cyber attacks

Congress rethinks power grid cybersecurity

Judi Hasson — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 21:28:24 -0400

Concerns about a cybersecurity attack on the nation's electric power grids are being raised in Congress, with lawmakers considering legislation to broaden federal authority over electric companies.

"I believe America is disturbingly vulnerable to a cyber attack against the electric grid that could cause significant consequences to our nation's critical infrastructure," said Rep. James Langevin (D-RI). Industry representatives, also testifying at the congressional hearing, conceded there is a need to strengthen federal authority to deal with the cybersecurity threat. They also cautioned against expanding the government's powers too broadly.

Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA) said the proposed law could require any owner, user, or operator of the bulk power system to abide by interim measures imposed on short notice by the government to address security threats rather than waiting for completion of lengthy rule making proceedings. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chairman Joseph Kelliher said this authority should apply to a broad definition of national security threats that would include both physical attacks and cyber attacks.

For details on power grid security:
- see this cnet.com article

Are you ready for a foreign cyber attack?

Judi Hasson — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:32:59 -0400

The Internet attacks on Georgia by the Russians as their ground troops swept into that country are a clear signal of the danger that the U.S. computer systems could face. U.S. security experts say China and Russia could pose a serious cyber threat, with a recent Department of Defense report concluding that China views cyber war as part of the first strike.

The question is whether the U.S. is prepared. U.S. officials told a Senate committee earlier this year that the federal government and private sector are, in fact, not ready for cyber attacks. General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, last year said China is carrying out widespread reconnaissance of America's networks while Scott Borg, director of the independent U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit, has said the U.S. is ready for physical attacks, but not from computer systems.

For more on this threat:
- check out this CIO-Today article

Cyber attacks in finance sector overstated

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 19:01:39 -0500

Last week's news brought a dire warning from the Feds that terrorists were readying to hit financial sites and data banks. But some industry groups are downplaying the risk, saying that cyber attacks are less of a risk than actual physical attacks. The Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center says it has lowered the risk level for cyber security attacks, as it hasn't yet detected any such malicious activity. One security expert even claims that the reported denial-of-service attack cited by the Feds wouldn't do much damage even if it did occur.

For more on cyber terrorism:
- read the news at InformationWeek

Terrorist cyber attack aimed at financial community

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 19:01:39 -0500

The dawn of December brings with it a dire security warning to financial institutions that terrorists are aiming to crash stock trading and banking sites using cyber attacks. According to the Department of Homeland Security, an Islamic militant group is targeting databases within financial organizations and the threat of a denial of service attack is expected to continue through the end of the month. Financial executives don't seem too worried however, saying that their organizations are in a high level of security readiness.

For more on the impending cyber assault:
- read the article at eCanadaNow

PLUS: Financial sector is huge hacker target. Article

ALSO NOTED: Trojans on the rise, rootkit infections decreasing; Optimism can boost M&A transition; and much more...

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 20:01:33 -0400

> Trojans on the rise, rootkit infections decreasing. Article

> Optimism can boost M&A transition. Article

> Building good interdepartmental bridges enhances business processes. Article

> Under-reporting hurts hacking investigation efforts. Article

> Britain opens national open-source policy institute. Article

> Cyber attacks at the top of the FBI task list. Article

> Public CIOs leave, rather than take new government role. Article

> "FBI" email solicitation is a hoax, says agency. Article

And Finally... The world's fastest text messenger gets beaten. Article

ALSO NOTED: GAO says health data at risk due to system flaws; Energy agency at risk with cyber attacks; and much more...

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 20:01:33 -0400

> GAO says health data at risk due to system flaws. Article

> Energy agency at risk for cyber attacks. Article

> Microsoft revamps Vista, Longhorn security key capabilities. Article

> Why insourcing is coming back in vogue. Article

> Pundits say Ajax adoption will be widespread very soon. Article

And Finally... Taking pi to a new level. Article

Social networks pose security threat

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 20:01:39 -0400

As if spyware, software vulnerabilities and new phishing schemes aren't enough to keep tech leaders awake at night, now comes news that social networking sites pose a huge security risk to corporate environments. According to a study from CA and the National Cyber Security Alliance, users often given up vital information that lets hackers get inside the company network and data bank. Experts say user education is a must to thwart cyber attacks through social Web sites.

For more on the emerging Web site risk:
- read the article at TechWeb

A collaborative effort to share cyber security data

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 20:01:36 -0400

A federal effort aimed at helping researchers and agencies get a better grip on external threats is grabbing more traction and involvement. The Federated Model is an information-sharing project among government agencies, universities and the research community focused on preventing cyber attacks via the IP network route. Members of the group say the best insight on stopping security attacks comes from analyzing what happened and how entities responded and that's just exactly the information group participants are gleaning from each other.

For more on the federal cyber security effort:
- read this article at NetworkWorld