China Admits That It Conducts Cyber Warfare

© Edgar Su/Reuters

Shane Harris, Daily Beast: China Reveals Its Cyberwar Secrets

In an extraordinary official document, Beijing admits it has special units to wage cyberwar—and a lot of them. Is anybody safe?

A high-level Chinese military organization has for the first time formally acknowledged that the country’s military and its intelligence community have specialized units for waging war on computer networks.

China’s hacking exploits, particularly those aimed at stealing trade secrets from U.S. companies, have been well known for years, and a source of constant tension between Washington and Beijing. But Chinese officials have routinely dismissed allegations that they spy on American corporations or have the ability to damage critical infrastructure, such as electrical power grids and gas pipelines, via cyber attacks.

Now it appears that China has dropped the charade. “This is the first time we’ve seen an explicit acknowledgement of the existence of China’s secretive cyber-warfare forces from the Chinese side,” says Joe McReynolds, who researches the country’s network warfare strategy, doctrine, and capabilities at the Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis.

WNU Editor: China's persistent denials may have had some credibility a few years ago .... but no more now. In fact .... this shift in policy helps the Chinese government to reassure their population that they do not only have the ability to resist the cyber warfare capabilities of another state .... but they are also strong enough to launch their own cyber attack. In short .... the Chinese have made the calculation that it would benefit them more to show and project cyber strength rather than cyber weakness.

U.S. Congressman Admits That The U.S. Took Down North Korea's Internet In Response To Their Cyber Attack Against SONY

Kim Jong Un inspects "new" military technology made by unit 1501 of the Korean People's Army in this 2013 photo. KCNA

Bloomberg: North Korea Web Outage Response to Sony Hack, Lawmaker Says

Representative Michael McCaul becomes the first U.S. official to publicly say the Web outage was retaliation.

A December blackout of North Korea’s Internet was retaliation for that nation’s hacking of computers at Sony Corp.’s Hollywood studio, a top U.S. lawmaker on cybersecurity issues said without identifying who was responsible.

Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, on Tuesday became the first U.S. official to link the outage as reprisal for disrupting computers at Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“There were some cyber responses to North Korea,” McCaul said earlier in his public remarks at the event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

WNU Editor: The man who made this remark is Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), and he is the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. That is why his remarks are important .... he of all people would know if the U.S. was responsible for taking down North Korea's internet.

More News On A U.S. Official Admitting That The U.S. Was Responsible For Taking Down North Korea's Internet

Lawmaker claims North Korea internet blackout was ‘response’ to Sony hack -- RT
US Official Confirms North Korea Internet Blackout was Payback for Sony Hack -- Sputnik
North Korea web blackout 'revenge for Sony hack' -- Stuff.co.nz
Did a Congressman just acknowledge the US took down North Korea's internet in December? -- Max Fisher, VOX

South Korea Accuses North Korea For Cyber-Attack On Its Nuclear Facilities

Reuters: S.Korea blames N.Korea for December hack on nuclear operator

* Investigation cites IP addresses as proof
* Govt vows to enhance cyber security
* North Korea denies involvement (Adds North Korea denial)

SEOUL, March 17 (Reuters) - South Korea on Tuesday blamed North Korea for cyberattacks against the country's nuclear reactor operator last December, based upon investigations into Internet addresses used in the hacking, but Pyongyang denied any involvement.

The conclusion reached by South Korean prosecutors comes less than a week after a hacker believed to be behind the cyberattacks on Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co Ltd released more files believed to have been taken in December.

The investigation included last week's leak of a blueprint and test data.

More News On South Korea Accusing North Korea For Last Year's Cyber-Attack On Its Nuclear Facilities

North Korea Blamed for Nuclear-Power Plant Hack -- WSJ
S.Korea accuses North of cyber-attacks on nuclear plants -- AFP
N. Korea behind nuke power plant data leakage: investigators -- Yonhap News Agency
North Korea held responsible for hacking South Korean nuclear power servers -- UPI
Investigators Claim Pyongyang Linked to Nuke Power Plant Data Leaks -- Sputnik
South Korea points finger at North Korea for nuclear operator cyberattack -- FOX News
North Korea accused of cyberattack on nuclear power operator -- The Hill
South Korea Blames North for Nuclear Operator Hacking -- VOA
Seoul blames North Korean hackers for December cyberattack on nuclear facility -- IBTimes

A Look At How The Syrian Government Is Using Cybersex To Gain Intel On Syria's Rebels

Jamie Dettmer, Daily Beast: Assad’s Cybersex Strategy Suckers Syrian Rebels

Syria’s insurgents (possibly including some from ISIS) have been seduced in chats with “girls” who send malware along with their sexy “selfies.”

