Al-Qaeda plot to bring down UK internet

[Rich]

David Leppard
The Sunday Times
March 11, 2007

SCOTLAND YARD has uncovered evidence that Al-Qaeda has been plotting to
bring down the internet in Britain, causing chaos to business and the
London Stock Exchange.

In a series of raids, detectives have recovered computer files revealing
that terrorist suspects had targeted a high-security internet hub in
London.

The facility, in Docklands, houses the channel through which almost
every bit of information on the internet passes in or out of Britain.

The suspects, who were arrested, had targeted the headquarters of
Telehouse Europe, which houses Europes biggest web hotel, containing
dozens of servers , the boxes which contain the information that makes
up the web.

Security experts say the plot against Britains internet hub reflects the
constantly changing threat from Al-Qaeda and related Islamic extremist
groups.

Last year MI5 uncovered intelligence which suggested that Islamic
terrorist suspects had carried out reconnaissance of the huge Bacton
complex of gas terminals on the Norfolk coast. The threat led to the
deployment of armed guards around the plant.

A senior Whitehall security official said the internet plotters appeared
to be planning to infiltrate the hub, possibly to blow it up from the
inside, according to evidence on a computer hard drive seized in raids
on the homes of terror suspects in southern England last year.

The Telehouse facility was the subject of intense reconnaissance. The
evidence suggests that it was one of a range of options considered by
the suspects, the official said.

The discovery led Eliza Manningham-Buller, head of MI5, to set up the
Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure last month. It is a
special MI5 unit to help to protect infrastructure sites from terrorist
attacks, such as telecommunications, the internet and key utilities such
as oil, gas installations and nuclear power stations.

Without these services, the UK could suffer serious consequences,
including severe economic damage, grave social disruption, or even
large-scale loss of life, the MI5 website says.

The Telehouse hub is nicknamed CTU after the counter-terrorist
headquarters in the American television series 24. It is designed to
provide back-up power for all Britains vital network services in the
event of a large-scale terrorist attack elsewhere.

Yesterday the company confirmed that it was required to go on a
heightened state of alert last year, when security officials say they
uncovered the plot. It declined to discuss the threat but said it wanted
to reassure its customers that it was doing everything possible to
protect itself from terrorism.

Robert Harris, its technical services director, said: Major co-location
companies such as Telehouse are strategically important organisations at
the heart of the internet.

Security and business continuity are critically important. Our industry
remains as alert as possible to any threat, terrorist or otherwise, and
we are in regular communication with the appropriate authorities.

The climate in 2006 required a heightened state of alert. In 2007 we
remain in this heightened state of awareness to any such security threat
and are in regular dialogue with the authorities.


Good plan from a terrorists pov. Shame they got prawned.

[Aardvark]

If you wish to attack infrastructure, don't go for the most well defended points. Goddamn noob terrorists! :p

[Joey]

http://themot.org/gallery/d/58513-1/InternetKIllSwitch.jpg (http://themot.org/gallery/v/Macros/InternetKIllSwitch.jpg.html)

[Rich]

:D~@

[Pongles]

nooo! Telehouse Europe has the best canteen ever!

[bvark]

This is a fairly badly kept secret in general, and I don't believe any of the Docklands colo facilities are particularly well defended; I could pack an awful lot of explosives in a router chassis, and rent a rack from pretty much anyone to get my access.

In general the UK's Internet infrastructure is enormously concentrated in E14 (to an extent not seen in any other Western country), but as someone pointed out it's a chicken and egg problem: carriers don't build facilties to alternative locations or secondary cities because the ecosystem that has created such an attractive market doesn't exist elsewhere, and people wanting hosting facilities don't go elsewhere because there are no cost-effective carrier-neutral sites.

[Semajal]

Telehouse Europe, which houses Europes biggest web hotel, containing
dozens of servers

Dozens? Id have thought it was more like hundreds. Would certainly be more damaging than just blowing up trains.

[catbeef]

get out of there it's gonna blow

[Aardvark]

Terrorists would never blow up CTU, they don't want to piss Jack Bauer off.

