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US government hackers ‘penetrate’ Russian electric grid and communication lines to be ‘ready’ in case of election day interference (Independent): A recent report analyzes the present state of the ongoing cyber battle between the U.S. and Russia. The article, posted just days before the 2016 Presidential Election, says that the U.S. is “in place” to respond any interference in the elections by Russia. The article says that U.S. hackers have infiltrated both Russia’s electric grid and telecommunications networks, but will only take action if Russia attacks first. The report says that it is well known that the U.S. has access to other nations’ critical infrastructure, and that they have access to similar systems in the U.S. Officials claim that while the results of the election are not a concern, they believe hackers capable of causing mass ‘confusion’ with fake documents, etc. The full text of the article can be found here.
- Britain’s cybersecurity policy needs common sense, not just cash (The Guardian): Britain’s unveiling of a new cyber strategy, which this blog covered, has received substantial attention in the last week. Not everyone agrees with the policy, however, as is noted in one recent report. The article first breaks down that the money is not as large of a sum as it first seems, with yearly spending only amounting to under £400 million a year. The commentary then suggests that all those resources will likely go to recruiting experts to work for the government, which is okay, but not the best option. The author is in favor of simple legislative changes that would be more effective. The full text of the article can be found here.
- China passes controversial cybersecurity law (PC World): China passed a new law regarding cybersecurity that could have a tremendous effect on foreign countries. An article yesterday discussed China’s new law expanding control of the internet, including requiring local storage of data. The law comes despite increasing international concern over the trend of rights in China over the past year, the report says. One major critic has been Human Rights Watch, which said that the law increases censorship and surveillance. The article said that some online activities prohibited under the new law include alleged attempts to overthrow the socialist system, undermine national unity, or advocate terrorism and extremism. The full text of the article can be found here.
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