Crossroads Blog | Institute National Security and Counterterrorism

Cybersecurity, malware, NSA

Cyber Round Up: NSA Develops Cyber Weapons; India’s Cyber Gap; Cyber Dangers of Cell Phones

  • NSA Develops Cyber Weapons: RT reports the NSA has developed cyber weapons that enable them to paralyze the enemy’s computer networks and all infrastructures they control.  Relying on documents leaked by Edward Snowden, the article describes how NSA’s surveillance was just the first step in NSA’s plan to take control over the internet and rival networks.  According to the article, the secret documents make clear that the only law in the digital world, a world which will make little differentiation between soldiers and civilians, is “the survival of the fittest.”  Two of NSA’s new cyber weapons are described in the article: (1) Quantumdirk: a new NSA program which injects malicious content into chat services provided by sites such as Facebook and Yahoo, and (2) Straitbizarre: malware that can turn infected computers into disposable and non-attributable ‘shooter’ nodes which are used for ‘command and control for very large scale active exploitation and attack.’  For the full article, click here.
  • India’s Cyber Security Gap: While India continues to push for stronger cyber-security, according to an article by TimesofIndia, their current lack of funding and resources has created a knowledge gap between the country and cyber terrorists.  The article quotes Vijay Kumar, senior security adviser in the ministry of home affairs: “[I]t is a constant race between governments and terror groups to keep ahead in cyberspace.”  The article also points out that India’s dependence on China for electronic goods has been an issue of growing concern for security agencies.  To read more, click here.
  • Cyber Dangers of Cell Phones: An article by PropertyCasualty360.com reviews the findings of a cyber security report on the cyber dangers of cell phones.  The mobile security firm Lookout created the report, relying on information from more than 60 million global users.  According to the article, the threats which pose the greatest risk to mobile phone users can be divided into three categories: malware, chargeware, and adware.  The article also provides advice on how to protect your cell phone: purchase apps from a legitimate app store and look out for apps that ask for a lot of personal data.  For an explanation of how each category poses a serious threat to cell phone users, read the full article here.

 

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