The latest scandal on the block, it seems like a noted Chinese hacker known as Wicked Rose or Withered Rose is involved with the Antivirus startup Anvisoft. The hackers real name is Tan Dailin and he was previously involved in the hacking of some US defence contractors.<\/p>\n
Anvisoft even posted on their official Facebook group a simple response to the original article “Yes it’s true”.<\/p>\n
Antivirus startup Anvisoft was founded by an infamous Chinese hacker who allegedly cut his teeth exploiting Microsoft Office security holes to hack US defence contractors, it has emerged.<\/p>\n
Investigative journalist Brian Krebs uncovered evidence – largely based on historic domain records for Anvisoft and reports compiled by VeriSign on Chinese hacking activities – to allege that black-hat Tan Dailin established the antivirus startup.<\/p>\n
In response to inquiries from The Reg, Anvisoft confirmed via a message from its official Facebook account that the report is accurate. “Yes, it is true,” it simply stated.<\/p>\n
Dailin, AKA Wicked Rose or sometime Withered Rose, allegedly led a state-sponsored four-man crew called NCPH – Network Crack Program Hacker. According to VeriSign’s iDefense, NCPH developed a rootkit [PDF] that was used to infiltrate the US defence establishment in 2006. The group is accused of launching Microsoft Office-based attacks for two years before it disbanded in 2008.<\/p>\n
Krebs followed various online clues to piece together his tentative conclusion that Dailin, a 28-year-old graduate of Sichuan University of Science and Engineering in Zigong, registered Anvisoft’s domain in 2011, and may still be a key player at the startup.<\/p>\n
One of Dailin\u2019s cohorts in NCPH, a hacker nicknamed Rodag, wrote a blog post describing Anvisoft’s Smart Defender as a \u201csecurity aid from abroad\u201d and praised the technology, Krebs noted.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
From Kreb’s research is seems like it could have been Dailin that actually registered the domain for Anvisoft, which would indicate he is a key player in the operation and perhaps even the founder or co-founder.<\/p>\n
Even so, the evidence that has been turned up so far is far from conclusive and as well know just because this chap was mixed up in some dubious activity a few years back – doesn’t mean he isn’t ethically sound now. Some of the best ‘whitehat’ security folks have some distinctly grey stains on their hats.<\/p>\n