South Korea to conduct offensive cyber defence operations to protect national infrastructure from hacking attacks

South Korea will conduct offensive cyber defence operations to protect critical national infrastructure from hacking attacks and counter disinformation. The National Security Council (NSC) unveiled the National Cybersecurity Basic Plan jointly drawn up with 14 government agencies, including the spy agency and police, as well as the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, National Defence, and Science and ICT, following the announcement of the cybersecurity strategy in February this year.

The NSC adviser Shin Won-Sik said the plan could help better defend cyberspace against hostile forces using the latest technologies, such as deep fakes.

The latest plan sets up 100 action tasks meant to expand on the National Cybersecurity Strategy announced at the beginning of February. Not all of the action tasks have been made public.

It will also establish an information security industry ecosystem based on industry-academia research collaboration and pursue global competitiveness as it builds the foundation for its national cybersecurity capabilities. Source: https://www.newsonair.gov.in/south-korea-to-conduct-offensive-cyber-defence-operations-to-protect-national-infrastructure-from-hacking-attacks/

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How risky is it to give card details over the phone and how do I reduce the chance of fraud?

Paul Haskell-Dowland, Edith Cowan University and Ismini Vasileiou, De Montfort University

Paying for things digitally is so common, most of us think nothing of swiping or tapping our card, or using mobile payments. While doing so is second nature, we may be more reluctant to provide card details over the phone.

Merchants are allowed to ask us for credit card details over the phone – this is perfectly legal. But there are minimum standards they must comply with and safeguards to protect consumer data.

So is giving your card details over the phone any more risky than other transactions and how can you minimise the risks?

How is my card data protected?

For a merchant to process card transactions, they are expected to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. This is a set of security requirements designed to protect cardholder data and the trillions of dollars of transactions each year.

Compliance involves various security measures (such as encryption and access controls) together with strong governance and regular security assessments.

If the information stored by the merchant is accessed by an unauthorised party, encryption ensures it is not readable. That means stealing the data would not let the criminals use the card details. Meanwhile, access controls ensure only authorised individuals have access to cardholder data.

Though all companies processing cards are expected to meet the compliance standards, only those processing large volumes are subject to mandatory regular audits. Should a subsequent data leak or misuse occur that can be attributed to a compliance failure, a company can be penalised at levels that can escalate into millions of dollars.

These requirements apply to all card transactions, whether in person, online or over the phone. Phone transactions are likely to involve a human collecting the card details and either entering them into computer systems, or processing the payment through paper forms. The payment card Security Standards Council has detailed guides for best practice:

A policy should be in place to ensure that payment card data is protected against unauthorised viewing, copying, or scanning, in particular on desks.

Although these measures can help to protect your card data, there are still risks in case the details are misplaced or the person on the phone aren’t who they say they are.

Basic tips for safe credit card use over the phone

If you provide card details over the phone, there are steps you can take to minimise the chance you’ll become the victim of fraud, or get your details leaked.

1. Verify the caller

If you didn’t initiate the call, hang up and call the company directly using details you’ve verified yourself. Scammers will often masquerade as a well-known company (for example, an online retailer or a courier) and convince you a payment failed or payment is needed to release a delivery.

Before you provide any information, confirm the caller is legitimate and the purpose of the call is genuine.

2. Be sceptical

If you are being offered a deal that’s too good to be true, have concerns about the person you’re dealing with, or just feel something is not quite right, hang up. You can always call them back later if the caller turns out to be legitimate.

3. Use secure payment methods

If you’ve previously paid the company with other (more secure) methods, ask to use that same method.

4. Keep records

Make sure you record details of the company, the representative you are speaking to and the amount being charged. You should also ask for an order or transaction reference. Don’t forget to ask for the receipt to be sent to you.

Check the transaction against your card matches the receipt – use your banking app, don’t wait for the statement to come through.

Virtual credit cards

In addition to the safeguards mentioned above, a virtual credit card can help reduce the risk of card fraud.

You probably already have a form of virtual card if you’ve added a credit card to your phone for mobile payments. Depending on the financial institution, you can create a new credit card number linked to your physical card.

Some banks extend this functionality to allow you to generate unique card numbers and/or CVV numbers (the three digits at the back of your card). With this approach you can easily separate transactions and cancel a virtual card/number if you have any concerns.

What to do if you think your card details have been compromised or stolen?

It’s important not to panic, but quick action is essential:

Example credit card restrictions in a banking app. Author provided

• call your bank and get the card blocked so you won’t lose any more money. Depending on your situation, you can also block/cancel the card through your banking app or website

• report the issue to the police or other relevant body

• monitor your account(s) for any unusual transactions

• explore card settings in your banking app or website – many providers allow you to limit transactions based on value, restrict transaction types or enable alerts

• you may want to consider registering for credit monitoring services and to enable fraud alerts.

So, should I give my card details over the phone?

If you want to minimise risk, it’s best to avoid giving card details over the phone if you can. Providing your card details via a website still has risks, but at least it removes the human element.

The best solution currently available is to use virtual cards – if anything goes wrong you can cancel just that unique card identity, rather than your entire card.

Paul Haskell-Dowland, Professor of Cyber Security Practice, Edith Cowan University and Ismini Vasileiou, Associate Professor, De Montfort University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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India bans 43 more Chinese apps

The Indian government has blocked 43 more mobile apps, mostly Chinese, for activities that are "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order". Four apps owned by China's retail giant, the Alibaba Group, are on the latest banned list.

