• Major Cyber Spy Operation Unearthed

    Major Cyber Spy Operation Unearthed

    Techtree News Staff, Mar 30, 2009 1146 hrs IST

    At least 1,295 computers in 103 countries have been hacked

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In what is now thought as the largest hacking operation in terms of the countries affected, researchers have concluded that documents of several government and private offices across countries have been stolen.


 


Researchers at the University of Toronto have said that at least 1,295 computers in 103 countries have been hacked, including those of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan exiles. This is also the first time researchers have exposed the workings of a computer system used in an intrusion of this magnitude.


 


The trail began when the office of the Dalai Lama asked an internet-based research group to examine its computers for signs of malicious software or malware. The system was being controlled from computers based mainly in China but the researchers could not conclusively say if the Chinese government was involved.


 


The spying system, which has been called Ghost-Net, was focused on hacking into classified government documents of South Asian and Southeast Asian countries. The researchers said that they found no evidence that US government offices had been hacked, although a NATO computer was monitored by the spies for half a day and computers of the Indian embassy in Washington were infiltrated.


 


The hackers were apparently able to take control of computers belonging to several foreign ministries and embassies across the world using malicious software, or malware. The malware not only hunts for important files but also turns on the camera and audio-recording functions of an infected computer, enabling monitors to see and hear what goes on in a room.

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