Tag Archive for: Community

Three Former U.S. Intelligence Community and Military Personnel to Pay $1.68M Hacking Fine

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On Sept. 7, U.S. citizens, Marc Baier, 49, and Ryan Adams, 34, and a former U.S. citizen, Daniel Gericke, 40, all former employees of the U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) or the U.S. military, entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) that restricts their future activities and employment and requires the payment of $1,685,000 in penalties to resolve a Department of Justice investigation regarding violations of U.S. export control, computer fraud and access device fraud laws. The Department filed the DPA today, along with a criminal information alleging that the defendants conspired to violate such laws.

According to court documents, the defendants worked as senior managers at a United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.)-based company (U.A.E. CO) that supported and carried out computer network exploitation (CNE) operations (i.e., “hacking”) for the benefit of the U.A.E government between 2016 and 2019. Despite being informed on several occasions that their work for U.A.E. CO, under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), constituted a “defense service” requiring a license from the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), the defendants proceeded to provide such services without a license.

These services included the provision of support, direction and supervision in the creation of sophisticated “zero-click” computer hacking and intelligence gathering systems – i.e., one that could compromise a device without any action by the target. U.A.E. CO employees whose activities were supervised by and known to the defendants thereafter leveraged these zero-click exploits to illegally obtain and use access credentials for online accounts issued by U.S. companies, and to obtain unauthorized access to computers, like mobile phones, around the world, including in the United States.

“This agreement is the first-of-its-kind resolution of an investigation into two distinct types of criminal activity: providing unlicensed export-controlled defense services in support of computer network exploitation, and a commercial company creating, supporting and operating systems specifically designed to allow others to access data without authorization…

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Community college program a response to cyber attacks |

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WATERLOO, Iowa — Cyber attacks have become a common occurrence that can impact all kinds of businesses and organizations.

Hackers are constantly trying to break into computers connected to the internet – every 39 seconds on average, according to a University of Maryland study.

A new information technology program launching this fall at Hawkeye Community College will produce graduates equipped to respond to the attacks. The associate’s degree of applied science in cybersecurity was developed in response to a need across Iowa for the service.

Todd Bengen, a Hawkeye business and information technology instructor, told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier there’s “a big push at all levels in the state of Iowa to try and implement security” as businesses become increasingly reliant on the internet.

“The drivers behind it are statistics from all kinds of different agencies,” said Bengen, projecting a “huge” amount of growth in cybersecurity careers and a large shortage of workers. U.S. Bureau of Labor figures show an expected 12% increase in computer and information technology occupations nationwide – or the addition of 546,200 jobs – from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all careers.

IT administrators at some Cedar Valley businesses are glad to see the college offering the new degree.

“Security fits into so many roles these days,” said Jay Bracken, information security officer with The VGM Group. People working in areas like accounting or facilities “need to have some knowledge of security,” he noted. The skills students will learn in the new program can “launch you into a lot of career paths.”

“Since we’re in the health care business, we need to be in the security business,” said Jeremy Kauten, VGM’s chief information officer and senior vice president of information technology.

Robin Nelson, shareholder director of security projects at BerganKDV, suggested that in coming years students from other Hawkeye programs may begin to take some cybersecurity classes because those skills are so important.

“So, I definitely give Hawkeye credit for getting ahead of this,” he said.

“With everything in the news, having that security foundation is going to…

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U.S. Government launches first business, community one-stop ransomware resource website – Corridor News

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“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting Americans from the rise in ransomware attacks that we have seen in recent years,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland of the Justice Department. “Along with our partners in and outside of government, and through our Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force, the Department is working to bring all our tools to bear against these threats. But we cannot do it alone. It is critical for business leaders across industries to recognize the threat, prioritize efforts to harden their systems, and work with law enforcement by reporting these attacks promptly.”

“As ransomware attacks continue to rise around the world, businesses and other organizations must prioritize their cybersecurity,” said Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for the Department of Homeland Security. “Cybercriminals have targeted critical infrastructure, small businesses, hospitals, police departments, schools, and more. These attacks directly impact Americans’ daily lives and the security of our nation. I urge every organization across our country to use this new resource to learn how to protect themselves from ransomware and reduce their cybersecurity risk.”

StopRansomware.gov is the first central hub consolidating ransomware resources from all federal government agencies. Before today, individuals and organizations had to visit a variety of websites to find guidance, latest alerts, updates, and resources, increasing the likelihood of missing important information.

The new website reduces the fragmentation of resources, which is especially detrimental for those who have become victims of an attack, by integrating federal ransomware resources into a single platform that includes clear guidance on how to report attacks, and the latest ransomware-related alerts and threats from all participating agencies.

StopRansomware.gov includes resources and content from DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.S. Secret Service, the DOJ’s FBI, the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Departments of the Treasury and Health and Human Services.

Ransomware is a long-standing…

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Following computer hack, Covington expected to recover most of $100,000 spent in recovery | St. Tammany community news

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Covington Chief Administrative Officer Erin Bivona recently told the City Council that the city expects to recoup most of the expenses it has spent to repair and recover the municipal computer system that was part of a nationwide hack in March.

The city has incurred more than $100,000 to date in equipment upgrades and software licenses since the Ransomware attack four months ago, Bivona told members in a July 13 meeting. Covington had a cyber security insurance policy at the time of the breach, which is expected to cover most of the unfortunate costs.

Hackers, taking advantage of a weakness in the Microsoft Outlook email platform, infiltrated more than 30,000 different computer systems on March 11, rendering the machines useless and tying up vital information at each for weeks on end. A variety of networks, from doctor’s offices, retail outlets and government entities, including Covington, were hit.

Bivona told the council the recovery has been “part sprint, part marathon.” 

City officials were quick to move when the hack was discovered early on the morning of March 11. Members of the Louisiana Cyber Investigators Alliance, made up of various police and government agencies, were on hand within hours of the breach and worked for two weeks to restore municipal operations and wage recovery efforts.

It was a challenging fortnight, Bivona said, but it’s not over. She said a consultant was hired to focus entirely on the hack. The city’s own IT department has also tackled the work, but has remained responsive to other needs in city government at the same time.

“Since the hack, we’ve been under disaster response recover mode,” she told the council. “And we’ll be there until the end of September.”

Bivona said Wi-Fi in city facilities is still not operational. And Munis, the computer program the city uses for all financial operations, such as payroll and utility billing, also remains compromised.

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“There are security concerns associated with Wi-Fi,” she said. “We’re rebuilding a…

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