The apps were banned under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said today.

The move was based on "comprehensive reports received from Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center, Ministry of Home Affairs," said a government statement.

The Indian government had first banned 59 Chinese apps in June as tension with China peaked following the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers in a clash with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley.

In September, the country banned 118 more apps saying they posed a threat to the its sovereignty.

A total of 220 apps now stand blocked, including the viral video platform TikTok and the popular mobile shooting game, PUBG, in what ministers have described as a "digital strike".

"The government is committed to protect the interests of citizens and sovereignty and integrity of India on all fronts and it shall take all possible steps to ensure that," the Centre said today.

The blocked apps include Alibaba Workbench, AliExpress, Alipay Cashier, CamCard and WeDate.

AliExpress, a China-based online shopping platform, is popular in India among traders and small businesses who rely on it for supplies and components. The ban effectively places a check on imports from China.

Another popular app to be banned is Lalamove. The logistics provider offers local courier and delivery services and employs a large number of delivery partners. Most of the other blocked apps are social media and dating applications. In earlier bans, the government had focused more on sharing platforms and games.

Snack Video, which is considered to be TikTok's rival, is owned by China-based Beijing Kuaishou Technology company. It is one of the most downloaded apps in south Asian markets. It is called 'Kuaishou' in China and 'Kwai' in other markets.

'Happy Fish', an interactive game download millions of times on the Android platform, has also been blocked. It was developed by Happy Elements Technology Beijing Ltd, a Chinese company.

Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a standoff in several places in Ladakh since April, when China's People's Liberation Army attempted to transgress the Line of Actual Control, the de-facto border between the two countries.The two countries have had several rounds of military and diplomatic dialogues in which India has demanded that the Chinese troops return to their April positions. Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com

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Liberty Reserve co-founder sentenced to 20 years in prison

The co-founder and operator of Liberty Reserve, a widely-used digital currency, was yesterday sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring to help cyber criminals launder hundreds of millions of dollars using its services. Arthur Budovsky, 42, was sentenced by US District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan, who said the crime of unprecedented scope called for a substantial punishment. "Sad to say, Mr. Budovsky used his enormous talents here in a way that led to widespread harm," she said. Budovsky, who pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to commit money laundering, was also ordered to forfeit $122 million and fined $500,000. Budovsky said nothing, but his lawyer argued for less than 15 years in prison. "Remorse has been exhibited here," he said. However, assistant US attorney Christian Everdell pressed for the maximum 20-year sentence in view of Budovsky's role "at the helm of this sweeping enterprise." Liberty Reserve operated a widely-used digital currency, processing over $8 billion in financial transactions which earned Budovsky over $25 million, according to prosecutors. They added, the business was linked with criminals seeking to launder proceeds from Ponzi schemes, credit card trafficking, identity thefts and computer hacking. Liberty Reserve co-founder Vladimir Kats and three others also pleaded guilty. Kats would be sentenced next week. Budovsky ran the digital money business out of Costa Rica. For seven years starting in 2006, Liberty Reserve's website could be used by anyone to transfer money with minimal oversight. Users only needed to give their name, e-mail address, and birthday. Banks, normally worked under stricter rules to avoid channeling criminal funds. According to a federal indictment, Liberty Reserve, during the height of its operations, had over 1 million customers worldwide, including 200,000 in the US and handled 12 million financial transactions a year. The scale of its operations caught the eye of authorities, who, in the post-9/11 world, were keen to keep track of every dollar to avoid it ending up funding terrorists. Source: domain-b.com

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China rejects US accusation of cyber attacks

China on Tuesday rejected the latest U.S. charges of cyber hacking against the Chinese military, saying that what the U.S. approach on the issue is not constructive at all. A private U.S. cyber security company on Monday accused a unit of China's military of hacking to advance satellite and aerospace programs. The accusation is the second in less than a month after the United States announced on May 19 an indictment against five Chinese military officers on allegations of cyber theft. "I have noticed the report you mentioned, its wording and style looks familiar, citing the names of the hackers and their claims of their military identity," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular news briefing. "Have you ever seen thieves bearing a name tag saying thieves?" Hua questioned. After the U.S. secret surveillance program codenamed PRISM, revealed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, abundant evidence shows the U.S. has organized a massive cyber theft, wiretapping and surveillance activities against political figures, enterprises and individuals in a number of countries including China, according to Hua. "The U.S. is a hacking empire," Hua said. "It is not constructive for the U.S. to attack others instead of repenting and correcting its own mistakes." Cyber attacks are a global problem, transnational and anonymous in nature, requiring cooperation between countries, Hua said. China submitted an initiative for a code of conduct for information security to the UN in 2011, calling on all countries to jointly safeguard a peaceful, secure, stable and open cyber space, Hua said. China is willing to work with the international community to fight against hacker attacks and other cyber crimes, the spokeswoman added. Source: China.org.cn, Image

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Flame Virus: cyber-war spearhead or spyware?

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Interview with Oleg Demidov – cyber security expert at the Russian Center for Policy Studies, the PIR Center.:

• There are new cyber attacks, it seems that there is an age of cyber warfare approaching very rapidly. But if we look at it from an analytical perspective. 

