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British hackers pose as North Koreans

Glorious revolution spreads to Blighty
Tuesday, 14 July 2009, 10:15

A DENIAL OF SERVICE attack which was blamed on the glorious workers of North Korea might have been the work of Blighty hackers.

The attack crippled dozens of US and South Korean web sites last week and Hanoi-based security outfit Bkis has disclosed analysis showing that it used 166,908 botted PCs from 74 countries.

According to USA Today Bkis Security had a look under the bonnet of the attack code and found that it was being controlled through eight control servers, tied into a master server located in the UK and running the Windows Server 2003.

Bkis research director Nguyen Minh Duc said that bots carrying out the attacks were located in South Korea, the United States, China, Japan, Canada, Australia and 68 other nations. However each randomly connected every three minutes to one of the eight control servers to receive instructions on which website to attack next. The control servers, in turn, received commands routed through the master server.

Since the hackers were based in Blighty it should be a doddle for the US and South Korean governments to find out who owns it and get the hackers deported.

Of course just because the master server was located in the UK doesn't mean the attackers were Brits, but it does mean that they should be much easier to find.

Apparently the glorious workers of North Korea have not got the hacking expertise to mount an attack this good.

Another sign it was not the North Koreans was that the bot computers have begun to self destruct and are erasing work files to make the PCs inoperable the next time the user reboots. This indicates a hacker who wants to cover their tracks and wants to threaten commercial files. µ

 

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pinch of salt

so a security outfit from one communist country denies the attack came from another communist country, and why wouldn't the north want to threaten commercial files?

posted by : dirkd, 14 July 2009 Complain about this comment
probably not

"Since the hackers were based in Blighty it should be a doddle for the US and South Korean governments to find out who owns it and get the hackers deported."

unless they have assburgers syndrome. Then it will be 4239807423 appeals and a few celebrity fundraisers later before the curious bastard is .... given another appeal.

posted by : Bounty, 14 July 2009 Complain about this comment
Not a "good" attack

So I don't understand why everyone is all "we got attacked OMFGWTFBBQ". The attack lasted for no time, did no damage, had no lasting effect, and nobody even noticed it save for the media fearmonger machine and a handful of government employees (who run the sites).

Nobody cares who "really" did it, America is looking for a reason to invade North Korea even tho they pose no threat. If the impoverished citizens of that brainwashed land attacked us in cyberspace maybe we can get all the jackass republicans, conservatives, and rednecks behind a new war effort.

Stop reporting about this pathetic attack and supporting our war machine.

posted by : Mcluvin, 14 July 2009 Complain about this comment
DPRK not a target for U.S.

Mcluvin:

If you think the U.S. is going to attack the DPRK over a mere hacking incident, you really ARE a drooling, knuckle-dragging, idiot libtard.

Last time I checked the DPRK has been testing nuclear weapons. I suspect if the U.S. invaded them, the DPRK would use them to protect itself. I don't think even the "jackass republicans, conservatives, and rednecks" would want a nuclear war, especially with the PRC just next door.

Show some common sense... oops, sorry, forgot, you don't have any....

As long as the DPRK doesn't attack anyone or sell their weapons abroad, we don't really give a rat's ass what they do. They could even all starve for all we care.

But as long as the DPRK keeps threatening everybody in sight with annihilation, SOMEBODY has got to stand up and tell them to behave.

The "annointed one" and his Stalinist cohorts sure aren't going to bother, they're too busy working to drive the U.S. into economic collapse.

posted by : rich wargo, 14 July 2009 Complain about this comment
@Rich

As far as not invading a country because they have nukes, is that not the very (stated) reason we invaded Iraq? Sure the North Koreans have nukes but they don't have rockets capable of hitting the states yet so any argument about Iraq's projects being in the research stages are void. They are the same situation. And I wouldn't worry about China coming to the rescue either as war with the US would have a devastating economic impact on our largest investor. That being said I don't think there is a chance in hell we are invading North Korea with Bush's clusterf@$( still alive and well in the Middle East and no immediate threat, but that doesn't make your comment any less ignorant.

posted by : libtard, 14 July 2009 Complain about this comment
@libtard

Actually they could simply use them against an invaiding force, they may not have ICBMs or even long rang ballistic missiles but im pretty sure they can drop them or strap one to a medium range missle. Any naval task force would be at threat, as would any military base in the area.

