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☆ UK spy agency GCHQ releases puzzle for potential new recruits
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

GCHQ, the UK’s largest intelligence agency, is looking for new recruits and has released a new visual puzzle to test the skills of anyone interested in a role. GCHQThe answer to the puzzle has been released on the new GCHQ LinkedIn page. The puzzle is part of a recruitment drive by the agency, which says it offers a number of different careers, some of which do not require a degree. GCHQ director Anne Keast-Butler said the agency needs “the right mix of minds” to deal with the challenges of a complex world. “For us, that means bringing in people with different backgrounds, different experience, different insights, different knowledge, and creating a team where all of us can play our part.

Persons: James Bond, Justin Eagleton, “, ”, GCHQ, Alan Turing, Anne Keast, Butler, Keast, who’ve Organizations: CNN, LinkedIn Locations: Cheltenham, Bletchley, London, GCHQ

☆ AI can 'disproportionately' help defend against cybersecurity threats, Google CEO Sundar Pichai says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesMunich, GERMANY — Rapid developments in artificial intelligence could help strengthen defenses against security threats in cyber space, according to Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Amid growing concerns about the potentially nefarious uses of AI, Pichai said that the intelligence tools could help governments and companies speed up the detection of — and response to — threats from hostile actors. But AI, I think actually, counterintuitively, strengthens our defense on cybersecurity," Pichai told delegates at Munich Security Conference at the end of last week. Sundar Pichai CEO at GoogleHowever, Pichai said that AI was also lowering the time needed for defenders to detect attacks and react against them. Google last week announced a new initiative offering AI tools and infrastructure investments designed to boost online security.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Emily Chang, Justin Sullivan, Pichai, —, Hillary Clinton, Mark Hughes, DXC, Hughes, That's Organizations: APEC, Summit, Moscone West, Getty, Munich, Cybersecurity Ventures, Britain's, Cyber Security, Google, MSC, Adobe, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, Twitter, U.S, Iran's, Guard, CNBC Locations: San Francisco , California, San Francisco, Munich, GERMANY, cybersecurity, GCHQ, Russia, China, Iran

☆ Medibank attack: Australia publicly names and sanctions Russian hacker Aleksandr Ermakov over data leak
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Brisbane, Australia CNN —Australia has publicly named and imposed cyber sanctions on a Russian hacker for his alleged role in a 2022 ransomware attack, in the country’s first use of the penalty. At the time, the Australian Federal Police said investigators knew the identity of the attackers but declined to name them. On Tuesday, the Australian government revealed the name of the individual sanctioned — Russian national Aleksandr Ermakov, 33, an alleged member of the Russian ransomware gang REvil. When the Medibank attack took place later that year, experts said it could have been perpetrated by a REvil member — which Australian authorities confirmed on Tuesday. An initial ransom demand was made for $10 million (15 million Australian dollars).

Persons: Aleksandr Ermakov, “, ” Richard Marles, GCHQ —, Marles, “ REvil, ” Abigail Bradshaw, Medibank, — Organizations: Australia CNN —, Australian Federal Police, Medibank, Australian Signals Directorate, FBI, National Security Agency, NSA, United Kingdom’s, Microsoft, JBS Foods, Russia’s Federal Security Service, REvil, Australian Cyber Security, ” Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Australia CNN — Australia, Russian, United States

☆ British intelligence releases unseen images of code-breaking 'Colossus' computer that helped allies win WWII
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

British intelligence has released new photos showing the World War II era "Colossus" computer. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementBritish intelligence has released "rare and never-before-seen images" of the World War II era "Colossus" code-breaking computer. It played a key role in helping the Allies win World War II. Housed at the UK's code-breaking center, Bletchley Park, 10 Colossus computers helped 550 people decrypt "63 million characters of high-grade German communications" by the end of World War II, according to The National Museum of Computing.

