Dateline the Internet: the open source software supply chain.
Log4j and other issues in open-source software. (The CyberWire) Remediating Log4shell is a large and varied problem, but it's only on instance of the complicated relationship between upstream providers and downstream users of the open source supply chain.
Australia faces down another global bug (Australian Associated Press) People working on the go or remotely are on the frontline in the fight against a different type of global bug.
US Cyber Officials Bracing for 'Log4j’ Vulnerability Fallout (VOA) Officials warn threat has not passed despite major efforts in the month since major software vulnerability was discovered
No Significant Intrusions Related to Log4j Flaw Yet, CISA Says (Dark Reading) But that could change anytime, officials warn, urging organizations to prioritize patching against the critical remote code execution flaw.
CISA director: 'We have not seen significant intrusions' from Log4j -- yet (ZDNet) CISA officials wondered if quick Log4j mitigations helped protect most organizations -- or if attackers are waiting to leverage their new access.
CISA director: Log4Shell has not resulted in 'significant' government intrusions yet (The Record by Recorded Future) Top officials at the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on Monday said federal agencies have not reported “significant intrusions” related to the Log4Shell vulnerability, but warned that threat actors may soon start actively deploying it to disrupt critical infrastructure and other assets.
If hackers are exploiting the Log4j flaw, CISA says we might not know yet (CyberScoop) Federal officials cautioned Monday that, while the widespread Log4j vulnerability hasn’t led to any major known intrusions in the U.S., there could be a “lag” between when the flaw became known, and when attackers exploit it. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly said that there were months between the discovery of the vulnerability that led to the 2017 Equifax breach, which exposed the personal information of nearly 150 million Americans, and word of the breach itself, invoking one of the most notable hacks in history.
Cyber Officials Warn of Long-Term Fallout From Log4j Cyber Flaw (Wall Street Journal) While the bug’s impact has been muted so far, U.S. official says there are limits to what the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency may know.
Despite ‘extraordinary’ federal response, Log4J will haunt agencies for months to come (Federal News Network) Federal agencies have patched or mitigated thousands of assets, but officials warn remediation efforts are far from over.
How the Log4j Vulnerability is Forcing Change in Federal Cybersecurity Policy (Nextgov.com) Officials say agencies have demonstrated more dedication than ever in addressing a bug with astronomical reach, but organizations are at the mercy of product vendors to issue the patches they need to implement.
Absence of reporting law limits agency knowledge of cyberattacks (Roll Call) Lawmakers have not required companies to report cyber attacks, leaving federal agencies in the dark about sensitive hacks.
Federal Agencies Responding Quickly To Latest Cyber Vulnerability, CISA Says (Defense Daily) Federal civilian agencies have moved quickly to remediate their networks and bolster their defenses from a recently disclosed cybersecurity vulnerability,
Log4j vulnerability prompts Senate Homeland Security Committee briefing, warnings for critical infrastructure (Homeland Preparedness News) In response to hacker-discovered vulnerabilities in the widely used Java-based logging package Log4j, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) convened a committee briefing with top federal cybersecurity officials this week to address the issue’s mitigation. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs … Read More »
Log4j: Sen. Peters Revisits Incident Reporting Legislation (BankInfoSecurity) Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said this week that his committee convened a virtual briefing with
The FTC Wants Companies to Find Log4j Fast. It Won't Be So Easy (Wired) The critical vulnerability is buried among endless open source code, and many cyber experts are stumped.
Apache Foundation Calls Out Open-Source Leechers (SecurityWeek) The non-profit Apache Software Foundation says companies that ship open-source code should do much more to help with security audits and fixes.
Position Paper - Community Development (Apache Software Foundation) This version contains edits not present in the version sent to the White House
Osterman Report 2021 | PerimeterX (PerimeterX) The third annual report by Osterman Research uncovers the extent and impact of third-party scripts, revealing a false sense of security even though shadow code risk remains high.
Log4j Vulnerability Resource Center (Sonatype) The wave of security vulnerabilities and exploitation affecting Log4shell continues to be a serious concern. Here is a one stop shop of Log4j resources.
