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U.S. Officials Told Lawmakers Israel’s Industrial Espionage Efforts in U.S. 'Crossed Red Lines'
Homeland Security News Wire (05/07/14)
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the State Department, the FBI, and the National Counterintelligence Directorate said that Israel goes to far in its efforts to spy on the United States. “No other country close to the United States continues to cross the line on espionage like the Israelis do,” U.S. intelligence officials reportedly told Congress earlier this year. These concerns were raised late last year and in January 2014 as part of an assessment to determine whether Israel should be permitted to join the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The program allows citizens of certain countries to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa. While there are 38 countries on the list, Israel remains absent, possibly because of concerns about industrial espionage against U.S. technology companies. Much of this spying allegedly occurred under cover of trade missions and joint defense technology contracts. An Israeli official has denied the allegations.
Piracy Costs Fall, But its Roots Remain, Says Report
Wall Street Journal (05/07/14) Werber, Cassie
According to a new report from Oceans Beyond Piracy, the cost of piracy to the shipping industry has been nearly cut in half due to substantial declines in hijackings off the Somali coast. The report found that the overall cost of pirate attacks to the global shipping industry has dropped from $6.1 billion in 2012 to $3.2 billion in 2013, a result of reduced insurance premiums, less rerouting of ships, and fewer ransom payments. This decline is the result of numerous countermeasures used by ships traveling in the waters off of Somalia, including the use of armed guards and patrols by military warships. Additionally, some freight ships use some passive countermeasures such as water cannons and razor wire. Despite this success, the report notes that there has been little increase in solutions which address the root causes of Somali piracy. Marcel Arsenault, the chairman of the organization which funds Oceans Beyond Piracy, says that failing to address the poor economic opportunities and the lack of effective governance in Somalia could create the risk that piracy will begin to increase if the current countermeasures are reduced.
Facilitating Better Healing with Visitor-Friendly Security
Security Magazine (05/14) Meyer, Claire
Hospitals face a challenge in securing their premises, as they must balance the need to allow family and friends to visit patients while also guarding against potential threats. The University of Michigan hospitals and health centers have attempted to strike this balance in several ways, including having teams of "guest service specialists"--Public Safety and Security employees who receive extensive training for customer service, first aid, and non-violent crisis prevention and intervention--man lobby desks, maintain logs of patient visitor requests and information, and even reinforce restraining orders. At Lee Memorial Hospital in Florida, meanwhile, visitors must check in at SISCO FastPass stations where they go through a thorough security check before being issued a badge that allows them to visit a patient. This process helps protect patients and allows the hospital to know who is in the building at any time. Finally, California-based Dignity Health has security officers who serve a customer service function and are cross-trained for various posts. This creates a larger pool of security officers able to fulfill changing needs and helps create a deterrent to potential threats, says Dignity Health Chief Security, Safety and Emergency Preparedness Officer Dennis Hemphill.
The Art of Security
Security Today (05/01/14) Contavespi, Vicki
Though all security is challenging, museums are particularly complicated, as they must be open and welcoming, but also able to secure the often priceless treasures kept within their walls. In addition, many have quiet nooks and smaller areas where museum patrons are able to sit and consider the art and other objects on display. Steven Keller, a well-known security consultant for libraries and museums, notes that the most basic security solution in these facilities uses several layers of protection. These layers, he adds, often include the use of inventory numbers, "L" hooks, and metal boilerplates; small, wireless vibration sensors; motion-detection devices; and either a low rail or a change in flooring texture of height, to create a barrier keeping people away from the artwork. CCTV systems are used heavily in museums, and many are updating from older or more basic systems to more sophisticated systems such as 360-degree CCTV technologies. A single 360-degree camera can provide total situational awareness, while remaining discrete and unobtrusive. The 360-degree camera can reduce the cost of owning a CCTV system as a single one of these can replace several other cameras, and can even make alarm systems unnecessary. Though technology provides many benefits, conducting basic background checks of staff and bag checks with visitors will continue to be vital.
Managing Security for Emergency Departments with High-Risk Patients
Security Magazine (05/14) Warren, Bryan
Hospital emergency departments have unique security challenges that need to be addressed, writes Carolinas Healthcare System Director of Corporate Security Bryan Warren. In order to do so, emergency departments need to educate medical staff and security about two types of high-risk patients who could be prone to violence: the behavioral health patient and the forensic/prisoner patient. Behavioral health patients may be stuck in emergency departments for extended periods until a bed in a psychiatric ward can be found, meaning that security personnel may need to be deployed to supervise their behavior. Warren writes that hospitals should consider increasing the use of patient restraints and providing additional training for emergency room personnel on how to de-escalate potentially violent situations in order to address possible threats from these patients. Alternatively, facilities may set up behavioral health transports that allow security personnel to shuttle behavioral health patients to facilities where they can get better care, Warren says. Forensic patients, meanwhile, require a number of preventative practices to mitigate the risks they pose, including increased training for the law enforcement and corrections officers who accompany such patients, revised custody requirements, and prisoner escape drills.