I Thank you very much for this opportunity to present my opinion the Flame. It is very timely topic now because on the one hand there is still much debate about the previous, the so called, Supervirus Stuxnet and on the other hand it is closely, intimately linked with the political tensions in the Middle East and Iranian nuclear program. But to understand better what this Flame is about we should keep some distance both the Stuxnet issue and from the issue of the Iranian nuclear program, and Iranian and US political tensions. So, first of all the Flame according to my own expert view and according to PIR Center’s position is not a cyber weapon, it is just a highly sophisticated cyber espionage tool. And these two notions make a principal difference in fact because when you speak about cyber warfare or a cyber weapon, it basically means that it is some kind of malware with code which is able to cause physical damage of critical infrastructure or at least a damage of computer systems, I mean hardware. None of that takes place in the case of the Flame because the Flame is just a very sophisticated and diversified in technical sense tool of collecting information from computer systems. Its maximum potential of causing some harm is just erasing the data when it is necessary and it is not the ultimate goal of the virus, to erase the data, but it is just a mean it uses to remain uncovered and continue on its cyber espionage activity. So, that’s the first principal thing about the Flame. It is just a cyber espionage tool and not the cyber weapon. The second thing is that it is maybe the most technically advanced virus to the moment and here I fully agree with the analysis by Mr. Kaspersky whose laboratory in fact uncovered and found this virus just a little bit more than a week ago. It consists of more than twenty modules which are quite different both in their code and in their purpose. Each module is responsible for this or that particular function. Some of them provide such tools as interference in audio records, control over what is typed with the help of keyboard and so on. Some of them are responsible for erasing data when it is necessary. Some of them are responsible for some other functions but that’s not just the main thing. The main thing is that it is not just a virus which performs only one function, it is a highly sophisticated collection of modules with a multifunctional toolset. And maybe the final point which is principal and crucial when we speak about the Flame is that despite of very alarmist views and assessments of the virus and very alarmist approach which is now widely spread both in the media and among the experts to the question who created the Flame we do not share the opinion that it could be created exclusively with the help of a state or by state sponsored actors. The thing is that all the instruments and modules, and highly diversified functions its code uses, it is really grand, as it was said many times. In total, when the twenty modules are installed in a system which is attacked by the virus, its total size is over 20 MB of installed malicious code. But at the same time this is just a collection of means and instruments, and modules which just bring together the functions which existed before. None of the modules by itself, regarded as a separate piece of code, brings anything revolutionary to the industry of viruses. It is just a very good, highly diversified and very advanced multifunctional collection of pieces of a malicious code brought together by some experts. In fact a high level tool of hackers who would like to integrate their tools and instruments could also do it despite the fact that still, if we are talking about a team of independent hackers or activists, we should recognize that it should be a very high level team. Still there is no any direct evidence or indication that would allow us to say that they are closely linked to some governmental structures or that they are state sponsored actors. This is a very attractive point of view to associate the Flame creators with some state sponsored actors because the Flame is hard to analyze beyond the context of Iranian nuclear program and the tensions in the Middle East, and the pressure maintained by the United States of America on Iran and its activities in the nuclear area and so on. But still, this link between the Flame, its creators and some Western state sponsored actors just cannot be proved in fact. It is just a hypothesis but anyone who tells you that he had some evidence able to prove it, it is not truth. You cannot prove it anyway.

• What kind of political change might the appearance of this complicated and as far as I understand a very expensive creation bring to the local politics? As far as I understand it was in place for the past two years and it is only now being detected. So, does that imply that what we are witnessing now is a total change in the security structures of the world, is my understanding correct? Or perhaps it is also a little bit too alarmist?

It is a very interesting and thought provoking question, and my idea is that when we speak about some tectonic shifts in the international security architecture provoked by such superviruses as the Flame and so on, it relates in fact more to the Stuxnet case, than to the case of the Flame because the Stuxnet is indeed a cyber weapon and indeed it is the tool threatening the whole existing system of international security. And when we analyze and when we hear some really alarmist and rather gloomy ideas expressed by some experts, for example only a few days ago Mr. Kaspersky warned us about the possible cyber apocalypse in the future, his speech was dedicated in fact to the information hysteria around the Flame but in fact it all relates more to the Stuxnet-like a programs because they are cyber weapons and they are able to damage and to bring down critical infrastructures, not only critical computer infrastructure but I mean a critical infrastructure in the energy sector, some nuclear plants or transport logistics and so on. The most dangerous thing and the greatest threat to the international security which is now arising from the cyber space is the situation when the tools like the Stuxnet and the tools like the Flame are used by some actor which remains unknown and are used together. For example you introduce the Flame or a Flame-like highly sophisticated cyber espionage tool into computer nets of a country you would like to gather the information about, you use it for several years, your program remains undetected and you gather a critical volume of information about some strategic projects conducted by the state, for example its nuclear program or its rocket program, or its program of development of some kinds of critical infrastructures and so on. After that when you are provided with the information which is hardly to be collected using any other means, unless you don’t have a very diversified spy network which is not available to many states without using the cyber espionage tools, in this case you have the volume of data which is exclusive and sensitive to use the next tool, to use a very specifically targeted cyber weapon which would hit particularly these or those types of infrastructures, types of strategic objects that you have previously collected information about. This link could really be terrible when you the Flame-like and Stuxnet-like programs together in combination when they are all part of some grand operation against any state actor or something like that. And using such tools and methods as means to spot someone’s for example nuclear program, this is just a too brightened and evident example to be ignored, that’s why I refer to it once again, using such combination of tool would just induce a full-scale erosion in the existing architecture and system of international security because there are no any legal or political tools to counter it. You have no any solid normative regulation of information security or using the cyber warfare on the international level in fact. All you have is just some tools of international cooperation or information exchange which are able to cope with some kinds of cyber crime activities but not in the case when such high level tools are used and exactly not in the case when they are used in combination which seems to be likely in the case of using the Stuxnet and the Flame, despite the fact that, I repeat, we still do not have any practical evidence to prove that they were used both by the same state sponsored actor.

