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☆ Chinese hackers outnumber FBI cyber staff 50 to 1, bureau director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. cyber intelligence staff is vastly outnumbered by Chinese hackers, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray told Congress as he pleaded for more money for the agency. The disclosure highlights the massive scale of cyber threats the U.S. is facing, particularly from China. The agency is requesting about $63 million to help it beef up its cyber staff with 192 new positions. Wray said this would also help the FBI put more cyber staff in field offices to be closer to where victims of cyber crimes actually are. WATCH: Crowdstrike CEO on government spending on cyber, vulnerabilities and geopolitical threats

Money is a big concern for a lot of retirees, but there are fears that go deeper than that. One of the biggest concerns for retirees is what their retirement will mean for the people close to them. Courtesy of Diane WiggerIt's perfectly normal to have financial and healthcare fears, especially for those who are more self-reliant. Wigger conquered her retirement fears moving abroad, gaining access to good healthcare, and living within her means. Blattner recognizes his retirement fears are different from most.

☆ U.S. charges two with setting up Chinese 'secret police station' in New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, April 17 (Reuters) - U.S. law enforcement officials have arrested two New York residents for allegedly operating a Chinese "secret police station" in Manhattan's Chinatown neighborhood, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn said in a statement on Monday. "This prosecution reveals the Chinese government's flagrant violation of our nation's sovereignty by establishing a secret police station in the middle of New York City," Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said in a statement. Prosecutors said Lu in 2018 sought to persuade an individual considered a fugitive by China to return home, prosecutors said. China's government in 2022 asked Lu to help locate an individual living in California who was considered a pro-democracy activist, prosecutors said. He said the Chinese government setting up a police presence in the United States "violates sovereignty" and circumvents law enforcement cooperation.

☆ Montana lawmakers vote to completely ban TikTok in the state
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington CNN —Montana became the first US state on Friday to pass legislation banning TikTok on all personal devices, sending a bill to Gov. Greg Gianforte prohibiting TikTok from operating within state lines and barring app stores from offering TikTok for downloads. The legislation marks the furthest step yet by a state government to restrict TikTok over perceived security concerns and comes as some federal lawmakers have called for a national ban of TikTok. Individual users of TikTok, meanwhile, would not be penalized for accessing TikTok. In December, Gianforte banned TikTok from state government devices and the following month urged the Montana University System to follow suit, which it did.

☆ Trump, newly charged, urges defunding US Justice Department and FBI
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Rami Ayyub | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But Trump faces two Justice Department criminal investigations led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. "REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS SHOULD DEFUND THE DOJ AND FBI UNTIL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES," Trump wrote on his social media platform. The FBI, part of the Justice Department, is the U.S. domestic intelligence and security agency. Trump backed spending increases for the Justice Department while serving as president from 2017 to 2021. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.

☆ Trump, facing criminal charges, calls for defunding the FBI
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Rami Ayyub | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS SHOULD DEFUND THE DOJ AND FBI UNTIL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES," Trump wrote on his social media platform. Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, backed spending increases for the Justice Department and FBI while in office. Trump faces two Justice Department criminal investigations led by a special counsel appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. Trump himself appointed the current FBI director, Christopher Wray, after firing the agency's previous chief, James Comey, in 2017. Prosecutors said the payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal constituted an attempt to conceal a violation of election law.

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department confirmed on Wednesday it had seized the Russia-linked online criminal marketplace Genesis Market, working in conjunction with international law enforcement and the Treasury Department. The announcements from Justice and Treasury came a day after the FBI and a consortium of international law enforcement authorities shut down Genesis Market. The international marketplace steals private information from victims' devices and offers it for sale, Treasury said in a release Wednesday. "Today's takedown of Genesis Market is a demonstration of the FBI's commitment to disrupting and dismantling key services used by criminals to facilitate cybercrime," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. "Treasury will continue to work closely with our law enforcement colleagues to disrupt this activity and hold malign cyber actors accountable."

☆ 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.

Courts blocked a prior bid by the Trump administration to ban the app in part on the grounds that such a move violated free speech protections. Courts struck down former President Donald Trump's bid to block TikTok in 2020 with an executive order that granted the Commerce Department similar authorities as the RESTRICT act. But the bill will likely provide no immediate solutions for those calling for a ban on the app. Some experts said using the new legal tools to ban TikTok could still invite First Amendment challenges. "And there will most likely be a legal challenge if its used to ban TikTok."

☆ Benefits of US political accord accrue to TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, March 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - TikTok has one incentive to keep American politicians united. As Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew goes in front of Congress this week, he might remember that benefits can accrue to him if representatives remain cooperative. TikTok will be working to persuade American politicians that citizens’ data is protected, but in reality it will be difficult for the country to ban the app outright. So in some ways, political cohesion is good for TikTok. TikTok may not want to cause trouble in Washington, but it benefits so long as Democrats and Republicans agree.

