Experts gathering to discuss intellectual property theft say that a fix will require the application of conomic sanctions, not just more technology. [Read more]
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Tag Archives: Cyber
Is protecting intellectual property from cyber thieves futile?
Posted by Gsurface
on May 23, 2013
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Cyber Security Startup Lucent Sky’s CLEAR Makes Securing Web Sites A Breeze
Posted by Gsurface
on May 14, 2013
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One of the most nervewracking and tedious parts of developing a Web site is making sure that it is safe from data theft and other security breaches. Taipei-based startup Lucent Sky‘s mission is to make cyber security easier for developers. The company says its software CLEAR is the first commercially available program for automatic application vulnerability mitigation.
TechCrunch
World grapples with rise in cyber crime
Posted by Gsurface
on May 11, 2013
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Bank security weaknesses led to cyber looting of $45M from ATMs
Posted by Gsurface
on May 10, 2013
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Alberto Yusi Lajud Pena, found dead in the Dominican Republic two weeks ago, was the leader of the New York cell of an international gang of cyber thieves that authorities allege stole a staggering $ 45 million from ATM machines around the world.
Computerworld News
NATO Holds Annual Cyber Defense Exercise
Posted by Gsurface
on April 29, 2013
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Bismillah writes about NATO’s annual Locked Shields cyber defense exercises. “The Western European and North American mutual defence pact organisation NATO has concluded an annual cyber defence exercise, defending a fictitious network against incoming attacks. Called Locked Shields 2013, the exercise involved 250 people in eleven locations around Europe, under the auspices of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCD-COE), the Finnish and Estonian Defence Forces and two government IT security organisations in the Baltic country.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
House committee votes in favor of pro-business cyber security bill
Posted by Gsurface
on April 11, 2013
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S. Korea Says Cyber Attack From North Wiped 48,700 Machines
Posted by Gsurface
on April 10, 2013
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wiredmikey writes “An official investigation into a major cyber attack on South Korean banks and broadcasters last month has determined that North Korea’s military intelligence agency was responsible. An investigation into access records and the malware used in the attack pointed to the North’s military Reconnaissance General Bureau as the source, the Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA) said on Wednesday. To spread the malware, the attackers went through 49 different places in 10 countries including South Korea, the investigation found. The attacks used malware that can wipe the contents of a computer’s hard disk (including Linux machines) and damaged 48,700 machines including PCs, ATMs, and servers.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
U.S. Air Force designates six cyber tools as weapons
Posted by Gsurface
on April 9, 2013
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New designations should allow the programs to better compete for increasingly scarce Pentagon funding, an official says. [Read more]
CNET News
Cyber Criminals Tying Up Emergency Phone Lines Through TDoS Attacks, DHS Warns
Posted by Gsurface
on April 3, 2013
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tsamsoniw writes “Emergency-service providers and other organizations are being targeted with TDoS (telephony denial of service) attacks, according to a security alert (PDF) from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, obtained by security expert Brian Krebs. TDoS attacks use high volumes of automated calls to tie up target phone systems, halting incoming and outgoing calls. Perpetrators are using the attacks to extort cash from target organizations, who receive a call from a representative from a purported payday loan company, who demands payment of $ 5,000 for an outstanding debt — usually speaking in an unspecified ‘strong accent.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
South Korea defense ministry reportedly crafts a cyber policy group to unify its security
Posted by Gsurface
on April 2, 2013
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If you hadn’t heard, South Korea’s under a lot of pressure lately, including a spate of internet-based attacks against banks and broadcasters on March 20th that some worry (though can’t confirm) was the result of a large-scale hacking campaign. The country won’t simply stand idle and brace for another hit, according to the Yonhap News Agency. It understands from an unnamed senior official that South Korea’s Ministry of Defense is complementing its Cyber Command division with a policy group, not unlike a UK equivalent, that would coordinate online security across different military sections, including the refinement of a defensive cyberwarfare strategy and recruiting more people to bulk up the digital front lines. Provided the claim is accurate, the division would be up and running before the first half of the year is over — and likely not a moment too soon.
[Image credit: John Pavelka, Flickr]
Filed under: Networking, Internet
Via: The Next Web
Source: Yonhap News Agency
Did the spam cyber fight really slow down the Internet?
