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DARPA says goodbye to hacker-friendly Cyber Fast Track program

posted onMarch 8, 2013
by l33tdawg

 The Department of Defense is pulling the plug on Cyber Fast Track, a program aimed at tapping reformed hackers and other security hotshots to solve cyber-defense problems quickly.

Looking to circumvent the typical onerous, long-term process of funding grants, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) used the program to improve the government’s ability to keep up with fast-moving bad actors on the cybercriminal stage.

61-Year-Old Hacker Convicted in Texas

posted onMarch 5, 2013
by l33tdawg

The FBI recently announced that Michael Musacchio, 61, of Plano, Texas was found guilty of conspiring to hack into his former employer's computer network.

Musacchio was the president of transportation company Exel Transportation Services from 2002 until he left the company in 2004 to form competitior Total Transportation Services along with fellow Exel employees Joseph Roy Brown and John Michael Kelly.

Over half of botnet control centres in the US, says Check Point

posted onFebruary 22, 2013
by l33tdawg

The command and control centres (C&C) for more than half of the world’s botnets are in the US, not China, says security firm CheckPoint.

A recent report by US cyber security firm Mandiant said a Chinese military base in Shanghai is one of the world's "most prolific cyber espionage groups," yet only 4% of botnets are controlled from China.

The gaping hole in Obama's plan to stop Chinese hacking

posted onFebruary 22, 2013
by l33tdawg

The word “China” appears 120 times in the Obama administration’s just-released report, “Administration Strategy on Mitigating the Theft of U.S. Trade Secrets,” on combatting cyber-espionage against U.S. business. Of course, Chinese hacking is a threat to more than just American businesses: the Washington Post reports today that just about every powerful institution in the District, from federal agencies to think tanks to, yes, media organizations “have been penetrated by Chinese cyberspies.”

Security group suspects Chinese military is behind hacking attacks

posted onFebruary 19, 2013
by l33tdawg

A secretive Chinese military unit is believed to be behind a prolific series of hacking attacks, a U.S. computer security company said, contradicting claims by China's government that it is not involved in such operations.

The report by Mandiant identified the People's Liberation Army's Shanghai-based Unit 61398 as the most likely driving force behind the hacking. Mandiant said it believed the unit had carried out "sustained" attacks on a wide set of industries.

U.S. Govt: Harsh Punishments Needed to Deter File-Sharers

posted onFebruary 13, 2013
by l33tdawg

The Unites States Government has submitted a brief to the Supreme Court asking it to uphold the $220,000 verdict in the RIAA vs. Thomas file-sharing case. According to the Obama administration damages of $9,250 per song is not an unconstitutional amount and is in fact needed to deter others from engaging on online piracy.

Cybersecurity In 2013: CISPA Bill, Obama Executive Order May Counteract Chinese Cyber Hacking Spree

posted onFebruary 13, 2013
by l33tdawg

The White House and Congress are said to be planning new cybersecurity legislation, rumored to be announced this week, as intelligence reports suggest a cyberespionage campaign is taking aim at the country’s economic competitiveness.

The National Intelligence Estimate cited China as the main country responsible for hacking into secure U.S. institutional and business computer networks to obtain data or information illegally for financial gain. The current attempt to breach U.S. computer security is so large, in fact, the Washington Post calls the endeavor “massive and sustained.”

Almost all US networks can be hacked

posted onFebruary 11, 2013
by l33tdawg

The US is vulnerable to cyberattacks that could shut down financial services or destroy information that companies need for daily operations, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has said.

Mike Rogers said 95 percent of private sector networks are vulnerable, and most have already been hit. What's being stolen? Personal identities, money from banks, blueprints for next-generation jobs. At risk are private companies and public agencies.