☆ Biden signs legislation to declassify certain intelligence on Covid pandemic origins
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

President Joe Biden on Monday signed legislation requiring the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to declassify information on any possible links between a lab in China and the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines now has 90 days to declassify all information on possible links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of Covid. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also concluded that the pandemic likely began with a lab incident in Wuhan, China, the agency's director Christopher Wray told Fox News. The pandemic began three years ago in Wuhan, China, though it's still unknown how Covid spread to people. The intelligence community was divided in a 2021 report ordered by Biden that reviewed information on the pandemic's origins.

☆ Notable legal clouds that continue to hang over Donald Trump in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Dan Berman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels and says the probe by Bragg, a Democrat, is politically motivated. According to the lawsuit, the Trump Organization deceived lenders, insurers and tax authorities by inflating the value of his properties using misleading appraisals. A federal judge ruled that Trump and FBI Director Christopher Wray can be deposed for two hours each as part of the lawsuit. “What (Trump’s lawsuit) lacks in substance and legal support it seeks to substitute with length, hyperbole, and the settling of scores and grievances,” US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks wrote. Woodward later released “The Trump Tapes,” an audiobook featuring eight hours of raw interviews with Trump interspersed with the author’s commentary.

☆ New Zealand to become the latest country to ban TikTok in parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —New Zealand will ban TikTok on all devices with access to its parliament by the end of this month, becoming the latest country to impose an official bar on the popular social media platform owned by a Beijing-based tech conglomerate. Led by the United States, a growing number of Western nations are imposing restrictions on the use of TikTok on government devices citing national security concerns. The United States, UK and Canada have ordered the removal of the app from all government phones, citing cybersecurity concerns. The short video sharing app has more than 100 million users in the United States alone. China has accused the United States of “unreasonably suppressing” TikTok and spreading “false information” about data security.

☆ WHO calls on China to release data linking Covid origin to raccoon dogs at Wuhan market
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The World Health Organization on Friday called on China to release new data linking the Covid pandemic's origins to animal samples at Wuhan Market after the country recently took down the research. Researchers from several countries downloaded and analyzed the data before it was removed, and presented their findings to the WHO last weekend. But she said it does establish that animals who can carry Covid were sold at the market, which is "new information." The WHO is pushing for studies to be conducted in other markets in Wuhan and across China, according to Van Kerkhove. She added that the WHO "won't be able to remove different hypotheses" until China reuploads its data.

☆ Fauci hits back at critics like Elon Musk, who have called for his prosecution, saying 'I wish I could figure out what the heck they're talking about'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Dr. Anthony Fauci has responded to critics such as Elon Musk over his pandemic response. What are they talking about," Fauci said. Acosta had read Fauci a tweet from Elon Musk suggesting Fauci should be prosecuted. I wish I could figure out what the heck they're talking about. Representatives for Musk and Fauci did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside normal working hours.

☆ House votes unanimously to declassify intelligence on origins of Covid pandemic, sending bill to Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The House of Representatives on Friday unanimously voted to declassify information on possible links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Covid-19 pandemic, sending the bill to President Joe Biden. The Senate also voted unanimously earlier this month to require Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to declassify such information. President Joe Biden ordered the intelligence community in 2021 to provide an updated analysis of how the pandemic emerged. The intelligence agencies were divided on how Covid started spreading among humans, though they said a natural original and a lab leak were both plausible. The intelligence community agreed that Covid was not developed as biological weapon, and most agencies assessed that the virus was not genetically engineered.

☆ Congress sends bill to Biden requiring his administration to declassify intelligence on COVID-19's origins
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The House passed a bipartisan bill that would require the Biden administration to declassify information related to COVID-19's origins. The origins of COVID-19 have long been debated and theorized. The House of Representatives unanimously approved the bill, titled the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023, in a 419-0 vote on Friday. The bill comes after the US Energy Department recently concluded with "low confidence" that the pandemic was likely the result of a lab leak. Indeed, lawmakers could likely override a potential veto with a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate.

☆ Watch live: U.S. spymasters testify on global threats before House Intelligence Committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

[The hearing is slated to start at 10 a.m. Please refresh the page if you do not see a video above at that time.] The nation's top spymasters will testify before the House Intelligence Committee on their annual report of global threats faced by the United States. The U.S. spy chiefs testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. Both hearings offer a rare opportunity for lawmakers and the public to hear directly from intelligence chiefs, whose agencies do not offer routine press briefings on their activities.

