The CyberWire Daily Briefing for 1.21.2014
The Kaptoxa point-of-sale malware campaign, apparently contained in Target and Neiman Marcus, is thought to remain active in other retailers' networks. Investigation increasingly points to Russian cyber criminals as the culprits, although the briefly famous "Russian teenaged hacker" fingered in early reports was probably misidentified.
Many security firms and mavens have advice for affected consumers. The consensus is that effectively preventing such breaches will require two-factor authentication in payment card transactions, which will be "a tough sell, " as ZDNet puts it.
South Korea has been hit with a major banking data breach, apparently the work of an insider at the Korea Credit Bureau. At least 20M users have had their information compromised.
Researchers discover an Android vulnerability that can be exploited to bypass secure VPN connections and redirect clear-text traffic to an attacker.
The Vietnamese government is found conducting active, extensive cyber operations against activists, most of them expatriates in the US and France. The Syrian Electronic Army resurfaces, now with cyber vandalism against Office.com.
Industry observers look at the cyber start-up universe and conclude that while booming, it's not a bubble. They also note the important role the US Intelligence Community plays in this particular start-up ecosystem.
The full text of US President Obama's remarks on "signals intelligence" (a.k.a. surveillance policy) is out. He proposes what most observers tepidly characterize as modest reforms.
Leading members of the US House Intelligence Committee assert Snowden had Russian government help. Private-sector Russian Eugene Kaspersky wants none of it, calling Snowden a "traitor. "
Notes.
Today's issue includes events affecting Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Kenya, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and and Vietnam..
For a complete running list of events, please visit the Event Tracker.
Upcoming Events
CANCELLED DUE TO WINTER STORMS: cybergamut Tech Tuesday: Malware Reverse Engineering — An Introduction to the Tools, Workflows, and Tricks of the Trade to Attack Sophisticated Malware (Columbia, Maryland, USA, Jan 21, 2014) This talk has been cancelled. Please consult cybergamut for scheduling updates.
Cyber Security Management for Oil and Gas (, Jan 1, 1970) Attend to gain cutting-edge information from oil and gas cyber security experts on: Using the very latest in intelligence techniques to find and neutralize the newest threats in time. Preventing security breaches while ensuring your employees, social media and mobile devices operate effectively. Implementing best practices in order to achieve and maintain SCADA and other key systems security. How a "critical infrastructure" designation would impact different aspects of oil and gas cyber security management.
Federal Mobile Computing Summit (, Jan 1, 1970) The Federal Mobile Computing Summit: Digital Government Strategy II will feature government leaders who played an instrumental role in the development of the DGS and worked on the resulting deliverables. These IT thought leaders will examine the mobile landscape over the next 18 months — and beyond.
"Cyber Threat Landscape": How the FBI is counteracting the current threats (, Jan 1, 1970) Donald J. Good, FBI Section Chief Cyber Operations and Outreach Section, will offer first-hand awareness of how the FBI works with other government agencies and the private sector to counteract the current cyber threat scenario.
Cybertech — Cyber Security Conference and Exhibition (Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan 27 - 29, 2014) Cybertech Israel, the first event of its kind, will present world-leading companies in the field of cyber defense alongside young companies that offer unique solutions to advance the discipline of cyber security. The conference will focus on commercial problem-solving strategies and solutions for cyber infrastructure experts across multiple sectors: energy, utilities, finance, defense, R&D, manufacturing, service sectors, health, government, telecommunications, transportation and more.
U.S. Census Data Protection & Privacy Day (Suitland, Maryland, USA, Jan 28, 2014) The Census Bureau's Privacy Compliance Branch of the Policy Coordination Office is hosting a Data Protection and Privacy Day on January 28. This event is intended to provide a forum for Census employees and contractors to discuss current data protection and privacy policy and to generate ideas to help evolve the current policies . The event will feature various participants from the U.S. Census Bureau as well as other government agencies and industry.
2014 Cybersecurity Innovation Forum (Baltimore, Maryland, USA, Jan 28 - 30, 2014) The 2014 Cybersecurity Innovation Forum (CIF) is a three-day event, sponsored by the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) with DHS, NIST, and NSA as primary participating organizations. The CIF will cover the existing threat landscape and provide presentations and keynotes on current and emerging practices, technologies and standards. The 2014 CIF will provide action-oriented outputs to fuel voluntary principle-driven consensus-based standards efforts, create opportunities for industry growth and drive research activities, and define use cases for subsequent exploration, which in turn will feed back into the subsequent CIF's, continually evolving the state of the art.
Cyber Training Forum at NGA (Springfield, Virginia, USA, Feb 4, 2014) The 2014 Cyber Security Training Forum (CSTF) will take place at the NGA East Campus in Springfield, VA. This event is designed to provide education and training to the NGA Workforce, the Intelligence Community, and Industry. The CSTF will include keynotes, breakout sessions, and cyber security demonstrations from industry.
U.S. Department of Commerce Technology Expo (, Jan 1, 1970) Department of Commerce is interested in hearing from you! The OCIO Office is specifically looking for speakers on Vulnerability Management and Implementation of Continuous Monitoring. Please contact your FBC representative to submit an abstract today.
Cyber Security 2014 (, Jan 1, 1970) The threats and the opportunities conference brings together over 150 business leaders, senior decision makers, business development managers and IT professionals from across the whole defence and security supply chain, from Prime Contractors, through tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers, SMEs and those at the front of R&D and the development of new and innovative products and services. The event will provide a unique opportunity for those within the whole supply chain to understand both the current and future threat of Cyber Security on the supply chain and what action will need to be taken to mitigate these and ensure we are fit to compete in the future — both as businesses and as a country. Organisations who have confirmed their attendance include: RBS, Finmeccanica Selex, Thales, MOD, Scottish Government, Lockheed Martin UK, BAE Systems and others.
Security Analyst Summit 2014 (Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Feb 9 - 13, 2014) The Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit (SAS) is an annual event connecting anti-malware researchers and developers, global law enforcement agencies and CERTs and members of the security research community. The goal is to learn, debate, share and showcase cutting-edge research, new technologies and discuss ways to improve collaboration in the fight against cyber-crime.
FBI HQ Cloud Computing Vendor Day (, Jan 1, 1970) As part of its FAR mandated market research efforts and in order to keep FBI employees informed of new products, technologies and services available in the industry, ITED has been tasked with organizing four 'Vendor Days' a year focusing on technology that can enhance current IT capabilities. These market research events will enhance exposure for all Department of Justice (DOJ)/Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employees to new products and services and to have an opportunity to interact directly with the industry. Vendor days are for demo purposes only and are designed to facilitate FBI market research efforts. Attending vendors shall make all inquiries concerning pending or future FBI requirements to the cognizant FBI contracting officer.
RSA Conference USA (San Francisco, California, USA, Feb 24 - 28, 2014) Hundreds of game-changing interactions will give you an unparalleled diversity of industry insight and information based on best practices, real implementation stories, and detailed case studies. Each year, educational sessions feature new and returning educational tracks you won't find anywhere else.
Nellis AFB Technology & Cyber Security Expo (, Jan 1, 1970) For over 12 years, the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association (AFCEA) - Las Vegas Chapter and FBC have been co-hosting the Annual Information Technology Expo at Nellis AFB. As was the case last year, the 2014 event will once again have a Cyber Security theme. This is an excellent opportunity for any technology or cyber company to meet with the personnel at Nellis AFB, as well as the local AFCEA members.
Creech AFB Technology & Cyber Security Expo (, Jan 1, 1970) The Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association (AFCEA) - Las Vegas Chapter, with support from the 432d Wing, will host a Cyber Security Awareness Day & Technology Expo at Creech AFB. This is an excellent opportunity for technology, cyber and tactical technology companies to meet with remote personnel at Creech AFB. At the 1st Annual event held in February 2013 over 100 Creech AFB personnel attended this event. Some of their job descriptions included: Commander, Flight Chief, Communications Officer in Charge, IT Lead, Systems Admin, Wing Training, Information Assurance Officer, Knowledge Management, Section Chief, Avionics, Physical Security, Project Manager, Director and more.