LOOKING INTO THE LATEST INTERNATIONAL COMPUTER SPY RING

A group of intrepid researchers at the Munk Center for International Studies at the University of Toronto recently discovered the existence of a vast computer spying operation that has serious implications for global security. The researchers discovered that the system was being controlled from computers based almost exclusively in China, however China's Foriegn Ministry spokesman, Qin Gang (pronounced Chin Gang) was quick to dismiss the research findings as "lies." The spy network dubbed 'Ghostnet' has infiltrated over 1,000 computers in 103 countries and has stolen documents from hundreds of government and private offices around the world.  But it all began at the office of the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India. Rebecca Novick spoke to one of those researchers, Greg Walton, a Security Development Senior Fellow at the Munk Center, who was invited by the private office of the Dalai Lama to look into suspicious activity on their computer network. Greg Walton is the senior security researcher for ONI Asia, and the first SecDev fellow at the Citizen Lab. He is a graduate of the Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford (International Relations and Security Studies), and holds an MSc from the Computer Science Department, University of  Sunderland (UK). In the past Greg worked for a number of human rights organizations, and as a radio and TV journalist in Asia.  He is the author of a seminal study analyzing China's censorship and surveillance systems and the complicity of western  corporations (Golden Shield). In addition to his work for ONI Asia, Greg is also the editor of ONI's sister project, the Information Warfare Monitor and the Chief Security Officer for the start-up Psiphon, heading up the "red cell" -- responsible for penetration testing and security analysis.