• Twelve Chinese hacker groups responsible for attacks on U.S.

    U.S. cybersecurity experts say as few as twelve different Chinese hacker collectives, working at the behest of the government, are responsible for the majority of cyberattacks on U.S. businesses and government agencies; the bulk of the attacks are stealthy in nature and have resulted in the loss of billions of dollars’ worth of intellectual property and state secrets from the private and public sector

  • Electrical grid needs cybersecurity oversight: study

    In a recently released report, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say that a single federal agency should be tasked with protecting the United States’ electrical grid from cyberattacks; the Obama administration has proposed that DHS assume responsibility for the grid, while Congress has submitted proposals for both the Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

  • MIT report warns U.S. electrical grid vulnerable

    A new report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology warns that the U.S. electrical grid is vulnerable to cyberatacks; according to the report, the U.S. electrical grid’s cybersecurity vulnerabilities stem from weaknesses in processes, technology, as well as the actual physical environment

  • Shell fears cyberattack on oil infrastructure

    Oil executives fear that a cyberattack on critical infrastructure could wreak havoc by destroying facilities or disrupting production

  • Government outlines cybersecurity R&D priorities

    The Obama administration recently unveiled its plan for government sponsored cybersecurity research and development programs

  • SCADA systems’ vulnerability key weakness in Smart Grid deployments

    The discovery of the Stuxnet worm in 2010 shone a harsh light on the fragility of industrial control systems (ICS), such as supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, and has created a new urgency among security vendors and utility managers alike; new research forecasts that investments in ICS security will total $4.1 billion during the years between 2011 and 2018

  • $3 million NSF grant for research into assured data provenance

    The National Science Foundation supports funds new cyber security research into assured data provenance, the discipline of computer science concerned with the integrity and privacy of data sources, contents, and successive transformations

  • Cyber security measure requires more information sharing

    The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (H.R. 3523) made it through the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on 1 December on a 17-1 vote. It is one of a dozen or so cyber security-related legislative initiatives proposed by lawmakers this year. The effort is bipartisan, having been introduced by committee chairman Mike Rogers (R-Michigan) and ranking member Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Maryland). The bill aims to promote greater information sharing between the federal government and U.S. businesses.

  • Making domain names safe and reliable

    DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) says it is doing its part to make Web sites more secure and reliable by enhancing the Domain Name System (DNS), which translates Web-site names like science.com into a network address like 1.2.3.4

  • GAO reports problems in cybersecurity hiring strategy

    An audit by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that some government agencies have failed to effectively develop or implement cybersecurity workforce planning strategies; agencies also reported problems in filling some cybersecurity positions, particularly those requiring specialized skills

  • Top Nine cyber security trends for 2012

    Imperva, a data security specialist, see nine emergeing cyber security trends in 2012; rise in big data and application DDoS attacks among key concerns; “Hacking, by nature, is a discipline that relies on innovation,” explained Imperva CTO; “Knowing future, potential threats helps security teams fight against the bad guys”

  • Disaster-proofing email servers for maximum resiliency

    On Tuesday Databarracks announced the launch of its Hosted Exchange solution, which allows companies to host email servers in a virtually indestructible location – a former U.K. Ministry of Defense bunker designed to protect critical systems in the event of a nuclear war

  • NERC CIP-compliant grid security reporting tool

    NERC CIP Standard is a comprehensive framework of physical and cyber security best practices to safeguard the bulk power system for North America; Skybox Security shows NERC CIP-compliant grid security reporting tool

  • Interface could help Facebook members limit security leaks

    Researchers develop a sign-up interface for Facebook apps could help members prevent personal information — and their friends’ information — from leaking out through third-party games and apps to hackers and identity thieves

  • Cyber-attackers think as regular crooks

    An engineer and a criminologist are applying criminological concepts and research methods in the study of cybercrime; their work has produced recommendations for IT managers to use in the prevention of cyber attacks on their networks