Library of Congress fights off massive cyberattack
In a blog post, Bernard Barton, the Library’s Chief Information
Officer, explained that the denial of service attack began on Sunday morning
and disrupted a number of services and websites, including Congress.gov, the
U.S. Copyright Office and the BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) service
from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped. The attack also impacted
Library databases and incoming and outgoing email, according to Barton.
The Library’s networked services are back to normal after
the attack, which the CIO described as “a massive and sophisticated DNS
assault, employing multiple forms of attack, adapting and changing on the fly.”
Barton’s post did not reveal any information on the
attackers, but the noted that the Library has turned over “key evidence to the
appropriate authorities who will investigate and hopefully bring the
instigators of this assault to justice.”
A hacking group that goes by the name of Turk Hack Team reportedly claimed credit for the attack on an online
message board.
Who does this benefit?
Clinton campaign — and some cyber experts — say Russia is
behind email release
A top official with Hillary Clinton’s campaign on Sunday
accused the Russian government of orchestrating the release of damaging
Democratic Party records to help the campaign of Republican Donald Trump — and
some cybersecurity experts agree.
The extraordinary charge came as some national security
officials have been growing increasingly concerned about possible efforts by
Russia to meddle in the election, according to several individuals familiar
with the situation.
Late last week, hours before the records were released by
the website WikiLeaks, the White House convened a high-level security meeting
to discuss reports that Russia had hacked into systems at the Democratic
National Committee.
Although other experts remain skeptical of a Russian role,
the hacking incident has caused alarm within the Clinton campaign and also in
the national security arena. Officials from various intelligence and defense
agencies, including the National Security Council, the Department of Defense,
the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, attended the White House
meeting Thursday, on the eve of the email release.
If the accusation is true, it would be the first time the
Russians have actively tried to influence an election in this manner, analysts
said. [That we know of? Bob]
(Related) Interesting,
but no details, yet.
Top Republican lawmaker resigns suddenly citing "cyber
security issues"
State Rep. Ron Sandack, a Downers Grove Republican and
vocal legislative ally of Gov. Bruce Rauner, is resigning from the Illinois
House after saying he's had "cyber security issues" in recent days.
Sandack had been facing a re-election race in November and
is well known in Illinois politics for his heavy use of Twitter and Facebook,
as well as his role as a floor leader for Republicans in the Illinois House.
For my Ethical Hacking students. Would you like to remote control a Ford?
Ford plans to install Apple CarPlay, Android Auto in entire
2017 lineup
Ford Motor Co. said Monday it will offer Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto smartphone connectivity on its full lineup of 2017 vehicles,
marking the fastest rollout of the technology so far by an automaker in the
U.S.
Competitors have been introducing the popular features a
few nameplates at a time over several years, but Ford, which offered no 2016
models with Apple or Android integration, is doing it all at once. By the end of this year, all Ford and Lincoln
vehicles will have the features built into Sync 3, which is replacing the
sometimes-balky MyFord Touch system.
For my Computer Security students.
Peter Carey and Keith M. Gerver of Cadwalader,
Wickersham & Taft LLP, write:
When President Obama signed
into law the Cybersecurity Act
of 2015, which was designed to facilitate information sharing on
cybersecurity threats between the public and private sectors, proponents hailed
it as “our best chance yet to help address this economic and national security
priority in a meaningful way.”1 Others – including some of the biggest players
in the technology industry – decried it as “a thinly disguised surveillance
provision,” and something to be avoided pending further information on how it
would be implemented. Interim guidance
issued earlier this year by the Office of the Director of National
Intelligence, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense,
and the Department of Justice, lacked many of the details that industry insiders
were waiting for.2 Now, with final guidance having been issued
(the “Final Guidance”), in-house counsel have more insight into the potential
risks and rewards that await companies who opt to participate in the
information sharing program, and can advise management and their boards of
directors accordingly.3
Read their article on National
Law Review.
For both Computer Security and Data Management students.
Report by 3 companies – Cyber resiliency in the Fourth
Industrial Revolution
by Sabrina
I. Pacifici on Jul 24, 2016
“The First Industrial Revolution, in the late 18th
century, was driven largely by steam engines. The second, in the late 19th century,
introduced mass production and the division of labor. The third, in the late 20th century, involved
digital automation and information technology. Only decades later, the world is now on the
cusp of a Fourth Industrial Revolution. This
new world revolves around cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things, and
the Internet of Services. Our
hyper-connectivity in this new digital world has been a boon for productivity—
connecting and executing tasks with a speed that was inconceivable even five
years ago. With that hyper-connectivity,
however, comes the risk of significant disruption through a cyberattack—the
potential consequences of which have escalated dramatically. Until recently, cybersecurity largely meant
defending against website defacements, denial of service attacks, and data
breaches. The threat posed by them,
however, is now morphing into the realm of physical assets and critical
infrastructure….”
[From the
report:
This new approach emphasizes five fundamental steps:
1. Identify your most critical assets—What do you have that is
most valuable to others?
2. Gather intelligence on cyber threats—Who are the bad actors?
3. Understand your digital profile—What does your online activity
signal to others?
4. Build a resilient system—What are the most critical elements
of defense?
5. Plan for a breach—What can you do now to prepare for a crisis?
Today Seattle, tomorrow the world?
Iris and fingerprint scanning coming to Sea-Tac Airport
security as new option this week
It may sound like something straight out of Minority Report, but
starting this week, travelers will have the option to get through
part of security at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport via iris and
fingerprint scans.
Biometrics company Clear anticipates
launching its screening terminals at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport sometime
this week. There will be two terminals
at each of the airport’s three security checkpoints. Construction delays pushed back
the launch, and Clear was hesitant to give a definitive opening day as a
result.
The technology provides an alternative to the part of
the check-in process where passengers wait in long, winding lines to have their
ID and boarding pass checked by U.S. Transportation Security Administration
agents. Instead, passengers can
get iris or fingerprint scans while a Clear employee scans their
boarding pass, and off they go to the body and carry-on scanners.
Soon the sky will darken with flocks of drones. Can I declare my home a “Drone Free” zone? When they start colliding and dropping onto my
roof, can I sue?
7-Eleven Just Used a Drone to Deliver a Chicken Sandwich and
Slurpees
A 7-Eleven customer’s order for Slurpees, a chicken
sandwich, donuts, hot coffee, and candy will forever go down in history.
What makes it remarkable is that the convenience store
chain used a drone to deliver the order to a family in Reno, Nev., 7-Eleven said
on Friday. The company partnered with
drone startup Flirtey for the delivery, which the companies said was the first
time a drone has legally delivered a package to a U.S. resident who placed an
order from a retailer.
My Data management students have an assignment this week
to design an App. This article will be
very helpful, if they can find it.
Inside the Democratic National Convention’s official app,
with the Seattle startup that made it
A toy for my students.
Prisma on Android is now available for everyone
After a short, invite-only beta period, the artistic photo-filter app
Prisma is now freely available to everyone on Google's Play store.
The app, which lets you choose from a surprisingly large
number of filters and turn ordinary photos into mini-artworks, can be found here. You'll want to
actually use that link, as searching for the app on Google Play will likely net
several dozen (!) knockoffs, none of which you probably want to install on your
phone.
Gamers collect these “hacks.” I’d tell my students, but they already have
more than I will ever find.
Pokemon GO Cheats: How to Claim Gyms and Win Battles Easily
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