Information Technology & System
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND SYSTEM
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Coursework– Individual
Computer hackers are unauthorized users who break into computer systems in order to
steal, change or destroy information, often by installing dangerous malware
without your knowledge or consent.
Apple
Inc was recently attacked by hackers who infected Macintosh computers of some
employees, the company said Tuesday in an unprecedented disclosure describing
the widest known cyber attacks targeting Apple computers used by corporations.
Unknown
hackers infected the computers of some Apple workers when they visited a website
for software developers that had been infected with malicious software. The
malware had been designed to attack Mac computers.
The
same software, which infected Macs by exploiting a flaw in a version of Oracle
Corp's Java software used as a plug-in on Web browsers, was used to launch
attacks against Facebook, which the social network disclosed on Friday.
The
malware was also employed in attacks against Mac computers used by "other
companies," Apple said, without elaborating on the scale of the assault.
Twitter,
which disclosed that it had been breached February 1 and that hackers might
gave accessed some information on about 250,000 users, was hit in the same
campaign, according to a person close to the investigation.
Another
person briefed on the case said that hundreds of companies, including defense
contractors, had been infected with the same malicious software. Though this
person said that the malware could have originated from China, there was no
proof.
"This
is a new campaign. It's not like the other ones you read about where everyone
can tell it's China," the first person said.
Investigations
into the breaches are ongoing. It was not immediately clear when the attacks
had begun, the extent to which the hackers had succeeded in stealing data from
targeted systems, or whether all infected machines have been identified.
The
malware was distributed at least in part through a site aimed at iPhone
developers, which might still be infecting visitors who haven't disabled Java
in their browser, the person close to the case said. There is a version that
infects computers running Microsoft Windows as well.
Security firm F-Secure wrote that the
attackers might have been trying to get access to the code for apps on smart phones,
seeking a way to infect millions of end-users. It urged developers to check
their source code for unintended changes.
Apple disclosed the breach as tensions
are heating up over U.S. allegations that the Chinese military engages in cyber
espionage on U.S. companies.
U.S. cyber security firm Mandiant
reported over the weekend that it has uncovered evidence that the Chinese
military is behind a slew of cyber attacks on U.S. businesses. The White House
said it has repeatedly raised concerns about Chinese cyber theft with Beijing.
The breaches described by Apple mark the
highest-profile cyber attacks to date on businesses running Mac computers.
Hackers have traditionally focused on attacking machines running the Windows
operating system, though they have gradually turned their attention to Apple
products over the past couple of years as the company gained market share over
Microsoft Corp.
This is the first really big attack on
Macs," said the source, who declined to be identified because the person
was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. "Apple has more on its
hands than the attack on itself."
Charlie Miller, a prominent expert on
Apple security who is co-author of the Mac Hacker's Handbook, said the attacks
show that criminal hackers are investing more time studying the Mac OS X operating
system so they can attack Apple computers.
For example, he noted, hackers recently
figured out a fairly sophisticated way to attack Macs by exploiting a flaw in
Adobe Systems Inc's Flash software.
"The only thing that was making it
safe before is that nobody bothered to attack it. That goes away if somebody
bothers to attack it," Miller said.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Cyber security attacks have been on the
rise. In last week's State of the Union address, U.S. President Barack Obama
issued an executive order seeking better protection of the country's critical
infrastructure from cyber attacks.White House spokesman Jay Carney told
reporters on Tuesday that the Obama administration has repeatedly taken up its
concerns about Chinese cyber theft with Beijing, including the country's
military. There was no indication as to whether the group described by Mandiant
was involved in the attacks described by Apple and Facebook.
An Apple spokesman declined to specify
how many companies had been breached in the campaign targeting Macs, saying he
could not elaborate further on the statement it provided.
"Apple has identified malware which
infected a limited number of Mac systems through a vulnerability in the Java
plug-in for browsers. The malware was employed in an attack against Apple and
other companies, and was spread through a website for software
developers," the statement said.
"We identified a small number of
systems within Apple that were infected and isolated them from our network.
There is no evidence that any data left Apple," it continued.
The statement said Apple was working
closely with law enforcement to find the culprits, but the spokesman would not
elaborate. The Federal Bureau of Investigation declined to comment.
Apple said it plans to release a piece of
software on Tuesday that customers can use to identify and repair Macs infected
with the malware used in the attacks.
1. Analyse the key factors that made the
hackers to attack ‘Apple Inc’ computing systems and how could it be a threat to
the industry.
2. Justify your answer for the bellow
statements and point out who should claim the responsibility and why?
// Unknown hackers infected the computers
of some Apple workers when they visited a website for software developers that
had been infected with malicious software. The malware had been designed to
attack Mac computers.//
3. Discuss what type of security measures
are in the below statements and how could the challenges be overcome.
// Twitter, which disclosed that it had
been breached February 1 and that hackers might gave accessed some information
on about 250,000 users, was hit in the same campaign, according to a person
close to the investigation.//
4. From your critical review debatethe
key drawbacks faced by iPhone developersbased on the below statements.
// The malware was distributed at least in
part through a site aimed at iPhone developers, which might still be infecting
visitors who haven't disabled Java in their browser, the person close to the
case said. There is a version that infects computers running Microsoft Windows
as well.
5. Define ‘END-USER’ and how will the
below statement be treated among the users. Explain your personal opinion about
the statement.
// Security firm F-Secure wrote that the
attackers might have been trying to get access to the code for apps on
smartphones, seeking a way to infect millions of end-users. It urged developers
to check their source code for unintended changes.//
6. Do you accept the cyber security
firms are professionals in findings? YES/NO Define.
// U.S. cyber security
firm Mandiant reported over the weekend that it has uncovered evidence that the
Chinese military is behind a slew of cyber attacks on U.S. businesses. The
White House said it has repeatedly raised concerns about Chinese cyber theft
with Beijing.//
7. Do you agree the bellow statement
will make the hackers stop their activity? YES/NO Define how and why?
//Apple said it plans to release a piece
of software on Tuesday that customers can use to identify and repair Macs
infected with the malware used in the attacks.//
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