[no friends]

All these terrorist plots keep getting foiled aye?

Why don't they just do it on the fly. Less paper work and less evidence, they all really suck tbh.

[Siany]

No one is stealing my internets! http://www.smileyarena.com/emoticons/Main/Large_Mix/angry1.gif

[Elbonio]

I have no doubt that if you could get hold of some C4 without MI5 knowing about it, you're home and dry.


There are no checks to see what's inside that big black box you're screwing into your rack at the datacentre end, it's getting hold of explosives without being caught that's the hard bit.

If one was to slip through the net...

[Semajal]

id somehow expect them to begin checks on kit.

[bvark]

"Can we take your £500K router to check for bombs?
Sure, go right ahead, I didn't need the maintenance contract anyway."

High-security datacenters in the States have particle swabs (like at airports), and X-ray scanners, and highly sensitive swarthometers - how long before we see them here?

[her0n]

simple x-ray baggage scanner would do the trick surely?

e:f,b

[Neon]

Lol,

[Jingles]

To be fair, they'd be better off organizing a massively distributed denial of service attack. Not condoning these ofc, but know only too well what a pain in the arse they are.

[Qdos]

They do check kit going in and out at places like that.

A friend of mine had to check on some hardware his company has at Telehouse and the security there is immense - they even weigh you going in and out to make sure that you haven't left anything behind. I hardly think they'll let you install something without opening it up and having a goosie - it's not like it's staffed by dimwits, these guys know their stuff - and you're escorted by them wherever you go in the building.


I can't confirm independently that they do weigh you in and out - if my mate's winding me up, he's getting a slap.

[KingDaveRa]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/01/level3_robbery/

Not the same place, but, ya know.

[Wizzo]

Those turnstiles are great until you prop open the back delivery door to unload your kit :)

[phoenixology]

Why do these terrorists waste their lives ruining everyone elses?

They have way too much time on there hands! Like dont they have to go to work or something??

[GeeDee]

OLD. And such a comedy article it's untrue. :)

The Times' source was clearly 'some bloke who has been there once (and who calls it 'CTU' himself)'.

However in terms of utterly factless tripe, I thought this (http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article737972.ece) article (which clearly has the same "source") was even more comedy. :)

[Nivek]

Why don't they just blow up the a/c uints :-P

[UberMonkey]

will you guys stop telling them how to do it properly!? XD

i dont want my interwub to go away! :'(

[Cen0bitE]

i always wonder why they make their targets so obvious. assuming you can get (or make) explosives there are so many targets its not true, why do they ALWAYS go for obvious ones?

i.e why not get on a bus in solihull and blow people up? or wigan? surely that would create an even bigger effect than picking the obvious targets? and be more difficult to detect?

tbh its a good job i'm not a terrorist, my tactic would be to have a few small teams of people dotted about the country, each team would find a random isolated house somewhere in the country and just go in the middle of the night and kill everyone in it, you'd have the "serial killer " advantage (the killers would have no connection to their victims making them difficult to identify), it would be virtually impossible to predict where they would strike next and prevent it and the effect on the psychology of the nation would be immense if you did it enough times.

[RTO]

HUUUGEEE EMP on the flyover between HEX and TH, gg wp ;)

[GeeDee]

You'd almost think the media were hyping up the whole situation really wouldn't you. ;)

[Afty]

Why do these terrorists waste their lives ruining everyone elses?Sometimes it's brainwashing, other times it's because the government you voted in dropped a bomb which put a 7 inch piece of metal in their mothers spleen and strafed the ambulance which was taking her to hospital with 20mm armour piercing shells before illegaly invading and deposing the leader of their country bringing sectarian violence and indiscriminate killing and bombings on a daily basis directly into their neighbourhood while forcing them into a lifetime of debt for your "services" before attempting to withdraw from the country when it becomes apparent that the job is as hard as everyone with a brain was screaming it would be.

Or, y'know, something like that.

