The Cybersecurity (CS) Digest is a curated bi-weekly news summary for cybersecurity professionals. It is transmitted in an HTML-formatted email and provides links to articles and news summaries across a spectrum of cybersecurity topics.

CSIAC ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Free CSIAC Publications - CSIAC

Free hardcopy publications available at the CSIAC store!

Free CSIAC Webinar: Managing Transformational Projects in a Military Setting - CSIAC

This presentation will provide valuable lessons learned by examining both the mistakes and successes in managing and accomplishing "impossible" projects.

RECENT HEADLINES:

Critical Infrastructure:

DHS Stands up Public-Private Cyber Info Sharing Platform - GCN

Automated Information Sharing (AIS) will connect participating organizations to allow bidirectional sharing of cyber threat indicators, as well as the sharing of threat indicators partners have observed in their own networks.

UK and US to Simulate Cyber-Attack on Nuclear Plants to Test Resilience - The Guardian

Countries plan to cooperate by exploring the resilience of nuclear infrastructure to a terrorist attack.

Iranians Charged With Hacking U.S. Financial Sector - FBI

Iranian state supported hackers attack infrastructure targets.

Hackers Infiltrated Ukrainian Power Grid Months Before Cyber-Attack - E Week

Attackers controlled some systems within three Ukrainian power companies' networks for more than six months, a fact only revealed after they cut power to more than 225,000 people in December 2015.

Water Treatment Plant Hit by Cyber-attack - Infosecurity Magazine

It appears not even H2O is safe from cyber-criminals following a recent attack on a water treatment plant.

Cyberwarfare:

China Hacked F-22, F-35 Stealth Jet Secrets - Free Beacon

Chinese national pleads guilty in California to hacking Boeing C-17 data.

US Marines Ramp Up Cyber Warfare Support - ZDNet

The Marine Corps Cyberspace Warfare Group (MCCYWG), which supports the United States Cyber Command and Marine Forces Cyberspace Command (MARFORCYBER), intends to train marines in cyber warfare.

Data Security:

Data Security In 3D Printing and Other Challenges For CIOs - 3DPrint.com

Most people have had a nightmare at some point; a scene that places them in a public location having somehow forgotten to get dressed or struggling to make their way down a darkened hallway only to feel an icy hand grasp the back of their neck. For Chief Information Officers (CIOs), the latest fright comes in the form of breachable firewalls and catastrophic failures by counterfeited goods that cause irreparable harm to corporate reputations.

3 Location-Based Technologies Reinventing Data Security - The Next Web

Today's complicated data security landscape has begun to look a lot like a modern legend or fairytale.

Healthcare Security:

Computer Virus Forces MedStar Health Offline - Fierce Health IT

FBI investigating possibility of ransomware attack.

High Performance Computing:

K Computer Performs High-performance Simulations With Unprecedented Accuracy - Scientific Computing

A research group at the Center for Earth Information Science and Technology, the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), presented high-performance simulations of global seismic wave propagation on the K computer¹ with an unprecedented accuracy of 1.2 seconds seismic period for a realistic three-dimensional Earth model.

Mobile Security:

Inside the Little-Known Japan Firm Helping the FBI Crack iPhones - Bloomberg Technology

Neither Cellebrite nor the FBI have confirmed the link, and a spokesman from parent Sun Corp. on Thursday said the company isn’t able to comment on specific criminal cases.

Network Security:

Why Typing “.om” Instead of “.com” Could Threaten Your Privacy - CBS News

Making a typo while punching in the addresses of popular websites could lead to major headache for technology users.

Neuromorphic Computing:

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory And IBM Collaborate To Build Brain-Inspired Supercomputer - PR Newswire

Chip-architecture breakthrough accelerates path to exascale computing; Helps computers tackle complex, cognitive tasks such as pattern recognition and sensory processing.

Private Sector:

A Chinese Cybersecurity Plan has Businesses Alarmed - CBS News

China is consolidating its ability to censor the Internet by drafting rules requiring businesses that serve domestic Internet users to register their Web addresses inside the country, a move seen as targeting Chinese companies but that has raised concerns among foreign businesses.

National Security Archive Launches Cybersecurity Document Database - Morning Consult

The National Security Archive on Wednesday launched a website, dubbed the Cyber Vault, that contains a cache of cybersecurity documents from U.S. and foreign agencies, international organizations and cybersecurity firms.

Public Sector:

DoD Hosts Army Cyber Innovation Challenge Kickoff in Silicon Valley - DoD News

The Defense Department’s innovation outpost in Silicon Valley is hosting an information meeting with U.S. Army and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency officials to highlight potential contracting opportunities.

Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook on DoD’s Partnership with HackerOne on the “Hack the Pentagon” Security Initiative - DoD News

The Department of Defense (DoD) announced today that interested participants may now register to compete in the "Hack the Pentagon" pilot.

Navy’s Information Warfare Officers Get New Job Title - Military.com

The Navy's information warfare experts are taking on a new name.

Quantum Computing:

Quantum Computing With Single Photons Getting Closer to Reality - Phys.org

One promising approach for scalable quantum computing is to use an all-optical architecture, in which the qubits are represented by photons and manipulated by mirrors and beam splitters.

The Long-Awaited Promise of a Programmable Quantum Computer - MIT Technology Review

Physicists have unveiled a programmable five-qubit processing module that can be connected together to form a powerful quantum computer.

Software Security:

Microsoft Unveils Ubuntu for Windows - Wall Street Journal

Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday unveiled plans to bring Linux command-line tool bash to Windows 10, part of a broader strategy to open up its technology to outside developers.

Software Security Needs a New Perspective - TechCrunch

Source code bugs have been a constant in the software industry since the dawn of computers — and have ever been a major source of attacks, exploits and security incidents.

FEEDBACK FROM PREVIOUS DIGEST:

Most Popular:

NIST Cybersecurity Framework Adoption Hampered By Costs, Survey Finds - Dark Reading

Security pros consider the NIST framework an industry best practice, yet half of its adopters say its complete implementation involves a high level of investment.

Google says “Orchestration” is Next Big Trend in the Internet of Things - Dallas Business Journal

The Internet of Things has officially advanced past the "hype" stage, according to conference panelists including a Google developer.

China Continuing Cyber Attacks on U.S. Networks - Washington Free Beacon

Cybercom says foreign governments using hacker groups to hide cyber attack origins.

CSIAC SUPPORTED COMMUNITIES:

Cyber Security of Critical Infrastructure - Department of Homeland Security

CSIAC serves on the EO 13636/PPD-21 Research & Development (R&D) Working Group (WG) run by DHS S&T. If you would like further information, contact Dr. Paul Losiewicz at plosiewicz@csiac.org

Cyber Community of Interest (COI) Group - CSIAC

The Cyber COI engages in multiple activities and forums for coordinating cyber S&T strategies, sharing innovative ideas and technical approaches, promoting technology transfer and upcoming business opportunities, and in jointly planning programs across the Department of Defense and other government agencies. Membership is based upon approval by the Cyber COI group administrator.

TECHNICAL RESOURCES, POLICY & GUIDANCE:

DoD Cyber Domain Resources - Department of Defense

Opportunities Exist for DOD to Share Cybersecurity Resources with Small Businesses - GAO

DOD OSBP officials acknowledged that cybersecurity is an important and timely issue for small businesses -and therefore the office is considering incorporating cybersecurity into its existing outreach and education efforts. During the review, GAO identified 15 existing federal cybersecurity resources that DOD OSBP could disseminate to defense small businesses.

DHS S&T Collaboration Community - Ideascale

The National Conversation is intended to bring together everyone to play a role in shaping the future of homeland security technology. This means responders, operational users, citizens, academia, and industry.

The Department of Defense Cyber Strategy - Department of Defense

The purpose of this strategy is to guide the development of DoD's cyber forces and strengthen our cyber defense and cyber deterrence posture. It focuses on building cyber capabilities and organizations for DoD's three primary cyber missions.

Information Sharing Environment - ISE

The Information Sharing Environment (ISE) broadly refers to the people, projects, systems, and agencies that enable responsible information sharing for national security.

Standards & Reference Documents - CSIAC

View all Best Practices and Reference Documents on the CSIAC website.

The DoD Cybersecurity Policy Chart (Formerly the IA Policy Chart) - CSIAC

DHS Cyber Security Strategy (“Blueprint for a Secure Cyber Future”, 2011) - Department of Homeland Defense

DIB CS/IA Voluntary Information Sharing Program - DoD DIBNet

DoD's DIB CS/IA program is a voluntary program to enhance and supplement DIB participants' capabilities to safeguard DoD information that resides on, or transits, DIB unclassified information systems.

US-CERT Bulletins - Department of Homeland Security

Bulletins provide weekly summaries of new vulnerabilities. Patch information is provided when available.

US-CERT Alerts - Department of Homeland Security

Alerts provide timely information about current security issues, vulnerabilities, and exploits.

National Vulnerability Database - NIST

NVD is the U.S. government repository of standards based vulnerability management data represented using the Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP). This data enables automation of vulnerability management, security measurement, and compliance. NVD includes databases of security checklists, security related software flaws, misconfigurations, product names, and impact metrics.

Trustworthy CyberSpace: Strategic Plan For The Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Program - NITRD

Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) - Committee on National Security Systems

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