US and Russia Discuss Cyber Security

The United States, Russia and the UN have begun talks on cyber security and limits to warfare in the cyber context according to a report in the New York Times. This shift highlights the growing realization that cyberspace is rapidly becoming weaponized and more players are capable of launching attacks through cyberspace, often with anonymity.

In November, a member of the Russian Security Council came to the US for talks…

DHS to Have Virtual Job Fair

Back in October, at the launch of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano announced DHS had been authorized to hire an additional 1,000 cyber security professionals. In an effort to boost its chances of finding and hiring these individuals as quickly as possible, DHS has announced a virtual job fair will take place in January.

On the DHS website, there are a number…

Germans Set Up Botnet Cleaner

The German Federal Office for Information Security, along with German ISPs, are setting up a service to clean up infected computers that are used in botnets.

The ISPs will track down infected computers and notify the users by directing them to a website with helpful information and the telephone number for a call center.

Presently, Germany is in the top 10 countries hosting the most infected computers. The new…

House Passes Data Breach Notification Bill

The House has passed a bill that would introduce national rules surrounding the need to notify potential victims of identity theft following data breaches.

According to the bill, companies that possess personal data will be required to notify any U.S. citizens and residents along with the FTC if a data breach occurs that may have compromised personal data.

Notification would be required within sixty days of discovering the issue….

Cyber threats on rise across Globe

As we come to the end of 2009, a number of reports compiled in the US and abroad point to a disturbing trend in cyber attack incidents. The rates of cyber attack against targets in the US and overseas have been steadily increasing and target a variety of nations.

According to an article in AsiaOne News, Malaysia has experienced a striking uptick in reporting of cyber incidents. The number of…

Cyber Threat from… Canada?

With the exception of early checkered historical relations (ie, the multiple US invasions of Canada in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812), Canada has always been an effective US ally and provided for a relatively secure northern border. However, given the nature of the threat of attacks through cyberspace, the cyber security of Canada is inextricably linked to that of the US.

The US and Canada share a number…

Fort Meade should be new Cyber Command says Senators

At a recent meeting of the BWI Business Partnership in Maryland, Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski highlighted their desire to place the new Cyber Command at or around Fort Meade, the present headquarters of the National Security Agency. Earlier this year, the DoD also expressed its desire to house the new Command at Fort Meade.

Senators Cardin and Mikulski also highlighted the growing threat of cyber attacks against the…

Naval Academy to Require Midshipmen to Study Cyber Security

As the threat of attacks through cyberspace steadily increases, the Naval Academy is considering plans to place cyber security as a core part of its curriculum for young aspiring naval officers. Academy Superintendent, VADM Jeffrey Fowler, told the Board of Visitors that the school was currently developing a cyber security curriculum and that taking at least one class in cyber security could be required of every midshipman as early…

Muddling Responsibilities? Senate Committee Announces Cybersecurity Task Force

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence announced yesterday the formation of a bipartisan task force for cybersecurity. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse will serve as the chair and Sens. Olympia Snowe and Barbara Mikulski will serve as members of the task force.

The task force will evaluate the current cybersecurity threats facing the United States and will make recommendations as needed to the Intelligence Community. The task force’s work will be completed…

Scientists Claim to Have Found Way to End Cyber Attacks

Scientists, who conducted research that was published by the Department of Computer Science at the University of Bristol, have claimed that they found a way to make cyber attacks “computationally impossible.” The scientists will present their research at the ASIACRYPT 2009 conference that will be held in Japan this week.

At the conference, the researchers will demonstrate how, by using encryption, they can…