• Talking of Russia, what is Russia doing perhaps to increase its own security in this sphere?

In fact Russia at the moment is one of the most active actors on the international arena in introducing some new ideas and some proposals concerning all these issues. For example less than a year ago, in November 2011 Russia’s project Concept of a Convention on International Information Security was issued and was presented by our former Minister of Mass Communication Igor Shchegolev at London Cyber Space Conference. The ambition of the Concept of a Convention is to create the first ever really global transnational legal framework, basic legal framework for not just cooperation in information security sphere but a creation of some legally binding instruments which would prevent any state or state sponsored actors from elaborating, creating and releasing some new destructive tools, of kinds of cyber weapons like the Stuxnet. Source: The Voice of Russia

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Students hack school website to skip class

A group of students hacked their school website so their parents could not find out a message assuring parents that it will remain open despite snowfall. The Jewish Free School posted the message on its website after snowfall began in Harrow, in northwest London, Feb 4, Daily Mail reported Saturday. Just to make sure they wouldn't get sent to school, the hackers are then said to have sent a fake email purporting to come from the school and telling parents that the school would be closed because of the heavy snow. The email even provided a link to a cloned version of the school's website. According to the Jewish Chronicle many older pupils stayed away from the school on the following Monday, owing to the success of the hack and the spreading of the fake email. The school has identified a number of pupils it believes are behind the website's hacking and at least one pupil has been suspended. Source: Ananta-Tec

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Cyber warfare is under way

According to the Russian Kommersant newspaper, the Russian Ministry of Defense has announced tenders for research in the field of computer security. The newspaper’s sources noted that other countries’ military departments were conducting similar studies, and Russia should keep pace with them.

Meanwhile, not long ago the US announced tenders for developing programs able to assess the degree of protection against computer attacks of the suspected opponent’s military infrastructure. The program will be at the disposal of Pentagon and the US intelligence services. At the same time, the US Air Force turned to creating programs capable of destroying computer schemes of the enemy’s command posts. So, are the much spoken and written about cyberspace wars becoming a reality? Expert Andrey Grosin has shared his opinion with the Voice of Russia. “Cyber wars are much spoken about throughout the world, but at the same time, they are treated as something that has no connection with reality. Drones were treated the same way ten-fifteen years ago. And today, drones’ military operations have become almost a daily reality, at least, for residents of many regions.” In the spring of 2011, the US government launched practical implementation of the idea of creating military cyber headquarters, first suggested under George Bush’s administration. About that time, a global concept of cyberspace development was published in the US. It became clear that the United States considered processes in cyberspace for their own practical interests. And the matter was not confined to repelling someone's threats. But achieving dominance in cyberspace and if it was considered sufficient, attacking from there, was at issue as well. War with the use of cyberspace appears cheaper, than an ordinary one. It is possible to attack economic or military objects at any time. Meanwhile, victims of the attack usually have hard time trying to determine, where the blow was delivered from. And it looks like no coincidence that attacks on various objects on the territories of Middle Eastern countries have intensified right now. This region has long become a testing area for practicing various Western military conceptions. The only difference is that nowadays testing of new types of weapons is kept secret. At the same time, it is known that weapons tests are usually conducted under conditions similar to those that the weapons are planned to be used. And if someone has begun working out in this region, then, probably, the work will be continued. But isn’t Andrey Grosin’s conclusion an exaggeration? Here's our observer Eugeny Yermolayev’s answer to this question. “This May, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that cyber-attacks were a means of fighting against terrorism. She was referring to the American hacker attacks on the “al-Qaeda on the South of the Arabian Peninsula” website. Hillary Clinton became the first senior American official, who admitted the fact of the United States waging war in cyberspace. But the war is fought not only against terrorists, but against certain countries. Recently, two world-known computer security companies – “Kaspersky Lab” and “Symantec” - independently came to the conclusion that Iran had become the object of an undeclared cyber war that was waged by structures enjoying the support of not yet unmasked governments. And it is not excluded that new strange computer malfunctions are not far off. In any case, one should be ready for everything.” In other words, we are witnessing the beginning of a new stage of arms race, this time computer one. And everyone possessing sufficient resources will take part in this race. Mankind is clearly not ready to create collective security systems and international agreements in this sphere. Source: Voice of Russia

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Internet under siege

Protests against the so-called Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, are flaring up across Europe, with Poland, Sweden and Slovenia staging mass demonstrations and notorious Anonymous hacktivists crippling governmental sites. ACTA has already been several years in the making. Among its main lobbyists are intellectual property owners like music record and movie corporations, competitive intelligence expert Yevgeny Yushchuk says.

