A third of government websites attacked by unknown cyber criminals

An estimated third of government websites in the United States have fallen victim to a cyberattack. The attacks started over the Fourth of July weekend and have continued through this week. Government websites attacked include the Secret Service, the White House, Treasury Department, and the FTC. Several commercial websites have been targeted as well, including Nasdaq and the Washington Post.

During the attack, over fifty thousand computers were hacked and commanded to access different websites. Officials are saying that the attacks were minor and relatively unsophisticated with service returned within a few hours. A widely distributed anti-virus code stopped the attacks and the agencies are widely distributing the code to protect against future breaches.

Currently, twenty-seven agencies in the US and South Korea have been affected by the attack. Intelligence in South Korea has indicated that the hacks were possibly perpetrated by North Korea or North Korean supporters. However, detractors say this is just a rumor used to perpetuate the passing of an anti-terrorism bill in South Korea.

Read: [CNET]