Tag Archive for: poses

How the Internet of Things poses threats to journalists

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“And far away, as Frodo put on the Ring […] The Dark Lord was suddenly aware of him, and his Eye piercing all shadows looked across the plain to the door that he had made […] and all the devices of his enemies were at last laid bare.” – J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Return of the King“

“You hereby grant Ring and its licensees an unlimited, irrevocable, fee free and royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide right to use, distribute, store, delete, translate, copy, modify, display, and create derivative works from such Content that you share through Services.” – Amazon Ring, Terms of Service (as of Oct. 5, 2022)

There is plenty of research showing that many journalists have insufficient support, inadequate training and incalculable numbers of adversaries looking to cause digital harm. Most journalist cybersecurity guidance focuses on legacy devices — laptops, tablets and phones. While these threats are by no means over (spyware, for example, is still very much a concern), it is important to acknowledge and address the invasion of newer networked technologies all around us, such as Amazon Alexa devices and smart light bulbs.

In a previous article for The Journalist’s Resource, I wrote about the multiplying numbers of consumer Internet of Things (IoT) devices in private and public spaces and the threat that they pose to journalists’ security. This article further categorizes threats to journalists from the IoT, pairing example threat-types in each category with descriptions of potential consequences. The information presented here is based on a forthcoming paper in Springer’s Proceedings of the International Conference on Cybersecurity, Situational Awareness and Social Media. Rather than providing an exhaustive or overly-technical list of potential threats, this system represents an initial step toward illustrating new and upcoming threats. It is designed to appeal to a narrative-driven audience, such as the media, to help them navigate the uncertainty that shrouds IoT threats, such as surveillance. 

My goal is to give journalists ways to understand these threats, to easily communicate them to their…

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North Korea Cyberhack Poses a New National Security Threat, Expert Says

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  • North Korea’s huge crypto hack marks a new era in cybersecurity threats.  
  • “If there was ever a doubt that hacks were not tied to national security, that’s been resolved,” a blockchain expert told Insider. 
  • Ari Redbord of TRM broke down how the hack signifies the emergence of a new kind of cyber warfare.

US authorities this week tied North Korean hackers to the historic $625 million Axie Infinity crypto swindle, with the massive hack signifying the emergence of a new type of national security threat, according to a blockchain expert.

On Thursday, the US Treasury Department added an Ethereum wallet address to its sanction list after the wallet facilitated transfers for more than $86 million of the stolen funds.

The hacking outfits Lazarus and APT38, both linked to North Korea, were behind the theft, the FBI said in a statement, and the funds are generating revenue for Kim Jong Un’s regime.

Ari Redbord, head of legal and government affairs at blockchain research firm TRM, says the attack shows that even a nation as isolated as North Korea can participate in new-age cyber-warfare.

“Over the last few years many hacks have been perpetrated by North Korea,” Redbord told Insider. “But the magnitude of this one shows things have moved from small exploits to true national security concerns. It’s staggering — bank robbery at the speed of the internet.” 

For years, North Korean actors have been responsible for cyberattacks, including a high-profile hit against Sony in 2014. But groups like Lazarus have grown increasingly sophisticated and ambitious. 

Meanwhile, businesses within the nascent crypto sector are still finding their footing when it comes to cybersecurity, which makes them vulnerable to hacking groups which are continuously honing their…

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Russia’s Ukraine Invasion Poses Big Economic Risks, Including Fed Policy, Oil Prices, Cybersecurity

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Russia’s Ukraine invasion began early Thursday, igniting a new Cold War amid already-heightened U.S. and global economic risks.




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President Joe Biden and U.S. allies retaliated with a barrage of sanctions. Yet Biden made clear on Thursday that those sanctions are tailored to degrade Russia’s military and economic potential over the long term, while shielding the U.S. and Europe from a near-term blowback.

That’s why, despite a new era of heightened geopolitical risk and potentially intensified cybersecurity warfare, Wall Street reacted like the global economy had dodged a bullet.

The major indexes tumbled Thursday morning to their lowest levels in months as Russian President Vladimir Putin began his full-blown Ukraine invasion. But stocks rebounded powerfully by the close and added to gains Friday, with cybersecurity plays such as Palo Alto Networks (PANW) leading the way. A new stock market rally attempt is underway but has not been confirmed.

Yet serious risks for the U.S. and global economies remain.

Federal Reserve Economic Risks

If nothing else, a protracted Ukraine invasion could add a premium to oil prices because of the greater chance that some of Russia’s indispensable crude supply could be shelved. The price of oil briefly topped $100 a barrel Thursday. It’s now eased back to above $91 — still the highest since 2014.

While soaring energy prices might dampen consumer spending, they could send the CPI inflation rate past 8%. That might compel the Federal Reserve to plow ahead with its plan to aggressively tighten monetary policy, even if economic growth might sputter.

“If anything, this aggravates the inflation problem in the U.S.,” Krishna Guha, vice chairman of Evercore ISI, told firm clients in a Thursday webinar on the implication of Russia’s invasion. “It makes it harder to achieve the soft landing” the Fed is trying to execute.

In the past, a geopolitical crisis triggering a market correction would spur the Fed to put off rate hikes.

Goldman Sachs economists note that the Fed moved to ease policy after 9/11 and as China trade war tensions spiked. Yet this time is different. “Inflation risk has created a stronger and more urgent reason to tighten today,”…

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Russia is in decline but still poses military threat: NATO chief

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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers to discuss how to counter a Russian military build-up on Ukraine’s border amid fears the Kremlin could be preparing to invade, taken in Riga, Latvia on November 30, 2021.

Gints Ivuskans | AFP | Getty Images

Russia may be in economic decline, but it still poses a formidable military threat — particularly in the realm of advanced weaponry and cyberwarfare, NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday.

“Russia is a power in decline, meaning the economic importance of Russia, the GDP is not keeping track with many other countries in the world. But even an economy in decline and a power in economic decline can be a threat and a challenge,” the NATO chief told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble.

“Not least because Russia has nuclear weapons. And Russia is investing in new modern military capabilities, deploying new hypersonic missiles, and also new nuclear-capable missiles deployed here in Europe. And therefore we need to take that very seriously,” Stoltenberg said.

The comments come amid heightened tensions and a volley of verbal threats between Russia and the West, against the backdrop of a massive Russian troop buildup along the border of Ukraine.

Ukrainian and Western officials fear a Russian land invasion of its western neighbor, whose Crimean peninsula Russia annexed in 2014. Moscow has rejected the notion, pointing the finger instead at what it says is aggression from Ukraine.

Western officials have warned of “severe consequences” for Russia in the event of a conflict, but have not specified what those might be beyond potential sanctions. Some analysts say this signals a lack of decisiveness or unified approach among Western leaders as to how to deal with Russia.

The situation is complicated by current energy market dynamics.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CNBC on Thursday: “Putin has not decided yet whether to do a military operation … But if he decides to do so, things will happen in the blink of an eye.”

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