Contradicting his secretary of state and other top officials, President Donald Trump on Saturday suggested without evidence that China — not Russia — may be behind the grave cyberattack against the United States and tried to minimized its impact.
In his first comments on the breach, Trump scoffed at the focus on the Kremlin and downplayed the intrusions, which the
"The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality. I have been fully briefed and everything is well under control," Trump tweeted. He also claimed the media are "petrified" of "discussing the possibility that it may be China (it may!)."
There is no evidence to suggest that is the case. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late Friday that Russia was "pretty clearly" behind the cyberattack against the U.S.
Read more at:
Trump contradicts top U.S. officials, suggests without evidence China behind cyberattack | CBC News
Showing posts with label Cyber Attacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cyber Attacks. Show all posts
12/19/20
6/12/19
The Netherlands - Cyber attacks: Digitization leaves the Netherlands vulnerable to cyber attacks: NCTV report says
The Netherlands is particularly vulnerable to IT failures and attacks
because almost all vital processes and systems have been completely
digitized with no analogue back-ups, the Dutch counter terrorism unit
NCTV said on Wednesday.
‘The Netherlands is dependent on a limited number of providers and countries. This makes us vulnerable to changed intentions,’ the report said.
‘For example, a large part of the hard and software is designed and produced in China and the US.’ In addition, little expertise is needed to launch a cyber attack which could, for example, knock out gas, electricity and water supplies.
The best way to reduce the risks is to improve security systems. And while companies and government are taking action, they sometimes think the cost of the improvements are not worth it ‘until things go wrong,’ the NCTV said.
The biggest threats presently come from China, Russia and Iran, and a variety of hackersthe NCTV said, in a restatement of earlier reports.
Read more at: Digitization leaves the Netherlands vulnerable to cyber attacks: NCTV - DutchNews.nl - Live
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‘The Netherlands is dependent on a limited number of providers and countries. This makes us vulnerable to changed intentions,’ the report said.
‘For example, a large part of the hard and software is designed and produced in China and the US.’ In addition, little expertise is needed to launch a cyber attack which could, for example, knock out gas, electricity and water supplies.
The best way to reduce the risks is to improve security systems. And while companies and government are taking action, they sometimes think the cost of the improvements are not worth it ‘until things go wrong,’ the NCTV said.
The biggest threats presently come from China, Russia and Iran, and a variety of hackersthe NCTV said, in a restatement of earlier reports.
Read more at: Digitization leaves the Netherlands vulnerable to cyber attacks: NCTV - DutchNews.nl - Live
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3/16/18
Russia - US Relations: It's official: Russia is targeting critical American infrastructure with 'malicious cyberattacks' - by Bryan Clark
Russian cyber operatives are attacking
critical American infrastructure such as energy grids, nuclear
facilities, aviation systems, and water processing plants, according to
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland
Security (DHS). The report
details numerous attempts, since at least March of 2016, where Russian
cyber operatives targeted government entities and multiple US critical
infrastructure sectors.
Cybersecurity researchers at Symantec first described the threat in a report last September, noting the malware may actually be linked to an earlier wave from 2014. Analysis by both the FBI and DHS then confirmed a group of “distinct indicators and behaviors” that ultimately singled out “Dragonfly,” a sophisticated group of hackers backed by the Kremlin.
Today’s report offers the first public confirmation by government officials that this type of infrastructure is, or at least was, under attack from foreign hackers
FBI and DHS officials pinpointed two distinct categories of victims: staging and intended targets. For the initial attack, hackers often infiltrated trusted third-party suppliers for their intended marks. Knowing these targets often relied on less-secure networks than their final victim, the threat actors used them as a sort of trojan horse to plant malware that was actually intended for a much bigger target. These were then used as pivot points to activate the planted malware for use in compromising larger, more-secure network
Today’s report didn’t reveal who these marks were, at least not specifically. It did state, however, that the attacked locations were “small commercial facilities” and that these were coordinated and targeted, not random. These also happen to be some of the most vulnerable facilities to these types of attacks, with some running systems first deployed over a decade ago.
Symantec, in its report, warned that the hackers may have the capability to cause large-scale blackouts, although it too was unsure of the scale of the problem.
Accompanying the allegations today were new sanctions on Russia. The sanctions target at least three organizations and 13 individuals. Of those, perhaps the most recognizable is the Internet Research Agency, the so-called “troll farm” responsible for wreaking havoc on the 2016 Presidential election through its use of Facebook ads designed to exploit divisions in American politics.
The Russian Federal Security Service, a sort of military intelligence wing, also made the list.
