In-brief: the consequences of innovation and increased reliance on information technology, including the Internet of Things, pose serious challenges to the nation’s cyber defenses and the intelligence community’s “operational tradecraft,” said DNI James Clapper in a report to Congress.
China
Obama Proposes Federal CISO, Huge InfoSec Boost
In-brief: President Barack Obama highlighted cyber security as a top policy priority in the final budget proposal of his presidency, seeking a massive expansion in funding for federal information security and the creation of a new federal chief information security officer (CISO).
Report: Newly Discovered GlassRAT Lurked For Years, Undetected
In-brief: RSA Security said a newly discovered Trojan horse program may have been lurking for three years on corporate networks. Chinese nationals were the apparent target.
Update: Chinese Govt. Hackers Still Active Despite Truce
In-brief: A truce hammered out between U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping in September hasn’t kept hacking groups that are believed to be affiliated with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from playing offense, according to a report from the security firm Crowdstrike. (Updated to add comment from Ken Westin of Tripwire. PFR 10/19/2015)
Malware Supported VPN Network Used By APT Groups
In-brief: A virtual private network (VPN) based in China and designed to help evade that country’s restrictive government firewall is actually supported by a network of malware-infected nodes around the globe, RSA says.