WNU Editor: You better avoid those Russian porn sites.

Pentagon's Social Media Accounts Have Been 'Hacked' By The Islamic State (Updated)

Washington Post: U.S. military social media accounts apparently hacked by Islamic State sympathizers

WNU Editor: The Pentagon is saying that nothing significant was compromised .... U.S. Central command says hack did not compromise operational military networks (Reuters). Unfortunately .... it is still a coup for the Islamic State and for it's sympathizers and I can guarantee one thing .... they are "high-fiving" each other right now. One more thing .... where is Cyber-Command?

More News On The Pentagon's Social Media Accounts Being 'Hacked' By The Islamic State

Centcom Acknowledges Social Media Sites ‘Compromised’ -- US Department of Defense
Apparent Islamic State backers hack U.S. military Twitter feed -- Reuters
US Centcom Twitter account hacked by pro-IS group -- BBC
U.S. Military Command Hacked by 'ISIS' -- Daily Beast
ISIS Supporters Have Hacked Multiple Pentagon Social Media Accounts -- Business Insider
CENTCOM Twitter account hacked, suspended -- CNN
Twitter account for US Central Command hacked, filled with pro-ISIS messages -- FOX News
Alleged ISIS Hackers Break Into U.S. Military Social-Media Accounts During Obama Cybersecurity Speech -- NYMag
U.S. Probes Hacking of Military Twitter Accounts by Pro-Islamic State Group -- WSJ
Islamic State Hacks CENTCOM Twitter Feed as Obama Talks Cybersecurity -- Washington Free Beacon
US Central Command Twitter feed hacked by ISIS supporters -- CNBC
US Central Command twitter feed hacked by IS -- SKY News
U.S. Central Command Twitter Hacked By Cyberattackers Claiming To Represent ISIS -- Daily Caller
U.S. Central Command accounts hacked by ISIS supporters -- Mashable
Central Command's Twitter, You Tube Hacked To Post Threats to Troops -- Military.com
‘We are coming': ISIS hacks Defense Department -- New York Post
FBI investigating hack of U.S. Central Command's social media accounts -- Reuters
FBI investigating 'ISIS' hack of military accounts -- The Hill
US Centcom says no classified info believed posted by hackers (Update) -- Phys.org
U.S. Military Says Twitter Hacking Amounts to Prank, Not Threat -- Bloomberg
The Centcom Hack Is No Big Deal: It happens all the time. -- Fred Kaplan, Slate

Update: Hmmm .... if true this is interesting .... ISIS Hack of Pentagon Twitter Accounts Traced Back to Maryland (Infowars).

Why Is It Hard To Shut Down Jihadist Propaganda Online

Amedy Coulibaly in a still from a video released Jan. 11.

Heather Timmons, Quartz: The latest Islamic State video shows how hard it is to shut down jihadist propaganda online

WNU Editor: The West may have problems shutting them down .... but it appears that they have no problem shutting us down .... U.S. Central Command Twitter Feed Hacked By Islamic State Sympathizers. Update: YouTube Account Also Hacked

But I guess that is the nature the internet. Small extremist sites can thrive for a short time, and when they are shut down they will just pop-up somewhere else. Giant websites like the Pentagon .... not so easy to just shut down and go somewhere else.

U.S. Central Command Twitter Feed Hacked By Islamic State Sympathizers. Update: YouTube Account Also Hacked

RT: Central Command Twitter account apparently hacked by CyberCaliphate

WNU Editor: Talk about timing .... this is happening on the day when the top U.S. General just admitted that America's enemies can match the U.S. ability to wage cyber warfare.

