Friday, May 18, 2007

NATO Sends Cyber Expert to Estonia

Via CNN.com -

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) -- Estonia's defense minister said Thursday there was a possibility the Russian government was involved in massive cyber attacks that have crippled the Baltic nation's Web sites this month.

The evidence is not enough to prove Russia played a role, "but it indicates a possibility," Defense Minister Jaak Aaviksoo told The Associated Press by telephone.

He said more than 1 million computers worldwide have been used in recent weeks to attack Estonian government and business Web sites since a dispute arose with Moscow over Estonia's moving of a Soviet-era war memorial from downtown Tallinn.

"We identified in the initial attacks IP numbers from the Russian governmental offices," Aaviksoo said, referring to Internet addresses that can be traced.

The attacks have also gotten the attention of NATO, which has sent a cyber expert to Estonia to help amid concerns that the military alliance might also be targeted, a NATO official said Thursday.

The Russian government has denied Estonia's accusations. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the attackers must have used a fake Kremlin Internet address to tarnish Russian authorities.

Aaviksoo said the attacks were massive and well-organized, targeting government offices and corporations, including the six major banks in the Baltic country.

"They started after we discovered instructions on Russian Web sites telling when, why and what to attack," he added.

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