Technology

‘Operation Shady RAT’: World’s Biggest Hacking Operation Hails from China?

Operation Shady RAT: Does Worlds Biggest Hacking Operation Hails from China?

You would think that the world’s largest hacking operation to date might possess a rather sinister sounding name. Or, it could just be called “Operation Shady RAT.” RAT standing  for “remote access tool,” a type of software used by hackers to access networks from remote locations.

Shady RAT, which appears to have been born and raised in China, has reportedly infiltrated the networks of some 72 organizations over the last five years, including the United Nations, state governments and various companies around from the world. While the internet security firm McAfee uncovered the breaches, it has declined to name the culprits. But other security experts are pointing the finger at China.

During its assault on networks worldwide, some of Shady Rat’s victims allegedly include the governments of the United States, Taiwan, India, South Korea, Vietnam and Canada; the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); the International Olympic Committee (IOC); the World Anti-Doping Agency; and an assortment of companies, from reportedly defense contractors to the high-tech industry.

Reuters gives us some of the details:

In the case of the United Nations, the hackers broke into the computer system of its secretariat in Geneva in 2008, hid there for nearly two years, and quietly combed through reams of secret data, according to McAfee.

“Even we were surprised by the enormous diversity of the victim organizations and were taken aback by the audacity of the perpetrators,” McAfee’s vice president of threat research, Dmitri Alperovitch, wrote in a 14-page report released on Wednesday.

“What is happening to all this data … is still largely an open question. However, if even a fraction of it is used to build better competing products or beat a competitor at a key negotiation (due to having stolen the other team’s playbook), the loss represents a massive economic threat.”

McAfee learned of the extent of the hacking campaign in March this year, when its researchers discovered logs of the attacks while reviewing the contents of a “command and control” server that they had discovered in 2009 as part of an investigation into security breaches at defense companies.

…

Some of the attacks lasted just a month, but the longest — on the Olympic Committee of an unidentified Asian nation — went on and off for 28 months, according to McAfee.

…

“This is the biggest transfer of wealth in terms of intellectual property in history,” he said. “The scale at which this is occurring is really, really frightening.”

But where does China come in? According to Jim Lewis, a cyber expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, China is the most likely suspect because it had the most to gain. Lewis alleges that some of RAT’s targets posessed information that would be of particular interest to Beijing.

Reuters explains:

The systems of the IOC and several national Olympic Committees were breached before the 2008 Beijing Games. And China views Taiwan as a renegade province, and political issues between them remain contentious even as economic ties have strengthened in recent years.

“Everything points to China. It could be the Russians, but there is more that points to China than Russia,” Lewis said.

Watch the special report below:

Comments (34)

  • Christian Kalgaard
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 9:20am

    those gosh-darn chai-kans

    Report Post » Christian Kalgaard  
  • Jane
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 2:25am

    Can’t remember which station I was listening to on XM — the commentator said he wasn’t surprised that files were hacked, that some government offices used ROT13 encryption. It seemed so crazy, I LOL’d, but maybe he knew something. Does our open door policy extend to the file cabinet? Yikes!

    Report Post »  
  • banjarmon
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 1:25am

    If BO dose not do anything to help stop it, he will be a guilty as the China and Russia.

    Report Post » banjarmon  
  • CulperGang
    Posted on August 5, 2011 at 10:25pm

    If we had normal patriots in the senate they would have charged the Clintons with treason a long time ago. They would have impeached Bush and certainly called for an investigation into Obamas complete background. BUT they won’t/can’t because the Bankers via n s a run the Hill. I think Senators are afraid for their lives.

    http://www.sianews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2253

    “McDonald spear headed efforts against bushes nwo. bush sr. was in dallas on 22.

    Report Post » CulperGang  
    • CulperGang
      Posted on August 5, 2011 at 10:28pm

      Chicoms like sharks are circling the hemmoraging Lady Liberty, they need to know everything about their prey.

      Report Post » CulperGang  
    • CulperGang
      Posted on August 5, 2011 at 11:34pm

      more on Larry McDonald…lsten to what he says in ‘83.
      There are some in the gov. and he names names who have been actively giving communist countries our technologies……….that is why the russians shot down his flight he was exposing the symbiotic relationships between some US citizen operatives in gov. HE WAS 100% right and we now see the marxist as potus with the hill doing nothing to stop it, in fact they are going along with the program as we saw in the debt ceiling debate. Another sign that gops are with them…is the fact that they are trying to put up people as candidates who belong to the cfr/are members of the bilderbergers/are supporters of oblahblah ie: scott brown/Romney and his healthcare….now christie with his OBVIOUS liberal muslim judge………patriots are in a fight for the republic……many on the hill are n w o shills of communism. Why communism over a republic? in communism the “elites” live extremely well without working much if at all…….main criteria support partyline and #1 guy. THAT gets you to live very, very very well.

      this is a mind blower! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlkD5z740w0 pt#1

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma6Cnqqv39M&feature=related pt#2

      the conspiracy they talk about is now an actuality.

