[ISN] Third Country Hacker Uses Korean Computers to Hack U.S Air Force Space Command

From: InfoSec News (isn@private)
Date: Fri May 21 2004 - 07:52:46 PDT

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    http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200405/200405210043.html
    
    Updated May 21, 2004
    
    Korean police and their U.S counterpart began a joint investigation as
    several computers of an army unit under the U.S Air Force Space
    Command (SPACECOM) were hacked by an individual in a third country via
    a Korean firms¡¯ computers in mid-February.
    
    The U.S. concluded that it was a serious case and hurriedly dispatched
    its investigators to Korea. The two countries began to establish a
    closely cooperative investigation system and have shared information
    to identify the hacker.
    
    The U.S Air Force Space Command is one of nine major joint forces
    commands under the Department of Defense and the core part that
    directs, controls and operates U.S. state-of-the-art military
    sections, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, satellites and
    radar equipment.
    
    The Cyber Terror Response Center of the Korea Police Agency said
    Friday that it launched an investigation, as the U.S. had notified
    that a third country¡¯s person had hacked into several computers of an
    army unit under the U.S Air Force Space Command. It was revealed that
    the hacker used computer servers of two Korean companies, the center
    said.
    
    The third country is another Asian nation, but the police agency has
    not revealed the name of the country, giving consideration to
    international relations. The hacker hacked into the computers of the
    U.S Air Force Space Command via two Korean private firms located in
    Inchon and Daegu. The hacker used Korean computers by remote control
    in the third country to penetrate into the U.S computers. The hacking
    was possible because Korea¡¯s Internet network is the most highly
    developed in the world and has a close connection with the U.S., and
    Korean companies¡¯ computer networks are poorly managed due to firms'
    low security awareness.
    
    A police investigator said that the two Korean firms did not realize
    their computers were hacked. The third country hacker showed high
    technical prowess by using two computers simultaneously to dodge
    police.
    
    This person hacked into computers of 12 countries like Taiwan and
    Japan, except the U.S., by using Korean computers. The hacker explored
    target computers prior to hacking them 120,000 times alone, the police
    officer said.
    
    Korea and the U.S. have almost identified who the hacker is and are to
    ask the third country to cooperate in arresting the culprit.
    
    The US Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and the Computer
    Crime Investigation Unit (CCIU) sent two army and navy investigators
    to Korea. They are sharing information and discussing the future
    direction of the investigation with Korean police.
    
    (Jang Il-hyun, ihjang@private )
    
    
    
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