We’ve reached out to the FBI and Symantec for additional commentary and will update this post as needed.
Read more: It's official: Russia is targeting critical American infrastructure with 'malicious cyberattacks'Cybersecurity researchers at Symantec first described the threat in a report last September, noting the malware may actually be linked to an earlier wave from 2014. Analysis by both the FBI and DHS then confirmed a group of “distinct indicators and behaviors” that ultimately singled out “Dragonfly,” a sophisticated group of hackers backed by the Kremlin.
Today’s report offers the first public confirmation by government officials that this type of infrastructure is, or at least was, under attack from foreign hackers
FBI and DHS officials pinpointed two distinct categories of victims: staging and intended targets. For the initial attack, hackers often infiltrated trusted third-party suppliers for their intended marks. Knowing these targets often relied on less-secure networks than their final victim, the threat actors used them as a sort of trojan horse to plant malware that was actually intended for a much bigger target. These were then used as pivot points to activate the planted malware for use in compromising larger, more-secure network
Today’s report didn’t reveal who these marks were, at least not specifically. It did state, however, that the attacked locations were “small commercial facilities” and that these were coordinated and targeted, not random. These also happen to be some of the most vulnerable facilities to these types of attacks, with some running systems first deployed over a decade ago.
Symantec, in its report, warned that the hackers may have the capability to cause large-scale blackouts, although it too was unsure of the scale of the problem.
Accompanying the allegations today were new sanctions on Russia. The sanctions target at least three organizations and 13 individuals. Of those, perhaps the most recognizable is the Internet Research Agency, the so-called “troll farm” responsible for wreaking havoc on the 2016 Presidential election through its use of Facebook ads designed to exploit divisions in American politics.
The Russian Federal Security Service, a sort of military intelligence wing, also made the list.
We’ve reached out to the FBI and Symantec for additional commentary and will update this post as needed.
2/14/17
France: Russia interfering in French Pres, Elections by targeting front runner Macron with 'fake news' says party chief
 |
| Russia trying to discredit Emmanuel Macron with fake news |
An independent centrist, Macron has surged in campaigning for the French election and opinion polls make him favorite to win election in May.
Ferrand said that Macron, as a staunch pro-European, was a Russian target because he wanted a strong united Europe that had a major role to play in world affairs, including in the face of Moscow.
Sputnik earlier this month ran an interview with a conservative French lawmaker accusing Macron, a former investment banker, of being an agent of "the big American banking system", a report that was in turn picked up by Russia Today.
Read more: Macron is Russian 'fake news' target - party chief - France - RFI
3/15/15
EU plans new team to tackle cyber-terrorism - by Kevin Rawlinson
Plans for a new Europe-wide counter-terrorism unit are being presented to European ministers.
The Internet Referral Unit would be part of law enforcement agency Europol and would seek to remove jihadist content from the internet.
EU policy makers want to pool member states' resources to deal with the "sheer volume" of such material.
The Paris terror attacks had pushed the item up the EU's agenda, said a senior official.
"The internet is a major facilitator for radicalisation to terrorism. Addressing this matter poses a number of different challenges," a briefing document detailing the plans says.
It adds: "The sheer volume of internet content promotin terrorism and extremism requires pooling of resources and a close cooperation with the industry."
Read more: BBC News - EU plans new team to tackle cyber-terrorism
8/18/14
Cyber Warfare: US nuclear regulator hit by two foreign cyberattacks in three years
It's no secret that the White House is eager to protect the energy grid against cyberattacks, but it's now clear that the government is speaking from bitter, first-hand experience. Nextgov has confirmed
that foreign hacker groups broke into the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission's systems twice within the past three years, compromising PCs
and accounts by tricking users into installing malware.
A third, individually-launched attack also happened during the same time frame. While investigators couldn't determine the origins due to internet providers deleting their logs, the targets suggest that the attacks were government-backed -- the NRC knows the contents and health of reactors across the US. That logically draws suspicion toward China or Russia, although these could have simply been black market operators hoping to sell to the highest bidder.
The extent of the damage isn't listed, and it's not known if the NRC took any steps to bolster security and educate workers in the aftermath. However, the agency's Inspector General is planning another probe into possible attacks this year, and stresses that it's well aware of the dangers.
A strong firewall and staff reporting stops the "vast majority" of would-be data thieves, the Inspector's office says. While that's good to hear, it only takes one intrusion to steal a lot of sensitive info -- let's hope that security is tighter these days.
