Leading into the week (over the weekend) there was a bit of a furor over the disclosure of a hacking tool that had an American university address listed. When supposedly the Chinese government yanked the video the hysteria went up. If the Chinese government was responsible it shows a distinct lack of understanding how strategic communication and diplomacy can be effected by errant or taciturn decisions. I’m imagining that there is a television producer somewhere sitting in prison solidly protesting that how did he know the address was American.
In a follow up to previous protestations it is reported that Anonymous is attacking Wikileaks. This is interesting as it was Anonymous was the entity that attacked corporations and groups that were censoring Wikileaks. This schism as shallow as it is shows the weakness of loosely organized confederations. A targeted communication campaign would result in the disenfranchisement of a Wikileaks organization. Regardless of the evidence loose confederacies are like caffeine addicted hyped up on meth amphetamine labrador retrievers. They are easily distracted and when not chasing their own tail trying to be a collective they have a tendency to strike out wildly. That is the architecture of a group that can be abused. Regardless of how smart they are the “wisdom” of crowds can be subverted by the will of mobs.
The week finished out with a lot of discussion over the operational issues of government operating in the cyber domain. I’m not so sure it is as big a problem as most people believe it is, but it is an issue when you have unfettered government action that impacts civilians. It appears most of the argument is a “rice bowl politics” issue and less about appropriate roles and responsibilities.
Monday August 29th
| Medical-device users worry they could face cyber-attack Guelph Mercury By Janet Moore MINNEAPOLIS — Hundreds of cyber-security geeks watched recently as Jay Radcliffe stood on a Las Vegas stage and hacked into his own insulin pump, disabling its life-saving therapy. The 33-year-old cyber-security researcher said the pump … See all stories on this topic » |
| China Yanks Video That Leaked Hacking Tool PCWorld By Robert McMillan, IDG News The state-run China Central Television network has yanked a video that inadvertently included a short clip of a cyber-attack tool targeting Falun Gong websites. Posted in mid-July, the video was a documentary entitled “The … See all stories on this topic » |
| China’s Economic Sword RealClearPolitics In cyberwar, China is probably the world leader and is, as the report cites, responsible for a massive cyberespionage effort. Though the Pentagon report alludes to the likelihood that China is behind major cyberattacks (principally espionage) against … See all stories on this topic » |
| Pentagon worried by China’s growing might RT The US document says that by building aircraft carriers, missiles and developing cyber warfare, Beijing could potentially destabilise Asia. For more, RT’s joined from California by Conn Hallinan, an expert on Asian military affairs at the Foreign … See all stories on this topic » |
| Infrastructure, networks at risk from cyber-attack Tbo.com … and the longer it delays, the higher the risk that we’ll all pay the price. Mark Russinovich, a cybersecurity and Stuxnet expert, is the author of “Zero Day,” a novel that portrays the collapse of the Internet from a widespread cyber-attack. See all stories on this topic » |
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| China yanks video that leaked hacking tool Macworld UK The state-run China Central Television network has yanked a video that inadvertently included a short clip of a cyber-attack tool targeting Falun Gong websites. Posted in mid-July, the video was a documentary entitled “The Internet storm is coming! … See all stories on this topic » |
 Macworld UK |
Tuesday August 30th
| Massive Cyber Attack on Epson Korea Poses Future Threat for Many Customers SPAMfighter News However, the company responded by saying that though it had revealed the breach earlier, it was delayed in intimating the cyber attack to the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) on August 18, 2011. The company also acknowledged that it informed its … See all stories on this topic » |
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| Nokia suspends developer forum website following cyber attack TopNews New Zealand Finnish handset maker Nokia has confirmed that hackers managed to breach the security of its developer forum website and stole away a database table containing user account information. On Monday, Nokia suspended the website and warned developers that … See all stories on this topic » |
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Wednesday August 31st
| WikiLeaks crashes after cyber attack | Firstpost WikiLeaks crashes after cyber attack. Aug 31, 2011 #cyber attack #Julian Assange #NewsTracker #United States #Wikileaks · Email Share Comments. London: The WikiLeaks website crashed in an apparent cyberattack after the accelerated … Firstpost |
| NewsDaily: WikiLeaks says website was target of cyber attack WikiLeaks said its website had been the target of a cyber attack late on Tuesday as it proceeded with the release of thousands of previously unpublished U.S. diplomatic cables, some still classified. NewsDaily: Top Headlines |
Thursday September 1st
