Taliban Finds New Ally in an Unlikely Place, the Porn Industry

Despite a seeming contradiction, Taliban insurgents are able to get aid from an unlikely source, the porn industry. Late last year, news reports suggested that insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan are able to intercept live video feeds from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using commercially available technology. It turns out, the commercial technology used by insurgents, SkyGrabber, is…

Jim Lewis Weighs in on current and future trends in cyber security

Jim Lewis of the Center for Security and International Studies recently discussed some of the current and future trends in cyber security with the Council on Foreign Relations. During the interview, Lewis discussed recent reports of US drone vulnerabilities and how he thinks the Obama administration is doing in advancing cyber security in the US and abroad.

Among the…

Experts Respond to Appointment of Schmidt as Cyber Coordinator

Last week, President Obama announced that Howard Schmidt, recent president and CEO of the Information Security Forum, would be taking the position of cyber coordinator at the White House. It has now been a week and various cyber security experts in and outside of government have weighed in on the choice of Schmidt. Below are some comments on the appointment from Jim Lewis, Gen. Harry Raduege and Phil…

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…

Thinking About Cyber Security

FBI Official Says Terrorists are Seeking Cyber Capabilities

According to an FBI official, terrorists are presently attempting to harness the abilities of the Internet to conduct cyber attacks.

During a statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security, the FBI’s Deputy Assistant Director of the Cyber Division Steven Chabinsky claimed the FBI is tracking terrorists who are looking into cyber capabilities.

Chabinsky did say there has not been any evidence of high-end sophistication…

Experts Speak on US Vulnerabilities

In case you missed the 60 Minute Segment this past weekend, below is a recap of the troubling information presented. The segment highlighted recent cyber attacks and looked at what the US is doing to move cyber security forward. It also included expert commentary from Mike McConnell, former DNI and presently at Booz Allen Hamilton, Jim Lewis of Center for Strategic and International…

10 Cybersecurity Game Changers to Watch in 2010

The field of cybersecurity is becoming increasingly relevant to discussions on national security.

President Barack Obama placed cybersecurity in the forefront of his national…