Log4Shell log4j Remote Code Execution - The COVID of the Internet (Imperva) The Log4Shell zero day vulnerability is truly one of the most significant security threats of the past decade and its effects will be felt far into 2022 and beyond. Imperva has observed over 102M exploitation attempts across thousands of sites protected by Imperva Cloud Web Application Firewall (WAF). In the days following, the team at […]
npm Libraries ‘colors’ and ‘faker’ Sabotaged in Protest by their Maintainer—What to do Now? (Sonatype) Popular npm open source libraries, colors.js, and faker.js were sabotaged by their own maintainer. What does that mean for open source sustainability?
Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
New SysJoker Backdoor Targets Windows, Linux, and macOS (Intezer) In December 2021, we discovered a new multi-platform backdoor that targets Windows, Mac, and Linux that we have named SysJoker.
CISA Adds 15 Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog (HS Today) BOD 22-01 requires FCEB agencies to remediate identified vulnerabilities by the due date to protect FCEB networks against active threats.
Indian Cyberspies Expose Their Operation After Infecting Themselves With RAT (SecurityWeek) India-linked Patchwork was observed employing a new variant of the BADNEWS backdoor in a recent campaign, but the hackers also infected one of their own computers, giving researchers a glimpse into their operations.
Oops: Cyberspies infect themselves with their own malware (BleepingComputer) After infecting themselves with their own custom remote access trojan (RAT), an Indian-linked cyber-espionage group has accidentally exposed its operations to security researchers.
Chinese Threats in the Quantum Era (Booz Allen Hamilton) China is a major player in quantum computing. Here’s what CISOs need to know in order to manage related cyber risks.
SFile (Escal) ransomware ported for Linux attacks (The Record by Recorded Future) The operators of the SFile ransomware, also known as Escal, have ported their malware to work and encrypt files on Linux-based operating systems.
HHS Warns Healthcare Sector of Pysa Ransomware Threats (GovInfoSecurity) U.S. authorities are warning healthcare sector entities of rising threats involving Pysa ransomware and the cybercriminal gang Mespinoza, which operates the malware
How Do Ransomware Groups Launder Payments? (Digital Shadows) Money laundering refers to the process of changing large amounts of cash obtained from criminal activity and making it appear to have come from a legitimate source, or otherwise obfuscating where it has been obtained.
QNAP Urges Users to Secure NAS Devices as Attacks Surge (SecurityWeek) Taiwan-based QNAP Systems has warned users of an increase in attacks targeting NAS appliances, urging them to secure their devices as soon as possible.
Abcbot DDoS Botnet Linked to Older Cryptojacking Campaign (SecurityWeek) The relatively recent Abcbot DDoS botnet appears to be operated by the same cybercriminals that launched a Xanthe-based cryptojacking campaign first detailed a couple of years ago.
SOHO routers impacted by bug in USB-over-network component (The Record by Recorded Future) USB-over-network components have been plagued over the past two years by an ever-increasing number of vulnerabilities, and in new research published today, researchers at SentinelOne said they discovered new issues in the USB-over-network component of home and office (SOHO) routers.
Microsoft: macOS 'Powerdir' Flaw Could Let Attackers Gain Access to User Data (Dark Reading) The vulnerability could allow an attacker to bypass the macOS Transparency, Consent, and Control measures to access a user's protected data.
FBI Warns US Companies to Avoid Malicious USB Devices (Cybereason) Cybercriminals constantly evolve the tactics, techniques, and procedures they use to execute attacks to find innovative ways to bypass or circumvent security controls. Sometimes the best strategy is the simplest one, though, and may succeed in catching targets off guard. A new warning from the FBI cautions US companies to be on alert for an old tactic that is apparently being used again—tricking users into connecting a malicious USB device.
Cities in Texas hit by QR-code phishing scam (GCN) Austin, Houston and San Antonio have been affected by a phishing scam designed to get users to pay for parking using fraudulent QR codes pasted on public meters.
U.S. Government Issues Warning Over Commercial Surveillance Tools (SecurityWeek) The U.S. government has issued a warning over the use of commercial surveillance tools and it has shared some recommendations.
