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Date: 7th December 2019
China Fires ‘Great Cannon’ Cyber-Weapon At The Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Movement
The ‘Great Cannon of China’, a cyberweapon, operating from behind the Great Firewall of China and used sparingly as the negative press it generates is substantial. It’s a state-operated, distributed denial of service (DDoS) cyber-weapon, and now it has taken aim at an online forum used by pro-democracy movement protesters in Hong Kong to help coordinate their anti-government demonstrations. The DDoS tool put to very effective use by the Anonymous hacking group when attacking websites supporting the Church of Scientology and later those opposed to WikiLeaks, the Great Cannon has the potential to be a much more significant threat. It works by hijacking web traffic from users within the boundaries of the government-controlled Great Firewall of China and redirecting that traffic to websites external to it. This is achieved by injecting malicious JavaScript code into the insecure HTTP connections of sites visited by Chinese users. This interception allows the operators of the cyber-weapon to target a chosen web resource with a DDoS attack.
RBI’s new cybersecurity guidelines are pushing India’s 1,574 urban cooperative banks to bring digital services up to snuff
India’s central bank has announced that it’s going to bring in more cybersecurity guidelines for urban cooperative banks (UCBs) — to make sure that they measure up to their commercial counterparts. RBI’s new ‘comprehensive cybersecurity framework’ has been proposed as a graded approach. This means that security measures will vary according to a UCB’s digital depth, interconnectedness with other payment systems, digital products offered and overall cybersecurity risk.
Japan joins NATO cybersecurity drills to counter Chinese hackers
On 30th November 2019, a Cyber Coalition exercise was held which posed scenarios including cyberattacks during cross-border conflict as well as compromised state computer systems. One scenario involves participants striking back against a virtual enemy. Japan upgrades its role from observer status, a position the country held between 2015 and 2018, as neighbour China reportedly builds its cyberwarfare capabilities. U.S. and European observers believe China now possesses cyberattack capabilities that rival those of Russia. Concerns over data breaches have prompted Washington in particular to lobby other nations against using Chinese-made telecommunications equipment for their fifth-generation wireless infrastructure.
How to fool infosec wonks into pinning a cyber attack on China, Russia, Iran, whomever
Digital Evidence can be easily manoeuvred according to cybersecurity expert and veteran — Jake Williams. He also mentioned that it was easy to buy infrastructure in Iran. He can buy 26 different VPN providers that, with a credit card or bitcoin, and send traffic through them. This way the digital evidence can easily be manipulated.
Ethiopia foils mass cyber hacking attempt
The Ethiopia Information Network Security Agency (INSA) disclosed on Saturday it has foiled a cyber hacking attempt by a group of more than 200 hackers on its finance infrastructure. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who was previously head of INSA has since assuming office in April 2018, engaged on an ambitious drive to introduce cyber technology across all public and private sectors.
Cyber security takes its place alongside UK’s armed services
The pervasiveness of information and the pace of technological change are utterly transforming the character of warfare in the 21st Century, and the cyber security industry has earned a seat at the table alongside the army, navy and air force, according to General Sir Nick Carter, chief of the defence staff. Head of armed services says cyber security will take its place alongside the army, navy and air force as a key pillar of the UK’s defence strategy
Labour’s Ben Bradshaw claims he was target of Russian cyber-attack
The Labour candidate Ben Bradshaw has said he has been the victim of a suspected Russian cyber-attack after he received an email from Moscow with attachments containing sophisticated malware. Bradshaw, who has repeatedly raised the subject of Kremlin interference in British politics, including in the EU referendum — received an email containing several apparently genuine documents. They showed how the Kremlin has set up a secret “fake news unit” in Russia’s far east region which is used to suppress negative stories and to boost pro-government sentiment. However, two of the documents carried malicious code. He said the suspected cyber-attack was further confirmation that Moscow was seeking to influence British politics. He condemned Boris Johnson’s refusal to publish the intelligence and security committee’s report on Moscow interference and said the prime minister had yet to come clean on his links with wealthy Russians living in the UK.
NATO’s defense agenda: Baltic plan, Chinese cyber threat
NATO leaders met in London at a time of uncertainty for the U.K. While the public and British authorities are overwhelmed with the debates on Brexit and getting ready for the parliamentary elections to be held next week, the NATO leaders’ summit was held in the British capital to make landmark decisions for the future of the alliance. NATO is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its establishment, and the defense alliance was in search of a new vision and updated agenda. Skepticism about the Atlantic alliance was vocalized by some member countries before the summit, but the event ended with a show of solidarity. Despite French President Emmanuel Macron’s critical comments on the institution, leaders of member countries gathered around a shared agenda. In the end, they reached a consensus on certain issues. Washington’s leadership and assertiveness were crucial for the success of the London summit.
