DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S.-China Defense Consultative Talks

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S.-China Defense Consultative Talks

Source: K. V. Seth DTN News & U.S. Department of Defense No. 642-13 September 10, 2013

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 10, 2013: Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:

Officials from the United States and China met Sept. 9, 2013 in Beijing for the 14th annual Defense Consultative Talks. Dr. James Miller, undersecretary of defense for policy, and Lt. Gen. Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of the People’s Liberation Army General Staff, led their respective country’s delegations. The U.S. delegation included representatives from the Joint Staff, U.S. Pacific Command, the National Security Staff and the State Department.

Miller and Wang underscored the accomplishments that the U.S.-China military-to-military relationship has achieved thus far this year. They discussed how to sustain the positive momentum in building a constructive military relationship and advance a new model of military-to-military relations into the future. In this regard, the two agreed to further the exploration of the two proposals on military confidence building offered by President Xi at Sunnylands.

The two leaders discussed how to enhance strategic trust and build upon opportunities to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, peacekeeping, and maritime safety. They also discussed ways to enhance communications to improve understanding and avoid misperception. Both agreed to continue discussions between maritime legal experts, and sustain dialogue in key strategic areas including nuclear, missile defense, space, and cyber.

The two sides also exchanged views on the East and South China Sea. On North Korea, Miller emphasized the significant concerns of the United States regarding North Korea's nuclear and missile developments and called on China to maintain and increase pressure on North Korea to bring the regime back to credible and authentic negotiations aimed at denuclearization.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth DTN News & U.S. Department of Defense No. 642-13 September 10, 2013 
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*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: China Sets Up Military Cyber-Warfare Team ~ Report

DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: China Sets Up Military Cyber-Warfare Team ~ Report

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Liu Jin | AFP News

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 28, 2011:

China's military has set up an elite Internet security task force tasked with fending off cyber attacks, state media reported Friday, denying that the initiative is intended to create a "hacker army".

The People's Liberation Army has reportedly invested tens of millions of yuan (millions of dollars) in the project -- which is sure to ring alarm bells around the world among governments and businesses wary of Beijing's intentions.

"Cyber attacks have become an international problem affecting both civilian and military areas," the Global Times quoted China's defence ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng as telling a rare briefing this week.

"China is relatively weak in cyber-security and has often been targeted. This temporary programme is aimed at improving our defences against such attacks."

The 30-member "Cyber Blue Team" -- the core of the PLA's cyber force -- has been organised under the Guangdong military command in the country's south, and will carry out "cyber-warfare drills", the newspaper said.

The United States, Australia, Germany and other Western nations have long alleged that hackers inside China are carrying out a wide-range of cyberattacks on government and corporate computer systems worldwide.

But in a commentary, the Global Times hit out at "some foreign media" for interpreting the programme as a breeding ground for a "hacker army".

"China's capability is often exaggerated. Without substantiated evidence, it is often depicted by overseas media as the culprit for cyberattacks on the US and Europe," the paper said.

"China needs to develop its strong cyber defence strength. Otherwise, it would remain at the mercy of others."

China's military has received annual double-digit increases in its budget over much of the last two decades as it tries to develop a more modern force capable of winning increasingly high-tech wars.

In 2007, the Pentagon raised concerns about a successful Chinese ballistic missile test strike on a satellite, a weapon that could be used to knock out the high-tech communications of its enemies.

US computer firm McAfee said in February that hackers from China have also infiltrated the computer networks of global oil companies, stealing financial documents on bidding plans and other confidential information.

According to US diplomatic cables obtained and published by WikiLeaks, the United States believes that China's leadership has directed hacking campaigns against US Internet giant Google and Western governments.

In one cable, the US embassy in Beijing said it learned from "a Chinese contact" that the Politburo had led years of hacking into computers of the United States, its allies and Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources

By Liu Jin | AFP News

*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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DTN News - MIDDLE EAST NEWS: Israeli Official Sees Cyber Alternative To "Ugly" War

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST NEWS: Israeli Official Sees Cyber Alternative To "Ugly" War

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Dan Williams - Reuters

(NSI News Source Info) JERUSALEM, Israel - February 3, 2011: Cyberwarfare of the kind waged against Iran last year offers advanced nations an alternative to "ugly" military force with its moral costs, a senior Israeli official said on Thursday.

