U.S. Military has the most pimp hackers

[-Cp]

The U.S. military has assembled the world's most formidable hacker posse: a super-secret, multimillion-dollar weapons program that may be ready to launch bloodless cyberwar against enemy networks -- from electric grids to telephone nets.

The group's existence was revealed during a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last month. Military leaders from U.S. Strategic Command, or Stratcom, disclosed the existence of a unit called the Joint Functional Component Command for Network Warfare, or JFCCNW.

Read the rest - it's very cool stuff:

http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,67223,00.html

 

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd wantin' to know if dat means we can lob a few bombs at dem lefty lib'rals?...

Pentagon declares the Internet a war domain
07/14/11 - The Pentagon released a long-promised cybersecurity plan Thursday that declares the Internet a domain of war but does not spell out how the U.S. military would use the Web for offensive strikes.

The Defense Department’s first-ever plan for cyberspace states that DOD will expand its ability to thwart attacks from other nations and groups, beef up its cybersecurity workforce and expand collaboration with the private sector. Like major corporations and the rest of the federal government, the military “depends on cyberspace to function,” the DOD strategy states. The U.S. military uses cyberspace for everything from carrying out military operations to sharing intelligence data internally to managing personnel assignments. “The department and the nation have vulnerabilities in cyberspace,” the document states. “Our reliance on cyberspace stands in stark contrast to the inadequacy of our cybersecurity.”

Other nations “are working to exploit DOD unclassified and classified networks, and some foreign intelligence organizations have already acquired the capacity to disrupt elements of DOD’s information infrastructure,” the plan states. “Moreover, non-state actors increasingly threaten to penetrate and disrupt DOD networks and systems.” Groups are capable of this largely because “small-scale technologies” that have “an impact disproportionate to their size” are relatively inexpensive and readily available. The Pentagon plans to focus heavily on three areas under the new strategy: The theft or exploitation of data, attempts to deny or disrupt access to U.S. military networks, and any attempts to “destroy or degrade networks or connected systems.”

Another problem highlighted in the strategy is a baked-in threat: “The majority of information technology products used in the United States are manufactured and assembled overseas.” To address those issues, DOD revealed a multi-pronged approach. As expected and foreshadowed by Pentagon officials’ comments in recent years, the plan etches in stone that cyberspace is now an “operational domain” just as land, air, sea and space have been for decades for the military. “This allows DOD to organize, train and equip for cyberspace” as in those other areas, the plan states. It also notes the 2010 establishment of U.S. Cyber Command to oversee all DOD work in the cyberspace.

By crafting a this strategy, “the Department of Defense is acknowledging what all observers of the IT revolution have known for years: cyberwar is already a reality,” Lexington Institute analyst Daniel Goure, a former Army official, wrote recently. “The publication of the cyberwar strategy may also help jumpstart a long-postponed public debate over the nature of such a war and how it should be deterred, if possible, or fought if necessary,” Goure wrote. “The last technology to revolutionize warfare to the same extent as IT is doing was that which led to the creation of nuclear weapons.”

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[Douger]

Bring the meatheads on.
Google is a CIA deal so I seriously doubt much will show up from the glassy eyed flag worshipers in comparison to Jewgle and Microshit.

 

[High_Gravity]

The US Military is full of pimps.

 

[waltky]

Have ya got the right stuff?...

US government seeks hackers
Wed, Aug 03, 2011 - ‘CYBER WARRIORS’ NEEDED: Straitlaced, rule-bound agencies such as the National Security Agency are having trouble finding self-taught, anti-establishment hackers

The National Security Agency has a challenge for hackers who think they are hot stuff: Prove it by working on the “hardest problems on Earth.” Computer hacker skills are in great demand in the US government to fight the cyber wars that pose a growing national security threat — and they are in short supply. For that very reason, an alphabet soup of federal agencies — DOD, DHS, NASA, NSA — are descending on Las Vegas this week for -Defcon, an annual hacker convention where the US$150 entrance fee is cash only — no registration, no credit cards, no names taken. Attendance is expected to top 10,000.

The National Security Agency (NSA) is among the keen suitors. The spy agency plays both offense and defense in the cyber wars. It conducts electronic eavesdropping on adversaries and protects US computer networks that hold super-secret material — a prize target for the US’ enemies. “Today, it’s cyber warriors that we’re looking for, not rocket scientists,” said Richard “Dickie” George, technical director of the NSA’s Information Assurance Directorate, the agency’s cyberdefense side. “That’s the race that we’re in today. And we need the best and brightest to be ready to take on this cyber warrior status,” he said in an interview.