Id also point out that NK has artillary perminantly pointing to the south, if things go pear shapped The south would feel the brunt of it, so dont go assuming their lack of ability to hit American home soil is a reason not to use them. They would use them at the drop of a hat.

Its unlikely the US would get involved with the north unless the north threatens the south or Japan, in which case id expect air strikes at most, no boots on the ground.

posted by : Darren T, 14 July 2009 Complain about this comment
Really?

"If you think the U.S. is going to attack the DPRK over a mere hacking incident, you really ARE a drooling, knuckle-dragging, idiot libtard."

Why not? The USA attacked Iraq over, wait, I got it.... it's coming... no. Nothing, I got nothing.

So, a country willing to slaughter about a million civilian Iraqis because it felt bad wouldn't attack another country... for any particular reason?

I mean, we're talking about a country willing to invade the EU to save some rapists from justice. Why wouldn't such an obviously psychotic nation simply lash out at anyone? Prove me wrong.

posted by : b, 14 July 2009 Complain about this comment
USA will not do that

-The only way to attack effectively the North Korea is to destroy all the entry/exit of its underground facilities/tunnels, this is virtually impossible : too many unknown places.
Even if a high ranked North Korean military or state man will leak the precise locations of all important infrastructures a conventional bombing will take months (years ?)with the actually available means in South Korea and Japan, the North Korea will have time to counter attack.
- The USA will not risk an escalation with China and Russia.

The only possible thing is a provocation from the South Korean side (of course on american demand)to force North Koreans to counter attack in the territory of the South Korea. This with the addition of some crapoganda can be done to discredit North Korea around the World :
"Evil North Korea has deliberately attacked its South neighbour"

posted by : fl, 14 July 2009 Complain about this comment
Mistake, Rinse, Repeat

The computers were in Korea, so the hackers Koren. No wait! The computers were controlled by computers in Great Britain, so the hackers were British. No wait...

You're not correcting your error. You're just repeating it.

posted by : Guy Gordon, 14 July 2009 Complain about this comment
WTH is OMFGWTFBBQ

While I prefer the US over DPRK any day, I think North Korea will become another China eventually after Kim Jong-Il dies on his ass.

Securing a victory in economic terms is much better than firing nukes all over the globe, despite what the airheads think in the US. So please stop flashing your e-penises and your imaginary war games scenarios.

Also... I love BBQs

posted by : FFS, 15 July 2009 Complain about this comment
Nick must know something we don't

So, despite hackers being based in britain, they weren't british but foreigners that must be deported. Do you have evidence of this? It seems probable for a american hating brit to attack the us, and to hide his tracks blame it on a us enemy. If you bundle that attack with another country that are enemies with your decoy then it makes a more convincing defense.
Or perhaps you think the british are above such hackery nonsense.

posted by : lifelesspoet, 15 July 2009 Complain about this comment
Did someone mention BBQ?

That's just tipharethic - cold-sick with the swine flu scare Porkchop into running off screen!

I shall call a few friends:
Japheth (red and blue)
and we can have Cheelah
frothing FOXxy haut sauce.

They lurve a good ciao down!
Yes we can! *bEUrp*
Play me I'm yours!
Woo Pig Souie!
Issimissipissi mud!
Menta Li Il is the man is the master of everything and decides everything based upon "good times and laughter" Juche and Juri Juri Juri
Banzai!

posted by : badmaddsca pegaot, 15 July 2009 Complain about this comment
@rich wargo

"The "annointed one" and his Stalinist cohorts sure aren't going to bother, they're too busy working to drive the U.S. into economic collapse."

I thought Bush and his minions had done that already, by refusing to properly regulate bank operations and stuffing into big business' behinds what they couldn't swallow the regular way?

If I can see a brain washed libtard idiot then it's a person like you who is denying clearly visible facts because he just wants to believe what he wants to believe. The "anointed one" and his Stalinist cohorts? STFU, ultra right terrorist, you.

posted by : karx11erx, 15 July 2009 Complain about this comment
@Rich Wargo

Why call the fellow a libtard?

You will probably have already consigned GWB's unprovoked, unjustifiable attack on Iraq to the right wing memory hole. Still happened though.

So, anyone who thinks the USA would invade NK over a mere DOS attack must be a conservative: contards don't even need real reasons to invade other countries.

posted by : hoohoo, 15 July 2009 Complain about this comment
What's the betting...

... that the ip address is in New Malden?

posted by : Anon, 15 July 2009 Complain about this comment
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