A Life or Death InfoSec Subversion

Details about failures of complex and well-implemented information-based attacks on systems are extremely difficult to obtain. However, here the authors examine a real-life analogue - an information attack on a highly complex security system, that of the Colombian guerrilla group FARC. This operation included a man-in-the-middle attack, targeted denial of service (DoS), and authentication subversion. The attack on FARC´s communications structure is interesting not only because of its electronic and analog components, but also because it was a life or death matter. The authors examine the hostages´ liberation from an information security perspective, compiling data from several Colombian newspapers and magazines and using the most accepted version of the events.