Security News > 2009 > July > U.S., South Korea Targeted in Swarm Of Internet Attacks

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/08/AR2009070800066.html By Ellen Nakashima, Brian Krebs and Blaine Harden Washington Post Staff Writers July 9, 2009 U.S. and South Korean authorities yesterday were investigating the source of attacks on at least 35 government and commercial Web sites in the two countries, officials said. In the United States, the attacks primarily targeted Internet sites operated by major government agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security and Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Trade Commission, according to several computer security researchers. But The Washington Post's site was also affected. South Korea's main spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, said in a statement that it thought the attacks were carried out "at the level of a certain organization or state" but did not elaborate. The South Korean news agency Yonhap and the JoongAng Daily, a major newspaper in Seoul, reported that intelligence officials had told South Korean lawmakers that North Korea or its sympathizers were prime suspects. A spokesman for the intelligence service said that it could not confirm the report. The attacks were described as a "distributed denial of service," a relatively unsophisticated form of hacking in which personal computers are commanded to overwhelm certain Web sites with a blizzard of data. The effort did not involve the theft of sensitive information or the disabling of crucial operational systems, government and security experts said. But they noted that it was widespread, resilient and aimed at government sites. [...] _______________________________________________ Attend Black Hat USA, July 25-30 in Las Vegas, the world's premier technical event for ICT security experts. Network with 4,000+ delegates from 50 nations. Visit product displays by 30 top sponsors in a relaxed setting. http://www.blackhat.com

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/08/AR2009070800066.html