Titan Rain on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Titan Rain was a series of coordinated attacks on
Titan Rain has also caused distrust between other countries (such as the United Kingdom and
Titan Rain was a series of coordinated attacks on computer
A computer is a machine that can be Computer programming, programmed to automatically Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic set ...
systems in the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
since 2003; they were known to have been ongoing for at least three years. The attacks originated in Guangdong
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
, China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. The activity is believed to be associated with a state-sponsored advanced persistent threat
An advanced persistent threat (APT) is a stealthy threat actor, typically a State (polity), state or state-sponsored group, which gains unauthorized access to a computer network and remains undetected for an extended period. In recent times, the ...
. It was given the designation ''Titan Rain'' by the federal government of the United States
The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States.
The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...
.
Titan Rain hackers gained access to many United States defense contractor
A defense contractor is a business organization or individual that provides products or services to a military or intelligence department of a government. Products typically include military or civilian aircraft, ships, vehicles, weaponry, and ...
computer networks, which were targeted for their sensitive information, including those at Lockheed Martin
The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American Arms industry, defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North ...
, Sandia National Laboratories
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), also known as Sandia, is one of three research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Headquartered in Kirtland Air Force B ...
, Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal is a United States Army base adjacent to Huntsville, Alabama in the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. A census-designated place in Madison County, Alabama, United States, it is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistica ...
, and NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
.
Attackers
The attacks are reported to be the result of actions byPeople's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...
Unit 61398. These hackers attacked both the US government (Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) specializing in military intelligence.
A component of the Department of Defense and the United States In ...
) and the UK government (Ministry of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
). In 2006, an "organised Chinese hacking group" shut down a part of the UK House of Commons computer system. The Chinese government has denied responsibility.
Consequences
The U.S. government has blamed the Chinese government for the 2004 attacks. Alan Paller,SANS Institute
The SANS Institute (officially the Escal Institute of Advanced Technologies) is a private U.S. for-profit company founded in 1989 that specializes in information security, cybersecurity training, and selling certificates. Topics available for tr ...
research director, stated that the attacks came from individuals with "intense discipline" and that "no other organization could do this if they were not a military". Such sophistication has pointed toward the People's Liberation Army as the attackers.
Titan Rain reportedly attacked multiple organizations, such as NASA and the FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
. Although no classified information was reported stolen, the hackers were able to steal unclassified information (e.g., information from a home computer) that could reveal strengths and weaknesses of the United States.
Titan Rain has also caused distrust between other countries (such as the United Kingdom and Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
) and China. The United Kingdom has stated officially that Chinese hackers attacked its governmental offices. Titan Rain has caused the rest of the world to be more cautious of attacks not just from China but from other countries as well.
See also
* Red Apollo *Moonlight Maze
Moonlight Maze was a data breach of classified U.S. government information lasting from 1996 to 1998. It represents one of the first widely known cyber espionage campaigns in world history. It was even classified as an Advanced Persistent Threat ...
*Operation Aurora
Operation Aurora was a series of cyber attacks performed by advanced persistent threats such as the Elderwood Group based in Beijing, China, with associations with the People's Liberation Army. First disclosed publicly by Google (one of the vic ...
* Shawn Carpenter
* Stakkato
References
{{Hacking in the 2000s Hacker groups Espionage scandals and incidents Military intelligence National security Information sensitivity Data security 21st-century conflicts Electronic warfare Cyberattacks Cyberwarfare by China Hacking in the 2000s Chinese advanced persistent threat groups Chinese information operations and information warfare