Cybersecurity

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.

Cybersecurity

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.

Cybersecurity

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.

Cybersecurity

US charges Israeli-Russian national with making software for LockBit ransomware gang

LockBit has made headlines for years, allowing purveyors of its malware to haul away millions of dollars from victims.

Cybersecurity

Salt Typhoon attacks prompt talk of hacking back against China

In classified settings, lawmakers have often asked national security officials why American cyber forces don’t go on the attack more often, one senator said.

Cybersecurity

FY2025 NDAA targets spyware threats to U.S. diplomats, military devices

The language comes as the State department has pressed foreign governments to collectively set standards to prevent spyware abuses.

Cybersecurity

Chinese telecom espionage began with ‘much broader’ aims, officials say

The U.S. has been investigating the Salt Typhoon hackers since late spring and early summer this year, a senior FBI official said.

Cybersecurity

US proposes rule to prevent the sale of financial data to foreign adversaries

Data brokers would have to comply under terms set by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, in an effort that aims to stop exploitation of Americans’ data overseas.

Cybersecurity

Chinese hackers used a ‘range of sophisticated methods’ to breach US telecom providers, insider says

Salt Typhoon deployed various methods to break into telecommunications firms that went far beyond a singular run-of-the-mill credential-stealing attempt, according to a person familiar.

Exclusive Policy

FCC to propose first undersea cable security overhaul since 2001

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel cited rising national security risks in conflict zones as a catalyst for the proposed updates to submarine cable regulations.

Cybersecurity

US still backs UN cyber pact, but final approval awaits human rights safeguards

Some fear the convention would help legitimize authoritarian nations’ surveillance policies. The U.S. won’t formally ratify it until it sees human rights assurances.

Cybersecurity

‘Every single American’ a target of election interference, former DHS official says

Adversaries have heavily accelerated efforts to sway the outcome of next week’s presidential election.

Cybersecurity

UN cybercrime convention will ‘legitimize’ authoritarian nations’ cyber behavior, senators warn

The proposed treaty has ignited debate among officials, as it may offer adversaries a stronger voice in international discussions about cybersecurity and surveillance.

Cybersecurity

Biden admin issues restrictions on US investments into sensitive tech tied to China

The rule takes effect Jan. 2 and focuses on emerging technologies that may galvanize Chinese military advancements.

Cybersecurity

Adversaries will aim to ‘stoke societal unrest’ after Election Day, officials warn

Such efforts are intensifying, said an intelligence community official who confirmed that Russia was behind recent false claims about Tim Walz.

Cybersecurity

Foreign adversaries will aim to discredit results after Election Day, intel officials warn

Select nations, including Cuba, are trying to influence specific congressional races, they added.

Artificial Intelligence

US joins Council of Europe’s AI and human rights framework

By signing the Framework Convention of artificial intelligence this week, the U.S. pledges to mitigate AI-based discrimination.

Cybersecurity

5 Russian military hackers plotted to spread malware to Ukraine through a US company, new charges say

The hackers also tried to target a federal agency based in Maryland, the Justice Department alleges.

Cybersecurity

House lawmakers join effort to remove flagged Chinese tech from telecom networks

The companion proposal to a Senate bill would allocate an additional $3 billion to the Federal Communications Commission to help fund its ‘rip and replace’ reimbursement program.

Cybersecurity

Iran is accelerating US election influence operations, Microsoft research says

One Iran-linked disinformation collective staged covert news websites that focused on politically divisive topics. Another group breached a low-level account in a county-level swing state.