Posted by Gsurface
on March 28, 2013
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Reports of a virtual attack on a spam-fighting organization say the events brought down most of the Web, but new reports suggest it was blown out of proportion. [Read more]
CNET News
North Korea training teams of ‘cyber warriors,’ experts say
Posted by Gsurface
on March 24, 2013
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Investigators have yet to pinpoint the culprit behind a synchronized cyberattack in South Korea last week. But in Seoul, the focus remains fixed on North Korea, where South Korean security experts say Pyongyang has been training a team of computer-savvy “cyber warriors” as cyberspace becomes a fertile battleground in the standoff between the two Koreas.
Formula One team under cyberattack in Cyber Security Challenge UK
Posted by Gsurface
on March 14, 2013
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U.S. military networks not prepared for cyber threats, report warns
Posted by Gsurface
on March 6, 2013
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The U.S. is dangerously unprepared to face a full-scale cyber conflict launched by a peer adversary, a report by the military’s Defense Science Board (DSB) warns.
Computerworld News
Why Obama’s Cyber Defense Order Won’t Amount to Much
Posted by Gsurface
on February 15, 2013
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The president’s executive order falls short of meeting the severity of the cyberattack threat.
There’s been a lot of rhetoric recently about the threat that cyberattacks pose to national infrastructure, but President Obama’s new executive order—with its focus on voluntary standards and information sharing—is unlikely to provide much protection. The executive order requires that new information-sharing, standards-setting, and R&D plans get up and running over the next few months to two years.
Cyber Attacks Against Journalists Are On The Rise, Says Advocacy Group
Posted by Gsurface
on February 15, 2013
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More journalists are now the target of cyber attacks, said the Committee to Protect Journalists. CPJ deputy director Robert Mahoney said cyber attacks on individuals and news organizations have increased notably over the past few years and that the practice serves as easy and inexpensive censorship. In a press conference with reporters, Mahoney cited the recent attacks on The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal by Chinese hackers, but said other news organizations and journalists in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and other regions had also been subjected to cyberattacks.
TechCrunch
New Medal Designed To Honor Cyber Soldiers
Posted by Gsurface
on February 14, 2013
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bios10h writes “The Boston Globe writes that the Pentagon is creating a new medal to honor cyber soldiers. ‘[The] troops who launch the drone strikes and direct the cyber-attacks that can kill or disable an enemy may never set foot in the combat zone. Now their battlefield contributions may be recognized with the first new combat-related medal to be created in decades. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced Wednesday that the Pentagon is creating a medal that can be awarded to troops who have a direct impact on combat operations, but do it well away from any combat zone.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Obama Announces Plan to Shore Up U.S. Cyber Defenses
Posted by Gsurface
on February 13, 2013
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President uses State of the Union address to launch effort to protect infrastructure against a “growing threat”.
Citing a “rapidly growing threat from cyber attacks,” President Obama said last night that he has issued an executive order that would strengthen the United States’ computerized defenses.
Hacktivism: Civil Disobedience Or Cyber Crime?
Posted by Gsurface
on January 18, 2013
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An anonymous reader writes “You don’t necessarily have to a hacker to be viewed as one under federal law. ProPublica breaks down acts of ‘hacktivism’ to see what is considered criminal under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. It points out that both Aaron Swartz and Bradley Manning were charged under the CFAA. Quoting: ‘A DDoS attack can be charged as a crime under the CFAA, as it “causes damage” and can violate a web site’s terms of service. The owner of the site could also file a civil suit citing the CFAA, if they can prove a temporary server overload resulted in monetary losses. … The charges for doxing depend on how the information was accessed, and the nature of published information. Simply publishing publicly available information, such as phone numbers found in a Google search, would probably not be charged under the CFAA. But hacking into private computers, or even spreading the information from a hack, could lead to charges under the CFAA.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
British MPs Warn of ‘Fatal’ Cyber Warfare Strategy
Posted by Gsurface
on January 9, 2013
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judgecorp writes “British Members of Parliament have warned that the UK’s cyber warfare strategy is getting it wrong. According to a defense committee report, the country’s IT security forces are inadequately prepared for a cyber attack, rely too heavily on inadequately protected systems, and do not sufficiently appreciate the difficulty of attributing the source of an attack.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
PayPal President David Marcus On Cyber Monday, In-Store Payments, Data Strategy And More
Posted by Gsurface
on November 27, 2012
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PayPal President David Marcus held an informal sit-down with reporters today in San Francisco to address the recent shopping activity over the holidays, PayPal’s strategy on data and mobile, and the potential for the company to take a stake in in-store payments.
