Wednesday, April 7, 2010

SECURITY THREAT - Indian secrets fall prey to Chinese hackers .........

Friends,
I read this news in Livemint internet edition and was shocked to read it...I have pasted it here the whole text.....I donno what our Government is upto.....We already heard the news that China is already taking our land inch by inch in Kashmir and there is big furore over it in Media..China is also constructing Dam at Bhramputra river in East which is still a dispute.....Chinese import in India has been more then India's export and that is making imbalance in trade between China and India as China is becoming trade surplus in C/A with India....just like China has trade surplus with USA which is HUGE and that is where USA is anxious of.
But hacking securities papers and information is a very big concern and Government should take care of it...Why a neighbour should spy for securities information ?The clues are not far to understand....I donno when India will waken up about all these?What steps India took for the Chinese invasion and eating the land up inch by inch......Government needs to comeout with white paper what is happening at Kashmir border, Eastern boader and also in hacking of securities information....it is a very easy to assume what China would like to do with these information....
This is a SERIOUS MATTER......India.....u need to wakeup....

It should not happen that we strike late and then repent as we did in Kargil and paid heavy price for that losing brave soldiers in that battle with Pakistan.

Rajeev

SECURITY THREAT - Indian secrets fall prey to Chinese hackers

B Y J OHN M ARKOFF & D AVID B ARBOZA ························· TORONTO/SHANGHAI


Turning the tables on a China-based computer espionage gang, Canadian and US computer security re- searchers have monitored a spying operation for the past eight months, observing while the intruders pilfered classified and restricted documents from the highest levels of the Indian defence ministry.

In a report issued Monday night, the researchers, based at the Munk School of Global Af- fairs at the University of Toron- to, provide a detailed account of how a spy operation it called the Shadow Network systematically hacked into personal computers in government offices on sever- al continents.
The Toronto spy hunters not only learnt what kinds of mate- rial had been stolen, but were able to see some of the actual documents, including classified assessments about security in several Indian states, and confi- dential embassy documents about India's relationships in West Africa, Russia and West Asia. The intruders breached the systems of independent an- alysts, taking reports on several Indian missile systems. They also obtained a year's worth of the Dalai Lama's personal email messages.
The intruders even stole doc- uments related to the travel of Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Or- ganization) forces in Afghan- istan, illustrating that even though the Indian government was the primary target of the at- tacks, one chink in computer security can leave many nations exposed.
“It's not only that you're only secure as the weakest link in your network,“ said Rafal Ro- hozinski, a member of the To- ronto team. “But in an intercon- nected world, you're only as se- cure as the weakest link in the global chain of information.“
The spy operation appears to be different both from the Inter- net intruders identified by Google and from a surveillance ring known as Ghostnet, also believed to be operating from China, which the Canadian re- searchers identified in March of last year. Ghostnet used com- puter servers largely based on the island of Hainan to steal documents from the Dalai Lama, the exiled leader of Tibet, and government and corpora- tions in at least 103 countries.
The Ghostnet investigation led the investigators to this sec- ond Internet spy operation, which is the subject of their new report, titled Shadows in the Cloud: An investigation into cy- ber-espionage 2.0. The new re- port shows the India-focused spy ring made extensive use of social networks such as Twitter, Google Groups, Blogspot, Baidu Blogs and Yahoo Mail, to auto- mate the control of computers once they had been infected.
The Canadian researchers co- operated in their investigation with a volunteer US group of se- curity experts at the Shad- owserver Foundation, which fo- cuses on Internet criminal ac- tivity. The researchers said the sec- ond spy ring was more sophisti- cated and difficult to detect than the Ghostnet operation.
By examining a series of email addresses, the investiga- tors traced the attacks to hack- ers who appeared to be based in Chengdu, which is home to a large population from neigh- bouring Tibet. Researchers be- lieve one hacker used the code name lost33 and that he may have been affiliated with the city's prestigious University of Electronic Science and Tech- nology. The university publish- es books on computer hacking and offers courses in “network attack and defence technology“ and “information conflict tech- nology“, according to its web- site.
The People's Liberation Army also operates a technical reconnaissance bureau in the city and helps fund the university's re- search on computer network defence. A spokesman for the university could not be reached Monday because of a national holiday.
The investigators linked the account of another hacker to a Chengdu resident whose name appeared to be Li. Reached by telephone on Monday, Li de- nied taking part in computer hacking. Li, who declined to give his full name, said he must be confused with someone else.
He said he knew little about computer hacking. “That is not me,“ he said. “I'm a wine sell- er.“
The Canadian researchers stressed that while the new spy ring focused primarily on India, there were clear international ramifications. Rohozinski noted that civilian personnel working for Nato and the reconstruction mission in Afghanistan usually travel through India and that Indian government visa issuing com- puters were compromised in both Kandahar and Kabul in Af- ghanistan.
“That is an operations securi- ty issue for both Nato and the International Security Assis- tance Force,“ said Rohozinski, who is also chief executive of the SecDev group, a Canadian computer security consulting and research firm.
The report notes that docu- ments the researchers recover- ed were found with “Secret“, “Restricted“, and “Confidential“ notices. “These documents,“ the report says, “contain sensi- tive information taken from a member of the (Indian) National Security Council Secretariat concerning secret assessments of India's security situation in the states of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura, as well as concerning the Naxalites and the Maoists.“
Other documents contained personal information about a member of India's military in- telligence agency.
The researchers also found evidence that Indian embassy computers in Kabul, Moscow, Dubai and the high commission of India in Abuja, Nigeria, were compromised.
Also compromised were com- puters used by the Indian Mili- tary Engineer Services in Bengdubi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Jalandhar; the 21st Moun- tain Artillery Brigade in Assam; and three air force bases. Com- puters at two Indian military colleges were also taken over by the spy ring.
Even after eight months of watching the spy ring, the To- ronto researchers said they could not determine exactly who was using the Chengdu computers to infiltrate the Indi- an government.
“But an important question to be entertained is whether the PRC (People's Republic of Chi- na) will take action to shut the Shadow network down,“ the re- port says. “Doing so will help to address long-standing concerns that malware ecosystems are actively cultivated, or at the very least tolerated, by governments like the PRC who stand to bene- fit from their exploits though the black and grey markets for information and data.“

