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☆ US, partners target North Korea with sanctions following satellite launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The list includes senior officials from the National Aerospace Technology Administration, which oversaw the satellite launch, and the munitions industry department. Since the launch of the satellite, North Korea said that its leader, Kim Jong Un, has reviewed spy satellite photos of the White House, Pentagon and U.S. aircraft carriers at the naval base of Norfolk. Kimsuky's hacking operation has been historically focused on South Korea, Japan and the United States. The RGB is a North Korean intelligence agency that is involved in cyber warfare activities, according to analysts, and is under U.S. sanctions. Two Russia-based representatives of North Korean banks and one China-based representative were also hit with sanctions, among others.

Persons: Kim Jong, Brian Nelson, Nelson, Kimsuky, Daphne Psaledakis, David Brunnstrom, Christopher Bing, Hyonhee Shin, Sandra Maler, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS, U.S . Treasury Department, North, Terrorism, Financial Intelligence, Democratic People's, National Aerospace Technology Administration, United Nations, White House, Pentagon, U.S, North Korea sparred, Security Council, Treasury, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Agency, Security, U.S . National Security Agency, Korea's, Bureau, UN, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, SEOUL, United States, Korea, U.S, Australia, Japan, North Korea, Korean, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, South, New York, Norfolk, South Korea, Guam, Italy, Washington, Europe, Russia, North Korean, Iran, China, North, Seoul

☆ British-Nigerian man pleads guilty in New York to bank hacking crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A hooded man holds a laptop computer as blue screen with an exclamation mark is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. Idris Dayo Mustapha, 33, pleaded guilty to access device fraud, conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and securities fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen in Brooklyn. Mustapha, a native of Lagos, Nigeria, had been arrested in the United Kingdom in August 2021, and was extradited to the United States in August. The case is U.S. v. Mustapha, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Idris Dayo Mustapha, Pamela Chen, Mustapha, Jonathan Stempel, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: U.S . National Security Agency, Nigerian, U.S, Prosecutors, Court, Eastern District of, Thomson Locations: British, New York, Brooklyn, Mustapha, Lagos, Nigeria, United Kingdom, United States, U.S, Eastern District, Eastern District of New York

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ US, Japan authorities warn of China-linked hacking group BlackTech
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Kantaro Komiya | Thomson Reuters | Kantaro Writes About Everything Japan'S Economic Indicators To North Korea'S Missiles To Global Regulation On Ai Companies. His Previous Stories Have Been Published In The Associated Press | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Hss Otomotiv Ve Lastik Sanayi Anonim Sirketi FollowTOKYO, Sept 28 (Reuters) - U.S. National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Japanese police jointly warned multinational companies of China-linked hacker group BlackTech in a cybersecurity advisory late on Wednesday. "BlackTech has demonstrated capabilities in modifying router firmware without detection and exploiting routers’ domain-trust relationships to pivot from international subsidiaries to headquarters in Japan and the United States, which are the primary targets," the statement said. BlackTech has been engaging in cyberattacks on governments and tech-sector companies in the United States and East Asia since around 2010, Japan's National Police Agency said in a separate statement. Amid heightening U.S.-China tensions over issues including Taiwan, U.S. security officials are raising the tone of their warnings against China's cyberattack capabilities. FBI chief Chris Wray earlier this month said China "has a bigger hacking program than every other major nation combined".

Persons: Kacper, BlackTech, cyberattacks, Chris Wray, Kantaro Komiya, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, . National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency, Japan's National Police Agency, Chinese Communist Party, U.S, FBI, United Kingdom, Washington Post, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, China, Japan, United States, East Asia, Blacktech, Taiwan, U.S, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United, South Korea

A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. "North Korean threat actors may be capitalizing on the opportunity to conduct intelligence collection on Russian entities due to the country's focus on its war in Ukraine," the report said. North Korea's mission to the United Nations did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment. North Korea has repeatedly been accused of deploying hackers against defense and diplomacy-related targets in South Korea, the United States and elsewhere. But allegations that Pyongyang is spying on its Russian allies are potentially more awkward as the countries draw closer amid the war in Ukraine.

Persons: Raphael Satter, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S . National Security Agency, Microsoft Corp, Microsoft, United Nations, Reuters, SentinelOne Inc, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, Ukraine, Russian, Washington, North Korea, South Korea, United States, Pyongyang, East Asia, Beijing

☆ Cybercrime to cost Germany 206 billion euros in 2023 -survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The damage will surpass the 200 billion euro mark for the third consecutive year, according to a Bitkom survey of more than 1,000 companies. The boundaries between organised crime and state-controlled actors are blurred," Bitkom President Ralf Wintergerst said. Around three quarters of the companies surveyed suffered digital attacks in the past 12 months, falling from 84% of the companies in the previous year. When asked whether "cyber attacks threaten your business existence", for the first time more than half of the companies, or 52%, said "yes". Of the companies that suffered attacks, 70% have had sensitive data stolen - an increase of 7 percentage points on the previous year.

