 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
 by Staff Writers Brussels (AFP) Oct 3, 2018
The United States is expected to make its offensive cyber warfare capabilities available to NATO, officials said Wednesday, as the alliance seeks to strengthen its defences against Russian electronic attacks. Britain and Denmark have already publicly committed cyber resources to NATO, and Washington is expected to announce that it will follow suit on Thursday at a meeting of defence ministers in Brussels. Alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said cyber attacks on NATO countries were becoming "more frequent... more sophisticated... more coercive" and any contribution of cyber capabilities was welcome. "We see cyber being used to meddle in domestic political processes, attacks against critical infrastructure, and cyber will be an integral part of any future military conflict," Stoltenberg said. The three Baltic states -- Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia -- say they come under near-daily cyber assault, with government departments, banking systems and the power grid coming in for attack, and point the finger at former Soviet ruler Russia. Moscow is also blamed for interfering in various European elections through campaigns of disinformation on social media. Most recently, Washington accused Russia of leading a disinformation campaign in Macedonia through social media to discourage voters from taking part in last weekend's referendum on changing the country's name. The name change is crucial to Macedonia's hopes of joining NATO -- a step Moscow opposes.
Elite N.Korean hacker group tied to bank attacks: researchers A report by the cybersecurity firm FireEye said the newly identified group dubbed APT38 is distinct from but linked to other North Korean hacking operations, and has the mission of raising funds for the isolated Pyongyang regime. FireEye researchers said APT38 is one of several hacking cells within an umbrella group known as "Lazarus," but with unique skills and tools that have helped it carry out some of the world's largest cyber heists. "They are a cybercriminal group with the skills of a cyberespionage campaign," said Sandra Joyce, FireEye's vice president of intelligence, in a briefing with journalists in Washington. Joyce said one of the characteristics of APT38 is that it takes several months, sometimes nearly two years, to penetrate and learn the workings of its targets before its attacks, which have sought to illegally transfer more than $1 billion from victimized banks. "They take their time to learn the intricacies of the organization," Joyce said. Once they succeed, she added, "they deploy destructive malware on their way out" to hide their traces and make it more difficult for victims to find out what happened. - Sense of urgency - Joyce said FireEye decided to go public about the threat out of a "sense of urgency" because the group appears to still be operating and is "undeterred by any diplomatic efforts." The group has compromised more than 16 organizations in at least 11 different countries since at least 2014, according to the FireEye report. Some of the known attacks have targeted the Vietnam TP Bank in 2015, Bangladesh Bank in 2016, Far Eastern International Bank of Taiwan in 2017 and Bancomext of Mexico and Banco de Chile in 2018. Joyce said the group appears to have "the scope and resources of a nation-state" but offered no specific figures on how many people it uses. Nalani Fraser, a member of the FireEye research team, said APT38 attacks sought at least $1.1 billion since 2014 and have managed to steal "hundreds of millions of dollars based on data that we can confirm." FireEye said there appears to be some sharing of resources between hacker groups in North Korea, including those involved in espionage and those in other kinds of attacks. - Focused mission - Some of the information about APT38 was revealed in a US criminal complaint unsealed last month against Park Jin Hyok, charged in connection with WannaCry ransomware outbreak and the attack on Sony Pictures. But Park likely played only a peripheral role in APT38,which "has a focused mission to steal money to fund the North Korean regime," according to Joyce. FireEye's new report was based in part on forensic analysis it conducted for the FBI in the investigation into Park, but also from other data the security firm has gathered from its global client base. The researchers said APT38 used techniques including "phishing" emails to gain access to credentials and using "watering holes" -- hijacked websites that appear normal but which contain malware that enable hackers to gather more data and access. As part of the scheme, the hackers created fake identities within known nongovernmental organizations or foundations to help move the stolen money, in some cases manipulating the global interbank transfer system known as SWIFT. The report is the latest highlighting a vast and increasingly sophisticated cyber campaign by North Korea for both political and financial ends. In September, a 176-page criminal complaint against Park outlined what officials called "a vast and audacious scheme by the North Korean government to utilize computer intrusions as a means to support the varied goals of their regime." On Tuesday, the US Department of Homeland Security warned that North Korea is likely behind malware used to hack into and steal money from bank teller machines. The bulletin said officials believe the "Hidden Cobra" malware enabled North Korea to illegally get cash from bank machines in at least 30 countries, mainly in Asia and Africa, since 2016.
US looks to trump China's Huawei in Papua New Guinea Sydney (AFP) Sept 28, 2018 The United States and Pacific allies will counter a bid from Chinese telecoms giant Huawei to build a communications network in Papua New Guinea, a senior diplomat said Friday, intensifying a campaign to curb China's rising regional influence. Responding to reports that the US and its close allies Australia and Japan were looking to trump the Chinese firm's bid to build PNG's domestic internet infrastructure, US charge d'affaires in Australia James Caruso was blunt. "We're working on a counter o ... read more
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