Protect Yourself: Commercial Surveillance Tools (National Counterintelligence and Security Center) Companies and individuals have been selling commercial surveillance tools to governments and other entities that have used them for malicious purposes. Journalists, dissidents, and other persons around the world have been targeted and tracked using these tools, which allow malign actors to infect mobile and internet-connected devices with malware over both WiFi and cellular data connections. In some cases, malign actors can infect a targeted device with no action from the device owner. In others, they can use an infected link to gain access to a device.
Panasonic says hackers accessed personal data of job candidates (Yahoo) Japanese tech giant Panasonic has confirmed that hackers accessed personal information belonging to job candidates and interns during a November cyberattack. At the time of the data breach, which the company first confirmed on November 26, the company was unable to say whether hackers had accessed any sensitive information. Panasonic said it was notifying those affected.
Update on Unauthorized Access to File Server (Panasonic) On November 26, 2021, Panasonic Corporation announced that one of its file servers in Japan had been illegally accessed by a third party. Panasonic Corporation sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience and concern arising from this incident.
How Ransomware Cost Ireland’s HSE $600 Million (Votiro) In the spring of 2021, Ireland’s public health system was targeted with a ransomware attack that resulted in widespread disruptions to patient care and hundreds of millions in costs. In a scathing post-mortem report, consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers found that the intrusion went undetected for two months before the threat actors dropped the ransomware payload. This...
Comelec validating report alleging data breach in its servers (RAPPLER) The Comelec, however, expresses doubt over the Manila Bulletin report's claim that certain data were downloaded by hackers, saying these are not yet available online
Data Breaches Hit Saltzer Health, Loyola University Medical Center (Health IT Security) The sector continues to be a prime target for healthcare data breaches that lead to network outages, data exfiltration, and PHI exposure.
City of Grass Valley, California, suffers data breach – employee and citizen information exposed (The Daily Swig) Social Security numbers and medical information has been accessed, city confirms
California town announces data breach involving police department, loan provider (ZDNet) The breach involves Grass Valley employees, former employees, spouses, dependents, and vendors -- as well as anyone whose information was given to the local police department.
Attorney General Tong Urges Caution Following FinalSite Ransomware Attack (CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website) With the FinalSite ransomware attack impacting thousands of school websites and communications systems nationwide, Attorney General William Tong reminded businesses and government entities to assess their data security practices to protect operations and consumer data against growing cybersecurity threats.
Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates
SonicWall Patches Y2K22 Bug in Email Security, Firewall Products (SecurityWeek) Cybersecurity firm SonicWall says it has released patches for some of its email security and firewall products to address a bug that resulted in failed junk box and message log updates.
WordPress 5.8.3 Patches Several Injection Vulnerabilities (SecurityWeek) WordPress 5.8.3 patches several vulnerabilities, including XSS and SQL injection bugs.
WordPress 5.8.3 security update fixes SQL injection, XSS flaws (BleepingComputer) The WordPress development team released version 5.8.3, a short-cycle security release that addresses four vulnerabilities, three of which are rated of high importance.
Trends
WordPress Vulnerabilities More Than Doubled in 2021 and 77% of Them Are Exploitable (Risk Based Security) As we continue our mission to provide our customers with the best vulnerability intelligence available, we observe many shifts in the landscape. We’ve seen Bugtraq fall out of favor, the rise of Patch Tuesdays, felt the full force of the Vulnerability Fujiwhara Effect, and also witnessed the rise of
Exclusive: Cyber security becomes the 'single biggest risk' as hackers flood the City (CityAM) New data has revealed that more than half of firms believe that exposure to a cyber attack has increased alongside the rise of remote working, with industry experts calling it "the single biggest risk".
Cybersecurity training isn't working. And hacking attacks are only getting worse (ZDNet) As the internet becomes an increasingly vital part of our lives, more needs to be done to prevent vital services from being disrupted.
Netskope Threat Research Reveals More Than Two-Thirds of Malware Downloads Came From Cloud Apps in 2021 (PR Newswire) Netskope, the SASE leader, today released the Netskope Cloud and Threat Spotlight: January 2022, which revealed new research highlighting the...
SecurityWeek Cyber Insights 2022: Ransomware (SecurityWeek) Cyber Insights 2022 is a series of articles examining the potential evolution of threats over the new year and beyond. In this installment, we focus on the ransomware threat.
