Re: Timorese 'hacktivists' warn of revenge

[Stefan Wray <sjw210@is8.nyu.edu>]

[: hacktivism :]


What does "cyber terrorism" mean?
- Stefan


At 01:17 AM 8/29/99 -0400, you wrote:
>[: hacktivism :]
>
>
>Now this is a sad story. I can not belive they call these people
>hacktivist in any sense of the word. They are striking back at a
>government they do not agree with, and threatening to shut down banks and
>government networks. Now I have no idea if their cause if a just one or
>not, but this is nothing more than a case of 'cyber terrorism' if their
>threats are carried out.
>
>Personally, I think groups who issue statements like this want the
>attention this kind of threat brings with it. It brings attention to their
>cause via their threat to cripple a government. I seriously doubt they
>have the skills, or resources to carry this out (if it's even possible),
>and I am sure other security professionals would agree on that. 
>
>How many times have other groups issued threats like this in the past,
>only to have nothing happen? But, like this article, have some eager
>reporter pick up on it to write another scary story about hackers can take
>down an entire government. No wonder people in Congress want to introduce
>all kinds of laws and control the net.
>
>Hacktivism is a new word, coined in the last few years due to a few
>events. It would be a shame for reporters to ruin it by associating it
>with these kinds of actions.
>
>PS. Anyone know where this online? Or how to contact it's author?
>
>regards,
>   Bronc Buster
>  bronc@2600.com
>
>
>On Sat, 28 Aug 1999 jeff.sallot@theglobeandmail.com wrote:
>
>> [: hacktivism :]
>> 
>> 
>> The Globe and Mail, Saturday, August 28, 1999
>> 
>> Timorese 'hacktivists' warn of revenge
>>   Exiled resistance leader threatens to launch cyber attacks on
Indonesian computer targets
>> By Jeff Sallot
>> 
>> 
>> Ottawa -- Timorese activists have threatened to shut down Indonesian
>> government and banking computer systems if the country's authorities crack
>> down on the East Timor independence movement. Jose Ramos-Horta, the exiled
>> leader of the Timorese independence movement, says international support
>> groups have offered the services of as many as 100 computer experts in
>> Canada, the United States and Europe who can attack and disable critical
>> Indonesian computers.
>> 
>> These volunteers are already creating new computer viruses, picking their
>> targets and devising strategies for cyber attacks, Mr. Ramos-Horta said in
>> a telephone interview from Australia.
>> 
>> "A group of computer hackers can bring more damage to Indonesia than an
>> entire battalion of resistance fighters in the country," he said.
>> 
>> But as Monday's United Nations-sponsored referendum on independence
>> approaches, computer-security experts and intelligence analysts are
>> debating whether the threat of computer chaos in Indonesia is credible or
>> simply a hyped bit of cyberspace psychological warfare.
>> 
>> "It is something the Indonesians would be foolish to ignore," says a
>> Canadian intelligence official who deals with computer security.
>> 
>> Whether Indonesia's most important governmental and financial systems
>> might be forced off line, and if so, for how long, will depend on how
>> sophisticated the attackers are and what countermeasures have been put in
>> place, the official said.
>> 
>> At the moment, these are unknowns and "you might not know these things
>> until it [an attack] has happened," he said.
>> 
>> Mr. Ramos-Horta said such an attack would be a non-violent form of protest
>> and the "moral equivalent of economic sanctions" that would target the
>> financial interests of hard-liners in the Indonesian government and
>> military who would like to thwart East Timor's independence drive.
>> 
>> "With a few taps on the keyboard, in just a few hours they [hackers] can
>> do a lot of damage," Mr. Horta said.
>> 
>> The Indonesian government is aware of this threat and has taken steps to
>> protect its systems, Hersindaru Wahyutomo, a spokesman for the Indonesian
>> embassy, said.
>> 
>> The Indonesians will not disclose what defensive steps they've taken.
>> 
>> If the Indonesians have been prudent -- by reinforcing electronic
>> firewalls, for example -- their critical systems are unlikely to be forced
>> off line for any length of time, if at all, says David Ronfeldt, a
>> researcher at the Rand Corp. in California who has studied how
>> international support networks used Internet technology to help the
>> Zapatista rebels in Mexico.
>> 
