German Elections: Germany expects Russian leaking to start in 'weeks' - by Andrew Rettman

Germany expects Russia to start publishing compromising material on German MPs in the summer in order to destabilise elections in September.

Its interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, and spy chief, Hans-Georg Maassen, issued the warning in Berlin on Tuesday (4 July) after unveiling a yearly intelligence report.

De Maiziere said the material “could be published in the coming weeks,” the Reuters news agency reported.

Maassen said Russia’s intention was “to damage trust in and the functioning of our democracy so our government should have domestic political difficulties and not be as free to act in its foreign policy as it is today.

A hacker group, called APT28, said by US intelligence to be a front for Russian spies, stole 16 gigabytes of data from over 5,600 computers in the German parliament in 2015.

It broke into the accounts of 16 MPs and some in chancellor Angela Merkel’s office.

Recalling Russia’s actions in the US and French elections, De Maiziere said he expected "a classic disinformation campaign with lies and half truths intended to shape opinions" that would be spread online by "bots”.

Mainstream parties are polling miles ahead of pro-Kremlin competitors, the Die Linke (The Left) party and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The German voting system is also hard to hack. People vote on paper ballots and data is counted on an encrypted, offline network by the Federal Statistics Office.

But Germany hosts three pro-Kremlin media - RT Deutsch, Sputnik Deutsch, and NewsFront Deutsch.

The 2.5 million Russian people living in Germany also follow Russian state media, which has been broadcasting anti-Merkel propaganda for years.

Maassen, the intelligence chief, said on Tuesday: “It [Russia’s campaign] may not be aimed at strengthening one party or another, or ensuring that one or another person is elected to run the government, but that the trust in the functioning of our democracy is damaged.”

The yearly intelligence assessment by Germany’s domestic agency, the BfV, which handles counter-espionage, said Russia, Turkey, and China were its main adversaries. 

It said Turkey was spying on Turkish expats in Germany and China was trying to recruit agents on Facebook for economic espionage.    

Read more: Germany expects Russian leaking to start in 'weeks'

EU-Digest Poll: Cyber Espionage Considered "Infringement On National Security"

Everyone (100%) who participated in the EU-Digest poll which ended today on Cyber Espionage considered it an infringement on national security.

This month's EU-Digest poll focuses on "What is important to you" and provides you 5 basic choices.

EU-Digest

International Cyber War: Washington drops gloves over Chinese hacking

A US report on alleged recent Chinese hacking attacks on US targets marks a turning point in the cyber war. Never before has cyber espionage aimed at the US been publicly documented and politicized so thoroughly. 

A weary smile - that is the extent international security experts have for recent headlines that Chinese cyber-spies allegedly infiltrated overseas networks and stole massive amounts of data from US companies, media and think tanks.

The discovery of the Ghostnet cyber spying operation in 2009 made it abundantly clear years ago that Chinese hackers not only possess the ability to launch large-scale espionage attacks - they also put those skills into practice. Ghostnet, which is believed to be operated from China, infiltrated political and economic locations in about 100 countries. That makes it one of the largest-scale cyber espionage attacks ever.

Much more crucial than reports about recent Chinese hacker attacks are the circumstances of the announcements and the political consequences, experts say. In a 78-page report released in February, the American cyber-security company Mandiant details how a group of hackers operating from Shanghai has spied on at least 141 US companies since 2006, stealing several hundred terabytes of data.

Read more: Washington drops gloves over Chinese hacking | World | DW.DE | 01.03.2013

EU-Digest Poll On Human Rights Policies shows 71% believe these are Politically and Economically motivated

A recent EU-Digest poll shows 71% of the respondents believe human rights policies are politically and economically motivated and only 5% believe they are fairly enforced,

This month EU-Digest poll focuses on cyber espionage.

EU-Digest

Cyber Espionage: When in China, don't leave your laptop alone

You're traveling in China on business, and after checking into your hotel room you decide to grab a bite at a local restaurant. You're not planning to work, so you leave your laptop on the dresser, lock the door, and exit, feeling confident that your possessions are safe.

