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☆ China's new focus in U.S. elections interference is not Harris-Trump presidential race
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Barbara Booth | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

With the U.S. presidential election fast approaching, U.S. intelligence officials have issued a stark warning: China's latest efforts to influence the outcome is shifting away from the presidential race and toward state and local candidates. This new focus is part of a broader strategy by Beijing to build relationships with officials who could eventually advance China's interests. Local and state elections have become prime targets for Chinese interference because they receive far less scrutiny than national races, making it easier for China's influence campaigns to fly under the radar. One example of China's influence operations is its use of disinformation campaigns designed to exploit divisive issues such as immigration, racial justice, and economic inequality. Despite these efforts, controlling the full scope of foreign influence operations remains a daunting challenge.

Persons: they've, Brandon Wales, they're, cyberthreats, Javad Abed, Abed, George Floyd, Kent Walker, Mark Warner, John Cohen, Cohen Organizations: U.S, Infrastructure Security Agency, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Microsoft, Intelligence, Senate Intelligence, Center for Internet Security Locations: Beijing, Washington, Russia, China, Iran, U.S, Wales

☆ How the world’s tech crashed all at once
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —When computers and tech systems around the world went down Friday, snarling airports, closing Social Security offices and limiting jail operations, many people had one question: How on Earth could this happen in 2024? CrowdStrike is everywhereNumerous Fortune 500 companies use CrowdStrike’s cybersecurity software to detect and block hacking threats. Computers running Microsoft Windows — one of the most popular software programs in the world — crashed because of the faulty way a code update issued by CrowdStrike is interacting with Windows. Anne Neuberger, a senior White House tech and cybersecurity official, spoke of the “risks of consolidation” in the tech supply chain when asked about the IT outage on Friday. The infamous hack of the US government using SolarWinds software in 2020, which US officials blamed on Russia, came through a tampered software update.

Persons: Costin, CrowdStrike, Munish Walther, Puri, “, ” Walther, Anne Neuberger, ” Neuberger, ” Tobias Feakin Organizations: CNN, CrowdStrike, Windows, White House, Aspen Security Locations: New York, Russia, Russian

☆ Opinion: ‘The big one’ disaster could happen in our lifetime. Can we be ready?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-14 | by ( Opinion Jeff Schlegelmilch | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

The country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority is active but relatively new in its current form, having been consolidated as a single agency only in 2009. The practice of emergency management has generally originated from the first responder community and the civil defense era, primarily with a focus on consequence management. But as emergency management agencies have been designed, emergency management systems have been shaped by laws and agreements across government bureaucracies and partners in the private and nonprofit sectors with a narrower focus on managing consequences, focused more on logistics than sociology. But disaster management in practice is still fundamentally a numbers game. Strong emergency management agencies are also important.

Persons: CNN —, Jeff Schlegelmilch Jonathan Sury, Paula Bronstein, Jeff Schlegelmilch, George Rose, Enrico Quarantelli, ”, ” Jeff Schlegelmilch, Megadisasters, Ho Organizations: CNN, Emergency Management Authority, Defense Department, Alaska Airlines, Geological Survey, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, United Nations Office, Nations, Twitter Locations: Gaziantep, Turkey, Hatay, America, Syria, Vesuvius, Patong, Phuket, Thailand, Ukraine, Mount St, Helens, Seattle , Washington, United States, Port, Prince, Haiti, Japan

☆ Election deepfakes could undermine institutional credibility, Moody's warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Michelle Castillo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

A new report from Moody's on Wednesday warns that generative AI and deepfakes are among the election integrity issues that could present a risk to U.S. institutional credibility. In a letter to Rosenworcel, it encouraged the FCC to delay its decision until after the elections because its changes would not be mandatory across digital political ads. Some social media platforms have already self-adopted some sort of AI disclosure ahead of regulations. Google requires all political ads with modified content that "inauthentically depicts real or realistic-looking people or events" to have disclosures, but doesn't require AI disclosures on all political ads. Thirteen states have laws on election interference and deepfakes, eight of which were enacted since January.

