But the attack didn't come to light until Aug. 27, when a user in Iran reported on a Google forum that his Google Chrome browser said that something was wrong with his Google certificate. All told, at least 531 bad certificates were issued.
Comodohacker said the attack against DigiNotar was payback for the Srebrenica massacre. He also suggested that he wasn't operating under the auspices of Iranian authorities. "I'm single person, do not AGAIN try to make an ARMY out of me in Iran. If someone in Iran used certs I have generated, I'm not one who should explain," he said.
The DigiNotar hack has already had wide-ranging repercussions for the 9 million Dutch citizens--in a country with a population of 17 million--that use DigiD, a government website for accessing services, such as paying taxes. According to news reports, the country's lawyers have been forced to switch to fax and mail, to handle many activities that were supported by an intranet. The Netherlands has also indefinitely extended the country's tax deadline.
According to the Fox-IT audit, the hacker or hackers who compromised DigiNotar knew what they were doing. "They used known hacker tools as well as software and scripts developed specifically for this task. Some of the software gives an amateurish impression, while some scripts, on the other hand, are very advanced. In at least one script, fingerprints from the hacker are left on purpose, which were also found in the Comodo breach investigation of March 2011. Parts of the log files, which would reveal more about the creation of the signatures, have been deleted."
In the wake of the exploit of DigiNotar, on Tuesday, Microsoft released a security advisory announcing that it was treating all DigiNotar certificates as untrusted. It also downplayed reports that fake digital certificates--for example, for Windows Update--could be used to install malicious software on targeted PCs.
But Comodohacker suggested otherwise. "I'm able to issue windows update, Microsoft's statement about Windows Update and that I can't issue such update is totally false!" he said. "I already reversed ENTIRE windows update protocol, how it reads XMLs via SSL which includes URL, KB no, SHA-1 hash of file for each update, how it verifies that downloaded file is signed using WinVerifyTrust API."
See more on this topic by subscribing to Network Computing Pro Reports Strategy: Malware War (subscription required).
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
