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Intelligence Insiders Advise Senate to Move on Cyber Legislation
With the Senate back in session and time running out to pass legislation, intelligence officials weighed in again this week, urging members of Congress to take action.
Speaking at an event held Monday by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), director of the National Security Agency and head of the US Cyber Command Gen. Keith Alexander advised that cybersecurity legislation is essential in protecting the nation from emerging threats, including attacks that could come from the advancing cyber capabilities of terrorist group al-Qaida. Read more…
Hackers Take a Hit as Cybersecurity Industry Booms
From “Operation Card Shop” to “Operation High Roller,” the cybersecurity headlines this week sounded more like something out of a Las Vegas casino.
Keeping a poker face for nearly two years, on Tuesday the US Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed its major sting operation to crack down on hackers, announcing the agency had arrested 24 people around the globe for engaging in credit card and banking cyber crime.
Dubbed “Operation Card Shop,” undercover FBI agents set up an online forum called “Card Profit,” where hackers could communicate and buy, sell and trade stolen credit card numbers and other personal banking information. Read more…
Iran Detects Attack, Japan Develops Daedalus
With little progress being made in Washington, the focus this week falls on foreign nations and their efforts to enhance cybersecurity.
In Iran, with continued reports of cyber attacks against the country’s nuclear program, Gholam Reza Jalali, the director of the Passive Defense Organization, announced late last week that the nation is working to boost its cyber defenses, particularly surrounding its industrial systems.
“The important point is that we develop mechanisms for cyber defense in a way that we will be able to defend the country against new viruses,” said Jalali according to the Tehran Times.
But a new attack may have already penetrated the nation’s network, according to one Iranian official. Read more…
Senators See Cyber Attack Demo, Urge Legislative Action
Despite debates on Capitol Hill, few would disagree that the US needs to take steps to enhance the nation’s cybersecurity. But defining cyber procedures and necessary precautions continues to keep Congress at odds.
In an attempt to speed up the process, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) this week played host to a cyber attack demonstration put on by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
With DHS Deputy Undersecretary for Cybersecurity Mark Weatherford leading the demo, the event’s intent was to show members of Congress how easy it is for a hacker to access a system, specifically through a spear phishing cyber attack. Read more…
Obama Reacts as Flame Cyber Attack Ignites Controversy
Last week we reported on Flame, the latest, most sophisticated cyber attack to hit Iran, reportedly spying on the development of its nuclear weapons program.
As the Middle East placed the blame on Israel and the United States for deploying the malware, Israel was the first to jump in with what some saw as a shoddy attempt to deny the claims.
But tensions continue to remain high this week, with everyone from Israeli defense officials to US senators to President Obama adding to the heat surrounding Flame. Read more…
Middle East Fights ‘Flame’ Cyber Attack
While the US was off observing its Memorial Day holiday on Monday, the Middle East was busy tracking reports of a potentially serious cyber attack spying on its systems.
Security researchers at Kaspersky Lab, in conjunction with an investigation by the International Telecommunication Union, announced this week that they had discovered “a highly sophisticated malicious program that is actively being used as a cyber weapon attacking entities in several countries.”
Identified as “Worm.Win32.Flame” and dubbed “Flame” for short, the malware was reportedly developed as a cyber espionage tool against Iran and several other countries in the Middle East, functioning undetected for over two years. Read more…
Al Qaeda Cyber Capabilities and US Regulations Raise Concern
Another week promised another string of risks to US cybersecurity, with the latest cyber threats coming out of the Middle East.
In a video obtained by the FBI and released this week by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC), terror group Al Qaeda addressed its cyber capabilities, calling for the “covert Mujahidin” to commit “electronic jihad” on the United States. Read more…
New US Cyber Czar Amid Emerging Cyber Threats
With several cybersecurity bills held up on the Hill, one top White House official has announced he won’t be on the clock while the rest of us wait around to see what happens.
According to the Washington Post, President Obama’s cybersecurity coordinator Howard Schmidt on Thursday announced his plans to retire at the end of the month. Read more…
CISPA Passes House, Faces Senate Hurdles
Dubbed “Cyber Week” in Washington, the House took on a series of cybersecurity bills this week, with the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) causing debates on and off of the Hill.
After a number of hearings, amendments, letters of support and calls to Congress to boot the bill, CISPA passed in the House Thursday evening on a 248-168 vote, with the bill’s cosponsors, Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), commending their colleagues for the bipartisan effort and calling on the Senate to quickly pass the legislation. Read more…
Hackers Take on Cyber Bill
Just when you thought it was safe to forget about SOPA, the much-debated Stop Online Piracy Act made its way back into the headlines this week for what lawmakers are saying are all the wrong reasons.
Despite the current congressional recess, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), introduced by Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), was under fire this week for being too similar to SOPA, with critics claiming it’s just another way Congress intends to regulate the Internet. Read more…
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