The NSA is hiring about 1,500 people in the fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30 and another 1,500 next year, most of them cyberexperts. With a workforce of just over 30,000, the Fort Meade, Maryland-based NSA dwarfs other intelligence agencies, including the CIA. It also engages in cyberspying and other offensive operations, something it rarely, if ever, discusses publicly. However, at Defcon, the NSA and other “Feds” will be -competing with corporations looking for hacking talent too. The NSA needs cyber security experts to harden networks, defend them with updates, do “penetration testing” to find security holes and watch for any signs of cyber attacks.

The NSA is expanding its fold of hackers, but George said there is a shortage of those skills. “We are straining to hire the people that we need,” he said. It might seem to be an odd--couple fit — straitlaced government types with their rules and missions trying to recruit hackers, who by definition want to defy authorities. George said the NSA is actually an environment where the hacker mindset fits right in to work with “a critical mass of people that are just like them.” However, what about culture rifts?

“When I walk down the hall, there are people that I see every day and I never know what color their hair’s going to be,” George said. “And it’s a bonus if they’re wearing shoes. We’ve been in some sense a collection of geeks for a long, long time.” The agency has long been known for its brilliant, but sometimes eccentric, mathematicians and linguists. Jeff Moss, a hacker known as Dark Tangent, knows something about bridging the two worlds. He founded Defcon and the companion Black Hat conference for security professionals and is now a member of the US Department of Homeland Security’s Advisory Council, which advises the government on cyber security. “They need people with the hacker skill set, hacker mind-set. It’s not like you go to a hacker university and get blessed with a badge that says you’re a hacker. It’s a self-appointed label — you think like one or you don’t,” Moss said.

More US government seeks hackers - Taipei Times

 

[waltky]

China not hacking?...

Chinese TV shows cyber hacking clip
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 - STILL NOT HACKING? Despite repeated denials of involvement in hacking, a show on China’s state-run military channel briefly showed a user attacking a Falun Gong site

A six-second clip on Chinese state television has provided a rare glimpse into purported cyber hacking attacks launched by the country’s military, despite long-standing official denials that the government engages in such activity. In a program titled The Internet Storm is Here, CCTV-7, China’s official military channel, had experts discussing the different methods of cyber attacks and US cyber operations. About halfway through the 20-minute program, a user is seen to operate a cursor on a screen that displays two options, a “www denial-of-service attack” and “distributed denial-of-service attack.” A denial-of-service attack is a basic hacking attack that brings down a Web site by spamming it with data. The screen then changes, showing a box with the words “select attack target” and “input target IP address.” A scrolling marquee at the top of the box reads “China’s People’s Liberation Army [PLA] Electronic Engineering Academy.”

The user then selects Minghui.org, a Web site of the banned spiritual sect Falun Gong, from a dropdown menu containing a list of other Falun Gong sites and clicks the “attack” button. It is unclear if the program on the screen shown is a mock-up, or when the clip was filmed, but China has consistently denied having anything to do with hacking attacks. The existence of the piece, which appears to have been shown last month, was reported on Wednesday by China SignPost Web site, which said it was “visual evidence” to undermine China’s official denials of involvement in hacking. As of midday yesterday, the page with the clip on Chinese state television’s Web site was no longer accessible.

The US says that many hacking attacks appear to come from China, often targeting human rights groups as well as US companies. In its annual report to the US Congress on China’s military on Wednesday, the Pentagon warned that hacking attacks from China could one day be used for overt military means, rather than just trying to access data. “The accesses and skills required for those intrusions are similar to those necessary to conduct computer network attacks,” the report said. “Developing capabilities for cyber warfare is consistent with authoritative PLA military writings.” Google, the world’s largest search engine, partially pulled out of China last year after concerns of censorship and a serious hacking episode.

Google, which said the attacks originated in China, was one of the dozens of high profile companies targeted in an ultra-sophisticated cyber attack named “Operation Aurora” that took place in the second half of 2009. Yahoo, Adobe and Dow Chemicals were also reportedly amongst the targets. In June this year, Google said its Gmail product had suffered a cyber attack originating in China that was aimed at stealing passwords and information from high level US government officials and Chinese activists. China says it too is a victim of hacking. The cyber attacks add to the long list of tensions between the US and China that span trade issues, human rights, the value of the yuan and Taiwan.