Read more: US nuclear regulator hit by two foreign cyberattacks in three years
A third, individually-launched attack also happened during the same time frame. While investigators couldn't determine the origins due to internet providers deleting their logs, the targets suggest that the attacks were government-backed -- the NRC knows the contents and health of reactors across the US. That logically draws suspicion toward China or Russia, although these could have simply been black market operators hoping to sell to the highest bidder.
The extent of the damage isn't listed, and it's not known if the NRC took any steps to bolster security and educate workers in the aftermath. However, the agency's Inspector General is planning another probe into possible attacks this year, and stresses that it's well aware of the dangers.
A strong firewall and staff reporting stops the "vast majority" of would-be data thieves, the Inspector's office says. While that's good to hear, it only takes one intrusion to steal a lot of sensitive info -- let's hope that security is tighter these days.
Read more: US nuclear regulator hit by two foreign cyberattacks in three years
1/11/13
United States ill-prepared for skyrocketing cyberattacks against critical infrastructure
Cyberattacks against the United States’ critical infrastructure are increasing, but even the Department of Homeland Security is reporting that the country is ill-prepared to respond.
America’s cyberdefense situation is in need of improvement, according at least to a newsletter published by the Homeland Security Department’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team, the ICS-CERT Monitor [PDF].
In the late-2012 edition of the Monitor, cyber experts working for the United States government confirm that as attacks waged against America’s essential sectors are on the rise, the number of qualified personnel able to respond is hardly adequate.
Between October 1, 2011 and September of last year, ICE-CERT claims to have received and responded to 198 cyber incidents as reported by asset owners and industry partners. In an analysis of the report by CNN, they report that the figure for Fiscal Year 2012 is 52 percent larger than the year before.
Elsewhere in the Monitor, ICE-CERT quotes noted security expert Alan Paller as saying that there are no more than 20 individuals in the entire country that could counter a substantial attack against the States’ cyber infrastructure.
“Paller believes there are only 18 to 20 people in the whole country qualified to protect the nation’s infrastructure from a concerted cyberattack,” the Monitor says, quoting from a Wall Street Journal article published in November.
“That’s an incredible small number of people considering the hundreds of thousands of engineers working in the private, public and military sectors,” says the Journal.
Of those nearly 200 incidents reported to DHS, several resulted in successful break-ins. In one example given of a power generation facility in the US, the Monitor says DHS employees identified malware installed on their systems that were so sophisticated that they posed the possibility of a very real disaster to the plant’s control environment.
Read more: United States ill-prepared for skyrocketing cyberattacks against critical infrastructure — RT
America’s cyberdefense situation is in need of improvement, according at least to a newsletter published by the Homeland Security Department’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team, the ICS-CERT Monitor [PDF].
In the late-2012 edition of the Monitor, cyber experts working for the United States government confirm that as attacks waged against America’s essential sectors are on the rise, the number of qualified personnel able to respond is hardly adequate.
Between October 1, 2011 and September of last year, ICE-CERT claims to have received and responded to 198 cyber incidents as reported by asset owners and industry partners. In an analysis of the report by CNN, they report that the figure for Fiscal Year 2012 is 52 percent larger than the year before.
Elsewhere in the Monitor, ICE-CERT quotes noted security expert Alan Paller as saying that there are no more than 20 individuals in the entire country that could counter a substantial attack against the States’ cyber infrastructure.
“Paller believes there are only 18 to 20 people in the whole country qualified to protect the nation’s infrastructure from a concerted cyberattack,” the Monitor says, quoting from a Wall Street Journal article published in November.
“That’s an incredible small number of people considering the hundreds of thousands of engineers working in the private, public and military sectors,” says the Journal.
Of those nearly 200 incidents reported to DHS, several resulted in successful break-ins. In one example given of a power generation facility in the US, the Monitor says DHS employees identified malware installed on their systems that were so sophisticated that they posed the possibility of a very real disaster to the plant’s control environment.
Read more: United States ill-prepared for skyrocketing cyberattacks against critical infrastructure — RT
10/10/12
White House confirms cyberattack by Chinese hackers - by Tim Mak
The White House confirmed but sought to downplay a report by a conservative website on Sunday that it had been the victim of a cyberattack, volunteering to POLITICO that no harm had been done.
The Washington Free Beacon reported that Chinese hackers had attacked a computer system in the White House Military Office.
A White House official speaking on background late Sunday confirmed there was an attempted hack but said that it affected an unclassified network, was “isolated” and that there was no evidence that any data had been stolen.
Read more: White House confirms cyberattack - Tim Mak - POLITICO.com
The Washington Free Beacon reported that Chinese hackers had attacked a computer system in the White House Military Office.
