September 5, 2012,
The Wall Street Journal
By JAMES HOOKWAY
Cambodia is the latest country to come under sustained attack from computer hackers after police in the tiny
Southeast Asian country arrested one of the founders of The Pirate Bay
file-sharing website last week.
A group calling itself NullCrew began hacking into government and
commercial websites in the country after news of Gottfrid Svartholm
Warg's arrest broke over the weekend. Among other targets were websites
for the Cambodian armed forces, the Ministry of Public Works and
Cambodia's Institute of Standards. NullCrew hackers then posted what
they claimed were passwords to the websites on a bulletin page widely
used by so-called hacktivist groups.
"The founder of The Pirate Bay was arrested in Cambodia, so Cambodia
is now a target," NullCrew said in a statement announcing the launch of
what it calls #OpTPB—or operation The Pirate Bay.
"They should have expected it when they did this," the group said. "Cambodia, we will not stop until you come to your senses."
It is unclear how disruptive the hacks were, or whether they were
simply intended as a threat to the Cambodian authorities by showing how
vulnerable the country's computer security systems are.
Chin Daro, a deputy director of state-run Telecom
Cambodia, said officials are working with Internet service providers to
identify the source and extent of the attack.
"It's hard for us if the (Internet protocol) address is outside the country," he said.
Hacker attacks have emerged as an urgent challenge for governments
and corporations around the world in recent years. They already are
playing a role in conflicts in the Middle East, where Iranian government
agencies have been infected by sophisticated viruses. But hacker
attacks also are a growing problem for smaller countries, such as
Cambodia, which might not have the resources or technology that other,
larger nations might have to combat such assaults.
At the same time, security experts say underground groups such as
NullCrew and Anonymous are stepping up their attacks in defense of what
they describe as a mission to protect Internet freedoms.
The group Anonymous, which Internet security analysts say works
closely with NullCrew, last month crippled several government websites
in Ukraine in retaliation for the Ukrainian government's move to shut
down a popular site where pirated media files are shared. Other hackers
last month defaced government websites in Uganda in support of gay,
lesbian and transgender rights, while Anonymous-affiliated hackers
attacked several Australian websites in retaliation against government
plans to retain online data and, theoretically, make it easier to track
Australian citizens online.
In recent weeks, NullCrew has also claimed to have attacked Cambridge
University in England in support of its campaign in support of
WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange. Mr. Assange is currently hiding in
the Ecuador embassy in London in order to avoid extradition to Sweden,
where he is wanted for questioning in connection with allegations of
sexual assault, but he fears Sweden may hand him over to face
prosecution in the U.S. for his website's release of secret diplomatic
cables.
"There is much more where this came from, and don't think this is the
end," NullCrew said in its statement, in which it listed a series of
passwords to access the university's computer system. The university has
said it is investigating the claims.
In explaining its Cambodia attacks, NullCrew made a direct reference
to Kim Dotcom, the founder of file-sharing site Megaupload who was
arrested early this year in New Zealand after the U.S. accused him of
enabling large-scale piracy over his website. The U.S. is attempting to
extradite him to face charges of money laundering and
racketeering—charges which hacktivist groups say carry
disproportionately large jail terms.
Cambodian authorities, meanwhile, say Mr. Svartholm, a balding
27-year old with a goatee, could be deported any day now after his
arrest last Thursday. Cambodia doesn't have an extradition agreement
with Sweden, but Cambodian officials said they can simply revoke Mr.
Svartholm's visa and leave him vulnerable to extradition from a third
country.
Mr. Svartholm and three other associates at The Pirate Bay were
sentenced to one-year prison terms in Sweden three years ago in a
landmark case and ordered to pay 30 million kronor, or around $3.6
million, in compensation to entertainment firms, including Warner Bros.,
EMI and Columbia Pictures for copyright violations.
All four denied the allegations, saying The Pirate Bay didn't host
any files but instead provided links through which users could download
media content from other websites.
An appeals court reduced the prison sentences for three Pirate Bay
operators. Mr. Svartholm, who couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday,
didn't show up for the appeal hearing, and was ordered to begin his
12-month sentence earlier this year.
—Sun Narin
contributed to this article. Write to James Hookway at james.hookway@wsj.com
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