Regime change has long been the subject of blockbuster thrillers and epic spy novels - and strictly the domain of James Bond or Jason Bourne…
But not any more. According to legendary hacker, Chris Rock, it’s a simple, bloodless 8-step programme for any hacker worth their salt.
Chris was keynote speaker at the NetDiligence Cyber Risk Summit in Philadelphia today (June 13th), which CyberCube proudly sponsors.
Rock used the 2011 example of Kuwait’s ‘Arab Spring’ event and the removal of Prime Minister Nasser Al-Sabah to demonstrate those simple steps:
1. Take control of Kuwait ISPs and websites
2. Plant fake news of institutional corruption on the main news sites
3. Move money from the Central Bank to private accounts
4. Fund terror organisations as ‘evidence’ of corruption
5. Infiltrate the government sites
6. Infiltrate critical infrastructure
7. Cause a blackout (that citizens believe is due to the country being bankrupted by government corruption)
8. The people storm parliament and demand a new Prime Minister.
Regime change complete, from the comfort of a hacker’s sofa!
Chris’ example is a chilling one - and he warned the room of 800 insurance professionals to beware of the assumed motivations of hacking groups. Chris told the conference that there is a growing number of cyber mercenaries, who execute attacks for money and are extremely adept at hiding their tracks.
Indeed, they often plant deliberate diversions in their methods, to attribute the attack to a nation state or other threat actor, and hide their tracks.
With attribution as hot a topic as it ever has been in the cyber risk and insurance sector, Chris Rock’s demonstration should certainly prompt a pause for thought...
