DailyTech - Quick Note: China Targets White House in Cyber Attack

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Internet Quick Note: China Targets White House in Cyber Attack
Tiffany Kaiser - October 1, 2012 8:21 PM

68 comment(s) - last by EricMartello.. on Oct 5 at 12:24 AM

(Source: 20th Century Fox)

According to the White House, no data was accessed or stolen from classified networks

The White House announced that it had been the victim of a cyber attack, but the hackers didn't get away with any valuable information.

According to a report from Politico, the attack was geared toward a White House Military Office computer system. However, the White House said that the attack was isolated and that it affected an "unclassified network," so no data was stolen.

It was confirmed that the hackers were from China, and that the method for the attack was "spear phishing." This means that the hackers sent an email that contained links or download attachments that were labeled with important tags or phrases to lure in the reader. However, once they click on the links or download the attachment, malware is released into the computer system.

Just last month, it was announced that the White House is working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and others to create an executive order to counter cyber security threats. However, many argue that an executive order isn't good enough -- they say cyber security legislation is necessary because it can offer greater consequences for hackers, give the DHS funding for cyber security workers, etc.

Source: Politico