Cybersecurity & Espionage Articles
https://www.insaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/INSA_WP_Mind_Insider_FIN.pdf
Insider threat detection is one of the most difficult challenges facing industry and the Intelligence Community (IC) today. With roughly three million individuals cleared to access classified information1 and a multitude of ways to compromise it, determining who may pose a significant threat at a particular point in time is a monumental task. The key to improving an organization’s prospects for preventing a major malicious act is knowing what behaviors to look for and having effective monitoring tools in place. This paper reviews and integrates several accepted psychological constructs into a behavioral model that can be adapted for practical use and suggests new tools to leverage this model to mitigate threats from insiders who may intentionally decide to harm their organization or our national security. It continues the exploration of security issues in two earlier INSA papers: “Leveraging Emerging Technologies in the Personnel Security Process,”2 which offered ways to continuously evaluate and monitor those accessing sensitive information, and “A Preliminary Examination of Insider Threat Programs in the US Private Sector,”3 which sought ways to assess and compare industry’s initial implementation of Insider Threat programs. The model of behaviors in this paper, derived from a body of research studies on malicious insiders, assumes that an initially loyal employee does not suddenly transform into a malicious insider. Certain personality traits may predispose an employee to acts of espionage, theft, violence, or destruction. These traits may be reinforced by environmental and organizational stressors. Less severe counterproductive work behaviors commonly occur before the decision to initiate a major damaging act. Clustering these behaviors into families may help define an “early warning system” and improve understanding of how individual characteristics and environmental factors may mitigate or intensify concerning behaviors.
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Original Post at Independent.co.uk
The co-creator of the popular game ‘Cards Against Humanity’ has vowed to purchase and publish the web browsing history of members of Congress should President Trump sign a bill taking away privacy on the internet. Original Post at TheRegister.co.uk
Cybercriminals managed to infect a PC in the design department of Contoso Ltd through a cleverly crafted spear-phishing campaign. Now they need a way to communicate with the compromised machine in secret. Original Post at Yahoo!
A U.S. State Department employee with access to sensitive information was accused of failing to report contacts with Chinese foreign intelligence agents who provided her with gifts in exchange for diplomatic and economic information, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday. Candace Claiborne, 60, was charged in a Washington federal court with obstruction of justice and making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Claiborne appeared before a magistrate judge with her lawyer, David Bos, but both declined to speak to reporters. Claiborne will remain confined to house arrest until an April 18 preliminary hearing. A complaint says Claiborne was given tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and wire transfers by Chinese agents beginning in 2011 in exchange for information about U.S. economic policy in relation to China and other diplomatic matters. Claiborne and a co-conspirator not identified in court papers received such items as beads, a sewing machine, slippers cash, tuition payments to a fashion school in China and an all-expenses paid vacation to Thailand, prosecutors allege. Original Post at Softpedia.com
"Since 2015, less than 0.00001 percent of installations from Google Play, and less than .01 percent of installations from sources other than Google Play, were categorized as ransomware," reads the report signed by Jason Woloz, senior program manager with the Android security team. Original Post at SecurityAffairs.com
The Cyber Division of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warns the healthcare industry that malicious actors are actively targeting File Transfer Protocol (FTP) servers of medical and dental facilities that allow anonymous access. Original Post at Softpedia.com
Cyber criminals offering DDoS-as-a-service have a profit margin of up to 95%, indicating why such services have become so widespread on the dark net. Original Post at HelpNetSecurity.com
Most outdated programs:
Original Post at CNN Money
Use strong passwords and don't go to sketchy websites, and you'll protect yourself online, right? Well... That's a good start. But it's not quite that simple. A new report from Pew Research details some of American's biggest misconceptions about cybersecurity. Original Post at Network World
Kirk ransomware, which was discovered by Avast malware researcher Jakub Kroustek, doesn’t want the ransom to be paid in bitcoin. Bleeping Computer said it “may be the first ransomware to utilize Monero as the ransom payment of choice.” US Air Force leak exposes 'holy grail' of top secret data including details of over 4,000 officers3/13/2017 Original Post at Yahoo!
