S. Korean finance ministry targeted by Chinese hackers: sources

SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) -- Chinese hackers targeting South Korean government
computers gained access to classified information and financial policies,
officials here said Wednesday.
The compromised computers, located at the finance ministry headquarters in
Gwacheon, south of Seoul, were attacked in early February. Intelligence
authorities are conducting a probe, the officials said.
"The computers were apparently attacked by Chinese hackers," a ministry official
said on condition of anonymity. "An investigation is still under way to figure
out how much information has been compromised."
He quoted a source from the National Intelligence Service as saying that the
hackers might be "working for the Chinese government." NIS officials could not be
reached for comment.
The incident came before South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his Chinese
counterpart, Hu Jintao, held their first summit talks this year on the sidelines
of the G-20 gathering in London last week.
"It is unclear whether our information ended up in the hands of Chinese
officials, and the time gap between the incident and the summit was also quite
wide. Still, it is like showing all your cards to your counterpart before
important talks start," a separate ministry official said.
The hackers reportedly sent an e-mail to an unspecified number of ministry
employees that appeared to be from one of their colleagues. Many of them opened
it without any suspicion, activating surreptitious software that allowed the
hackers to gain access, the official explained.
The finance ministry has been attempting to strengthen its Internet firewall
since late last year by making officials use two separate computers -- one used
only for Web access and another for working on documents -- so that information
cannot be leaked through the network.
The so-called "network separation" plan has reduced the number of information
leaks "significantly," the ministry said.
"(The leak) happened before the project was completed," another ministry official
said. "We have enforced the separated use of computers since April 1. It would be
difficult for such a case to happen again."
However, experts worry that classified information could be leaked even under the
tightened security system, as hackers continue to use more sophisticated methods.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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