Stratfor Cyber Breach Adds to Debate Over Govt Role in Protecting Private Networks

A cybersecurity breach at intelligence think tank Stratfor over the weekend struck close to the central point of debate over how to secure domestic networks, Josh Smith wrote in the National Journal today.

Smith wrote that this debate “has revolved around the division between government and private sector security,” where businesses…

NATO Looking to Contractors for Cyber Attack Systems, Sensors, Support

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization will soon select a contractor to help defend alliance nations’ cutting-edge infrastructure from cyber attacks, the Wall Street Journal reported today.

The awardee will provide software, hardware and support at more than 20 NATO locations to help prevent cyber attacks. The contract will call for advanced sensors to be…

McAfee Exposes Massive Cyber Espionage Operation

Researchers from McAfee say they have uncovered one of the largest series of cyber espionage activities to date. 

According to a report released today called “Operation Shady RAT,” some 72 organizations and governments around the world fell victim to a massive,  five-year long cyber attack carried out by…

HP Study: Cyber Criminals are Reaching into Your Company’s Pocket

 HP released today a report that reveals the significant financial impacts of cyber attacks on businesses and government organizations.

The Second Annual Cost of Cyber Crime Study revealed that the median annualized cost of cyber crime incurred by a benchmark sample of organizations was $5.9 million per year, with a range…

Millions Hit in South Korea Cyber Attack

South Korea’s communications regulator announced yesterday authorities and online security analysts are assessing the damage caused by what is being described as the largest data breach in the country’s history. 

SK Communications discovered earlier this week that malicious code was used to hack its sites, the Nate portal, the third most visited search engine and email platform in the country and Cyworld, described as Korea’s equivalent to Facebook. Officials…

‘Anonymous’ Hacks NATO, Leaks Restricted Documents

Members of hacking collective Anonymous announced yesterday via Twitter they have breached the North Atlantic Treaty Organization system and accessed about 1 gigabyte of restricted material from the servers.

“We are sitting on about one Gigabyte of data from NATO now, most of which we cannot publish as it would be irresponsible. But Oh NATO….”, they tweeted. While they plan not to release the entirety of accessed reports,…

24,000 Pentagon Files Stolen in Cyber Attack on Military Contractor

The Defense Department experienced one of its worst-ever cyber attacks this spring, when a foreign adversary hacked into the computer system of a contractor and stole 24,000 Pentagon files, senior officials said last week.

As the Pentagon unveiled its strategy for cyberspace operations, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III disclosed that over the years stolen files from defense and industry data networks have included plans for missile tracking…

Booz Allen Confirms Cyber Attack

Consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton has confirmed reports of hackers attacking the firm and extracting information that was posted online.

The firm said it is conducting an investigation to determine the nature and the extent of the cyber attack that involved the theft of “certain data files.”

“At this time, we do not believe that the attack extended beyond data pertaining to a learning management system for a…

Estonian Telecom Services Provider Fights Off Cyber Attack

An unidentified hacker launched a cyber attack against Estonian telecom service provider Elion’s email system, attempting to gain access to 70,000 client accounts, Estonian Public Broadcasting reports.

An investigation determined the intruder failed to access passwords and content. The attack, which came from outside of Estonia, was the largest cyber attack Elion has experienced, the company’s Chief Technical Engineer Kalev Reiljan told Postimees.

The cyber assault began June…

Government Lab Hit by Cyber Attack

The government’s research and development facility, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, was forced to shut down Internet access after suffering a cyber attack, according to Reuters.

“PNNL is experiencing an Internet outage due to a cyber attack,” the laboratory said in a voice mail message at the lab’s office of public affairs.

PNNL spokesman Greg Koller told The Associated Press services were being restored gradually.

“The good news is…