More News On Pentagon's Social Media Sites Being Hacked By The Islamic State

U.S. Military Command Hacked by 'ISIS' -- Daily Beast
ISIS Supporters Have Hacked Multiple Pentagon Social Media Accounts -- Business Insider
U.S. Central Command Twitter feed appears hacked by Islamic State sympathizers -- Reuters
US Centcom Twitter Hacked, Apparently by IS Group -- VOA
Hackers make US military Twitter account look like ISIS -- The Hill
Twitter account for US Central Command hacked, filled with pro-ISIS messages -- FOX News
Islamic State Hacks CENTCOM Twitter Feed as Obama Talks Cybersecurity -- Washington Free Beacon
US Central Command Twitter feed hacked by ISIS supporters -- CNBC
US Central Command twitter feed hacked by IS -- SKY News
U.S. Central Command Twitter Hacked By Cyberattackers Claiming To Represent ISIS -- Daily Caller
U.S. Central Command accounts hacked by ISIS supporters -- Mashable

Top U.S. General: We Do Not Have An Advantage Over Our Enemies In Cyberwarfare

Business Insider/AP: US General Dempsey: The US's Military Superiority Does Not Carry Over To Cyberwarfare

WNU Editor: He is probably right .... but it is also clear that he wants more guidelines, money and resources.

More News On US General Dempsey's Remarks That The U.S. Does Not Have An Advantage Over It's Enemies In Cyberwarfare

Dempsey describes cyberwarfare as a level playing field -- Military Times/AP
Sony Hacking Shows Need for Cyber Laws, Dempsey Says -- US Department of Defense
Cyber attacks could disable critical US infrastructure: Dempsey -- Press TV

NSA Director Admits That China And A Few Other Countries Can Take Down The U.S. Power Grid And Financial Networks

The U.S. Government Thinks China Could Take Down The Power Grid -- CNN

Washington (CNN) -- China and "probably one or two other" countries have the capacity to shut down the nation's power grid and other critical infrastructure through a cyber attack, the head of the National Security Agency told a Congressional panel Thursday.

Admiral Michael Rogers, who also serves the dual role as head of U.S. Cyber Command, said the United States has detected malware from China and elsewhere on U.S. computers systems that affect the daily lives of every American.

"It enables you to shut down very segmented, very tailored parts of our infrastructure that forestall the ability to provide that service to us as citizens," Rogers said in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee.

Read more ....

More News On The NSA Chief Admitting That China And A Few Other Countries Can Take Down The U.S. Power Grid And Financial Networks

NSA Director: China Can Damage US Power Grid -- AP
NSA Chief: Other Countries Capable of Crippling Cyber Attack on US Power Grid -- VOA
NSA Director: China can damage US power grid -- FOX News
China has power to shut down U.S. power grid with cyberattacks: NSA director -- Washington Times
China and others can cripple US power grid, NSA admits for the first time -- RT
Foreign Governments Have Hacked U.S. Grid, NSA Head Says -- Bloomberg
NSA chief admits China could cripple U.S. power grid, financial networks -- ZDNet
NSA Director Warns of ‘Dramatic’ Cyberattack in Next Decade -- WSJ
Could China shut down U.S. power grid? NSA says yes -- Sun Times
How China Could 'Cripple' US Power Grid -- IBTimes

U.S. Justice Department: Al Qaeda Preparing To Lauch Cyber Warfare Against The U.S.

Al Qaeda Targeting U.S. Infrastructure for Digital 9/11 -- Bill Gertz, Washington Free Beacon

Terrorists, nation states, criminal groups have capability of causing significant damage

ASPEN, Colo.—Al Qaeda, nation states, and criminals are preparing for major cyber attacks against U.S. infrastructure that could be comparable to the devastating September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, a senior Justice Department official said on Thursday.

“We’re in a pre-9/11 moment, in some respects, with cyber,” said John Carlin, assistant attorney general for national security in the Justice Department.

Carlin also said during remarks at a security conference that China’s government dared the Obama administration to provide court-level evidence of Chinese military hacking against the United States.

The dare resulted in the May 1 indictment of five members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) hacking group known as Unit 63198, he said.

Read more ....

My Comment: This report on Al Qaeda planning cyber warfare against the U.S. is coming from the U.S. Justice Department .... so much for the White House line from two years back that Al Qaeda was on the run.