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.

RECENT HEADLINES:

Data Security:

Ransomware Is A Mature Business Model For Cyber Criminals, Says Report - Computer Weekly

Ransomware is now an established business model for cyber criminals as malware increasingly uses evasion techniques, second quarter research by PhishMe reveals.

Internet-of-Things:

IoT Investments Rise, But IT Pros Harbor Security Concerns - Information Week

As IoT investment grows, with billions of dollars flowing into new enterprises, IT departments, as well as other parts of the business, are expressing concerns over the security risks the technology poses.

Legislation:

New Pennsylvania Legislation Would Convene Cyber-Focused Group Of Lawmakers - State Scoop

A resolution just introduced would create a committee in the Legislature to study cybersecurity in the state.

Mobile Security:

QuadRooter Android Bug Could Affect Almost 1bn Phones, Researchers Claim - The Guardian

Security flaws that could give hackers complete access to a smartphone have been found in the processors of hundreds of millions of Android devices, researchers claim.

Network Security:

Bitcoin Worth $72 million Stolen From Bitfinex Exchange In Hong Kong - CNBC

Nearly 120,000 units of digital currency bitcoin worth about US$72 million was stolen from the exchange platform Bitfinex in Hong Kong, making it the second-biggest security breach ever of such an exchange.

DARPA Prepares To Send Plan-X Into Battle - Federal Times

DARPA is close to completing a visually oriented environment that's designed to give cyber warriors instantaneous knowledge of a network attack.

Private Sector:

How Companies Should Prepare For Europe’s New Cybersecurity Rules - Fortune

Cyber attacks aren’t just an IT problem.

Public Sector:

Obama Establishes Cyberattack Response Chain of Command - Next Gov

The White House has placed the Justice Department squarely in charge of responding to cyberthreats against the United States, under a presidential directive issued Tuesday.

DISA Secures $9.7 Million From DOD Rapid Innovation Fund Program - DISA

In a time of budgetary constraints, DISA has acquired $9.7 million from the DOD Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) to fund innovative technologies in support of the American warfighter.

U.S. Navy Amps Up Cybersecurity Awareness With Hands-On Simulations - DVIDS

Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) and Gulf Coast State College joined together to collaborate on the Capture the Flag (CTF) Cybersecurity event July 15, 2016.

FACT SHEET: New Commitments to Accelerate the Safe Integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems - The White House

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is announcing new steps, sustained by public and private support, to promote the safe integration and innovative adoption of unmanned aircraft systems across the United States.

Software Security:

Hackers Don’t Have to Be Human Anymore. This Bot Battle Proves It - Wired

At the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, seven autonomous bots proved that hacking isn’t just for humans.

FEEDBACK FROM PREVIOUS DIGEST:

Most Popular:

End of SMS-based 2-Factor Authentication; Yes, It’s Insecure! - The Hacker News

Two-Factor Authentication or 2FA adds an extra step of entering a random passcode sent to you via an SMS or call when you log in to your account as an added layer of protection.

Bring Cyberwarfare Further Out Of The Shadows - Washington Post

Thousands of U.S. businesses and other institutions have been besieged by cyberattacks in recent years. But the penetration of the Democratic National Committee stands out.

Your Battery Status is Being Used to Track You Online - The Guardian

A little-known web standard that lets site owners tell how much battery life a mobile device has left has been found to enable tracking online, a year after privacy researchers warned that it had the potential to do just that.

NATO CCDCOE Considers Cyber-Warfare Cooperation - SC Magazine

NATO CCDCOE urged to promote cooperation in training of cyber-defence experts as the cyber realm declared a theatre of war.

Stagefright-Like iOS, OS X Vulnerabilities Allow Remote Code Execution: Update Now - Tech Times

Apple iPhones, Macs and other iDevices may be at risk, facing a severe vulnerability similar to the Stagefright bug that ravaged Android. Urgent updates are paramount.

CSIAC SUPPORTED COMMUNITIES:

Upcoming Events - CSIAC

View Upcoming Events around the world on the CSIAC website.

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.

The Cyber Shield Newsletter - New Mexico Counterintelligence Working Group (NMCIWG)

The Cyber Shield is a Cyber Newsletter for Counterintelligence, IT and Security Professionals associated with DoD and USG agencies. There are no distribution constraints. If you would like to subscribe, please contact Paul Losiewicz at plosiewicz@csiac.org

TECHNICAL RESOURCES:

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.

POLICY RESOURCES:

Presidential Policy Directive – United States Cyber Incident Coordination - The White House

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

DoD Cyber Domain Resources - Department of Defense

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

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

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

GUIDANCE:

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.

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.

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