Tag Archive for: requires

U.S. District Court requires sensitive documents to be filed by paper in response to possible Russian hack

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The suspected Russian hack of Microsoft’s internal systems through the SolarWinds supply chain has prompted the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to issue an order bolstering its security procedures.



a close up of a tool: A judge's gavel

© File photo
A judge’s gavel

U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley, the presiding judge, signed an order Friday requiring that certain highly sensitive documents be submitted outside the court’s normal PACER electronic filing system for their protection.       

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Until further notice, sensitive documents must be filed by paper or as an electronic copy on a secure electronic device with the clerk’s office, where it will be kept in a secure paper filing or standalone computer system. 

According to the court’s release, this order was prompted by the recent widespread breaches of government and private sector computer systems using Microsoft operating software.  Microsoft said hackers got to view some of its source code repositories but could not alter or make changes to the compromised accounts. 

The federal court considers applications for a search warrant, electronic surveillance and pen register or trap and trace devices highly sensitive. 

Based on the circumstances, some filings — like Social Security records, administrative immigration records and sealed filings in civil matters — may be designated highly sensitive by the court. 

Such documents must be submitted to the clerk’s office as either two paper copies or by filing the documents on a USB flash drive, along with the certificate and service. If applicable, a copy of the court order designating the document as highly sensitive should also be submitted.  

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio has courthouses in Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton, and encompasses forty-eight urban and rural counties in the southern half of Ohio. 

Questions about how a highly sensitive document should be filed with the court should be directed to the clerk’s office at 614-719-3000 in Columbus, 513-564-7500 in Cincinnati or 937-512-1400 in Dayton. 

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Russia hack requires new cybersecurity paradigm

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As the full extent of the damage of Russia’s hack into private sector and government computer systems continues to be investigated – with the recent revelations that Russian cyber operators may have stolen the source code for pervasive Microsoft products – there has been little effort to bring various stakeholders together to determine what long-term and strategic technical and policy solutions are needed.



a man using a laptop: Russia hack requires new cybersecurity paradigm

© Thinkstock
Russia hack requires new cybersecurity paradigm

There are various options to pursue, including decoupling the leadership and organizational structures of the National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. Cyber Command (USCC), which we have already advocated as a prudent, albeit contentious step.

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We recognize that there are valid concerns about the timing of such a move, including from congressional leaders who have highlighted the dangers of doing so during an unprecedented cybersecurity crisis. We do not disagree that the rash implementation of such a split could cause significant harm to ongoing national security efforts. But we believe that this moment presents an opportunity for a deliberate path to splitting the two agencies’ leadership that will enhance not only each organization’s abilities to conduct their missions but also cybersecurity and cyber operations efforts writ large.

Such a path requires concerted efforts across both executive agencies and congressional overseers over the next few months to develop, execute and manage processes in three distinct areas: internal decoupling, interagency coordination and rigorous oversight. Clearly defining the necessary outcomes and the processes that will lead to them will minimize mission disruption, enhance national security outcomes and avoid the can-kicking on an NSA-USCC split that has characterized the dialogue over the past decade.

The process for the internal decoupling of NSA and USCC should focus on the most critical issues and personnel impacted. General Paul Nakasone – like his predecessors, dual-hatted as both the NSA director and USCC commander – should be tasked with developing a list of the 3-5 most critical challenges that will arise because of the split in consultation with…

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Federal Trade Commission Reaches Settlement with Zoom, Requires Improved Security for Users Personal Info

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requires Zoom to live up to its privacy and security promises

Daily life has changed a lot since the pandemic started. Because face-to-face interactions aren’t possible for so many of us, we’ve turned to videoconference for work meetings, school, catching up with our friends, even seeing the doctor. (FTC image)

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Daily life has changed a lot since the pandemic started.

Because face-to-face interactions aren’t possible for so many of us, we’ve turned to videoconference for work meetings, school, catching up with our friends, even seeing the doctor.

When we rely on technology in these new ways, we share a lot of sensitive personal information. We may not think about it, but companies know they have an obligation to protect that information.

The FTC just announced a case against video conferencing service Zoom about the security of consumers’ information and videoconferences, also known as “Meetings.”

The FTC claimed that Zoom failed to protect users’ information in a variety of ways:

  • Zoom said it provided end-to-end encryption — a way to protect communications so only the sender and the recipient can see it — for Zoom Meetings. It didn’t.
  • Zoom said it secured Meetings with a higher level of encryption than it actually provided.
  • Zoom told users who recorded a Meeting that it would save a secure, encrypted recording of the meeting when it ended. In reality,
  • Zoom kept unencrypted recordings on its servers for up to 60 days before moving them to its secure cloud storage.
  • Zoom installed software, called ZoomOpener, on Mac users’ computers. This software bypassed a Safari browser security setting and put users at risk — for example, it could have allowed strangers to spy on users through their computer’s web cameras. Or hackers could have exploited the vulnerability to download malware onto — and take control of — users’ computers. If users deleted the Zoom app, the ZoomOpener remained, as did these…

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