Surveillance Reform Now a Real Possibility
MSNBC (05/08/14) Serwer, Adam
The House Intelligence and Judiciary committees passed identical surveillance reform bills on May 8 and May 7, respectively. The bill, known as the USA Freedom Act, requires intelligence agencies to receive permission from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court before obtaining phone and e-mail records for the target of an investigation as well as records for people with up to two degrees of separation, or "hops," away from them. The National Security Agency (NSA) was previously allowed to obtain records for people up to three "hops" away from a target. Civil liberties advocates still have some concerns about the bill, worrying in particular about a measure that was dropped that would prevent intelligence agencies from searching Americans' communications if they are collected when targeting foreign sources. Despite these concerns, Laura Murphy of the American Civil Liberties Union called the votes in favor of the bill "a clear sign that the balance is shifting away from excessive NSA spying and back toward liberty.”
Al Qaeda Poses New Threat in Yemen
Wall Street Journal (05/07/14) Knickmeyer, Ellen; Almasmari, Hakim
Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has threatened to increase attacks on major cities in that country, specifically San'a, Aden, and Taiz. The threat comes in response to an aggressive offensive by Yemeni military and tribal fighters over the past two weeks. Their target: the estimated 1,000 to 2,000 AQAP members and their local allies, about 130 of whom have been killed in the offensive so far. Approximately 125 Yemeni troops have also been lost so far. The U.S. Embassy in Yemen, meanwhile, has closed in response to AQAP threats against Western interests. Attacks against Western targets have risen in the past several weeks. Security experts say that AQAP has stepped up its activities, not just because of the offensive but in an attempt to compete with its regional rival, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, which is attempting to expand into Yemen from Syria and Iraq.
US Poised to Join Hunt for Shadowy Boko Haram Leader Abubakar Shekau
Fox News (05/07/14)
The U.S. military and law enforcement agents are preparing to take part in a multi-national manhunt for Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram. In addition, the State Department has offered a reward of as much as $7 million for information that leads to Shekau's location. Shekau, however, is known for keeping a low profile which will make the manhunt--sparked by Boko Haram's recent kidnapping of more than 300 Christian school girls, whom Shekau has said he will sell--more complicated and difficult. The kidnapped girls have either been taken to Cameroon and Chad to be sold or have been forced to marry their abductors. According to an intermediary between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram, two of the more than 280 girls who remain in captivity have died from snake bites and several others are ill. The intermediary adds that Boko Haram is willing to negotiate ransoms for the girls who are still alive.
Man in Custody After White House Motorcade Incident
Wall Street Journal (05/06/14) Sparshott, Jeffrey
An unauthorized vehicle followed a White House motorcade carrying President Obama's daughters as it passed through a checkpoint near the White House Tuesday afternoon, prompting the Secret Service to close down entrances to the executive mansion. The driver of the vehicle, identified as Mathew E. Goldstein, was arrested and has been charged with unlawful entry. According to the Secret Service, Goldstein had a U.S. Treasury pass. There was nothing dangerous found in Goldstein's car, and it is still unclear why he breached the White House's security perimeter.
Lawmakers Urge NRC Not to Exempt Shut-Down Nuclear Plants From Emergency, Security Regulations
Homeland Security News Wire (05/05/14)
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is among the lawmakers expressing concern about the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's decision to exempt or consider exemptions to emergency-planning and security regulations at 14 decommissioned nuclear power plants. The concerns come as NRC is finalizing its proposed "waste confidence" rule, which calls for the NRC to declare that security and emergency preparedness regulations are being followed at plants and that it has confidence that nuclear waste at power plants will eventually be safely disposed of following decommissioning. Such a declaration is necessary before a nuclear power plant can be granted an operational permit. However, the NRC has exempted or is considering exemptions for a number of nuclear power plants--including San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station, and the Kewaunee Power Station in Wisconsin--from the requirement that they following security and emergency preparedness regulations. Boxer and several other lawmakers say they are concerned about these exemptions or possible exemptions because these sites are being used to store significant amounts of nuclear waste. The lawmakers note that security and emergency preparedness regulations need to be followed at decommissioned plants because these spent fuel pools are attractive targets for terrorists.
Microsoft Study Says Cyber-Criminals Resort More to Deceptive Measures
eWeek (05/07/14) Hernandez, Pedro
The latest Security Intelligence Report from Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing division says that although Microsoft software is much more resistant to remote-access exploits than in recent years, attackers are compensating by using "deceptive tactics" to install malware on target systems. Tim Rains, director of Trustworthy Computing, says there has been "a 70 percent decline in the number of severe vulnerabilities [those that can enable remote code execution] that were exploited in Microsoft products between 2010 and 2013." However, Rains says the second half of 2013 saw "a noticeable increase" in the use of deceptive practices, such as hiding malware and ransomware in seemingly legitimate downloads. Malware infections due to deceptive tactics nearly tripled in the last quarter of 2013, according to Rains. Another tactic being used is delaying the deployment of a malware payload once it is inside a target system. There also were hints that different attackers were coordinating their efforts, with a Microsoft spokesperson reporting three of the top 10 malware families—Rotbrow, Brantall, and Sefnit—have been known to work together.