      Report Post » CulperGang  
    • GdHUs
      Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:44am

      That old Cross Fire clip was very chilling indeed. It falls right in line with what Glenn‘s been saying about the Progressive movement’s long term aims on globalization. It’s amazing how the John Birchers caught on to it back 28 years ago. Of course the far left did to them what they’re trying to do to Beck now, which is to totally demonize him so that he, like the JBirchers, will be seen as a pariah even by the conservatives.

      Report Post » GdHUs  
  • freedomisasfreedomdoes
    Posted on August 5, 2011 at 5:12pm

    Oh wow I am shocked. lol

    Report Post » freedomisasfreedomdoes  
  • JEANNIEMAC
    Posted on August 5, 2011 at 10:44am

    In 1988, the FBI’s Chief of Counterintelligence, Harry Godfrey III, told the Los Angeles Times that China was “the most active foreign power” seeking America’s military secrets. Godfrey said Livermore National Laboratory was among China’s main targets.

    snip….

    Garberson said that the rules at Livermore “remain by law: no transfer of classified technology to Russia and China” is permitted, and said he was familiar enough with programs there to know that no technologies had been reclassified to allow for Commerce Department officials to sell the technology abroad.

    The Clinton administration had reset long-standing policies relating to technology transfers. By March of 1994, the administration had abolished the COCOM system that had safeguarded technology transfers from Western countries to East Bloc or communist nations.

    Later the White House took the key decision-making powers over technology transfers from the State and Defense Departments and gave them to the Commerce Department.

    These changes greatly expedited sales of U.S. technology, including supercomputers once prohibited for sale to communist countries and useful in developing nuclear weapons.

    snip….

    When the Justice Department began a grand jury probe of this apparent illegal transfer, President Clinton quickly reclassified the technology and approved its transfer, effectively undermining the Justice Department’s case against Loral.

    (Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com …

    Report Post »  
  • JEANNIEMAC
    Posted on August 5, 2011 at 10:42am

    From freerepublic.com:
    Posted on Thursday, July 03, 2003 3:12:19 PM by OXENinFLA

    A scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has provided information that seriously contradicts Clinton administration claims that nuclear secrets obtained by China were solely the result of espionage during the late 1980′s.

    snip…..

    A nuclear weapons scientist, who has sought anonymity “to keep my position and keep supporting my family,” has informed NewsMax.com that the Clinton administration has, in fact, aggressively sought to provide China with some of the nation’s most closely guarded nuclear weapons technology.

    “It seems like every day there are more and more Chinese at Livermore,” he stated. The scientist said the administration had facilitated the transfer of laser technology employed in the process of making nuclear weapons-grade plutonium.

    “Early in the 1980′s a process was developed at Lawrence Livermore for producing weapons-grade plutonium,” the scientist explained, revealing for the first time details of a U.S. government project then considered the government’s most important.

    snip….

    This concern for security for the weapons enriching laser process, however, quickly faded during the Clinton administration.

    During the Clinton administration’s first year, China began making overtures to gain access to Livermore’s weapons-grade enriching process.

    For years the work at Livermore had been a prime target for Chinese espionage. In 1988

    Report Post »  
  • Nigel2
    Posted on August 5, 2011 at 12:58am

    Isn’t it high time we gave these commie rats a little taste of their own medicine. I demand we start launching retaliatory cyber attacks until this activity stops!

    Report Post » Nigel2  
  • Wilma
    Posted on August 4, 2011 at 10:15pm

    What will our government (that includes everyone) do about this? ………. crickets

    Report Post » Wilma  
    • JEANNIEMAC
      Posted on August 5, 2011 at 10:35am

      Frankly, I think Obama won’t do much. Anything that helps to destroy our economy is fine with him. After all, that is his agenda.

      Report Post »  
  • Ready2Rumble
    Posted on August 4, 2011 at 5:47pm

    Why doesn’t this surprise me????

    Report Post » Ready2Rumble  
  • Ole Country Doctor
    Posted on August 4, 2011 at 12:06pm

    And here‘s the cited article for all you ’smart progressives’ who always accuse the deep thinkers of “making it up.”
    http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_48/b4110072404167.htm

    Report Post » Ole Country Doctor  
    • JRook
      Posted on August 4, 2011 at 2:20pm

      “While the internet security firm McAfee uncovered the breaches, it has declined to name the culprits.” So how can the Patriot Act allow the government to ignore the civil rights of US citizens, but not compel McAfee to state who is doing this. Of course the people who need to know, know. The problem is we can’t take action against China or Russia at this point. At least not openly.

      Report Post »  
    • JRook
      Posted on August 4, 2011 at 2:24pm

      Who is making what up. Murdoch and is companies are hacking cell phones and I’m sure the US is performing all kinds of wonderful stuff to N. Korea, Iran, etc. The point being is that it is become an acceptable practice by many, including the US. So really tough for anyone to claim the higher ground or they are a victim.

      Report Post »  
  • Ole Country Doctor
    Posted on August 4, 2011 at 12:03pm

    NASA and the Apollo ERA technology have already been hacked by China through “Mirror sites” is Hamburg Germany. Grat article about this 3 years ago about this in “Business Week.” When our officials are invited to spectate the next Chinese Moon launch we should send some patent attorneys over with the specs of our stolen hardware and start ripping it off the launch vehicle….

