This section is devoted to featuring late-breaking cyber security news stories.
Feb. 27, 2008 - Patrick J. Dempsey, internetevolution.com
Unprepared to Fight Worldwide Cyber Crime
Although the Internet may be considered the greatest achievement of the past 50 years, the technology behind it has created a sanctuary for various types of computer criminals. The unfortunate and ugly truth is that the Web is providing a brand new “world” where international cyber criminals can thrive, and the world’s numerous criminal justice systems just aren’t ready to address these crimes in their entirety.
Feb. 25, 2008 - Alice Lipowicz, WashingtonTechnology
Security Blanket: New Funding to Protect Cyberassets Catches Industry Attention
With federal government spending on cybersecurity set to sharply increase in the final budget submitted by the Bush administration, contractors are looking hard for fresh business opportunities. Although opportunities are starting to take shape, they are not as clear as some contractors would like.
Upcoming Cyber Security Conferences in Europe
Cyber Warfare 2008: March 31 - April 1, 2008 • The Cafe Royal, London, UK
DefenceIQ’s inaugural Cyber Warfare conference will bring together senior military personnel from CND and Information Assurance (IA) programmes with industry and civilian researchers to discuss the best response to emerging threats.
(Click here for more information.)
Cyber Defence Conference : May 14-15, 2008 • Copenhagen, Denmark (venue to be confirmed)
SMi’s Cyber Defence Conference is a practical and strategic networking event for military communication and critical infrastructure protection practitioners.This conference will provide you with an overview on how cyber attacks are evolving, and which technologies have been developed to counter these threats.
(Click here for more information.)
Feb. 25, 2008 - Brian Krebs, WP Security Fix
YouTube Censorship Sheds Light on Internet Trust
If you happened to be searching for a video at YouTube.com Sunday afternoon, there's a good chance your browser told you it was unable to locate the entire Web site. Turns out, much of the world was blocked from getting to YouTube for part of the weekend due to a censorship order passed by the government of Pakistan, which was apparently upset that YouTube refused to remove digital images many consider blasphemous to Islam.
Wall Street Reports Increase in PC Intrusions in '07
On Thursday, Security Fix featured an exclusive look at data pulled from an unreleased government report showing a steep increase in the amount of funds that banks, businesses and consumers lost last year due to computer hacking and malicious software attacks. Today, I'd like to highlight recently released figures, which show that trading giants on Wall Street also have grappled with a significant rise in computer intrusion-related fraud during that same period.
See also: Suspicious Activity Program (SAR) and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
Feb. 21, 2008 - Ian Grant, ComputerWeekly.com
Storm Botnet Takes Advantage of Valentine's Day
Just over a year since it was first detected, Storm, the blended malware attack, looks like becoming a major vehicle for criminals, say malware researchers.
After months of relative dormancy, traffic generated by the Storm botnet ramped up just before Valentine's Day to peak at between 4% and 5% of internet traffic, said researchers at e-mail hosting service MessageLabs, and security supplier Kaspersky Labs.
More on this story from John Robb, Global Guerrillas.
Feb. 21, 2008 - Kim Zetter, Wired Blog Network
Researchers: Disk Encryption Not Secure
Researchers with Princeton University and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have found a flaw that renders disk encryption systems useless if an intruder has physical access to your computer -- say in the case of a stolen laptop or when a computer is left unattended on a desktop in sleep mode or while displaying a password prompt screen.
The attack takes only a few minutes to conduct and uses the disk encryption key that's stored in the computer's RAM.
(Click here to read news.) (Download pdf)
Feb. 20, 2008 - Ryan Harrison, Emirates Business 24/7
UAE Banks Invest in IT Security on Hacking Fears
Investment in anti-hacking technology is growing exponentially in the UAE’s banking sector as the move towards global e-commerce increases the threat of security breaches, say analysts.
It is estimated that resources allocated to information security have risen by more than 200 per cent year-on-year since 2005.
Feb. 20, 2008 - Dennis Fisher, SearchSecurity.com
Federal Government Falling Short on Cyber Crime
WASHINGTON—The federal government is falling farther and farther behind its fight against cybercrime and, despite an increase in the amount of resources being allocated to address the problem, it will continue to struggle without a lot of help from law enforcement agencies at the state, local and international levels, current and former government security officials say.
