| This week North Korean cyber terrorists are | | | | The recent cyber attacks were called a "denial of |
| believed to have attacked websites in both the | | | | service" or DOS attack. It is similar to the |
| United States and South Korea. While Americans | | | | messages on web sites consumers may |
| and the world were saying good bye to popular | | | | encounter when a web site is overloading, such as |
| late night friend, Ed McMahon, remembering Farrah | | | | when visiting a coupon site or special event at a |
| Faucet, celebrating the music of Michael Jackson | | | | shopping web site. |
| and pondering over future custody arrangements | | | | What is suspected is that malware (malicious |
| for Michael Jackson's three children, the trouble | | | | computer programmers), from North Korean |
| that has been brewing in North Korea like a | | | | cyber terrorists infected thousands of computers |
| poisonous cauldron finally boiled over and starting | | | | using Microsoft Windows with a computer virus. |
| spilling out the world. | | | | As a result, the cyber hacking programmer would |
| During President Bush's administration, threats of | | | | be able to create a network on computers, or |
| North Korean nuclear testing were bubbling and | | | | "botnets," that could be programmed to do |
| while the focus may have shifted under Obama's | | | | whatever the programmer wanted. The technique |
| administration, the heat has never really been | | | | used would be similar to that reported in Golden |
| turned down. The North Korean threats migrated | | | | Cash Network Uses Bots and Zombies to Steal |
| from big what ifs to very specific and human | | | | Information. |
| targets this spring. Two American journalists were | | | | The collective computers are then directed to |
| held and convicted for "illegal border crossing and | | | | access web servers, in the same way you and I |
| unspecified grave crime," with a penalty of 12 | | | | do when we access a website. The subtle |
| years of reform through labor. | | | | difference is that with the use of spoofing, an IP |
| North Korean Cyber Attacks: What Really | | | | -Internet Protocol address, just appears to be |
| Happened? | | | | busy. The website keeps trying to send |
| According to Johannes Ulrich, SANS Internet | | | | information requested repeatedly, which ties it up |
| Storm Center's chief technology officer, the | | | | over and over again. In other words, it simulates |
| attacks began over the holiday weekends as | | | | an over-load. Then while the host servers and |
| Americans celebrated July fourth. | | | | sites are busy trying to answer the fraudulent |
| Targets in the United States included: | | | | requests for information, new spoofed IP |
| - The White House | | | | addresses are created over and over and the |
| - Department of Transportation, (DOT) | | | | servers are no longer able to respond. |
| - Department of Homeland Security | | | | Websites such as the White House, Pentagon and |
| - Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA) | | | | New York Stock Exchange seemed to have |
| - National Security Agency, (NSA) | | | | managed the attack with out side effects since |
| - The State Department | | | | they are used to enduring high demand volume |
| - U.S. Postal Service | | | | while they are also benefited by higher band |
| - U.S. Treasury Department | | | | capabilities as well. Unfortunately, other servers, |
| - Federal Trade Commission | | | | such as the Federal Trade Commission and the |
| - A Pentagon website | | | | Department of Transportation went off-line. |
| - A website for U.S. Forces in South Korea | | | | In the simplest of lay terms, it is similar in nature |
| The results of the cyber terrorists attacks, | | | | to the phenomenon that occurred when Oprah |
| confirmed by officials, were that the Treasury | | | | offered the public a free KFC skinless chicken |
| Department, Secret Service, Federal Trade | | | | dinner. Hundreds of thousands of people went |
| Commission and Transportation Department sites | | | | on-line to get the free printable coupon from her |
| "were all down at various points over the | | | | web site, and KFC's web site as well. The servers |
| weekend and into this week and some of the | | | | were overloaded for days, causing the offer to |
| sites were still experiencing problems on Tuesday | | | | be withdrawn and changed and thousands of |
| evening after the attack.' | | | | anxious consumers received the message that |
| The cyber terrorist attacks also affected South | | | | the website was unavailable. This is just one |
| Korean government agencies and banks, leaving | | | | small-scale example that much of the public can |
| them with inaccessible or unusable websites. | | | | relate to as a of denial of service attack. |
| "This is not a simple attack by individuals. The | | | | Now imagine that thousands of such fraudulent |
| attack appeared to have been elaborately | | | | messages are being sent to government |
| prepared and staged by a certain organization or | | | | computers that run staple services and securities |
| state," Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS) | | | | for the citizens of the United States. While we |
| said in a statement. The NIS also stated that, "US | | | | may be disappointed in not getting out free |
| authorities were cooperating to track down those | | | | chicken dinner coupon, the terrorist cyber attacks |
| responsible for hijacking 12,000 personal | | | | that our country experienced last week |
| computers in South Korea and 8,000 abroad | | | | threatened the free world with so much more |
| which were exploited as vehicles for the attacks." | | | | than missing out on a free lunch sandwich. |
| Cyber Attacks in Lay Terms: | | | | |