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:

Big Data and Cloud Computing:

DARPA Collaboration Launches Breakthrough Elastic Cloud-to-Cloud Networking - R & D Magazine

Scientists from AT&T, IBM and Applied Communication Sciences (ACS) have announced a proof-of-concept technology that reduces setup times for cloud-to-cloud connectivity from days to seconds.

Governing geographically dispersed cloud data - PHYS

IBM inventors have patented a technique that helps clients automatically analyze and manage the location where their public and private cloud data is stored, thereby enabling companies to comply with regulations governing where data can be stored in different countries and continents.

Critical Infrastructure:

Cybersecurity Among Top Engery Industry Concerns - US News

Cybersecurity leapt onto the list of the top five concerns for U.S. electric utilities this year, yet fewer than a third say they’re prepared to meet the growing threat of an attack, according to a new survey.

Cyberwarfare:

Cyber Infiltration During Operation Protective Edge - Forbes

At the commencement of Operation Protective Edge, the latest Israeli military operation in the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip, hackers began attacking Israeli government sites and media outlets through denial of service (DDoS) and Domain Network System (DNS) attacks, and the personal data of Israeli citizens were exposed.

Russia Bugs Ukraine Government Offices With Spyware - Next Gov

Snake, an espionage tool linked to the Russian government earlier this year, has been found in the computers of Ukraine’s prime minister and various embassies of its allies in Eastern Europe.

Iran-Linked Botnet Helps Drive Cyber-Attacks Against Israel Up By 500% - IB Times

Cyber-attacks against Israel have increased 500% in the last month with a new report suggesting a powerful botnet controlled by an pro-Islamic Iranian group of hackers being used as part of an Anonymous-backed cyber-campaign.

Data Security:

TSA Checkpoint Systems Found Exposed On the Net - Dark Reading

A Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) system at airport security checkpoints contains default backdoor passwords, and one of the devices running at the San Francisco Airport was sitting on the public Internet.

Hackers Put Data of U.S. Government Workers At Risk - CNN

USIS, a major contractor providing background checks for the U.S. government, said Wednesday that hackers suspected to be working for a foreign government breached its computer systems. Government officials said the attackers might have stolen information belonging to U.S. government employees.

Russian Hackers Amass Over a Billion Internet Passwords - NY Times

A Russian crime ring has amassed the largest known collection of stolen Internet credentials, including 1.2 billion user name and password combinations and more than 500 million email addresses.

Mobile Security:

New Android Malware Krysanec Infects Legitimate Apps - Softpedia

A new remote access Trojan (RAT) for Android has been found to integrate malicious functionality in legitimate apps, allowing the attacker control over various functions of the device, such as camera, GPS and microphone.

DISA Approves BlackBerry Secure Work Space for iOS and Android - Defense Systems

The Defense Information Systems Agency has given Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) approval to BlackBerry’s containerization solution for Apple and Android devices.

Network Security:

15 New Vulnerabilities Reported During Router Hacking contest - Computer World

Routers appear to be as insecure as ever, after hackers successfully compromised five popular wireless models during a contest at the DefCon 22 security conference, reporting 15 new vulnerabilities to affected vendors.

Network Access Storage Devices Are Highly Exploitable - Softpedia

Security researchers evaluated a number of network access storage (NAS) devices and found them highly vulnerable to attacks that could lead to complete control over them.

Reconfigurable Industrial Control Systems Cyber-Security Testbed - FBO

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks information on a Reconfigurable Industrial Control Systems Cyber-Security Testbed.

Quantum Computing:

Suspected Chinese Cyber Attack Forces NRC Security Overhaul. NRC is adopting Quantum Comms as a security measure - Ottawa Citizen

The National Research Council has launched a massive, year-long security overhaul of its computer systems after a series of cyber attacks believed to have come from China.

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