{"id":640788,"date":"2013-01-31T16:21:49","date_gmt":"2013-01-31T21:21:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.ted.com\/?p=68436"},"modified":"2013-01-31T16:47:13","modified_gmt":"2013-01-31T21:47:13","slug":"the-wild-west-of-the-internet-reflections-on-the-new-york-times-hack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/640788","title":{"rendered":"The Wild West of the Internet: Reflections on The New York Times hack"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Hacked--The-New-York-Times-and-Dalai-Lama\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Shyam Sankar and Gabe Rosen<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Internet is the new Wild West, a frontier big enough for every pioneer and outlaw to roam free. Today, The New York Times <\/a><\/i>revealed that hackers in China<\/a> had spent the last four months infiltrating its computer systems and pilfering employee passwords. As in the old West, it\u2019s not a question of if<\/i> you\u2019ll be hit — but when and how. Online, primitive DDOS attacks rain down like arrows, while artful hackers can steal the data equivalent of 5,000 head of cattle before any breach is detected. There\u2019s no choice but to defend the homestead as best you can \u2013 and retreating to civilization is no longer an option.<\/p>\n

According to Mandiant, the infosec firm that conducted the investigation, the Times<\/i> was first compromised on September 13. The attackers established at least three backdoors and installed 45 pieces of malware, only one of which was detected by Symantec security software. After two weeks, the attackers found the domain controller that contained all staff passwords. Times<\/i> executive editor Jill Abramson maintains there is \u201cno evidence that sensitive emails or files\u201d were accessed, yet the investigation found that the attackers \u201ccreated custom software that allowed them to search for and grab [Times<\/i> journalists] Mr. Barboza\u2019s and Mr. Yardley\u2019s e-mails and documents.”<\/p>\n

As the TED Blog recently recounted<\/a>, we know a bit about this sort of thing at Palantir<\/a>. Our platform was used to investigate \u201cGhostNet<\/a>\u201d, a Chinese cyber espionage network. In 2008, an unnamed country received an email from China warning them not to host the Dalai Lama for a scheduled visit. The email was startling because this visit was not public knowledge.\u00a0The country sought to find out how this sensitive information had been leaked.\u00a0Not only the Dalai Lama\u2019s personal computer been hacked, but 1,300 computers across the globe had been infected in the same way. This network had been operating for two years without notice.<\/p>\n