Monthly Archives: September 2021

Everything old was new again this week as ransomware came roaring back into the headlines, hitting a crucial Iowa grain cooperative, among other targets. And WIRED sat down with DeSnake, the former number two of the dark web marketplace AlphaBay, to hear about his reemergence and relaunch of AlphaBay four years after its takedown by law enforcement. "AlphaBay name was put in bad light after the raids. I am here to make amends to that," DeSnake said.

The Groundhog Day vibes continued with the annual release of Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 15. The new OS comes with a slew of privacy features, including more granular details about what your apps are up to, a mechanism to block email trackers, and a sort of VPN-Tor Frankenstein monster called iCloud Private Relay that protects your browsing activity. Use WIRED's handy guide to get up to speed and start changing some settings.

And if you want a DIY project that isn't tied to a tech company's walled garden, we've got tips on how to set up your own network attached storage (NAS) that plugs straight into your router and gives you a place to share files between your devices or easily store backups.

And there's more! Each week we round up all the security news WIRED didnt cover in depth. Click on the headlines to read the full stories, and stay safe out there.

A letter to Congress shared with Motherboard shows that the US National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other members of the Intelligence Community use ad blockers on their networks as a security protection. "The IC has implemented network-based ad-blocking technologies and uses information from several layers, including Domain Name System information, to block unwanted and malicious advertising content, the IC chief information officer wrote in the letter.

You may use an ad blocker to make your browsing experience more pleasant, but the tools also have potential defense benefits. Attackers who try to run malicious ads on unscrupulous ad networks or taint legitimate-looking ads can steal data or sneak malware onto your device if you click, or sometimes by exploiting web vulnerabilities. The fact that the IC views ads as an unnecessary risk and even a threat speaks to long-standing problems with the industry. The NSA and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have released public guidance in recent years advising the use of ad blockers as a security protection, but the IC itself wasnt required to adopt the measure. Its members deployed ad blockers voluntarily.

The security division of Russian telecom giant Rostelecom took down a portion of a notorious botnet this week, thanks to a flaw introduced by the malicious platforms developers. The error allowed Rostelecom to sinkhole part of the system. A botnet is a zombie army of devices that have been infected with malware to centrally control coordinated operations. The platforms are often used for DDoS attacks, in which actors direct a firehose of junk traffic at a targets web systems in an attempt to overload them.

The Meris botnet is currently the largest botnet available to cybercriminals and is thought to be made up of about 250,000 systems working collectively. It has been used against targets in Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others. The Rostelecom partial takedown is significant, because Meris attacks are powerful and challenging for targets to combat. Earlier this month, a Meris attack on the Russian tech giant Yandex broke the record for largest-ever volumetric DDoS attack. Yandex managed to defend itself against the assault.

European law enforcement in Italy and Spain have arrested 106 people on suspicion of running a massive fraud campaign over many years, with profits totaling more than $11.7 million in the last year alone. And police said this week that the individuals involved have ties to an Italian mafia group. The suspects allegedly ran phishing schemes, conducted business email compromise scams, launched SIM-swapping attacks, and generally perpetrated credit card fraud against hundreds of victims. The activity was also allegedly connected to drug trafficking and other property-related crimes. To actually extract funds from these digital scams, the suspects allegedly laundered stolen money through a system of money mules and shell companies. In addition to the arrests, law enforcement froze 118 bank accounts and seized computers, SIM cards, 224 credit cards, and an entire cannabis plantation in connection with the bust.

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Even the CIA and NSA Use Ad Blockers to Stay Safe Online - WIRED

Earlier this year, a report from CNET explored the current state of ad blockers. Among the data cited within was a study from the software company Blockthrough, which estimated that 40% of adults in the United States make use of some ad-blocking technology. That might not come as much of a surprise to you but another recent report at Vice offers a fascinating window into some of the people and organizations utilizing ad-blocking technology.

In the Vice article, Joseph Cox covered the way the U.S. intelligence community has begun making use of ad-blocking technology. That includes the CIA and the NSA, among a number of other agencies. Last week, Senator Ron Wyden wrote a letter to the Office of Management and Budget calling for them to protect federal networks from foreign spies and criminals who misuse online advertising for hacking and surveillance.

Wyden cited guidelines from both the NSA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recommending that ad-blocking software be used. Wyden goes on to quote the Chief Information Officer from the Intelligence Community, who stated, The IC has implemented network-based ad-blocking technologies and uses information from several layers, including Domain Name System information, to block unwanted and malicious advertising content.

A report from CrowdStrike published earlier this year warned of the dangers of malvertising which has cropped up on legitimate websites, and has been used to give control of computers and mobile devices to a third party. Thats alarming enough in its own right, so its not hard to see why people dealing with classified information would be especially worried. Will Wydens letter find a welcome response? It could be the difference between an ordinary day and a crisis waiting to happen.

