China - Large hacker training Web Site shut down

[Lucavi]

Most have suspected it, but pretty interesting anyway.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/02/08/c....html?hpt=Sbin

Washington (CNN) -- Police in China shut down what officials think was the largest training Web site for computer hackers, local media said.

The Black Hawk Safety Net offered lessons on cyber attacks and sold Trojan software, which allows outside access to a computer when remotely installed, media reports said.

Police arrested three people who ran the Web site and charged 100 to 200 yuan ($14 to $29) for lessons, the China Daily newspaper said.

Established in 2005, the site had recruited more than 12,000 paid and 170,000 free members and collected more than 7 million yuan ($1.02 million) in membership fees, the reports said.

Authorities were tipped off to its existence while investigating a cyber attack in 2007. Some suspects arrested in that case were members of Black Hawk.

The suspects in the Black Hawk case were arrested under a law revised last year in response to cyber crimes.

China says hackers caused 7.6 billion yuan ($1.02 billion) in losses in the country last year.

Last month, online search giant Google threatened to pull out of China, saying Chinese hackers had penetrated some of its services in a politically motivated attempt at intelligence gathering.

China's information information technology ministry called the accusations of government involvement "groundless."

The Chinese government has said that the Google case is a business dispute and should not affect relations between Beijing and Washington.

Last month, foreign correspondents in at least two Chinese bureaus of news organizations had their Google e-mail accounts attacked, with e-mails forwarded to a mysterious address, according to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China.

I find it interesting given that China recently denied (and ferociously so) that they had anything to do with the recent hacks into those U.S. citizens that had ties to anti-government speeches and leanings. This certainly doesn't lend credence to their words.

[willriker]

Most have suspected it, but pretty interesting anyway.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/02/08/c....html?hpt=Sbin



I find it interesting given that China recently denied (and ferociously so) that they had anything to do with the recent hacks into those U.S. citizens that had ties to anti-government speeches and leanings. This certainly doesn't lend credence to their words.

From the content of this article, can you explain how the Chinese Government was involved in the cyber attacks on google? Because, im missing how the government was involved in the website.

[Lucavi]

Not from the article, but if something stinks, it's usually shit. You harbor the biggest network of hackers in the world and you're going to deny that you're paying someone to hack into people's accounts that don't agree with you?

Hell, I wouldn't deny that the U.S. does the same thing - I'm sure they do, but if anything, this just further justifies (on the surface, which is what Google wants) Google's decision to pull out, though we know its at least partially because the company simply wasn't doing well over there.

[greenhills]

Established in 2005, the site had recruited more than 12,000 paid and 170,000 free members and collected more than 7 million yuan ($1.02 million) in membership fees, the reports said.

Authorities were tipped off to its existence while investigating a cyber attack in 2007. Some suspects arrested in that case were members of Black Hawk.

The suspects in the Black Hawk case were arrested under a law revised last year in response to cyber crimes.

Why did it take them 3 years if they were tipped off to it? Thats a pretty impressive amount of people using it.
Tossing a bone to smooth over the google fiasco?

From the content of this article, can you explain how the Chinese Government was involved in the cyber attacks on google? Because, im missing how the government was involved in the website.

does complacency count as aid?

[Not Kuno]

does complacency count as aid?

It certainly does if it's China.

[willriker]

I see what youre saying.

Did Google officialy announce that they were stopping operations in China? The last i heard was that Google was still contemplating it.

[greenhills]

Did Google officialy announce that they were stopping operations in China? The last i heard was that Google was still contemplating it.

INTERNET ROW TIMELINE
12 Jan: Google says it may leave China after cyber attacks and calls for end to censorship of its search results
13 Jan: US says cyber attacks on Google "troubling"
14 Jan: China gives first reaction to Google statement: foreign firms welcome to work in China "according to law"
16 Jan: US says it will make formal protest over Google cyber attacks
21 Jan: China says its dispute with Google should not be linked to US relations
21 Jan: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticises China's internet controls and urges Beijing to investigate Google attacks
22 Jan: China rejects Mrs Clinton's criticism as "groundless"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8460129.stm

if this timeline is up to date on everything that has happened so far, they are still contemplating it.