James Clapper: China’s Cyber Warfare Capabilities ‘Formidable Concern’ to US

China’s growing capabilities in cyber warfare and intelligence gathering are a “formidable concern” to the United States, the intelligence director told a Senate panel yesterday.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said the Chinese have invested significantly in cyber warfare capabilities and “this is…

Anonymous Goes after Copyright Collection Agency

Anonymous has cyber attacked the website of copyright collection agency BMI as part of Operation Payback, the collective’s ongoing war against copyright and anti-piracy enforcers.

According to Rolling Stone magazine, BMI temporarily took down its website in response to the group’s denial-of-service attack and in a statement said the hackers were not able to compromise the agency’s security.

Anonymous members also released a statement saying…

EU Cyber Agency Cracks Down on Cyber Zombies

According to zombie lore, a surefire way to destroy one of the living dead is a shot to the head.

Now, EU’s cybersecurity agency, ENISA, has published a study on botnets, also known as cyber zombies. But neutralizing these zombies may be more difficult than their horror-movie brethren.

The report, titled “Botnets: Measurement, Detection, Disinfection…

35K Chinese Websites Hacked in 2010

Tens of thousands of websites in China were attacked by hackers in 2010, including 4,635 government websites, according to a report released by the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Center of China.

The report, quoted by People’s Daily Online, said government websites are vulnerable to cyber attacks, and websites of financial institutions have become hackers’ first choice. The number of compromised government…

Former State Dept. Contractor Pleads Guilty to Unauthorized Computer Access

A former State Department contractor pleaded guilty yesterday to illegally accessing confidential passport application files, according to the Justice Department.

Mark Carter, 51, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty to a one-count criminal information charging him with unauthorized computer access.

According to the plea documents, Carter was a contract hire at the State Department and served as the network administrator in the Eastern District of Virginia. He…

Australia’s Spy Agency Stands Up Cyber Espionage Team

Australia’s intelligence agency, ASIO, has created a unit to handle cyber attacks on security and business computer systems by foreign enemies, according to The Australian.

Attorney-General Robert McClelland detailed the government’s worries about the cyber threat in a speech yesterday, saying the explosion of cyberspace has expanded infinitely…

Suspects Nabbed for Selling Fake Olympics Tickets Online

Five people were yesterday arrested in England as part of a police operation targeting illegal cyber crime associated with next week’s launch of the London 2012 Olympic Games tickets, according to The Telegraph.

Detective Nick Downing, chief inspector in charge of the so-called Operation Podium, said the aim was to disrupt organized criminal networks involved in illegally selling Games tickets.

“The victims are those people who get scammed, have their…

Pentagon Investigates ‘Anonymous’ Threat against Quantico

The Pentagon has requested an investigation into Anonymous’ reported cyber threat against the military base used to hold Pfc. Bradley Manning, who is accused of leaking secret government documents to whistle-blower site WikiLeaks and “aiding the enemy,” The Financial Times reported.

Pentagon spokesman Col. David Lapan told AFP the probe was requested after news emerged that Anonymous…

Top 50 Government CIOs Announced

U.S. Cyber Command and NSA head Keith B. Alexander and White House cyber coordinator Howard A. Schmidt have been chosen among the top 50 government CIOs on InformationWeek Government’s compilation of technology leaders across federal, state and local agencies.

But what exactly makes a top government CIO? Although there is no…

Nigerian Scam Bamboozles $1.5 Million from Senior Citizens

A total of 10 suspects have been charged for running a $1.5 million California-based 419 scam targeting mostly elderly people, according to media reports.

Prosecutors said three defendants — Bright Amesi, Briceson Loving and Erika Fletcher — yesterday pleaded not guilty after being already charged by a federal grand jury in 2009. The alleged mastermind Claudio Uche Dibe, who is a Nigerian national, was extradited from Canada…