cyber

U.S. spy agency looking to train students in cyber ops

The National Security Agency has chosen the first four universities it will accredit to teach cyber ops programs.

The universities winning the designation Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations" are Dakota State University, the Naval Postgraduate School, Northeastern University, and the University of Tulsa.

Twenty universities have applied to partner with the federal agency, which said it started the program with an eye toward building a larger reservoir of professionals to support its work in conducting cyber-intelligence operations against adversaries. The interdisciplinary curriculum will include coursework in computer science, computer engineering, and electrical engineering. Some participants will also … Read more

Wording in cyberwar bill begs question: Who's in charge?

The House Armed Services Committee yesterday approved an amended version of the National Defense Authorization Act that removes language requiring presidential authorization for military offensive operations in cyberspace to defend the country.

Congressional sources working with House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard "Buck" McKeon said the move did not grant the secretary of defense any additional powers and dismissed fears as unwarranted.

"We don't interpret this to mean that Congress is giving the Department of Defense new authorities," said a committee source. "It would all be within the context of the Authorization to Use … Read more

U.S. warns of cyberattacks on gas pipeline companies

U.S. gas pipeline operators have been targeted in sophisticated phishing attacks since at least December, with the Department of Homeland Security helping firms deal with the incidents since March, the DHS and an industry expert said.

"DHS's Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team has been working since March 2012 with critical infrastructure owners and operators in the oil and natural gas sector to address a series of cyber intrusions targeting natural gas pipeline companies," DHS spokesman Peter Boogaard said in an e-mail sent to CNET today.

"The cyber intrusion involves sophisticated spear-phishing activities targeting … Read more

House hearing: U.S. now under cyber attack

This much is clear: More nations are seeking to acquire cyber attack capabilities as a standard feature in their military planning. But what will that mean to United States' security interests here and abroad? With Congress to consider cyber legislation this week, a House subcommittee investigating that question used the occasion to make a headline.

"There are no shells exploding or foreign militaries on our shores. But make no mistake: America is under attack by digital bombs," said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), during a Tuesday hearing of the House subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Management.

McCaul, who also … Read more

Google spends record $5 million on lobbying

Google continues to up the ante on the money it spends each quarter on Washington lobbying.

The search giant spent a record $5.03 million (PDF) last quarter, according to the company's lobbying report. That figure compares with $3.76 million spent in the fourth quarter and just $1.48 million in 2011's first quarter.

Among the lobbying issues grabbing Google's attention were the regulation of online advertising, privacy and competition issues in online advertising, openness and competition in online services, and International tax reform.

The search giant devoted lobby dollars to HR 1389 - Global Online Freedom Act of 2011, … Read more

Report details successful China-based cyber-espionage

Hackers based in China have carried out 90 attacks on targets in Japan, India, and Tibetan activists in a cyber-espionage campaign started last year, according to a report.

Trend Micro today released an analysis of the Luckycat campaign, which it traced back to a command-and-control center in China. The attacks are part of an organized effort, rather than random hacks, and have compromised 233 computers, according to the report.

The New York Times today reported the attacks can be traced back to a specific individual, a former graduate student in China who may have recruited others to work on the … Read more

Verizon: Hacktivists stole 100 million+ records in 2011

Financially motivated criminals were behind most of last year's data breaches, but hacktivists stole almost twice as many records from organizations and government agencies, according to the Data Breach Investigations Report being released by Verizon today.

While more than 80 percent of the data breaches in 2011 were due to organized criminal activity, the number of records pilfered from activist groups represented 58 percent of the total, the report finds.

In particular, hacktivists targeted corporations and big agencies, and consumer data. Activist groups accounted for more than 22 percent of the data breaches targeting large organizations. Meanwhile, 95 percent … Read more

Iran may have committed cyber-attack on BBC

Just days after watchdog group Reporters Without Borders named Iran as one of the "Enemies of the Internet," the BBC is now claiming to be the victim of a cyber-attack possibly perpetrated by the Iranian authorities.

The news source says that two of its satellite feeds into Iran were jammed earlier this month coinciding with a denial-of-service attack in which some parts of the BBC's e-mail and Internet services were unavailable. The director-general of the BBC Mark Thompson will be giving a speech to the Royal Television Society shortly, in which he plans to explain how the … Read more

Civil liberties groups: Proposed cybersecurity bill is too broad

The cybersecurity bill introduced last week in the Senate is too broad, say privacy experts who worry that it could authorize wiretapping and curtail civil liberties.

The Cybersecurity Act of 2012, introduced last week by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut), John D. Rockefeller IV (D-West Virginia), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Dianne Feinstein (D-California), is designed to protect the nation's critical infrastructure, which provides vital services such as water, energy, and transportation. It calls on the Department of Homeland Security to work with network operators to develop security standards, a provision that Republican lawmakers, including Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), object to … Read more