Over the Edge + February 23, 2011 Hackers Attack the Canadian Government Chinese hackers are embarrassingly successful in gaining access to government networks HANNA PETERSEN NEWS EDITOR Who is looking at our ditty laundry? The Chinese! Foreign hackers have attacked Canadian _ financial information. The hackers target was information from Defence Research and Development Canada which work to assist the technological needs of the Canadian Forces. The attack also forced the governments two main economic departments, The Finance Department and the Treasury Board, off the internet. The attack was apparently traced back to an IP address in China. However, it is still unknown whether the hackers ONLINE SOURCE where Chinese nationals or merely using a Chinese IP address to cover their tracks. The hackers were able to take control of computers in the offices of senior government executives. The end goal was to steal key passwords that would give them access to entire government systems. The Chinese foreign ministry has denied that they are responsible for the attack. Canada has been at risk for cyber warfare since 2009 when an investigation conducted by a group of Canadian technology experts called the Information Warfare Monitor, uncovered an international hacking network based mainly in China. The network known as GhostNet, hacked into 1,300 government computers in 103 countries. Of course it took awhile for the Canadian government to realize this new era of cyber spying could be a serious threat to Canada’s national defence. The Canadian government finally went on high alert against hackers in October of 2010. A small division of the national defence, Communications Security Establishment Canada, was_ created to detect any cyber breaches. In January the group discovered that the defence research and _ finance department — networks had been compromised. President of the Treasury Board Stockwell Day confirmed the attack on February 17. He noted that the attack was significant as the hackers were mainly after secret financial information. He also assured the public that there were no signs that indicated the hackers succeeded in obtaining the information they were after. The hackers obtained access to government computers by using a technique called “spear phishing”. Hackers impersonated bureaucrats via their email accounts to gain access to secure government systems. They apparently used emails containing virus infected Adbobe PDF files which compromised the accounts of senior officials. Messages from the compromised individuals were then sent out to lower staffers allowing hackers to gain more email accounts and access more network systems. Concerns about Canadian cyber security have been around as long as the internet itself. The auditor general publically raised concerns in 2002, but found three years later not much had really changed. It seems that hackers and cyber criminals are innately more technologically savvy than Canadian defence officials, as the Canadian system acts more like a sieve than a fire wall. Revolution Sweeps Middle East and North Africa Egyptian pro-democracy protests spark revolutions across borders HANNA PETERSEN NEWS EDITOR Since January revolutions have been sparking in North Africa and the Middle East. They first began in Tunisia and Egypt. After a month of violent protesting in Tunisia, president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali stepped down from power on January 14. While political unrest was toppling the Tunisian government protest followed suit in Egypt and after 18 days of violent pro- democracy protests Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak reluctantly stepped down as well. This outbreak of protest has brought unprecedented pressure on leaders in the Middle East and North Africa who have held unchecked power for decades In mid January in Yemen, more than 16,000 protestors filled the streets of the capital city of Sanaa and demanded the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh who has ruled the country for more than 30 years. On February 2nd, Saleh told the Yemen parliament that he would not seek another term in power or had power over to his son. However, anti- government protestors remained unsatisfied and continued to demonstrate demanding their president’s resignation. On February 16, in one of Libya’s largest cities, Benghazi, 2,000 protestors called for the resignation of Prime Minister Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi and leader Moammar Gadhafi who have ruled since a 1969 coup. Police used tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. On February 14 protesting erupted in the tiny Middle Eastern country of Bahrain. Police moved against protesters to prevent a mass gathering in the capital. At least 14 people were injured in the clashes. Protesters in Bahrain claim they do not seek to overthrow the ruling monarchy but want to achieve greater political freedoms and drastic changes in the running of the country. However, three days later the military seized control of the capital, Manama, in an effort to crackdown on the Egyptian style revolt. Tanks and military checkpoints were established and army patrols circulated the streets. The country’s majority Shia population holds deep grievances against its Sunni rulers. The ruling Sunni dynasty is closely allied with Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern authorities. On February 14 in Iran, tens of thousands of protestors took to the streets in central Tehran, leaving one person dead in the violent uprising. Police used tear gas to subdue the protestors and many responded by setting garbage cans on fire to protect themselves from the stinging clouds of gas. The protest was called for by opposition to Iran’s president Mahmoud Amadinejad in solidarity to the uprising in Egypt. However, the protest became a clash between opposers and supporters of Amadinejad as well as Iranian police. Iran called a foreign media ban on the protests cutting cell phone reception in an effort to contain media coverage of the event. Amadinejad has expressed his supportfor the Egyptian people but stated that he would not tolerate protests in his own country. The protests in Tunisia and Egypt have created a domino effect of civil disobedience in opposition to dictatorial rule. These uprisings are a result of people in the Middle East and North Africa are voicing their desire for greater political freedoms. It has been reported that the initial incident, which triggered the string of civil uprisings, occurred at the beginning of the year in Tunisia. A fruit vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire, in protest, after police seized his goods. His protest, which ended in his death, triggered the revolutionary spirit in the region and uprising against dictatorial governments, unemployment, and high food prices followed. ONLINE SOURCE Revolution in the Middle East