Persons: Gregory Sobel, William Foster, Jessica Rosenworcel, Dan Ives, Ives, Tony Adams, Moody's, Abhi Srivastava, Secureworks, Adams, they've Organizations: Federal Communications, FCC, Federal, Commission, Wedbush Securities, Meta, Google, Facebook, Unit, United Nations Locations: Moody's, New Hampshire

☆ A Microsoft under attack from government and tech rivals after 'preventable' hack ties executive pay to cyberthreats
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Trevor Laurence Jockims | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

The decision by Microsoft to link executive compensation to successful cybersecurity performance is another is prompting discussions at other firms. One change the tech giant is making in response: linking executive compensation more closely to cybersecurity. In recent years, many Fortune 500 companies, including Apple, have added bonus pay tied to ESG metrics. The conversations about cybersecurity-linked executive pay have started taking place at other companies since Microsoft made its move, according to Aalap Shah, managing director at executive compensation consultant Pearl Meyer. Madnick's research shows that gaps in corporate culture are often culprits in high-profile hacks, not just the Microsoft example.

Persons: Brad Smith, Charlie Bell, Aalap Shah, Pearl Meyer, It's, I've, Shah, —, Stuart Madnick, Madnick, Ryan Kalember, unavoidability, Jen, Kalember, ransomware, Mike Doonan, Doonan Organizations: Microsoft, U.S, Hill, Google, U.S . Department of Homeland, Initiative, Microsoft Security, Team, Companies, Fortune, Apple, MIT, Infrastructure Security Agency, CNBC, Technology, State Department Locations: China, Russia, cybersecurity, U.S

☆ Biden replaces Obama-era infrastructure protections to defend against Chinese cyberthreats
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Biden's new policy is largely a rewrite of the Obama administration's rule to safeguard U.S. critical infrastructure called the Presidential Policy Directive, or PPD-21, which was published in 2013. The effort to redraft that Obama-era infrastructure policy began over a year ago, in part to modernize it and keep up with hackers who have benefited from over a decade of technological advancement. The Biden administration has warned China not to help Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, or else the U.S. would be ready to act with sanctions. "We're aware now of the serious Chinese threat to our critical infrastructure, specifically prepositioning to disrupt or destroy critical infrastructure in the event of a major crisis," a senior administration official said. "The presidential policy directive that was created in 2013 didn't mention anything about CISA's role because we weren't created yet," a senior administration official said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Obama, cyberattacks, Christopher Wray, congressmembers, Wray, Biden's, Biden Organizations: White, Washington , D.C, Directive, FBI, Taiwan, of Homeland Security, Infrastructure Security Agency Locations: Washington ,, China, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, Taiwan

☆ Biden admin, US ports prep for cyberattacks as nationwide infrastructure is targeted
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology, cited President Biden's signing in February of an executive order to strengthen the cybersecurity of U.S. ports . The nation's port system is the main point of entry for trade, employs 31 million people, and generates over $5.4 trillion for the U.S. economy. One of the key areas of concern for the Biden administration and the executive order is the security of Chinese-manufactured cranes. Biden administration officials recently warned the nation's governors about the threat to water systems. Isles said it is important to identify the critical safety and business systems at the nation's ports.

Persons: Seroka, Gene Seroka, Anne Neuberger, Biden's, Biden cybersecurity, Neuberger, Biden, Christopher Wray, Google's, Mandiant, Adam Isles, order's rulemaking Organizations: Department of Transportation Maritime Administration, Security Operations Center, National, Technology, Biden, Coast Guard, U.S, Mitsui, FBI, Congress, Chertoff Group, American Association of Port Authorities, CNBC, Port Locations: Angeles Harbor, United States, of Los Angeles, of, Angeles, U.S, China, State, Texas, Muleshoe, Cannon, Clovis , New Mexico, Iran, Pennsylvania, cybersecurity, Port of Los Angeles

☆ The Paris Olympics’ One Sure Thing: Cyberattacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Tariq Panja | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In his office on one of the upper floors of the headquarters of the Paris Olympic organizing committee, Franz Regul has no doubt what is coming. “We will be attacked,” said Mr. Regul, who leads the team responsible for warding off cyberthreats against this year’s Summer Games in Paris. In the Paris operations center, there is even a red light to alert the staff to the most severe danger. So far, Mr. Regul said, there have been no serious disruptions. Unlike companies and governments, though, who plan for the possibility of an attack, Mr. Regul said he knew exactly when to expect the worst.