TechCrunch
What to buy – or avoid like the plague – on Cyber Monday
Posted by Gsurface
on November 27, 2012
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Federal Officials Take Down 132 Websites In “Cyber Monday” Crackdown
Posted by Gsurface
on November 26, 2012
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coondoggie writes “A team of world-wide law enforcement agencies took out 132 domain names today that were illegally selling counterfeit merchandise online. The group, made up of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and law enforcement agencies from Belgium, Denmark, France, Romania, United Kingdom and the European Police Office (Europol), targeted alleged counterfeiters selling everything from professional sports jerseys, DVD sets, and a variety of clothing to jewelry and luxury goods.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
A Cyber Monday Schtick That’s Actually Cool: Randi Zuckerberg And Others Sell Their Stuff On Copious For Charity
Posted by Gsurface
on November 26, 2012
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‘Tis the season for holiday-themed schticks from startups (and their accompanying PR pitches) — and to be honest, most of them are more worthy of an eyeroll than anything. But today Copious, the socially-powered online marketplace where people can buy and sell things, kicked off a Cyber Monday event that is actually pretty cool.
In what it’s calling “Festivus on Copious,” Copious has enlisted seven web-savvy celebrities to sell their personal things on Copious over the coming week with proceeds benefiting a charity of their choice.
TechCrunch
Two hard drive deals for Cyber Monday
Posted by Gsurface
on November 26, 2012
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Seagate’s wireless Satellite Flex 500GB is going cheap on while a 3TB external drive goes for less than a nice meal for the family. [Read more]
CNET News
CNET Exclusive: Outdoor Tech wireless audio Cyber Monday sale
Posted by Gsurface
on November 26, 2012
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This week, CNET partnership manager Liza Maloy hunts down a 35 percent discount on Outdoor Tech Bluetooth devices. [Read more]
CNET News
Sonos deals for Cyber Monday and beyond
Posted by Gsurface
on November 26, 2012
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Get an Amazon credit or a free Sonos Bridge when you order a Play:3 or Play:5 wireless speaker. [Read more]
CNET News
Cyber Corps Program Trains Spies For the Digital Age, In Oklahoma
Posted by Gsurface
on November 24, 2012
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David Hume writes “The Los Angeles Times has a story about the two-year University of Tulsa Cyber Corps Program. About ’85% of the 260 graduates since 2003 have gone to the NSA, which students call “the fraternity,” or the CIA, which they call “the sorority.”‘ ‘Other graduates have taken positions with the FBI, NASA and the Department of Homeland Security.’ According to the University of Tulsa website, two programs — the National Science Foundation’s Federal Cyber Service: Scholarship for Service and the Department of Defense’s (DOD’s) Information Assurance Scholarship Program — provide scholarships to Cyber Corps students.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Cyber Monday has Black Friday running scared
Posted by Gsurface
on November 22, 2012
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Retailers try to turn ‘Cyber Monday’ into ‘Cyber Weekend’
Posted by Gsurface
on November 20, 2012
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A few major retailers want to get a jump on Cyber Monday by launching their online sales over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Computerworld News
The Cyber Threat To the Global Oil Supply
Posted by Gsurface
on November 12, 2012
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Lasrick writes “Blake Clayton with an excellent piece on the cyber threat to the global oil supply. His description of the August attack on Saudi Aramco, which rendered thirty thousand of its computers useless, helps make his point. From the article: ‘The future of energy insecurity has arrived. In August, a devastating cyber attack rocked one of the world’s most powerful oil companies, Saudi Aramco, Riyadh’s state-owned giant, rendering thirty thousand of its computers useless. This was no garden-variety breach. In the eyes of U.S. defense secretary Leon Panetta, it was “probably the most destructive attack that the private sector has seen to date.”’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Department of Homeland Security Wants Nerds For a New “Cyber Reserve’”
Posted by Gsurface
on November 2, 2012
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pigrabbitbear writes “Just three weeks after Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told an audience at the Sea, Air and Space Museum that the U.S. is on the brink of a ‘cyber Pearl Harbor,’ the government has decided it needs to beef up the ranks of its digital defenses. It’s assembling a league of extraordinary computer geeks for what will be known as the ‘Cyber Reserve.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Facebook Reaffirms Its Commitment To Stop Cyber Bulling With New Activist Page, Partnership With The Ad Council
Posted by Gsurface
on October 18, 2012
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Facebook just launched a new page in the Family Safety Center to help raise awareness during Bullying Prevention Month. It helps users navigate through different partners and all the specific actions that can be taken to prevent bullying, like how to report bullying and education around the Support Dashboard.
