Tag Archive for: breaking

Israel’s Version of Moving Fast and Breaking Things: The New Cybersecurity Bill

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The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) of Israel published a new bill in February entitled “Cybersecurity and the National Cyber Directorate.” If passed by government committee and the Knesset, this law will redefine cybersecurity governance in Israel. The PMO officially tabled an earlier version of the bill in June 2018, but that bill did not advance through the legislative process given the strong objections it raised both in the professional cybersecurity community and among other government authorities. In particular, stakeholders raised concerns about the broad scope of authority sought by the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) under the 2018 bill. Other concerns included the lack of proper safeguards over the nature and scope of invasive “computer protection actions” taken by the INCD in response to cyberattacks, the potential for privacy infringements in the name of national security, and the interface between the activities of the INCD and other law enforcement agencies. The process of affording the INCD—which is currently a policy-setting body—with operative powers has been controversial even within Israel’s security establishment. One publicized example of this controversy was a 2017 leaked memo to the prime minister from the Mossad, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), Israel Defense Forces and the Defense Ministry declaring their opposition to the expanding authorities of the INCD.

The new bill is an abbreviated formulation of the 2018 version and is framed as temporary legislation with a two-year sunset clause—perhaps to avoid some of the opposition that emerged in response to its earlier iteration. The PMO wants to move fast—somewhat insincerely in our view—because of increased cybersecurity risk while teleworking during the coronavirus pandemic and the associated digitization of workplaces in both the public and private sectors. A string of recent attacks on Israeli companies, which two of the authors discussed in a previous Lawfare post, also generated a sense of urgency for providing the INCD with unprecedented and controversial legal tools to respond to the new risk environment. These steps, however, come at the risk of compromising…

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Man charged with breaking into computers in multiple states

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Between June 2017 and April 2018, Purbeck is accused of buying the usernames and passwords to computer servers belonging to multiple Georgia victims and then using that information to access their computer to steal personal information.

Federal prosecutors say Purbeck stole medical records and other documents containing the names, addresses, birthdates and Social Security numbers of more than 43,000 people from a medical clinic in Griffin; the personal information of more than 7,000 people from a medical practice in Locust Grove; and police reports and other documents with personal information of more than 14,000 people from the city of Newnan.

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IDEX 2021: First COVID-Era Defense Show Kicks Off « Breaking Defense

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EDGE Group showcasing latest technologies at the International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) 2021

ABU DHABI: Amid strict safety measures, Abu Dhabi kicked off its defense shows, promising they would be no less striking than previous editions unburdened by quarantine, COVID-testing, global travel restrictions and all the other challenges of the COVID era.

The bi-annual five-day events, International Defense Exhibition and Naval Defense Exhibition (IDEX and NAVDEX 2021), feature more than 900 exhibitors from 59 nations with 35 national pavilions. Among the new countries participating are North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg and Portugal; Israel backed out a week ago due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

“84% of companies exhibiting will be internationally based, while 16% will be UAE based entities which demonstrates the vast international interest in IDEX and NAVDEX,” said Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, managing director and group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), the shows’ organizers.

As part of the naval exhibition, 17 maritime units from 10 countries are stationed at the pier of ADNEC Marina and dedicated areas in Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s port area. Units include the American guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones, and the UAE’s Shouty coast guard boat, among others.

On opening day, the UAE armed forces signed 19 defense contracts with local and international firms, with the larger part going to domestic companies.

“Worth $1.37 billion, 22% of the deals were signed with seven international firms while 78% went to 12 local companies,” Staff Brig. Gen. Mohammed Al Hassani, official spokesman for IDEX and NAVDEX, said in a press briefing.

Among the deals: 12 B-250 light attack aircraft by UAE-based Calidus to the armed forces; armored vehicles by UAE-based Nimr to the land forces; seeker 400 unmanned aerial systems by South-African Denel SoC lTD to the command of presidential Guard; and the production of the GATRT-T air communication system by French Thales to the UAE Air Force and Air Defense Command.

The show hopes to support the growth of UAE’s defense industry and forge new relationships with major international companies.

“These…

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How to improve Internet security and curb threats – Latest News, Breaking News, Top News Headlines

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Internet security is seriously threatened. The typical collection of malware, increasingly sophisticated and massive, has been joined in 2020 by all consequences of the COVID pandemic, a great challenge also in terms of cybersecurity.

And it is that the confinements due to the pandemic have displaced millions of employees and students from perimeter networks generally well protected to those of the most insecure homes by default. It has also increased disinformation, the fake news and in general the manipulation of the information that some analysts consider one more a problem of computer security.

Of course, it has not been lacking malware of all kinds, viruses, Trojans and specimens of all conditions and for all platforms. Cyber ​​attacks are increasingly numerous, sophisticated, dangerous and massive with Ransomware and Phishing as the main threats. The data breaches and the right to privacy, and cyber espionage that does not rest, are also the order of the day and complete an explosive cocktail.

Therefore, the common user must adopt proactive measures to improve security. Achieving 100% security and privacy in a global network and in such a connected world is simply impossible, but we can increase protection by observing a series of tips that our very security colleagues have published and that we recommend.

They include the strengthening of online accounts, the use of operating systems and applications, equipment and networks. And common sense in the use of the Internet and its services. Prudence is one of the preferred barriers against malware And it is advisable to be extremely cautious against phishing or ransomware attacks, which as soon as we pay attention we can prevent, because to be effective they use precisely the carelessness of the user.

To do this, we must avoid installing applications from unsafe sites; the opening of unsolicited emails or attachments that arrive from social networks or messaging applications; browsing certain Internet pages; or using outdated operating systems and applications, which contain vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cybercriminals in malware campaigns.

You have the complete guide to help improve Internet…

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