Chinese TV shows cyber hacking clip - Taipei Times

 

[CitizenPained]

Second only to Israel, of course.

 

[JStone]

Bring the meatheads on.
Google is a CIA deal so I seriously doubt much will show up from the glassy eyed flag worshipers in comparison to Jewgle and Microshit.

I'll bet your supervisor at Walmart would be none too pleased that you're posting on the internet while supposedly working as a greeter.

 

[High_Gravity]

Bring the meatheads on.
Google is a CIA deal so I seriously doubt much will show up from the glassy eyed flag worshipers in comparison to Jewgle and Microshit.

I'll bet your supervisor at Walmart would be none too pleased that you're posting on the internet while supposedly working as a greeter.

 

[editec]

U.S. Military has the most pimp hackers

Good!

Lets just hope that they don't turn their attention to us, shall we?

 

[waltky]

Cyber espionage from China rising...

Chinese Hackers a Growing Threat
January 31, 2013 WASHINGTON — Chinese hackers have conducted a growing number of attacks against foreign companies and government institutions in recent years, leading a recent U.S. congressional report to call China the "most threatening actor in cyberspace."

Although the attacks are difficult to trace to a specific source, many suspect the hackers are targeting overseas business, media, political and security institutions at the direction of, or with the permission of, the Chinese government or military. Chinese officials have denied the charge, saying Beijing also is a victim of computer attacks and security breaches. They argues that just because cyber attacks may originate from Chinese soil does not mean China is sponsoring the attackers.

New York Times hints at cyber attack by Chinese military

The latest accusation came Thursday from the New York Times, which said hackers employing methods known to be used by the Chinese military broke into its computers, in apparent retaliation for a scathing investigation into the wealth of Premier Wen Jiabao. The story fits the pattern of many China-based journalists and activist groups, who have long complained of computer-based attacks and other techniques allegedly aimed at intimidating them and their sources from covering topics that upset Beijing.

Although the Times was able to employ a large computer security firm to help protect it from cyber attacks, observers say many smaller organizations with modest IT budgets are more vulnerable because they are unable to provide the same level of protection.

US report: China 'most threatening actor in cyberspace'

Chinese hackers also are believed to have spied on U.S. government and military activities, as detailed in a November report to Congress by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The report said state-sponsored hackers often have stolen sensitive information to help advance China's political, economic and security objectives. It also said China often chooses to look the other way when "hacktivists," or independent cyber criminals, conduct attacks against U.S. business or government interests.

The report said the issue is complicated by the widespread existence of state-owned or state-controlled companies in China, which often employ hackers to steal trade secrets in order to gain advantages on foreign competitors. Because of these factors, the U.S. panel called China "the most threatening actor in cyberspace."

Evidence suggests growing Chinese involvement in hacking

See also:

Chinese Hackers Target NY Times Website
January 31, 2013 - The New York Times says Chinese hackers have repeatedly launched cyber attacks against its website and journalists in the four months since the paper angered Beijing by posting an article exposing the wealth of a senior politician.

In a detailed report published Thursday, the newspaper said hackers used tactics known to be employed by the Chinese military to break into its network and steal the email passwords of several senior reporters and other employees. The paper said the attacks began about the same time it published a blockbuster October story detailing $2.7 billion allegedly accumulated by the family of outgoing Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

At the time, China reacted angrily to the story, which threatened the reputation of a leader known for his clean image. It immediately blocked the Times' English and Chinese websites and threatened unspecified "consequences" for the story. On Thursday, foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei called the hacking charges "irresponsible" and "baseless." "According to some investigative results, which showed no proof and had uncertain evidence and a baseless conclusion, China had participated in online attacks," said Hong. "That is a totally irresponsible conclusion. China is also a victim of online attacks. China's laws clearly ban online attacks."

The Times says the hacking attempt was discovered, in part, by Mandiant, a computer security company, which alerted the Times to the cyber attacks just one day after the Wen Jiabao article was published. The paper does not know how the hackers broke into its network, but it suspects they used an email to employees containing malicious links or attachments. It says they were soon able to steal the corporate passwords for "every Times employee."

The hackers then used the passwords to access dozens of employees' personal computers, with the apparent aim of finding the sources of information for the article. It says the primary target was Shanghai bureau chief David Barboza, who wrote the article. Jill Abramson, executive editor of the Times, said hackers were not able to access sensitive emails or files from the article on Wen, which relied on publicly available records such as corporate documents. The paper also said no customer data was stolen.

