Archive for July, 2014
Zambia: First Cyber Security Lab Unveiled
Jul 30th
From: AllAfrica
VISITING International Telecommunications Union (ITU) deputy secretary-general Houlin Zhao has launched the first-ever cyber security laboratory in Zambia, which will enable law-enforcement agencies to combat Information Communication Technology (ICT)-related crimes.
The laboratory is based at the Zambia Police Service headquarters in Lusaka, whose refurbishment and procurement of equipment was done by the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) at a cost of K700,000.
Mr Zhao said that cyber crime was a fast-growing phenomenon as more and more criminals were exploiting connectivity, convenience and anonymity of the Internet to commit various crimes that had no borders.
Amid cyber attacks on Israel, security agency wins a battle fighting back
Jul 28th
From: Haaretz
The Shin Bet says it thwarted a foray against both government and nongovernment websites.
By Jonathan Lis and Oded Yaron
Cyber attacks on Israeli Internet infrastructure and websites continued on Sunday, the 20th day of the Gaza offensive, but the Shin Bet security service said it had thwarted a major attack.
“In recent hours Israeli Internet service providers have been dealing with a massive DDoS [distributed denial-of-service] cyber attack,” wrote Gabi Cohen, the deputy head of the Finance Ministry department responsible for government websites. As a result, disruptions are possible on the Internet, Cohen said in an email to undisclosed recipients obtained by Haaretz.
Australian Federal Police foil Russian crime gang’s $570m cyber theft bid as nation loses $4.6 billion-a-year to computer crime
Jul 24th
From: Herald Sun
Keith Moor
POLICE have foiled an elaborate bid by a Russian organised crime gang to steal $570 million from Australian companies it hacked into.
Australian Federal Police are expecting arrests to be made overseas in what is an ongoing investigation by it and Russian authorities into the massive attempted theft.
Had it been successful it would have boosted what the AFP estimates to be the $4.6 billion a year cost of cyber crime in Australia to above the $5 billion mark.
Israeli hi-tech firm to launch Energy Cyber Security Center
Jul 21st
From: Jerusalem Post
Aiming to tackle threats to infrastructure around the globe, the company plans to launch its Energy Cyber Security Center in Hadera on September 15.
In a world where web-based hacker attacks have reached far beyond lifting personal credit card information, a Herzliya- based firm is preparing to launch a first-of-its-kind Energy Cyber Security Center this fall.
“We are now in the position to help every country, every utility – whether it’s gas, water, or energy – to secure their digital network, to integrate today with electric cars, with energy infrastructure, with storage devices,” Daniel Jammer, founder and CEO of energy cyber security firm Nation-E told The Jerusalem Post.
Cybersecurity is a Top Priority for Governors
Jul 16th
From: HSToday
A joint action plan for cybersecurity was approved last week by the Council of Governors, Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during the National Governors Association (NGA) 2014 Summer Meeting.
The Joint Action Plan for State-Federal Unity of Effort on Cybersecurity “is a commitment by states, DHS and DoD to work together to improve the nation’s cybersecurity posture. It establishes a framework to guide state-federal discussions in areas such as information sharing, operational coordination and incident response,” NGA said in an announcement.
The action plan incorporates several of governors’ key priorities, including:
Group Wants Energy Regulators to be Tougher on Cybersecurity
Jul 14th
Fron: WSJ/CIO Journal
By Rachael King
One nonprofit group says that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission hasn’t done enough to protect the bulk power grid. The New Hampshire-based group, called the Foundation for Resilient Societies, wants utilities to protect industrial control systems from cybersecurity threats over the Internet.
On Friday, that group sent a letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee urging it to secure commitments from nominees Norman Bay and Cheryl LaFleur that they’ll be tough on cybersecurity, reports Politico. The Senate will vote Tuesday to confirm the nominees, who are currently serving on the commission.
Hackers disrupt Tunisian voter registration
Jul 11th
From: HackSurfer
By Mike
Hackers briefly disrupted the online voter registration for Tunisia’s parliamentary and presidential elections. The organization charged with holding the vote said that hackers launched an attack, disrupting the registration process. However, later the organization said registration had restarted, despite continued attacks. http://goo.gl/YtHrBj
Hackers may have breached the federal government’s personnel office, DHS official says
Jul 10th
From: The Washington Post
By Fred Barbash and Ellen Nakashima
Hackers may have breached the Office of Personnel Management’s network, a Department of Homeland Security official confirmed Thursday.
According to the DHS official, who asked not to be identified, the agency’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center became aware of a “potential intrusion” of the network, and has been working with OPM and other agencies to assess and mitigate risks. So far, they have not found “any loss of personally identifiable information,” the official said.
Skill shortage alert: Banks in Singapore struggle to source cyber security staff
Jul 3rd
From: efinancialcareers
by Simon Mortlock
Cyber-security experts are urgently needed at banks in Singapore, but recruiters in the city state say there’s not enough talent to meet demand.
The buoyant job market in cyber security is being partly fuelled by pronouncements from Singapore’s government and financial regulator.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore issued new Technology Risk Management Guidelines in June, advising financial institutions to “deepen their technology risk management capabilities and be ready to handle IT security incidents and system failures”. And last year the government released a long-term policy agenda, the National Cyber Security Masterplan 2018.
Big dreams for Rwanda’s ICT sector – Success story is grabbing global attention
Jul 2nd
From: Bulawayo24.com
by Nirit Ben-Ari
“The Internet is a needed public utility as much as water and electricity,” declared President Paul Kagame at the Transform Africa summit, held in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city, last October to discuss the future of broadband in Africa.
The choice of Kigali as host did not surprise Information Communication Technology (ICT) experts; Mr. Kagame’s government takes ICT so seriously that it aims to creating an ICT infrastructure comparable to any in the developed world. The choice was also not surprising since Rwanda hosted the Connect Africa summit in 2007 that championed broadband connectivity for the continent.