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Cyber Assault Aiming at Defense Department’s Access Cards Sourced to China

Service members are reportedly getting an e-mail that has a formal-appearing PDF file infected with one new PC-virus facilitating keystroke logging, says California-located cyber-security company Alien Vault's lab manager Jaime Blasco. Miliatry.com published this in news on January 24, 2012. The virus, by recording keystrokes, garners the service member's PIN for Common Access Card, a type of smart-card as he reaches for a government system.

Furthermore Blasco says that it's quite easy for the hackers to invade using the particular virus as well as manipulate a government PC anyway they want at the time a soldier simply operates his own PC. According to him, the cyber assault possibly has its source in China since the malware's written code contains Chinese characters.

Blasco also explains that from the time of tracing the attack, the security company discovered software, which was solely utilized in China. Alien Vault's researchers are 99% sure, though not 100%, but quite certain that the attack originated out of China, Blasco adds. DoD BUZZ published this in news on January 24, 2012.

Meanwhile, as per many news reports, the U.S. Department of Defense knows about the Sykipot virus program. Blasco states that he has discussed the malware with security specialists attached to Government of United States.

Evidently, Sykipot particularly attacks the technology with which the CAC system of the Pentagon is supported, while the e-mails disseminating the virus are frequently masked as though they're official messages from the government or military. Anyhow for enticing defense employees towards viewing the given virus-infested attachment, there's occasionally information included in the e-mails regarding newly-introduced drone technology along with photographs of robot controlled aircrafts. Importantly, the hackers responsible for spreading the virus bear the ability to access military computers merely over the time a contaminated end-user's card remains active on his system.

Nevertheless, safeguarding from Sykipot attacks is an enormously hard task. Still, the most appropriate method for maintaining military networks safe and sound is by educating troops as well as civilian workers on how they shouldn't ever open unknown e-mail attachments or files, Blasco suggests. ArmyTimes reported this in news on January 18, 2012.

Related article: Cyber Child abuser Sentenced To Imprisonment

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