Online espionage directed from China reaches Finland

No panic at Romanian Embassy over attack

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“We are aware of the attack, but we have no reason to believe that we would have problems with our computers”, said Consul Ruxandra Stãnescu at the Romanian Embassy in Helsinki on Sunday, following news that on-line spies had attacked the embassy’s computers.
      A mysterious Internet espionage ring, apparently directed from China, has infiltrated computers around the world and stolen thousands of files and documents. The main targets appear to be the governments of South and Southeast Asian countries, as well as Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
      However, targets also include the diplomatic outposts of Romania and Portugal in Helsinki. Representatives of the Romanian Embassy did not want to speculate on what information the hackers had been trying to get from them.
     
The extensive spying network was uncovered by the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto. The centre had been asked by the office of the Dalai Lama to check its computers for malware.
     The GhostNet network was found to have infiltrated about 1,300 computers in more than 100 countries. Its targets have included foreign embassies, media companies, NGOs, and international organisations.
     According to a 53-page report, targets include the foreign ministries of at least Iran, Bangladesh, Latvia, Indonesia, The Philippines, Brunei, Barbados, and Bhutan.
     Online snooping has also targeted embassies of India, South Korea, Indonesia, Romania, Cyprus, Malta, Thailand, Taiwan, Portugal, Germany and Pakistan.
     Other targets included the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). NATO was also the target of a brief attack.
     
The cyber-spies are believed to be continuing their attempts. Researchers Ron Deibert and Rafal Rohozinski concluded after a ten-month investigation that the network infiltrates dozens of new computers each week.
     The motivation for the espionage is not known. The Canadian researchers were careful not to draw the conclusion that the activity would be directed by the Chinese government, even though most of the computers of the spies have been pinpointed to China.
     A Chinese representative has dismissed suspicions of Chinese government involvement as nonsense.
     
GhostNet has proven to be an unusually effective espionage tool. It also manages to utilise the microphones and cameras of a computer in such a way that the spies are able to see and hear what is happening in the room.
     
The Finnish Security Police (SUPO) told the Finnish News Agency STT that there is no reason to be worried about the espionage uncovered by the Canadians. However, SUPO emphasises that online espionage needs to be taken seriously in companies and organisations. Fighting cyber-espionage has long been one of the aims of SUPO.


Links:
  F-Secure on GhostNet

Helsingin Sanomat