Why cyber crime will continue to flourish in 2022 (Security Brief) Cybercrime flourished in 2021, and there are no signs that it will slow down in 2022. There are several factors behind this high-confidence prediction.
The 5 Best Information Security Books of 2021 (Ben Rothke) It’s been a year since I wrote The Best Information Security Books of 2020 and 2 years since The Best Information Security Books of 2019. With that, as the year is coming to a close, here is my list of the Best Information Security Books of 2021.
BCC Finds Rising Cyber-Attack Fears in Hybrid Working World (British Chambers of Commerce) More than half of firms believe their exposure to attack has increased due to working from home arrangements One in 10 firms have been the victim of a cyber-attack in the last year This rises to more than one in seven for larger firms with more than 50 employees...
Riverside Compliance Chief Sees Cybersecurity as Emerging Challenge for Private Equity (Wall Street Journal) Jennifer Boyce talks about the evolving role of compliance chiefs at private-equity firms as well as the impact of the pandemic on her workload.
Marketplace
CrowdStrike Launches Falcon Fund II for Continued Investment in Cybersecurity and Technology Trailblazers (Yahoo Finance) CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRWD), a leader in cloud-delivered protection of endpoints, cloud workloads, identity and data, today announced the launch of Falcon Fund II, a $100 million investment vehicle in partnership with Accel focused on cross-stage private investments within cybersecurity and relevant adjacent markets. Five times the size of the initial Falcon Fund, Falcon Fund II represents CrowdStrike’s commitment to growing the cybersecurity...
Claroty completes acquisition of healthcare IoT security leader Medigate (Dot Med) Claroty, the security company for cyber-physical systems (CPS) across industrial, healthcare, and enterprise environments, today announced it completed the acquisition of Medigate, a leading healthcare IoT security company. The acquisition uniquely positions Claroty to secure the Extended Internet of Things (XIoT) by delivering unmatched visibility, protection, and threat detection for all connected organizations via one comprehensive solution.
SilverSky Announces Acquisition of Cygilant, Gains UK Presence and Renowned Data Research Talent (PR Newswire) SilverSky, a cybersecurity innovator offering powerful managed detection and response (MDR) services, today announced it completed the...
Proofpoint Completes the Acquisition of Dathena; Strengthens Enterprise Information Protection Offering (GlobeNewswire News Room) The combined solution will solve legacy endpoint data loss prevention challenges and deliver real security value through detection, response, and...
TPG to sell Wind River to Aptiv for $4.3bn (PE Hub) Aptiv PLC has agreed to acquire Wind River from TPG Capital for $4.3 billion in cash.
30 Startups We Think Could Go Public In 2022 (Crunchbase News) 2021 was a blockbuster for the IPO markets, and we think that sets 2022 up to be another robust year for stock market debuts as many well-capitalized startups head for the exits. With that in mind, here are the Crunchbase News staff’s top picks for who we think could go public next year.
Citrix is laying off 80 workers at its Santa Clara campus (Silicon Valley Business Journal) Citrix Systems Inc. is laying off 80 workers at its Santa Clara campus.
Darktrace shares glow as UK cyber group lifts outlook (Reuters) British cyber security firm Darktrace lifted its full-year revenue and margin guidance on Tuesday after it enjoyed a near 40% jump in customers, driving its shares higher after a recent slump.
Cobalt Closes 2021 with Record Growth, Solidifies Status as Leader in (PRWeb) Cobalt, the leading Pentest as a Service (PtaaS) company that’s modernizing the traditional, static penetration testing model, today announced it achieved r
Du Enters Into Partnership With IBM To Increase Innovation In Cybersecurity Services (Design Middle East) Through the new collaboration with IBM, du is expected to further its innovation in the field of data security while also scaling and improving its existing services to create unique solutions that cater to a variety of end-user requirements.
Yugabyte Named CVE Numbering Authority (Yahoo Finance) Yugabyte, the leader in open source distributed SQL databases, today announced it has been designated as a CVE Numbering Authority (CNA) by the CVE Program.
ReliaQuest Expands Global Footprint with New Office in Pune, India (Business Wire) ReliaQuest, the leader in Open XDR-as-a-Service, today announced the opening of a new office location in Pune, Maharashtra, India. The office is the c
Signal CEO Moxie Marlinspike steps down, names WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton as interim CEO (Business Insider) "It's a new year, and I've decided it's a good time to replace myself as the CEO of Signal," said Marlinspike, whose real name is Matthew Rosenfield.