[Aardvark]

They've been brainwashed to believe the truth! Sickening! :p

[Cen0bitE]

Sometimes it's brainwashing, other times it's because the government you voted in dropped a bomb which put a 7 inch piece of metal in their mothers spleen and strafed the ambulance which was taking her to hospital with 20mm armour piercing shells before illegaly invading and deposing the leader of their country bringing sectarian violence and indiscriminate killing and bombings on a daily basis directly into their neighbourhood while forcing them into a lifetime of debt for your "services" before attempting to withdraw from the country when it becomes apparent that the job is as hard as everyone with a brain was screaming it would be.

Or, y'know, something like that.

*raises a clenched fist*

right on brother!

[Pongles]

dozens

mmm, In the room where I maintain racks there must be at least 1000+ servers, and that's just one room.

[Thrud]

Afty...

The only part of that statement that makes my hackles rise is the bit about government you voted in...

I'm not sure that is fair or justified. Yes Labour are in power and yes they were put there by the public. A public who trusted them to do what is right. If they fail us there is little that can be done till the next election, but even then, unless the country begins a policy of referendum the system will remain the same that government will make good and bad choices that a large percentage of the population will not agree with.

And I dont think it matters which of the parties you vote for either.

[Rich]

I had this genius brainwave years ago when I was at school and I think its a great idea even today.

Blow up all the ****ty middle eastern countries and turn them into one giant land fill site.

2 birds with one stone, we have somewhere to put our rubbish and we disband the terrorist threat from that general area.

People may say its extreme and a bit harsh to take out the whole country when theres only a small minority of terrorists in it but name one good thing to come out of the middle east? YOU CANT CAN YOU?! HAHA! Has anyone met an arab who wasn't a ****? No. Exactly. A landfill site is a much more productive use of the land.

[Aardvark]

Oh Rich you are so edgy, I applaud you!

[Joey]

Our entire numeracy system is based on arabic. Whether you agree that maths is a good thing is another matter, but the point is that while us Brits were wandering around wearing loincloths shouting "ug" at each other the middle-east were a thriving culture.

Oh, and by the way, congratulations on your infraction for racist comments.

[Rich]

Yeah, "were" so apart from that they havn't advanced in like 2000 years. That's not very good is it?

Also, please don't confuse racism with realism.

[Big Giant Head]

but name one good thing to come out of the middle east?

OIL!

[Afty]

drivelI really hope you get what's coming to you.

[Joey]

please don't confuse racism with realism.
Has anyone met an arab who wasn't a ****? No. Exactly.
Looks suspiciously like racism to me. Especially given that I've met several arabs who aren't, as you say, ****s.

Anyhow, let's get back on topic please or the thread may mysteriously close itself...

[Rich]

I really hope you get what's coming to you.

I already have mate, that's why I'm so twisted and bitter..


... or fun and hillarious if you like that kind of thing.

[Karsh]

;615449']Looks suspiciously like racism to me. Especially given that I've met several arabs who aren't, as you say, ****s.

Anyhow, let's get back on topic please or the thread may mysteriously close itself...

Totally agree. A lot of my friend are.

[Afty]

I already have mate
No, you haven't
... or fun and hillarious if you like that kind of thing.About as fun as syphilis and as hilarious as cancer.

[Joey]

depends who's got them afty, i can think of a few examples of people where i'd get a good giggle out of them getting either of those...

[Rich]

I dunno, I pasted the link to a few of my friends on MSN and I was greeted with SHOWERS of laughter. Mind you to be fair they are the kind of people who would laugh at cancer :/

[evs]

Imagine if they'd have succeeded.

"I felt a great disturbance in the Wolrd of Warcraft, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out L2P and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

[Cen0bitE]

Imagine if they'd have succeeded.

"I felt a great disturbance in the Wolrd of Warcraft, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out L2P and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

I FIND THIS POST DISTRESSING AND OFFENSIVE

[Cen0bitE]

No, you haven't
About as fun as syphilis and as hilarious as cancer.

getting syphilis can be quite fun :devil: