Cyber wars: Terms of Engagement

A day doesn’t go by when there isn’t a hi-level hacking. Seems to me its time for USA to launch the Dirty Harry of the Cyber World.
The FBI's arrest this week of 16 people who allegedly participated in high-profile cyber attacks is providing a treasure trove of information and will lead to further arrests, a U.S. law enforcement official told Reuters on Thursday.

The crackdown -- on members of the group Anonymous -- was the biggest reaction so far by U.S. authorities to a string of cyber attacks, and was meant to serve as a deterrent to others who may be considering joining the cause.

The arrests spanned nine states and the District of Columbia. FBI agents also executed more than 35 search warrants, seizing computers and other records. Those arrested could try to strike plea agreements offering to provide information to win more lenient treatment.

Malware-tainted email used by hackers to invade network

* Target was high-level official with contractor

* Other contractors likely targeted over past 10 days

* Spear phishing campaign sent false emails from IARPA

BOSTON, July 21 (Reuters) - Hackers, likely working for foreign governments, are actively trying to steal classified U.S. government data by breaking into the computer networks of contractors that work for U.S. intelligence agencies.

Through a targeted "spear phishing" campaign, hackers are sending emails tainted with malicious software to contractors, according to two security firms, which heard about the attacks after an executive at one contractor sent them a copy of the email.

Researchers at the security firms would not identify the contractor on Thursday. Recent targets of cyber attacks have included defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and three publicly funded research laboratories.

In spear phishing attacks, hackers target a small number of victims with emails containing detailed information related to their lives in an effort to persuade them to let their guard down and click on infected links.

The researchers said these malicious emails falsely claimed to be from the U.S. government's Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, or IARPA.

So far, the researchers have identified only one victim, but they said early analysis of the code contained in that email links it to malware submitted by other security experts over the past 10 days.

"It appears to be from a persistent adversary that is trying multiple attempts to get in," said Anup Ghosh, the chief executive of Invincea, one of two firms that analyzed the tainted email.

He said the hackers were likely backed by a "foreign actor," based on the fact that they were targeting a government contractor.