Tag: cyber war
China’s Telecom Hack ‘Most Serious’ in US History
US Senator Mark Warner has called the Salt Typhoon hack, conducted by a group that has been linked to Chinese intelligence, “the most serious telecoms hack in our history.” In a recent interview with the NY Times, Warner also said that hackers were able to listen in on telephone calls and access text messages, emphasizing that “every major provider has been broken into.” This follows hard on the FBI releasing a joint statement with the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), in which they announced that “China-affiliated actors have compromised networks at multiple telecommunications companies.”
Lebanon pager attack signals new era in cyber warfare
As the whole world is now aware, Beirut was thrown into chaos yesterday by 5,000 exploding weaponized pagers, leaving 900 people dead and a further 300 in critical condition. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, sustained injuries to his face and hand. Lebanon-based Islamist and paramilitary group Hezbollah claims that Israel was responsible. If so, then yesterday afternoon’s event in Beirut will have global repercussions for cyber warfare and targeted cyber-attacks. The idea of weaponizing communications devices is hardly new. Over a decade ago, for example, former US Vice President Dick Cheney disabled a function that allowed the pacemaker regulating his heart to be administered wirelessly. Because he believed terrorists might hack the device to deliver a fatal shock. Israel has also been previously accused of killing Hamas terrorists with booby-trapped cellphones.
India Enlists Army of 5000 “Cyber Commandos”
The Indian Government is upping the ante with its fight against cybercrime. Indian Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah this week announced the launch of four major platforms under cyber security program Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C), including the training of 5,000 “Cyber Commandos,” to counter the increasing threat of cyber-crime. The Cyber Commando Program will create a special wing in every Central Police Organization, aiming to train 5,000 “Cyber Commandos” over the next five years. Trained Commandos will assist Central Agencies in “securing digital spaces”. Other platforms include a national Suspect Registry, a Cyber Fraud Mitigation Center, and an online portal for cyber-crime data analytics and crime mapping.
America’s enemies strive to sway the US presidential election
Nations hostile to America, primarily Russia and China, are currently doubling down on their efforts to influence the outcome of the upcoming US elections. So far, their efforts appear to be directed at preventing Donald Trump from winning a second term as president, possibly fearing a Republican victory could herald the US taking a tougher stance on international affairs. According to an extensive nine-page Microsoft threat intelligence report: “Foreign malign influence concerning the 2024 US election started off slowly but has steadily picked up pace over the last six months due initially to Russian operations, but more recently from Iranian activity.”
The West braces for massive Russian cyber offensive
Russia is believed to be planning widespread cyber-attacks on the West in part retaliation for Ukraine’s cyber-attack, which recently crippled Russia’s financial services. “In retaliation to NATO support for Ukraine, cyberwarfare coinciding with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict will likely include focused state-level attacks against Western critical and military sectors launched by Moscow’s hacker groups,” says Craig Watt, a consultant specializing in strategic and geopolitical intelligence at cybersecurity firm Quorum Cyber.
Ukraine takes down Russia’s financial services
Hackers from Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate claim to have effected one of the largest Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks in history, derailing Russia’s financial services. According to the Kyiv Post, the attack compromised the online services of all major Russian banks, including the Central Bank, telecommunications service providers, national payment systems, social networks and messengers, government resources, and dozens of other services. The affected Russian financial institutions are reported to include VTB Bank, Alfa Bank, SberBank, Raiffeisen Bank, RSHB Bank, Ak Bars Bank, Rosbank, Gazprombank, Tinkoff Bank, iBank, Dom.RF Bank, and the Bank of Russia. On the last day of the attack, the resources of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Federal Tax Service was also reported to have been affected.
Government Vulnerabilities Grow by 151% – January 26th
According to a Bugcrowd report, no other sector saw as much vulnerability growth as the government sector, which saw a 151% surge and a 58% rise in critical vulnerabilities. Following the government sector were the retail (+34%), corporate services (+20%), and computer software (+12%) sectors.
Ukrainian Hacking Group Dismantles Russian Telco – January 11th
A source informed Reuters that the Ukrainian spy agency-backed "Blackjack" hacking group successfully deleted 20TB of data from M9 Telecom, massively disrupting their operations. Seemingly coming as a retaliation attack to the "largest telco cyber attack in history" on Ukrainian telco, Kyivstar, the attack on M9 Telecom shut down internet use for thousands in Moscow.
West’s intelligence services join forces with Big Tech
In what the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is billing as “their first-ever joint public appearance”, the heads of the intelligence services of five Western governments, known as the “Five Eyes” are now meeting in Palo Alto, California, the heart of Silicon Valley.