intelligence – Page 4 – SSL and internet security news

Electronic Surveillance Failures Leading up to the 2008 Mumbai Terrorist Attacks

February 12, 2015 infossl

eavesdropping, edwardsnowden, india, intelligence, lawenforcement, privacy, Security technology, surveillance, terrorism

Long New York Times article based on “former American and Indian officials and classified documents disclosed by Edward J. Snowden” outlining the intelligence failures leading up to the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks: Although electronic eavesdropping often yields valuable data, even tantalizing clues can be missed if the technology is not closely monitored, the intelligence gleaned … Read More “Electronic Surveillance Failures Leading up to the 2008 Mumbai Terrorist Attacks” »

National Academies Report on Bulk Intelligence Collection

February 9, 2015 infossl

databases, intelligence, nationalsecuritypolicy, privacy, Security technology, surveillance

In January, the National Academies of Science (NAS) released a report on the bulk collection of signals intelligence. Basically, a year previously President Obama tasked the Director of National Intelligence with assessing “the feasibility of creating software that would allow the Intelligence Community more easily to conduct target information acquisition rather than bulk collection.” The … Read More “National Academies Report on Bulk Intelligence Collection” »

NSA Using Hacker Research and Results

February 6, 2015 infossl

edwardsnowden, gchq, hacking, intelligence, nsa, privacy, Security technology, surveillance

In the latest article based on the Snowden documents, the Intercept is reporting that the NSA and GCHQ are piggy-backing on the work of hackers: In some cases, the surveillance agencies are obtaining the content of emails by monitoring hackers as they breach email accounts, often without notifying the hacking victims of these breaches. “Hackers … Read More “NSA Using Hacker Research and Results” »

Attack Attribution in Cyberspace

January 8, 2015 infossl

attribution, cybersecurity, cyberwar, essays, fbi, intelligence, nationalsecuritypolicy, northkorea, nsa, Security technology, sony

When you’re attacked by a missile, you can follow its trajectory back to where it was launched from. When you’re attacked in cyberspace, figuring out who did it is much harder. The reality of international aggression in cyberspace will change how we approach defense. Many of us in the computer-security field are skeptical of the … Read More “Attack Attribution in Cyberspace” »

Attributing the Sony Attack

January 7, 2015 infossl

attribution, cyberwar, cyberweapons, denialofservice, essays, hacking, intelligence, israel, malware, nationalsecuritypolicy, northkorea, Security technology, sony, stuxnet

No one has admitted taking down North Korea’s Internet. It could have been an act of retaliation by the US government, but it could just as well have been an ordinary DDoS attack. The follow-on attack against Sony PlayStation definitely seems to be the work of hackers unaffiliated with a government. Not knowing who did … Read More “Attributing the Sony Attack” »

More Data on Attributing the Sony Attack

December 31, 2014 infossl

cyberweapons, fbi, hacking, insiders, intelligence, malware, northkorea, Security technology, sony

An analysis of the timestamps on some of the leaked documents shows that they were downloaded at USB 2.0 speeds — which implies an insider. Our Gotnews.com investigation into the data that has been released by the “hackers” shows that someone at Sony was copying 182GB at minimum the night of the 21st — the … Read More “More Data on Attributing the Sony Attack” »

Did North Korea Really Attack Sony?

December 24, 2014 infossl

fbi, hacking, intelligence, nationalsecuritypolicy, northkorea, overreactions, rootkits, Security technology, sony

I am deeply skeptical of the FBI’s announcement on Friday that North Korea was behind last month’s Sony hack. The agency’s evidence is tenuous, and I have a hard time believing it. But I also have trouble believing that the US government would make the accusation this formally if officials didn’t believe it. Clues in … Read More “Did North Korea Really Attack Sony?” »