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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-news-blog/2013/feb/20/hacking-china-state-department-mtv-cybercrime
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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| China, MTV and Burger King: this week in cyber attacks | China, MTV and Burger King: this week in cyber attacks |
| (8 days later) | |
| A spate of cybersecurity breaches this week, with targets ranging from the US State Department to Apple, has thrown a spotlight on to the issue of leaked data and the attempts by the US government to crack down on hackers. | A spate of cybersecurity breaches this week, with targets ranging from the US State Department to Apple, has thrown a spotlight on to the issue of leaked data and the attempts by the US government to crack down on hackers. |
| Groups as disparate as Anonymous and the Chinese government have been blamed for the various hacks. | Groups as disparate as Anonymous and the Chinese government have been blamed for the various hacks. |
| Here's a guide to who has been hacked so far this week, who has been doing the hacking, and why. | Here's a guide to who has been hacked so far this week, who has been doing the hacking, and why. |
| US State Department | US State Department |
| Who's hacking: Anonymous | Who's hacking: Anonymous |
| What's happening: Anonymous pointed to its Operation Last Resort Arm as it announced a hack of the State Department, releasing the addresses of over 170 employees in the name of what it's calling the US government's "war on whistleblowers", like hacker Aaron Swartz. | What's happening: Anonymous pointed to its Operation Last Resort Arm as it announced a hack of the State Department, releasing the addresses of over 170 employees in the name of what it's calling the US government's "war on whistleblowers", like hacker Aaron Swartz. |
| We still have our warheads armed and we told you to expect us for round 5 well here we go Ding Ding! #WeWantChange youtube.com/watch?v=pPa1eg… | We still have our warheads armed and we told you to expect us for round 5 well here we go Ding Ding! #WeWantChange youtube.com/watch?v=pPa1eg… |
| This hack came less than two weeks after Anonymous took credit for hitting the Federal Reserve and releasing the contact information of hundreds of bank executives. | This hack came less than two weeks after Anonymous took credit for hitting the Federal Reserve and releasing the contact information of hundreds of bank executives. |
| Who's claiming responsibility: Anonymous. On the State Department front, the agency has kept mum. | Who's claiming responsibility: Anonymous. On the State Department front, the agency has kept mum. |
| China | China |
| Who's hacking: China – specifically, a secret division of the Chinese military called Unit 61398. Allegedly. | Who's hacking: China – specifically, a secret division of the Chinese military called Unit 61398. Allegedly. |
| What's happening: They're hacking everyone, and they're among the most sophisticated cyber-espionage outfits in existence. And they've been cyber-swiping huge amounts of information for years, according to American security firm Mandiant. | What's happening: They're hacking everyone, and they're among the most sophisticated cyber-espionage outfits in existence. And they've been cyber-swiping huge amounts of information for years, according to American security firm Mandiant. |
| Last week, Facebook traced attacks on employee laptops to China, and Apple has since reported a similar malware attack. AllThingsD identified a site called iPhonedevSdk as the likely culprit behind the attacks Tuesday afternoon, but didn't mention country of origin. | Last week, Facebook traced attacks on employee laptops to China, and Apple has since reported a similar malware attack. AllThingsD identified a site called iPhonedevSdk as the likely culprit behind the attacks Tuesday afternoon, but didn't mention country of origin. |
| Who's claiming responsibility: No one's claiming responsibility, and no one's exactly naming names. The Washington Post has this from White House spokesperson Jay Carney about the Mandiant claims: | Who's claiming responsibility: No one's claiming responsibility, and no one's exactly naming names. The Washington Post has this from White House spokesperson Jay Carney about the Mandiant claims: |
| We have repeatedly raised our concerns at highest levels about cybertheft with senior Chinese officials, including the military, and we will continue to do so. It's an important challenge, one the president has been working on and urging Congress to work on for quite some time. The United States and China are among the world's largest cyber actors, so it's critical. | We have repeatedly raised our concerns at highest levels about cybertheft with senior Chinese officials, including the military, and we will continue to do so. It's an important challenge, one the president has been working on and urging Congress to work on for quite some time. The United States and China are among the world's largest cyber actors, so it's critical. |
| (All of this, by the way, comes on the heels of President Obama issuing an executive order calling for the government to better protect itself against cyber attacks.) | (All of this, by the way, comes on the heels of President Obama issuing an executive order calling for the government to better protect itself against cyber attacks.) |
| Who's hacking: Anonymous (again) | Who's hacking: Anonymous (again) |
| What's happening: This decentralized collective has been busy. Hackers who claim affiliation are taking credit for spewing out nonsensical Twitter posts using hashtags commonly affiliated with the Philadelphia and Chicago rap communities from the likes of Burger King and Jeep – a departure from calling out the US government, for sure. | What's happening: This decentralized collective has been busy. Hackers who claim affiliation are taking credit for spewing out nonsensical Twitter posts using hashtags commonly affiliated with the Philadelphia and Chicago rap communities from the likes of Burger King and Jeep – a departure from calling out the US government, for sure. |
| Dear media, re: @jeep. #BlameAnonymous | Dear media, re: @jeep. #BlameAnonymous |
| Who's claiming responsibility: Anonymous has claimed responsibility for the hacks, and Burger King, for its part, has apologized to followers. But Twitter is the missing link. We've reached out to Twitter about where the company is in ramping up their two-factor authentication process to bolster security after 250,000 accounts were reported compromised earlier this month. According to a Twitter spokesperson: "Status unchanged." | Who's claiming responsibility: Anonymous has claimed responsibility for the hacks, and Burger King, for its part, has apologized to followers. But Twitter is the missing link. We've reached out to Twitter about where the company is in ramping up their two-factor authentication process to bolster security after 250,000 accounts were reported compromised earlier this month. According to a Twitter spokesperson: "Status unchanged." |
| About the Jeep hack, Twitter spokesperson told the Guardian that the company does not address individual accounts. Meanwhile, the service suspended the account of user @GUHTI_, who was among users claiming credit for the Jeep hack – but not @YourAnonNews. | About the Jeep hack, Twitter spokesperson told the Guardian that the company does not address individual accounts. Meanwhile, the service suspended the account of user @GUHTI_, who was among users claiming credit for the Jeep hack – but not @YourAnonNews. |
| MTV | MTV |
| Who's hacking: MTV and BET | Who's hacking: MTV and BET |
| What's happening: MTV and BET hacked themselves in a bogus publicity stunt, probably violating the guidelines for verified accounts in the process. Those read as follows: | What's happening: MTV and BET hacked themselves in a bogus publicity stunt, probably violating the guidelines for verified accounts in the process. Those read as follows: |
| You may not impersonate others through the Twitter service in a manner that does or is intended to mislead, confuse, or deceive others. | You may not impersonate others through the Twitter service in a manner that does or is intended to mislead, confuse, or deceive others. |
| Who's claiming responsibility: MTV. | Who's claiming responsibility: MTV. |
| We totally Catfish-ed you guys. Thanks for playing! <3 you, @bet. ;) | We totally Catfish-ed you guys. Thanks for playing! <3 you, @bet. ;) |
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