(Image Source: Symantec)

BY YUTAKA HAYASHI

Just as the second annual Cyber Security conference was taking place London, a security software company revealed a string of attacks against major chemical and defense corporations. KSTP-TV has more:

“Symantec Corporation says today that cyber attacks traced to China were found in at least 48 chemical and military related companies between late July and September. Symantec is saying the same hackers were involved in previous attacks this year on human rights groups and auto companies.”

Fox News reports -- hackers carried out the attack through traditional means -- or email.

“And the trick was simple. Basically the hackers sent an email to these companies, and when they were clicked upon, it unleashed a cyber virus called Poison Ivy. And in that, they were able to gain access to documents and trade secrets. Now Symantec believes the reasons and the purpose of these attacks were ‘to be industrial espionage, collecting intellectual property for competitive advantage.’ Even though the attacks were tracked to one individual, it is believed that the Chinese military and even the government was involved.”

Reuters reports -- cyber crimes have risen dramatically in the past year.

An expert on CNN explains possible reasons for the increase.

“There’s a fairly low cost of entry in the business -- they don’t have to have a massive military-industrial complex to actually build an offensive capability and employ it. And if they attack, they can remain largely anonymous making it difficult to find and target them.”

Some governments, including China and Russia, want more control over the Internet to combat these elusive cyber terrorists.  But British Foreign Secretary William Hague disagrees -- equating increased control with censorship.

“I believe we must aspire to a future of cyber space which is not stifled by government control or censorship, but where innovation and competition flourish and investment and enterprise are rewarded.” - euronews