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America’s Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) computers attacked by China?

Chinese Hackers Suspected in Cyber Attack on Council on Foreign
Relations, Washington Free Beacon, Advanced cyberespionage attack
employed ‘drive-by’ method on CFR website BY: Bill Gertz December 27,
2012
Computer hackers traced to China carried out an advanced
cyberespionage attack against one of America’s most elite foreign
policy web groups – the website of the Council on Foreign Relations
(CFR).

According to private computer-security forensic specialists, the
hacking incident involved a relatively new type of ploy called a
“drive-by” website cyber attack that was detected around 2:00 p.m. on
Wednesday.

The specialists, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attack
involved penetrating the computer server that operates the New York
City-based CFR’s website and then using the pirated computer system to
attack CFR members and others who visited or “drove by” the site……
According to the computer security specialists, the cyber espionage
attack represents a new level of sophistication by foreign hackers
seeking government and other secrets by computer.

The method used in a “drive-by” attack requires hackers to covertly
plant malicious software in the CFR computer system. Then, they used
the software and the web site to attack visitors to the site by
infecting their computers in a hunt for secrets and other valuable
information. One of the specialists said the attack also involved
using the CFR site for what is called a “watering hole” attack, when
people who visit the website are infected…..
http://freebeacon.com/chinese-hackers-suspected-in-cyber-attack-on-council-on-foreign-relations/

January 8, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA