Cyber Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
Is Putin taking on NATO in cyberspace? (iPolitics) It shouldn't be easy to shut down a European ministry for days, depriving bureaucrats of access to e-mail and the web. Someone, however, has managed to do just that to Belgium's foreign ministry — which had to quarantine its entire computer system last Saturday and only managed to restore the work of the passport and visa processing systems on Thursday
Russian Cybersnake May Be Putin's Secret Weapon (Bloomberg View) It shouldn't be easy to shut down a European ministry for days, depriving bureaucrats of access to e-mail and the web. Someone, however, has managed to do just that to Belgium's foreign ministry, which had to quarantine its entire computer system last Saturday and only managed to restore the work of the passport and visa processing systems on Thursday. Similar attacks seem to be taking place elsewhere in Europe, as Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders told the Belga news agency after meeting with a senior French diplomat that "everyone (on the European level) notes at this moment a very powerful pickup in hacking activity probably coming from the east and in any case having to do with Ukraine"
Argentina Hack Team Defaces Turkish government domain, calls PM Erdogan a dictator (HackRead) A hacker going with the handle of Libero from Argentina Hack Team has hacked and defaced the official sub-domain of Kütahya city's Culture and Tourism Directorate, Turkey
Official websites of Azerbaijan Embassy in Italy, Bulgaria and Qatar Hacked (HackRead) A hacker going with the handle of 'H0rs3' has hacked and defaced the official websites of Republic of Azerbaijan embassy in Bulgaria, Italy and Qatar
Hackers are World Cup Fans (HackSurfer) On May 12, 2014, an AnonGhost member and developer of the new AnonGhost DDoS tool, nicknamed Ali KM, created an event page on Facebook announcing a cyber-campaign against FIFA websites. #OpFIFA will take place between June 10 and 12, 2014
Ransomware: Kovter infections on the rise (CSO) Researchers at Damballa have seen the number of Kovter infections double over the last month, as criminals increasingly turn to extortion as a means of generating income
Windows users warned over spammed-out gadget malware attack (Graham Cluley) Windows users are at risk of having their computers infected, after a malware attack posing as an "important company update" was spammed out
Deceptive downloads top cyber threats: Microsoft (Business World) Deceptive downloads laced with malware are the most common cyber security threats, tech giant Microsoft reported on Friday
More Mac OS X users coming down with adware infections (Cincinnati.com) The days of computer users claiming virus problems were strictly a PC-only problem are gone
Record month for Linux Trojans (Help Net Security) If you think that you are protected from malware if you use Linux, think again, warn researchers from AV manufacturer Dr. Web, who identified and examined a record-high number of Trojans for Linux this month — and the month isn't over yet
Malicious JJ Black Consultancy 'Computer Support Services' themed emails lead to malware (Webroot Threat Blog) Relying on the systematic and persistent spamvertising of tens of thousands of fake emails, as well as the impersonation of popular brands for the purpose of socially engineering gullible users into downloading and executing malicious attachments found in these emails, cybercriminals continue populating their botnets
Stolen Server Exposes Accounting Clients' Personal Data (eSecurity Planet) The unencrypted server held clients' names, addresses and Social Security numbers
Application delivery networks are increasingly at risk (Help Net Security) Data centers and modern application delivery networks are increasingly at risk, according to cPacket Networks. At the same time, the tools currently available do not allow the operational teams to detect imminent issues and correct them before they disrupt critical business activities
Bulletin (SB14-139) Vulnerability Summary for the Week of May 12, 2014 (US-CERT) The US-CERT Cyber Security Bulletin provides a summary of new vulnerabilities that have been recorded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Vulnerability Database (NVD) in the past week. The NVD is sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) / United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT). For modified or updated entries, please visit the NVD, which contains historical vulnerability information
Cyber Trends
Targeted Attack Trends: A Look At 2H 2013 (TrendLads Security Intelligence Blog) Targeted attacks are known to use zero-day exploits. However, old vulnerabilities are still frequently exploited. In fact, based on cases analyzed in the second half of 2013, the most exploited vulnerability in this time frame was CVE-2012-0158, a Microsoft Office vulnerability that was patched in April 2012. This shows how important applying the latest patches and security updates are in mitigating the risks posed by these threats