Marina Volkova: Protests against the so-called Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, are flaring up across Europe, with Poland, Sweden and Slovenia staging mass demonstrations and notorious Anonymous hacktivists crippling governmental sites.ACTA has already been several years in the making. Among its main lobbyists are intellectual property owners like music record and movie corporations, competitive intelligence expert Yevgeny Yushchuk says. “They are going to adopt a host of very strict measures. First, customs control of all information carriers that could contain counterfeited files – laptops, cell phones etc. Should such files be detected, the device will be confiscated and its owner fined. It will also make internet providers more liable to control. According to the official information, this will only affect providers involved in illegal sharing. But many will be tempted to abuse this right to control internet traffic under the pretext of fighting piracy.” Yevgeny Yushchuk believes that mass protests against ACTA are sponsored and fanned by internet pirate companies for fear of losing their booty to new restrictions. On the contrary, Andrei Massalovich, head of the competitive intelligence department with “Dialog Nauka” (“Dialogue-Science”) Company, says that it’s influential circles that are virtually “rocking the boat.” “What we are witnessing on the internet is more than just local skirmishes around SOPA, PIPA or ACTA. Together, they factor in one single process, which can be dubbed “internet colonialism”. All of a sudden, several world powers, which pose themselves as democracies, have stumbled upon a New World – that is the Internet – and decided to colonize it, forcing it to play by their rules. Prices for web resources are sky-rocketing and it’s those resources they are after. That’s why, to my mind, it’s mostly the doings of intelligence services and cyber-troops of world powers – not of the internet community.” Internet colonization is far from coming to a head, since the internet community has been successful in staving off attacks against its freedom. Nevertheless, assaults on the Web’s liberty won’t stop, because a billion-strong independent country called the Internet provides a good foothold for waging information warfare. And he, who rules information, rules the world. Source: Voice of Russia.

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Americans googling ‘pressure cookers’ end up being questioned by security forces

Married couple from Suffolk County, New York, was unpleasantly surprised by discovering six men from a joint terrorism task force at their house who came to check if they were terrorists. The raid was caused by “suspicious” web search of “pressure cookers” and “backpacks”. 

It seems that "pressure cookers" internet inquiries attract close attention of the US security forces since Boston explosions, where two Tsarnaev brothers allegedly used this item. The Suffolk County Police Department released a statement where explained their action by receiving a tip “regarding suspicious computer searches conducted by a recently released employee”: “The former employee’s computer searches took place on this employee’s workplace computer. On that computer, the employee searched the terms “pressure cooker bombs” and “backpacks.” After interviewing the company representatives, Suffolk County Police Detectives visited the subject’s home to ask about the suspicious internet searches. The incident was investigated by Suffolk County Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Detectives and was determined to be non-criminal in nature,” – the statement reads. But Michele Catalano, the woman whose family suffered an unexpected raid, says her web searches was only for pressure cookers, while her husband's was hunting for backpacks and her "news junkie" son's craving for information on the Boston bombings. “They were peppering my husband with questions. Where is he from? Where are his parents from? They asked about me, where was I, where do I work, where do my parents live. Do you have any bombs, they asked. Do you own a pressure cooker? My husband said no, but we have a rice cooker. Can you make a bomb with that? My husband said no, my wife uses it to make quinoa. What the hell is quinoa, they asked,” – The Atlantic Wire cites Michele Catalano. “Have you ever looked up how to make a pressure cooker bomb? My husband, ever the oppositional kind, asked them if they themselves weren’t curious as to how a pressure cooker bomb works, if they ever looked it up. Two of them admitted they did,” – Catalano added. But up to this moment it is still unclear, which agency knocked on Catalano's door. The Guardian reported that an FBI spokesperson said that Catalano "was visited by Nassau County police department … working in conjunction with Suffolk County police department." But detective Garcia of the Nassau County Police, however, said to The Atlantic Wire that his department was "not involved in any way." Similarly, FBI spokesperson Peter Donald confirmed that his agency wasn't involved in the visit either. Michelу Catalano, who is also a freelance writer, said in her blog that she is “scared” and all she knows “is if I’m going to buy a pressure cooker in the near future, I’m not doing it online.” Voice of Russia, The Atlantic Wire, The Guardian. Source: Article

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Cyber crime: Britain 'lacks skills' to tackle £27bn threat

The UK could be vulnerable to 'persistent' cyber attacks for 20 years due to ability gape: BRITAIN'S fight against cyber crime is being hampered by a serious skills gap that could take two decades to fill, according to a report from the public spending watchdog. The National Audit Office (NAO) warns today that the number of IT and cyber security professionals has not grown in line with internet usage, leaving many at risk of online fraud. According to Cabinet Office figures, cyber crime costs the UK up to £27bn every year, with the NAO labelling the threat "persistent and continually evolving". Education officials questioned by the spending watchdog said it could take 20 years to address the ability gap, warning the current supply of graduates lack the skills to meet the demand. Cyber attacks are considered a serious security issue, ranked as one of the top four national risks to Britain in 2010. MI5's director-general Jonathan Evans warned that "industrial-scale processes" were undermining both businesses and state security in a public speech in 2012, notes the Daily Telegraph. He said: "This is a threat to the integrity, confidentiality and availability of government information but also to business and to academic institutions." Despite the skills gap, the NAO found elements of the government's cyber security strategy are working, with the Serious Organised Crime Agency catching more than 2.3 million compromised debit or credit cards since 2011, preventing a loss of £500m, and Action Fraud, the national fraud reporting centre, blocking £292m-worth of attempted scams in 2012. Labour MP Margaret Hodge, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, called on the government to deliver a "robust" cyber security strategy in response to the report but the Cabinet Office claimed the UK was already "investing heavily in research and education". Source: The Week UK

