SWITCH TO LIGHT MODE
© 2020 AO Kaspersky Lab. All Rights Reserved.
We use cookies to make your experience of our websites better. By using and further navigating this website you accept this. Detailed information about the use of cookies on this website is available by clicking on more information. If you reject, you will be taken back to the site you came from.
OUR ORIGINAL SERIES
Latest stories of our network
© 2020 AO Kaspersky Lab. All Rights Reserved.
Sign up for the best news in technology
Newsletter
To receive information about new articles and services of tomorrowunlocked.com I know that I may withdraw my consent at any time. More information in the privacy policy.
Security researchers described the code used to attack the 2018 Pyeongchang winter Olympics as 'Frankenstein-like.' In part two of our video series, hacker:HUNTER Olympic Destroyer, they explain how the malware was designed to point in multiple directions.
Who would dare to hack the Olympics?
<p>The designer of an extraordinary piece of code lodged it in a system where it remained undetected for months. Part two of hacker:HUNTER Olympic Destroyer explores the nature of the attack, its process and why 'Frankenstein-like' code made it one of the most mysterious advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks in history.</p><p>Olympic Destroyer was the perfect example of an APT. What are they, and why are they so harmful?</p>APTs attack over time
<p>APTs are sophisticated hacks that often wait for the perfect time to strike to create maximum damage. They lodge themselves in a system and steal critical data over weeks, months or years. Those behind these attacks build complex software for intentional damage – from espionage and sabotage to data theft.</p>Highly organized groups use APTs
<p>APTs are notoriously associated with highly organized groups. They attack high-status targets like countries or large corporations, notably in manufacturing and finance, aiming to compromise high-value information like intellectual property, military plans and sensitive user data.</p><p>Their high-profile targets will have secure networks and defenses, so threats must stay undetected as long as possible. The longer the attack goes on, the more time attackers have to map the system and plan to steal what they want.</p><p>Motives behind attacks vary, from harvesting intellectual property to gaining advantage in an industry, to stealing data for use in fraud. One thing is clear: APTs cause severe damage.</p>The ‘perfect’ APT
<p>Olympic Destroyer was the perfect APT. A highly-organized group attacked a national Olympic committee, and it worked.</p><p>The 'confusion bomb' had been undetected in the computer system for four months, biding its time to strike. Being in the system gave them time to find weak spots and pain points to make the attack more devastating. When it finally surfaced, all hell broke loose.</p>Crippling the whole IT system
<p>By directly attacking the Olympics' data centers in Seoul, South Korea, Olympic Destroyer cut employees' access to network computers. Because Wi-Fi was out, Olympic building security gates stopped working, coverage stopped, and the whole infrastructure went offline. The Pyeongchang IT team was staring down the barrel of a potential geopolitical disaster.<br><br>Stay tuned for episode three, where we unravel the IT team's ingenious response and find out who did it. Any guesses? Go to <a href="https://www.tomorrowunlocked.com/guardians/hacker_hunter/" target="_self">hacker:HUNTER</a> to stay up to speed.</p>From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Read Less
Cybercriminals are using steganography to hide their code and seek industrial data.
Our experts analyzed sophisticated attacks and APT campaigns targeting Linux, and they provided some security recommendations.