"War is ugly, awfully ugly," Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor told diplomats and journalists at a think tank called the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

"In modern times, because war is all the time on television ... people see this and can't take it. There are limits. There is a price you pay."

He added: "Because it is difficult, one looks for other ways. One of those other ways is the intelligence community of all the world trying to do things that don't look that ugly, don't kill people."

He declined to discuss the mysterious Stuxnet worm found in Iranian networks last year, but his remarks underscored Israelis' doubts about delivering on veiled threats to use open force against their arch-foe's nuclear program.

"And all the world that is not on the screen, the cyber world ... becomes more important in the conflict between nations. It is a new battleground, if you like, not with guns but with something else," he said.

Meridor, who oversees Israel's spy services and nuclear affairs, said Israel had learned from news coverage and the ensuing public censure of its conflicts with often outgunned enemies.

Over the past two years, Israeli officials have quietly unveiled cyber war capabilities that they say are a core pillar of defense strategy.

They also hint at having mounted sabotage campaigns to slow down Iran's uranium enrichment and missile projects, in which Israel sees a potentially mortal threat.

Though Israel is reputed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, many analysts regard its conventional forces as too small to inflict lasting damage on Iranian nuclear facilities which are distant, dispersed and well-defended.

Israel is also wary of drawing retaliatory missile salvoes from the Islamic republic -- which denies seeking the bomb while preaching the Jewish state's destruction -- as well as knock-on fighting with Tehran's guerrilla allies in Lebanon and Gaza.

While reiterating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's and U.S. President Barack Obama's pledge to keep "all options on the table," Meridor said international sanctions designed to curb Tehran could prove successful if stepped up by Washington.

"Iran will have to rethink their policy ... if they understand the Americans are saying to them simply, 'You will not get them (nuclear weapons)."

(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Maria Golovnina)

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

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DTN NEWS ON TWITTER (30 SUBJECTS)

DTN News: Cyberwar - The Threat From The Internet

DTN News: Cyberwar - The Threat From The Internet

*It is time for countries to start talking about arms control on the internet

Source: DTN News - compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including Economist.com