Six Observations on the 2014 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report — Part 1 of 2 (News Center — Verizon Enterprise Solutions) At Intel Security, we believe the Innovation Economy relies on security for organizations and individuals to innovate and execute through technology. For example, the entrepreneur in his garage can't bring new disruptive ideas to life without the ability to securely develop and protect his intellectual property. The bio tech researcher can't bring her innovative new wonder drug to market if her organization can't protect trade secrets and data processes necessary for business execution
Why you are not spending enough on security (FierceCIO: TechWatch) Journalist Glenn Greenwald early this week wrote in The Guardian about an interdiction program in which networking equipment being shipped overseas was intercepted and planted with malware equipped with phone-home surveillance capabilities
U.S. industry too complacent about cyber risks, say experts (Reuters) After warning for years that the U.S. electric grid and other critical infrastructure are dangerously vulnerable to hacking, security experts fear it may take a major destructive attack to jolt CEOs out of their complacency
Cyber insecurity: The biggest threats to our British existence (Express) The Rt Hon James Arbuthnot, who stood down as chairman of the Defence Select Committee last week, warns of the key dangers to Britain's security, from assaults on our electricity system to crippling cyber attacks
'East Asia'-sponsored cyber-spying posing serious threat to India: Report (Times of India) Cyber-espionage cases have seen over three-fold increase last year as various state-sponsored and criminal groups are working with highly sophisticated and complex tools to undermine data security, with regions like "east Asia" being the epicenter of such attacks. A report released by telecom major Verizon said that the implications of this on India could be huge as it brace itself for cyber attacks from its immediate neighbours
Marketplace
US Retailers to Battle Cyber-attacks Through New Intelligence-sharing Body (ComputerWorld) Stung into action by a wave of devastating data breaches, US retailers have taken the historic decision to share data on cyber-threats for the first time through a new initiative, the Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center (R-CISC)
Want 'perfect' security? Then threat data must be shared (ComputerWorld) Here's a surprise for you: We actually have a fairly good understanding of who is attacking us on the Internet and why. Various entities know not only which groups are doing the attacking, but also the names of the people in those groups. They know where they live, who their family members are, where they went to school, and when they go on vacation
In the next big data breach, crowd-sourcing could find the culprits (Quartz) Following last year's theft of credit card data from the retailer Target and this year's discovery of the Heartbleed bug, it's probably an understatement to say that the credit-card industry has a problem with data breaches
Target's Data Breach Should Be A Wake Up Call For Energy Companies: No More Excuses On Cyber Threats (Forbes) Last week, Target CEO and Chairman Gregg Steinhafel was forced out of his position in the wake of the late 2013 data breach of the company. Coming two months after the resignation of the company's CIO, Steinhafel's dismissal represents the first sacking of a Fortune 100 company head in response to a major cyber incident. Other CEOs should take note
German government tightens rules for sensitive public IT contracts (Reuters) The German government has tightened tender rules for sensitive public IT contracts in the wake of reports about mass surveillance by the U.S. National Security Agency, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry said on Friday
Organisations need 'adequate assurance' over cloud information security, says UK agency (Out-Law) Organisations should seek "adequate assurance" from cloud providers over claims those providers make about their compliance with information security principles, the information security arm of UK intelligence agency GCHQ has said
Tech companies and privacy practices: Who has your back? (Help Net Security) The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has published its fourth annual "Who Has Your Back" report that aims to show which major technology companies are good at protecting your data from government requests
Why Major Tech Companies Are Getting Much Better About Privacy (TIME) A new study shows dramatic improvements after Edward Snowden's NSA revelations
GCHQ Backs Challenge to Find Tomorrow's Cyber Police (CBR) British surveillance body seeks fresh talent despite on-going charges of malpractice
BAE Systems Inc. consolidating business sectors (UPI) BAE Systems Inc. is consolidating its four business sectors into three
Airbus Looks To Overseas, Cyber To Grow Business (Defense News) The free-spending days of the mid-2000s are all but over for the defense industry. And with few new start programs coming from the Pentagon in favor of more cautious — and less expensive — modernization initiatives, defense executives have become more selective in how they plan to grow their business