Persons: —, GCHQ, Tommy Flowers, Adolf Hitler, Bill Marshall, Reuters Andrew Herbert Organizations: Service, Women's Royal Naval Service, Nazi, Reuters, Microsoft Research, National Museum of Computing Locations: Nazi, France, Pas, Calais, Normandy, Nazi Germany, Europe, Bletchley Park

☆ Britain's Cyber Spies Mark 80th Anniversary of Secret Code-Breaking Computer
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's GCHQ spy agency celebrated the 80th anniversary of Colossus on Thursday, putting the spotlight on a code-breaking computer which helped defeat Hitler's Germany and was so significant it was kept secret for decades. Colossus, which was still being used by the spy agency in the early 1960s, was developed by Tommy Flowers. The new images released on Thursday include a blueprint of Colossus and a photograph of Women's Royal Naval Service workers operating it. The first Colossus was delivered to Bletchley Park, then the home of the top secret Government Code and Cypher School, on Jan. 18 1944. The unit was renamed in 1946 as the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), a Cheltenham-based agency that eavesdrops on the world to protect British security.

Persons: Hitler's, Hitler, Colossus, Anne Keast, Butler, Tommy Flowers, Alan Turing's, Sarah Young, William Maclean Organizations: Allied, Royal Naval Service, Cypher, Government Communications Headquarters Locations: Hitler's Germany, Bletchley, Cheltenham

[1/2] Former Bombe operator Jean Valentine touches a British Turing Bombe machine in Bletchley Park Museum in Bletchley, central England, September 6, 2006. - Bletchley Park was the site where the world's first programmable digital computer Colossus was developed by British codebreakers. - Notable Bletchley Park codebreakers include mathematician Alan Turing who played a key role in cracking the Enigma code and is often considered the 'father of computer science'. The unit, called the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS), moved to Bletchley Park in 1938. - Bletchley Park staff began to disperse after Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) and Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) with some continuing to work with GC&CS while many others went back to civilian life.

Persons: Jean Valentine, Alessia, Alan Turing, Turing, Irving John, Jack, Good, Donald Michie, Farouq Suleiman, William Maclean Organizations: Bletchley Park Museum, REUTERS, Bletchley, Bletchley Park, Cypher, CS, Victory, Japan, GC, Government Communications Headquarters, MI5, Secret Intelligence Service, Thomson Locations: Bletchley, England, Britain, Milton Keynes, London, British, Europe, Victory

☆ Ex-British intelligence worker jailed for attempted murder of U.S. NSA employee
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters) - A former British intelligence worker who tried to kill a U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) employee in a "premeditated, targeted and vicious attack" was jailed on Monday for 13 years. Joshua Bowles, 29, repeatedly stabbed the unnamed woman, who was working at British intelligence agency GCHQ, in March near its base at Cheltenham in western England. Bowles had previously worked at GCHQ but was no longer working there when he carried out the attack. Bowles, who lived in Cheltenham, pleaded guilty in August to the attempted murder of the woman, known only as 99230. I believe the intelligence community helps ensure this rigging, this view has been reinforced by my time working at GCHQ."

Persons: Joshua Bowles, Bowles, Duncan Penny, London's Old Bailey, Penny, Tim Forte, Forte, Bobbie Cheema, Grubb, Sam Tobin, Angus MacSwan Organizations: U.S . National Security Agency, NSA, Cheltenham, GCHQ, Thomson Locations: British, U.S, England, GCHQ, Cheltenham

☆ Ex-British Intelligence Worker Jailed for Attempted Murder of U.S. NSA Employee
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Sam TobinLONDON (Reuters) - A former British intelligence worker who tried to kill a U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) employee in a "premeditated, targeted and vicious attack" was jailed on Monday for 13 years. Joshua Bowles, 29, repeatedly stabbed the unnamed woman, who was working at British intelligence agency GCHQ, in March near its base at Cheltenham in western England. Bowles had previously worked at GCHQ but was no longer working there when he carried out the attack. Bowles, who lived in Cheltenham, pleaded guilty in August to the attempted murder of the woman, known only as 99230. I believe the intelligence community helps ensure this rigging, this view has been reinforced by my time working at GCHQ."

