Cyber attacks against Tibetan communities

There is lots of media coverage on the protests in Tibet. Something that lies under the surface, and rarely gets a blip in the press, are the various targeted cyber attacks that have been taking place against these various communities recently.

These attacks are not limited to various Tibetan NGOs and support groups. They have been reported dating back to 2002, and even somewhat before that, and have affected several other communities, including Falun Gong and the Uyghurs.

The attacks generally start with a very trustworthy looking e-mail, being spoofed as originating from a known contact, to someone within a community. Some impressive social engineering tricks are used.

Anti virus is generally not proving effective against these attacks.

SANS have been working with several groups on these attacks since early 2007. If you or your organization has also been targeted, now or in the past, please get in touch. SANS will not publish any data on your specific attacks without your permission.

Full, unmodified article: SANS