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Who's Worried About the State of Online Advertising? The NSA and CIA, For Starters. - InsideHook

Photo: Samuel Corum (Getty Images)

Ad blockers. Maybe you love them, maybe you dont think about them at all, but chances are, you know someone thats using them. And it turns out a growing number of those people are in the federal ranks.

Motherboard was first to report on a new letter Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on Wednesday that describes some of the federal agencies deploying ad-blocking tech alongside a pretty reasonable request for those agencies not currently on board: Use a damn ad blocker. Please.

I have pushed successive administrations to respond more appropriately to surveillance threats, including from foreign governments and criminals exploiting online advertising to hack federal systems, Wyden wrote the letter. And indeed, thanks to massive scandals like Cambridge Analytica and the smaller privacy scandals that just keep on coming in its wake, it looks like some agencies finally agree that targeted ads are terrifying. In 2018, the National Security Agency (NSA) issued public guidance urging its ranks to block unnecessary advertising web content. In January of this year, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) put out similar guidance for all federal agencies, urging officials to use ad blockers to protect against malware-laden ads, in particular.

Adversaries can use carefully crafted and tailored malicious ads as part of a targeted campaign against a specific victim, not just as broad-spectrum attacks, CISAs guide reads.

This letter might be new, but the threat certainly isnt. Weve seen malvertising campaigns target military bases in 2014, swing-state voters in 2018, and, well, a bunch of the rest of us since then. When ads start to creep into every digital avenue where we spend time online, its only natural that ads housing malicious software or other shady stuff will also be on the rise, too.

As Wydens letter lays out, this includes seemingly innocuous online advertisements that carry software designed to steal, modify or wipe sensitive government data, or record conversations by remotely enabling a computers built-in microphone.

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And then theres the many, many other privacy issues. Every ad loaded into a browser means more data going back to the companies on the other side, even if that ad is for something ridiculous that youd never click on in a billion years. There are no hard and fast rules for whats being sent in the so-called bidstream on the other side of that ad, but it generally includes details like your location, IP address, and device type. Ad blockers are far from perfect, and can collect that kind of data on you, toobut at least you know what company is on the other side. The digital ad ecosystem is an opaque and under-regulated mess, which makes it hard to pin down some shady ad company thats squirreling away your data. When an ad blocking company does the same (or worse), at least you have a company to be mad at, and a browser extension you can delete.

Its likely that the NSAs known all of this, and known it for a while, which is why they were first to hop onto the ad-blocking train. After all, this is the same agency that brought us Edward Snowden, and Snowdens revelations about the NSAs entire phone-tracking empire. In the years since, that empires continued to grow, even after the passage of the 2015 Freedom Act that gutted the way federal agencies tap into telecom data. But that law applied to telcos, not marketing firms or adtech companies that mine the same data by designand which made a business out of selling data to federal agencies in the years since Snowdens revelations, and that business appears to be going gangbusters. Hell, Wyden asked the NSA about this specific loophole less than a year ago, and they responded by... well, not responding.

Will adblockers hamper any of this? Who knows! What we do know is tech privacy legislation in the U.S. is becoming an increasingly fractured, ineffective messand the longer were stuck with that bleeding wound in tech policy, the more a browser extension feels like a pretty wimpy bandaid.

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Even the NSA Agrees: Targeted Ads Are Terrifying - Gizmodo

United State intelligence services It is a consortium of some of the most important government security agencies in the United States. In this sense, it is of paramount importance that they are protected and that the data in their possession is not compromised. Apparently, the CIA and NSA, among other resources, protect themselves online with ad blockers.

In this way, they ensure that data is not stolen from them and are protected from the dangers of online advertising.

Ad blockers are an effective way to ensure that user data remains secure and that the actors trying to collect it cannot effectively collect information that can later be passed on to third parties.

Currently, many users turn to these ad blockers to ensure some security when browsing the Internet. What was not known is that among these agencies there are also prominent US agencies.

according to new message From Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, it was sent to the Office of Management and Budget, describing some of the federal agencies, The National Security Agency it's at CIA Use of online ad blocking tools. Moreover, all other agencies are advised to do the same to ensure your safety.

I have been lobbying successive administrations to respond more appropriately to surveillance threats, including from foreign governments and criminals exploiting online advertising to hack federal systems.

This is Ron Wyden.

The senator warned that companies providing online advertising collect large amounts of data about their users, which could be harmed if the data is used for malicious purposes. According to the same source, in 2018, the National Security Agency issued general guidelines for its organizations to ban unnecessary advertising content.

