PKKH: CYBER WARFARE IS 'NEW THREAT TO PAKISTAN'S NATIONAL SECURITY'

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06586906
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: March 2, 2017
• Case Number: F-2016-02039
• Publication Date: August 29, 2012

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SECTION 1 OF 2
4Q44
CITE OSC RESTON VA 221678
WARNING: TOPIC: FOUO, INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL
SERIAL:SAP20120829134001
BODY
COUNTRY: IRAN, ISRAEL, PAKISTAN, UNITED STATES
SUBJ: (U//FOU0) PKKH: CYBER WARFARE IS 'NEW THREAT TO PAKISTAN'S
NATIONAL SECURITY'
SOURCE: KARACHI PKKH IN ENGLISH 29 AUG 12
(U//FOU0)
TEXT:
(U//FOU0) AN EXCLUSIVE REPORT BY PKKH CORRESPONDENT HASAN
QURESHI: "CYBER WARS" TEXT DISSEMINATED AS RECEIVED WITHOUT OSC
EDITORIAL INTERVENTION.
INTERNET
OSC TRANSCRIBED TEXT
(U) THIS PRODUCT MAY CONTAIN COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL; AUTHORIZED USE
IS FOR NATIONAL SECURITY PURPOSES OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
ONLY. ANY REPRODUCTION, DISSEMINATION, OR USE IS SUBJECT TO THE
OSC USAGE POLICY AND THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHT.
CYBER WARS
SUBMITTED BY AURANGZEB ON AUGUST 28, 2012 � 7:24 PM
(ATTACHMENT NOT INCLUDED: 5AP20120829134001001.JPG)
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UNCLASSIFIEDOW,
PKKH EXCLUSIVE (�VERTICAL�BAR�) HASAN QURESHI
THERE IS A NEW THREAT TO PAKISTAN'S NATIONAL SECURITY AND IT COMES
IN THE FORM OF A COMPUTER CODE. LEAVE ASIDE MANNED CIA, MOSSAD
AND RAW INTELLIGENCE, INFILTRATION AND SABOTAGE OPERATIONS WHICH
HAVE BEEN COUNTERED BY THE ISI; THIS NEW THREAT IS SILENT AND FAR
DEADLIER.
THE RISE OF CYBER WARFARE IS NOTHING NEW. IT HAS BEEN USED IN
VARIOUS FORMS SINCE THE LATE 1980'S, PRIMITIVE THOUGH IT MAY HAVE
BEEN. HOWEVER THE INCREASING SOPHISTICATION OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS
HAS MEANT THAT IT IS NOW BEING EMPLOYED AS A FRONT LINE TOOL OF
WAR. ONE CODE IN PARTICULAR �FIRST DISCOVERED IN 2010 LURKING IN
IRANIAN NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT FACILITIES� IS STUXNET.
STUXNET IS A JOINT COOPERATION INITIATIVE BETWEEN AMERICA'S
NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY AND ISRAEL'S UNIT 8200, PART OF A LARGER
PROGRAMME INITIATED BY GEORGE W. BUSH IN 2008 CALLED OPERATION
OLYMPIC GAMES TO TARGET IRAN, PAKISTAN, AND MIDDLE EASTERN
COUNTRIES ELECTRONICALLY. IT IS THE MOST COMPLICATED VIRUS CODE
TO DATE; EXPLOITING GAPS IN SYSTEMS CALLED ZERO DAYS WHICH EVEN
THE SYSTEM DESIGNERS ARE NOT AWARE OF. IT IS ALSO THE FIRST VIRUS
CREATED FOR THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE OF CYBER WARFARE � A WEAPON MADE
ENTIRELY OUT OF CODE.
THE VIRUS AND ITS VARIANTS CAN LIE DORMANT IN A SYSTEM FOR YEARS �
BE THAT A POWER/COMMUNICATIONS GRID OR A NUCLEAR FACILITY� AND
ONLY COME INTO ACTION WHEN A SPECIFIC 'TARGET' COMES INTO PLAY.
