ever could be...

Chinese computer hack attacks slow ahead of Obama summit: experts
Sat Sep 19, 2015 | Major intrusions by Chinese hackers of U.S. companies' computer systems appear to have slowed in recent months, private-sector experts say, ahead of a meeting between China's president and President Barack Obama with cyber security on the agenda.

Three senior executives at private-sector firms in the field told Reuters they had noticed a downtick in hacking activity. "The pace of new breaches feels like it’s tempering," said Kevin Mandia, founder of Mandiant, a prominent company that investigates sophisticated corporate breaches. A point of friction in U.S.-Chinese relations, cyber security will be a major focus of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week in Washington, D.C., Obama said earlier this week. In the same remarks, Obama called for a global framework to prevent the Internet from being "weaponised" as a tool of national aggression, while also holding out the prospect of a forceful U.S. response to China over recent hacking attacks.

Mandia has probed major corporate breaches, including those at Sony Pictures Entertainment (6758.T), Target (TGT.N) and healthcare insurers. Experts have connected some of these to a breach of classified background investigations at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which was traced to China. Government-supported hackers in China may have backed off recently as Chinese and U.S. officials began negotiating in earnest over cyber security ahead of the Obama-Xi summit. “In my gut, I feel like the Chinese and the U.S. over the next couple of years are going to figure this out,” said Mandia, now an executive at Mandiant’s parent, FireEye Inc (FEYE.O). The FBI declined to comment on Friday.

The Obama administration has been weighing bringing economic sanctions against Chinese companies that have benefited from intellectual property theft. But no sanctions have been brought and U.S. companies disagree on the wisdom of such retaliation. U.S. Assistant Attorney General John Carlin, who leads the Justice Department's National Security Division, has scheduled a press availability on cyber security for Wednesday in Pittsburgh. That is the same day that President Xi is scheduled to attend an Internet industry forum in Seattle hosted by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O). Xi will depart the next day for Washington, D.C.

On Saturday, a Justice Department spokesman said Carlin will make routine remarks and answer questions. The spokesman said he expected U.S cyber espionage charges brought in May 2014 against five Chinese army officers would come up. The indictment alleged the officers conspired from 2006 to 2014 to hack into U.S. entities' computers and steal information. In July, the FBI said economic espionage cases it had handled in the preceding 12 months were up 53 percent from a year earlier, with China the biggest offender. Statistically, that period could have included a falloff toward the end. While Mandia said his perception of a slowdown was unscientific and based on “how often my phone has been ringing,” others voiced similar views.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Yea, but will the Chinaman stick to his word?...

Xi: Cybertheft of Commercial Secrets Should be Punished
September 22, 2015 - Chinese President Xi Jinping, who begins a U.S. visit Tuesday, said his government takes cybersecurity seriously, and that cyber criminals, including hackers stealing commercial secrets, should be punished according to the law and international conventions.

In written comments published early Tuesday in response to questions from the Wall Street Journal, Xi said China has also been a victim of hacking and denied any governmental role in stealing business data. "The Chinese government does not engage in theft of commercial secrets in any form, nor does it encourage or support Chinese companies to engage in such practices in any way," Xi wrote. On Monday, U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice warned China that Beijing-sponsored cyber espionage is a major stumbling block to U.S.-China relations, and said such spying must stop. Xi told the Wall Street Journal he is ready to boost cooperation with the U.S. on the issue of cybercrime.

He also discussed the disputed islands in the South China Sea known in China as Nansha and elsewhere as the Spratly Islands. Xi asserted that the chain, also claimed in part by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, has been Chinese territory since ancient times. China has been carrying out land reclamation projects, as well as building civilian and military facilities. "China's development and maintenance of facilities on some of our garrisoned islands and reefs in the Nansha islands does not impact on or target any other country, and it should not be overinterpreted," Xi said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping

The U.S. has demanded China stop those activities, calling them out of step with international norms and a risk for sparking conflict in the region. Xi noted the large proportion that China and the U.S. account for when it comes to the world's population, economy and trade, and said the two countries should "understand and respect each other" while taking into account each side's interests and concerns. "If two big countries like ours do not cooperate with each other, just imagine what will happen to the world. Both history and reality show that China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation."

