Tag Archive for: blamed

Indra hacking group blamed for attack on Iranian railway system that trolled country’s supreme leader • Graham Cluley

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Indra hacking group blamed for attack on Iranian railway system that trolled country's supreme leader

On 9 July, Iran’s railroad system came under attack from hackers.

The attackers posted messages on station departure boards warning of “long delay[s] because of cyberattack”, and suggesting inconvenienced passengers call “64411” for more information.

64411 is reportedly the telephone number of the office of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.

The following day, Iran’s transport ministry said that its computer systems and website had suffered “widespread disruption…probably due to a cyberattack.”

An analysis by experts at Sentinel One pointed the finger of blame towards MeteorExpress (also known as Meteor), a previously unseen type of wiper malware that wiped computer file systems and locked out users.

Inevitably, Iran wasn’t terribly pleased about having its systems attacked by the hackers, and there have been reports that a subsequent drone attack by Iran against an Israeli-operated oil tanker, which resulted in the death of two crew members, might have been launched in a tit-for-tat response to the cyber attack.

However, an investigation by security researchers at Check Point has concluded that the attack was the work of a hacking gang called Indra that works against the Tehran regime, rather than an attack sponsored by a nation state such as Israel.

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Was it Israel? Was it Indra? Was it Indra working under the orders of Israel?

It’s hard to be certain.

But whoever was responsible for the attack on Iran’s train system which trolled the country’s supreme leader should probably consider that it’s no laughing matter, and that things could very quickly and seriously escalate.

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China’s PLA blamed for cyberattacks in Japan

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The Chinese military is suspected of ordering hackers to attack hundreds of targets in Japan, including the country’s space agency and defense-related firms. Police sent papers to prosecutors on a Chinese Communist Party member on Tuesday on suspicion of forging digital records related to the cyberattacks.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department says the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, suffered a cyberattack in 2016. The police identified a Chinese man who had leased several servers in Japan that were allegedly used in the attack.

The man, who is no longer in Japan, is said to be a computer engineer in his 30s. He allegedly rented servers five times under false names.

Investigative sources say the servers’ ID and other credentials were then passed on to a Chinese hacker group known as “Tick.”

Tokyo police suspect the Chinese People’s Liberation Army instructed Tick to stage cyberattacks in Japan. Sources say that about 200 companies and advanced research institutions, including Mitsubishi Electric and Keio University, were targeted.

A JAXA spokesperson told NHK that the space agency did experience unauthorized access, but suffered no data leaks or other damage.

Meanwhile, another Chinese man is also said to have rented several servers in Japan using fake identities. This was allegedly under the instruction of a member of unit 61419 — a bureau in charge of cyberattacks within China’s PLA.

Cyber security expert Iwai Hiroki says Tick is one of the private hacker groups that are believed to work under the instructions of China’s PLA and national security authorities. He says Tick became active in the early 2000s and is thought to target aerospace research entities through sophisticated attacks.

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After Years Of Being Blamed For Everything, The World Turns To Video Games To Escape During Coronavirus Shut-In

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For years and years and years, video games have suffered the brunt of blame for all manner of the world’s ills. Real world violence? Video games. Mass shootings? Video games. Soccer team not performing well? Video games! Kids getting into hacking? Bruh, video games! Men not finding women attractive enough to keep the human race going? Video games did that, too!

Which makes it kind of fun to now see media outlets suggesting, nay, pushing those impacted one way or the other by the coronavirus outbreak to go jump into those same dastardly video games.

Think of gaming as a personal stimulus plan for a nation of unexpected shut-ins: It’s not a long-term solution, it won’t work for everyone, and it won’t solve the underlying problems — but it can provide limited, temporary relief for some.

Video games take many forms, but they are all essentially simulations. And when the real world is temporarily unavailable, a simulated version might be what we need.

Those of us who evangelize gaming, of course, have shouted this same line for years. Still, the point is only partially right. Yes, video games are something of a simulation… but typically a fantastical one. Which is the entire point, of course. During times of high stress, and being forced to be shut-ins by some invisible enemy that we may already have inside of us certainly qualifies, a little escapism through entertainment is nearly medicine. And certain games, frankly, are particularly well-suited to this situation.

Stuck inside a small house or apartment because your state is in lockdown? Fire up that big screen TV and Skyrim and just walk the wilds for a while. Miss being able to get out into your big city and enjoy a little freedom? GTA will at least give you a simulation of that, albeit an over the top ridiculous one. Just need to turn your brain off for an hour because you lost your job and need to relax? I’ll be damned if Stardew Valley won’t set you at ease.

That makes games useful in another way. Some of us are shut in alone. But especially in cities, many are now effectively trapped inside modest apartments with family or roommates, and little private space. Games offer a form of personal escape, a way to simulate being elsewhere from the confines of your couch.

And for those who are alone, games can also serve as social spaces, virtual fields of play for cooperative adventures or competitive contests. Many of today’s most popular games are online experiences that allow players to engage with friends as well as strangers, to forge digital versions of the same sort of bonds with teammates that can develop in the real world.

As the post notes, these are not long-term solutions, but they are therapy of a kind. All I’ll say is that we should be damned glad our PCs and consoles aren’t vengeful, or they’d refuse to help us in our time of need with all of the abuse we’ve heaped on them.

Techdirt.