An hour and half later you return and note that all your stuff, including the laptop, is just where you left it. Everything seems fine, and you go about your business, conducting meetings with potential clients over the next few days before returning home.

But everything is not fine. While you were out to dinner that first night, someone entered your room (often a nominal hotel staffer), carefully examined the contents of your laptop, and installed spyware on the computer -- without your having a clue.

The result? Exposure of information, including customer data, product development documentation, countless emails, and other proprietary information of value to competitors and foreign governments. Perhaps even, thanks to the spyware, there's an ongoing infection in your corporate network that continually phones home key secrets for months or years afterward.

Because so many users never detect that they've been compromised and few report the issue publicly, it's not clear how common this sort of spying is, but it does happen, say cyber security experts. In fact, you should simply assume your computer will be breached if you go to high-risk countries such as China to conduct business, says Israel Martinez, a private-sector board member at the U.S. National Cyber Security Council, a defense industry group.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, issued an intelligence note saying recent analysis from government agencies shows that "malicious actors" were going after travelers abroad. There were recent instances of travelers' laptops being infected with malicious software while they were using hotel Internet connections, the report noted.

"We have found that travelers going to countries in Asia, the Russian Federation, the Baltic states, and even parts of South America have their systems attacked and most likely breached while abroad," says Jerry Irvine, CIO at IT outsourcing provider Prescient Solutions and a member of the National Cyber Security Partnership, an organization established to develop shared strategies and programs to better secure critical information infrastructure in the United States.


China and Russia are the two countries most frequently identified as being high risks, notes Emilian Papadopoulos, chief of staff at Good Harbor Security Risk Management, a security consultancy. Other high-risk countries include those with significant cyber capabilities, those known to conduct cyber espionage, and those known for corporate espionage and stealing business secrets and intellectual property, Papadopoulos says. "Countries with significant state control of private industry, especially in telecommunications, may also be higher risk," he says.

Note EU-Digest: a good precaution also wherever you may be, even in what you might consider "the safety of your home and office" never download any attachment from sources you do not know, regardless if they sound or look official or serious.

Read more: When in China, don't leave your laptop alone | Security - InfoWorld

Cyber Espionage: Prove China spy allegations or 'shut up,' ambassador says

Beijing's representative in Ottawa says Chinese firms are not involved in foreign espionage and he challenges anyone who says otherwise to produce evidence or keep quiet, in a rare interview airing Saturday on CBC Radio's The House.

Zhang Junsai, China's ambassador to Canada, tells host Evan Solomon, "I can assure you that our companies working in other countries are strictly doing business according to the local laws."
"If you really have the evidence, come [out] with it. If not... shut up," Zhang says in no uncertain terms.

The Chinese ambassador's comments come on the heels of a scathing report released by a U.S. intelligence committee last month, warning of the security risks associated with doing business with two of China's leading telecommunications firms, Huawei and ZTE.

The ambassador said "even the United States could not give out evidence."
However, as CBC's Greg Weston reported days after the report was made public, that same U.S. intelligence committee has turned over to the FBI evidence of possible bribery and corruption by Huawei, one of the largest telecom companies in the world.

Read more: Prove China spy allegations or 'shut up,' ambassador says - Business - CBC News

Cyber Espionage: Huawei corruption allegations given to FBI

The U.S. intelligence committee has turned over to the FBI evidence of possible bribery and corruption by Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei, CBC News has learned.

The U.S. intelligence committee released a scathing report Monday about the security risks of dealing with China's two leading telecommunications firms, Huawei and ZTE.

Mike Rogers, the head of the committee, is warning that Huawei, now operating in Canada, is a threat to national security north of the border too, the CBC's Greg Weston reported. Rogers urged Canadian companies not to work with Huawei because the two countries' telecommunications systems are so integrated that it puts the U.S. at risk.

The world’s second-largest telecommunications equipment supplier, Huawei is already providing high-speed networks for Bell Canada, Telus, SaskTel and Wind Mobile – deals that Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has openly applauded.

