CyberBits 27 Jul 2010 – News about cyberspace

2010/07/27 cyber-warfare archive 4909 words, 15 min of reading

Compiled by The Cyber Loop editor

Cyber Wars in Iran: The internet is often seen as the domain of dissidents and free spirits. But the Iranian regime like many others has long recognised the importance of winning the virtual propaganda war, and the talk for the last couple of years has been of an “Iranian Cyber Army”, a band of dedicated regime loyalists who attack opposition websites and other virtual targets.

Military wrestles with cyber war battle planning: Many historians maintain that it was the ability to decipher Japanese code and not the creation of a new bruising battleship that turned the tide for the U.S. Navy in the Pacific theater during World War II. Meanwhile, in the Atlantic, Allied bombers tried to conceal their aerial attacks by dropping tiny strips of metal foil to sabotage German radar.

Cyber espionage lure catches some big fish: Oh, the humanity!

Afghanistan war logs: Nato feared Taliban could tap its mobile phones: Given the US-led coalition’s obsession with security, the realisation that Taliban sympathisers and foreign spy agencies were routinely tracking top secret phone calls made from its military headquarters in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan must have come as a bit of a blow.

Cybersecurity camp part of a nationwide effort to train 10,000 experts: In an effort to train the next generation of cyber warriors to protect the nation’s online security, a group of government and private agencies hosted California’s first ever cybersecurity camp last week.

Hackers Don Black Hats in Vegas Next Week: If you have plans to travel to Las Vegas next week, you may want to cancel them. Why? Because the city will be crawling with hackers attending a “Black Hat” conference on electronic security.

NSA’s Perfect Citizen monitoring program isn’t perfect — it’s what is politically possible: The NSA’s Perfect Citizen program reminds me of several huge chunks of wood that used to be suspended 30 feet above my street by heavy cables strung between utility poles.

Iran was prime target of SCADA worm: Computers in Iran have been hardest hit by a dangerous computer worm that tries to steal information from industrial control systems.

Wikileaks DOWN: Wikileaks.org Issues Reported: Whistle-blowing website Wikileaks is down, users are reporting.

UK launches Cyber Security Challenge: The UK has officially launched its Cyber Security Challenge to find and attract new talent to the IT security industry.

Setting Cyber Traps: While most cyber defense firms scramble to stay a step ahead in the cat-and-mouse competition with cyber attackers, NeuralIQ prefers the spider-and-fly approach.

Cyber Terror Threat on Par with CBRN Weapons Says Punjab Director General of Police: The threat of cyber terrorism is as serious a threat as that posed by chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons, according to Punjab Director General of Police P.S. Gill.

Army training to focus more on ‘hybrid threats’: After nearly a decade of fighting insurgents, the Army is shifting its training to focus more on “hybrid threats” — in which an enemy uses a combination of conventional and unconventional warfare.

Chinese army to target cyber war threat: The People’s Liberation Army has unveiled its first department dedicated to tackling cyber war threats and protecting information security, Chinese media reported today.

Analysis: UK air show underlines geopolitical shift from West: If you want to see the shift in geopolitical and military clout from Western powers toward their growing emerging rivals, look no further than the sales stands of this year’s Farnborough air show.

Satellite Optimization Meets the Kill Chain: The development of communication satellites during the volatile 1960s proved a major breakthrough in battle tech. But as the decades have passed the technology has become globalized – and even more important.

Global cyber arms race may be brewing: A few years ago, it was common to see slick TV commercials that advertised the Air Force’s cyber warfare capabilities. Although the commercials might have targeted recruits, they also sent a message about the military’s might in this new Information Age domain.

Why no one wants DHS to play cyber mall cop: The Homeland Security Department recently announced an initiative aimed at creating a more secure system of online identification. According to its Web site, the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace seeks to “improve cyberspace for everyone — individuals, private sector and governments — who conducts business online.”

Pentagon workers tied to child porn: Federal investigators have identified several dozen Pentagon officials and contractors with high-level security clearances who allegedly purchased and downloaded child pornography, including an undisclosed number who used their government computers to obtain the illegal material, according to investigative reports.

Could a single hacker crash a country’s network?: You know you’re living in the new millennium when one of the Obama administration’s newest positions is nicknamed the “cyber czar.” In May 2009, President Obama formally announced his plans to appoint a national cybersecurity adviser, charged with protecting computer networks in the United States — which Obama referred to as “strategic national assets” — from hacking and spying.

No Minister: 90% of web snoop document censored to stop ‘premature unnecessary debate’: The federal government has censored approximately 90 per cent of a secret document outlining its controversial plans to snoop on Australians’ web surfing, obtained under freedom of information (FoI) laws, out of fear the document could cause “premature unnecessary debate”.

Pentagon takes an incomplete on report on Chinese military: Your homework is late, Robert Gates! Very late.

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