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Ullrich said that RSA's recent SecureID exploit wouldn't likely result in widespread attacks, but could possibly emerge in targeted attacks on organizations -- such as weapons manufacturers -- of geo-political interest.
"It is generally assumed that the attack against RSA was conducted by China, and the Chinese government is in the possession of the information. As a result, I would expect the information to be used against specified targets that are of importance to China," he said.
RSA, the Security Division of EMC, became the focal point of public scrutiny in March after its SecureID tokens were subjected to a sophisticated and targeted attack known as an Advanced Persistent Threat .
Art Coviello, RSA executive chairman, publicly disclosed that the company had detected the cyber attack in progress, appearing to be an attempt to extract intellectual property and other sensitive information from corporate networks. The cyber criminals could potentially use the stolen information to emulate a token and essentially get around the SecureID security measures.
Meanwhile, RSA channel partners contend that the breach doesn't imply any kind of failing with two–factor authentication as a security measure. 'No one could look at RSA's security precautions and say they were inadequate," said Ken Phelan, chief technology officer of Montvale, N.J.-based Gotham Technology Group. he said. "I don't think a lot of people are saying 'it's important not to go two-factor.'"
Instead, Phelan said that recent Lockheed breach indicated the need for high-profile targets, such as Lockheed Martin, to diversify their security infrastructure and step up their response to cyber attacks.
"It's a wake-up call to a lot of people because they thought they were safe because of this one particular thing, and there's no one thing that makes you safe," Phelan said. "If you're the kind of company that's going to be targeted, you need to raise your game."
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