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[waltky]

Chinese hackers hit WSJ...

Chinese hackers hit Wall Street Journal: report
Sat, Feb 02, 2013 - WASHINGTON The Wall Street Journal on Thursday said its computers had been hit by Chinese hackers, becoming the latest US media organization to report an effort to spy on its journalists covering China.

The announcement came a day after the New York Times said hackers, possibly connected to China’s military, had infiltrated its computers in response to its expose of the vast wealth amassed by a top leader’s family. The Journal reported that the attacks were “for the apparent purpose of monitoring the newspaper’s China coverage” and suggested that Chinese spying on US media has become a “widespread phenomenon.” “Evidence shows that infiltration efforts target the monitoring of the Journal’s coverage of China, and are not an attempt to gain commercial advantage or to misappropriate customer information,” said a statement from Journal parent Dow Jones, a unit of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the US government had noted an increase in hacking attacks on both state institutions and private companies, and would raise the issue in international forums. “We have to begin making it clear to not only the Chinese ... that the United States is going to be having to take actions to protect not only our governments but our private sector from this kind of illegal intrusion,” she said. “I’d like to see an international forum committed to discussing what to do about this, because everybody’s vulnerable.” “We’re going to try to get legislation passed which we were unsuccessful in doing in the last Congress,” she said at a briefing to mark the end of her term as the US’ top diplomat.

The Journal gave no timeline for the attacks, but said a network overhaul to bolster security had been completed on Thursday. “We fully intend to continue the aggressive and independent journalism for which we are known,” Dow Jones spokeswoman Paula Keve said. On Wednesday, the Times reported that hackers had infiltrated computer systems and stolen staff passwords over the past four months. The effort was particularly focused on the e-mails of Shanghai bureau chief David Barboza, the newspaper said. Barboza wrote a story, published on Oct. 25 last year, that said close relatives of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao had made billions of dollars in business dealings. “Chinese hackers, using methods that some consultants have associated with the Chinese military in the past, breached the Times’ network,” the newspaper said, citing a wealth of digital evidence gathered by its security experts.

The Times said the IT consultants believed the attacks “started from the same university computers used by the Chinese military to attack United States military contractors in the past.” China did not immediately comment on the Journal’s allegations, but on Thursday Beijing dismissed the Times’ accusations as “groundless.” The hackers stole corporate passwords and targeted the computers of 53 employees, including former Beijing bureau chief Jim Yardley, according to the Times. The newspaper said Bloomberg News was also targeted by Chinese hackers, after publishing a report in June on the wealth accumulated by relatives of Vice President Xi Jinping, who was elevated to leader of the Chinese Communist Party in November last year.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2013/02/02/2003554059

See also:

US weighs tougher action over China cyberattacks
February 1, 2013 WASHINGTON — High-level talks with the Chinese government to address persistent cyberattacks against U.S. companies and government agencies haven't worked, so officials say the Obama administration is now considering a range of actions.

China-based hackers have long been an economic and national security concern, but as cybersecurity experts report an increase in attacks, U.S. leaders are looking at ways to better address the threat and analyze its impact. Two former U.S. officials said the administration is preparing a new National Intelligence Estimate that, when complete, is expected to detail the cyberthreat, particularly from China, as a growing economic problem. One official said it also will cite more directly a role by the Chinese government in such espionage.

The official said the NIE, which reflects the views of the nation's various intelligence agencies, will underscore the administration's concerns about the threat, and will put greater weight on plans for more pointed diplomatic and trade measures against the Chinese government. The two former officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the classified report. "We have to begin making it clear to the Chinese," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday, "that the United States is going to have to take action to protect not only our government's, but our private sector, from this kind of illegal intrusions."

She said the U.S. must help build an international alliance against the cyberthreat and added that there is a lot the U.S. is working on "in the event that we don't get some kind of international effort under way." She said no specifics have been finalized. Underscoring that widespread threat, both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that their computer systems had been infiltrated by China-based hackers. In both cases they said the focus was on monitoring news coverage and the reporters digging into stories the Chinese government deemed important.

Although the Obama administration hasn't yet decided what steps it may take, actions could include threats to cancel certain visas or put major purchases of Chinese goods through national security reviews. "The U.S. government has started to look seriously at more assertive measures and begun to engage the Chinese on senior levels," said James Lewis, a cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "They realize that this is a major problem in the bilateral relationship that threatens to destabilize U.S. relations with China."

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