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 2, 2010: THROUGHOUT history new technologies have revolutionised warfare, sometimes abruptly, sometimes only gradually: think of the chariot, gunpowder, aircraft, radar and nuclear fission. So it has been with information technology. Computers and the internet have transformed economies and given Western armies great advantages, such as the ability to send remotely piloted aircraft across the world to gather intelligence and attack targets. But the spread of digital technology comes at a cost: it exposes armies and societies to digital attack. The threat is complex, multifaceted and potentially very dangerous. Modern societies are ever more reliant on computer systems linked to the internet, giving enemies more avenues of attack. If power stations, refineries, banks and air-traffic-control systems were brought down, people would lose their lives. Yet there are few, if any, rules in cyberspace of the kind that govern behaviour, even warfare, in other domains. As with nuclear- and conventional-arms control, big countries should start talking about how to reduce the threat from cyberwar, the aim being to restrict attacks before it is too late. The army reboots Cyberspace has become the fifth domain of warfare, after land, sea, air and space (see article). Some scenarios imagine the almost instantaneous failure of the systems that keep the modern world turning. As computer networks collapse, factories and chemical plants explode, satellites spin out of control and the financial and power grids fail. That seems alarmist to many experts. Yet most agree that infiltrating networks is pretty easy for those who have the will, means and the time to spare. Governments know this because they are such enthusiastic hackers themselves. Spies frequently break into computer systems to steal information by the warehouse load, whether it is from Google or defence contractors. Penetrating networks to damage them is not much harder. And, if you take enough care, nobody can prove you did it. The cyber-attacks on Estonia in 2007 and on Georgia in 2008 (the latter strangely happened to coincide with the advance of Russian troops across the Caucasus) are widely assumed to have been directed by the Kremlin, but they could be traced only to Russian cyber-criminals. Many of the computers used in the attack belonged to innocent Americans whose PCs had been hijacked. Companies suspect China of organising mini-raids to ransack Western know-how: but it could just have easily been Western criminals, computer-hackers showing off or disillusioned former employees. One reason why Western governments have until recently been reticent about cyber-espionage is surely because they are dab hands at it, too. As with nuclear bombs, the existence of cyber-weapons does not in itself mean they are about to be used. Moreover, an attacker cannot be sure what effect an assault will have on another country, making their deployment highly risky. That is a drawback for sophisticated military machines, but not necessarily for terrorists or the armies of rogue states. And it leaves the dangers of online crime and espionage. All this makes for dangerous instability. Cyber-weapons are being developed secretly, without discussion of how and when they might be used. Nobody knows their true power, so countries must prepare for the worst. Anonymity adds to the risk that mistakes, misattribution and miscalculation will lead to military escalation—with conventional weapons or cyberarms. The speed with which electronic attacks could be launched gives little time for cool-headed reflection and favours early, even pre-emptive, attack. Even as computerised weapons systems and wired infantry have blown away some of the fog of war from the battlefield, they have covered cyberspace in a thick, menacing blanket of uncertainty. One response to this growing threat has been military. Iran claims to have the world’s second-largest cyber-army. Russia, Israel and North Korea boast efforts of their own. America has set up its new Cyber Command both to defend its networks and devise attacks on its enemies. NATO is debating the extent to which it should count cyberwar as a form of “armed attack” that would oblige its members to come to the aid of an ally. But the world needs cyberarms-control as well as cyber- deterrence. America has until recently resisted weapons treaties for cyberspace for fear that they could lead to rigid global regulation of the internet, undermining the dominance of American internet companies, stifling innovation and restricting the openness that underpins the net. Perhaps America also fears that its own cyberwar effort has the most to lose if its well-regarded cyberspies and cyber-warriors are reined in. Such thinking at last shows signs of changing, and a good thing too. America, as the country most reliant on computers, is probably most vulnerable to cyber-attack. Its conventional military power means that foes will look for asymmetric lines of attack. And the wholesale loss of secrets through espionage risks eroding its economic and military lead. Hardware and soft war If cyberarms-control is to America’s advantage, it would be wise to shape such accords while it still has the upper hand in cyberspace. General Keith Alexander, the four-star general who heads Cyber Command, is therefore right to welcome Russia’s longstanding calls for a treaty as a “starting point for international debate”. That said, a START-style treaty may prove impossible to negotiate. Nuclear warheads can be counted and missiles tracked. Cyber-weapons are more like biological agents; they can be made just about anywhere. So in the meantime countries should agree on more modest accords, or even just informal “rules of the road” that would raise the political cost of cyber-attacks. Perhaps there could be a deal to prevent the crude “denial-of-service” assaults that brought down Estonian and Georgian websites with a mass of bogus requests for information; NATO and the European Union could make it clear that attacks in cyberspace, as in the real world, will provoke a response; the UN or signatories of the Geneva Conventions could declare that cyber-attacks on civilian facilities are, like physical attacks with bomb and bullet, out of bounds in war; rich countries could exert economic pressure on states that do not adopt measures to fight online criminals. Countries should be encouraged to spell out their military policies in cyberspace, as America does for nuclear weapons, missile defence and space. And there could be an international centre to monitor cyber-attacks, or an international “duty to assist” countries under cyber-attack, regardless of the nationality or motive of the attacker—akin to the duty of ships to help mariners in distress. The internet is not a “commons”, but a network of networks that are mostly privately owned. A lot could also be achieved by greater co-operation between governments and the private sector. But in the end more of the burden for ensuring that ordinary people’s computer systems are not co-opted by criminals or cyber-warriors will end up with the latter—especially the internet-service providers that run the network. They could take more responsibility for identifying infected computers and spotting attacks as they happen. None of this will eradicate crime, espionage or wars in cyberspace. But it could make the world a little bit safer.

