Crossroads Blog | Institute National Security and Counterterrorism

anonymity, Current Affairs, cyber attack, warfare

Today’s Cybernews

The Telegraph reported on November 2nd, 2011, on how Iran has promised to overwhelm another US embassy.  However, this is not a physical embassy, but rather, a virtual US embassy that is set to be released sometime this year.  The virtual embassy would have a presence in Iran and would offer information on US education programs and ways to get around Iranian internet controls.  The Islamic Union of Iranian Students spokesman promised that "we will not allow the US to enter Iran."

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Marketwatch reported on how the first joint cyber security exercise between the European Union and the United States is being held today in Brussels.  The exercise, titled Cyber Atlantic 2011, involves over twenty countries and brings together the EU's Network and Information Security Agency and the US DHS.  The exercise will use simulated cyber-crisis scenarios to test how the EU and the US would cooperate in the event of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.  The scenarios will focus on an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) that attempts to steal secret information and an attack  that disrupts supervisory control and data acquisition in power generation infrastructure.

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AFP reported on November 2nd how there has been a new cyberattack on the Japanese parliament.  The same malicious e-mails that infected the Japanese lower house  were found on several lawmakers' computers in the Japanses upper house.  Thankfully, none of the computers or servers in the upper house succumbed to the virus.

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The Washington Post reported on November 2nd how Duqu has now spread to 8 countries, including the Netherlands, Switzerland, Ukraine, India, Sudan, Vietnam and, of all places, Iran.  Symantec has discovered that Duqu attacks its targets by lurking in attached Microsoft Word documents. 

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Finally, PCWorld reported on how hacktivist group Anonymous is still going forward with a planned cyberattack on Los Zetas Mexican drug cartel.  Anonymous threatened to release all the names and addresses of people (both cartel members and corrupt Mexican officials) involved with the Zetas unless the Zetas release a captured Anonymous member.  The Zetas reportedly have hired computer experts to track and physically attack Anonymous members involved.  

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