Servers, PC found tied to S. Korea cyberstrike

Two corporate computer servers and a computer owned by an individual in Tokyo may have been used to launch massive cyber-attacks on key South Korean institutions and government offices in March, the National Police Agency said Thursday.

The corporations owning the two servers and the Tokyo resident, however, are not believed to be behind the attacks, the agency said, adding this is the first cyberterrorism incident involving an individual's computer in Japan.

The servers and the PC were among several used to unleash denial-of-service attacks that overwhelmed the websites of South Korea's presidential office and the Ministry of National Defense, among others. The attacks allowed massive amounts of data to be accessed in a short period of time.

South Korean investigators believe that North Koreans were involved in the cyber-attack, according to investigative sources.

Authorities in Seoul have identified many of the Internet Protocol addresses used in the cyber-attacks, and four of them were traced to Japan, Japanese police said.

Domestic law enforcement authorities, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, tracked down the three servers and the computer at the request of Interpol.

One of the two servers and the computer of a Tokyo resident were found infected by several viruses, including one that allowed the machines to be remotely operated without the owners' knowledge.

No viruses were found in the other server, but it as well was found to have the potential for remote operation, the police said.

Since the two servers and the computer were using old operating systems and had no antivirus software installed, their lack of security made them vulnerable, the police said.

No evidence was found linking the third server to the cyber-attacks, they added.

With cybercrime a matter of national security, police will expand their information-sharing network with advanced technology firms, National Police Agency chief Takaharu Ando said in a news conference.

"It is necessary for both the public and private sectors to cooperate in the fight against cyberterrorism," he said.

National Public Safety Commission Chairman Kenji Yamaoka, who also attended the news conference, said the security of national assets is at stake, adding that he intends to "call on the entire government to seriously consider the issue."

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