Information Warfare

Cyber-Security: A Hard Sell

Greg Schnippel — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:30:23 -0800

A new study lays out cybersecurity recommendations for the next U.S. president but getting the U.S. to prioritize improving cyber defenses and overhauling the vulnerable, dated information networks may not be easy amid economic turmoil and demand for a quick-fix stimulus.

More Cyber Security Regulations Recommended

Greg Schnippel — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:05:40 -0800

A bipartisan commission of computer security experts are recommending today that President-elect Barack Obama set up a high-level post to tackle cyber security, consider new regulations to combat cyber crime and shore up the security of the nation's most sensitive computer networks.

Air Force Preps Gadget-Zapping Microwave Missiles

Greg Schnippel — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:08:18 -0800

The U.S. Air Force wants to develop new high powered microwave (HPM) missiles that are capable of "degrading, damaging, or destroying electronic systems."

Pentagon Hit by Unprecedented Cyber Attack

Greg Schnippel — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:07:43 -0800

The Pentagon has suffered from a cyber attack in the form of a computer virus or worm so alarming that it has taken the unprecedented step of banning the use of external hardware devices, such as flash drives and DVD's.

China Winning Cyber War, Congress Warned

Greg Schnippel — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:27:43 -0800

China is aggressively developing its power to wage cyber warfare and is now in a position to delay or disrupt the deployment of America's military forces around the world, potentially giving it the upper hand in any conflict, a panel of the US Congress has warned.

Cybercrime Toll Threatens New Financial Crisis

Greg Schnippel — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:45:44 -0800

International regulation must be improved to avoid internet crime, currently estimated at $100 billion in losses annually, causing global catastrophe, some of the world's top crime experts have warned.

Spy Fears: Twitter Terrorists, Cell Phone Jihadists

Greg Schnippel — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:44:40 -0700

Could Twitter become terrorists' newest killer app? A draft Army intelligence report, making its way through spy circles, thinks the miniature messaging software could be used as an effective tool for coordinating militant attacks.

For years, American analysts have been concerned that militants would take advantage of commercial hardware and software to help plan and carry out their strikes. Everything from online games to remote-controlled toys to social network sites to garage door openers has been fingered as possible tools for mayhem.

Al-Qaeda Web Forums Abruptly Taken Offline

Greg Schnippel — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:37:48 -0700

Four of the five main online forums that al-Qaeda's media wing uses to distribute statements by Osama bin Laden and other extremists have been disabled since mid-September, monitors of the Web sites say.

Officials Worry About Safety of Financial Data

Greg Schnippel — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:08:18 -0700

Not that we need it, but here's yet another reason to worry about havoc in financial markets: U.S. intelligence officials increasingly fear that computer hackers could wreck banks and large financial institutions, or send stock markets into one more panicked frenzy, by covertly manipulating data and spreading false information.

Botnet Spam Attacks to Target Cellphones, Report Warns

Greg Schnippel — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:42:09 -0700

Spam may soon spill out beyond your inbox and start slithering onto
your cellphone, warns a new report from Georgia Tech Information
Security Center. The report notes that the increasing computing power
available in cell phones makes them more attractive targets for hackers
who could stealthily turn millions of cell phones into a virtual botnet
to do their bidding.