Tag Archive for: Lead

Nine ways technology can lead to security issues


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SolarWinds hack may lead to breach notification law and stronger cyber agency


One of the lesser-known aspects of the SolarWinds hack that lawmakers and top U.S. cybersecurity officials are grappling with is figuring out how many American companies and federal agencies have been affected. 



a man wearing glasses and looking at the camera: From left, FireEye CEO Kevin Mandia, SolarWinds CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna and Microsoft CEO Brad Smith testify during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Feb. 23, 2021.


© Provided by Roll Call
From left, FireEye CEO Kevin Mandia, SolarWinds CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna and Microsoft CEO Brad Smith testify during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Feb. 23, 2021.

At present, no one knows.

This blind spot stems from the absence of a federal breach notification law that requires companies and federal agencies to notify the U.S. government if they have been hacked. That, however, may be about to change as congressional committees learn more about the SolarWinds hack and lawmakers in both chambers have signaled a bipartisan willingness to consider the idea. 

Last week, lawmakers summoned top tech company executives and the CEO of SolarWinds, the company whose software became the conduit for Russian intelligence agencies to access thousands of American companies and federal agencies. 

SolarWinds was hacked by Russian operatives who injected malware into routine software updates that went out to as many as 18,000 government entities and Fortune 500 companies that were clients of SolarWinds. Top U.S. government officials have said Russian intelligence services were behind the attack and that, as of now, nine federal agencies and about 100 companies were exposed but more victims are likely to be found as the probe continues.

Executives from FireEye, the cybersecurity company that found the Russian attack and made it public in December, Microsoft and SolarWinds told members of Congress that while they had come forward to share details of the attack, they were not obligated to do so and wanted Congress to address that gap. 

Without a law and clear guidance, companies don’t know whom to alert when they’re hacked, Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, said at a joint hearing of the House Oversight and Reform and House Homeland Security committees. 

Companies also face a legal barrier because contracts with federal agencies “restrict a company like Microsoft from sharing with others in the federal…

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How Did The Parler Hack Happen? WordPress Security Issues Lead the Way


Parler, the Twitter rip-off that served as one of the main organizing tools for the Donald Trump fanatics who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, has been largely offline for more than a week. But even in suspended animation, the preferred online home for QAnon, the Proud Boys, and other elements of the American far-right is still creating trouble.

Decisions by Amazon, Apple, and Google to quit hosting the site and forbid mobile users to download the app have triggered cries of Big Tech censorship. First Amendment and internet regulation politics aside, the way Parler gushed data on its way out the door raises serious cybersecurity questions as well as worries about whether other players on the internet have data breaches in their future.

Though it’s impossible to verify without peeking under Parler’s hood—a task now impossible since the website is offline—the prevailing narrative is that a Parler security flaw (or flaws) allowed a white-hat hacker to download and archive all of Parler’s user data shortly before Amazon Web Services pulled the plug on hosting the site. Among the data presented for the public (and law enforcement) to access included, in some cases, potentially incriminating location data.

Parler relied on Worpress, the world’s most-used content management system. That has led to speculation that WordPress was part of the flaw and that anyone else using WordPress was in danger. However, according to a general consensus of cybersecurity experts, including several contacted for this article, Parler’s data breach didn’t happen simply because Parler used WordPress. Instead, Parler’s user data leaked because CEO John Matze and the site’s architects left major flaws in Parler’s API, the link between Parler’s front-end and its user data.

See Also: Elon Musk Blames Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg For Capitol Riot

The “predominant belief” is “that Parler was a rushed, poor design buoyed by right-leaning investors to become pretty large before they really had built a solid foundation, technologically speaking,” Andrew Zolides, a professor of communications at Xavier University who teaches courses in digital design told Observer. (Among…

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Biden’s pick to lead Pentagon faces questions about whether he’s right for the job


President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to lead the Pentagon is already facing critics, who question his judgment while he served as the top US commander in the Middle East, an issue that could complicate Gen. Lloyd Austin‘s path to confirmation.

Biden has called Austin “the person we need in this moment,” and other retired four-star generals have praised the “superb choice,” but critics are asking if the former battlefield commander has the political chops to fight military budget cuts.

They are debating Austin’s suitability for a role on the world stage and wonder whether his experience equips him to confront an increasingly assertive China, develop new tools in cyber warfare and other realms, and reassure allies skittish about US reliability.

All those questions are expected to make the decorated 40-year Army veteran’s confirmation hearing a challenge. Austin will likely have to contend with these doubts even before then, as he meets with lawmakers next week and the Biden team pushes reluctant members of Congress to grant a waiver for the recently retired general to serve in the civilian leadership post.

‘The theater of war’

Speaking in Wilmington, Delaware, on Wednesday, Austin said he understands “the important role of the Department of Defense and the role that it plays in maintaining stability and deterring aggression and defending and supporting critical alliances around the world.”

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell offered a ringing endorsement of the 67-year-old nominee.

Biden “is making a superb choice in selecting General Lloyd Austin to be the next Secretary of Defense,” Powell said in a statement, adding that he had mentored Austin during his…

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