Persons: Bitkom, Ralf Wintergerst, Sinan Selen, Maria Martinez, Friederike Heine, Susan Fenton Organizations: U.S . National Security Agency, Federal Office, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, German

☆ Cybercrime set to threaten Canada's security, prosperity - spy agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Organized cybercrime is set to pose a threat to Canada's national security and economic prosperity over the next two years, the national signal intelligence agency said on Monday. Cyber criminals continue to show resilience and an ability to innovate their business model, it said. "Organized cybercrime will very likely pose a threat to Canada's national security and economic prosperity over the next two years," said CSE, which is the Canadian equivalent of the U.S. National Security Agency. But Chris Lynam, director general of Canada's National Cybercrime Coordination Centre, said very few crimes were reported and the real amount stolen last year could easily be C$5 billion or more. Tehran likely tolerates cybercrime activities by Iran-based cyber criminals that align with the state's strategic and ideological interests, it added.

Persons: Kacper, Chris Lynam, David Ljunggren, Tomasz Janowski, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, Communications Security, Western, U.S . National Security Agency, Coordination, Soviet Union, CSE, Thomson Locations: Russia, Iran, Canada, Moscow, Tehran

☆ Japan says cannot confirm leakage after report says China hacked defence networks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File PhotoTOKYO, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Japan cannot confirm if any security information has been leaked, the top government spokesperson said on Tuesday when asked about a Washington Post report on Chinese hacking into its defence cyber networks. Chinese military hackers gained access to a classified defence network in Japan beginning in 2020, accessing information about the U.S. ally's military capabilities, plans and assessments of shortcomings, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing senior officials. Speaking at a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Japan and U.S. have always been in close communication on various levels. Matsuno also said that cyber security is the foundation for maintaining the Japan-U.S. alliance, and that Japan will continue to work to keep its network firm and secure. Meanwhile, Japan's slow response to improve its cyber network could impede greater intelligence sharing between the Pentagon and Japan's Defence Ministry, the Washington Post said, citing officials.

Persons: Kacper, Hirokazu Matsuno, haven't, Matsuno, Mariko Katsumura, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Washington Post, U.S . National Security Agency, Pentagon, Japan's Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Japan, Tokyo, U.S, Beijing

The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said that several thousand Apple phones had been infected, including those of domestic Russian subscribers. "The FSB has uncovered an intelligence action of the American special services using Apple mobile devices," the FSB said in a statement. 'SOFTWARE VULNERABILITIES'The FSB said the plot showed the close relationship between Apple and the NSA, the U.S. agency responsible for U.S. cryptographic and communications intelligence and security. "The hidden data collection was carried out through software vulnerabilities in U.S.-made mobile phones," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. Officials in Russia, which Western spies says has constructed a very sophisticated domestic surveillance structure, have long questioned the security of U.S. technology.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Kiriyenko, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones, Mark Potter Organizations: NSA, Apple, Russia Apple, Russia, Federal Security Service, . National Security Agency, FSB, Soviet, NATO, U.S, Harvard University's, Officials, Kremlin, KGB, Kommersant, Thomson Locations: Russia, Russian, Soviet Union, Israel, Syria, China, U.S, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Ukraine

☆ Meta hit with record $1.3 bln fine over data transfers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Padraic Halpin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The fine, imposed by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), came after Meta continued to transfer data beyond a 2020 EU court ruling that invalidated an EU-U.S. data transfer pact. It tops the previous record EU privacy fine of 746 million euros handed by Luxembourg to Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) in 2021. "Without the ability to transfer data across borders, the internet risks being carved up into national and regional silos," Meta said. Europe's top court, the European Court of Justice, threw out the two previous pacts over concerns about U.S. surveillance. Unless U.S. surveillance laws gets fixed, Meta will likely have to keep EU data in the EU," he said in a statement.

☆ S.Korea's top court tells Google to disclose user information sharing -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, April 13 (Reuters) - South Korea's top court on Thursday said Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google should disclose whether the technology giant had shared local user information with third parties, news agency Yonhap reported, sending the case back to a lower court. The group alleged that the tech company had shared private user information through PRISM, a U.S. National Security Agency surveillance programme. "We will review the Supreme Court's full written decision carefully," a Google spokesperson said. The Supreme Court's decisions on both cases are in line with South Korea's recent tendency to take a tough stance on regulatory matters concerning foreign technology giants. On Wednesday, South Korea's anti-trust regulator fined Google 42.1 billion won ($31.88 million) for blocking the release of mobile video games on a competitor's platform.

☆ TikTok represents 'strategic' challenge, says top US cyber official
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

RUTHERFORD, California, March 27 (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. National Security Agency's cybersecurity directorate on Monday said TikTok represents a "strategic issue" rather than an immediate "tactical" threat to the United States. Joyce said China could use its influence on TikTok to suppress information that might make the nation look bad to Americans. His remarks echo earlier warnings by Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray and National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone, who told U.S. lawmakers that TikTok could be used to carry out sweeping influence campaigns. U.S. President Joe Biden has signaled his support for legislation introduced by a dozen Senators that would give him the power to ban TikTok and other foreign technologies if they pose a national security risk. Reporting by Stephen Nellis in Rutherford, California; Editing by Chris Reese and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ TikTok data collection, influence operations potential draw U.S. NSA concern
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Elizabeth FrantzWASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - U.S. National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone on Tuesday expressed concern during congressional testimony about Chinese-owned video app TikTok's data collection and potential to facilitate broad influence operations. Asked by Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville about any concerns he has about TikTok's influence on American children, Nakasone told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, "TikTok concerns me for a number of different reasons." Nakasone ended his comments by asserting that the TikTok platform could enable sweeping influence operations. The NSA, part of the Defense Department, is the agency responsible for U.S. cryptographic and communications intelligence and security. CFIUS and TikTok have been in talks for more than two years aiming to reach a national security agreement.

