cyberwarfare

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Powerful Spy Tool Sits Unused in a New Jersey Building

'NYT Magazine' digs into Pegasus, a mighty cyberweapon made by an Israeli company

(Newser) - The US is in possession of what's described as the world's most powerful spy tool, a revelation that in and of itself is not too surprising. This part might be: The tool is sitting unused in a New Jersey building because the FBI doesn't have authorization to...

Russia May Be Spying on NATO Soldiers Through Their Phones

Wall Street Journal reports on odd occurrences with the devices

(Newser) - Russia appears to be targeting NATO soldiers' personal smartphones in an effort to gain intelligence on military operations and troop strength, reports the Wall Street Journal . Though Russian officials deny such attacks, Western officials say they're sure Moscow is behind the odd things happening to phones because the hackers...

NSA Pins Unprecedented Cyberattack on North Korea

Agency says WannaCry ransom scheme almost certainly came from Pyongyang

(Newser) - Remember the massive cyberattack last month in which victims were told to pay a ransom to have their data unlocked? The NSA thinks it was a scheme by North Korea to make money for its government coffers, reports the Washington Post . A report not yet made public suggests the perpetrators...

US Hackers Infiltrate Russian Systems Ahead of Election Day

Ready to respond in kind over any 'significant' cyberattack

(Newser) - US military hackers are ready should Russia try any cyber shenanigans during the election Tuesday, NBC News reports. Senior intelligence sources say the US has successfully hacked into various Russian systems, including command systems at the Kremlin, telecommunications networks, and the electric grid. Officials describe this as "preparing the...

'Almost Peerless' New Malware in Use Since 2008

Source of Regin is unclear, says Symantec

(Newser) - The same Symantec researchers who tracked down the Stuxnet worm four years ago have discovered another potent piece of malware, Re/code reports. The Trojan program is called Regin, and it offers "a powerful framework for mass surveillance," Symantec says in a blog post that calls out "a...

Software Is Hopelessly Bad and No Data Is Safe
Software Is Hopelessly Bad and No Data Is Safe
OPINION
May 22, 2014 10:00 AM CDT

Software Is Hopelessly Bad and No Data Is Safe

Security expert Quinn Norton explains why we're all screwed

(Newser) - The computer you're reading this on right now is compromised. There's simply no way it's not, Quinn Norton explains in a fairly terrifying column at Medium . "Computers, and computing, are broken," Norton writes. "Most software gets shipped the moment it works well enough to...

Firm Uncovers Advanced Government-Hunting Virus

Kapersky calls it 'Careto'

(Newser) - A stunningly advanced malware threat has been targeting government institutions, diplomatic offices, energy companies, private equity firms, activists, and more for five years now, infecting at least 380 unique victims across 31 countries, Kaspersky security researchers have revealed. They're calling the virus "Careto" (meaning "mask" or "...

Behind an 8-Hour Traffic Jam: Hackers?

Major Israeli road closed last month amid reported cyberattack

(Newser) - Israel's officials are deeply concerned about the threat of cyberwarfare, and an apparent attack last month in the northern city of Haifa may have validated those fears. On Sept. 8, a trojan horse attack—in which a hacker gains control over a system via software installed by unwitting users—...

Playing Offense: US Had 231 'Cyber-Operations' in 2011

Washington Post has details on growing cyberwar strategy, from Snowden documents

(Newser) - The Washington Post 's latest reveal from documents provided by Edward Snowden puts the government's rapidly expanding cyberwar program in concrete terms: 231. As in, that's the number of "cyber-operations" conducted in 2011 by various government intelligence agencies. The vast majority of these were against targets...

The Internet: Just Not Worth It
 The Internet:
 Just Not Worth It 
OPINION
Jul 1, 2013 8:42 AM CDT

The Internet: Just Not Worth It

Robert Samuelson: Cyberwar risk outweighs Internet's benefits

(Newser) - As more and more of our infrastructure, from power to hospitals to airlines, becomes dependent on the Internet, the dangers of cyberwar increase. And though Robert Samuelson admits that the Internet is "the technological marvel of the age," at this point, its risks outweigh its benefits, he writes...

