Malware that stole over 3,000 government documents identified

Government informants disclose that a number of highly confidential files have been stolen by a cyber attack on the computers of the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Ministry, including documents associated with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade pact negotiations. Investigations exposed that the attack came from overseas, potentially from South Korea, according to sources.

HTran, a rootkit often used in cyber attacks to steal information, is suspected to be the tool utilized by whoever hacked into the system, containing documents from the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.

No individuals or groups have been discovered as the perpetrators in this cyber attack as the police carry on to investigate. Officials will be amidst those questioned over this matter since the farm ministry didn’t inform the police the first time the cyber-attacks were detected, despite the illegal access being a clear infraction of the Unauthorized Access Prohibition Law.