SiliconAngle reports that cyber resilience-focused companies CISO Global and Halcyon Technologies have collaborated to provide integrated security offerings featuring their respective cyber solutions …
The Biden administration has tapped Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the service’s top officer in the Pacific, to run Air Combat Command, the Pentagon announced Thursday.
If confirmed by the Senate, Wilsbach would come in at a time of transition for ACC, the Air Force’s largest umbrella organization for air warfare. He would bring to ACC his experience as a career fighter pilot who has spent most of the past four decades in the Pacific, as the U.S. military views China as its top strategic threat.
He is set to succeed Gen. Mark Kelly, who has led the command since August 2020. Air Force Staff Director Lt. Gen. Kevin Schneider was nominated April 20 to replace Wilsbach at Pacific Air Forces; it’s unclear what Kelly’s next move will be.
Wilsbach was commissioned into the Air Force in 1985 and became a decorated pilot with more than 5,000 flight hours in the F-15C, F-16C and F-22 fighter jets and MC-12 intelligence plane. His awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star, among others, according to his official biography.
Prior to leading PACAF, he recently served as the deputy commander of U.S. forces in South Korea, commander of U.S. Northern Command’s Alaska branch, and operations director at U.S. Central Command. He joined PACAF in July 2020.
ACC oversees more than 156,000 personnel across nearly 250 locations around the world. It supplies fighter and intelligence-collection aircraft, cyber warfare specialists and more to commanders in North America, South America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
The command is beginning to retire hundreds of its older aircraft after decades at war in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, and hopes to build a more flexible and technologically advanced force for the years ahead.
The Pentagon also announced Thursday that Maj. Gen. Linda Hurry will pin on a third star to become the deputy commander of Air Force Materiel Command, the service’s acquisition and maintenance hub. She currently serves as the logistics director at Air Force headquarters.
It’s unclear when their nominations might get across the finish line. Hundreds of military job changes are on hold in the…
Digital kidnappers are targeting enterprises in Southeast Asia (SEA), and global cybersecurity company Kaspersky predicts that this trend will continue in the coming years, albeit in more sophisticated and targeted ways. Ransomware, a type of malware that locks computer and mobile devices or encrypts electronic files, is used by cybercriminals to demand a ransom in exchange for a decryption key or the return of data.
Ransomware has evolved as a threat since the first known attack in 1989; and since 2016, attackers have shifted from targeting users to larger enterprises. High-impact incidents, such as the WannaCry ransomware attack, have caused estimated damages of up to US$4 billion. Ransomware groups continue to target enterprises worldwide, including those in SEA, due to the high return on investment.
Kaspersky is taking proactive steps to combat the escalating danger of targeted ransomware attacks on businesses in Southeast Asia. Its latest move is the introduction of the Kaspersky Extended Detection and Response (XDR) platform, which offers comprehensive protection against such attacks through its multi-layered defense mechanisms. Kaspersky reports that there has been a significant increase of almost 181% in daily ransomware attacks worldwide in the last year, resulting in approximately 9,500 encrypted files per day.
The attackers behind these attacks constantly improve their tactics and tools to demand higher ransoms and create a greater reputational impact. In 2020, Kaspersky warned of the rise of Ransomware 2.0, which employs highly targeted attacks and “pressure tactics” to achieve these goals.
Targeted ransomware groups have emerged as a new form of extortion in the past two years, using tactics such as reselling hacked data or files, conducting DDoS attacks, and launching targeted phishing campaigns. This tactic has been dubbed Ransomware…
Singapore Releases Blueprint to Combat Ransomware Attacks Regulation Asia