The massive Operation Aurora cyber attack last month, apparently launched
from command and control server computers in Taiwan, is part of a larger and
sustained effort that has been stealing data for years.
Although computer forensics experts have been unable to trace the recent
Aurora attack back to China they do not believe that Aurora originated in Taiwan,
the Silicon Valley of the western Pacific. Public details about the cyber attack
on major corporations in the United States are scanty as the companies try to
assess the damage.
The Department of Defense held a conference with top computer security
experts last week in St. Louis, Missouri to discuss the problem. One of the
participants, Mandiant, a security consulting firm, has released a report on its
findings.
