Tag Archive for: Spurs

Exclusive: Ukraine war spurs U.S. to ramp up security probe of software maker Kaspersky


WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) – The Biden administration ramped up a national security probe into Russia’s AO Kaspersky Lab antivirus software earlier this year amid heightened fears of Russian cyberattacks after Moscow invaded Ukraine, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The case was referred to the Commerce Department by the Department of Justice last year, a fourth person said, but Commerce made little progress on it until the White House and other administration officials urged them to move forward in March, the three people added.

At issue is the risk that the Kremlin could use the antivirus software, which has privileged access to a computer’s systems, to steal sensitive information from American computers or tamper with them as tensions escalate between Moscow and the West.

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Access to the networks of federal contractors and operators of critical U.S. infrastructure such as power grids are seen as particularly concerning, the three people said.

U.S. regulators have already banned federal government use of Kaspersky software, and could ultimately force the company to take measures to reduce risks posed by its products or prohibit Americans from using them altogether.

The probe, which has not previously been reported, shows the administration is digging deep into its tool kit to hit Moscow with even its most obscure authorities in a bid to protect U.S. citizens and corporations from Russian cyber attacks.

The authorities are “really the only tool that we have to deal with the threat (posed by Kaspersky) on an economy-wide commercial basis, given our generally open market,” said Emily Kilcrease, a former deputy assistant U.S. Trade Representative.

Other regulatory powers stop short of allowing the government to block private sector use of software made by the Moscow-headquartered company, long seen by U.S. officials as a serious threat to U.S. national security.

The departments of Commerce and Justice, and Kaspersky declined to comment. The company has for years denied wrongdoing or any secret partnership with Russian intelligence.

AUTHORITIES TARGET ‘FOREIGN ADVERSARIES’

The ramped-up probe is being executed…

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Ohio County ‘Shocked’ After Mike Lindell Event Shares Its Computers’ Data, Spurs FBI Probe


An Ohio county was “shocked” after screen shots from its computer system were shared at MyPillow founder Mike Lindell‘s cyber symposium in August to promote baseless claims of election fraud.

Lindell has been a key promoter of former President Donald Trump‘s unfounded conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was “rigged” or “stolen” in favor of President Joe Biden. Although Lindell and others continue to spread the misinformation, the “evidence” they have brought forward to support their theory has been consistently discredited and debunked.

During an August cyber symposium organized by Lindell, screen shots from a Lake County computer system not involved in conducting elections were shared as alleged “evidence” of election fraud, The Washington Post first reported on Friday.

Lake County official quickly began looking into the issue, confused by how and why the information was used in Lindell’s event.

“We were shocked that sleepy little Lake County, where nobody had ever made a suggestion of election malfeasance, was suddenly being splashed around a cyber symposium,” Lake County auditor Christopher Galloway told Cleveland.com.

Galloway said he quickly began working with county and state officials to see how the data had been accessed and shared.

Mike Lindell
Data from an Ohio county computer system was shared at My Pillow founder Mike Lindell’s cyber symposium in August. In this photo, Lindell waits outside the West Wing of the White House on January 15 in Washington, D.C.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Galloway pointed out that the screen shots and data shared at Lindell’s symposium was “a lot of nothing.” He explained that “it was some copier talking to a desktop saying ‘I am still here waiting for you to send me a print job.'”

He told Cleveland.com that someone in the Lake County commissioners’ offices appears to have plugged a laptop into an ethernet port on the day of Ohio’s May 4 primaries to access and copy the bogus data for several hours.

State and county officials shared their findings with the FBI, which is reportedly investigating. However, they have confirmed that no significant data was compromised.

“We are thrilled that our infrastructure stayed strong,” Ross McDonald, director of the…

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China Video Tools for U.S. Help Spurs Spy Anxiety – Bloomberg

China Video Tools for U.S. Help Spurs Spy Anxiety
Bloomberg
A U.S. House committee report advised federal agencies and contractors last October to bypass ZTE and Huawei Technologies Co. products because they might help China spy. “It's dangerous for our country,” said U.S. Representative Frank Wolf, a Virginia 

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Espionage China – read more

Phishing scam spurs EC into security revamp – Zd Net Asia.com

The European Commission has said it will overhaul cybersecurity guidelines after cybercriminals launched successful phishing attacks that netted carbon credits worth 3 million euros (US$4.1 million). The cyberattack targeted emissions trading registries on …
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