New year, new CEO (Signal) It’s a new year, and I’ve decided it’s a good time to replace myself as the CEO of Signal.
ZTNA Leader Perimeter 81 Welcomes New VPs Lital Parush-David and Tal Laufer (Business Wire) ZTNA Leader Perimeter 81 announces new hires Lital Parush-David, VP of HR, and Tal Laufer, VP of Product, to support their continued growth.
Arctic Wolf Appoints Dan Schiappa as Chief Product Officer (Business Wire) Arctic Wolf®, a leader in security operations, today announced the appointment of Dan Schiappa as Chief Product Officer. Schiappa brings more than 20
LogicMonitor Appoints Christina Kosmowski as New CEO (MarTech Cube) Former CEO Kevin McGibben transitions to Executive Chairman as part of succession plan – – Company announces strong 2021
Doug Ochs Joins Ostendio to Lead Partnerships and Alliances (PR Newswire) Ostendio, a leading provider of integrated risk management software, today announced the appointment of Doug Ochs as Vice President of Channel...
vArmour Appoints Corey Williams as SVP Marketing (GlobeNewswire News Room) Former Cyberark and Centrify Leader Joins vArmour Executive Team to Drive Market Awareness and Adoption of Application Relationship Management...
Invicti Security Names Jeff Bray Chief Financial Officer (PR Newswire) Invicti Security™ today announced seasoned financial executive Jeff Bray has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer. Bray brings decades...
Products, Services, and Solutions
NTT Application Security Releases Vantage Prevent to Shift DAST Left and Reignite DevSecOps for Enterprises (PR Newswire) The Application Security Division of NTT Ltd., a world leader in application security, today introduced the next phase of The WhiteHat Vantage...
Netacea | Netacea Launches North American Partner Program (RealWire) Appointment of U.S. leadership team and new UPSTACK partnership agreement will help companies better defend themselves against the growing bot threat
MANCHESTER, England & NEW YORK – 11 Jan
T-Mobile begins blocking iPhone users from enabling iCloud Private Relay in the US (9to5Mac) Earlier today, a report indicated that some European carriers were blocking the Private Relay feature introduced by Apple with iOS 15. This feature is designed to give users an additional layer of privacy by ensuring that no one can view the websites that they visit. Now, in addition to some carriers in Europe, it appears […]
Mimecast integrates with Secureworks Taegis XDR to better protect email from threat actors, securing customers’ communications and data (iTWire) Mimecast, a leading email security and cyber resilience company, today announced the availability of Mimecast for Secureworks Taegis XDR. Mimecast’s extensible architecture is now integrated into Taegis XDR, which combines threat intelligence across cloud, network, and endpoints to det...
KPMG in India, Qualys ink pact to offer managed security service (UNI) KPMG in India on Monday said it has entered into a strategic alliance with cloud-based IT and security services provider Qualys to bring the latter’s solutions to its managed security offerings.
LTI Partners with Securonix & Snowflake to Strengthen Cybersecurity Offerings (Yahoo) Larsen & Toubro Infotech (BSE: 540005) (NSE: LTI), a global technology consulting and digital solutions company has partnered with Securonix, a leader in next-gen Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) company, and Snowflake, a leader in secure cloud workload to strengthen its cybersecurity offerings.
Dashlane officially discontinues its desktop app (Poc Network // Tech) Dashlane (a popular password management tool) has been threatening to do this for a while now and the time has finally come.
X Security Aims to Help Small and Medium Sized Businesses Fight Ransomware Attacks by Delivering Their Ransomware Preparedness Assessment Via the Channel Community (PR Newswire) X Security announced a new service for the channel community to help SMBs address the rise in ransomware attacks. X Security will partner with...
CyberRes Unveils Galaxy, an Interactive Threat Research Experience to further Strengthen Cyber Resilience (PR Newswire) CyberRes, a Micro Focus (LSE: MCRO; NYSE: MFGP) line of business, today launched 'Galaxy,' an immersive cyberthreat experience that provides...
