They go by names like Anonymous, Lulz Security, Zeus, Night Dragon, Green Army Corp, Inj3ct0r Team; their goals, methods, effectiveness vary
Dogma Millions
This group, largely Russian, runs what’s known as a “pay-per-install” operation to get victims to download malware they’ve designed and it’s believed to have hundreds of “affiliates” that get paid when a malicious file is installed on a victim’s machine. The group is known to have developed specialized software packers and protectors to ensure its malware, such as rootkits, which remain undetected by antivirus products.
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The Chinese hacker puzzle
With a growing number of cyberattacks traced back to mainland China, there’s a lot of interest in knowing about hacker groups there, with speculation there are many dozens of them. Security firm McAfee earlier this year released a report called “Night Dragon” which claimed hacker groups from China work regular hour shifts to try and break into oil companies to steal data.
Over the years, the more famous China hacker groups have included Janker, founded by Wang Xianbing, and the Green Army Corps, founded by Gong Wei, according to researcher Scott Henderson, who runs the website Dark Visitor. Although there is no shortage of suspicion in the U.S. that Chinese hackers have at times worked for the Chinese government to steal secrets from U.S.-based businesses and the government, there are also times when Chinese authorities have taken steps to shut down hacker groups. For instance, reports said police last year in Hubei province went after hacker group “Black Hawk Safety Net” and its website that was providing Trojan-based malware.
Over the years, others such as the Network Crack Program Hacker Group based out of Zigong have been identified. The group used a rootkit called GinWui in attacks on the U.S. Department of Defense, other U.S. agencies and Japan about five years ago. GinWui is thought to have been developed by the group’s leader, Tan Dailin, who has used the handle “Wicked Rose” and later “Withered Rose.”
The Network Crack Program Hacker Group is believed to have transmitted a large amount of documents to China from the U.S. But when Dailin launched denial-of-service attacks against other Chinese hacker groups, including Hackbase, 3800hk and HackerXfiles, these hacker groups went to Chinese authorities, which arrested Dailin in 2009. He now faces over seven years in prison.
This week’s hacker group in the news: Inj3ct0r Team
Some hacker groups, particularly the hacktivists, are inclined to make their exploits public by announcing them online in some way or dumping contents they’ve stolen as proof of their prowess. This week a group called “Inj3ct0r Team” claimed they’d compromised a server belonging to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
When contacted by IDG, the group said the files were a “server backup, confidential data.”
According to IDG, “inside the files was a notepad document dated July 3 that said: “NATO lamers! I’ve been watching you day and night since then! W00t! Your Machines rooted! Servers restored to default! what else! [Expletive deleted] you and your crimes! And soon enough all your stupid ideas will be published on WikiLeaks!”One industry source asked about Inj3ct0r Team says it started as one individual who began finding vulnerabilities in websites and publicizing them, who then attracted a following.