Persons: Sam Tobin LONDON, Joshua Bowles, Bowles, Duncan Penny, London's Old Bailey, Penny, Tim Forte, Forte, Bobbie Cheema, Grubb, Sam Tobin, Angus MacSwan Organizations: U.S . National Security Agency, NSA, Cheltenham, GCHQ Locations: British, U.S, England, GCHQ, Cheltenham

☆ UK says it's working with Microsoft to understand impact of Chinese email hack
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, July 13 (Reuters) - Britain's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said on Thursday it was working with Microsoft (MSFT.O) to understand the impact of a wide-reaching Chinese hack which accessed email accounts used by senior U.S. government officials and agencies. On Tuesday, Microsoft revealed that a stealthy Chinese hacking operation had exploited a secret flaw in a piece of its authentication software in order to covertly break into email accounts belonging to 25 unnamed organisations. "We are working with Microsoft to fully understand the incident and UK impact," said a spokesperson for the NCSC, which is part of Britain's GCHQ spy agency. Reporting by James Pearson; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Britain's, James Pearson, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Cyber Security, Microsoft, U.S, Thomson

BELFAST, April 19 (Reuters) - China is aiming for "global technological supremacy" in cyberspace and is using its cyber capabilities to conduct intelligence and surveillance campaigns, Britain's cyber chief said on Wednesday. Lindy Cameron, director of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of Britain's GCHQ eavesdropping spy agency, said Britain had a "legitimate concern" about the effects Chinese technology may have on cybersecurity. "China is not only pushing for parity with Western countries, it is aiming for global technological supremacy," Cameron told an annual government cybersecurity conference in Belfast. China is also using its cyber capabilities to acquire intellectual property, achieve its strategic geopolitical goals, and conduct global spying campaigns, Cameron added. Last month, Britain banned the use of TikTok on government phones, following other Western countries in barring the Chinese-owned video app over security concerns.

Britain's National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC), part of its GCHQ eavesdropping spy agency, said in a report published on Wednesday that the mercenary hacking market was offering products that were on par with government hacking groups. On Tuesday, Canadian internet watchdog group Citizen Lab published a report which said that NSO had been caught using newly-discovered hacking tools to break into iPhones belonging to Mexican human rights defenders in 2022. At least some in the spyware industry see regulation coming down the pipe and are taking steps to try to shape it. NSO has long touted its human rights policy despite repeated allegations that its software has been used abusively, including to spy on victims of human rights violations. NSO did not immediately return an email seeking comment on the Citizen Lab report or its communications with the American Bar Association.

BELFAST, April 19 (Reuters) - The UK government's cyber defence agency warned on Wednesday of an emerging threat to Western critical national infrastructure posed by hackers sympathetic to Russia and its war on Ukraine. Russia-aligned "hacktivists" have carried out largely harmless online campaigns that have defaced prominent public websites or knocked them offline. "Some have stated a desire to achieve a more disruptive and destructive impact against western critical national infrastructure, including in the UK," the NCSC said. Although such groups are ideologically-motivated and align themselves with Russian state interests, they are "not subject to formal state control," the alert said. A successful cyberattack on critical national infrastructure such as an energy grid or water supply could be highly destructive, and do serious real-world damage.

