It is hard not to notice the increase in activity and public information about cyber threats that has been in the media lately.
That concern was borne out by testimony during a Feb. 2 hearing in which the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Republican Mike Rogers of Michigan, warned of the severe consequences of a cyber attack on the United States. Keep reading →
It was bound to happen and it appears it has just begun – cyber burn-out.
Recently a few security professional expressed symptoms that are associated with burn-out. This type of attitude is so uncharacteristic of these individuals. They are talking about, and more importantly, exhibiting the depletion and drain of professional drive. Keep reading →
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has reiterated the military’s going-forward strategy on many occasions, saying about our military’s direction: “It must be complemented by the full range of America’s national security capabilities – strong intelligence, strong diplomacy, a strong economy, strong technology, developments in cyber capabilities.” These five areas comprise the new defense strategy.
Last week the web was all abuzz with coverage of President Obama’s press conference at the Pentagon along with Defense Secretary Panetta and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey as they unveiled the administration’s new military strategy. It is clear the U.S. military will undergo dramatic changes due to budget cuts. Keep reading →
A relatively new report on the extent to which foreign spies are stealing U.S. economic secrets is gaining attention not only for what it concludes but also for the fact that it actually names names.
The report comes by way of the Office of the National Counter Intelligence Executive and is titled Report to Congress on Foreign Economic Collection and Industrial Espionage, 2009 – 2011. Keep reading →
The European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) just released a new study this month that looks at protecting the security of industrial control (or SCADA) systems (ICS).
The study recognizes that industrial control systems are truly a strategic asset and must be protected against the rising potential of cyber terrorist attacks with Keep reading →
It is getting to the point that those reporting acts of cyber aggression, particularly in the area of cyber espionage, think they are in a repetitive do-loop. It is the same story over and over again with the only difference being the list of victims.
The news of late has been the discovery of yet another sophisticated cyber attack that resulted in the collection of untold information, some general some sensitive, from the business community as well as defense contractors and government officials. Keep reading →
Cyber intelligence has emerged as the single most critical element in cyber defense. The private sector owns and operates the vast majority of the U.S. critical infrastructure which has become a high value target for those who wish to harm the United States. In addition, the private sector produces a substantive portion of the technology used to defend the nation, which if compromised could be very damaging.
On Dec. 1, 2011 the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers introduced what is being called a ground-breaking piece of legislation. Keep reading →
Ever since the discovery of the Stuxnet cyber attack on Iran’s nuclear enrichment program and the assignation of Iran’s chief Stuxnet Investigator, Iran has been hell-bent on developing offensive and defensive cyber capabilities.
Over this past year or so numerous comments about the cyber domain that have come out of Tehran and recently the leader of Iran’s Cyber Defense Organization, Brigadier General Gholam-Reza Jalali stated that Iranian computer experts are adequately prepared to defend the country against any possible cyber attack. Based on open sources they seem to have put cyber intelligence secondary to attack and defensive capabilities. Keep reading →
Terrorist groups have primarily used physical attack modalities in their efforts to undermine society. Those methods now include cyber attacks.
International sources have released information that British intelligence services have intercepted communications–that they term chatter–that suggest terrorist may be planning a cyber attack on British infrastructure.
As Britain has modernized over the years they have become much more reliant on computer, digital communications and networks. That reliance is very tempting to adversaries. The face of terrorism has continued to change year after year. They adapt, innovate and morph their strategies and tactics. Keep reading →
Last week word began filtering out about a suspected cyber attack on a water treatment system in Illinois. After a preliminary investigation into a pump failure, the issue quickly became a cyber incident.
Further analysis suggests that the actual breach and malicious activities began a couple of months ago. Workers at the water treatment facility determined the system had been hacked and the IP address used to carry out the cyber sabotage was tracked back to a computer in Russia. Keep reading →