Hackers have stolen the data about superexpensive military project of the Pentagon

Unknown malefactors managed to receive unauthorized access to the information on the most expensive military project of the Pentagon — a hardly noticeable fighter-bomber of fifth generation F-35 Lightning II.

F-35 Lightning II is being developed by companies Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems within the limits of program Joint Strike Fighter. Project cost is estimated in 300 billion dollars.
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The USA and Lithuania unite against cyber criminals

The United States and Lithuania have signed a bilateral agreement which will facilitate prosecution of financial criminals, computer hackers and extremists.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Vigaudas Ushatskas and US state secretary Hillari Clinton have exchanged reports of ratification documents on contracts between the USA and EU about mutual legal aid and an extradition. It is expected that other 26 European Union countries will shortly follow the example of Lithuania.
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Brittish hacker Gary McKinnon will be sent to the USA

The British hacker Gary McKinnon has lost a final round of fight with extradition threat to the United States.

The criminal prosecution service  of Great Britain has refused to deal with him under local laws.

Gary McKinnon, the 42-year-old inhabitant of small town Wood Green to the north from London, can be condemned for seventy years of the American prison if its fault in breaking of military computer networks of the USA is proved. Supporters of the hacker have reached the prime minister of Great Britain Gordon Brown with the request to judge McKinnon under the British laws.

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Vulnerability in Gmail can help with theft of domains

Recently in the Internet there was an information that vulnerability in Gmail service which was considered for a long time already eliminated, actually is not eliminated completely. Therefore your account can become a potential victim of theft and harmful attacks. About presence of this vulnerability it became known in December, 2007 when David Airey has suffered from theft of his own web site. Later Google has declared that the problem has been solved, however, seemingly, it still exists. Problems begin when you enter into your Gmail account and then visit a harmful web site. It is not important, whether you click on the link from the account or not, the harmful site in any case is capable to get access to your internal “identification cards”.

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Chinese hackers will do 7 years in prison

The government of China has offered the new law, according to which persons plead guilty of illegal access to computer systems, will be punished in the form of imprisonment for a period of seven years.

On Monday in Standing committee of China meeting of national representatives (it is the highest legislative body of China) the second reading of the bill has taken place. As the Chinese mass-media informs, the correction to the operating Criminal code provides almost identical degree of responsibility and similar punishments for cybercriminals and those who provides them with equipment and software.

Correction acceptance will provide law enforcement bodies and judicial authority of China with the first lawful resource of opposition to the wave which has overflowed the country of thefts of the personal data. Now the Criminal code of the Peoples Republic of China provides punishment only for the persons making illegal penetration into the state computer systems. According to official figures, in one only provinces Hunan criminals daily steal passwords to twenty thousand accounts of on-line games, whose common market cost is estimated in 200 thousand yuans (almost $30 thousand). The authorities of the Peoples Republic of China see serious threat of informational safety in these operations and intend to regard them as criminal offences.

In 2009 amount of malware will increase

Experts from PandaLabs predict further increase of amount of malware programs.

From January till August 2008 Panda Security laboratory has found out the same quantity of new kinds of malware that for previous seventeen years together taken. In 2009 this tendency, according to experts, will remain or even progress.

In forthcoming year dominating types of harmful programs, according to PandaLabs forecast, will become bank trojans and fake antiviruses. Cybercriminals will rely even more often on social networks and quite legal resources cracked through vulnerability in server platforms. Besides, experts mark, next year the technics of packing of a harmful code by means of special custom-made tools for the purpose of difficulty of its detection becomes especially popular.

Panda Security Laboratory also predicts substantial growth of quantity of the harmful software aimed at platforms of increasing popularity, such as Mac OS X, Linux or iPhone. Besides, in the conditions of financial crisis it is necessary to expect growth of popularity of false offers on the work which purpose consists in attraction of monetary actives.

For 2009 experts predict revival of classical harmful codes, such as viruses. These programs will be used not to violate correct work of systems or block access to files, but for the purpose of masking of trojans, used for theft of the bank information.

The USA are not ready for a cyberwar

The two-day excercices which have passed in the USA last week, have proved inability of the country to protect it’s key computer networks from encroachments from the outside.

In the exersices organised by consulting company Booz Allen Hamilton, 230 representatives of government agencies, the private companies and public organisations have taken part. Experts should stop conditional intrusion, using real skills and receptions. Experiment has shown that in case of the massed cyberattack Americans can have complexities in distribution of duties, planning, communication and other aspects. As vice-president Booz Allen Hamilton Mark Gerencser has declared, now the United States do not have any strategy, applicable to a similar situation. He also has  noted absence of the official which could incur a management in case of threat.

James Langevin, the head of subcommittee of the Congress of the USA of cybersecurity, also has expressed concern concerning a condition of information security of the country. Successful attack to key computer networks can lead to refusal of an electrical supply and crash of bank system.

On termination of experiment before its participants the head of the Ministry of internal security of the USA Michael Chertoff has acted. In his opinion, in not so long-term future the cyberattack will become the standard actions previous to army operations. In this connection the minister has specified in necessity of updating of the international legislation and military doctrines. Now to the USA there is an active discussion of a question on establishment of a post of the adviser of the president on cybersafety.