>> But even if they can't crash bank and government systems, so-called
>> hacktivist support groups might be able to swarm a public World Wide Web
>> site with so many hits or electronic pings that the site would be
>> overwhelmed for a short period.
>> 
>> Flood Net and other software written by hacktivist groups can send
>> automated reload requests to targeted Web sites every few seconds. The
>> effect of hundreds of computer users around the world using Flood Net on
>> the same target at the same time can create network gridlock at the target
>> site.
>> 
>> Hackers might also be able to alter the text or appearance of Web pages,
>> the cyberspace version of vandalism. Even the public Web page of the
>> Canadian Security Intelligence Service has been temporarily altered, with
>> hackers changing the word "Intelligence" to "Illegal."
>> 
>> But these kinds of incidents are nuisances rather than serious threats to
>> important systems, Mr. Ronfeldt said in an interview. Governments don't
>> alter their policies and the value of national currencies are not
>> influenced by these embarrassments, he said.
>> 
>> But the threat of crashing key systems can cause alarm and draw media
>> attention to causes that hacktivists support, he said.
>> 
>> Lieutenant-Colonel Alan Smith, a senior officer in the Information
>> Operations branch of the Canadian Forces, respects hackers' power. A team
>> of experts from his branch crashed a number of military systems during an
>> exercise last year in a test for vulnerability.
>> 
>> Many hackers have the same capabilities to break into systems and bring
>> them down, he said. "It's a very credible threat that's out there."
>> 
>> An unclassified NATO report said there are hackers in at least 120
>> countries who can launch credible cyber attacks.
>> 
>> Systems can be protected to a large degree if they are segregated from the
>> Internet.
>> 
>> But even physically segregating sensitive networks is no guarantee that
>> hackers working from abroad can't successfully attack Indonesia's
>> networks, said Winn Schwartau, an information-warfare consultant in the
>> United States.
>> 
>> East Timorese activists might easily recruit or bribe an insider who could
>> provide access to systems by divulging passwords, for example. And then it
>> would be easy to disrupt systems from remote locations, Mr. Schwartau
>> said.
>> 
>> "It's happening all the time," even if banks or other institutions are
reluctant to discuss it, he said.
>> 
>> EAST TIMOR FACTS
>> 
>>   People: The majority of the 800,000 residents are indigenous. Others are
>> immigrants from neighbouring parts of Indonesia. The vast majority of East
>> Timorese are Roman Catholic, while most newcomers are Muslim.
>> 
>>     Geography: With an area of 14,500 square kilometres, East Timor is a
>> half-island territory lying 2,000 kilometres east of Jakarta. Its
>> coastline is framed by beaches, rocky cliffs and coral reefs. Its interior
>> is dominated by high and rugged mountains.
>> 
>>     History: Portugal abruptly ended 400 years of colonial rule in 1975.
>> In the political vacuum, East Timor's fledgling independent government was
>> immediately embroiled in a civil war with rival factions who supported
>> intervention by neighbouring Indonesia.
>> 
>> Indonesia invaded in December, 1975. A group of separatist guerrillas
>> fought against Indonesian troops. East Timor's Roman Catholic Bishop
>> Carlos Belo and exiled independence activist Jose Ramos-Horta shared the
>> Nobel Peace Prize in 1996.
>> 
>> After President Suharto's fall in May, 1998, Indonesia agreed to the
>> holding of a ballot supervised by the United Nations.
>> 
>>     Economy: Coffee is the main cash crop. If East Timor becomes
>> independent, it could lay claim to Indonesia's share of the Timor Gap oil
>> and gas field that lies between Timor Island and Australia.
>> 
>>     Ballot questions: East Timorese voters at home and abroad will be
>> asked two questions on the ballot:
>> 
>> "Do you accept the proposed special autonomy for East Timor within the
>> Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia?" or "Do you reject the
>> proposed special autonomy for East Timor, leading to East Timor's
>> separation from Indonesia?"
>> 
>> Ballot papers will be printed in four languages: English, Bahasa
>> Indonesia, Portuguese and Timor's Tetun dialect. They will be counted by
>> UN electoral officers.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Copyright 1999 The Globe and Mail
>> 
>> 
>> 
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