I just read an article in the Financial Post (a Canadian paper) highlighting some of the major cyber security events of 2011.\u00a0 Clearly these are not all the events and perhaps they are not even the most significant in some cases…but they serve to remind us of the pervasive and ubiquitous nature of the threats we face.\u00a0 “Shields up, Mr. Spock.”<\/p>\n
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http:\/\/business.financialpost.com\/2011\/12\/28\/major-cyber-security-events-of-2011\/ <\/a><\/p>\n Jameson Berkow<\/a>\u00a0<\/span> Dec 28, 2011 \u2013 8:29 AM ET<\/span><\/p>\n …<\/p>\n Early January \u2014 Canadian Department of Finance\/Treasury Board<\/strong> Early February \u2014 Nasdaq Stock Exchange<\/strong> February\/March \u2014 Online dating and travel advice sites<\/strong> April\/May \u2014 Sony PlayStation Network<\/strong> Late May \u2014 Weapons producers<\/strong> May 26 \u2014 U.S.-Stuxnet connection made<\/strong> Early June \u2014 International Monetary Fund<\/strong> Early August \u2014\u00a0Operation Shady RAT exposed<\/strong> Late October \u2014 \u201cNitro Attacks\u201d revealed<\/strong> Early November \u2014 Biggest cyber criminal takedown in history<\/strong>\n
\nHackers believed to have been based in China breached the security of Canada\u2019s two primary economic nerve centres<\/a>, gaining access to classified data before they were discovered. The same hackers were also believed to be responsible for failed attempts made against the systems of several noted Bay Street law firms<\/a> several months later.<\/p>\n
\nAmerica\u2019s largest electronic stock exchange was revealed to have been repeatedly penetrated by computer hackers<\/a> over 12 months. While the trading platform itself was never breached, subsequent investigations found relatively lax security<\/a> allowed hackers to gain access to other Nasdaq systems.<\/p>\n
\nPlenty of Fish<\/a> and eHarmony<\/a>, among the world\u2019s two largest sources of people digitally searching for dates, had some of their user accounts exposed over a two-week period, allegedly by the same hacker. Weeks later, TripAdvisor, the world\u2019s largest travel Website, had email addresses belonging to some of its 20 million-strong user base<\/a> stolen.<\/p>\n
\nMore than 100 million users<\/a> of Sony Corp.\u2019s online gaming platform had their accounts breached in what remains the most widespread cyber attack of the year. The potential cost to Sony has been estimated to range as high as US$24-billion<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nLockheed Martin Corp., the world\u2019s largest producer of military-grade weaponry, narrowly managed to thwart what it described as a \u201csignificant and tenacious\u201d attack<\/a> on its systems. Other major defence contractors such as\u00a0General Dynamics Corp,\u00a0Northrop Grumman Corp and\u00a0Raytheon Co. were also targeted.<\/p>\n
\nWilliam Lynn, deputy Secretary of Defence of the United States, refused to deny U.S. involvement in the creation of the Stuxnet worm<\/a> used against the Iranian nuclear program in 2010 during an interview on CNBC.<\/p>\n
\nA cyber attack described as \u201csophisticated\u201d and \u201cvery major\u201d by senior IMF officials<\/a> struck the global economic stabilizer at some point over the last several months, the\u00a0New York Times\u00a0first reported on June 12. The Washington D.C.-based fund contains a treasure trove of highly sensitive economic data.<\/p>\n
\nMcAfee Labs uncovered details of a coordinated five-year cyber warfare campaign against the networks of 72 organizations including the United Nations, governments and companies around the world. Dubbed \u2018Operation Shady RAT\u2019, the company called it the \u2018biggest series of cyber attacks\u2019 in history<\/a> and many fingers pointed to China as the culprit.<\/p>\n
\nSymantec Corp. released details on a series of attacks launched against \u201cmultiple\u201d Fortune 100 companies<\/a> involved in the industrial chemical production sector. A total of 48 companies around the world were believed to have been victimized by that single coordinated attack. The world\u2019s largest maker of security software also revealed a survey finding controllers of critical infrastructure were growing complacent with their own security procedures.<\/p>\n
\nWorking with members of the Estonian police, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation executed what has since become known as the rgest single takedown of a cybercrime syndicate in the history of the Internet<\/a>, arresting the alleged ringleaders of a US$14-million cyber crime spree. Known as \u2018Operation Ghost Click\u2019, the victory was heralded as a sign law enforcement was finally beginning to overcome a key obstacle in digital crime investigations<\/a>: Actually tracking down the perpetrators in the real world.<\/p>\n