China-based hackers take an interest in Cambodia's elections

A US-based security researcher has accused China of interfering in Cambodia's forthcoming national election. Security vendor FireEye says it has spotted a large-scale Chinese phishing, intrusion, remote access trojan (RAT), and data exfiltration operation targeting the poll. FireEye attributed the activity to a group dubbed “ …

[Anonymous Coward]

So a company entrenched with the US government claims China is hacking an already decided election against a friendly nation with new tools.

From the Fireye website,

"FireEye Government Email Threat Prevention (ETP) has been granted a Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMPSM) Authority to Operate (ATO). It is the first FedRAMP-compliant cloud email security offering to provide advanced threat protection for government users."

Not really a stretch of the imagination to think that those that pay your bills ask you to tell a few porkies every now and again in the interests of propaganda especially during a trade war with said nation.

[James Anderson]

If they really are hacking the Cambodian election then it can only be for practice. The Election result was known before the date was announced.

Be really interesting to see what would happen if they did manage to hack the result. ......and we announce the winner Han Senn with 0 votes.

[GnuTzu]

"then it can only be for practice"

Maybe, but practice it is--as you have indicated. The trend is set. Is this how the global cyber war starts? Or is the the question: how will it ramp up to world-destroying proportions?

[Gene Cash]

Yeah, I'll believe it a little more when/if Kaspersky confirms it.

[JaitcH]

What's Left To Hack In Kampuchea - Prime Minister Hun Sen Needs No Help

The government of Prime Minister Hun Sen is corrupt - and the US Government has done nothing to stop it. Maybe it's because Kampuchea (Cambodia) allows the NSA to have a huge office there and operate unhindered. Until recently Kampuchea was connected to the InterNet via VietNam, where the NSA definitely has to operate clandestinely!

When the Communist Kmer Rouge (killing fields) ran the country they destroyed all the land registry details as such governments often lay claim to all the territory. Only people who could prove the land was theirs, such as through family grave sites, were allowed ro regain ownership after the KR was defeated.

All the other land remained the 'property' of the government.

The government of Prime Minister Hun Sen has since been selling off this acquired land, thousands of acres, to the highest bidder.

In recent years Hun Sen has been sleeping with the Chinese who have ramped up developments, based on loans to the government of Kampuchea. When such loans are in default, the ownership of the security becomes the property of the Chinese.

[Robert D Bank]

Re: What's Left To Hack In Kampuchea - Prime Minister Hun Sen Needs No Help

Many of the old guard associated with the Khmer Rouge are still very influential in Gov't there. Met some of their university aged offspring there and their sense of entitlement tells you everything you need to know. Meanwhile most people below a certain age there have no idea of the recent history and were shocked just from what they read in the brief history detailed in the guidebook we had.

[Rich 2]

Why don't systems like this simply block anything and everything from China/Russia/Somalia/<add gangster/anarchic/ruthless dictatorship of your choice> ?

In fact, why not just block all this stuff from even entering <add nice fluffy western democracy of your choice> entirely ?

Nothing good ever comes out of these countries. And if you really need to communicate with them, there's always the phone