Tag Archive for: Jersey

New Jersey passes resolution affirming trade with Taiwan

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  • By Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNA

The New Jersey General Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution backing a bilateral trade agreement between Taiwan and the US, and supporting Taiwan’s bid to participate in the WHO and other international organizations.

The resolution marking the sister-state relationship between Taiwan and New Jersey established in 1989 unanimously passed the lower chamber of the state house by a vote of 75-0.

Hans Chang (張俊裕), deputy director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in New York, witnessed the resolution’s passage as a special guest.

Photo: REUTERS

Taiwan and New Jersey share free and democratic values and strong economic ties, and the resolution would deepen the partnership, said Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak, a US Democrat who sponsored the bill.

Taiwan thanks New Jersey state lawmakers for their support and friendship and looks forward to strengthening the bilateral partnership, TECO said in a statement.

In March, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) met New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy during her transit through New York, and discussed the nation’s collaboration with the governor’s economic and infrastructure initiatives, it said.

Taiwan’s six core strategic industries development plan could complement Murphy’s policies, especially in high-tech industries, green energy, traffic, communications, biotechnology and secure supply chains, it said.

The resolution mentions the increased collaboration between Taiwan and the US in supply chain resilience, efforts to counter Beijing’s economic coercion, development of a digital economy and improvement of Internet security, among other issues, TECO said.

The assembly urged Washington to continue supporting Taiwan’s effort for inclusion in the WHO, International Civil Aviation Organization and Interpol, it said.

The nation’s partnership with New Jersey is strong, with Taoyuan and Newark inking a…

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Three Iranian nationals charged with hacking New Jersey targets

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The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment Sept. 14 charging three Iranian nationals with allegedly running a massive, global ransomware operation that hacked into the computer networks of multiple U.S. victims, including several in the Garden State.

The indictment charges Mansour Ahmadi, Ahmad Khatibi Aghda and Amir Hossein Nickaein Ravari of engaging in the scheme. The three, who are residents of Iran, are each charged with one count of conspiring to commit computer fraud and related activity, one count of intentionally damaging a protected computer, and one count of transmitting a demand in relation to damaging a protected computer.

“The Government of Iran has created a safe haven where cyber criminals acting for personal gain flourish and defendants like these are able to hack and extort victims, including critical infrastructure providers,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “This indictment makes clear that even other Iranians are less safe because their own government fails to follow international norms and stop Iranian cyber criminals.”

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The hacking allegedly exploited vulnerabilities in software and networks to gain access and exfiltrate data and information from victims’ computer systems. The indictment also accuses the trio of denying victims access to their systems and data unless a ransom payment was made.

The three men are accused of victimizing a broad range of organizations, including small businesses, government agencies, nonprofit programs and institutions, as well as critical infrastructure sectors such as health care centers, transportation services and utility providers.

Here in New Jersey, according to court documents, the defendants targeted a township in Union County in February 2021, gaining control and access to the township’s network and data and using a hacking tool to establish persistent remote access to a particular domain that was registered to one of the men.

They are also accused of targeting a Morris County-based accounting firm in or before February 2022, using a hacking tool to establish a connection to a server registered to one of…

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3 months after cyberattack that threatened ‘public health crisis,’ Jersey City MUA computer systems still not fully restored

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The recent cyberattack at the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority inflicted damage that lasted months and threatened to cause a “public health crisis,” the agency said.

Officials from Jersey City and the autonomous utilities agency have said little about the Sept. 30 ransomware attack, which MUA documents said blocked access to “vital” water and sewer information.

But the MUA spent nearly half a million dollars to address the attack, and the agency’s computer systems were still not fully functional even three months after the cyber incursion, an MUA resolution passed last month shows.

At a Dec. 17 meeting, the MUA Board of Commissioners voted to approve a new $391,000 emergency contract with cyber security firm Digital Team Six for “technical restoration services,” according to a resolution obtained through an Open Public Records request. The new contract was “necessary to avert a public health crisis,” the resolution said.

“Despite repeated efforts … problems continued to be encountered with restoring all of the JCMUA’s internet technology network to full operation,” the resolution states, adding that “it has become increasingly apparent that advanced technical assistance will be required.”

But the extent of the potential “public health crisis” is unclear. JCMUA Executive Director Jose Cunha could not be reached for comment and MUA Board of Commissioners Chair Maureen Hulings declined to comment. Digital Team Six staff did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The contract comes on the heels of an $18,675 contract with a different information technology firm, as well as a $25,000 contract with Pennsylvania law firm Mullen Coughlin to investigate the incident — putting known expenditures related to the incident at $434,675. MUA officials expected at least $25,000 of that to be covered by insurance.

It’s also unclear exactly what the hacker or hackers wanted to target. However, the attack caused the agency to “lose access to vital information and documentation related to the provision of water and sewerage services to the citizens of the City of Jersey City,” an October resolution reads.

In ransomware attacks, hackers block…

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Analysis | The Cybersecurity 202: New Jersey lawsuit tries to block Internet voting in the state – The Washington Post

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Analysis | The Cybersecurity 202: New Jersey lawsuit tries to block Internet voting in the state  The Washington Post
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