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: Computer Game Deployed To Combat Phishing

DTN News: Computer Game Deployed To Combat Phishing *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, USA - October 29, 2009: State Department employees are being encouraged to play a computer game to familiarize themselves with the global threat posed by phishing, an increasingly sophisticated form of identity fraud that can entice unsuspecting computer users into divulging sensitive personal information. The game, called Phil by Pittsburgh-based developer Wombat Security Technologies, is designed especially to train employees of security-conscious organizations to be aware of the devious and sublime methods used by fraudsters to persuade computer users to reveal information they use for logging into secure government sites, financial domains and other sensitive Internet locations. Most of these domains are usually considered off limits to unauthorized computer users. Wombat said Phil, the training game, will be made available worldwide to all 55,000 employees of the U.S. Department of State. Phishing is a broad term used to describe a range of techniques used by fraudsters to hoodwink computer users who may be in a position of influence or power, or have wealth the phishers have their eyes on. A typical phishing e-mail is disguised as an official message from a fictional bank or organization. The sender attempts to trick the recipient into revealing confidential information by "confirming" it at a Web site purporting to be the genuine article but usually a fake one set up by the phisher. Although anti-phishing campaigners warn potential victims to look out for spelling errors and grammatical mistakes, security sources say that phishing now is far too sophisticated for that kind of tell-tale notion of fraud. Even the prospect of catching a phisher through a suspicious Web site address has been dealt with by fraudsters that can replicate the Uniform Resource Locator of a genuine Web site. Although phishing began as an e-mail scam, it has now spread to instant messaging and other media, including social networking Web sites and devices such as phones and mini-computers, security sources said. Phil is an engaging training game packed with fun that was originally developed at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, and is now commercialized by Wombat. The game has been shown to be significantly more effective at training people to recognize phishing attacks than more traditional training solutions used in the computer security industry, Wombat said. The company cited a rise in phishing attacks over the past several years and the ability of the attackers to defeat anti-spam software and other security measures. "We are honored to add the U.S. Department of State to our rapidly growing list of customers," said Norman Sadeh, founder and CEO of Wombat Security Technologies. "With the continuing increase in sophistication of phishing attacks, it is critical for government organizations as well as private sector organizations to turn to more effective ways of training their workforce." Wombat Security Technologies says it is a global leader in cybersecurity awareness and training.

DTN News: Happening Too Often Now ~ The Lights Are Going Out All Over Europe

DTN News: Happening Too Often Now ~ The Lights Are Going Out All Over Europe *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) BONN, Germany - October 18, 2009: European nations are alarmed at the recent increase in probes, via the Internet, of public utilities (electricity, water, sewage, transportation). Cyber War experts are divided on whether this is just the next big thing in criminal activity (finding out how to shut down utilities via the Internet, then using the threat of that to extort money), or military Cyber War operations, scouting utilities in anticipation of damaging them in wartime or a time of crises. A lot of these probes can be traced back to the usual sources (China, Eastern Europe and the Middle East), the places where many of the Internet based criminal gangs hide out. So far this year, there has been an increase in probes, but not attacks. At least as far as anyone knows. However, the most professional Internet attacks are unnoticed (as the intruder gets away with data, or a deep understanding of how the target site operates, and thus a good knowledge of how to take it down.) Utilities, and large corporations in general, are being urged (and sometimes ordered) to check, and double check, the adequacy of their Internet defenses.

