U.S. and South Korean computer networks were besieged for days by a series of relatively unsophisticated attacks, possibly from North Korea, that were among the broadest and longest-lasting assaults perpetrated on government and commercial Web sites in both countries.
In the U.S., the main effect was to disrupt the public's ability to access Web sites temporarily. A deeper concern, some cyber-security specialists said, is that the attacks point to weaknesses in defenses erected by the government and corporations that could indicate vulnerability to more-sophisticated attacks in the future on vital functions such as transportation and finance.
U.S. government Web sites attacked included those of the Defense Department, National Security Agency, Treasury Department, Secret Service, State Department, Federal Trade Commission and Federal Aviation Administration, according to the cyber-security unit of VeriSign Inc., a computer-security company, and others familiar with the attacks. The attacks appear to have occurred roughly from Saturday to Tuesday.
Under Attack
U.S. government sites:
The White House (www.whitehouse.gov)
Dept. of Homeland Security (www.dhs.gov)
State Department (www.state.gov)
U.S. commercial sites:
NYSE Euronext (www.nyse.com)
U.S. Bancorp (www.usbank.com)
Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com)
South Korean Sites:
Office of the President (www.president.go.kr)
National Assembly (www.assembly.go.kr)
Korea Exchange Bank (ebank.keb.co.kr)
Source: Verisign
Private sites attacked, according to a cyber-security specialist who has been tracking the incidents, included those run by the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, the Washington Post, Amazon.com and MarketWatch.
Most U.S. federal Web sites appeared to be running properly Wednesday. In South Korea, several government sites were down late Tuesday and early Wednesday but many were back to normal by Wednesday afternoon.
"There is a connection between what is going on here in the states and what is going on in [South] Korea," said Richard Howard, director of intelligence at VeriSign's iDefense cyber-security unit.
In the U.S., the main effect was to disrupt the public's ability to access Web sites temporarily. A deeper concern, some cyber-security specialists said, is that the attacks point to weaknesses in defenses erected by the government and corporations that could indicate vulnerability to more-sophisticated attacks in the future on vital functions such as transportation and finance.
U.S. government Web sites attacked included those of the Defense Department, National Security Agency, Treasury Department, Secret Service, State Department, Federal Trade Commission and Federal Aviation Administration, according to the cyber-security unit of VeriSign Inc., a computer-security company, and others familiar with the attacks. The attacks appear to have occurred roughly from Saturday to Tuesday.
Under Attack
U.S. government sites:
The White House (www.whitehouse.gov)
Dept. of Homeland Security (www.dhs.gov)
State Department (www.state.gov)
U.S. commercial sites:
NYSE Euronext (www.nyse.com)
U.S. Bancorp (www.usbank.com)
Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com)
South Korean Sites:
Office of the President (www.president.go.kr)
National Assembly (www.assembly.go.kr)
Korea Exchange Bank (ebank.keb.co.kr)
Source: Verisign
Private sites attacked, according to a cyber-security specialist who has been tracking the incidents, included those run by the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, the Washington Post, Amazon.com and MarketWatch.
Most U.S. federal Web sites appeared to be running properly Wednesday. In South Korea, several government sites were down late Tuesday and early Wednesday but many were back to normal by Wednesday afternoon.
"There is a connection between what is going on here in the states and what is going on in [South] Korea," said Richard Howard, director of intelligence at VeriSign's iDefense cyber-security unit.
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And....um....why is an educated citizenry important? I see no need for a highly trained and specialized work force. Can't we just call down to Texas and find a real cowboy that can take care of this with his "gut instincts"?? No, No, NO! I've got it!! Let's cut taxes!!
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I hope you're ready, John Connor.