Persons: Franz Regul, ”, Regul Organizations: Paris Olympic, Paris . Companies Locations: Paris

☆ Microsoft says new AI security chatbot pricing model lets customers 'buy what they need'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft is rolling out an unorthodox pricing model for its new security chatbot that becomes available to the public on April 1. Microsoft considered input from early customers as well as the costs of tapping OpenAI's LLMs that process users' prompts, Vasu Jakkal, a corporate vice president at Microsoft, told CNBC. Microsoft charges for use of its Azure OpenAI Service based on the number of tokens a client uses. BP is an early customer of the new security service. Copilot for Security can answer questions by drawing on information from Microsoft's own security products and third-party providers.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Nadella, Andrew Conway, Conway, Vasu Jakkal, Chip Calhoun, Copilot, UnitedHealth Organizations: Microsoft, Security, Gaming, Activision Blizzard, Windows, Dynamics, CNBC, OpenAI, BP Locations: Seoul, Charlotte, Russian

☆ 2023's AI boom was about 'obvious' plays — here's how to invest in the next leg, according to Citi
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Here are four areas that are "clear beneficiaries from the coming integration of AI into everyday business and personal lives," according to Citi. AI infrastructure Key suppliers along the global semiconductor value chain are set to be big beneficiaries in 2024, Citi said. That will include chipmakers, semiconductor equipment and data centers. The continuing manufacturing and e-commerce boom will lead to the need for more automation and robotics, according to Citi. Cybersecurity Citi warned of a sinister side to the proliferation of AI: hackers using AI chatbots to write the code to carry out cyberattacks.

Persons: Kristen, there's, Cybersecurity Organizations: Nvidia, Citi, Citi Global Wealth, Semiconductor, FDA, Citi Research, Robotics, Cybersecurity Citi Locations: Singapore

☆ Leaked presentation reveals how Microsoft built one of its top AI products, from cherry picking outputs to pitching government clients
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

GPU supply problemsOriginally, Microsoft was working on its own machine-learning models for security use cases, according to the presentation by Microsoft Security Research partner Lloyd Greenwald. AdvertisementThe pitchThe pitch centered around the benefits of mostly using a single universal AI model rather than many individual models. "Today, our Early Access Program customers regularly share their satisfaction with the latest version of Security Copilot." He also mentioned ServiceNow connectors, and information from Microsoft Defender, the company's antivirus software, along with other sources of security data. It described Security Copilot as a "closed-loop learning system," that gets feedback from users and improves over time.

Persons: —, Lloyd Greenwald, Greenwald, Frank Shaw, Shaw, Microsoft's Shaw, Kevin Scott, Satya Nadella, Eric Douglas, doesn't Organizations: Service, Business, Microsoft, Microsoft Security Research, BI, Microsoft Sentinel Locations: GPT

☆ Billboards in Israel were briefly hacked to display pro-Hamas messages as cyberwar ramps up
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Israel supporters hold flags as they protest, following Hamas' biggest attack on Israel in years, in Bogota, Colombia October 9, 2023. Cybersecurity threats in Israel are mounting amid the Israel-Hamas war, including two hijacked smart billboards that briefly showed pro-Hamas content, and a cyberattack on a college that published hundreds of thousands of personal records. More than 40 groups are currently attempting, or say they're attempting, cyberattacks, Messing said, adding these threats aren't uncommon. The motivation is more about creating fear and discomfort, not so much about creating damage that is significant." The biggest cyberattack so far this week involved Ono Academic College near Tel Aviv, Messing said.

Persons: Israel, Gil Messing, Messing Organizations: Software Technologies, CNBC, CTV Media Israel, Ono Locations: Israel, Bogota, Colombia, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Jordan

By Meg Anderson, vice president and chief information security officer at Principal®This story previously appeared on principal.com. Employment of information security analysts is expected to grow 31% from 2021 to 2031*, outpacing the average for all occupations. There's always room for continued improvement in digital operations, of course, but we can start feeling more optimistic about progress that's been made toward cybersecurity for small businesses. *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, information security analysts, September 2022. © 2023 Principal Financial Services, Inc. Principal®, Principal Financial Group®, and Principal and the logomark design are registered trademarks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a Principal Financial Group company, in the United States and are trademarks and service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., in various countries around the world.