17 comments:

  1. dear rajeev,

    cheers mate, mount shivalik is up 20% today.
    keep a close eye on it. it has got around 7% market share. here is the earlier link posted for your info.:-

    http://saarthi.blogspot.com/2007/12/mount-shivalik-industries-ltd-10200-rs.html

    http://www.capitalmarketplus.com/CABNAS/Cabstory.asp?SNo=142954&opt=


    Similar upmove will be seen in Jagatjit industries

    regards,

    jason

    ReplyDelete
  2. All fellow investors
    i will bring very interesting thing in your notice.
    I was in heavy losses in Amtek auto. I discussed with Rajeev bhai regarding that. Then I found this:
    Beating The Dalal Street............: Petron Eng........My old ...

    Nov 09, 2009
    Investors like you , professtionals , should go all out and buy big stake in co like KPIT Cummins, Apar etc....they are fundamentally very strong co....and not to try to find stories....ofcourse one can buy small stake there but the ...
    http://rajeevdesai.blogspot.com/

    I converted my huge quantity into kpit and apar. Belive me I covered my losses n today I am in gains.
    so this is how losses are converted in great gains..........

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Rajeev,
    I am new to this blog and this is my first msg to you though I have been following your recommendation for last one month and find it very useful. Thanks for this.
    My query is not about any specific scrip but rather wanted to know about the term "Equity capital" that is given in the balance sheet during quarterly results. What importance it has on the price of any stock. Sometimes it increases and sometime it decreases. My guess is that if this increases it means that company has issued more shares in the market but I am not sure about this. And if at all this is correct then is it good for the stock price as the eps can fall becoz of this.
    I will be thankful to you if you can clarify my doubt. This might be useful to other fellow investors also.
    Thanks,
    Ashish.

    ReplyDelete
  4. jason,
    Liquor Co will do good by passing of time as standard of living will come up.
    The only stock I recomended somewhere else in last bull run in 2007 was Radico Khitan at 45 odd and 10 paidup and after that it ran like a bullet....I missed myself that call.....but yes, as u say,Jagatjit and Mount Shivalik still offers value....as I have observed that Mcdowell and United Spirit are valued in big way with peers Co Internationally....

    ReplyDelete
  5. dear rajeev

    in your old messages i found you recommended stock mazda industry. But it was never discussed it on this blog. any particular reason why you like this stock.

    Also I would like to comment on Transgene as i am also a doctor by profession. On this I tend to agree with vikas.... as he said , there has been a lot of talk on oral insulin which will be nothing less than a revolution, but so far nothing which has been able to reach market.

    In the same way , unless something concrete and which is in final stages and approved by US FDA , everything about transgene will be a speculation

    thanks
    ravi

    ReplyDelete
  6. ravi,
    that is what I like....people keep thinking that way...and never buy it.....that is what operator wants...underownership....I like that way...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Rajeev,
    Thanks for all your good work that you are doing. Rajeev I understand that you have little time for replies to the queries asked by your followers. But it will be helpful for me to know few basics of the market if you can clarify my doubt. I would not disturb you again for the same query even if you do not reply but yes I would definitely ask some other query :)
    I am posting my query again. I wl be thankful to you if I get a reply.

    My query is not about any specific scrip but rather wanted to know about the term "Equity capital" that is given in the balance sheet during quarterly results. What importance it has on the price of any stock. Sometimes it increases and sometime it decreases. My guess is that if this increases it means that company has issued more shares in the market but I am not sure about this. And if at all this is correct then is it good for the stock price as the eps can fall becoz of this.
    Thanks,
    Ashish.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ashish,
    These are the basics and u need to read some books on that...I can't explain it here....it becomes lengthy...

