CyberCrime Statistics - The Rise of Cyber Bullying, Cyber Stalking and Cyber Warfare

Cyber crime or computer crime can be divided into two categories: the first comprises crimes that target computers directly such as viruses, attacks and malware; the second focuses on online crime that uses computer networks or devices as means to perform fraud and identity theft through social engineering as well as cyber bullying, cyber stalking and cyber warfare.  Companies in the United States experience an yearly loss of more than $525m USD  due to cyber crime with the majority of these losses stemming from malicious code and DOD attacks. Data breaches and their consequences have also had profound effects on consumers with personal information and credit details being stolen. The largest online data breach compromised more than 130 million user accounts. Online brands with the highest probability of being targeted by phishing attacks. Include online payment provider Paypal and online auction house eBay, as well as numerous online service providers that require personal identification as well as payment information.  With the ubiquity of the internet, an increased online usage and the spread of social network usage throughout all age groups, cyber bullying and cyber stalking have become increasingly common, especially among teenagers. Cyber bullying is defined as the harming or harassing of other people in a deliberate, repeated, and hostile manner, including cyber dating abuse within relationships.Share your comments on the most common forms of cyber crime here at the Cloud and Cyber Security Center. Data provided c/o Statistica.

Edward Snowden Weighs In on the US vs. Apple iPhone Encryption Case

Known for his numerous leaks that exposed the NSA’s mass surveillance operations, Edward Snowden is now the latest expert to take a side in the Apple vs. FBI iPhone encryption case. “The FBI says Apple has the ‘exclusive technical means,’” he said.  He then proceeded to explain how the FBI could force its way into the iPhone – which is how the FBI wants to get in – without Apple’s assistance. The FBI is worried that after entering the wrong PIN for 10 times in a row, the iPhone could automatically erase data stored on it. So that’s one of the things it’s asking Apple to remove. But Snowden revealed that the FBI could physically remove the memory from the phone’s mainboard, copy it, and then try password combinations until it finds the right one The method is described in a post on the ACLU site, which claims that FBI’s stance on this particular matter is a lie. The Bureau is worried the iPhone could destroy itself, but this method would let its hackers save the contents without Apple’s help. “All the FBI needs to do to avoid any irreversible auto erase is simple to copy that flash memory (which includes the Effaceable Storage) before it tries 10 passcode attempts. It can then re-try indefinitely because it can restore the NAND flash memory from its backup copy,” ACLU wrote. “The FBI can simply remove this chip from the circuit board (“desolder” it), connect it to a device capable of reading and writing NAND flash, and copy all of its data. It can then replace the chip, and start testing passcodes. If it turns out that the auto-erase feature is on, and the Effaceable Storage gets erased, they can remove the chip, copy the original information back in, and replace it. If they plan to do this many times, they can attach a “test socket” to the circuit board that makes it easy and fast to do this kind of chip swapping.” Is Snowden's approach technically viable? And if it is, should the FBI use it? Send your comments to the Cloud and Cyber Security Center .

China: Likely the Greatest Threat to US Cyber Security

Policymakers in the United States often portray China as posing a serious cybersecurity threat. In 2013 U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon stated that Chinese cyber intrusions not only endanger national security but also threaten U.S. firms with the loss of competitive advantage. One U.S. member of Congress has asserted that China has "laced the U.S. infrastructure with logic bombs." Chinese critics, meanwhile, denounce Western allegations of Chinese espionage and decry National Security Agency (NSA) activities revealed by Edward Snowden. The People's Daily newspaper has described the United States as "a thief crying 'stop thief.'" Chinese commentators increasingly call for the exclusion of U.S. internet firms from the Chinese market, citing concerns about collusion with the NSA, and argue that the institutions of internet governance give the United States an unfair advantage. Government officials are calling it the biggest threat to America's economic security. Cyber spies hacking into U.S. corporations' computer networks are stealing valuable trade secrets, intellectual property data and confidential business strategies. The biggest aggressor? China. CNBC's David Faber investigates this new wave of espionage, which experts say amounts to the largest transfer of wealth ever seen —draining America of its competitive advantage and its economic edge. Unless corporate America wakes up and builds an adequate defense strategy, experts say it may be too late. Can China's cyber security threat posture be mitigated by technology and human intelligence in the West? Send your comments to the Cloud and Cyber Security Center: http://cloudandcybersecurity.blogspot.com/

Do Asia and Eastern Europe Consititute an Axis of Cybercrime Evil?

