Symantec Survey Finds Less Awareness in Government Infrastructure Policies, Protection

Symantec’s 2011 Critical Infrastructure Protection Survey found a global drop in awareness and engagement as measured by the CIP Participation Index. Symantec reported the CIP Participation Index measured at 82 percent in government protection programs this year, which is a 18 point drop from last year. 

“The findings of this survey are somewhat alarming, given recent attacks like Nitro…

Researchers Warn of Potential Attacks on Energy, Industrial Plants

According to researchers, energy and industrial plants are vulnerable to devastating cyber attacks.

Dillon Beresford, a researcher with NSS Labs, warned attendees at last week’s Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas that there are significant security issues in the programmable logic controllers that are used to operate mechanical processes in power and manufacturing…

Former CIA Official: ‘Cyber Will Be Key Component of Any Future Conflict’

Cyber war is an imminent threat, the former director of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center Cofer Black said yesterday during his keynote speech at the Black Hat Security Conference in Las Vegas.

The counterterrorism official who raised the alarm that a major terrorist attack was coming before 9/11 warned conference attendees of the parallels he…

Expert: Hackers Could Free Prisoners from Jail Cells

Researchers are now warning that vulnerabilities in the electronic infrastructures of prisons could allow hackers to release prisoners from their jail cells.

According to Wired, security consultant and engineer John Strauchs said some of the same vulnerabilities that the Stuxnet superworm used to sabotage centrifuges at a nuclear plant in Iran exist…

DHS: Stuxnet Clones May Target US Infrastructures

Officials from the Department of Homeland Security warned Congress yesterday that potential variants of the Stuxnet worm could threaten important U.S. infrastructures.

Roberta Stempfley and Sean P. McGurk from the DHS’ Office of Cyber Security and Communications appeared before House members and stressed the importance of strengthened cybersecurity efforts across the federal government….

Cyber Experts Take On Cybersecurity in Estonia Meet

Three hundred cyber experts from around the world gathered in Tallinn today for a NATO Cyber Conflict conference to discuss the legal and political aspects of national and global cybersecurity amid a surge of attacks,

Pentagon Deems Cyber Attack an Act of Warfare

The Pentagon has concluded that cyber attacks by foreign hackers can be classified as an act of war, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Citing three officials who had seen the Pentagon’s soon-to-be-released cyber strategy, WSJ said the plan would maintain that the current international rules of armed conflict are relevant in cyberspace. The Pentagon aims to use the plan…

Cliff Unger: Stuxnet Worm ‘Not a Surprise to Anybody’

Experts may be divided on the exact dangers of Stuxnet, which some dubbed the most sophisticated malware to date, but most agree it took the cyber threat to the next…

Navy Seeks to Implement Faster Acquisition Strategy to Fight Cyber Threats

The Navy plans to strengthen its network security systems and accelerate its acquisitions process to respond to the ever-evolving threat of cyberwarfare, according to a SPAWAR program manager.

Kevin McNally outlined the department’s plans at a luncheon Tuesday hosted by the San Diego chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association.

According…

Experts Doubt Iran’s Claims of being Cyber Attacked

More than a week after Iran said it had been the victim of another cyber attack by foreign adversaries, computer security experts around the globe are voicing their skepticism about the country’s claims.

After the Stuxnet incident last year, Iran claims it was recently hit with another cyber attack. The Iranian government…