NEWS | Wednesday, 01 April 2009

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The security of embassies’ IT systems has been stepped up, according to the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA), which said it heightened significantly its information security provisions and protection mechanisms in the connections of the government network to Malta’s embassies abroad.
MITA was reacting to a report on cybercrime entitled “Tracking GhostNet: Investigating a Cyber Espionage Network”, and noted the references to a number of Malta’s embassies.
Malta was mentioned as one of the targets of an electronic spy network, based mainly in China, which has infiltrated computers in government offices around the world.
They included computers belonging to foreign ministries and embassies and those linked with the Dalai Lama – Tibet’s spiritual leader. There is no conclusive evidence China’s government was behind it. Beijing also denied involvement.
The report was filed after a 10-month investigation by the Information Warfare Monitor (IWM), which comprises researchers from Ottawa-based think tank SecDev Group and the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies.
They were acting on a request from the Tibetan spiritual leader’s office to check whether the computers of his Tibetan exile network had been infiltrated. Hacked systems were also discovered in the embassies of India, South Korea, Indonesia, Romania, Cyprus, Malta, Thailand, Taiwan, Portugal, Germany and Pakistan.
The researchers said hackers were apparently able to take control of computers belonging to several foreign ministries and embassies across the world using malicious software, or malware.
“The report alleges that a number of computers appeared to have been infected with malware. MITA notes that important technical parameters in the publicly available copy of the report are unclear possibly to conceal detail relevant to the further determination of the source of the compromise,” the agency said.
In recent months, MITA implemented a series of security measures including, amongst others, the modalities for Internet access from Malta’s Embassies abroad.
Referring to the March 2009 incident – which originated through the embassies’ network – MITA said the cyber attack was promptly identified and remedial measures executed to eliminate the risk of compromise.
Both in the March 2009 and September 2008 incidents MITA said it had forwarded all its forensic evidence to the Police for its investigations. “If anything, the report confirms the need for continual vigilance, good practice and appropriate technical protection in the corporate use of the Internet. The report merely reaffirms the reality that, irrespective of its size, technical knowledge and budgets, no state or enterprise is immune to cyber attacks. The agency believes that any complacence to this effect would just lead to heightened exposure to risk.”

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