A White House official speaking on background late Sunday confirmed there was an attempted hack but said that it affected an unclassified network, was “isolated” and that there was no evidence that any data had been stolen.
Read more: White House confirms cyberattack - Tim Mak - POLITICO.com
Europe Ramps Up Cyber Attack Testing With Second Simulated Pan-Europe DDoS
Three hundred IT security professionals from across Europe are locking horns in a simulated cyber war exercise taking place today which — if it were a real attack — would be capable of disrupting services for millions of Europeans. The exercise, known as Cyber Europe 2012, is being run by ENISA: the European Network and Information Security Agency, and is part of ongoing efforts to bolster cyber crisis cooperation, preparedness and response across Europe.
This is first Cyber Europe event to include participants from the private sector — specifically the finance sector, ISPs and eGovernment — not just the public sector.
“ENISA aims to support the cyber crisis community in improving the resilience of critical information infrastructures,” notes Prof. Udo Helmbrecht, Executive Director of ENISA, in a statement.
The exercise has three main aims:
This is first Cyber Europe event to include participants from the private sector — specifically the finance sector, ISPs and eGovernment — not just the public sector.
“ENISA aims to support the cyber crisis community in improving the resilience of critical information infrastructures,” notes Prof. Udo Helmbrecht, Executive Director of ENISA, in a statement.
The exercise has three main aims:
- Test effectiveness and scalability of existing mechanisms, procedures and information flow for public authorities’ cooperation in Europe;
- Explore the cooperation between public and private stakeholders in Europe;
- Identify gaps and challenges on how large scale cyber incidents could be handled more effectively in Europe.
Canada: Ottawa set to ban Chinese firm from telecommunications bid - by Steven Chase
Citing a rarely used national-security protocol, Ottawa has sent a signal to Chinese telecom equipment giant Huawei Technologies that it would block the firm from bidding to build the Canadian government’s latest telecommunications and e-mail network.
Shenzen-based Huawei is riding a storm of suspicion. On Monday, a powerful U.S. congressional committee called the company a threat to U.S. security and recommended that its products be excluded from government computer systems. Canada’s national surveillance and cryptology agency, the Communications Security Establishment, has warned the military of potential security risks in installing Huawei’s equipment.
One of Canada’s former top spies says that the damage done by economic espionage is now on par with the threat posed by al-Qaeda and other radical groups. “It has become equal to the threat of terrorism. Why? It has such long-term repercussions. The future prosperity of Canadians,” says Ray Boisvert, who had served as the assistant director of intelligence for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service until his retirement six months ago.
Read more: Ottawa set to ban Chinese firm from telecommunications bid - The Globe and Mail
Shenzen-based Huawei is riding a storm of suspicion. On Monday, a powerful U.S. congressional committee called the company a threat to U.S. security and recommended that its products be excluded from government computer systems. Canada’s national surveillance and cryptology agency, the Communications Security Establishment, has warned the military of potential security risks in installing Huawei’s equipment.
One of Canada’s former top spies says that the damage done by economic espionage is now on par with the threat posed by al-Qaeda and other radical groups. “It has become equal to the threat of terrorism. Why? It has such long-term repercussions. The future prosperity of Canadians,” says Ray Boisvert, who had served as the assistant director of intelligence for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service until his retirement six months ago.
Read more: Ottawa set to ban Chinese firm from telecommunications bid - The Globe and Mail
Canada: Hackers infiltrate Calgary-based technology firm - fingers pointing to China
A leading international expert on computer hacking says cyber-attacks are increasingly targeting the heart of Canada’s infrastructure, including oil pipelines and major public utilities.
CBC News has confirmed a recent cyber-attack successfully breached a Calgary-based supplier of control systems for electrical power grids, municipal water systems, public transit operations, and most of Canada’s major oil and gas pipelines.
Sources say the incident was serious enough to spark action from Canada’s spy service, the RCMP, military intelligence, and the federal government’s special cyber response agency.
An online cyber-security news website — KrebsOnSecurity.com — cites experts saying the job bore the fingerprints of similar attacks from China.
Only a week ago, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) used its annual report to issue a stern warning that corporations in this country are being attacked by hackers engaged in foreign cyber-espionage.
The report said federal government computers are being hit on a daily basis. While CSIS doesn’t single out any country by name in its report, federal documents released under the
Access to Information Act in recent months show law enforcement agencies and federal officials pointing a finger at China.
Read more: Hackers infiltrate Calgary-based technology firm - Canada - CBC News
CBC News has confirmed a recent cyber-attack successfully breached a Calgary-based supplier of control systems for electrical power grids, municipal water systems, public transit operations, and most of Canada’s major oil and gas pipelines.
