Top German spook warns about nation state hacking

Stefan Mileschin · 6th September 2018, 14:22

Targeting private companies to take down a country

A growing number of countries are hacking into private computer networks and installing malicious software to sabotage another country’s infrastructure.

The president of the Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution Hans-Georg Maassen said that China, Russia and other countries continued to try to break into German companies’ computers to steal valuable industrial information.

Speaking to the assorted throngs at a security conference Maassen said he was worried about so-called “cyber bombs” that could be planted in the network of an unsuspecting company and “detonated” later.

Maassen said: “In the case of China and Russia, we clearly see measures like espionage, but it could also be sabotage with the goal of attacking companies in Germany - infrastructure firms in the widest sense - at some future point. That is a scenario that we view with concern.”

Germany is a particularly attractive target for cyber attackers of all kinds.

A company could be completely oblivious to a cyber-attack that had been used to plant malware - a “cyber bomb”, Maassen said. Then the bomb could shut down power networks, for example, perhaps during a time of geopolitical tension.

Such attacks could come from a range of countries that have expanded their cyber expertise. In its annual report, the agency cited rapid strides in cyber technology by Iran, although it did not specifically spell out concerns about such sleeper attacks.

Germany is increasingly concerned that China is seeking to gain dominant positions in key technology sectors by investing in German firms as part of its larger “Made in China 2025” drive, Maassen said.

“That is a political project in which the government is spending a lot of money, not just to invest, but to buy information for its own technical progress, or to gain a position in specific areas that will make it impossible for others to continue developments there”, he said.

https://fudzilla.com/news/47115-top-...-state-hacking

6th September 2018, 14:22	#1
Stefan Mileschin [M] Reviewer Join Date: May 2010 Location: Romania Posts: 153,541	Top German spook warns about nation state hacking Targeting private companies to take down a country A growing number of countries are hacking into private computer networks and installing malicious software to sabotage another country’s infrastructure. The president of the Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution Hans-Georg Maassen said that China, Russia and other countries continued to try to break into German companies’ computers to steal valuable industrial information. Speaking to the assorted throngs at a security conference Maassen said he was worried about so-called “cyber bombs” that could be planted in the network of an unsuspecting company and “detonated” later. Maassen said: “In the case of China and Russia, we clearly see measures like espionage, but it could also be sabotage with the goal of attacking companies in Germany - infrastructure firms in the widest sense - at some future point. That is a scenario that we view with concern.” Germany is a particularly attractive target for cyber attackers of all kinds. A company could be completely oblivious to a cyber-attack that had been used to plant malware - a “cyber bomb”, Maassen said. Then the bomb could shut down power networks, for example, perhaps during a time of geopolitical tension. Such attacks could come from a range of countries that have expanded their cyber expertise. In its annual report, the agency cited rapid strides in cyber technology by Iran, although it did not specifically spell out concerns about such sleeper attacks. Germany is increasingly concerned that China is seeking to gain dominant positions in key technology sectors by investing in German firms as part of its larger “Made in China 2025” drive, Maassen said. “That is a political project in which the government is spending a lot of money, not just to invest, but to buy information for its own technical progress, or to gain a position in specific areas that will make it impossible for others to continue developments there”, he said. https://fudzilla.com/news/47115-top-...-state-hacking

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Intel warns of lazy FP state restoration	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	15th June 2018 11:08
Guccifer 2.0 accidently outs himself as a Russian spook	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	26th March 2018 13:19
Virtual nation Asgardia has launched itself into space	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	16th November 2017 19:28
The hot new cyberattack that's sweeping the nation	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	6th July 2017 06:18
Virtual nation Asgardia will launch itself into space	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	14th June 2017 09:15
FDA warns that certain pacemakers are vulnerable to hacking	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	11th January 2017 06:28
Foreign hackers attacked two state election systems, FBI warns	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	3rd September 2016 06:40
FBI warns businesses about large-scale Iranian hacking threats	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	15th December 2014 10:45
Obama names naval top spook	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	3rd February 2014 08:10
Wikileaks worker was FBI spook	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	1st July 2013 06:59