A few years later, in January 2021, Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency Published guidelines intended to protect against "harmful advertising and data collection by third parties".

All alerts directed to publicity celebrity Online comes from the possibility of selling all the data collected in the process to anyone. Therefore, federal organizations are more aware of this problem, and therefore they are actively looking for ways to protect themselves.

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The NSA and the CIA use ad blocking tools to stay safe - BOB fm

THE National Sheep Association (NSA) is welcoming the United States lifting its ban on imports of British lamb, saying it will help maximise trade opportunities for UK sheep farmers.

With a ban on both British lamb and beef imports to the US in place since 1989, due to concerns around BSE, NSA believes the announcement will increase demand for British sheepmeat within the US.

NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker comments: The sheep industry in the UK has clear potential to grow further but any expansion must be market and demand led. The announcement helps the supply and demand dynamics to support a strong market and potential further growth. The UK is the third largest exporter of sheepmeat globally, telling us that we are good at producing sheepmeat and that our supply chains are efficient and able to deliver.

This creates another opportunity for our industry to maximise trade opportunities and we have always seen the US as being a potentially important market. After the domestic market, which takes 60 65% of UK production, the EU is still our largest export market and is on our doorstep. However, access is more difficult than it was when we were part of the EU. Its essential to maintain EU access but is also important to work on any market that gives us future potential.

Mr Stocker notes the wider opportunities presented by the lifting of the ban: We shouldnt expect to see any sudden surge in volumes going to the US, but we do know there is strong demand for UK sheep genetics semen and embryos. Many British sheep breeds are in the US but are numerically too small to have a strong gene pool so the demand for our genetics is strong.

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NSA welcomes the lifting of a ban on British lamb imports by USA | News and Star - News & Star

Published On 22 September,202106:15 pm

Moeed Yusuf says India has become a threat to the entire region

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) National Security Advisor (NSA) Moeed Yusuf said on Wednesday that Pakistan has fought a successful war on terror but the policies of Indian government has exercising are in not in favor of this region.

Addressing a seminar, the national security adviser said that India has become a threat to the entire region due to its treatment of neighboring countries and as soon as the world opens its eyes, they will realize it.

Moeed Yusuf also maintained that the economic stability and national security are interlinked on a deeper level and expressed the need to maintain ties with Central Asian republics. We need to make better and enhance our relations with the Central Asian countries, he added.

The prime minister is resolute to transform Pakistan into a welfare state on the model of Medina, the NSA said. He added that the first stage of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is regional connectivity.

He said that all our leadership is talking about the transition of permanent Pakistani thinking from geo-political to geo-economic mantra which actually reflects the change in our thinking. We can use geopolitically as a geo-economic location with three pillars, the first of which is connectivity. From where we sit, we can connect ourselves to the South, the North, the West and the East, and then we can use this location.

The NSA also mentioned said that CPEC is also important and its goal is to connect China to our hot water for their global trade and Pakistan has become a transit area. There has been a lot of discussion regarding the CPEC, but its purpose is to build as much infrastructure as possible, get energy and transit from Pakistan.

The second important pillar is to establish partnerships with the world. For all this, we need to do a lot of work in the country as well, because wherever there is less resistance in the world, investors will come and we have to try to improve this aspect, Moeed Yusuf said.

He said the first two aspects could not be possible unless we work on the third pillar and that is internal and regional peace and security, which is why massive efforts are being made to establish a state writ.

Pakistans efforts to fight terrorism have been in the forefront since 2007 and Afghanistan is the best example regionally and even India is the best example because we tried to talk to them about who we are. We can make progress in the relationship, but what is happening in India and the path they are taking is very disappointing, he added.

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Policies of Indian govt not in favor of entire region: NSA - Dunya News

Companies establish Collective Defense Community to defend as a unified front

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- JUMP Global Technology Advisors (GTA), an information technology procurement services company, and IronNet, Inc., an innovative leader transforming cybersecurity through Collective Defense, are excited to announce a collaborative initiative to defend the entertainment industry from cyberattacks. Recognizing that defending this sector is just as important as protecting the nation's electric grid, the financial sector, and others the nation relies on to drive economic prosperity, Jump GTA and IronNet are bringing advanced threat detection and real-time sharing of attack intelligence to this integral industry.

JUMP GTA and IronNet founded by General (Ret.) Keith Alexander, former director of the National Security Agency, will work together to stand up a Collective Defense Community for the Entertainment Sector to enable stakeholders to share automated, anonymous attack intelligence and crowdsourced threat insights among community members for increased visibility and faster response to cyberattacks. The goal is to empower the entertainment industry to defend as a unified front to prevent harmful and difficult-to-detect threats from hackers, organized cybercriminal groups, and nation-state adversaries.

