- The Washington Post reports that hackers thought to be working for the Russian government breached the unclassified White House computer networks in recent weeks resulting in temporary disruptions to some services while cybersecurity teams worked to contain the intrusion. However, the article also states that the intruders did not damage any of the systems and that, to date, there is no evidence the classified network was hacked. Nevertheless, sources state that the nature of the target is consistent with a state-sponsored campaign, according to the article. These findings are consistent with recent reports by private security firms which have identified cyber-espionage campaigns by Russian hackers thought to be working for the government. The New York Times reported on some of these recent reports by online experts linking breaches to the Russian government, click here for that full article.
- The Nigerian Senate has passed into law, a seven-year jail term for all kinds of computer-related fraud, computer-related forgery, offences relating to pornography, cyber-stalking and cyber-squatting on October 24, reports 360nobs.com. Read the full article here.
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is now looking into at least two dozen cases of possible cybersecurity flaws in medical devices ranging from artificial heart implants to hospital infusion pumps, reports IEEE Spectrum. According to the article, the agency wants to help manufacturers fix software bugs and other vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers.
- A highly sophisticated cyber espionage group has been linked to Chinese intelligence according to a report that was issued as a result of a joint effort among private cyber-security companies to identify and counter “a sophisticated advanced threat actor group.” The Diplomat wrote an in-depth article on the findings of the report, stating that the cyber threat, named “Axiom” in the report, is said to have targeted everything from government offices to NGOs and media outlets in a global campaign over the past six years. For the full report click here. For analysis by The Diplomat click here.
- The Justice Department speaks out on the importance of government and private businesses becoming allies in the fight to improve the nation’s cybersecurity, reports the Washington Times. The article quotes John Carlin, assistant attorney general for national security: “The attackers we face range in sophistication, and when it comes to nation states and terrorists, it is not fair to let the private sector face these threats alone.” To read more about the perspective of the Justice Department on this issue, read the full article here. For a look at the same topic from a different viewpoint, former Congressman Tom Davis from Virginia discussed the obstacles standing in the way of Congress creating these connections in an article by ThreatPost; to view that article click here.
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