He noted areas where China and the U.S. have come together on the world stage, including concerns about nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran, peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the situation in South Sudan and climate change. Xi said there are differences, but that those reasons are why they should "complement each other and find best solutions to issues."

Xi: Cybertheft of Commercial Secrets Should be Punished

See also:

With Xi Visiting, Family Highlights US Woman's Spying Detention in China
September 22, 2015: With Chinese President Xi Jinping making a state visit to the United States, a man in the southern U.S. city of Houston is using the occasion to call attention to the case of his wife who has been detained in China for the past six months on allegations of spying and stealing state secrets.

Jeff Gillis told VOA that Chinese authorities detained his wife Sandy Phan-Gillis, an American citizen of Chinese descent, on March 19 in Guangzhou while visiting with a group of Houston officials and Chinese-American businessmen. She has not been formally charged with any crime and was moved Sunday to a facility in Nanning.

Gillis said he does not know of anything illegal his wife did while in China. "I can't think of any reason why the Chinese government would have done this," he said. He told VOA that U.S. consular officials visited his wife in Guangzhou and determined she was not being mistreated.

Gillis wanted to keep the case a low-profile matter in hopes it could be resolved, but became discouraged as months passed and he got what he felt was a cool reaction by the U.S. State Department.

With Xi's trip, he sees an opportunity to use the state visit to get public support for his wife's case. Xi will be in Seattle beginning Tuesday, and Gillis said he and some relatives are considering staging a demonstration to coincide with the leader's visit.

With Xi Visiting, Family Highlights US Woman's Spying Detention in China

 

[Stephanie]

Yeah, and you people like the op want them running our lives. and you all want them to run our Health care so you give them OscamCare where they couldn't a damn website up and running. but as long as they aren't cutting out science, education and infrastructure

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - Obama gettin' ready to lower the boom onna Chinaman...

Obama issues new China sanctions threat over cybertheft
Sep 26, 2015, WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama laid out a fresh threat of sanctions against China for alleged cybercrimes on Friday, even as he and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached an agreement not to conduct or support such hacking. "It has to stop," Obama declared.

The president, in a Rose Garden news conference with Xi, was clear that he'll be wary until the Chinese follow through on promised efforts to stop cyberespionage, saying, "The question now is: Are words followed by action?" As for the possibility of sanctions, against either individuals, businesses or state-run companies, he said: "We will apply those, and whatever other tools we have in our tool kit, to go after cybercriminals either retrospectively or prospectively." Obama said the agreement was progress but he added that "I have to insist our work is not yet done."

Xi, for his part, agreed that the two countries would not "knowingly support" cybertheft and promised to abide by "norms of behavior" in cyberspace. "Confrontation and friction are not the right choice for both sides," Xi said, speaking through a translator. Both countries claim they don't engage in cybertheft of commercial secrets, one of the deep differences that have threatened ties between the world's two largest economies.

The agreement to clamp down on the theft of trade secrets falls short of addressing the Obama administration's greater concerns about theft of national security information, such as the tens of millions of U.S. federal personnel records that American lawmakers and some U.S. officials have said was engineered by Beijing. Obama has declined to assign blame to China for that breach nor to sanction its government, amid concerns that retaliating for that breach might have led Xi to cancel the state visit. Overall, Obama said, the two leaders' visit had yielded "an extremely productive meeting," adding that their candid conversations on areas of disagreement "help us to understand each other better."

On the issue of China's disputed territorial claims in the South China Sea, which have unnerved some US partners in Asia, Xi defended his nation's claims in the area. He said construction work on artificial islands doesn't "target or impact any country, and China does not intend to pursue militarization." The US has no territorial claims in the area but says the island development is destabilizing the region and should stop. Xi said China wanted disputes to be settled peacefully and respects freedom of navigation and overflight in the area that is crucial to global trade.

Obama issues new China sanctions threat over cybertheft - The Times of India

See also:

Obama announces 'understanding' with China's Xi on cyber theft but remains wary
Fri Sep 25, 2015 President Barack Obama announced on Friday that he had reached a "common understanding" with Chinese President Xi Jinping on curbing economic cyber espionage, but threatened to impose U.S. sanctions on Chinese hackers who persist with cyber crimes.