    Report Post » Ole Country Doctor  
    • JEANNIEMAC
      Posted on August 5, 2011 at 10:38am

      Russia has spoken about sinking the International Space Station into the ocean. If this was done, the Station would be declared “salvage” and Russia could simply haul it up again, take it apart, and discover all of our technology which we contributed.

      Report Post »  
  • piper60
    Posted on August 4, 2011 at 10:09am

    China’s undermining our internet security…………who would have thunk it…………

    Report Post » piper60  
  • KICKILLEGALSOUT
    Posted on August 4, 2011 at 9:10am

    Yet we continue to allow record increases every year of Chinese foreign nationals in the hundreds of thousands to enter our best schools to steal our technology and learn how to attack us better. Chinese espionage is out of control and has cost us Trillions in economic damage over the years. As our economy crashes and our dollar collapses, corrupt foreign Chinese money pours into our country to buy up our land, property, and businesses some of which are facilitated by those in our own State governments as they are more than willing to make trips to China and sign deals with big tax breaks and discounted land in the hopes that it will bring economic growth and keep them elected to office. What they fail to realize is we are transferring our country to hostile foreigners for pennies on the dollar at the expense of US citizens! Contact your Representative today to draw up a bill to ban foreign ownership of US land. Almost every country in the world has laws like this on the books and if we don’t too we have already left ourselves vulnerable to foreign takeover. In fact many foreigners are already taking advantage of the investor immigration green cards by buying US land and property at bargain prices and at the same time receiving investors green cards so they can chain migrate hundreds more to your community.
    WE ARE BEING SOLD OUT! BAN FOREIGN OWNERSHIP OF US LAND! IMMIGRATION IS KILLING OUR COUNTRY!

    Report Post » KICKILLEGALSOUT  
    • bdwatcher
      Posted on August 6, 2011 at 10:03am

      Yes, Idaho has sold 50 sq miles to the Chinese. They will build a complete self supporting community and will be occupied only with Chinese personnel and citizens… WTF? Just google or bing Idaho sells land to Chinese…….

      Report Post » bdwatcher  
  • EqualJustice
    Posted on August 4, 2011 at 9:00am

    They already STEAL everything we develop anyway. Why is this news?

    Report Post » EqualJustice  
    • Servant Of YHVH
      Posted on August 4, 2011 at 9:02am

      Actually they don’t have to steal anything! The liberal wacko president’s that have been getting into office just gives it to them.

      Report Post » Servant Of YHVH  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on August 4, 2011 at 8:54am

    No surprise there, it was either China or Russia. Maybe both working together.

    Report Post » Gonzo  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on August 4, 2011 at 7:54am

    How many remember the fact the admin declared a cyber attack would be a “act of war” and that the other day the Blaze covered an anrticle of the admin seeking to hire “Cyber mercenaries” to deal with a cyber war?

    I wonder who the admin will blame for the attack, China or the people of America for not allowing the admin to destroy the nation? This may be an ‘emergency’ they will use to smash net neutrality and worse down our throats even more.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • commonsenseguy
      Posted on August 4, 2011 at 8:25am

      morning snow, hope you are having a great morning as usual it is going to be hot, pray for rain,we need it bad as everyone else, we are about 11 inch behind this year and the lakes are drying up here in texas, went fishing the other day and did not need a rod an reel, just my hand, it was like catching fish in a fish bowl, anyway you are right, they will use this as a way to get their agenda through,so they can spy even more and regulate our fee speech.

      Report Post »  
    • commonsenseguy
      Posted on August 4, 2011 at 8:27am

      free speech. it may be fee speech before they get through with us.pay to talk,pay to breath,pay to die.

      Report Post »  
  • louise
    Posted on August 4, 2011 at 7:49am

    and China is given “most favored nation” status….?

    Report Post » louise  
  • Son_of_Liberty
    Posted on August 4, 2011 at 7:38am

    “There can be no greater error than to expect or calculate upon real favors from nation to nation.” George Washington

    3%

    Report Post » Son_of_Liberty  
  • olddog
    Posted on August 4, 2011 at 7:36am

    I think it would be only right to fine China $15 Trillion, But BO would blow through that quickly..

    Report Post » olddog  
    • Servant Of YHVH
      Posted on August 4, 2011 at 9:04am

      I don’t know olddog, it might take him 3 weeks at least with a little bit of restraint.

      Report Post » Servant Of YHVH  
    • KICKILLEGALSOUT
      Posted on August 4, 2011 at 9:13am

      If you gave BO $15 Trillion dollars he would find some way to give the majority of it back to the Commie Chinese and the rest to Muslim countries.

      Report Post » KICKILLEGALSOUT  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on August 4, 2011 at 7:33am

    .
    I sure wish someone would Hack my bank account and drop a couple of million in it….

    Ok Hacker Dude’s there is a challenge for ya. Make us all Millionaire’s that would cause a big stir……

    SpankDaMonkey  

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