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Public banned from reading details of Chinese cyber-attack on Google users

A federal appeals court has turned down a Freedom of Information Act request to disclose National Security Agency records about the 2010 cyberattack on Google users in China. The Electronic Privacy Information Center, which focuses on privacy and civil liberties, sought communications between Google and the NSA, which conducts worldwide electronic surveillance and protects the U.S. government from such spying. But the NSA refused to confirm or deny whether it had any relationship with Google. The NSA argued that doing so could make U.S. government information systems vulnerable to attack. A federal district court judge sided with the NSA last year, and on Friday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the ruling. Source: The Coming Crisis, Image: photobucket.com

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US Military Train in Cyber-city to Prepare Hack Defence

NEW JERSEY, USA – A miniature "cyber-city" has been created in New Jersey, complete with a bank, hospital, water-tower, train system, power grid and a coffee shop. The buildings are tiny - fitting into an area 6ft (1.8m) by 8ft - but the underlying computer systems mimic those in the real world. The aim is to train US government "cyber-warriors" to fend off attacks. Experts believe attacks on critical infrastructure are likely to become more widespread.Real-world damage Developed in response to a challenge from the US military, the NetWars CyberCity was created by security training organisation the Sans Institute. It will send government hackers on various missions, starting in December. These will include fending off attacks on the city's power company, hospital, water system and transportation services. CyberCity director Ed Skoudis said: "We've built over 18 missions, and each of them challenges participants to devise strategies and employ tactics to thwart computer attacks that would cause significant real-world damage." The missions will typically last between a few hours and a few days.Lose control Sans Institute director Eric Bassel said Greater understanding of a city's vulnerabilities could be critical as computer attacks from nation states became increasingly frequent and sophisticated. "When you lose control of cyberspace, you lose control of the physical world," he said. "We have seen detailed evidence of foreign nations deep inside the computer networks of our financial services companies, manufacturing companies and critical infrastructure," Mr Bassel added. Such attacks had been going on for many years, he said, but efforts to fight them off had been limited. "With NetWars CyberCity we hope to turn the tables by providing our first-line cyber-defenders with the necessary skills and hands-on training to fend off online attacks and regain control of cyberspace," he added. For security consultant Alan Woodward, such cities perform a vital job. "Dotted around Salisbury Plain there are loads of deserted villages that the army now uses for training, and this is the cyber-equivalent," he said. He said such mock-ups would become increasingly sophisticated but would always be limited. "All it will do is teach you have to defend and respond to a situation but it will never prevent attacks," he said. Source: BBC News,  Source: Koreaittimes 

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Govt to invest $200 million in 4 years on cyber security

The government on Tuesday said it would invest around $200 million in the next four years to strengthen cyber security infrastructure. “We have 1.2 billion people and will be largest country in terms of population in years to come. This (cyber crime) affects us perhaps much more than any other country in the world,” Telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal said on the sidelines of the third Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit. Mr. Sibal said the global community must come together to resolve cyber security issues. “Global community must realise that these issue cannot be resolved bilaterally. The nature of this space is that there are no boundaries,” he said. Citing reports, the Minister said threats to cyberspace have increased dramatically in the past years, affecting 431 million adults globally or 14 adults every second or one million cyber crime victims every day. “What is more worrisome is that cyber crime has now become a business which exceeds a trillion dollars a year in online fraud, identity theft...affecting millions of people around the world,” he said. The Minister said no nation can fight cyber crime or secure its cyberspace in isolation and called for nations to work on agreements on international standards. He emphasised on the need to jointly work on devising standardised and coordinated response strategies along with comprehensive cyber security strategy. Mr. Sibal also extended India’s support to the global community in addressing cyber security challenges. Source: Deccan Chronicle, Image: photobucket.com

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US hacker says iPhone 5 jailbroken

Hacker Grant Paul, also known as chpwm, claims that he has jailbroken Apple’s latest iPhone, which will make it possible for users to install any applications denied by Apple. So far the hacker has not published the manual for jailbreaking of the new iPhone, which was released Friday. In the mid 2000s the US lawmakers made amendments to the law on copyright protection in the digital era legalizing jailbreaking of phones for the installation of any software on them. Source: Voice of Russia

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Three Russians involved in Internet scam in US

By: Vesnovskaya Maria, The US police have found out that three Russians were involved (not two as it was earlier reported) in a confidence game with the fake sale of cars via the Internet across the US. The investigators discovered that the man who was put in prison in California and produced a German passport was actually a Russian citizen.In total six people were arrested in case of the car sale scam and all of them come from the post-Soviet countries. The swindlers used popular websites such as eBay Motors, Auto Trader, Yahoo Auto and Craigslist for placing fake advertisements for cars for sale. Clients were asked to transfer deposits for the cars to the accounts of PayPal and eBay pay systems, where the money was to be kept until the deal was closed. Once a client made his choice that sum was to be transferred to the account of the car dealers. But in reality once the money was transferred to the accounts of the pay systems, the swindlers withdrew it in small amounts and transferred those sums to their accounts in Europe. The shysters managed to play the con-game for 3 years and-a-half and made more than $4 million. Читать далее, Source: Voice of Russia. 

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Dawn of global cyberwar

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Alexey Salnikov, Deputy Director of the Moscow State University, Institute of Informational Security, talks about a new threat for the world’s stability, which is cyber warfare.