Persons: Meg Anderson, we've, what's, We've, cybersecurity, There's, that's Organizations: Software, Cyber Readiness, CRI, Infrastructure Security Agency, Insider Studios, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, . Department of Labor, Life Insurance, Financial Services, Inc, Financial Group Locations: I'm, cyberattacks, Des Moines, United States

☆ Latin Americans fall prey to more online scams as cybersecurity lags
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Carolina Pulice | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Online scams in Brazil jumped 65% last year to over 200,000, according to data from the Brazilian Public Security Yearbook published last month. And across Latin America, online frauds and cyberattacks are at an "all-time high," says cybersecurity company Tenable, posing an urgent problem for a well-connected region. "Latin America is a priority target because it has a very connected population, which means that they are always exposed," said Claudio Martinelli, managing director for Latin America for Kaspersky. In a ranking of 93 countries on cyberthreat risks compiled by fraud prevention software SEON, nine of the 10 Latin American countries were ranked in the bottom half. Three Latin American countries - Honduras, Nicaragua and Venezuela - were seen among the 10 countries with the highest risks for cyberthreats.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Gabriella Batalha didn't, Batalha, Kerry, Ann Barrett, Barrett, Claudio Martinelli, SEON, Tenable, Ransomware, Marcos Simplicio, Carolina Pulice, Brendan O'Boyle, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, MEXICO CITY, YouTube, Brazilian Public Security, International Telecommunication Union, Organization of American States, America, Kaspersky, Costa, University of Sao, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Instagram, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, America, Latin America, Caribbean, Peru, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, University of Sao Paulo

It can boost security, especially for small organizations that lack the resources to run their own IT or security departments. But competitors squeezed by Microsoft's security offering are sounding the alarm over how wide swaths of industry and government were effectively putting all their eggs in one basket. Adair said he understood that Microsoft wanted to make money from its premium security product. He noted that the hackers - which Microsoft nicknames Storm-0558 - were caught only because someone at the State Department with access to Microsoft's top-of-the-line logging noticed an anomaly in their forensic data. "Having Microsoft further empower customers and security companies so they can work together is probably the best way," Adair said.

Persons: Steven, Adair, Gina Raimondo, Microsoft, Ron Wyden, Redmond, Adam Meyers, CrowdStrike, Raphael Satter, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Microsoft, NASA, Reuters, U.S, State Department, Storm, Thomson Locations: cyberdefense, U.S, Washington

☆ The attack in Ukraine took a lot of the cyber focus off China, says CrowdStrike's sr. vp of intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe attack in Ukraine took a lot of the cyber focus off China, says CrowdStrike's sr. vp of intelligenceCrowdStrike’s Adam Meyers joins Eamon Javers and the 'CNBC Special: Taking Stock' to discuss the real-world cyberthreats we face across the globe.

☆ Layoffs are set to continue. But workers from this sector may likely escape
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Cybersecurity professionals are vital in reducing risks of cyberattacks, especially so in times of financial instability, experts told CNBC Make It. Demand for these roles are likely to increase as ... the complexity of cyberattacks are intensifying in scale and scope. "These advancements have driven the need for reliable and experienced cybersecurity professionals to build and maintain secure digital infrastructures," he added. The increased risk of cyberthreats is also a key contributor to higher demand for cybersecurity professionals, said Pooja Chhabria, LinkedIn's head of editorial for Asia-Pacific. "The need for cybersecurity professionals who can identify and prevent these attacks will become paramount."

☆ Cybersecurity firm Darktrace hires EY to review financial processes after damning short seller report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Cybersecurity firm Darktrace on Monday said it has appointed auditing firm EY to review its "key financial processes and controls," in a bid to soothe investor fears after a short seller accused the company of manipulating its accounts. "The Board believes fully in the robustness of Darktrace's financial processes and controls. EY will report to the chair of Darktrace's audit and risk committee, Paul Harrison, Darktrace said. Darktrace shares rose more than 2% Monday on the heels of the announcement. The firm said it was "deeply skeptical about the validity of Darktrace's financial statements" and believed sales and growth rates may have been overstated.