The two leaders also unveiled a deal to build on a landmark emissions agreement struck last year, outlining new steps they will take to deliver on pledges they made then to slash their greenhouse gas emissions. Speaking after White House talks during Xi's first U.S. state visit, Obama quickly homed in on the thorniest dispute between the world's two biggest economies - growing U.S. complaints about Chinese hacking of government and corporate databases, and the suspicion in Washington that Beijing is sometimes behind it. "It has to stop," Obama told reporters at a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden, with Xi standing beside him. Obama said he and Xi made "significant progress" on cyber security.

But he added warily: "The question now is, are words followed by actions?" and made clear he is prepared to levy sanctions against cyber criminals. The two leaders said they agreed that neither government would knowingly support cyber theft of corporate secrets or business information. But the agreement stopped short of any promise to refrain from traditional government-to-government cyber spying for intelligence purposes. That could include the massive hack of the federal government's personnel office this year that compromised the data of more than 20 million people. U.S. officials have traced that back to China but have not said whether they believe the government was responsible.

Xi reiterated China's denial of any government role in the hacking of U.S. corporate secrets and said the best way to address the problem was through bilateral cooperation and not to "politicize this issue." "Confrontation and friction are not the right choice for both sides," he said. China has routinely insisted that it too is a victim of cyber hacking. Analysts said the agreement was significant. James Lewis, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the leaked plan for sanctions helped push the Chinese toward a better-than-expected agreement, but noted that Beijing also got Washington to consider some Chinese concepts for norms of behavior.

POMP AND TECH

 

[Delta4Embassy]

WASHINGTON (AP) — China-based hackers are suspected of breaking into the computer networks of the U.S. government personnel office and stealing identifying information of at least 4 million federal workers, American officials said Thursday.

Federal Government Suffers Massive Hacking Attack

Treat others the same as you wish to be treated, remember? I'm not surprised at all. I don't like how our government represents the US to the rest of the world. Nothing, but a shame. One more reason our government should be torn up, chucked, and entirely rewritten. By the way, the attack occurred in the "beginning of May." It's now June 4. When did they realize it? Good job.

"The only way these people get on with their happy little lives is THEY DO NOT KNOW ABOUT IT!" - "M.I.B."

And they still do electronic shopping and banking? Ookay. Ignorance really is bliss.

 

[waltky]

Caught red-handed...

Chinese soldiers linked to US military hacking
Thu, Jan 21, 2016 - Two Chinese soldiers were “co-conspirators” in a plot to steal US military secrets, including designs for the F-35 stealth fighter and other warplanes, a Canadian newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The unnamed pair allegedly worked with a recent immigrant to Canada, now facing extradition to the US, to identify and raid secure databases of US military contractors, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported, citing a prosecution summary of a cyberespionage probe launched in 2014. It is the first publicly stated link to the Chinese army in a hacking case that first came to light in 2013, when US officials revealed a broad Chinese campaign of espionage had gained access to designs for two dozen major weapons systems critical to missile defenses, combat aircraft and naval ships.

The US Defense Science Board, a senior advisory group with government and civilian experts, stopped short in its report of accusing Beijing of stealing the designs. The so-called book of record cited by the Globe and Mail did not make it clear whether the two soldiers allegedly involved in the conspiracy were working for themselves or at the behest of Beijing. According to the newspaper, the “two Chinese military officers” were allegedly directed toward e-mail accounts of US aviation engineers by Sun Bin, a 50-year-old Chinese aviation entrepreneur living in Vancouver.

The hackers then reportedly mined corporate networks for engineering manuals related to the F-35, C-17 and F-22 military aircraft. They would consult with Su Bin on which documents they should try to take, according to the Globe and Mail. Eventually the pair were identified through intercepted e-mails that contained their name, rank, military unit and other information. Su Bin was arrested in June 2014 and ordered extradited to the US in September last year. He remains in Vancouver pending an appeal.

Chinese soldiers linked to US military hacking - Taipei Times