DTN News: USAF Organizes Cyberspace Units Under One Command

DTN News: USAF Organizes Cyberspace Units Under One Command

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, USA - August 24, 2009: Air Force Space Command activated a new unit yesterday to better organize space and cyberspace capabilities and to keep pace with the rapid changes in information technology, the Space Command's top military officer said. The 24th Air Force, activated at a ceremony at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, provides the Air Force with one operational command for the entire tactical space and cyberspace community. It will allow space and cyberspace capabilities to be more accessible to military ground commanders and more effectively resourced, Air Force Gen. C. Robert Kehler said yesterday in roundtable interview with military reporters. Kehler called the activation "the beginning of what will be a deliberate and focused effort to develop and evolve cyberspace forces and capabilities." "[Air Force Space Command] is committed to organizing and equipping the 24th Air Force so it can be a premiere organization dedicated to supporting combatant commanders," he added. The new command consolidates already existing units under one command and improves the way capabilities such as satellite-controlled unmanned aerial systems and GPS technology are resourced. Those units also will be able to adapt easier to mission requirements by centralizing their efforts to meet ground commanders' needs, Kehler said. "We already have units that conduct cyberspace operational missions," the general explained. "That's not new. What's new is that we've put them all under one [command]. The mission will continue that we have today to defend and operate the network and conduct our other operations." Space and cyberspace assets are described by three characteristics: access, persistence and awareness. The cyberspace domain links deployed military forces with each other as well as with higher headquarters, giving them immediate access to information and capabilities around the world, he said. Cyberspace and space capabilities also provide commanders with enduring coverage and strategic views of their environment. The capability allows officials to determine where capabilities would be the most effective. Combining and consolidating capabilities brings "game-changing effects" to the military, Kehler said. "[The new command] provides synergy across these various mission areas, and it allows us to begin to look to the future," he said. "We now begin to think differently about requirements, acquisition and resourcing. All of those are very important for us to put in place as good foundations as we try to improve our agility to deal with what we see coming our way." The command's initial concern is to ensure protection of its space and cyber networks, Kehler said. Today's military is well-versed in information technology and relies heavily on dependable cyber and space capabilities. The general declined to specify exact capabilities, but said safeguarding them against potential threats is the command's top priority for now. "Virtually everything we do in the Air Force anymore is related to network activity in some fashion," he said. "It's about mission assurance, so protecting the networks for mission assurance is No. 1." Air Force Maj. Gen. Dick Webber is in charge of the new command. The command is made up of the 688th, 67th and 689th Information Operations Wings. The 689th is also a new command created from realigning the 3rd and 5th Combat Communication Groups. Webber said the new command will have everything it needs to operate and provide support in fixed and deployed environments.

DTN News: US Government Lacks Tech Talent For Cyber Defense ~ Analysis

DTN News: US Government Lacks Tech Talent For Cyber Defense ~ Analysis

*Source: DTN News / Defense Media

(NSI News Source Info) SAN FRANCISCO, USA - July 25, 2009: Bureaucracy and a shortage of employees with technology prowess have left the US government without the talent it needs to defend against cyber attacks, a study warned Wednesday. "The results of this research are troubling and, in many ways, familiar," said the authors of the report, which is intended to check the status of the federal cybersecurity workforce. "The overriding finding of our analysis is that our federal government will be unable to combat these threats without a more coordinated, sustained effort to increase cybersecurity expertise in the federal workforce." The "pipeline of potential new talent" are inadequate, while complicated processes and rules hamper efforts to recruit and retain federal workers with needed technology skills for cybersecurity, according to the study, titled "Cyber IN-Security." It also found that there are conflicting views inside government regarding what technology talents are sought in new hires. The study surveyed 18 federal agencies and experts both inside and outside government, said the Partnership for Public Service, a non-profit group based in Washington that authored the study with consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. "Numerous factors hamper government's ability to build a top-notch cybersecurity workforce, making it difficult to fill critical talent gaps," the study concluded. US leaders, it suggested, need to vastly improve the way government hires, manages, and cultivates employees with technology talent. Congress and the White House should also promote and support students learning math and science skills to bolster the future pool of cyber security workers, the study concluded.

DTN News: Cyber Attack Targets US, South Korean Government Web Sites / US Officials Eye North Korea In Cyber Attack

DTN News: Cyber Attack Targets US, South Korean Government Web Sites / US Officials Eye North Korea In Cyber Attack

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) NEW YORK, USA - July 9, 2009: U.S. and South Korean government Web sites have been disrupted in what officials are calling a widespread and coordinated cyber attack.

U.S. officials said the attack targeted U.S. government Web sites including that of the White House, departments of Homeland Security, Defense, and Treasury, and The Voice of America.

The officials said the attacks began July 4.

In South Korea, the attacks affected Web sites for the presidential office, the ruling party, the defense ministry and others. South Korea's National Intelligence Service reportedly said it suspects North Korea could be involved, saying such a coordinated attack is likely the work of a large organization or state.

Computer experts describe this kind of attack as a "distributed denial of service." A computer virus spreads from one personal computer to another, directing data traffic from those computers to the targeted Web sites.

VOA Internet Office Director Michael Messinger said visits to the agency's Web site are down by about 40,000 a day. He said although difficult to pinpoint, the attack appears to have originated in South Korea. He said the attack has caused a "significant disruption" to the VOA servers.

U.S. officials were quoted as saying the New York Stock Exchange and other financial institution Web sites also came under attack.

South Korean authorities issued a security warning Wednesday after several major government agencies and financial institutions were disabled by apparent hacker attacks.