WatchGuard CEO Departure Won't Signal A Strategy Shift, Partners Believe (CRN) WatchGuard Technologies partners say they are not concerned about the company's health or overall direction following the resignation of its CEO this week
Accomplished Engineering Leader Joins PhishLabs (PRWeb) Steve Garritano hired as VP of Engineering at fast-growing cybersecurity firm
Products, Services, and Solutions
TCS Helps Launch Cyber Training Courses (ExecutiveBiz) TeleCommunication Systems has partnered with the International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants to introduce its cyber training courses to help meet the demand for cybersecurity training services
National Security Agency row sparks rush for encrypted email (Economic Times) A new push to encrypt email, keeping messages free from government snooping, is gaining momentum. One new email service promising "end-to-end" encryption launched on Friday, and others are being developed while major services such as Google Gmail and Yahoo Mail have stepped up security measures
Flagship information security course moved to Malvern (Worcester News) One of the world's leading information security training and education companies has relocated its flagship course to Malvern
Tech Insight: Free Tools For Offensive Security (Dark Reading) A professional penetration tester offers a look at the latest free and open-source tools available for pen testing and offensive tactics
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
NIST to revise Industrial Control Systems security guide (Help Net Security) The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued for public review and comment a proposed major update to its Guide to Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security
Experts to Assess NIST Cryptography Program (BankInfoSecurity) A group of noted cryptographers, academics and business leaders will provide an independent assessment of the way the National Institute of Standards and Technology develops cryptographic standards and guidelines
How banks stay secure: Don't stop attackers getting in, stop them getting out (ITProPortal) Banks and financial institutions are increasingly the target of cyber attack and it is becoming more and more apparent that those out to stop such attacks have accepted that you can't stop them getting in. You have to stop them getting out
Android "police warning" ransomware — how to avoid it, and what to do if you get caught (Naked Security) Ransomware has become a hot topic in recent years. One sort, such as the Reveton family, leaves your data intact but locks you out of your computer, and demands a fee to let you back in. The other main sort of ransomware, such as CryptoLocker, leaves your computer running fine but scrambles your data and demands a fee for the decryption key to get it back
First Aid for Android: How to unlock your ransomed phone (Naked Security) We all dread the moment that our computers freeze up on us
Public Hotspots Are a Privacy and Security Minefield: Shield Yourself (Forbes) Protecting your data from prying eyes while on the move is important and easier than ever
Détecter les signaux faibles des cyberattaques… ou pourquoi vous devriez analyser vos logs! (L'Observatoire-FIC) On l'a dit : en matière de sécurité informatique, les attaquants ont souvent un coup d'avance sur les défenseurs, et le combat est inégal; le défenseur devant protéger des milliers de systèmes tandis que l'attaquant n'en vise qu'un
Cyberwarfare: Protecting 'soft underbelly' of USA (CNBC) A small-scale city in New Jersey has suffered from repeated electrical grid failures, train derailments, and water purification problems. However, the problems aren't keeping visitors away. In fact, they're the reason the micro-city exists in the first place
Smart-chip cards are safer, but they're hardly foolproof (Atlanta Journal-Constitution via the Buffalo News) Target may have lost our data, but it gave us some new vocabulary words: "EMV card," or, perhaps, "smart-chip card"
Airmen and Soldiers unite to battle cyber threats (DVIDS) Thirteen service members from the Pennsylvania and Virginia National Guards trained in cyber security operations May 15 here at the Cyber Range parallel to the Vigilant Guard exercise
Research and Development
New algorithm shakes up cryptography (Phys.org) Researchers at the Laboratoire Lorrain de Recherches en Informatique et ses Applications (CNRS/Université de Lorraine/Inria) and the Laboratoire d'Informatique de Paris 6 (CNRS/UPMC) have solved one aspect of the discrete logarithm problem. This is considered to be one of the 'holy grails' of algorithmic number theory, on which the security of many cryptographic systems used today is based. They have devised a new algorithm that calls into question the security of one variant of this problem, which has been closely studied since 1976
Crypto-guru slams 'NSA-proof' tech, says today's crypto is strong enough (The Register) Reminder: The maths is good, it's the implementation that sucks
'Apple Picking:' 5 Ways to Lose (& Retrieve) Mac Data (Dark Reading) Apple platforms are far from invincible, as these common loss scenarios demonstrate
The camera on your phone might be the best defense you have (The Verge) Could random data from your smartphone save you from hackers?
