Tag Archive for: military

China-Backed Hackers Threaten Texas Military Sites, Utilities

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(TNS) — A Chinese government-backed hacker group’s apparent plan to upend utilities and communication systems that power U.S. military bases poses a major threat to Joint Base San Antonio — and potentially to the region’s water and electricity customers.

U.S. officials say the group, called Volt Typhoon, has inserted malware — computer code intended to damage or disrupt networks or to covertly collect information — deep in the systems of numerous water and electric utilities that serve military installations in the United States and abroad.

The aim could be to delay a U.S. military response if China’s People’s Liberation Army invades Taiwan. President Joe Biden has said the U.S. military would intervene if China invaded the island nation.


“I would be most concerned about U.S. assets in the Pacific Rim — in South Korea and Japan,” said John Dickson, a San Antonio-based cybersecurity consultant and former Air Force intelligence officer. “But we are Military City, USA, and a sophisticated reader doesn’t have to do too much to connect the dots.”

San Antonio is flush with military personnel and missions. It’s home to Fort Sam Houston, the largest military medical training installation in the U.S., as well as to JBSA-Randolph and JBSA-Lackland Air Force bases.

Lackland trains the service’s incoming airmen and conducts cyber warfare and intelligence-gathering operations at its Security Hill facility.

The National Security Agency’s Texas Cryptologic Center occupies a sprawling campus on San Antonio’s West Side. The center conducts worldwide signals intelligence and cybersecurity operations. Signals intelligence involves collecting, decoding and interpreting electronic communications.

It’s unclear if the networks of the San Antonio Water System or CPS Energy, both owned by the city of San Antonio, are infected with Volt Typhoon’s malware.

CPS, the largest municipally owned utility in the U.S., has 930,000 electric and 381,000 gas customers. SAWS serves 511,000 water and 456,000 wastewater customers. The two utilities’ service areas encompass Bexar County and small swaths of neighboring counties.

“We will continue to…

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Russia-backed hackers unleash new USB-based malware on Ukraine’s military

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Russia-backed hackers unleash new USB-based malware on Ukraine’s military

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Hackers working for Russia’s Federal Security Service have mounted multiple cyberattacks that used USB-based malware to steal large amounts of data from Ukrainian targets for use in its ongoing invasion of its smaller neighbor, researchers said.

“The sectors and nature of the organizations and machines targeted may have given the attackers access to significant amounts of sensitive information,” researchers from Symantec, now owned by Broadcom, wrote in a Thursday post. “There were indications in some organizations that the attackers were on the machines of the organizations’ human resources departments, indicating that information about individuals working at the various organizations was a priority for the attackers, among other things.”

The group, which Symantec tracks as Shuckworm and other researchers call Gamaredon and Armageddon, has been active since 2014 and has been linked to Russia’s FSB, the principal security service in that country. The group focuses solely on obtaining intelligence on Ukrainian targets. In 2020, researchers at security firm SentinelOne said the hacking group had “attacked over 5,000 individual entities across the Ukraine, with particular focus on areas where Ukrainian troops are deployed.”

In February, Shuckworm began deploying new malware and command-and-control infrastructure that has successfully penetrated the defenses of multiple Ukrainian organizations in the military, security services, and government of that country. Group members seem most interested in obtaining information related to sensitive military information that could be abused in Russia’s ongoing invasion.

This newer campaign debuted new malware in the form of a PowerShell script that spreads Pterodo, a Shuckworm-created backdoor. The script activates when infected USB drives are connected to targeted computers. The malicious script first copies itself onto the targeted machine to create a shortcut file with the extension rtf.lnk. The files have names such as video_porn.rtf.lnk, do_not_delete.rtf.lnk, and evidence.rtf.lnk. The names, which are mostly in the Ukrainian language, are an attempt to entice…

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Exploring the Evolving Landscape and Technological Advancements in Military Aircraft

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PRESS RELEASE

Published May 31, 2023

 

Military aircraft are critical assets for every country’s defence and security. These specialized aircraft are developed and outfitted for a variety of military roles, such as combat missions, surveillance, reconnaissance, transport, and aerial refueling. Military aircraft are outfitted with cutting-edge technology and weapons systems to secure air supremacy and support ground troops. They are critical in carrying out strategic operations, air defence, and maintaining territorial integrity. Air forces and naval aviation units operate military aircraft, which are subjected to rigorous training and upkeep to maintain their readiness and effectiveness. Military aircraft development and deployment constitute a considerable investment in defence capabilities, allowing governments to project power and safeguard their interests both locally and globally.

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Growth Drivers of Military aircraft:

Several causes are driving the expansion of military aircraft. For starters, technological and engineering developments have resulted in the production of more complex and capable aircraft, which in turn generates demand for modernization and acquisition. Furthermore, geopolitical tensions and regional crises necessitate states beefing up their defence capabilities, including the procurement of modern military aircraft. Furthermore, the growing necessity of aerial observation,…

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Security concerns raised over internet voting for Michigan military spouses

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Because of an editing error, this story has been corrected. House Bill 4210 would expand electronic ballot return for deployed military members to their spouses and voting-age dependents.

In Michigan’s quest to make voting more accessible in recent years, it has enacted automatic voter registration, excuse-free absentee voting and an upcoming early in-person voting period.

But the latest proposal worries some of the same election security experts who have praised the changes and worked with Democrats in charge: returning ballots over the internet.

The idea is “well intentioned” but could “seriously undermine the security of Michigan’s elections,” said J. Alex Halderman, a University of Michigan professor and nationally recognized cybersecurity expert.

Halderman and other experts warned House elections committee lawmakers Tuesday in a hearing on House Bill 4210. It would expand electronic ballot return for deployed military members, allowed by legislation that passed last year and will be implemented in 2024, to their spouses and voting-age dependents.

“The bedrock of Michigan elections has long been the simple fact that every vote is cast on a piece of paper which can’t later be changed in any kind of cyber attack,” said Halderman, who was appointed by Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to co-chair an election security commission for 2020.

Related: Michigan National Guard nets $26M for women-focused facility upgrades

But Benson argues Michigan can maintain its election integrity by continuing conversations with national cybersecurity professionals and federal agencies, and by following the lead of the 31 other states that have implemented this.

“We’re exploring a hybrid model that would be custom-built for Michigan and still require the voter overseas to print and sign their ballot before scanning and returning it,” said Benson, who once lived on a military base with her husband.

Similar to how Colorado does it, she explained, the local clerk would print what is returned and run it through the tabulator, creating an auditable paper trail. Voters would also be encouraged to mail a follow-up hard copy of their ballot.

She added that this electronic voting portal is…

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