http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=020000&biid=2005081537228
by Suk-Min Hong
smhong at donga.com
AUGUST 15, 2005
Chinese hackers have put Korea on emergency alert as they will
reportedly carry out a large-scale attack through Korea against
Japanese Internet websites.
Korean servers are highly likely to be chosen as routes for Chinese
hackers to avert Japan's defenses.
Netizens fear of a potential "cyber Sino-Japanese war," comparing the
current situation to the Sino-Japanese War that broke out on the
Korean peninsula.
The Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) and Internet
related businesses revealed on August 14 that over 45,000 hackers led
by the country?s largest hacker group, Honker Union, plan to launch an
all-out attack on Japanese websites starting August 15, the 60th
anniversary of the end of World War Two.
In particular, the publisher Husosha that has been criticized for
distorting history and anti-China sites in Japan are reportedly the
major targets.
Chinese hackers so far have mounted as many as six "cyber wars" since
1999 against Taiwan, the U.S., and Japan, among others. More than
30,000 members are registered in Honker Union, and China is known to
nurture more than 100,000 hackers at the national level.
The problem is that Korea may be affected negatively if Japan blocks
Chinese IPs identified as hacking sources in countering any attacks.
Chinese hackers may believe that Japan may find it hard to stave off
the attack if they target Japanese websites via Korea.
If Korean sites are used as detours and hit with a wave of connections
from China, domestic mid- and large-sized computers could go down
thanks to overloads and be misperceived as hacking targets.
In response, the MIC sent official notices to domestic ISPs and over
300 universities to call for increasing Internet security.
KT, the largest domestic communications carrier, devised and
distributed "Prevention and Response Plans for the Chinese-Japanese
Cyber War" for every branch office and plans to run a 24-hour
"Emergency Control Center."
Dacom also decided to organize a contingency team composed of over 80
individuals in three teams, which will operate until August 16.
_________________________________________
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