USA

This Map Shows Where in the US Cyber Crime Costs People the Most

“Data breaches like last week’s massive Marriott hack are becoming all too common. Last year, the Identity Theft Resource Center tracked over 1,500 instances.”

Sen. Warner calls for US cyber doctrine, new standards for security

“The US needs improved cybersecurity policies if it’s going to catch up with the practices in the rest of the world, Sen. Mark Warner said Friday, adding that the government has failed to recognize the seriousness of the situation.

The Virginia Democrat, who serves as vice chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, said US cybersecurity fails to provide adequate protection of critical infrastructure or guard against the dissemination of disinformation online. He made the comments in a keynote address at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.”

Why the US Government Is So Suspicious of Huawei

“The arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Canada for possible Iran sanctions violations yesterday has deeper roots in a difficult legal history between the hardware giant and U.S. regulators and intelligence agencies.”

US Financial Firms to Further Increase Cybersecurity Spending

“US financial firms expect higher cybersecurity spending in 2019 as they face bigger threats and more attacks, a new survey report by Thales eSecurity said • About 36 percent of companies said they experienced an intrusion in 2018, up from 24 percent in last year’s survey • Most financial firms still spend too much on defending personal computers despite awareness that it’s the least effective strategy, the survey found. More attention should be paid to network security, according to Thales.”

DHS Risk Agency Eyes January Policy Push

“The National Risk Management Center at the Department of Homeland Security is working to develop a list of national critical functions, functions so important that a disruption could cause a national or economic security crisis, by the end of the year.”

OBIM Transferred to DHS Management Under Long-Stalled Cyber Legislation Signed into Law

“The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Biometrics Identity Management (OBIM) is being transferred to DHS’s Management Directorate, DHS announced following President Trump signing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Act of 2018 into law, a required by the legislation. DHS said — providing a brief fact sheet along with the announcement – that, OBIM’s “placement within the DHS headquarters supports expanded collaboration and ensures OBIM’s capabilities are available across the DHS enterprise and the interagency.”

NY Cybersecurity Reg Compliance: Focus on Vendor Risk

“As of March 1, 2019, covered entities will be required to be in compliance with the New York Department of Financial Services Cybersecurity Regulation Section 500.11, the Third Party Service Provider Security Policy. What are the key requirements? Attorney Ted Augustinos, a partner at Locke Lord LLP, outlines the new compliance landscape.”

Australia

Australia Has Become the First Western Country to Pass a Bill Forcing Tech Companies to Hand Over Your Encrypted Data

“A controversial bill allowing spies and police to snoop on the encrypted communications of suspected terrorists and criminals was passed in Australia on Thursday, as tech giants warned of wide-ranging implications for global cybersecurity.”

Baltics/Estonia

Estonian Ex-Foreign Sec Urges Governments: Get Cosy with the Private Sector on Cybersecurity

“Governments need to “turn from public private partnership slogans to real partnerships” on cybersecurity, former Estonian foreign minister Marina Kaljurand told the Black Hat infosec conference in London this morning.”

Czech Republic

Czech Security Service Says Russia Behind Cyber Attacks on Ministry

“Russia’s intelligence services were behind cyber attacks targeting the Czech foreign ministry last year, the Czech security service said on Monday (3 December) in its annual report.”

EU

Europe Should Be Wary of Huawei, EU Tech Official Says

“The European Union should be worried about Huawei [HWT.UL] and other Chinese technology companies because of the risk they pose to the bloc’s industry and security, the EU’s technology chief said on Friday, echoing concerns raised elsewhere in the world.”

Germany

Bundeswehr: Well Prepared for the Cyber War?

“The cyber and information space (CIR) should better protect Germany against cyber attacks. But the financing problems of the Bundeswehr and the lack of good personnel make cybersecurity more difficult.”

India

Government to Provide Handbook on Cyber Safety to School Children

“The Union Home Ministry has come out with a booklet on cyber safety for teenagers that tries to address their increased use of smartphones, gadgets, online gaming, social media and fake news.”

Israel

Israeli Cybersecurity Firm Offers Free Help to Hotels After Data Breaches

“The Israeli cybersecurity company ITsMine announced this week that it will provide its artificial intelligence-based data protection solution free of charge to the hotel industry through the end of 2019.”

Japan

Japan to Exclude ZTE and Huawei Products on Cybersecurity Fears

“Japan is to ban government use of telecoms products made by Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE on concerns about cybersecurity, according to reports on Friday.”

Singapore

Singapore’s Central Bank Launches S$30 Million Cybersecurity Grant for Finance Sector

“The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced this week the launch of a S$30 million (US$41 million) Cybersecurity Capabilities Grant to strengthen the cyber resilience of the financial sector in Singapore and help financial institutions develop local talent in cybersecurity.”

UK

‘London Blue’ BEC Cybercrime Gang Unmasked

Security firm turned the tables on attackers targeting its chief financial officer in an email-borne financial scam.

BLACK HAT EUROPE 2018 – London – Call it karma or just poor OpSec, but a prolific global cybercrime organization recently blew its cover after inadvertently targeting executives at a security firm.

“The infamous Nigerian/UK group behind a rash of business email compromise (BEC) scams found itself on the other side of its own social-engineering scam when it posed as Agari CEO Ravi Kahtod in an Aug. 7 email sent to Raymond Lim, chief financial officer at Agari, an email security company.”

Huawei caves in to UK’s security demands

“At a meeting this week between Huawei executives and senior officials from GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre, the Chinese telecoms provider agreed to a series of technical demands which will change its practices in the UK, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.”

Feature

When Cyber Attacks Occur, Who Should Investigate?

by John S. Davis II, Jonathan William Welburn, Benjamin Boudreaux, Jair Aguirre   The Rand Blog

“Marriott announced last week that it had suffered a major data breach. Hackers made off with the personal details of 500 million customers dating back to 2014. The Marriott cyber incident is just the latest of many occurring in recent years, often with what feels like escalating stakes. Many of these data breaches and cyberattacks cross geopolitical boundaries. They target individuals, corporations and governments and have led to the theft of information and money, as well as the disruption of critical infrastructure, such as power stations and hospitals.”