House cybersecurity chairman warns: First Sony, next the electric grid, Wall Street

Don’t limit the list of potential enemy nation-states to just N. Korea and Iran. China and Russia both have the capability and are known to have already probed American cyber defenses. By the time legislation is passed, which can sometimes take months in itself, or by the time something is implemented, it could be years later — which is too little, too late. Global Geopolitics has warned about cyberwarfare and its danger to America for years.

 

Rep. Patrick Meehan, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, said the Sony attack and potential for a more widespread Internet invasion by U.S. enemies demands that President Obama sign pending cybersecurity legislation into law and look to other efforts to protect homegrown technology.

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“American businesses, financial networks, government agencies and infrastructure systems like power grids are at continual risk. They’re targeted not just by lone hackers and criminal syndicates, but by well-funded nation-states like North Korea and Iran. A lack of consequences for when nation states carry out cyberattacks has only emboldened these adversaries to do more harm,” he added.

Napolitano warns large-scale cyberattack on US is inevitable (Video)

Outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned her successor on Tuesday to move quickly to prepare for an inevitable large-scale cyberattack against the United States.

Napolitano, delivering her farewell address at the National Press Club, said her successor should move fast to strengthen the nation’s cyber defenses.

Chinese Cyberattack Continues

DHS warns about new ‘watering hole’ cyber attack vulnerability as a high-tech firm also reportedly is hit

The Department of Homeland Security warned Internet Explorer users this week about a new software flaw used in remote cyber attacks as Microsoft issued an advisory on the embattled browser’s software hole.

The response followed reports in the Free Beacon revealing that hackers linked to China attacked the Council on Foreign Relations website and used it as a watering hole for a sophisticated cyberespionage attack.

Iranian Cyber Attacks Step Up

The Iranian government recently conducted a major cyber attack on a major U.S. financial institution that a military intelligence report said is a sign Tehran is waging covert war against the West.

The cyber attack was not successful but was one of several Iranian-backed electronic strikes detected in recent months that highlights the growing threat from Tehran, a major backer of international terrorism, according to a recent report by the Joint Staff intelligence directorate, known as J-2.

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No other details were available on the previously undisclosed attempted Iranian financial cyber attack.

A Joint Staff spokesman declined to comment.

In the past, China and Russia were singled out as major nation-state cyber threats, using their militaries and intelligence services to conduct sophisticated cyber-espionage and preparation for future cyber sabotage in a conflict.

Now, Iran is emerging as a strategic threat to U.S. cyber systems that control critical infrastructure such as military systems, financial networks, communications, the electrical power grid, transportation networks, and other vital functions.

“They’re technically proficient, well-funded, and have placed a top priority on cyber defense and offense thanks in large part to the high number of sophisticated malware discovered on their oil and energy networks,” said Jeffrey Carr, a cyber warfare specialist.

Full article: Iranian Cyber Attacks Step Up (Washington Free Beacon)