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
How to Proactively Limit Damage From BlackMatter Ransomware (Dark Reading) Logic flaw exists in malware that can be used to prevent it from encrypting remote shares, security vendor says.
How to Read Your iOS 15 App Privacy Report (Wired) Your iPhone now gives you lots of transparency into what your downloads are up to. Here's what to look out for.
Understanding your data to prevent data breaches (Global Banking & Finance Review) By Oliver Harvey, Global Head of Governance, Risk & Compliance Solutions, Nuix Being the target of a data breach can be a harrowing personal and reputational experience for any business and its leadership. It can also in an instant, expose with graphic discomfort the shortcomings of an organisation’s risk management and data governance arrangements. In […]
Cyber Threat Hunting at Scale Across .Gov (Booz Allen Hamilton) Hunting cyber threats on a federal scale is a unique cybersecurity challenge—here’s how CISA and FCEBs can do it.
Design and Innovation
When Mind Melds With Machine, Who’s in Control? (Wired) Brain-computer interfaces are getting better all the time—and they’re about to land us in a philosophical quagmire.
Research and Development
Cobalt Iron Patents Analytics-Based Cloud Brokering of Data Protection Operations
(Cobalt Iron) Cobalt Iron Inc., a leading provider of SaaS-based enterprise data protection, today announced that it has received a patent on its technology for analytics-based cloud brokering of data protection operations. U.S. Patent 11206306, issued on Dec. 21, 2021, describes new techniques that will be implemented in Cobalt Iron Compass®, an enterprise SaaS backup platform.
Academia
DOD Launches New University Consortium for Cybersecurity (U.S. Department of Defense) Senior cyber leaders from across the Defense Department, and beyond, recently gathered at Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, to mark the establishment of a new effort.
World’s best cybersecurity students battle at Collegiate Pentesting Competition in Rochester (RIT) A team of Cal Poly Pomona students took home the top trophy at the Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC) global finals Jan. 6-9. Stanford placed second and Tennessee Technological University placed third.
UNG team is runner-up in NSA competition (WGAU) “Our students came out with the skills they need to compete for jobs at the highest levels of cybersecurity in government and the private sector"
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
The blame game: EU criticized for ‘fragmented and slow’ approach to cyber-attack attribution (The Daily Swig) Cyber sanctions can send a powerful message – why aren’t they being used more widely?
Attribution: A Major Challenge for EU Cyber Sanctions (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik) An Analysis of WannaCry, NotPetya, Cloud Hopper, Bundestag Hack and the Attack on the OPCW
Kazakhstan "stabilized" after nearly 8000 arrested, 164 killed in protests: officials (Newsweek) The protests in Kazakhstan over soaring fuel prices "were hijacked by terrorists, extremists and criminal groups," said the country's Foreign Ministry.
Russian troops to quit Kazakhstan, says president, taking aim at the elite (Reuters) Russian-led forces will begin withdrawing from Kazakhstan in two days' time after stabilising the Central Asian nation following serious unrest, the president said on Tuesday, in a speech that took aim at wealthy associates of his predecessor.
Kazakhstan’s Protests Helped Mask a Post-Nazarbayev Purge (World Politics Review) Though much about the developments in Kazakhstan remains uncertain, the events of the past week suggest that an elite power struggle has grafted itself onto what began as spontaneous protests, pitting the old guard of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev against supporters of his hand-picked successor, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
As Russia takes on "terrorists" in Kazakhstan, China offers security assistance (Newsweek) Kazakhstan's top diplomat said his country "is ready to have close communication with China to strengthen security cooperation and jointly combat terrorism, separatism and extremism."
Live Updates: Russia Plays Down Threat to Ukraine After Meetings with U.S. (New York Times) After nearly eight hours of intense talks, the U.S. pushed back on demands it said were “non-starters,” while Russia said there was no reason to fear an escalation of tensions with Ukraine.
U.S. and Russia still far apart on Ukraine after Geneva talks (Reuters) Russia and the United States gave no sign of narrowing their differences on Ukraine and wider European security in talks in Geneva on Monday, as Moscow repeated demands that Washington says it cannot accept.
U.S., Russia Talks Yield Little Overall Progress Amid Ukraine Crisis (Wall Street Journal) Negotiators for Washington and Moscow held their first security talks since Russia’s deployment of tens of thousands of troops to the Ukrainian border sparked fears of an invasion, but said they failed to narrow their differences.