☆ Britain names first female director of GCHQ intelligence agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 11 (Reuters) - Britain named Anne Keast-Butler as the first female director of its GCHQ intelligence agency on Tuesday. She currently serves as deputy director general at Britain's MI5 intelligence agency. "She is the ideal candidate to lead GCHQ, and Anne will use her vast experience to help keep the British public safe." Keast-Butler will take over the role in May, according to a GCHQ statement, succeeding Jeremy Fleming who in January announced his planned departure after six years in the role. Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar, writing by William James; Editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"In an increasingly volatile and interconnected world, to be a truly responsible cyber power, nations must be able to contest and compete with adversaries in cyberspace," GCHQ director Jeremy Fleming said. The statement was published alongside a 28-page paper designed "to illustrate aspects of how the UK is being a responsible cyber power". The paper accompanying the statement did not say which disinformation-spreading states British hackers had worked to counter. It noted, however, that "countries such as Russia and Iran routinely carry out cyber operations of different kinds in order to spread disinformation". Indeed the intent is sometimes that adversaries do not realise that the effects they are experiencing are the result of a cyber operation," GCHQ said.

☆ The UK has banned TikTok on government devices — joining the US, Canada, and the EU — despite a charm offensive dubbed 'Project Clover'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The UK has joined the EU, US, and Canada in banning TikTok on government devices. Officials ordered a security review into the potential vulnerability of sensitive data on several social media apps, and are now introducing a "precautionary ban on TikTok." "Restricting the use of TikTok on government devices is a prudent and proportionate step following advice from our cyber security experts," he added. But the latest ban comes despite TikTok's "Project Clover" – a charm offensive to convince European lawmakers that users' data will be safe. As part of the project, TikTok executives met with British policy advisers on March 6, per The Wall Street Journal.

☆ UK spy agency says AI chatbots like ChatGPT pose a security threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A unit of the British spy agency GCHQ warned AI chatbots like ChatGPT pose a security threat. Companies like Amazon and JPMorgan have advised staff members against using ChatGPT for work. The authors pointed out that queries entered into chatbots are stored by their providers. They added: "Queries stored online may be hacked, leaked, or more likely accidentally made publicly accessible. Major companies including Amazon and JPMorgan have advised employees not to use ChatGPT over concerns that internal information may be leaked.

☆ TikTok's codenamed 'Project Clover' is a push to win over European lawmakers as it faces a critical US ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The visit was part of "Project Clover," which aims to convince European lawmakers that user data is safe. The codename appears to reference Ireland, where TikTok is planning a second data center. TikTok has previously said it wouldn't comply with any demand from China, and has rolled out "Project Clover" in Europe, and "Project Texas" for the US in an attempt to assure politicians. A spokesperson for TikTok told Insider the discussion on Monday was part of TikTok's regular engagement with European policymakers. The name "Project Clover" appears to reference one of the national symbols of Ireland — where it currently has one data center and plans for a second, per a company statement.

☆ British lawmaker's email account hacked by Russian group
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - A British lawmaker said his private email was hacked by a group, thought to be Russian, and he wanted to speak out publicly to warn others about the attackers' tactics. Later he discovered the member of staff had not sent the email. The NCSC said that Russia-based SEABORGIUM and Iran-based group TA453 were active in 2022 and it deemed it necessary to issue an advisory last month urging individuals in certain sectors to be vigilant. On Wednesday, the NCSC, which is part of GCHQ, Britain's intelligence, security and cyber agency, said it was providing an individual with support. "The NCSC regularly provides security briefings and guidance to parliamentarians to help them defend against the latest cyber threats," it said in an email.

☆ Hackers who breached ION say ransom paid; company declines comment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Raphael Satter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The hackers who claimed responsibility for the disruptive breach at financial data firm ION say a ransom has been paid, although they declined to say how much it was or offer any evidence that the money had been handed over. Britain's National Cyber Security Agency (NCSC), part of Britain's GCHQ eavesdropping intelligence agency, told Reuters it had no comment. ABN told clients on Wednesday that due to "technical disruption" from ION, some applications were unavailable and were expected to remain so for a "number of days." ION was removed from Lockbit's extortion website, where victim companies are named and shamed in a bid to force a payout. As of late Friday, Lockbit's extortion website alone counted 54 victims who were being shaken down, including a television station in California, a school in Brooklyn and a city in Michigan.

