Spies come in many forms. Google and other companies have found themselves infiltrated by tech-savvy individuals known as cyber spies.
Cyber spies are individuals who use illegal methods on the Internet to get secrets. They do this without the permission or knowledge of the individuals, companies or nations to whom these secrets belong.
Information has always been important and attempts to gain information have often been conducted from both sides of any competitive situation. Knowledge is power and information gives countries and businesses and even different political players, an advantage over each other. The Internet has made a lot of information available which can offer an economic advantage to competing parties. The Internet has also acted as a new source of information which can be used to sabotage competitors.
Cyber spies use Trojan horses, spyware and various cracking techniques to gain access to restricted information. A Trojan horse, like the fabled Trojan horse of old, uses trickery. Trojan horses are software-malware-which are presented as useful and harmless but really aren’t.
Image via Wikipedia
Using this malware, cyber spies are able to both send and receive information from infected computers. In some cases, documents are removed without the targets even being aware of it.
Image via Wikipedia
In early 2009, some ghost hackers from China were revealed to have compromised 1,295 computers belonging to embassies, banks, news agencies across the world and NATO. They even hacked into computers used by the Dalai Lama and Tibetan exiles.
Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia
Microsoft, recently altered Internet Explorer, so that cyber spies could no longer use a weakness in it to probe the computer systems of -Google (and other companies).
Cyber spies are investigated by organisations such as MI5 (British Intelligence) and the Information Warfare Monitor(IWM), a group that tracks the use of cyberspace as a strategic domain.
January 24th, 2010 at 9:58 am
Thanks for post.
January 24th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
A very serious article. They are nasty people, who have no right. I use a mac and hope that keeps me a little safer.
January 24th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
I had a bad virus experience in September. I had to get my computer erased and re-install the operating system. I lost a lot of work that I didn’t save on disc.
Discs are cheap, save your new stuff regularly.
Good Article, thanks.
January 24th, 2010 at 11:54 pm
This is interesting. I will keep this in mind.
January 25th, 2010 at 7:42 am
Hope they get them and make them accountable for their bad tricks.
January 25th, 2010 at 11:43 am
Your are right Trojans are bad news for us. Actually all major government agencies in the world use some form of cyber spy to collect intelligence and sabotage a rival. Top hackers in the world end up working for the government. Though the story about Google incident in China raised eyebrows, it’s actually not something new. Many more major cases and incidents remain under wraps.
January 26th, 2010 at 8:32 am
yeah…i have heard about this…good info
January 31st, 2010 at 4:57 am
Great Info…thanks….
February 1st, 2010 at 6:47 am
Makes you want to take all the precautions you can.
Thank you for reading!
February 1st, 2010 at 7:28 am
And for sharing your tips.
February 16th, 2010 at 12:58 am
I really hate malwares and trojans. It keeps me away from work when my computer system needs fixing. You have given an enlightening info. Thanks.