Read more: Huawei corruption allegations given to FBI - Business - CBC News

Cyber Security Summit in New York looks to address the growing ‘cyber-arms race’

Cyber-warfare and cyber-espionage incidents have grown into headline fodder as governments worldwide look to digital means of self-protection, aggressive action and information gathering.

Feeling the zeitgeist, the first annual Cyber Security Summit is scheduled to kick off in New York City on Oct. 24, with a mission to “expose the truth about what is really happening on both the offensive and defensive sides of the growing cyber-arms race.”

“Within the next couple of years, the world will experience more intentionally executed and demonstrated cyber-attacks,” said Jarno Limnell, director of cybersecurity at Stonesoft, host of the event. “The development of offensive cyber weapons will become fiercer and publicly more acceptable. Defense, resilience and offense make up the components required for a company or country to protect itself. You need them all.”

Limnell said that the goal of the summit is to help executives responsible for their company’s information security to be aware of the growing global threats presented by cyber attackers. He said top-of-mind questions include what happens when sophisticated tools become available for sale in the malware marketplace? And, who should be held accountable when a government-sponsored espionage tool is repurposed for criminal activity? And the bottom line question, of course, is what can organizations do to protect their own networks?

Cyber-warfare and cyber-espionage are clearly on the rise, with this summer’s spate of attacks in the Middle East merely the latest example. That’s because cyber-espionage is easier, safer and far more cost-effective than the traditional James Bond method, argues PandaLabs' technical director, Luis Corrons.

“Modern-day spies no longer need to infiltrate a building to steal information,” he said. “As long as they have the necessary computer skills, they can wreak havoc and access the best-kept secrets of organizations without ever leaving their living-rooms.” And, cyber-war “will become more than ever a reality,” he explained, “as we learn how different governments such as China, the US, and the UK, allocate specific budgets for it.”

Read more: nfosecurity - Cyber Security Summit looks to address the growing ‘cyber-arms race’

Cyber Espionage: China tech giants pose security threat says US Congressional Panel - by Matthew Pennington

American companies should avoid sourcing network equipment from China's two leading technology firms because they pose a national security threat to the United States, the House Intelligence Committee warned Monday.

The panel said in a report that U.S. regulators should block mergers and acquisitions in this country by Huawei Technologies Ltd. and ZTE Corp, among the world's leading suppliers of telecommunications gear and mobile phones.

Reflecting U.S. concern over cyber-attacks traced to China, the report also recommends that U.S. government computer systems not include any components from the two firms because that could pose an espionage risk.

"China is known to be the major perpetrator of cyber-espionage, and Huawei and ZTE failed to alleviate serious concerns throughout this important investigation. American businesses should use other vendors," the committee's chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich, told a news conference. He said the Chinese companies could not be trusted with access to computer networks that support everything from power grids to finance systems.

Note EU-Digest:  obviously this raises the question as to what the European Union has undertaken so far to combat these practices in Europe? 

In a rare public speech, the head of Britain's domestic spy service said recently  that the West now faces an "astonishing" cyber espionage threat on an "industrial scale" from specific nation states. 

"The extent of what is going on is astonishing," said Jonathan Evans, director general of MI5, "with industrial-scale processes involving many thousands of people lying behind both state-sponsored cyber espionage and organized cyber crime." 

Though Evans did not name any countries, ABC News has separately learned from sources that the U.K., the U.S. and several European allies have a robust discussion underway on how to counter cyber espionage by perhaps the most significant state operator -- China.

Read more: US panel: China tech giants pose security threat - US News and World Report

China and Cyber-Espionage - - by Jamie Metzl

A number of people have asked me how I made the determination described in my Wall Street Journal editorial last Wednesday that China may be one of the world’s worst state perpetrators of cyber-espionage and malicious computer hacking.

Although I have spoken with a number of American officials with access to classified information who have made this assertion with great passion, I do not have access to any of these classified documents. Instead, I have decided to lay out the evidence gleaned from public sources.

For more: China and Cyber-Espionage | Asia Society