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Chinese Hackers Could Use Korea in Attacks against Japan

Chinese Hackers Could Use Korea in Attacks against Japan

Posted August. 15, 2005 03:05,   

한국어

Chinese hackers have put Korea on emergency alert as they will reportedly carry out a large-scale attack through Korea against Japanese Internet websites.

Korean servers are highly likely to be chosen as routes for Chinese hackers to avert Japan’s defenses.

Netizens fear of a potential “cyber Sino-Japanese war,” comparing the current situation to the Sino-Japanese War that broke out on the Korean peninsula.

The Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) and Internet related businesses revealed on August 14 that over 45,000 hackers led by the country’s largest hacker group, Honker Union, plan to launch an all-out attack on Japanese websites starting August 15, the 60th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

In particular, the publisher Husosha that has been criticized for distorting history and anti-China sites in Japan are reportedly the major targets.

Chinese hackers so far have mounted as many as six “cyber wars” since 1999 against Taiwan, the U.S., and Japan, among others. More than 30,000 members are registered in Honker Union, and China is known to nurture more than 100,000 hackers at the national level.

The problem is that Korea may be affected negatively if Japan blocks Chinese IPs identified as hacking sources in countering any attacks.

Chinese hackers may believe that Japan may find it hard to stave off the attack if they target Japanese websites via Korea.

If Korean sites are used as detours and hit with a wave of connections from China, domestic mid- and large-sized computers could go down thanks to overloads and be misperceived as hacking targets.

In response, the MIC sent official notices to domestic ISPs and over 300 universities to call for increasing Internet security.

KT, the largest domestic communications carrier, devised and distributed “Prevention and Response Plans for the Chinese-Japanese Cyber War” for every branch office and plans to run a 24-hour “Emergency Control Center.”

Dacom also decided to organize a contingency team composed of over 80 individuals in three teams, which will operate until August 16.



Suk-Min Hong smhong@donga.com