Feb. 15, 2008 - Deborah Gage, S. F. Chronicle
Virus from China the Gift That Keeps On Giving
An insidious computer virus recently discovered on digital photo frames has been identified as a powerful new Trojan Horse from China that collects passwords for online games - and its designers might have larger targets in mind.
"It is a nasty worm that has a great deal of intelligence," said Brian Grayek, who heads product development at Computer Associates, a security vendor that analyzed the Trojan Horse.
Feb. 15, 2008 - Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post Foreign Service
Even Spies Embrace China's Free Market
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Engineers Lan Lee and Yuefei Ge had drafted a business plan that they promised would roil the U.S. microchip industry. Using blueprints they allegedly stole from their Silicon Valley employer, the men proposed to reproduce a super-fast chip in China at a much lower cost.
Feb. 13, 2008 - EurActiv.com
NATO to Strengthen Cyber Defense Role
The military alliance has agreed to set up a new body to coordinate responses to cyber attacks carried out against its members and gather intelligence to prevent them from happening in the future, a NATO official said.
Feb. 11, 2008 - Marty Graham, Wired
Welcome to Cyberwar Country, USA
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, Louisiana -- When a reporter enters the Air Force office of William Lord, a smile comes quickly to the two-star general's face as he darts from behind his immaculate desk to shake hands. Then, as an afterthought, he steps back and shuts his laptop as though holstering a sidearm.
Lord, boyish and enthusiastic, is a new kind of Air Force warrior -- the provisional chief of the service's first new major command since the early 1990s, the Cyber Command. With thousands of posts and enough bandwidth to choke a horse, the Cyber Command is dedicated to the proposition that the next war will be fought in the electromagnetic spectrum, and that computers are military weapons.
Feb. 8, 2008 - Dennis Fisher, Security Bytes blog
National Threat Assessment Saya U.S. Networks Are Under Attack. Really.
The United States’ public and private networks are under constant attack by both foreign governments and other groups, and that trend is likely to continue. That’s the net takeaway of the cybersecurity section of the Annual Threat Assessment of the Director of National Intelligence for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, a report issued this week by DNI Michael McConnell.
Feb. 7, 2008 - Wyatt Kash, GCN
Spending for IT Security Gains Ground in '09 Budget
If President Bush’s 2009 budget request indeed reflects his priorities, then securing the government’s information technology systems appears to have the president’s attention.
New details on federal IT spending plans, made available by the Office of Management and Budget today, show that $103 out of every $1,000 requested for IT spending next fiscal year — or about $7.3 billion in total — will be devoted to improving IT security.
Feb.7, 2008 - CNN
Chinese Spies in the U.S.
CNN's Brian Todd reports Chinese espionage operations within the US may be much more extensive than previously thought.
Feb.1, 2008 - CBS Evening News
Foreign Hacker Alert - Every day, hackers break through firewalls guarding the nation's most confidential computer networks. Bob Orr reports how Washington is stepping up efforts to protect itself from a cyber-invasion. (Click here to view video)
Cyber Threat From China - Cybersecurity expert James Mulvenon talks about the danger of a U.S. computer network attack from China, and why he thinks China is the greatest threat to U.S. cyber-infrastructure. (Click here to view video)
Feb.1, 2008 - CBS Evening News
Government Computers Under Attack
(CBS) Computer systems, vital to national defense, are under a growing assault from Internet hackers, cyber terrorists and foreign spies looking to steal secrets and disrupt government operations.
"All around the country, there are literally thousands of attacks every day," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told CBS News correspondent Bob Orr.
Seminar Announced for Feb. 26, 2008
"Implication for an Estonia-Like Cyber Conflict for the Government and Private Sector"
For more than three weeks in April and May 2007, Estonia's public and private sector were targeted by a series of computer network attacks, resulting in the Estonian government declaring it was engaged in a cyber conflict.
The CCSA Annual Symposium will focus on the private sector-related issues raised by the Estonia case, exploring its strategic, legal, financial, and technical implications.