☆ Watch live: America's top spymasters testify on global threats before Senate Intelligence Committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

[The stream is slated to start at 10 a.m. Please refresh the page if you do not see a video above at that time.] The nation's top spymasters will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on their annual report of global threats faced by the United States. The open hearing will focus on the unclassified 35-page assessment dubbed "Annual Threat Assessment" and feature testimony from the Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns, FBI Director Christopher Wray, NSA Director Gen. Paul Nakasone and DIA Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier. The hearing offers a rare opportunity for lawmakers and the public to hear directly from intelligence chiefs, whose agencies do not offer routine press briefings on their activities.

☆ FBI chief says TikTok 'screams' of US national security concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) - China's government could use TikTok to control data on millions of American users, FBI Director Christopher Wray told a U.S. Senate hearing on Wednesday, saying the Chinese-owned video app "screams" of security concerns. "This is a tool that is ultimately within the control of the Chinese government - and it, to me, it screams out with national security concerns," Wray said. The White House backed legislation introduced on Tuesday by a dozen senators to give President Joe Biden's administration new powers to ban TikTok and other foreign-based technologies if they pose national security threats. Other top U.S. intelligence officials including Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns and National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone agreed at the hearing that TikTok posed a threat to U.S. national security. Nakasone on Tuesday expressed concern during Senate testimony about TikTok's data collection and potential to facilitate broad influence operations.

☆ CIA future will be defined by US technology race with China, director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The seal of the Central Intelligence Agency is shown at the entrance of the CIA headquarters in McLean, Virginia, U.S., September 24, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s future will be defined by America's ongoing technology race with China, agency director William Burns said on Wednesday during a Senate hearing. Burns’ remarks followed the release of the Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, which pointed to China as the biggest national security threat facing America. “It's also the main determinant of our future as an intelligence service as well.”The CIA director was speaking during Congress’s so-called Worldwide Threats hearing, also featuring other heads of the U.S. intelligence community, including National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines, Defense Intelligence Agency director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray. Gen. Nakasone, the NSA director, testified China's cyber operations have grown more aggressive recently.

☆ TikTok could be a valuable tool for China if it invades Taiwan, FBI director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —The Chinese government could use TikTok to control data on millions of people and harness the short-form video app to shape public opinion should China invade Taiwan, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday. Wray responded affirmatively to questions from Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, the panel’s ranking member, on whether TikTok would allow Beijing widespread control over data and a valuable influence tool in the event of war in the Taiwan Strait. Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate panel, argued that TikTok presents “a substantial national security threat for the country of a kind that we didn’t face in the past.”Wray’s comments come a day after Gen. Paul Nakasone, head of the US National Security Agency, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he worried TikTok could censor videos to shape public opinion in a way that threatens US national security interests. The company is also negotiating a possible agreement with the Biden administration that could allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States under certain conditions. In a statement this week, a TikTok spokesperson said a US government ban would stifle American speech and would be “a ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service worldwide.”– CNN’s Brian Fung and Catherine Thorbecke contributed to this report.

☆ Chairman of the House panel probing Covid's origins says lawmakers haven't 'seen all that we want to see' but they're following 'the breadcrumbs'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US Energy Department reportedly said with low confidence a lab leak likely caused COVID-19. Other agencies have suggested alternative theories caused the virus, including animal transmission. The chair of a House panel investigating Covid's origins said they have more questions than answers. Wrenstrup said it's "important to find the origins of Covid" but the committee is still unclear on the cause, since different agencies have their own theories. "What we are trying to do is to follow the breadcrumbs, if you will," Wrenstrup said.

☆ FBI Director Says Covid Pandemic Likely Caused by Chinese Lab Leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | Warren P. Strobel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

FBI Director Christopher Wray said the Chinese government has been trying to ‘thwart and obfuscate’ the investigation. WASHINGTON—FBI Director Christopher Wray said Tuesday that the Covid pandemic was probably the result of a laboratory leak in China, providing the first public confirmation of the bureau’s classified judgment of how the virus that led to the deaths of nearly seven million people worldwide first emerged. “The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan,” Mr. Wray told Fox News. “Here you are talking about a potential leak from a Chinese government-controlled lab.”

☆ FBI director says China lab leak likely caused COVID pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Tuesday the agency has assessed that a leak from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, likely caused the COVID-19 pandemic. "The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan," Wray told Fox News. His comments follow a Wall Street Journal report on Sunday that the U.S. Energy Department has assessed with low confidence the pandemic resulted from an unintended lab leak in China. Four other agencies, along with a national intelligence panel, still judge that the pandemic was likely the result of a natural transmission, and two are undecided, the Journal reported. China's foreign ministry, asked to comment on the Wall Street Journal report, which was confirmed by other U.S. media, referred to a WHO-China report that pointed toward a natural origin for the pandemic, rather than a lab leak.

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