☆ A prominent UK cybersecurity stock is under attack from short sellers. Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Omar Marques | SOPA Images | LightRocket via Getty ImagesCybersecurity company Darktrace , one of the U.K.'s most prominent tech names, has found itself under attack from short sellers. Short selling is a strategy in which investors bet on the price of a stock going down in value. Darktrace, one of the U.K.'s largest cybersecurity companies, was founded in 2013 by a group of former intelligence experts and mathematicians. "This has been, and remains, a very small part of Darktrace's marketing and the costs of them over the last five years has consistently been substantially below 0.5% of Darktrace's revenue," Darktrace added. The Lynch connectionIt's worth noting that, even before the QCM report, there were clouds hanging over Darktrace's business.

☆ Midterm elections live updates: Pennsylvania races, New Hampshire Senate race too early to call
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Brandy Zadrozny | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Sahil-Kapur-Headshot.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +109 min

Share this -Link copiedWisconsin Senate and governor's races too early to call It is too early to call the Senate and gubernatorial races in Wisconsin, according to NBC News. Share this -Link copiedNew Hampshire Senate race too early to call The Senate race in New Hampshire is too early to call, according to NBC News. Share this -Link copiedPennsylvania Senate and governor races are too early to call After polls closed at 8 p.m. While Maricopa County election officials initially categorized the problem as a “hiccup,” it took hours before a solution was identified early Tuesday afternoon. In Columbus County, election officials allegedly were harassed by an “observer following one-stop workers” and photographing or filming the workers, it said.

While Maricopa County election officials initially categorized the problem as a “hiccup,” it took hours before a solution was identified early Tuesday afternoon. According to the poll, 46% of voters said their family’s financial situation is worse than it was two years ago. Civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP, filed a similar complaint Friday against state election officials. The app and portal had been down for part of the morning and the state's election hotline also briefly experienced issues. In Columbus County, election officials allegedly were harassed by an “observer following one-stop workers” and photographing or filming the workers, it said.

By the end of Election Day, approximately 21,000 total interviews will be conducted. Civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP, filed a similar complaint Friday against state election officials. The app and portal had been down for part of the morning and the state's election hotline also briefly experienced issues. In Columbus County, election officials allegedly were harassed by an “observer following one-stop workers” and photographing or filming the workers, it said. Share this -Link copiedSunny weather in most battleground states on Election Day It’s a bright and sunny Election Day in many battleground states!

How the midterm election outcome could impact Biden's agenda Nov. 8, 2022 02:02 Read the full story here. Civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP, filed a similar complaint Friday against state election officials. The app and portal had been down for part of the morning and the state's election hotline also briefly experienced issues. In Columbus County, election officials allegedly were harassed by an “observer following one-stop workers” and photographing or filming the workers, it said. Share this -Link copiedSunny weather in most battleground states on Election Day It’s a bright and sunny Election Day in many battleground states!

“We implore voters and members of the media to allow election officials to do their work.” The process is painstaking. In New Hanover, students allegedly were harassed while walking to class from a voting site, and an observer allegedly “angrily” confronted an election official, the board reported. “There are 8,800 election jurisdictions and we see issues pop up every election day,” the official said, citing low-level cyberattacks against election websites or accidental website outages as potential examples. Share this -Link copiedSunny weather in most battleground states on Election Day It’s a bright and sunny Election Day in many battleground states! Karamo sued Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey last week to toss absentee ballots unless voters present identification, alleging election law violations regarding the counting of the ballots.

☆ Ransomware's new business model enables anyone to extort companies for massive payouts. Some insiders say it's a criminal twist on the strategy that made cloud giants so successful.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-02 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ransomware is following the business and distribution model that made cloud giants so successful. Experts say it's so easy to buy ransomware tool kits that hackers can make a monthly income from it. In the same vein, ransomware developers are taking care of back-end operations to get hackers up and running. Today's ransomware gig economy includes a network of behind-the-scenes operatorsThe ransomware gig economy behind ransomware-as-a-service programs has also expanded rapidly over the past two years. Record-breaking payouts include a $4.4 million ransom secured by hackers that attacked the fuel-pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline in 2021.

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