The prevailing belief that USA's national Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an impenetrable and secure American facility was broken the past week when on March 2 and 3, media around the world reported how hackers have stolen employee credentials and gained access to "mission-critical" projects thus compromising USA's national security.
Central Florida News and other media reported that NASA's Inspector General Paul martin has testified in a report before the Subcommittee on Investigation and Oversight, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, entitled 'NASA Cybersecurity: An Examination of the Agency's Informating Security', that more than 5,000 security breaches happaned last year in 13 major networks.
Despite spending over $1.5 billion annually on Information Technology (IT)-related activities, including $58 million fo IT security, 'In 2010 and 2011, NASA reported 5,408 computer security incidents that resulted in the installation of malicious software on or unauthorised access to its systems. These incidents spanned a wide continuun from individuals testing their skill to break into NASA systems, to well-organised criminal enterprises hacking for profit, to instructions that may have been sponsored by foreign intelligence services seeking to further their countries' objectives.'
Sources at the Kennedy Space Center said they had 973 'security events' in 2010 and 463 in 2011.
While most countries of the world have succumbed to attckas of hackers at numerous times, Bangladesh has for long been waiving away the importance of cyber security despite pledging a 'Digital bangladesh' to the entire nation in their election manifesto prior to the ninth parliamentary elections in 2008. As Bnagladesh's cyber properties were ravaged by alleged indian hackers on February 11, leading to a cyber war beteen Bangladesh and Indian hackers during mid February, the entire nation woke up on to the vulnerable state of country's properties on the internet.
The cyber war was initiated when news of Indian hacker groups, Indishell, Hindustan Cyber Army (HCA) and Indian Cyber Army (ICA) hacking five (5) Bangladesh ministry websites, were reported by bangladeshi media on February 11. The cyber assault triggered a wave of cyber attacks from Bangladeshi counterparts, Bangladesh Black Hat Hackers (BBHH), Bangladesh Cyber Army (BCA) adn 3xp1r3 Cyber Army (3CA).
From February 11 till February 14, international media who covered the war claimed that over 400 Bangladeshi sites were hacked by Indian hackers and over 20,000 Indian websites including government sites like the Border Security Force's (BSF) and numerous private websites were attacked by Bangladeshi hackers.
There was no significant destruction of data or financial loss reported on either side.
by Syed Tashfin Chowdhury
Source: New Age Extra