The US military has been hit with a massive data leak which freely exposed thousands of classified documents from the US Air Force to anyone on the internet. The leak reportedly contains sensitive and personal information on high-ranking and senior officials, some of whom have "top secret" security clearance and access to highly sensitive material, which is only allegedly made available via codeword-level clearance. Personal information of over 4,000 officers, including names, ranks, addresses and social security numbers were left exposed by the leak. An unsecured backup drive which belonged to an unnamed lieutenant colonel was the cause of the leak, according to MacKeeper security researchers, who first discovered the security breach. The researchers noted: "The most shocking document was a spread sheet of open investigations that included the name, rank, location, and a detailed description of the accusations. The investigations range from discrimination and sexual harassment to more serious claims. One example is an investigation into a Major General who is accused of accepting $50k a year from a sports commission that was supposedly funnelled into the National Guard. There were many other details from investigations that neither the Air Force nor those being investigated would want publically leaked." Among the leaked documents is a file which includes a Defence Information Systems "comprehensive step by step guide" on how to go about recover access to encryption keys. Yet another file lists security clearances of hundreds of officers. The leaked data also contains spreadsheets detailing phone numbers and other contact information of staff and their spouses. National security experts and former government officials have reportedly deemed the data leaked as the "holy grail" for spies and rivals, warning that the data should not be made public. "Foreign powers might use that information to target those individuals for espionage or to otherwise monitor their activity in the hopes of gaining insight into US national security posture," Susan Hennessey, a former attorney at the National Security Agency, told ZDNet. "Still, it is the obligation of the government to keep this kind of information safe, both in order to protect the privacy of those who serve and their families and to protect them against being placed in difficult situations unnecessarily," Hennessey added. The Pentagon is yet to comment on the matter. IBTimes UK has reached out to MackKeeper security researcher Chris Vickery, who first tweeted about the data leak on 25 February and worked with fellow MacKeeper researcher Bob Diachenko to secure the breach, for further clarity on the matter. We will update this article with more information in the event of a response. Original Post at Gov Info Security
Little is known about Evgeniy M. Bogachev, the alleged hacker and Gameover Zeus botnet mastermind who has a record-setting $3 million FBI cybercrime bounty on his head. There are clues, however, that he's been helping Russian intelligence agencies, according to a new report. That's hardly a shocking revelation. For years, I've heard from security researchers - including experts based in Russia - that there's a simple quid pro quo for Russian hackers: Don't attack Russia, and do help the state's security services by "moonlighting" on the QT if they come calling. Play along, and you'll be left to go about your hacking business, including carte blanche to steal funds from foreign banks (see Russian Cybercrime Rule No. 1: Don't Hack Russians). The FBI says Bogachev, 33, resides openly in Anapa, a Black Sea coast resort town in southern Russia. The bureau says Bogachev also owns luxury cars, often drives a Jeep Cherokee, enjoys boating - and apparently also cats. An FBI file photo of the alleged hacker shows him holding a Bengal cat while he wears leopard-skin pajamas. But the price on Bogachev's head seems to reflect, in part, the paucity of what's known about the man, his purported tendency to avoid physical meetings or use his real name, as well as the FBI's ongoing inability to arrest him. Original Post at ZDNet.com
Exclusive: These security clearance applications contain sensitive personal information, and are highly valuable to foreign adversaries seeking to undermine US national security. Original Post at CNN Politics
It's a shadowy world that's closed off even to those typically in the know in bureau headquarters, a silo of secrecy in which agents are valued as much for their ability to keep quiet as they are for their investigative skills. Original Post at Congressional Research Service
The layers of the Internet go far beyond the surface content that many can easily access in their daily searches. The other content is that of the Deep Web, content that has not been indexed by traditional search engines such as Google. The furthest corners of the Deep Web, segments known as the Dark Web, contain content that has been intentionally concealed. The Dark Web may be used for legitimate purposes as well as to conceal criminal or otherwise malicious activities. It is the exploitation of the Dark Web for illegal practices that has garnered the interest of officials and policymakers. Original Post at Softpedia.com
CyberEdge Group released its latest Cyberthreat Defense Report and, following its surveys, said that a huge number of organizations were affected by ransomware last year. Of those affected, 54% managed to get their data back without paying the ransom, while another 33% chose to pay the ransom to recover their info. Another 13% refused to pay and lost the data as a consequence. |
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