What We Can Learn From Snowden's Job Title

As an 'infrastructure analyst,' he was supposed to identify cyberwar targets

(Newser) - President Obama seemed to be downplaying Edward Snowden's importance when he dismissed him as "a 29-year-old hacker." But hacking was, in a sense, Snowden's actual job description, the New York Times points out. Officials have been careful not to mention Snowden's actual title, which was...

After Hagel Slaps China, China Slaps Back

Defense chief calls out Beijing on cyber espionage

(Newser) - When defense chief Chuck Hagel blamed China yesterday for cyberattacks in the US, it didn't sit well with some Beijing officials in the audience at a Singapore summit. "The United States has expressed our concerns about the growing threat of cyber intrusions, some of which appear to be...

China at Heart of Sweeping Cyberspying War on US

Economic espionage is costing America billions

(Newser) - The past five years have seen a mammoth international effort to spy on the computer systems of US businesses and other institutions, an intelligence report finds—and China is by far the biggest threat. The goal: to gather economic information to benefit the spying countries, the Washington Post reports. Targeted...

Pentagon on Cybersecurity Force: Quintuple It

900-member Cyber Command will soon be 5 times larger

(Newser) - Last year, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned of a " cyber Pearl Harbor "; now, the Pentagon is preparing for a digital battlefield. It's ballooning its Cyber Command from 900 people to a 4,900-strong combination of troops and civilians, the Washington Post reports—even as the government plans...

Iran Says It Thwarted Latest Stuxnet Attack

Claims cyberattack targeted power plant in country's south

(Newser) - The dangerous Stuxnet worm has attacked Iran again, this time hitting a power plant and other facilities in the country's south—but after being rocked by the powerful computer virus for more than a year beginning in June 2009 , Iran says it has rebuffed the latest attack, reports the...

Ex-Spy Chief: Get Ready for 'Cyber 9/11'

Mike McConnell says we've had our warning

(Newser) - First, it was defense secretary Leon Panetta warning of a " cyber Pearl Harbor ." Now, the former director of national intelligence says it's time to prepare for "the cyber equivalent of the World Trade Center attack," the Financial Times reports. Recent attacks on big banks like...

New 'Flame' Virus Found; EU Boosts Iran Sanctions

'Mini-flame' could steal data, control systems: experts

(Newser) - Cyber-security experts have spotted a small but precise "mini-virus" riding on the heels of Flame, the espionage tool designed by Israel and the US to undermine Iran's nuclear facilities , reports YNet News . Dubbed "mini-Flame," the new virus appears "designed to steal data and control infected...

Report: Iran Waging Cyberwar on the US

At least of the 'low-grade' variety

(Newser) - Leon Panetta warned this week that the US was vulnerable to a "cyber Pearl Harbor" attack, and he apparently had Iran very much in mind. US officials tell the Wall Street Journal that Iranian hackers have been mounting electronic attacks for months on American targets, especially banks. The Journal ...

New Cyberattack on Iran Plays AC/DC

Virus hits Natanz nuclear site

(Newser) - Cyberwarfare has taken a turn for the awesome. A man claiming to be an Iranian nuclear scientist sent a letter to the security research group D-Secure yesterday saying that the country's Natanz facility had been hit with possibly the most rocking cyberattack in history, Geek-O-System reports. "The automation...

Iran Reports 'Massive Cyber Attack'

Tehran says it detected strike in time

(Newser) - Iran says it sniffed out and prevented a fresh "massive cyber attack" against its nuclear facilities—and it's not being shy about who it suspects is behind it. "Based on obtained information, America and the Zionist regime along with the MI6 planned an operation to launch a...

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