Threats, low expectations cloud U.S.-Russia talks over Ukraine (NBC News) The U.S. and Russia began high-stakes security talks Monday, launching a diplomatic effort to defuse soaring tensions over Ukraine.
In U.S.-Russia Talks, How Far Can Putin Turn Back the Clock? (New York Times) The Cold War echoes of the negotiations unfolding this week in a series of meetings between Russia and the West are a reminder that there is nothing permanent about Europe’s security arrangements.
Here’s what you need to know about Russia’s military buildup on the border with Ukraine (Washington Post) A massive buildup of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine has stoked fears in Kyiv and among NATO member states that Moscow could be planning a full-scale invasion.
Offense will win some battles, but cyber defense will win the war (CyberScoop) We are years into a ransomware epidemic with no clear end in sight. Policymakers and security researchers are now using combative efforts to “impose cost” on hackers. Sanctions, hacking back, infrastructure disruption, indictments and other offensive activities all have a negative impact on cybercriminals.
US delays intelligence center targeting foreign influence (Federal News Network) Two years have passed since Congress directed the creation of an intelligence center to lead efforts to stop election interference by foreign adversaries.
How to Build National Cybersecurity (Booz Allen Hamilton) Elevate U.S. national cybersecurity and adopt bolder strategy, operations, and solutions.
GSA relinquishes control of the ‘dot-gov’ domain to CISA (Federal News Network) In today’s Federal Newscast, the General Services Administration formally gives up its management of the Internet’s “dot-gov” top-level domain today.
CISA Releases Public Safety Communications Security Guidance (MeriTalk) The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released its Public Safety Communications Security white paper today in an effort to explain the importance of Communications Security (COMSEC), basic elements of a COMSEC program, and how to develop an encryption strategy to prevent and mitigate unauthorized access to information.
Public Safety Land Mobile Radio Communications Security (CISA) Reliable land mobile radio (LMR) communications are the backbone of public safety operations and key to mission success.
Feds' spending on facial recognition tech expands, despite privacy concerns (CyberScoop) The FBI on Dec. 30 signed a deal with Clearview AI for an $18,000 subscription license to the company’s facial recognition technology. While the value of the contract might seem just a drop in the bucket for the agency’s nearly $10 billion budget, the contract was significant in that it cemented the agency’s relationship with the controversial firm. The FBI previously acknowledged using Clearview AI to the Government Accountability Office but did not specify if it had a contract with the company.
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
Danish intelligence chief held over suspected information leaks -media reports (Reuters) The head of Denmark's foreign intelligence unit, Lars Findsen, has been remanded in custody over his involvement in a case of "highly classified" information leaks, public broadcaster DR reported on Monday.
Danish spy chief Lars Findsen named as mystery leak suspect (BBC News) Lars Findsen has been in custody for a month, since he was arrested for allegedly leaking secrets.
Danish spy chief Lars Findsen detained over 'highly sensitive' leak (The Star) Findsen was suspended in 2020 in a possible case of illegal spying on Danish citizens, but was cleared.
Europol ordered to delete data concerning individuals with no criminal link (Computing) EU police agency accused of hoovering up data indiscriminately to create tools and algorithms
A data ‘black hole’: Europol ordered to delete vast store of personal data (the Guardian) EU police body accused of unlawfully holding information and aspiring to become an NSA-style mass surveillance agency
Polish senator sues party leader over surveillance remarks (The Independent) A Polish opposition senator whose phone was hacked with advanced spyware has filed a civil suit against Poland’s ruling party leader
High Court Won't Weigh $425M Equifax Data Breach Deal (Law360) A settlement requiring consumer credit reporting agency Equifax to pay consumers up to $425 million over a 2017 data breach will stand after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up an appeal by two objectors to the landmark deal.
Suit Says Vehicle Cameras Violate Ill. Biometric Privacy Law (Law360) A company that makes AI-powered vehicle cameras violated Illinois' landmark biometric privacy law when it failed to make required disclosures or obtain written consent from drivers before capturing and storing their facial geometry to monitor the safety of their driving, according to an Illinois state court lawsuit.
