A leading computer security company has traced 72 cyber attacks on international government organizations and corporations over the last five years to a single server. Forty-nine of the attacks were against US organizations, including 12 US defense contractors and one US satellite company, according to the McAfee white paper, released Wednesday. McAfee Vice President of Threat Research Dmitri Alperovitch, who authored the paper, did not specifically name the hacker, but said it was potentially a “state actor.” Some cyber experts believe China was the culprit because of the number of attacks centered on Taiwan and Olympic organizations leading up to the 2008 Beijing Games, reported Reuters. Alperovitch dubbed McAfee’s investigation “Operation Shady RAT.” The acronym stands for remote access tool. Last month, Deputy Defense Secretary Bill Lynn said the Pentagon might have to redesign a weapon system due to a cyber intrusion, presumably by a foreign intelligence service, against a defense contractor in March. (McAfee white paper; caution, large-sized file.) (See also AFP report)
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