    ReplyDelete
  9. No problem Rajeev. I understand that. This query was because sujana towers equity capital doubled in dec quarter. So I was skeptical that will this reduce the price of Sujana towers by half. Will that fall to 25 levels. The same happened to IKF tech also and from then on it never moved up from 4/- level.
    I also want to thank you for 11th april's pick "Rathi steel & Power". For long I had a feel that Steel and power would rule this decade but I don't have the capability of finding multibagger so invested in adhunik mettaliks but still wanted a company available cheap and then came your pick. But still I am in search of a power company that can do wonders in my portfolio. I hope some day you come up with some wonderful power scrip.
    Thanks,
    Ashish.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dear Ashish,
    That is upto you to decide whether to still go with Sujana Towers or not...I am here not to convince anyone.....if in doubt leave the stock...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Ashish,
    Have been tracking JSW Energy for a while. You can check it since you are looking for a power company

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi. Can u put some light on garden silk and rswm, regards

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks Rajeev,
    I would not exit suajana in any case as already I have got a decent profit. also I believe that it can touch 500/- when time ripe for it.
    Also thanks to "Me" for suggesting JSW energy. But just want to know if u are tracking RPOWER as it is just floating @150/- and shares are 230crores. Has projects of 28000MW till 2017. JSW with 165Crores shares is floating @117/-. Do u think still JSW is better as no other power company in india has even secured one-fourth of projects that RPOWER has. I just wanted to know as I am not strong in analysing fundamentals and future prospects.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Posted by : EquityAdviser from MMB
    JSW Energy - Belong to OP Jindal group who have controlling stake of more than 70% in JSW Energy.OP Jindal group is known for successfully implementing and running large scale greenfield projects in the past.Most of JSW Energy projects are going on as per the targeted time frame thereby few already contributing to top & bottom line. JSW energy is having highest RONW of more than 30% which is the best among all power stocks including NTPC & Reliance Ind Infra. JSW is all likely to emerge as largest power sector player by the year 2017 moving ahead of NTPC & Reliance.Also JSW Energy is going in backward integration of investing & owning coal mines both in India & abroad thereby meeting the coal demand for running their plants.OP Jindal group commanding good discounting on bourses, JSW Energy will be in the same league of its other group companies like JSW Steel in terms of share price over 3-4 yrs time period. Immediate target is 140-150 for JSW Energy. And longterm sky is the limit for JSW Energy. Invest in JSW Energy as if you are investing in FD of 3yrs. Investors will reap rich harvest in JSW Energy.

    Reliance Power - Anil Ambani owned group had mopped up huge money from investors at unreasonable premium given the long gestation period of various projects.Thanks to legacy of Dhirubhai for Anil to mop up such huge money from market at such high premium during bull run of 2007. Coming to capabilities of Anil Ambani in implementing such large scale projects remain little skeptical. Anil is known as a number crunching man rather than a project man unlike his elder sibling Mukesh who is master in executing mega projects.The testimony is successful execution of Reliance refineries in Jam Nagar under Mukesh leadership.
    More than 2 years have passed from Reliance Power IPO hit the markets but still their projects are under implementation and nothing is contributing to Top & Bottom line. Anil may also opt to merge Reliance Power with Reliance Indl Infra later at a swap thats more favourable for RII.Same like ILU(Reliance Polypropylene) & PILU (Reliance Polyethylene) are merged into RIL in 90`s.

    NHPC - Huge equity base. Its Hydro power specific stock.Will take many many years to declare even a 5% paltry dividend.Will continue to have poor discounting on bourses due to earnings and equity mismatch.

    Adani Power - Projects are still at implementation stage.Adani group is new for such large scale projects.High equity base compared to JSW.Earnings mismatch with equity. Invest if you feel must or on progress of projects cautiously.

    Indiabulls Power - Strictly stay away from Indiabulls group.They are just trading & financing group.Have no experience in executing mega power projects.They also have mopped up money from public so far no proper information available about implementation.I am skeptical about India Bulls group. Indiabulls power is available cheap at below issue price but it doesn`t merit investment. Don`t invest in it just because its available cheap. Rather than buying 500 Indiabulls, better buy 200 JSW Energy.

    Above are entirely my views.And put forward on best of my knowledge

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Ashish,
    I am also not a big fan of Anil Ambani. As Nirash pointed out, they havent yet started production. I dont track it, so dont know if their projects are nearing completion, which could add as a trigger.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi ME,
    Few months back there was a news that RPOWR started production in its ROSA plant. Also as Rajeev says that management does not matter till fundamentals are strong. Do you think he won 28000MW projects just like that. Also anil did not have any experience in executing projects in Telecom, entertainment and Financial sector. But once he entered he elbowed out his competitors from the race. Adlabs, Rcom, Reliance money are good examples.
    I am not trying to convince you but just wanted to know if anil ambani is the only reason for you to stay away from RPWR. Since analysing fundamentals is bit difficult for me so I am not sure if fundamentally RPWR is strong or not but if at all Anil ambani is the only reason for to stay then I don't think its the right reason.

    ReplyDelete
  17. No, my main problem is that they dont have any significant operations at the moment and i dont want to put my money without seeing good operational numbers from them. If you are convinced, please go ahead and buy it, all i said is that i am not.

    ReplyDelete