By Yekaterina Kudashkina: The basic question to you would be – are we entering an era of cyber wars and cyber warfare? Yes, exactly so. You have raised a very important question which has already been discussed for several years in different frameworks by the international society. Exactly so, we are now facing a new threat, a new challenge for the world’s stability – it is the problem of using cyber capabilities as a warfare, as a tool for achievement of political and military purposes. Nowadays our everyday life, the life as an activity of the states became more and more dependent on the cyber tools, dependent on the Internet. And so all the damages became more and more dangerous for all of us and for the states as well. Also lately we have seen several examples of using some tools as military tools – it is a well-known Stuxnet example – which has already been used in Iran. And also there are several opinions that it was developed by Israel and the United States’ Special Forces. It is an example which we can see. But the new domain – the cyber space – has a lot of principally new features in comparison with the ordinary battlefield. It is a new domain and a lot of tools can be used in such a way that you even don’t know that it is used against you. For example it can be used for espionage and if it is very well designed you even won’t know that you are under an attack. It is one point of view. The other point of view is that in the cyber space you cannot trace for sure who is using these tools against you in aggressive purposes. And it also can be used for saying that you are an enemy and you mustn’t use these tools. For example when Russia was accused of using weapons against Estonian websites. So, it is a very complicated field. In one way it became more and more dangerous and from the other it is a new battlefield for the diplomats. And there are a lot of unsolved problems yet. That’s why the Russian Federation tries to raise these questions in the framework of the UN discussions because Russian Federation believes that theis issue is very important for the world’s stability and security. So, do I get you right that you are telling me that the situation with the use of cyber warfare technologies makes the cyber space such a complicated mix of we-don’t-know-where-those-programs-are-coming-from? Yes, exactly so. Which means that the geographical borders between the potential enemies are definitely erased. There is no more issue of geographical borders, of something that is dividing those enemies. Is that correct? That’s absolutely correct. But using of the cyber weapons can be even more dangerous even in comparison with the ordinary nuclear weapons or genetic weapons. But if we are facing a new stage of arms race in the sphere of cyber space, we will have a lot of difficulties of how to regulate these issues, how to eliminate using of a cyber weapon because there are a lot of problems when we try to apply well-known laws, humanitarian rules which is used in the ordinary war, and we cannot apply them directly to using of a cyber warfare because cyber space is a completely new domain and is constituted of principally new features which are very difficult to put into the international regulations. You said that this kind of weapons are even more dangerous than genetic weapons or nuclear weapons. Why? Because we become more and more dependent in different spheres – transport, energy, health care, banking sphere – and the results of using a cyber weapon can have a much bigger scale in comparison with nuclear arms because nuclear arms can damage a large city and a cyber weapon can damage the entire banking sphere. It can bring to a collapse of payments and it will collapse the economy. So, the consequences can be more dangerous even in comparison with the use of nuclear arms. When I was talking to several experts some of them were telling me that definitely in cyber warfare there is a broader focus of attack, so to say. But on the other hand cyber warfare can reduce the number of casualties. Do you agree with that? Yes. You speak about the casualties of ordinary people. Yes. There is a question of whether a cyber weapon can kill people. Maybe it can. There is an example when cyber viruses stopped computers in a clinic in North America and it led to the death of a person who was on life-supporting equipment controlled by this computer. So, it is an example when a cyber weapon can even kill people. But the dangerous note in this is that a cyber weapon can lead to a damage of a huge scale. It can damage a nuclear plant, an energy plant, it can damage the system of traffic management and etc. So, it is a little bit different but it is also very dangerous. When we are talking about the cyber space, are we referring only to computer systems or for something like cellphones for instance? Yes, when we are speaking about the cyber domain, there are two different approaches to these issues. At the international level some states, mainly the United States, try to speak only about computers and computer networks. But there is an approach of China, Russia, and some other countries which say that mobile phones and other tools also became part of the cyber domain. From the Russian point of view cyber domain is not limited to the computer networks, it also includes mobile phones, wireless networks and all the electronic equipment which is used by people. Does that mean that all the armaments, all the weapons, all the arsenals accumulated on this earth are actually becoming obsolete, out-of-date? I don’t think so. I think that a cyber weapon is just a new type of weapon. Conventional weapons I think will be used for a hundred of years and nuclear weapons will be still a very important tool especially of political negotiations. Cyber weapon is just a new tool, a new dimension in which political confrontation can develop. So, I don’t think that conventional arms are eliminated where cyber weapons appear. But also cyber tools become part of conventional weapons. We can see that airplanes, tanks, battleships etc become more and more clever, I mean they use a lot of cyber tools. So, cyber tools can be used against these conventional weapons as well. It is interesting that you said that those conventional weapons are becoming more clever. But doesn’t that on the other hand render them more vulnerable? Yes, of course. For sure they become more vulnerable with the cyber tools. Exactly so! That’s why for example the US developed special programs which have the aim to defend their own military networks because the US Army is very dependent on the cyber space. Even soldiers on the battlefield have a lot of cyber tools as part of their equipment. It is very interesting! And my final question. Well, definitely it is a lay person’s question, but it would seem that developing cyber weapons is a less expensive job than the development of ordinary weapons. Is my hunch correct? Exactly so! You have mentioned another very important feature of a cyber weapon. Cyber weapon can be developed by just very poor people in India or in some other poor country. They just need a computer and their brains, nothing else. So, potentially it can be very cheap. But when you have developed a very clever cyber weapon, it can be also a very expensive one. For example there are some notes in the press that Stuxnet which was developed as we think by Israel and the US costed a huge amount of money. Source: Voice of Russia

