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Hong Kong, April 24, 2017 (Reuters/NAN) A cybersecurity operation has uncovered hundreds of malware-infected websites, including government portals, across Southeast Asia.
Francis Chan, Head of the Hong Kong Police Force’s cybercrime unit said on Monday that the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) operation identified “nearly 9,000 9,000 “malware-laden” servers and hundreds of compromised websites in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
NAN reports that “malware-laden”, is a portmanteau of “malicious advertising”.
Various types of malware, such as that targeting financial institutions, spreading ransomware, launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and distributing spam were among the threats posed by the infected servers, the operation showed.
He said: “this operation helped participants identify and address various types of cybercrime which had not previously been tackled in their countries,”
Francis who is also the Chairman of Interpol’s Eurasian cybercrime working group said that experts from seven private firms also participated in the operation run out of the Singapore-based Interpol Global Complex for Innovation.
“DDoS attacks have always been among the most common on the Internet, making use of hijacked and virus-infected computers to target websites until they can no longer cope with the scale of data requested.
“The operation also identified nearly 270 websites infected with a malware code, among them several government websites that may have contained citizens’ personal data,’’ he said.
The effort follows a breach at Singapore’s Ministry of Defense, when personal details of 850 national servicemen and staff were stolen in what the defence ministry described as a “targeted and carefully planned” attack. (Reuters/NAN)
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Sadiya Hamza