Cyber Threats
Republicans urge Trump admin to launch offensive cyber operations against China
The letter cites high-profile Chinese intrusions into U.S. systems that have made headlines in recent months. Trump’s national security officials have expressed a desire to engage in offensive cyber ops against adversaries.
US charges 12 Chinese nationals for hacks into government systems
Some of the people have ties to i-Soon, the Chinese tech firm whose hacking-for-hire activities were exposed in a leak last year. Others are linked to Silk Typhoon, a hacking unit that recently breached the Treasury Department.
Salt Typhoon hackers exploited stolen credentials and a 7-year-old software flaw in Cisco systems
The Chinese hacking collective has widely leveraged vulnerabilities in communications infrastructure to breach dozens of telecom providers in the U.S. and overseas.
FBI notified over 4,300 victims of ‘pig butchering’ crypto scams in past year
After victims are tricked into buying crypto, they are shown fake online accounts with fictitious returns while the stolen funds are moved offshore, an FBI official said.
Salt Typhoon hackers possibly targeted telecom research at US universities
Recorded Future’s latest findings shed light on how widespread the Salt Typhoon campaign has become since it was uncovered last year.
Trump to nominate former RNC official to be national cyber director
It’s not clear how Sean Cairncross would address ongoing ONCD efforts, as the Trump administration has sought to refocus certain cyber priorities in the federal government.
AI-cybersecurity firm Andesite secures added $23M in funding
The company, which is led by former CIA officials and other ex-national intelligence chiefs, also unveiled a new security operations center product, the firm first told Nextgov/FCW.
Lawmakers move to ban DeepSeek’s AI from government devices
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., charged that China is using DeepSeek “to steal the sensitive data of U.S. citizens.”
Senate confirms Kristi Noem to head Trump’s DHS
Noem is likely to direct a reevaluation of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s spending priorities, amid GOP accusations that the agency censored conservative views online.
US sanctions Chinese firm behind sweeping Salt Typhoon telecom hacks
The Treasury Department also sanctioned an individual involved in recent Chinese hacks into its own systems.
Salt Typhoon breach was first detected on federal networks, CISA head says
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly said the group was first detected “before we understood it was Salt Typhoon.”
FBI deleted Chinese malware from 4,200 US computers
The malware’s command server appears to be based in Tokyo and was accessed by French authorities who helped craft the code needed to remove the infection.
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GAO mulls cost evaluation of nationwide telecom hardware replacement
One major vulnerability exploited by China’s Salt Typhoon hacking unit is a Cisco hardware flaw that can’t be patched and requires physical replacement, according to a person with knowledge of the intrusions.
US sanctions Chinese company that helped facilitate espionage hacks
Integrity Technology Group, known to researchers as Flax Typhoon, contracted with China’s Ministry of State Security to carry out infiltrations into internet of things devices, the FBI previously said.
Is AI the missing piece for government agencies to achieve zero trust security?
Here are three factors to consider.
Chinese-sponsored hackers accessed Treasury documents in ‘major incident’
The incident comes in the final days of the Biden presidency and as officials work to root out China-tied hackers from U.S. telecommunications systems.
Major cyber news drops under the buzzer for 2024
A ninth U.S. telecommunications provider fell onto Salt Typhoon’s victim list, and the UN’s controversial cybercrime treaty was adopted.
How federal agencies can combat identity-related cyber threats and unmask cybercriminals
COMMENTARY | Identity-related threats remain a big problem in government.
Cybersecurity response: Not just an IT issue but an emergency preparedness priority
COMMENTARY | Government and private sector organizations have begun to recognize that physical and virtual assets must be protected from cyber threats in the same way as IT.
Hundreds of organizations were notified of potential Salt Typhoon compromise
Some of the exploited vulnerabilities have had fixes available for several years. One provider’s management system was protected with a basic numeric password.
