Saturday hacker attack against Swedish media sites was unique in its kind. Never has such a large IT attack carried out simultaneously struck out as many of the leading news sites.
No group is even suspected, but an initial analysis shows that the increase in Internet traffic from Russia contributed to the attack.
Expressen has asked an IT expert and a Russia expert about their theories.
Anne-Marie Eklund-Löwinder, one of Sweden premier IT security
The noted increase in Internet traffic from Russia. How should we interpret it?
– But it turned out that the traffic came from elsewhere. Just because the traffic is coming from somewhere, do not mean that the attack comes from there. It is often hijacked computers to use in this type of attacks.
Which groups have the capacity to carry out this kind of attack?
– Who any. It does not even particularly much. You buy this type of online services and rent by the hour or day, and there may be tens of thousands of computers that coordinated use of these types of attacks. It’s more about what was the underlying motivation and what you want to achieve.
Could it have been a diversion, which misled attention to newspaper sites, while attacking a banking system or financial institution ?
– it is impossible to know, but theoretically it could have been so. But it is not certain that even then discovered it yet. There are statistics that show that it takes very long time for a business to discover that you’ve been an intrusion and received such malware. It’s not really good at monitoring their systems, in general.
Can secret documents have been stolen to be spread?
– No, I would not say. This was just about to fill relations with so much traffic so no one can access the information on the sites.
What are the lessons of yesterday’s attack?
– it is too early to say. This type of attack will come back now and then. There was really nothing startling. But when it comes to the media so it becomes very public and obvious. I think it takes a little exaggeration to say that democracy and the free press and free speech is threatened. I think probably that you now have a little bit on his feet to take the kind of words. I think that one of the interpreters it jiggle. Hand on heart, such a disaster was not, worse things have happened.
If a number of computers were hijacked somewhere, there are countries where it has an inferior culture to protect computers?
– No, I think we are birds of a feather all. We are careless with updates and have software installed that has not been used for a long time and they have all of us a potential to have a vulnerability to sudden becomes known and begins to be used, and you get the malware that way. Sen is latent and waits for a control center to be set in motion them.
Vera Efron is an expert on Russia and its military power
Under the hacker attacks noted greatly increased Internet traffic from Russia. Is cyber attacks as part of the Russian military tactic?
– Yes, of course there are, but I do not know if this attack had originated in Russia. But if it had been Russian military was behind so they had not received it so obviously appear that the attack came from Russia. Instead, they had organized it from another country. So I do not think there are Russian military behind. You would not do it so clumsily.
Is there a history of cyber attacks carried out from the official Russian side?
– No, not such a sharp attack . But it is very difficult to say because we do not know who organized the attack. I can not believe that they have an interest in attacking the Swedish media sites.
Who in Russia may have an interest in sabotaging the Swedish media sites?
– There is no reason or interest in it. Then you have to find a purpose.
Are criminal groups in Russia which could have carried the attack?
– Absolutely. Is there money there is crime. To sabotage anything to mislead attention to something else, like crashing a banking system that emptying the money. Perhaps it is a bank or an investment bank who have been attacked, but everyone is talking only about the papers, while bank accounts emptied. You have to look in different directions. It misleads people to Russia while it is in progress otherwise.
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