The mutlifunctional Support Dashboard launched earlier this year and Facebook recently announced it’s available to 100% of its users. This tool lets users track reports they’ve made about bullying or abuse as they’re being resolved.
TechCrunch
An Operating System for the Cyber War Era
Posted by Gsurface
on October 16, 2012
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Kaspersky thinks it can protect the control systems for power plants and other critical infrastructure.
As I wrote last week and today, there is rising concern that the control systems of infrastructure such as power grids and nuclear plants are dangerously naive in an era of targeted attack software (see “Old-Fashioned Control Systems Make U.S. Power Plants a Hacking Target” and “Preparing for Cyber-War, Without a Map”). Now one computer security company says it is building a new operating system that will protect such systems, wrapping out-dated control software in a protective barrier.
Preparing for Cyber War, Without a Map
Posted by Gsurface
on October 16, 2012
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The U.S. government has pledged to retaliate quickly if power grids or other critical elements of infrastructure are hacked—but the technology needed to do so is lacking.
Last week U.S. defense secretary Leon Panetta warned that critical infrastructure such as power grids or chemical plants could be inactivated or destroyed by a cyber attack, and he pledged that the U.S. would “defend the nation in cyberspace” as it does on land and sea, in air and space.
‘MiniFlame’ malware used in cyber espionage attacks
Posted by Gsurface
on October 15, 2012
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A new malware strain called “MiniFlame” can work on its own or team up with Flame and Gauss to conduct targeted surveillance, says Kaspersky. [Read more]
CNET News
Future cyber attacks could rival 9-11, cripple US, warns Panetta
Posted by Gsurface
on October 12, 2012
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The U.S. is facing a dramatically increasing threat from cyber attacks and a future attack on the country's critical infrastructure could have an effect similar to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks of 2001, the U.S. Secretary of Defense said Thursday evening.
Computerworld News
Philippines Supreme Court restrains government from enforcing new cyber law
Posted by Gsurface
on October 10, 2012
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The Supreme Court in the Philippines has temporarily restrained the government from enforcing a new controversial cyber law, in response to petitions from civil rights and journalists groups in the country.
Computerworld News
Europe Joins Forces In Massive Simulated Cyber Attack
Posted by Gsurface
on October 5, 2012
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An anonymous reader writes “Hundreds of cyber security experts from across the EU are testing their readiness to combat cyber-attacks in a day-long simulation across Europe today. In Cyber Europe 2012, 400 experts from major financial institutions, telecoms companies, internet service providers and local and national governments across Europe are facing more than 1200 separate cyber incidents (including more than 30 000 emails) during a simulated DDoS campaign. The exercise is testing how they would respond and co-operate in the event of sustained attacks against the public websites and computer systems of major European banks. If real, such an attack would cause massive disruption for millions of citizens and businesses across Europe, and millions of euros of damage to the EU economy.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Cyber espionage campaign targets energy companies
Posted by Gsurface
on September 22, 2012
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Hackers using a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) named Mirage have been engaged in a systematic cyber espionage campaign against a Canadian energy company, a large oil firm in the Philippines and several other entities since at least this April, Dell’s SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit says.
