Cisco confirms IOS code theft
p2pnet.net News:- Most Net switching is handled by Cisco Systems hardware, so when a section of Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS) showed up on an IRC channel, a year ago, alarm bells went off around the world.
Cisco denied IOS had been penetrated and the code soon disappeared.
But FBI and Swedish police allege a 16-year-old was responsible for the post.
Rumours that Cisco’s 12.3, 12.3t IOS had been hacked and that the code was available started circulating last May
Britain’s Metro police computer crime unit searched homes in Manchester and Derbyshire, England, on September 3, 2004, seized confiscated computer equipment and arrested a 20-year-old man suspected of committing ‘hacking offenses’.
“While authorities couldn’t discuss the specifics of the case, the arrest was linked to the Cisco source code, according to Julie Prinsep, a Yard spokeswoman,” said ComputerWorld at the time
The man turned himself in to police after the raids and that the confiscated equipment will be analysed by computer forensic experts before formal charges are issued, said Reuters.
Now the New York Times says a 16-year-old Swede is being accused of hacks centering on attacks on the US military, NASA, research laboratories and IT companies, including Cisco.
Beyond the Cisco theft, “it is not clear how much data was taken or destroyed,” said the NYT. “Still, the case illustrates the ease with which Internet-connected computers – even those of sophisticated corporate and government networks – can be penetrated, and also the difficulty in tracing those responsible.”
Cisco confirmed police in Sweden had arrested a suspect in connection with the theft of its networking equipment source code last year, says InformationWeek, adding:
“A spokesman for the FBI, which began working on the theft last May, said the case is ongoing and declined to offer details.”
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See:-
16-year-old – Swedish hacker in Cisco attack, p2pnet, May 10, 2005
code was available – Cisco source code theft, p2pnet, September 20, 2004
ComputerWorld – Arrest made in Cisco source code theft, September 20, 2004
Reuters – UK man arrested for stealing Cisco source code, Reuters, September 20, 2004
New York Times – Internet Attack Called Broad and Long Lasting by Investigators, May 10, 2005
InformationWeek – Cisco Confirms Arrest In Theft Of Its Code, May 11, 2005
