Source: Venessa Lee, TODAY | SINGAPORE:
They go by names such as GhostNet and botnets but they have nothing to do with harmless computer games. Instead, they are associated with something more dangerous – spying in cyberspace which, in the worst-case scenario, can undermine a country’s national interests.Earlier this year, Canadian researchers uncovered a cyber-espionage operation involving GhostNet, an electronic spying network that uses malware, or malicious software, The New York Times (NYT) reported in March.
Through the network, the camera and audio-recording functions in an infected PC can be activated, enabling a stranger to see and hear what is going on in the room where the computer is located.
According to the NYT, GhostNet had stolen documents from hundreds of government and private offices, including those of the Dalai Lama. It had infiltrated at least 1,295 computers in 103 countries.
The researchers believed that its targets included the governments of South Asian and South-east Asian countries.
The threat posed by GhostNet is just one of the many serious forms of cyber attacks that have led governments worldwide to set up special agencies to counter them.