US cyberspying fears hang over Beijing Olympics

sjb007 · 07-21-2008, 04:51 AM

US paranoia about Chinese computer hackers has created a diplomatic dilemma about whether or not to warn visitors and business people traveling to next month's Beijing Olympics about cyber-security risks.

Last month the department of Homeland Security privately warned government and key private-sector contacts of the cyber-security perils facing overseas travelers from foreign governments. Spying techniques outlined in the advisory, which wasn't made public, included copying the contents of laptop hard disks at border crossing or in hotel rooms and "loading spyware" onto BlackBerry mobile devices, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The advisory does not single out any country, but the timing of the alert, two months before the Beijing Olympics and shortly after allegations emerged that a US Commerce secretary's laptop was hacked during a December trip to China, are noteworthy.

Some businesses, such as General Electric, already issue guidance on how to minimise cyber-security risks, such as leaving laptops behind or using a dedicated travel laptop with an encrypted hard drive.

Full Article here - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07...rspy_olympics/

07-21-2008, 04:51 AM	#1 (permalink)
sjb007 Analyst, Security Team Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Lincoln UK Posts: 847 OS: Vista My System	US cyberspying fears hang over Beijing Olympics US paranoia about Chinese computer hackers has created a diplomatic dilemma about whether or not to warn visitors and business people traveling to next month's Beijing Olympics about cyber-security risks. Last month the department of Homeland Security privately warned government and key private-sector contacts of the cyber-security perils facing overseas travelers from foreign governments. Spying techniques outlined in the advisory, which wasn't made public, included copying the contents of laptop hard disks at border crossing or in hotel rooms and "loading spyware" onto BlackBerry mobile devices, the Wall Street Journal reports. The advisory does not single out any country, but the timing of the alert, two months before the Beijing Olympics and shortly after allegations emerged that a US Commerce secretary's laptop was hacked during a December trip to China, are noteworthy. Some businesses, such as General Electric, already issue guidance on how to minimise cyber-security risks, such as leaving laptops behind or using a dedicated travel laptop with an encrypted hard drive. Full Article here - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07...rspy_olympics/ __________________ *Patience is a Virtue* Proud Member of ASAP & UNITE If we have helped you then please consider donating Please note that we are all volunteers here, our charge is Zero All donations that are received go towards maintaining the forums