Quick survey of today’s cyber news . . .
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On 1/14, Kim Zetter reported for Wired on the newest computer spy operation: Red October. Red October–a 5 year program uncovered by Kaspersky Labs–spied on high-profile targets including “diplomats, governments and research institutions . . . embassies, institutions involved in nuclear and engergy research and companies in the oil and gas and aerospace industries.” Most of the targets were in Eastern Europe or Central Asia. Zetter reports that the attackers are “believed to be native Russian-speakers,” but it is unclear whether Red October has nation-state backing.
Ellen Nakashima reported for The Washington Post on the same spying program, calling it Rocra rather than Red October. Nakashima’s article contains a nice graphic and breakdown of how Red October/Rocra works.
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Paul Rosenzweig wrote a blog post for Lawfare and announced his new book, Cyber Warfare: How Conflicts in Cyberspace are Challenging America and Changing the World.
A quick portion from Mr. Rosenzweig’s book, Ch. 1:
If you want a short-hand way of thinking about this book, it is about our struggle to have our cake and eat it too – about how we try to reap the benefits in productivity and information sharing that come from a globalized web of cyber connections while somehow managing to avoid (or at least reduce) the damage done by malfeasant actors who seek to take advantage of that globalized web for their own reasons.
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Ellyne Phneah for ZDNet with a very interesting article on Signapore’s Computer Misuse Act. Phneah writes that the Computer Misuse Act allows the government to “order a person or organization to act against any cyberattack before it has begun.” Moreover, if a person does not comply, it “may result in a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine of [US $40,753].
US businesses get touchy about mandatory standards . . . imagine fines or jail sentences?
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So, there’s going to be a John McAfee movie. This according to Ben Child of The Guardian.
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Nextgov’s Aliya Sternstein writes that the DoD is turning to the Cyber Targeted Attack Analyzer to “reduce the workload for the department’s short-handed cyber forces” by scanning for computer abnormalities.
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A very interesting article for The Atlantic by David Caragliano describing how the Chinese government is telling Chinese web users to quit their bellyachin about censorship because the North Koreans have it much worse. Caragliano notes that Chinese users don’t buy this, criticizing the Chinese government as a pot calling the kettle black.
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Michael Kelley & Geoffrey Ingersoll for the Business Insider on how cloud computing has official brought the globaly cyber war to the US doorstep.
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Via Wired’s Matt Blaze & Susan Landau, a discussion on how the FBI is seeking to make more computer applications and services “wiretap ready,” when in reality they should be focusing on developing better hackers.
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Slate’s Ryan Gallagher on whether the zero-day market should be regulated.
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