ION Group, the financial data firm's parent company, said in a statement on its website that the attack began on Tuesday. "The incident is contained to a specific environment, all the affected servers are disconnected, and remediation of services is ongoing," ION Group said, declining requests for further comment. ABN told clients on Wednesday that due to "technical disruption" from ION, some applications were unavailable and were expected to remain so for a "number of days". It added that its staff had to process trades directly with the exchange. Intesa Sanpaolo told clients that its brokerage and clearing operations on exchange-traded derivatives had been "severely hampered" by IT problems at ION and that it was not able to handle orders.

☆ Britain sounds alarm on Russia-based hacking group
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( James Pearson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - A Russia-based hacking group named Cold River is behind an expansive and ongoing information-gathering campaign that has struck various targets in government, politics, academia, defence, journalism, and activism, Britain said on Thursday. "There is often some correspondence between attacker and target, sometimes over an extended period, as the attacker builds rapport," the advisory said. A second, Iran-based, group known as Charming Kitten has deployed the same "spear-phishing" techniques to gather information, according to the NCSC. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York said the Iranian government had no knowledge of the group. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Cold River has escalated its hacking campaign against Kyiv's allies, cybersecurity researchers and western government officials told Reuters.

LONDON/WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A Russian hacking team known as Cold River targeted three nuclear research laboratories in the United States this past summer, according to internet records reviewed by Reuters and five cyber security experts. Cold River has escalated its hacking campaign against Kyiv's allies since the invasion of Ukraine, according to cybersecurity researchers and western government officials. 'INTELLIGENCE COLLECTION'In May, Cold River broke into and leaked emails belonging to the former head of Britain's MI6 spy service. Reuters was unable independently to confirm why Cold River targeted the NGOs. "Google has tied this individual to the Russian hacking group Cold River and their early operations," he said.

☆ Iran imposes sanctions on U.K. institutions, individuals for 'inciting riots'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Iran designated several British people and institutions on Wednesday for their "deliberate actions in support of terrorism, incitement of violence, and human rights violations," Iran's foreign ministry said. "The listed natural and legal persons have, among other things, carried out activities that have led to unrest, violence and terrorist acts against the Iranian nation," the ministry said. BBC Persian, the intelligence organisation Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), and people such as Conservative politicians Stephen Crabb and Tom Tugendhat appear on Tehran's list of sanctions. On Oct. 10, Britain placed sanctions on senior Iranian security officials and the "Morality Police", saying the force had used threats of detention and violence to control what Iranian women wear and how they behave in public. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Dubai Newsroom; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China's military is trying to recruit ex-British Air Force pilots for training and intel, UK says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

China's military is headhunting ex-British Air Force pilots for their training skills and expertise — and the U.K. government is working to stop it, the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence said Tuesday. Recruitment is said to be ramping up, with former pilots being offered large paychecks to work for the Chinese. While training and recruiting pilots is not illegal under U.K. law, the practice presents an intelligence risk as U.K. officials suspect China's military aims to learn about tactics and operations employed by Western pilots. One former Australian Air Force pilot, speaking to CNBC anonymously due to professional restrictions, said he was offered nearly $1 million a year to work for the Chinese military. And President Joe Biden, as part of the U.S.'s national security strategy, named China as America's "most consequential geopolitical challenge."

☆ Ukraine pushes allies for air defense help in the wake of deadly Russian strikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Patrick-Smith-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Patrick Smith | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

German Defense Secretary Christine Lambrecht said Monday that her country would send four medium-range air defense systems to Ukraine, the first to be delivered in the next few days. “The renewed rocket fire on Kyiv and the many other cities makes it clear how important it is to deliver air defense systems to Ukraine quickly,” she said in a statement. Analysts said that if Ukraine had that help sooner, it could have saved lives and protected critical infrastructure and public services. We warn and hope that Washington and other Western capitals are aware of the danger of uncontrolled escalation,” he said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov underlined this point in his daily press briefing, adding that Western supplies of advanced air defense systems would not change Russia’s goals and would only extend the conflict.

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