[1/2] A man is silhouetted near logos of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and Wikipedia in this photo illustration taken in Sarajevo March 11, 2015. REUTERS/Dado RuvicWASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a bid by the operator of the popular Wikipedia internet encyclopedia to resurrect its lawsuit against the National Security Agency challenging mass online surveillance. The NSA, part of the Defense Department, is the agency responsible for U.S. cryptographic and communications intelligence and security. The U.S. government has said the NSA's surveillance targeting is authorized by a 2008 amendment to a federal law called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Wikimedia compared the interception by the NSA of its communications to the "seizing and searching the patron records of the largest library in the world."

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.

☆ The man behind Trump World’s myth of rigged voting machines
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +32 min

He publicly announced his purchase of Montgomery’s data in August at a gathering in Missouri of hundreds of his followers. “I own it,” Lindell said of Montgomery’s data, touting it as irrefutable proof Trump was cheated. On Nov. 9, far-right podcaster Joe Oltmann linked Montgomery’s Hammer and Scorecard claims to a parallel conspiracy theory: that widely used voting machines manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems were rigged to flip votes from Trump to Biden. Powell amended her complaint a few days later and dropped the expert’s declaration and the references to Montgomery’s claims. But the government said in a recent court filing that the order has nothing to do with election data.

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. military's Cyber Command hunted down foreign adversaries overseas ahead of this year's mid-term elections, taking down their infrastructure before they could strike, the head of U.S. Cyber Command said. "We understood how foreign adversaries utilize infrastructure throughout the world, we had that mapped pretty well, and we wanted to make sure that we took it down at key times." Nakasone's language suggests Cyber Command carried out both offensive and defensive cyber operations. He declined to identify which adversaries were targeted but acknowledged he saw the same kinds of foreign adversaries as he had in the past. "This is the idea of understanding your foreign adversaries and operating outside the United States," he said.

"We have been bearing down on terrorists for a few days with our planes, cannons and guns," Erdogan said in a speech in northeastern Turkey. "God willing, we will root out all of them as soon as possible, together with our tanks, our soldiers." Turkey has mounted several major military operations against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia and Islamic State militants in northern Syria in recent years. The YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said 15 civilians and fighters were killed in Turkish strikes in recent days. Turkey said its warplanes destroyed 89 targets in Syria and Iraq on Sunday, with 184 militants killed in operations targeting the YPG and PKK on Sunday and Monday.

☆ China alleges U.S. spy agency hacked key infrastructure and sent user data back to headquarters
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

But more recently, it has accused the U.S.'s National Security Agency of hacking specific targets. China accused a top U.S. spy agency of stealing Chinese user data and infiltrating the country's telecommunications infrastructure, according to a report published Tuesday, which lays out details of the alleged cyberattack method. Chinese state media last week first reported on an alleged attack by the U.S. National Security Agency on China's government funded Northwestern Polytechnical University and promised that more details would follow. Tuesday's report from China's National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center and cybersecurity company 360, lays out the specific ways the alleged attack was carried out. The NSA was able to get into the university's network, get the credentials of people who worked there, which allowed the U.S. agency to further penetrate the systems, the report alleged.

☆ Putin grants Russian citizenship to U.S. whistleblower Snowden
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Olesya AstakhovaSept 26 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Monday granted Russian citizenship to former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, nine years after he exposed the scale of secret surveillance operations by the National Security Agency (NSA). U.S. authorities have for years wanted him returned to the United States to face a criminal trial on espionage charges. He said that Snowden's wife Lindsay Mills, who gave birth to a son in 2020, would also apply for citizenship. Russia granted Snowden permanent residency rights in 2020, paving the way for him to obtain Russian citizenship. Putin, a former Russian spy chief, said in 2017 that Snowden, who keeps a low profile while living in Russia, was wrong to leak U.S. secrets but was not a traitor.

☆ Chinese state media claims U.S. NSA infiltrated country's telecommunications networks
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

But more recently, it has accused the U.S.'s National Security Agency of hacking specific targets. A U.S. intelligence agency gained access to China's telecommunications network after hacking a university, Chinese state media claimed Thursday. American hackers stole "core technology data including key network equipment configuration, network management data, and core operational data," and other files, according to the Global Times. As part of the NSA's hack, the agency infiltrated Chinese telecommunications operators so that the U.S. could "control the country's infrastructure," the Global Times alleged. The Global Times, citing its unnamed source, reported that more details about the attack on Northwestern Polytechnical University will be released soon.

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