Walter Thurmond III, Managing Director at JUMP, said, "In light of rampant cyber campaigns hitting all industries, including ransomware attacks, there is an urgency to change the entertainment sector's defense playbook to ensure that companies can operate in a secure digital environment without costly disruptions and risk to intellectual property."

IronNet's Collective Defense Community applies AI-based network detection and response (NDR) through its IronDefense solution, along with an embedded expert system that rates and prioritizes alerts and integrated hunt services to detect new and unidentified cyberattack behaviors.

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"It does not make sense for the entertainment sector, or any industry, to wait for the next major attack when we have the tools to see unknown threats and a new way of defending together. I am pleased to be part of the JUMP GTA and IronNet initiative to deliver Collective Defense to this crucial sector," said Maj. General (Ret.) Brett Williams, Co-founder, IronNet.

Behind IronNet is a team of elite security analysts, threat hunters, and data scientists with unparalleled government experience with the National Security Agency, the US CYBER COMMAND, and DARPA. Also leveraging JUMP GTA's expertise in IT services, this joint initiative will help raise the cybersecurity posture of every company that joins the Collective Defense community.

JUMP Managing Partner & CEO Aric Ackerman added, "Our partnership with IronNet will allow us to ensure that no company has to continue defending alone, especially against attacks that threaten the entertainment sector as a whole."

The companies will host an invitation-only dinner symposium event with entertainment sector leaders on November 2nd.

ABOUT IRONNETFounded in 2014 by GEN (Ret.) Keith Alexander, IronNet Cybersecurity is a global cybersecurity leader that is transforming how organizations secure their networks by delivering the first-ever Collective Defense platform operating at scale. Employing a high number of former NSA cybersecurity operators with offensive and defensive cyber experience, IronNet integrates deep tradecraft knowledge into its industry-leading products to solve the most challenging cyber problems facing the world today. IronNet is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and trades under the ticker symbol IRNT.

ABOUT JUMP GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY ADVISORSJUMP Global Technology Advisors is an information technology procurement services company co-founded by long time Entertainment executive Aric Ackerman and retired Super Bowl Champion Walter Thurmond III. JUMP specializes in procuring, customizing and packaging premier digital and information technology solution services. JUMP services include cybersecurity, telecommunications, connectivity, cloud services and next-generation technology.

More Info:https://www.ironnet.com/ https://jumpgta.com/

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SOURCE JUMP Global Technology Advisors

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JUMP Global Technology Advisors And IronNet Launch Strategic Initiative To Protect The Entertainment Industry From Cyber Attacks - Yahoo Finance

For the past 19 years, theNational Security Agency (NSA) has been collecting data on every single U.S. citizen. Any phone call, email, text message any citizen has sent can be seized for use by the government without a warrant.

On June 9, 2013,Edward Snowdenannounced he had released theleaksfrom NSA data to the Guardian and the Washington Post that proved that the NSA had amassed huge databases of citizen phone calls. Snowden wasforced to fleeto Russia after his U.S. Passport was revoked for his whistleblowing.

One year ago this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuitruledthat the surveillance done by the NSA that was leaked by Snowden to be illegal. But the Justice Department canstill accesslogs of calls, emails, and texts with just a court order, and circuit court rulings are limited compared to the federal governments power.

Regardless of approval Snowden may or may not deserve for uncovering what is now known to be illegal; the Fourth Amendment is supposed to protect U.S. citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures of their property, as well as from arbitrary arrests and surveillance.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

U.S. Bill of Rights, Fourth Amendment

The Fourth Amendment is what makes it illegal for law enforcement to come into your house and collect your letters, your mail, any private papers of yours without probable cause. Why is that any different from email? How come because its digital, they suddenly deserve access to it, even though it serves the exact same purpose?

A persons conversations and documents, whether they be digital or physical, should belong to them. The only time those records should be able to be accessed is when there is a specific probable cause against that individual.

Now, some might argue that such searches keep us safe from crimes planned over the net. However, in the same case that found the surveillance uncovered by Snowden to be illegal, the Court of Appeals alsofoundthat only four people were thought to have been stopped by these policies by U.S. officials. In actuality, the court discovered that these were inconsistent court records, meaning all this spying might have literally been inconsequential in stopping crime in any way.

Some may also add that forcertain information, a warrant is still necessary, and while that is true, it simply does not negate the massive amount of data that can be obtained without one.

If this were happening in any other country, Americans would denounce it as Orwellian and totalitarian, straight out of 1984, but because its in the United States, people are willing to let it slide. You do have something to hide: your information is yours, and its yours to distribute at your discretion. The government must stop spying on citizens.

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Opinion: You do have something to hide Scot Scoop News - Scot Scoop News