Sources say the incident was serious enough to spark action from Canada’s spy service, the RCMP, military intelligence, and the federal government’s special cyber response agency.
An online cyber-security news website — KrebsOnSecurity.com — cites experts saying the job bore the fingerprints of similar attacks from China.
Only a week ago, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) used its annual report to issue a stern warning that corporations in this country are being attacked by hackers engaged in foreign cyber-espionage.
The report said federal government computers are being hit on a daily basis. While CSIS doesn’t single out any country by name in its report, federal documents released under the
Access to Information Act in recent months show law enforcement agencies and federal officials pointing a finger at China.
Read more: Hackers infiltrate Calgary-based technology firm - Canada - CBC News
3/28/12
NSA: China is Destroying U.S. Economy Via Security Hacks - by Jason Mick
U.S. Cyber Command leader and NSA director Gen. Keith Alexander made the information public on Tuesday in a briefing to the Senate Armed Services Committee, in which he testified, "I can't go into the specifics here, but we do see [thefts] from defense industrial base companies. There are some very public [attacks], though. The most recent one was the RSA exploits."
China successfully used the information to hack into Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT), a top U.S. defense contractor. It is thought that China's remarkable progress in stealth fighter technology has been fueled by stolen U.S. Department of Defense Secrets.
Indeed a massive amount of intellectual property is being stolen from both the public and private sector by Chinese hackers, according to Gen. Alexander. The U.S. has done precious little to protect its own economic prosperity, as it has been overwhelmed by the Chinese thieves. One official in past commentary graphically described a cyberwarfare compaign of an unnamed nation state (suspected to be China) as "raping" the world.
Whether the Chinese government is perpetrating these attacks first hand, sponsoring third parties to conduct them, or merely condoning corporate interests to conduct them is almost as hazy as the sketchy financial ties the Chinese government holds to many of its private sector business (to be fair such allegations have increasingly been raised about the U.S. gov't).
But at the end of the day, the result is the same -- the destruction of the U.S. economy at the hands of the Chinese attackers
For more: DailyTech - NSA: China is Destroying U.S. Economy Via Security Hacks
China successfully used the information to hack into Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT), a top U.S. defense contractor. It is thought that China's remarkable progress in stealth fighter technology has been fueled by stolen U.S. Department of Defense Secrets.
Indeed a massive amount of intellectual property is being stolen from both the public and private sector by Chinese hackers, according to Gen. Alexander. The U.S. has done precious little to protect its own economic prosperity, as it has been overwhelmed by the Chinese thieves. One official in past commentary graphically described a cyberwarfare compaign of an unnamed nation state (suspected to be China) as "raping" the world.
Whether the Chinese government is perpetrating these attacks first hand, sponsoring third parties to conduct them, or merely condoning corporate interests to conduct them is almost as hazy as the sketchy financial ties the Chinese government holds to many of its private sector business (to be fair such allegations have increasingly been raised about the U.S. gov't).
But at the end of the day, the result is the same -- the destruction of the U.S. economy at the hands of the Chinese attackers
For more: DailyTech - NSA: China is Destroying U.S. Economy Via Security Hacks
2/15/12
Canada: Nortel hit by suspected Chinese cyberattacks for a decade
Hackers based in China enjoyed widespread access to Nortel's computer network for nearly a decade, according to a report.
The hackers – who appeared to be based in China – had unfettered access to the former telecommunications giant as far back as 2000, according to Brian Shields, a former Nortel employee who launched an internal investigation of the attacks, the Wall Street Journal reports.
They “had access to everything”, Shields told the Journal. “They had plenty of time. All they had to do was figure out what they wanted.” Over the years, the hackers downloaded business plans, research and development reports, employee emails and other documents.
Last November, a group of U.S. analysts said there were as many as 12 different Chinese groups participating in cyberattacks on U.S. companies and government agencies.
For more: Nortel hit by suspected Chinese cyberattacks for a decade - Business - CBC News
The hackers – who appeared to be based in China – had unfettered access to the former telecommunications giant as far back as 2000, according to Brian Shields, a former Nortel employee who launched an internal investigation of the attacks, the Wall Street Journal reports.
They “had access to everything”, Shields told the Journal. “They had plenty of time. All they had to do was figure out what they wanted.” Over the years, the hackers downloaded business plans, research and development reports, employee emails and other documents.
Last November, a group of U.S. analysts said there were as many as 12 different Chinese groups participating in cyberattacks on U.S. companies and government agencies.
For more: Nortel hit by suspected Chinese cyberattacks for a decade - Business - CBC News
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