Our picksExtremists' Need of Online Presence | Russian Hacking ‘Grave Risk’ to U.S. Government | Undoing Disinformation

Oregon Case Reflects Extremists’ Need of Online Presence (AP / ABC News)
Federal authorities say a man supported the Islamic State group for years from a Portland, Oregon, suburb by helping the extremists maintain an online presence that encouraged attacks and sought recruits

FBI Links Iran to Online Hit List Targeting Top Officials Who’ve Refuted Trump’s Election Fraud Claims (Ellen Nakashima, Amy Gardner and Aaron C. Davis, Washington Post)
The FBI has concluded that Iran was behind online efforts earlier this month to incite lethal violence against the bureau’s director, a former top U.S. cyber expert and multiple state elections officials who have refuted claims of widespread voter fraud promoted by President Trump and his allies, federal and state officials said Tuesday.
FBI Director Christopher A. Wray and ousted Homeland Security Department official Christopher Krebs were among more than a dozen people whose ­images, home addresses and other personal information were posted on a website titled “Enemies of the People.” Crosshairs were superimposed over the photos.

More Hacking Attacks Found as Officials Warn of ‘Grave Risk’ to U.S. Government (David E. Sanger and Nicole Perlroth, New York Times)
Minutes after the government statement, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. warned that his administration would impose “substantial costs” on those responsible. President Trump has been silent on the hacking.

SolarWinds Recap: All of the Federal Agencies Caught up in the Orion Breach (Sara Wilson, Cyberscoop)
The extent of the hacking campaign on the federal government by suspected Russian operatives through vulnerabilities in SolarWinds’ Orion software is becoming more clear as agencies publicly acknowledge breaches in their systems.
The SolarWinds hack has put agencies at risk of being surveilled or having data stolen for up to nine months, as users of the software who updated between March and June inadvertently added malware into their networks.

No, the United States Does Not Spend Too Much on Cyber Offense (Robert K. Knake, CFR)
Contrary to arguments that the United States spends too much on cyber offense, more spending on offensive and defensive capabilities could be in the cards for the future.

DHS to Issue China Data Security Warning to U.S. Businesses (Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, Axios)
The Department of Homeland Security is set to issue an advisory to U.S. businesses, warning them of data security risks associated with using communications equipment and services from China-linked companies.
The big picture: The advisory comes as the Trump administration makes a final push on China, highlighting the administration’s emphasis on the risks posed by the close relationship between some Chinese companies and the Chinese government.

Former Election Security Official Says It Will Take ‘Years’ to Undo Disinformation (Pam Fessler, NPR)
One of the top federal officials responsible for securing the nation’s elections is speaking out days after leaving his job with the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Matthew Masterson was a senior cybersecurity adviser at CISA, primarily responsible for elections, and his departure comes amid persistent, but baseless, claims that the 2020 elections were riddled with fraud. Many of those have come from President Trump, who last month fired Masterson’s former boss, Christopher Krebs, after Krebs joined others in calling the 2020 election the “most secure in American history.” Trump’s allegations have been widely disputed by election experts and numerous courts, where his campaign has tried unsuccessfully to overturn the election results.
In his first interview since leaving his job, Masterson told NPR that the biggest challenge for the nation now is restoring public faith in the voting process. Recent polls have shown that a large segment of the electorate, including a majority of Republicans, does not trust that this year’s results were legitimate.