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North Korean Hackers Are Targeting US Defense Contractors (wpengine.com)
chicksdaddy quotes Security Ledger:
North Korean hackers have stepped up their attacks on U.S. defense contractors in an apparent effort to gain intelligence on weapon systems and other assets that might be used against the country in an armed conflict with the United States and its allies, The Security Ledger is reporting. Security experts and defense industry personnel interviewed by The Security Ledger say that probes and attacks by hacking groups known to be associated with the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have increased markedly as hostilities between that country and the United States have ratcheted up in the last year. The hacking attempts seem to be aimed at gaining access to intellectual property belonging to the companies, including weapons systems deployed on the Korean peninsula.
"As the situation between the DPRK and the US has become more tense, we've definitely seen an increase in number of probe attempts from cyber actors coming out of the DPRK," an official at an aerospace and defense firm told Security Ledger. The so-called "probes" were targeting the company's administrative network and included spear phishing attacks via email and other channels. The goal was to compromise computers on the corporate network... So far, the attacks have targeted "weakest links" within the firms, such as Human Resources personnel and general inquiry mailboxes, rather than targeting technical staff directly. However, experts who follow the DPRK's fast evolving cyber capabilities say that the country may have more up their sleeve.
CNBC also reports that America's congressional defense committees have authorized a last-minute request for $4 billion in extra spending for "urgent missile defeat and defense enhancements to counter the threat of North Korea."
Other countries newly interested in purchasing missile defense systems include Japan, Sweden, Poland, and Saudi Arabia.
"As the situation between the DPRK and the US has become more tense, we've definitely seen an increase in number of probe attempts from cyber actors coming out of the DPRK," an official at an aerospace and defense firm told Security Ledger. The so-called "probes" were targeting the company's administrative network and included spear phishing attacks via email and other channels. The goal was to compromise computers on the corporate network... So far, the attacks have targeted "weakest links" within the firms, such as Human Resources personnel and general inquiry mailboxes, rather than targeting technical staff directly. However, experts who follow the DPRK's fast evolving cyber capabilities say that the country may have more up their sleeve.
CNBC also reports that America's congressional defense committees have authorized a last-minute request for $4 billion in extra spending for "urgent missile defeat and defense enhancements to counter the threat of North Korea."
Other countries newly interested in purchasing missile defense systems include Japan, Sweden, Poland, and Saudi Arabia.
Our good friends in Russia are still doing lots of business with North Korea.
Donald, they're laughing at you, not with you.
https://www.theatlantic.com/in...
You are welcome on my lawn.
of course they are. It would be silly if they weren't. Hell, I'm sure our allies are targeting us and we're targeting them. That's just the nature of these things. The fact that we can read stories about it means NK isn't very good at it.
Now, watch the news. If you start seeing more and more of these kind of stories about scary things NK is doing that's when you start worrying, because it means our media is gearing us up for war with them. Go look back at media coverage before Iraq/Afghanistan if you doubt me.
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Why have sensitive mil and contractor data in plain text on random internet facing networks?
What is US counterintelligence doing?
Watch the contractor network and use lots of encryption. Compartmentalize projects and data. Just in time from just about any company is not secure.
The next question for the USA is the quality of its mil, gov and contractor human security.
Who is around your bases, ports offering mil/contractors pleasure, alcoholic beverages and cash for US secrets?
Start doing interviews and background reports on all mil officials and contractors.
Look for new wealth, holidays, police reports of loud parties, home improvements, a new car, unexpected shopping, gifts, changes in personality, boasting.
Look at the cell phone movements of at risk mil/contractors. Who are they meeting, talking to? What new cell phones do their cell phones stay next to for some time?
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Sounds like the usual government/security-industrial-complex trolling for more funding/authority. Been there, heard that.
For those not paying attention Wikileaks have revealed extensive technical details about the CIA's ability to force certificates and plants traces into systems to frame people for the actions of the US security agencies.
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/11/10/cia_kaspersky_fake_certs_ploy/
While I have no doubt that North Korea would gladly do so, but we need to face a few facts about the ability of the NK's to really do this much damage.
All "our" phones are actually Chinese or Taiwanese or South Korean phones.
They may have all the backdoors in the world and the US would never know.
Filled with anti-NK propaganda, in the Korean language.
No, seed the honeypot with "plans" and "manufacturing data" for the new American "quantum wormhole bomb" of infinitely powerful capabilities and that has already been deployed in DPRK territory using "microdrones." Start a snipe hunt that diverts Un's military in hilarious directions until it runs out of resources.
What do you think NK is doing to the US right now?
They keep baiting Trump, knowing that he will be unable to resist responding with a tweet or vague threat, which only makes him look even less capable of actually doing anything to improve the situation and strengthens Un's position as a player on the world stage.
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They keep baiting Trump, knowing that he will be unable to resist responding with a tweet or vague threat, which only makes him look even less capable of actually doing anything to improve the situation and strengthens Un's position as a player on the world stage.
Ok, so what is the proper response? How does he respond without improving Un's position on the world stage? Or how does he respond to limit the nuclear capabilities of NK? Considering the last 30-50 years I don't think there has been any response that has worked.
Besides, if the only response are Tweets or vague threats then that is definitely better than preemptive war.