The United States government recently uncovered what CNN has identified as a coordinated hacking effort in Vietnam, with the primary targets being U.S. officials and government networks.
An investigation funded by the Pentagon Joint Information Environment (JIE) Program found that Vietnam-based hackers had created false social media profiles and, using those accounts, had posted malicious content to the X-Probe system set up to detect potential cyberattacks. The hackers had used the system to spread false information in order to sow discord within the U.S. system.
The X-Probe system was created by the Pentagon and is designed to collect and process innocuous information from the web about computer usage and potentially suspicious actions that might be linked to cyber attackers. It then analyzes that data to provide early warning of an attack and gather intelligence about the threat actors.
The investigation discovered that the hackers had accessed the system through a series of malicious web addresses containing Vietnamese language text and images in order to throw off investigators. The hackers had also used a hacking tool called Sakula, which enables remote code execution, a form of espionage tailored for non-state actors like organized criminals and militant groups.
The X-Probe system had been in the process of patching against Sakula but had not yet plugged the holes in the system that allowed the attack to take place. The purpose of the attack seems to have been to gain access to sensitive information within the US government networks.
The cyber-attack appears to be just the latest example of nation-state hacking against US systems, with reports of similar attempts coming from the likes of Russia, China and Iran. The DNC’s hacking incident in 2016 is just one example of what can happen if the US does not take these threats seriously.
The spokesman for the Pentagon’s JIE Program emphazised that this newest attack should not be taken lightly; it’s a reminder that the US must remain vigilant and that all of its defenses must be of the highest caliber in order to counter this type of cyber threat. The spokesman also noted that in order to protect the US from similarly sophisticated cyber threats, the US government must continue to invest in cutting edge cyber defense technologies.