| Major North Korean Cyber Attack on South FrontPage Magazine North Korea has also used its cyber warfare capabilities for illicit fundraising. The South Koreans have arrested five citizens for working with a group of 30 North Korean hackers in China. They stole $6 million from online gambling sites over two … See all stories on this topic » |
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| WikiLeaks Suffers Cyber Attack PC Magazine By Leslie Horn WikiLeaks has suffered a cyber attack, on the heels of the news that the organization had suffered a leak of its own, allegedly revealing the names of sources, . WikiLeaks confirmed the attack via Twitter late Tuesday night. … See all stories on this topic » |
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| Energy Grid: Safe From Cyber Attack? Discovery News By Eric Niiler The smart grid promises more efficient energy use but may be more vulnerable to attacks. The nation’s electric utilities are now catching up when it comes to protecting the grid. Some cyber attacks on the grid have already occurred. … See all stories on this topic » |
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| WikiLeaks Hit by Cyber Attack, Cites New Govt Interest Based on Leak Detailing … Death and Taxes Last night, WikiLeaks tweeted that it was undergoing a cyber attack. “WikiLeaks.org is presently under attack. You can still search US cables here cablegatesearch.net/search.php See all stories on this topic » |
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| Cyber attack left HKEx ‘no choice’ Hong Kong Standard The local bourse had no choice but to suspend trading of seven stocks and more than 400 corresponding derivatives on August 10, when its electronic announcement platform came under attack, said the boss of the exchange operator. … See all stories on this topic » |
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| Cyber-Attacks Are the Biggest National Security Threat PolicyMic Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in June, then-CIA Director Leon Panetta said, “The next Pearl Harbor could very well be a cyber-attack that cripples our government, security and financial systems.” The remarks came after recent … See all stories on this topic » |
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| Discrepancy over cyber responsibilities puts DOD at risk Defense Systems By Defense Systems Staff Conflicting statements and a lack of clarity in cyber warfareresponsibilities and expectations has obscured how — and if — US military combat commands should manage cyber operations, an audit from the Government … See all stories on this topic » |
Friday September 2nd
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| Two teenagers arrested over cyber attack on FG website Irish Times During the attack, which took place in January, the site was modified and the personal information of 2000 site subscribers was stolen and e-mailed to the media. The attack was claimed at the time by international cyber-hacking group Anonymous. … See all stories on this topic » |
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| Cyberwar: a Whole New Quagmire. Part 1: The Pentagon Cyberstrategy FM blog (blog) by Fabius Maximus Summary: In this article by guest author Marcus J. Ranum, he describes what might become one of the primary forms of conflict in the 21st century. How real is the threat? Is the Department of Defense approaching this in a logical way. … See all stories on this topic » |
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| WikiLeaks – cyber attack downs the site for a period of time TruthDive Whistle blower organization WikiLeaks has been targeted in a cyber-attack after a massive leak of US confidential diplomatic cables. The cyber-attack on WikiLeaks comes after the site has sped up its release of diplomatic cables it culled from the US … See all stories on this topic » |
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| SSL Certificate Hack Could Result In Raised Security Standards: Partners CRN By Stefanie Hoffman, CRN A recent cyber attack against SSL provider DigiNotar has left Google, Mozilla and an untold number of domains scrambling to blacklist the rogue certificates that have jeopardized the security of their networks. … See all stories on this topic » |
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| INFORMATION WARFARE: The Laws Of War And Cyber Warriors Strategy Page September 2, 2011: Cyber War is confounding lawyers because attacks via the Internet can do enormous damage, and are sometimes carried out by civilians. How do you deal with that? There are rules for hackers in uniform, but not for the irregulars. … See all stories on this topic » |
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| Cyberattacks popular way to conduct social protest San Francisco Chronicle Cyberattacks of all types are on the rise, as hackers snatch sensitive information or impede information systems in acts of espionage, theft, cyber warfare or, increasingly, public demonstrations. Government departments often don’t have the staffing, … See all stories on this topic » |
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| Guard facilities get upgrade The News Journal Tech-savvy airmen and women sit at a couple of dozen stations before a panel of monitors and engage in mock cyber-warfare exercises, simulating large-scale attacks on a public water utility, subway system or other critical infrastructure. … See all stories on this topic » |