FOR EXAMPLE IT CAN BE INSERTED INTO A COUNTRY'S MISSILE DEFENCE
SHIELD OR MISSILE LAUNCH PROGRAM AND ONLY SPRING INTO ACTION WHEN
THE CODES FOR THE MISSILES ARE INPUTTED AND THE LAUNCH BUTTON IS
PRESSED, RENDERING A COUNTRY DEFENCELESS AT ITS HOUR OF NEED. THE
SYSTEM NEED NOT BE CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET AS A DOUBLE AGENT
WITH A USB DEVICE IS ALL THAT IS NEEDED.
IT WREAKED HAVOC AT IRAN'S NATANZ NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT PLANT,
SETTING THEM BACK AT LEAST TWO YEARS. IT IS ALSO SUSPECTED OF
BURROWING INTO THE SYSTEM AT THE BUSHEHR FACILITY, MEANING THAT
WHEN THE PLANT FINALLY DOES COME ONLINE, IT COULD LEAD TO A
NATIONAL ELECTRICITY BLACKOUT. THE US AND ISRAELIS PROGRAMMERS
USED P-1 CENTRIFUGES ACQUIRED FROM LIBYA TO TEST THE RESULTS ON
IRAN'S CENTRIFUGES AS THEY ALSO USE THE SAME. THE P-1 CENTRIFUGE
DESIGN WAS GIVEN TO LIBYA AND IRAN BY PAKISTAN THROUGH DR. ABDUL
QADEER KHAN, MEANING THAT PAKISTAN ALSO USES THOSE VERY SAME
P-1'S IN SOME OF ITS OWN NUCLEAR FACILITIES.
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STUXNET, THOUGH, IS OLD NEWS BY NOW. EVEN THE NEWLY DISCOVERED
"FLAME" MALWARE FOUND RECENTLY IN SYSTEMS IN THE MIDDLE EAST WAS
DEVELOPED SOME TIME AGO. WHILE DETAILS ABOUT THESE TWO TARGETED
ATTACK PACKAGES ARE FINALLY EMERGING, THE NEXT GENERATION OF
ATTACK TOOLS HAS NO DOUBT BEEN DEVELOPED AND LIKELY DEPLOYED.
A FURTHER ISSUE IS THAT STUXNET IS NOW AVAILABLE AS OPEN SOURCE
SOFTWARE AND CAN BE REVERSE ENGINEERED BY ANYONE. A NON�STATE
ACTOR, SUCH AS THE FOREIGN FUNDED OUTFITS TTP OR BLA ARE NOW
FULLY CAPABLE OF ACQUIRING, REDESIGNING AND DEPLOYING THIS
SOFTWARE AGAINST SENSITIVE TARGETS.
THE THREAT IS NOT LIMITED TO ATTACKS ON NATIONAL SECURITY
INSTALLATIONS BECAUSE RECENTLY AN OFFSHOOT OF STUXNET DUBBED THE
GAUSS VIRUS HAS BEEN FOUND LURKING ON SYSTEMS IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
THIS CODE IS DIFFERENT TO THE ORIGINAL FROM WHICH IT WAS
DEVELOPED AS ITS OBJECTIVE IS THE SURVEILLANCE OF THE FINANCIAL
DATA OF SYSTEM USERS. THE MALWARE 'DUQU' USED FOR CYBER ESPIONAGE
IS ALSO RELATED TO STUXNET. RUSSIA'S KASPERSKY LAB FIRST FLAGGED
THE EXISTENCE OF THESE VIRUSES AND COMMENTED ON ITS WEBSITE,
"AFTER LOOKING AT STUXNET, DUQU AND FLAME, WE CAN SAY WITH A HIGH
DEGREE OF CERTAINTY THAT GAUSS COMES FROM THE SAME 'FACTORY' OR
'FACTORIES.' ALL THESE ATTACK TOOLKITS REPRESENT THE HIGH END OF
NATION�STATE SPONSORED CYBER�ESPIONAGE AND CYBERWAR OPERATIONS."
ACCORDING TO KASPERSKY LAB, GAUSS CAN ALSO STEAL PASSWORDS AND
ADMIN
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