On Huawei, Johnson says Britain cannot prejudice security or cooperation
Britain’s decision on whether to allow Huawei a role in building 5G telecom networks will be based on ensuring the national security and ensuring cooperation with the U.S.-led Five Eyes intelligence alliance, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.
Russian ‘Evil Corp’ hackers charged by US in $100m cyber theft
Two members of a Russia-based hacking group that calls itself Evil Corp have been accused by authorities in the United States of the worst computer hack and bank fraud that stole more than $100m from companies across the world. Evil Corp’s alleged leader Maksim V Yakubets, 32, and administrator Igor Turashev, 38, were charged on Thursday in a 10-count indictment, including bank fraud, conspiracy, computer hacking and wire fraud.
The Navy will build tactical cyber teams
In a new strategy document released Dec. 4, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said he wanted the service to develop a plan to field small tactical cyber teams by February 2020. He directed the Information Warfare Type Command and Fleet Cyber Command/10th Fleet to make it happen. U.S. Cyber Command orchestrates cyber operations within the Department of Defense. The services provide the 133 offensive and defensive cyber teams through the cyber mission force to Cyber Command. The individual services, such as the Navy, don’t own or conduct offensive cyber operations. Rather, those missions are led by Cyber Command.
Canada’s cyber intelligence agency is helping the U.K. protect its election
Canada’s foreign signals intelligence agency is on the lookout for threats to Britain’s election as the country heads into the final week of campaigning. Late last month, Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn obtained leaked classified British-U.S. trade documents and accused the governing Conservatives of planning to sell off the National Health Service as part of the bilateral talks. The NHS, the U.K.’s public health care provider, has again become the subject of heated election debate. Since releasing those documents, Corbyn himself has been accused of pushing a Russian disinformation campaign, with Conservative MPs calling on him to “come clean” about his sources. (In intelligence circles, ‘misinformation’ is information that is false, while ‘disinformation’ consists of circulating false information with an intent to deceive or disrupt.) The Communications Security Establishment leads Ottawa’s response to cyber security events and defends the federal government’s cyber assets. It’s also part of the intelligence team set up ahead of the recent Canadian election to watch out for and deter any foreign interference in the campaign.
NE National Guard to deploy cyber protection team
The Nebraska Army National Guard’s 179th Cyber Protection Team has been training for this moment for the past two years. Now these Nebraska soldiers will join guardsman from two other states in D.C. to defend the nation from cyber attacks. Many of the soldiers in the group have been previously deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, but they have shifted their specialties to adapt and grow into their new roles within this group.
AI and biometrics could boost e-commerce confidence in LatAm
E-commerce is seeing consistent growth in Latin markets, with a 21,3% boost predicted for 2019 at $71,3 billion, according to the report carried out by Kantar on behalf of Mastercard across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru and Puerto Rico. However, there is an opportunity to better inform consumers about the security associated with online shopping and particularly the role of new technologies, according to the study, which has found that fear of card data leaking during or after purchase is one of the main concerns for buyers. The percentage of consumers polled who expressed a desire for this feature range from 63% in Puerto Rico to 83% in Costa Rica, the study noted. Overall, more than 80% of consumers in most countries surveyed want biometric authentication.
Jamaica to Create a National Cybersecurity Policy in 2020
Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says that to further protect citizens from the evolving threat of cybercrime, the Government is working towards the development of a National Cyber Policy in 2020. Speaking at a Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Hilton Resort and Spa in St. James on December 3, the Minister said that additionally, “we will also be seeking to ensure that the entire government service has a reliable and robust cyber platform on which to operate and deliver quality and safe online service”. This, he added, is being accomplished through the National Cybersecurity Strategy and the commendable work of agencies such as e-Gov Jamaica. He said the new National Identification System (NIDS) Bill will further strengthen Jamaica’s cybersecurity framework and will not only support “the modernisation of our information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure” but it will also facilitate the introduction of a multilayered technology security system, to mitigate vulnerabilities associated with cyber activities.
Technology minister concerned over rise in email scam
In highlighting local cyber security trends, Williams revealed that data reported to the Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team (JaCIRT), showed an increase in incidents related to debit cards, point of sales terminals and social media-related fraud and cyber bullying. “With seven months into 2019, our GOJ data shows an increase in the receipt of fraudulent emails requesting payment. These emails, most often, will appear to come from seemingly legitimate email addresses and therefore leave little room for question. Also quite popular are ransom related emails where the sender claims to have access to user’s credentials,” Williams revealed during her address at the Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Hilton Resort and Spa in St James on Tuesday.
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