Hack US Government Possibly Worse Than Thought

The US government agency that attackers late last year for a second time managed to break in and possibly the data of millions of officials spoils were very likely also sensitive private data stolen by which officials could be extorted.

The Office of Personnel Management runs a system called e-QIP, where federal officials can apply for security clearances. It should be introduced all sorts of very personal information ( pdf ), including financial data. Research now shows that these sensitive data may be stolen. It would be forms that officials must fill highly personal information, such as mental health problems, drug and alcohol use, arrests by police and bankruptcies. Also have names of acquaintances and contacts are being completed, and the social security number.

In a statement allows the White House that researchers have found that with a "very high degree of certainty" the systems for the background checks of current, former and future officers used are compromised and data is stolen, reports the Associated Press . As with the first report of the burglary researchers have no hard evidence that the data are actually captured.

Hackers May Have Stolen Emails Obama

Hackers would have received last year in an attack on an unclassified system from the White House to access e-mails of US President Barack Obama. That allow government officials across the New York Times to know. The classified systems of the White House, including the servers that Obama used to communicate via his BlackBerry, would not be cracked.

Knew the attackers to gain access to an email archive of people inside the White House, with whom Obama communicates regularly. From these accounts, reports were taken by the US president had sent and received, according to the officials who were familiar with the investigation into the burglary.

How many emails were captured would not tell them, and the sensitivity of the content. The email account of Obama himself would not have been hacked. According to the New York Times, the severity of the break for months are known to officials.Who exactly is behind the attack is unknown, but the US government looks at Russia.

Even Linux Users Targeted By Cyber Espionage

Appear regularly reports of attacks by cyber spies who have provided at Windows users, but the Japanese anti-virus company Trend Micro claims to have discovered an attack which also Linux users were targeted. The attacks come from a group that the defense companies, media organizations, Russian dissidents, members of NATO and even the White House has provided.

The attackers have been active for some time and use different tactics to infect their victims with malware. There Microsoft Office documents are used as containing spyware. In another attack were on a Polish government site posted several exploits that install malware on the same unpatched users. Finally phishing emails were also used those users to fake login pages for Microsoft Outlook Web Access (OWA) by sent.

Linux

In the first quarter of this year, the group was very active and used it several new attacks, including sending e-mails with malicious links, which supposedly to news reports seem to indicate. When a user opens the link, and certain conditions are met does the so-called news site with a message that there must be an HTML5 plugin installed to view the content of this website. In the case of Linux users who visit the website will be the X Agent or Fysbis spyware offered, while Windows users get the Sednit spyware.

Furthermore, the attackers use again the counterfeit OWA logon pages. These contain phishing pages JavaScript that when the user opens the link from the OWA preview pane, a tab opens with the intended site. In addition, the JavaScript causes the OWA session is forwarded in another tab to a phishing page that lets you know that the user is logged out and must log in again.

White House

Trend Micro also says to have proof that the group the White House has targeted. Four days after three YouTube bloggers President Barack Obama had interviewed these bloggers were the target of a Gmail phishing attack. According to the virus fighter they tried bloggers likely to use as a springboard for attacks against the White House. Who is behind the attacks is spying is not to say the anti-virus company.

Network White House Probably Hacked Phishing Mail

An unclassified network of the White House last year probably hacked by a phishing email, so let anonymous government officials across CNN know. In the attack were the attackers access to sensitive information, such as the planning of President Obama.

While this information is not classified according to the officials who would still be valuable for foreign intelligence services.To the White House to attack the attackers would first the Ministry of Interior have attacked. The officials say that a hacked email account from the ministry was used to send a phishing email to the White House. Details about this email, as used malware or exploits, are not given. According to Ben Rhodes, the national security adviser to Obama, there are no classified hacked systems in the attack.

CENTCOM's YouTube And Twitter Accounts Hacked By CyberCaliphate

Tonight the YouTube and Twitter accounts from hijacked the US Army. The social media accounts of the US Central Command showed messages from a group calling itself "CyberCaliphate". In addition to the notices published in the YouTube channel propaganda videos of IS terror group.

Screenshot from Twitter (@CENTCOM)

Both the YouTube account as the Twitter account is now inactive. In a statement to US media Central Command confirms that the social media accounts have been hijacked, but does not explain how this could happen. According to the press officer of the White House the impact of a hacked Twitter account can not be compared to a large data theft. Central Command oversees US troops fighting in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.