What's New A U.S. grand jury has issued indictments against members of the Chinese military on charges of spying on U.S. companies. The charges allege industrial espionage conducted against companies in several industries including nuclear power, metals and solar products. The targeted U.S. companies include Alcoa, US Steel, Westinghouse Electric and Allegheny Technologies, according to reports from Reuters and NBC News. "This is a case alleging economic espionage by members of the Chinese military and represent the first-ever charges against a state actor for this type of hacking," said U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. More details are being released this morning. UPDATE: The Wall Street Journal reports that the indicted hackers allegedly work for Unit 61398 of the People's Liberation Army, based in Shanghai. The hacks date back at least to 2010 and work on the indictments has covered the past year or more, according to Holder. The individuals named in the indictment are Wang Dong, Sun Kailiang, Wen Xinyu, Huang Zhenyu, and Gu Chunhui; the charge is 'conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse'. For more:
- Read Reuters' account
- and NBC News' story
- See more details from the WSJ (subscription required) More on espionage:
FireEye's Operation Saffron Rose report details new Iranian digital offensive capabilities
Spotlight: US panel calls for action against China for industrial cyberespionage
France, Germany in talks to set up NSA-free European Internet Read more about: China
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David Ray Camez, a member of the carder.su website trafficking in stolen credit card numbers and identities, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last Thursday. He is also charged to pay $20 million in restitution. Originally, Camez received a seven-year sentence for his participation. (The site was shut down; accounts vary as to whether it was in 2010 or 2012.) However, the sentence was lengthened last week by a Nevada federal court to 20 years after Camez received an additional conviction of racketeering, under the RICO act. Another carder.su participant, Cameron Harrison, has plead guilty to the same federal charge and will be sentenced by the same court. Ars Technica's Dan Goodin reports that of 55 defendants under four separate indictments, 14 have already agreed with prosecutors to enter a guilty plea. For more:
- read Ars Technica's coverage
- and the BBC article
- also, see Wired's 2013 in-depth look at the carder.su takedown More on cybercrime:
5 Chinese military hackers indicted for spying against US industry
Identity theft ring steals $10M in federal tax returns
Suspected cybercriminals broadcast location to law enforcement Read more about: prison sentences, identity theft
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Some hackers who bought the remote access tool (RAT) known as Blackshades got something extra over the weekend with their purchase: a visit from the police. Blackshades has legimate uses, such as for remote computer service or accessing files accidentally left behind. However, it can also be used by hackers to control, or gather data from, an unwitting victim's system. bshades.eu, a website selling the software, was taken offline mid-week. Law enforcement officials in multiple countries then carried out coordinated raids on the homes of Blackshades users. Media reports (including the Wall Street Journal's, which broke the news) indicated that police actions took place in the U.S., Germany, Netherlands and Australia. UPDATE: European agencies Interpol and Interjust claimed credit for coordinating the raids, which they report comprised 16 countries, 97 arrests and seizure of more than 1,000 computing devices in addition to cash, drugs and firearms. For more:
- Read the WSJ coverage
- See an update from the AP More on hacking and law enforcement:
Former Subway franchisee sells, exploits infected POS systems to other stores
Hackers scour Windows 7 patches for clues to XP flaws
"Swatting" reporter Brian Krebs earns Canadian teen arrest
Call center employee, others indicted for stealing AT&T customer data, money Read more about: hackers
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Representatives from several U.S. state governments have created a coalition to create the first bitcoin rulebook, according to a Reuters report. The group says it will work to create precedents that will help prevent fraud and other crime, while also trying not to silence creative outflows from the active user base. While the IRS has handed down instructions for federal tax purposes, those rulings give both consumers and businesses little direction when it comes to day-to-day transactions. The group of state regulators, a subgroup of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors--called the Emerging Payments Task Force, will convene to discuss the role cryptocurrency could play at a practical, legal level. "We may be looking at some type of model definitions, or model laws or regulations, and very likely recommendations to either our federal colleagues or to Congress," David Cotney, Massachusetts commissioner of banks, said to Reuters. Cotney will serve as the head of the nine-person task force charged with looking at all emerging payment platforms, including mobile payments, PayPal and virtual currencies. Among the reasons for the group's establishment are the numerous cases of fraud and cyberattacks involving cryptocurrencies, and the high-profile case involving the Japan-based Mt. Gox, which lead to $650 million in lost bitcoins. However, little regulation has moved past the discussion phase. According to the Reuters report, New York and California are may require businesses operating in their states to register for "BitLicenses" in order to accept bitcoins as payments, but no immediate plans are ready to go into effect.
For more:
- read this Reuters report
- read the IRS decision on taxing virtual currency
Related Articles:
Newly rich Bitcoin users likely target for fraudsters, SEC warns
Bitcoin mining malware hidden in Google play apps
Heartbleed undermines bitcoin client, developers advise update Read more about: David Cotney, Bitcoin
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