Academia
Cutting-edge initiative brings cyber talent to federal agencies (FedScoop) No one was yet talking about cybersecurity or secure technology solutions, yet the directive mentioned these concepts as key areas to watch out for as part of the country's future vision
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
China says Internet security necessary to counter 'hostile forces' (Reuters via the Chicago Tribune) A Chinese official in charge of regulating the Internet has said Beijing must strengthen Internet security because "overseas hostile forces" are using the Internet to "attack, slander and spread rumors", state media said on Sunday
Japan to enhance gov't role in cybersecurity (Zee News) Amid a spurt in global online criminal activities, Japan today said it will take a more active role in bolstering cyberspace security
Russia threatens to ban Facebook and Twitter within minutes (HackRead) The Russian Internet regulatory authority has warned that it can block Twitter and Facebook. This threat came up when Russia is trapped in the fears of strangling the Internet in the country
Former special forces chief Duncan Lewis appointed next spy boss (ABC) The former boss of Australia's special forces has been appointed as the head of the country's intelligence security service
Obama's NSA spying reforms fail to satisfy cyber experts (Reuters) Obama administration actions to change some of the National Security Agency's surveillance practices after the leaks of classified documents by contractor Edward Snowden are falling short of what many private cyber experts want
Post Snowden, Obama privacy director backs NSA and GCHQ transparency (SC Magazine) President Obama's former director of privacy has urged NSA and GCHQ to work together to become more transparent when carrying out surveillance
Post-Snowden, the NSA's future rests on Admiral Rogers' shoulders (Reuters via the Chicago Tribune) As U.S. National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers seeks to repair the damage to the agency caused by leaks about its electronic spying programs, the abuses of government revealed in the wake of the Watergate scandal are very much on his mind
Cisco boss calls on Obama to rein in surveillance (Financial Times) Cisco's chief executive has written to President Barack Obama warning of a collapse of trust in US technology after evidence emerged showing the National Security Agency breaking into his company's equipment
The NSA, Cisco, And The Issue Of Interdiction (TechCrunch) It's been a hectic week of NSA news in light of Glenn Greenwald's recently published book, which furthered the revelation that the NSA intercepts (interdicts) hardware from US companies. The agency then reportedly compromises the equipment before it is delivered to overseas customers
Feinstein blasts critics of NSA phone program (The Hill) Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Sunday defended a National Security Agency (NSA) program that collects data about Americans' phone calls, saying it is not a surveillance program
"We're at greater risk": Q. & A. with General Keith Alexander (The New Yorker) Since Edward Snowden's revelations about government surveillence, we know more about how the National Security Agency has been interpreting Section 215 of the Patriot Act and Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. We've learned some new words —"bulk metadata," "selector," "reasonable articulable suspicion," "emphatic-access restriction"—but we don't really know how much of this works in practice
The NSA can 'collect-it-all,' but what will it do with our data next? (Daily Beast via WOAI) In the summer of 2008, Gen. Keith Alexander, the recently resigned director of the National Security Agency, posed an audacious question to intelligence analysts at the Menwith Hill eavesdropping station in North Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom: "Why can't we collect all the signals all the time?"
Online advertising poses significant security, privacy risks to users, US Senate report says (CSO) The online ad industry should offer better protections against 'malvertising,' a US Senate investigation found
Tom Carper: Senate Homeland Security Committee to Work on DHS Cyber Hiring Bill (Executive Gov) A Senate committee is working to expand the Department of Homeland Security's authority to hire for its cyber operations, Federal News Radio reported Friday
States, pols in race for cyber jobs (Politico) For one of the state's biggest cybersecurity battles, Maryland officials last May drove 35 minutes past the home of the Pentagon's cyber army, beyond a corridor of tech giants that specialize in combating hackers and spies — and right to the host site of a horse race
Governor McAuliffe Names Members of Virginia Cyber Security Commission (Insurancenewsnet) Today, Governor McAuliffe announced the members of the Virginia Cyber Security Commission, a group established by executive order which will bring public and private sector experts together to make recommendations on how to make Virginia a leader in cyber security. The Commission will be co-chaired by Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson and Richard Clarke, Chairman and CEO of Good Harbor Security Risk Management
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
Chinese military members charged with cyber-espionage against U.S. firms (Washington Post) The Justice Department on Monday charged members of the Chinese military with conducting economic cyber-espionage against American companies, marking the first time that the United States has leveled such criminal charges against a foreign country
Customers of BlackShades RAT reportedly being raided by FBI (eHacking News) If you have ever bought the Popular Remote Administration tool "BlackShades", you should expect FBI at your doorsteps
How FBI brought down cyber-underworld site Silk Road (Marshfield News Herald) Criminals who prowl the cyber-underworld's "darknet" thought law enforcement couldn't crack their anonymous trade in illegal drugs, guns and porn. But a series of arrests this month, including the bust of the black market site Silk Road, shows the G-men have infiltrated the Internet's back alley
Inside the US government's war on tech support scammers (Ars Technica) PCCare247 allegedly collected millions in ill-gotten fees. But the FTC fought back
Gawker Attacker Turned FBI Informant, Pursued Other Hackers (Dark Reading) Unsealed court documents reveal that "Eekdacat" hacked Gawker, but related charges were dropped after the hacker helped the FBI nab other hackers
Cyber attack on Home Office website denied by Stoke man (BBC) A man has denied a cyber-attack on websites belonging to the Home Office and Home Secretary Theresa May
