It seems that Chinese hackers have hit U.S. congressman, Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., and another congressman’s office computers over the past two years. Rep. Wolf said he was told by House investigators and the FBI that the computers of four of his staffers were hacked into in August 2006. Wolf was told that similar hacks took place at other members’ offices and committees.
The FBI and White House are keeping quiet on the issue.
The computers contain sensitive information on dissidents and human rights activists across the world.
The House Foreign Affairs committee disclosed one of its computers was also struck from a hacker working from China in 2006.
Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., said his computers for a human rights subcommittee were infected in December 2006 and March 2007 with a virus “intended to take control of the computers,” which authorities traced back to a Chinese IP address.
During U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez’s visit to China, the Chinese government may have copied information from his laptop and then sought to hack the Commerce Department’s computers.
The Chinese Embassy has denied any involvement. An embassy spokesman disputed the allegations, which he called “unwarranted and irresponsible.”
“On the subject of computer network attack or hacking activities, we have made it clear repeatedly that China has never engaged in such activities,” said spokesman Wang Bao Dong. “China itself is the victim of international hacking activities.”
When I tell people that there is a secret, online war going on, they give me that, “Yeah, he’s crazy,” look. When stories like this come out in the mainstream, no one has anything to say.
The question is, How did I know about all this? I’m afraid that I can’t reveal the answers to that. All that I can say is that Cyberspace is the new battlefield. Those who control it, control the world. This is similar to the scenario in the book, NetForce, that was created by Tom Clancy, Steve Pieczenik and written by Steve Perry. It is set in 2010 and charts the actions of Net Force: a special division of the FBI set up to combat increasing crime on the Internet.
In real life, NetForce would be a lot like Fox Network show “24”, a joint operations of the CIA, Homeland Security, the FBI, NSA and the DoD. The main focus would not just be crime, but terrorism. Speaking of the DoD…
The Air Force has jurisdiction over Cyberspace:
“The aim is to develop a major command that stands alongside Air Force Space Command and Air Combat Command as the provider of forces that the President, combatant commanders and the American people can rely on for preserving the freedom of access and commerce, in air, space and now cyberspace.”
So there is doubt that there is going to be a retaliation of some type. There are also several Congressional hearings planned on the subject of Cyber-Security.
If this was “24”, Jack Bauer would have handled those Chinese hackers a long time ago.
.” Nick Turse explores how everything from the clothes we wear to the coffee we sip at Starbucks is connected to a Defense Department contract.
The Anacostia Diaries 