Salon.com > Cyber-security

Anonymous pushes anti-CISPA protests

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:06:00 +0000

With the progression of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act through the House and onto the Senate floor, privacy advocates, hackers and online activists are urging an amping up of anti-CISPA protests. A number of Anonymous-affiliated sites and other supportive organizations have agreed to an online blackout Monday. "Hundreds are joining, but the list is still woefully short of prestigious names and services that would secure at least a passing glance by those with the power to stop the bill going through," noted ZDNet's Charlie Osborne. While a similar coordinated blackout effort, spearheaded by late technologist Aaron Swartz, helped successfully kill SOPA (the Stop Online Privacy Act) in 2012, the anti-CISPA effort appears minimal in comparison. The key difference is that while tech giants including Wikipedia, Reddit and Google took part in SOPA protests, such major tech players are actually onboard with CISPA. Osborne notes:

After NYT attack, U.S. considers action against Chinese hacking

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:44:00 +0000

Following revelations by the New York Times this week that Chinese hackers -- believed to be connected to the military -- infiltrated the newspaper's computer system, the U.S. government is considering taking action.

Salon noted Thursday that a cyber-security firm discovered that hackers had used a common tactic known as spearsphishing to spy on the computers of Times reporters investigating the vast personal wealth of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. Other news outlets, including the AP, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, reported that they too had been targeted by Chinese hackers and, as the Guardian noted Friday, experts believe that the Chinese government routinely employs a "vast army of hackers" to carry out covert spying campaigns.

The Obama administration is considering more assertive action against this cyber-threat. According to the AP, "cyber-security experts said the U.S. government is eyeing more pointed diplomatic and trade measures." Via the AP:

NY Times says Chinese hackers attacked its computers

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 13:49:00 +0000

The New York Times reported Wednesday night that over the past four months, hackers -- possibly connected to the Chinese military -- have been infiltrating the paper's computer system. The Times hired cyber-security firm Mandiant, who traced the attacks to to university computers that the "Chinese military had used to attack United States Military contractors in the past."

According to the Times, the attacks were likely in response to stories published last year by the paper's Shangai bureau chief David Barboza, which reported the vast personal wealth of Chinese PM Wen Jiabao. Following the publication of these stories the Times site was blocked in China and its reporters there suddenly faced visa problems.

Panetta warns of “cyber-Pearl Harbor”

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The U.S. could possibly face a "cyber-Pearl Harbor," according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Speaking at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York on Thursday, Panetta warned that the country was vulnerable to serious cyber-attacks, which could dismantle major aspects of U.S. infrastructure.

Panetta said (via The New York Times):

An aggressor nation or extremist group could use these kinds of cyber tools to gain control of critical switches. They could derail passenger trains, or even more dangerous, derail passenger trains loaded with lethal chemicals. They could contaminate the water supply in major cities, or shut down the power grid across large parts of the country.