Be One with Trojans

Anyone that owns or operates a computer on the internet, which now is reported to number more than ten million, have all experienced computer spyware or viruses in some form.

Spyware is that annoying digital infection that is collected by people as they travel that wonderful information highway known as the Internet. Viruses such as phishers, Spyware, Malware and Trojans install themselves inside your computer and wait. They wait for the ideal time to jump out and unleash their devilish deeds.

They ‘phish’ for personal information which is collected without the computer user’s consent or knowledge. Each keystroke, website visited, online banking transaction, purchasing habits and viewing habits are collected and transmitted back to the criminal where it can be used or sold for the sole benefit of the uber-geek. Computers with microphones and webcams can be remotely activated and used as surveillance devices sending video and audio of the unsuspecting keyboardist. It gives one pause if you are using a laptop in the bathroom.

For the most part if you have anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed you are protected.

But this type of protection is only good against the less sophisticated criminal. It is the network of the computer savvy backed by organizations or governments that no amount of commercial protection can help.

Last week two Canadian organizations including the Canada's Information Warfare Monitor uncovered the most sinister International Spyware operation ever to be unleashed on the masses. Computer servers from China have been ‘phishing’ in high profile computers systems in countries worldwide. After a 10-month investigation by Canadian Intelligence it has been revealed that at least 1,295 infected computers leaked stolen documents from embassies, ministries and government offices in 103 countries. The first specific targets of this cyber-spy network were held by the Dalai Lama’s Tibetan exile centers in India, Brussels, London and New York.

Apparently these cyber-spies were looking to the Dalai Lama for the secrets of Annica, Dukka and Anatta. It’s a bit ironic since these teachings essential tell the Buddhist that nothing found in the physical world, which is always in flux, can bring lasting deep satisfaction, leaving you without a permanent self. I guess this bunch just wanted to be One with Trojans.

This form of Malware is remarkable. It’s proliferation, in computer jargon, has not been merely "phishing" for random consumers' information, but "whaling" in computers real-time monitoring capacities. It makes you wonder what secrets are behind the walls in the offices of the Dalai Lama.


What is even stranger about this event is that our Canadians cyper-slueths followed the digital footprint back to China using the huge but humble “Google” search engine. Once they discovered the “code” of what has now been coined as the “Tracking Ghost Net” a “Cyber Espionage Network” it was as simple as entering it into Google. Google then revealed one of the cyber-spy network's control servers in Beijing, then a few pages down another, and then another. It appeared that most of the traces led them to China.

Further Investigation revealed evidence that the majority of the control computer servers were located in China. The interface to controlling the infected hosts on these servers in China was written in Chinese. And the remote Trojan favoured by the attackers is a Trojan coded by Chinese hackers.

When the story broke, China’s communist government incredulously responded saying it was absolutely impossible for anyone from China to be involved. It was explained that Beijing could not be involved because China "strictly forbids any cyber crime"!

Oh, Okay, I guess that covers it. Nobody in China breaks the law, because the ‘Man’ says they must be good! Why didn’t we think of that? Write some laws forbidding particular behaviour and all is well. Considering that murders and rapes occur in China like the rest of the world and based on what they tell us, the only law in the books in China must be directed against cyber-crime alone. There is nothing like being caught with your pants down.

This denial is even more inconceivable because without that closed societies help, the cyber espionage coming from China is still active. As a matter of fact, the discovery of this infection is only the beginning of the case. They have since discovered that a NATO computer was monitored by the spies for half a day, and found computers of the Indian embassy in Washington were infiltrated.

One must give pause when it was discovered this computer infection has taken control of email-servers around the world and not just in Tibet. It was reported in one case, a woman working for a group making Internet contacts between Tibetan exiles and Chinese citizens were stopped by Chinese Intelligence Officers on her way back to Tibet and shown transcripts of her online conversations.

Even though Canadian Intelligence have not suggested that the Chinese government is behind these cyber-attacks, the conspiracy crowd will no doubt have a field day. In the mean time keep your computers updated and for goodness sake put some cloths on when your sitting behind the keyboard twittering in Facebook, nobody wants to see that.