FBI: Iran to Launch New Cyber Attacks

 

Iranian hackers poised for wide-ranging strikes in retaliation for U.S. leaving nuclear deal

The FBI is warning that Iranian hackers could conduct new cyber attacks on American businesses and government networks in response to the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

“The FBI assesses foreign cyber actors operating in the Islamic Republic of Iran could potentially use a range of computer network operations—from scanning networks for potential vulnerabilities to data deletion attacks—against U.S.-based networks in response to the U.S. government’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” the FBI said in a cyber alert to U.S. businesses.

Military Set for Cyber Attacks on Foreign Infrastructure

Paul Nakasone / Getty Images

 

Cybercom nominee: U.S. intrusions in foreign networks to deter China and Russia

American military cyber warriors are ready to shut critical infrastructures in China and Russia during a future conflict by conducting cyber intrusions into their networks, according to the general set to lead Cyber Command.

Both China and Russia have been detected conducting similar cyber battlefield reconnaissance against the U.S. networks used to control critical infrastructure in the United States, including electric grids, transportation, financial, and other critical systems.

Six U.S. intelligence agencies warn against using Huawei phones

See also:

Intel Chiefs Sound Alarm on China Threat

The Secret Ways of Chinese Telecom Giant Huawei

Australian parliament reviews use of Chinese-made cell phones

 

Six intelligence officials, including the heads of the CIA, FBI, and NSA, have told the Senate Intelligence Committee that they would not recommend that U.S. citizens use smartphones from the Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE, reports CNBC. As FBI director Chris Wray told the committee:

German intelligence warns of increased Chinese cyberspying

Hans-Georg Maassen said his agency, known by its German acronym BfV, believes more than 10,000 Germans have been targeted by Chinese intelligence agents posing as consultants, headhunters or researchers, primarily on the social networking site LinkedIn.

“This is a broad-based attempt to infiltrate in particular parliaments, ministries and government agencies,” Maassen said.

Russian Hackers Used Kaspersky Software to Steal NSA Data on U.S. Cyber Defense

An employee works near screens in the virus lab at the headquarters of Russian cyber security company Kaspersky Labs / Getty Images

 

Russian hackers stole data belonging to the National Security Agency about America’s cyber defense from the home computer of a U.S. government contractor, according to people familiar with the matter.

The material was highly classified and was identified by the hackers since the contractor was using Russian Kaspersky Lab antivirus software, the Wall Street Journal reports.

US Won’t Be Prepared for Cyber Attack for Another Two Years

Earlier this week, representatives of the US Cyber Command (CC) told the Joint Chiefs that the US military won’t be able to fend of a major cyberattack at least until 2019.

Brig. Gen. Charles L. Moore Jr., Joint Chiefs of Staff deputy director for global operations, told the House Armed Services Committee that, “We don’t have the scale or the complexity to truly represent a realistic and relevant threat, the ones that we’re truly trying to train to.”

FBI warns US businesses of ‘destructive’ malware

The FBI warned U.S. businesses that hackers have used malicious software to launch destructive attacks in the United States, following a devastating cyberattack last week at Sony Pictures Entertainment.

The five-page, confidential “flash” warning issued to businesses late on Monday provided some technical details about the malicious software that was used in the attack, though it did not name the victim.

Stealthy spy software snooping for years: Symantec

The malicious software, dubbed Regin, has a rare level of sophistication and has been targeting government agencies, telecoms, utilities, airlines, research facilities, private individuals and others since at least 2008, according to Symantec Corporation.

Attacks on telecom firms appeared aimed at getting access to calls being routed through networks.

“Regin is a highly complex threat which has been used in systematic data collection or intelligence gathering campaigns,” the Silicon Valley-based computer security firm said in a paper detailing the threat.

Hackers hit U.S. Department of Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy has confirmed that its computer systems were hacked into last month. According to The New York Times, the federal agency sent around an internal e-mail on Friday telling its employees about the cyberattack.

“The Department of Energy has just confirmed a recent cyber incident that occurred in mid-January which targeted the Headquarters’ network and resulted in the unauthorized disclosure of employee and contractor Personally Identifiable Information,” the e-mail said.

Cyberwar on the High Seas

Cyberwar may perhaps be addressed, however, no one seems to take into account or bring attention to manchurian chips within the military and highest levels of government. China builds the chips that we put in our computers and use. China also builds the chips that have gotten past security filters and into our military components. The US government has compromised safety to save a Dollar and no one knows exactly how far China has penetrated our critical defense components and infrastructure, with the exception of our intelligence agencies who are likely to keep a tight lid on information released.

The U.S. Navy is preparing to wage cyber warfare attacks against enemies during conflicts and must avoid strategic surprise from a future cyber attack on its networks, according to a strategy report made public Wednesday night.

“The opening salvos of the next war will likely occur in cyberspace and the Navy must be ready,” the report said. “We must organize, train, and resource a credible workforce of cyber professionals and develop forward-leaning, interoperable, and resilient cyberspace capabilities to successfully counter and defeat a determined adversary in cyberspace.”

Foreign Spies Are Already Planted Throughout The US Military Computer Networks

The attack on American military computer networks has been so thorough, and so successful, security experts now say the U.S. should quit trying to stop it, and assume spies are already inside.

Security experts testifying before the Senate Armed Services said last week that it’s time the U.S. stopped building up its computer defense, and start retaliating against nations accessing U.S. networks.

Full article: Foreign Spies Are Already Planted Throughout The US Military Computer Networks (Business Insider)