Hackers Capture Dynamic Data to Prepare for Effective, Stealthy Attacks
CSO Online (05/05/14) Geer, David
Cybersecurity experts are warning organizations about the threat from cyberattacks that use offensive forensics techniques to steal data stored in a computer's memory. These techniques involve the use of Web-based tools that enable hackers to access dynamic data stored in a computer's random access memory, swap file, Web browser cache, or some other location where data is temporarily stored in clear text. Cybercriminals who employ these techniques are generally looking for passwords, encryption keys, or active network session data they can use to access more sensitive data and resources without being detected. Experts say these techniques can be used to maximize the time an attacker has access to a targeted system while also prolonging the time it takes for security professionals to determine that data has been stolen. Another reason why the use of these methods is cause for concern is that they can be used against systems that are thought to be secure, says Berkeley Research Group's Joe Sremack. Experts recommend organizations take steps to protect themselves from attacks that use offensive forensics techniques, including running security utilities that mask and protect data stored in memory. Organizations also should log systems' activities on a machine dedicated to that purpose, since doing so will make it harder for hackers who use offensive forensics techniques to go unnoticed.
Agencies Must Update to Newer Versions of Transport Layer Security
Government Computer News (05/05/14) Jackson, William
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has issued revised guidance in a new version of Special Publication 800-52, which outlines how government agencies should use the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol to protect sensitive but unclassified data. The new revision requires that agencies upgrade from TLS 1.0 to version 1.1 after vulnerabilities were found in 1.0. Although TLS also is based on the Secure-Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, these vulnerabilities are not related to the Heartbleed bug affecting OpenSSL. The new guidance does not allow government servers to support TLS 1.0 or SSL 3.0, and requires that government servers and applications support at least TLS 1.1. Government clients are allowed to support TLS 1.0, but they must use the later versions of TLS when contacting servers that support those versions. Government servers must, at a minimum, be configured with the RSA key encypherment certificate and either the RSA or ECDSA signature certificate. Other approved certificates include the DSA signature, Diffie-Hellman, and ECDH certificates. All certificates must be issued by a certificate authority, and self-signed certificates are not allowed. Agencies will need to develop plans to migrate to TLS 1.2 by Jan. 1.
Navy Systems Administrator Arrested on Hacking Charges
Wall Street Journal (05/05/14) Grossman, Andrew
Nicholas Knight, a Navy systems administrator assigned to the nuclear reactor department of an aircraft carrier, has been charged with also being the leader of an antigovernment hacking group. Prosecutors say Knight, an alleged hacker since age 16, led Team Digi7al, a group that broke into networks belonging to more than 30 governments, companies and individuals throughout 2012 and stole personal information about employees and customers. The group, motivated by a mix of antigovernment politics, boredom and desire to prove itself to the hacking community, then posted some of the information online, according to the charging document filed in federal court in Tulsa, Okla., on May 5. The government often recruits young adults with hacker-grade computer abilities, but the danger is that some are not yet ready to give up the darker side of technology or, in the case of Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor, they hold beliefs that may clash with the Pentagon. Knight was discharged from the Navy after prosecutors allege he got caught trying to hack into a naval database while on board the USS Harry S. Truman. Federal prosecutors in Oklahoma charged him and Daniel Krueger, an Illinois community college student who allegedly carried out some of the hacks, with one count each of conspiring to break into networks. Team Digi7al targeted an odd mix of organizations with its hacks, from the arm of the Defense Department responsible for maps to the Toronto police, according to prosecutors. They caught the eye of investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service with an attack against the Navy's system for arranging the logistics of service member relocations.
Security Flaw Found in OAuth 2.0 and OpenID; Third-Party Authentication at Risk
Dark Reading (05/04/14) Wilson, Tim
Serious security vulnerabilities in two popular identity verification standards could enable an attacker to steal users' personal information, a cybersecurity researcher says. The vulnerabilities exist in OAuth 2.0 and OpenID, which are designed to enable the websites that use these standards to verify the identities of users with the help of third-party services. But both standards contain what is known as a Covert Redirect vulnerability, in which an application takes a parameter and redirects a user to the parameter value but without performing sufficient validation. In the case of OAuth 2.0, an attacker could redirect the token used by the standard to access and potentially steal information about users stored on the third-party verification sites, including their email addresses, age, or locations. The vulnerability in OpenID, meanwhile, could be exploited by attackers to directly access user information. It remains unclear who will need to take responsibility for the flaws—the sites that use the standards or the third-party verification services, which means that it could be difficult to correct the problem.
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