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Twitter users given legal warning in Britain

London: The Internet is not a law-free zone, the British government's top law officer warned Twitter users yesterday, adding that he would not hesitate to take action over offending posts. Attorney General Dominic Grieve, the government's chief legal advisor in England and Wales, spoke out following a series of high-profile court cases involving postings made on the micro-blogging site. "If somebody goes down to the pub with printed sheets of paper and hands it out, that's no different than if somebody goes and does a tweet," Grieve told BBC radio. "The idea that you have immunity because you're an anonymous tweeter is a big mistake. "I don't want to take action but if I think it is necessary to prevent crime, such as racially aggravated harassment, then I won't hesitate to do it." A student who mocked English Premier League footballer Fabrice Muamba on Twitter after he collapsed on the pitch with a heart attack in March was jailed for 56 days
after admitting a racially aggravated public order offence. Some 17 arrests have been made in connection with the alleged naming on Twitter of the woman that Wales footballer Ched Evans was last month convicted of raping. In March, former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns won a libel action against ex-Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi in the first libel action heard in England against a post on Twitter. Judge David Bean dismissed fixing allegations levelled against the cricketer by Modi, leaving Madi facing a bill of more than USD 800,000. Grieve said the government did not need to create new laws as existing ones already make it illegal to "grossly offend" or "cause distress" Source; Financial Express

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Warning about online fraud as information theft rises

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Fraudsters traded 12 million pieces of personal information online between January and April this year, according to research. The figure represents a threefold increase on 2010.  Credit-checking company Experian, which produced the figures, said the increase was partly due to consumers having a growing number of online accounts. Consumers now have an average of 26 separate online logins but just five different 

passwords.Experian said many people were unaware their identity had been stolen until they were refused credit cards or mobile phone contracts. It advised people to change their passwords regularly and make them more complicated so they are harder for fraudsters to crack.

Two thirds of people have accounts they no longer use but have not closed down, leaving them vulnerable, the research found. This was borne out last week when hackers broke into Yahoo's servers and stole 450,000 passwords, many from defunct accounts. Those who had been victims of the growing issue of identity fraud suffered: Refusal of loans or credit cards (14%), Debts being run up in their name (9%), Refusal of mobile phone contracts (7%), Being chased by debt collectors for money they did not owe

(7%) Every week brings fresh headlines about stolen IDs. Last week, alongside the Yahoo hack, it was revealed that one million user IDs had been stolen from the Android forum and graphics hardware maker Nvidia said 400,000 passwords had been stolen from its forums.

This led Microsoft to reveal that 20% of Microsoft account logins are found on lists of compromised credentials as a result of hacks into other websites. Writing on the Microsoft blog, Eric Doer said "These attacks shine a spotlight on the core issue - people reuse passwords between different websites." 

HOW TO MAKE A GOOD PASSWORD!

Use a password checker to see whether your password is strong or weak

Strong passwords contain a mixture of letters and numbers, the more random the better Users worried about remembering obscure passwords can use random password generators Online random password generators should not be used for secure services such as bank accounts Using first letters of a speech from Shakespeare or a favourite poem offers one way to keep it obscure but memorable It is OK to write passwords down as long as the paper copy is kept safe Avoid dictionary words, words spelt backwards, sequences or repeated characters Never use personal information such as date of birth,National ID, Driving License No etc Source: Bisarbeat

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China to tighten Internet control with new rules

China said Thursday it planned to extend nationwide a requirement for microblog users to register with their real names as part of a sweeping update of rules governing the Internet. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said the revision of rules originally introduced in 2000 aimed to keep pace with change and protect state security, according to a statement posted on its website. "Many new situations have arisen, (we) are facing new problems," said the ministry, which regulates the industry. It added the new rules aimed to "promote healthy, orderly development of the Internet, protect state security and public interest". With more than half a billion Chinese now online, authorities are concerned about the power of the Internet to influence public opinion in a country that maintains tight controls on its traditional media outlets. Beijing regularly blocks Internet searches under a vast online censorship system known as the Great Firewall of China, but the growing popularity of microblogs similar to Twitter has posed a new challenge. Under the draft rules, those using Internet chat forums, blogs and microblogs known as "weibo" will have to register with their real names. Previously, only microblog users in five cities -- the capital Beijing, the commercial hub of Shanghai, the northern port city of Tianjin and the southern cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen -- were required to do so under a trial that started last December. In the past, users had been able to set up microblog accounts under assumed names, making it more difficult for authorities to track them down, and allowing them to set up new accounts if existing ones were shut down. Microblog users criticised the proposed rules, which are open to public consultation for one month. "More people are speaking the truth on microblogs, so (the government) wants real-name registration to make it easier to arrest them. This is actually a demonstration of their fear," Changsha Ming Ming said. Another, who gave the name orcl1158, said: "It's stricter, control and regulation are everywhere." The rules broaden the definition of Internet services, saying online forums, blogs and microblogs must receive government approval, beyond just websites. The guidelines also require Internet service providers to save keep records of postings and users' information for one year, up from the previous six months, citing the need to crack down on Internet crime. China's best-known microblogging site, run by Internet giant Sina, last month unveiled new conditions punishing those who post comments deemed offensive, as it comes under government pressure to clamp down on bloggers. Source: Hindustan Times, Image: https://www.flickr.com

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