RNW, 19 January 2011, By Willemien Groot (Willemien Groot)
It’s been 25 years since the advent of the computer virus. The first was the Brain virus, created by two Pakistani software developers fed up with pirate copies of their programmes being made. Experts believe cyber war and cyber sabotage are the threat of the future. The Netherlands is sharing its knowledge with other countries in the battle against cyber crime.
The Stuxnet worm, which brought a large part of the Iranian nuclear programme to a standstill, was just the beginning. The Stuxnet is so complex it’s likely a foreign government was behind the attack, probably the US and Israel jointly. China is also believed to carry out in cyber sabotage. Nowadays, every conflict has a cyber element, says Aart Jochem from the Dutch government’s GovCERT, the Cyber security and Incident Response Team:
“You see certain conflicts are being fought and are reinforced by attacks on the internet. You see it with WikiLeaks, in which the conflict between the US and WikiLeaks is manifested in all kinds of cyber conflicts.”
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| Aart Jochem (Photo: Willemien Groot)) |
Working overtime
The era of fun computer viruses is over, says Mr Jochem. “At the end of the eighties you saw a little figure cross your screen and jumble up what was on it.”
Now, organised crime has tens of thousands of forms of malware. They do anything from emptying internet accounts to threatening government systems. Cyber criminals work hard to evade the investigators, and earn more than they would in the drugs trade.
Meanwhile, GovCERT is working overtime. It does not have investigative powers, but it works closely with the police and Public Prosecution Office and uses the expertise of anti-virus companies to limit damage.
Cyber espionage
You don’t have to do something stupid to get a computer virus, says Eddy Willems of the anti-virus company G Data.
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| Eddy Willems (Photo: Willemien Groot) |
“Even the internet is a threat. It sounds stupid, but all you have to do is enter an infected website and you’ve got problems. Where floppy disks used to be used to spread viruses now it’s done via USB sticks. They are just as dangerous or even more dangerous. And then there’s the threat to large companies, organisations or even governments called cyber espionage or cyber sabotage.”
International cooperation
There are around 200 CERT teams in 43 countries around the world. Each works for a specific group, such as governments or hospitals. The Netherlands uses its vast expertise to help others. The Dutch helped South Africa set up its own team and Dutch software is being used by 20 countries to spot new threats on the internet. Likewise other countries pass their information on to the Dutch.
“This helps you catch up with the cyber criminals, who also cooperate internationally. If you had to develop it yourself, you wouldn’t be able to keep up the pace.”
Continuous process
Nevertheless the chance of catching cyber criminals is small. As a result they are becoming more professional and are setting their sights on new targets.
Public services have been more aware than ever before how vulnerable they are, says Mr Jochem.
“You see they are behind in technology and software updates. In the old days that wasn’t a problem because their systems were not connected to the internet and were therefore difficult to infect. But Stuxnet shows that even these systems could be infected.”
The danger is that updates cause systems to malfunction, because new software is not compatible. According to Mr Jochem, the risks and the costs have to be considered. But even if all software is replaced, it is out of date within a year. It’s a continuous process and nothing is 100 percent secure.
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| The many shapes of cyber crime |
- Virus - is hidden in a program or file. It is activated when the user opens the program or file. PDF document files are a popular vehicle for viruses.
- Worm - a virus which copies itself and e-mails itself to everyone in your address book, repeating the process on the recipients' computers. You notice its existence only by your computer getting slower and slower.
- Trojan (Horse) - disguises itself as a useful application, such as a free antivirus program. Once inside your computer it creates a "backdoor" in your computer's security, allowing third parties access to your passwords or online banking data.
- Malware (malicious software) - generic name for dangers to internet and computer security, including spam, phishing, botnets, and spyware.
- Phishing - using fake websites or e-mails pretending to be your bank or credit card company to collect your passwords and logins for internet banking.
- Botnet - cyber crime infrastructure, consisting of a number of 'hijacked' computers which are being used for illegal activities.
The first virus to hit the computer world was 'Brain' on 19 January 1986, originally intended to prevent programs from being copied illegally. The software makers made sure that the virus was unleashed when unregistered copies of the program were made. The virus spread via the floppy disks whose content was copied - this was before the advent of the internet.
The 'Brain' virus did not cause any damage, it just displayed a warning on the user's screen when the illegal copy of the program was started up. The term 'computer virus' was introduced later, but because of the way 'Brain' spread, it is generally seen as the first virus.
Over the years, computer viruses became a tool for criminals targeting internet banking and government websites.
Botnets, virtual networks of computer 'hijacked' by criminals, are widespread. Recent government research suggests that 5 to 10 percent of Dutch computers, or about half a million, have been infected and recruited by a botnet.
Some kinds of cyber crime rely on web users' credulity, such as phishing. One golden safety rule to remember: banks never use e-mail to ask for your password or access code.
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