Countries with fast developing economies such as China, Hong-Kong, South Korea, and India have huge incentive in strengthening their IT infrastructure to support their booming economies. With the growing services and manufacturing sector of their economies, government and educational institutions are putting great emphasis upon producing human as well as economic capital that is necessary to support the growing sectors. With countries like China behaving aggressively to pursue its economic goals, a number of their institutions are alleged to be acting complacent in making the  cyber threat landscape more offensive. The case in point is Unit 61398, an alleged APT unit of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) targeting US, Germany, and France for the exfiltration of trade secrets, take over of critical national infrastructure, and to conduct corporate and intelligence espionage. Countries like Pakistan, with a thriving IT sector, 4G network introduction in the offing, no legislation on cyber crime, and a formidable existing body of hackers is likely to become a future point of origin for cyber activity. What is the potential scope and breadth of this emerging threat landscape?  Share your assessment with the Cloud and Cyber Security Center: http://cloudandcybersecurity.blogspot.com/

Ransomware "keRanger" Attack on Apple Computers

Apple Inc customers were targeted by hackers over the weekend in the first campaign against Macintosh computers using a pernicious type of software known as ransomware, researchers with Palo Alto Networks Inc told Reuters on Sunday. Ransomware, one of the fastest-growing types of cyber threats, encrypts data on infected machines, then typically asks users to pay ransoms in hard-to-trace digital currencies to get an electronic key so they can retrieve their data.Apple computers have been successfully targeted by malicious software called "ransomware" for the first time, according to security researchers. Palo Alto Networks said it spotted the ransomware on OS X on March 4, and reported the issue to Apple the same day. Apple took steps to protect users after being alerted to the problem, Palo Alto said. Ransomware is software that hijacks a computer, and locks a user's files until a ransom is paid. The program in question, dubbed keRanger, requires victims to pay one Bitcoin, which is a little more than $400, to retrieve their files. In this case, hackers managed to infect two versions of a program that installs a popular file-sharing tool called "Transmission" on Macs. Palo Alto said this is the first time a fully functional version of ransomware has been detected in Apple's operating system. The ransomware infection comes at a time when the security of Apple's products have come under intense scrutiny. What impact will ransomware in general and "keRanger" in particular have on not just Apple devices but other vendors' products as well? Send your assessment to the Cloud and Cyber Security Center: http://cloudandcybersecurity.blogspot.com/

Microsoft Windows Defender for Enterprises - Fighting CyberCrime in Large Organizations

Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection service under development which will help large organizations detect and counter network attacks when it's delivered sometime this year. Microsoft also published an updated SQL Server 2016 Release Candidate that adds a preview capability to extend seamlessly to Microsoft's Azure cloud. Meanwhile, the news broke that Windows 10 is now the second most common desktop operating system in use, but has a long way to go to catch up with Windows 7. Microsoft is also preparing a developers kit for its HoloLens augmented reality headset. Microsoft has unveiled a new threat protection service that it said will help large organizations detect and counter network attacks. Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection uses a combination of endpoint and cloud-based tools, and is intended to add a new post-breach layer of protection to the Windows 10 security stack. Cybercriminals are well organized with an alarming emergence of state-sponsored attacks, cyber-espionage and cyber terror. Even with the best defense, sophisticated attackers are using social engineering and zero-day vulnerabilities to break-in to corporate networks.  How effective will this new solution be in securing enterprise data? Share your comments with the Cloud and Cyber Security Center: http://cloudandcybersecurity.blogspot.com/

RSA Conference: Eric Schmidt to Lead Defense Innovation Advisory Board

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter unveiled the new Defense Innovation Advisory Board with Eric Schmidt during the annual RSA cyber security conference in San Francisco, saying it would give the Pentagon access to "the brightest technical minds focused on innovation."Schmidt, now the executive chairman of Alphabet Inc the parent company of Google, said the board would help bridge what he called a clear gap between how the U.S. military and the technology industry operate. Schmidt also said he saw the group looking for ways to use new technologies to solve new and emerging problem. The board is Carter's latest effort to kick-start innovation across the U.S. military by building bridges to the technology industry. The U.S. defense chief announced the board's creation on Wednesday during his third trip to Silicon Valley since taking office just over a year ago. It had been 20 years since the last U.S. defense secretary visited Silicon Valley. "If we don’t innovate and be competitive, we’re not going to be the military that the country needs and deserves," Carter told reporters. "We should have done it a while ago." Carter has argued forcefully for spending more on science and technology to maintain the U.S. military's competitive edge over Russia and China as they expand their militaries.Carter and Schmidt said they would choose up to l2 individuals to serve on the board, focusing on people who have led large private and public organizations, and excelled at identifying and adopting new technology concepts. Schmidt told reporters he had a list of possible members, but had not yet contacted them. The Pentagon said a first meeting could take place as early as April. What will be the impact of this advisory board on US DOD in general and cyber security in specific? Share your comments with the Cloud and Cyber Security Center: http://cloudandcybersecurity.blogspot.com/