Crossroads Blog | Institute National Security and Counterterrorism

critical infrastructure, Current Affairs, Cyber, Cybersecurity

Cyber Round Up: First US Cyber Sanctions; US Accidentally Reveals Cyber Vulnerabilities; Cyber Breach South Korea Nuclear Operator; Best Cyber Security Lists 2015

  • U.S. Sanctions North Korea: President Obama announced on Friday sanctions against 10 North Korean officials and three government entities, Bloomberg reports.  These sanctions are believed to be the first time the US has moved to punish any country for cyber-attacks on a US company.  North Korea warns the sanctions will be counter-productive as they encourage it to strengthen its military stance, including, by implication, its nuclear arsenal.  For the full report, click here.
    • However, according to a Forbes report, the US Sanctions target the North Korean arms trade, not cyber terrorism: “The sanctions imposed by President Obama have almost nothing to do with cyber terrorism but instead show U.S. concern with North Korea as an arms exporter to regimes that Washington detests.” For the Forbes report, click here.
  • US Accidentally Discloses 800 Page Report Listing Vulnerabilities in Critical Infrastructure: In response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on a malware attack on Google called “Operation Aurora,” DHS officials accidentally released more than 800 pages of documents related not to Operation Aurora, but rather the Aurora Project, a 2007 research effort led by Idaho National Laboratory demonstrating how easy it was to hack elements in power and water systems, reports The Atlantic.  Read the full article by The Atlantic, aptly titled “A Hacker’s Hit List of American Infrastructure,” to learn why this grave error could result in the a full-scale cyber attack on critical infrastructure in 2015. Click here for article.
  • Cyber Breach South Korea Nuclear Operator: Reuters reports that South Korean authorities have found evidence that a low-risk computer “worm” had been removed from devices connected to some nuclear plant control systems.  Seoul prosecutors have not ruled out possible involvement of North Korea in the cyber attack on the nuclear operator. For the full report, click here.
  • CYBER LISTS of 2015! With the celebration of a New Year comes the over-publication of various “What to Expect in 2015” lists as well as lists recapping what we have learned in the past.  Here are some cyber security themed lists that stood out this New Year:
    • Cyber Risks in 2015: Following the New Year, CNBC compiled a list of the 5 top cyber risks for 2015.  The List: Ransomware, The Internet of Things, Cyber-espionage, Cyber theft, Insecure Passwords. Read more in the full article here.
    • Most Dangerous People Online in 2015: Kim Jong-un, Edward Snowden, and the NSA are just a few mentioned in this list created by Wired.com. To learn why and read about the others, click here for the full article.
    • Hacking in 2015: For those interested in the technical side of hacking (and for those that want to learn), read this NextGov article which lists the “10 Twists on Hackers’ Old Tricks” that we will see in 2015.
    • Cyber Security Trends in 2015: Cyber Security Threat and Vulnerability Specialist Sid Vanderloot maps out his view of the cyber security trends we will see in 2015 in a Pulse report accessible by clicking here.
    • Cyber Resolutions for Companies in 2o15: Since 2014 will long be associated with company breaches (Target, Home Depot, Sony), it made sense to include a list compiled by Fortune of “7 Cyber Resolutions Every Company Should Make in 2015.” Click here for the Fortune article.

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