Computerworld News
Bungling Cyber Spy Stalks Iran
Posted by Gsurface
on August 31, 2012
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Government departments, banks, and companies that operate critical infrastructure have fallen victim to badly crafted malware known as Mahdi.
Over the past two years, governments in the Middle East have been targeted by sophisticated spying software, apparently created by world-class researchers whom unknown nation-states are paying to target sensitive data and infrastructure. Yet the latest piece of malware successfully spying on banks, government departments, and companies in Iran and nearby countries is almost laughably amateur. Experts believe that the software, called Mahdi, may have been created by activists. This possibility suggests that the United States and other governments fretting about their vulnerability to cyberwar (see “NSA Boss Wants More Control Over the Net“) may need to worry about more than just other nations.
Saudi Aramco Reveals Cyber Attack Hit 30,000 Workstations
Posted by Gsurface
on August 27, 2012
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An anonymous reader writes “Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil producer, has resumed operating its main internal computer networks after a virus infected about 30,000 of its workstations in mid-August. The group, calling itself the ‘Cutting Sword of Justice,’ claimed to have hacked Aramco systems in several countries before sending a virus across 30,000 computers, achieving a 75 percent infection rate of all the company’s systems. It refuted suggestions that a nation state was behind the attack.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
A Cyber “Warhead” With an Unknown Target
Posted by Gsurface
on August 16, 2012
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The Gauss malware uncovered last week features a mystery payload.
The Gauss malware described last week that targets Lebanese bank accounts still has one secret to divulge – the purpose of its “encrypted warhead” known as Godel. That’s the term used by researchers at Kaspersky, the computer security firm that described Gauss last week, for a part of the malware programmed to decrypt only when it lands on exactly the right computer system. What Godel does under those conditions is unknown, and today, Kaspersky laid out what it knows about Godel and asked for help determining its purpose.
Cyber bank robbers attempt billion-dollar heist, targeting your money
Posted by Gsurface
on June 26, 2012
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Iran Claims New Cyber Attack On Its Nuclear Plants, Blames US and Allies
Posted by Gsurface
on June 22, 2012
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judgecorp writes “Iran has reported that its nuclear facilities are under a sustained cyber attack which it blames on the U.S., UK and Israel. America and Israel created Stuxnet, and have been accused of starting the Flame worm.” And once a country admits that it’s created such software, publicly deflecting such blame gets a lot harder.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Report: FBI forming new cyber intelligence research unit, focus on digital surveillance
Posted by Gsurface
on May 26, 2012
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According to a report filed by technology site CNET, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is forming a new cyber intelligence and research unit dubbed the Domestic Communications Assistance Center (DCAC). The briefing states that the DCAC’s purpose will be “to invent technology that will let police more readily eavesdrop on Internet and wireless communications” (initially focusing on VoIP services, social networks, and wireless communication mediums) . Via a prepared statement, the FBI explained that the unit’s modus operandi will be to “assist federal, state and local law enforcement with electronic surveillance capabilities.” Congress has appropriated over $ 54 million for “lawful electronic surveillance” in fiscal year 2012; the DCAC has been earmarked just north of $ 8 million from that pie. The Bureau’s full statement is after the break.
Report: FBI forming new cyber intelligence research unit, focus on digital surveillance originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 May 2012 05:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Engadget
Cyber attack exposes personal data of federal employees
Posted by Gsurface
on May 26, 2012
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US warns over cyber attacks on natural gas companies
Posted by Gsurface
on May 10, 2012
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Iran’s Oil Industry Hit By Cyber Attacks
Posted by Gsurface
on April 24, 2012
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wiredmikey writes “Iran disconnected computer systems at a number of its oil facilities in response to a cyber attack that hit multiple industry targets during the weekend. A source at the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) reportedly told Reuters that a virus was detected inside the control systems of Kharg Island oil terminal, which handles the majority of Iran’s crude oil exports. In addition, computer systems at Iran’s Oil Ministry and its national oil company were hit. There has been no word on the details of the malware found, but computer systems controlling several of Iran’s oil facilities were disconnected from the Internet as a precaution. Oil Ministry spokesman Ali Reza Nikzad-Rahbar told Mehr News Agency on Monday that the attack had not caused significant damage and the worm had been detected before it could infect systems.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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