Re: Timorese 'hacktivists' warn of revenge

[Lev Lafayette <lev@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au>]

[: hacktivism :]

> 
I strongly suggest that you familiarise yourself with both the general
and specific information relating to the "threats" of Jose Ramos-Horta.

In general, Indonesia's occupation of East Timor has no legitimacy. Only
one other nation (Australia) has been stupid enough to recognise it, and that
was on the basis of some resource bribery. The occupation has been
murderous, to say the least, engaging in wholesale massacres, forced
sterilisation of women, arbritraty arrest and torture, concentration camps,
enforced famine, and so forth. To put simply, an estimated 1/3 of the
population has died during occupation.

In specific, Ramos-Horta suggested the campaign if Indonesia does not
comply with the results of the upcoming referendum, which overwhelmingly
looks like it will vote for independence.

BTW, I seriously do think they have the skills and resources to carry out
their "threats". Not that I would know anything about such things <g>.

These people are "hacktivists" of the most genuine kind.


Lev


> [: 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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-- 
Lev Lafayette. lev@ariel.unimelb.edu.au http://ariel.unimelb.edu.au/~lev
* Electorate Officer for Keilor District, Parliament of Victoria
* Thesis in progress: 'A Social Theory of the Internet'. Ashworth Centre
for Social Theory, University of Melbourne.

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