New Evidence Suggests China's Hacking Into US Drones Using Adobe Reader And Internet Explorer

December 23, 2011 – BEIJING – A rash of new clues surrounding the Sykipot computer virus having its way with the U.S. drone fleet suggests the malware originated in China, and explains how it has been used. Mathew J. Schwartz of Information Week reports the virus appears to have been designed with the sole purpose of stealing UAV data using “zero-day” vulnerability in Adobe Reader. A zero-day attack is launched using a vulnerability unknown to a software’s developer and shared among attackers who exploit the fault before a patch is put in place. The virus was inserted into the military’s network using infected PDF files and specifically targeted to look for information on the Boeing X-45 unmanned combat air system and the Boeing X-37 orbital vehicle. The X-37 recently had its classified mission extended nine months leading to speculation about its orbital activities. China, too, seems to have questions regarding its mission. This most recent attack seems to have begun in August 2011, but another variant of the Sykipot virus goes back to 2006. The older version used clouded script files, taking advantage of an Internet Explorer vulnerability. Finally, both versions used servers known as Netbox, 80 percent of which are located in China. This may explain why its documentation and error messages both come up in Mandarin. –Business Insider Read more: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-12-22/news/30545577_1_virus-pdf-files-adobe-reader#ixzz1hPt8j2rw[/b][/size]

December 22, 2011 – FINLAND – The Finnish authorities have impounded an Isle of Man-flagged ship bound for China with undeclared missiles and explosives, officials say. Police are questioning the crew of the MS Thor Liberty after what were described as 69 Patriot anti-missile missiles were found aboard. Interior Minister Paivi Rasanen said the missiles were marked “fireworks.” The MS Thor Liberty had docked in the Finnish port of Kotka after leaving Germany last week. Dock workers became suspicious after finding explosives poorly stored on open pallets, and the missiles were then found in containers marked “fireworks.” The MS Thor Liberty left port in Emden, northern Germany, on 13 December and docked two days later in Kotka, southern Finland, to pick up a cargo of anchor chains, said Finnish Customs spokesman Petri Lounatmaa. Patriot missile systems are supplied to U.S. allies. The ship was bound for the Chinese port of Shanghai but there was no indication for whom the military cargo was destined. Patriot missiles, designed by the US company Raytheon, are supplied to “US and allied forces,” according to the company’s website. South Korea is among states which deploy them. Raytheon received a $1.1 billion order from Taiwan for Patriot missile systems in 2009. China has thousands of missiles pointed at Taiwan. The Taiwan missile sale left China fuming and obviously determined to use espionage to capture the missiles to unlock their secrets and develop effective countermeasures. –BBC

HELSINKI — A shipment of 69 surface-to-air missiles impounded by Finnish authorities was a legitimate delivery from Germany to South Korea, a German official said Thursday. The announcement came after Finnish authorities seized the Patriot missiles and 160 tons of explosives on a British-registered cargo ship and detained two Ukrainian crew members on suspicion of violating weapons export laws. Police said the missiles didn’t have the right transit documents and the explosive picric acid wasn’t properly stored on the M/S Thor Liberty, which docked in Kotka, southern Finland, on Dec. 15. spokesman for Germany’s Defense Ministry said the missiles were an official shipment that was fully declared and had all necessary clearings from German authorities. Read more at link above.

Can You say "pre-impressioning"...

Posturing for War is the read I get and It's escalating in many places...