U.S. Defense Strategy Plan Focuses on Thwarting China, Iran – Businessweek

Jan. 4 Bloomberg — The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines must combine resources to thwart any efforts by countries such as China and Iran to block America’s access to the South China Sea, the Persian Gulf and other strategic regions, according to a draft of a Pentagon review.The military services must work more cooperatively to pool their intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and cyber-security tools, as well as operational concepts, the review is expected to say, according to an administration official familiar with the review who asked not to be identified.The U.S. should be able to deter any emerging anti-access capabilities such as the diesel attack submarines being developed by China and the anti-ship ballistic missiles deployed by China and Iran, and if necessary, defeat them, said the administration official.Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is due to unveil the review tomorrow, setting policy priorities in addressing about $490 billion in budget cuts over the next decade.

via U.S. Defense Strategy Plan Focuses on Thwarting China, Iran – Businessweek.

Chinese Cyber-Espionage Growing

TAIPEI – A new U.S. intelligence report declares the most active and persistent perpetrator of economic espionage is China.The report, issued by the U.S. Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive ONCIX, draws on the inputs and reporting from more than a dozen U.S. law enforcement and intelligence collection bodies, including the CIA, FBI, DIA and NSA.RELATED TOPICS. Americas-Asia & Pacific RimChina views economic espionage as an “essential tool in achieving national security and economic prosperity,

” the report said.The report – “Foreign Spies Stealing U.S. Economic Secrets in Cyberspace: Report to Congress on Foreign Economic Collection and Industrial Espionage, 2009-2011” –

indicates the U.S. intelligence community judges the use of cyber tools is now a greater threat than more traditional espionage methods.

via Chinese Cyber-Espionage Growing: U.S. Report – Defense News.

New Australia-U.S. push deals India in to Pacific | The Australian

THIS week’s 60th anniversary Ausmin meeting in San Francisco deserves the overworked adjective historic. It marks a pivot point in which the US and Australia begin to redefine their region not as the Asia-Pacific, but as the Indo-Pacific.

U.S -Australia and India Ausmin PACT: The technologies are cyber warfare, missiles and nuclear weapons. The external nations are China, India and North Korea.

The addition of cyber war was the most important change in the scope of the alliance since New Zealand left in the mid-1980s. In a communique on cyber security, Australia and the US declared: “In the event of a cyber attack that threatens the territorial integrity, political independence or security of either of our nations, Australia and the US would consult together and determine appropriate options to address the threat.”

via New Australia-U.S. push deals India in to Pacific | The Australian.

India to Help NATO Encounter Cyber Threats from China

US-led NATO has sought stronger cooperation with India to counter growing cyber threats, particularly emanating from China.

Top NATO officials listed cyber security very high on the list of possible areas of cooperation, which included counter-terrorism, missile defense and anti-piracy operations.

“The cyber world does not recognise alignments. It only understands switches,” said a top NATO official during a briefing to visiting Indian journalists, while making a strong pitch for joint efforts to combat cyber threats.

The NATO official made this remark in context of India’s sensitivity against military alliances and its commitment to non-alignment. He suggested this could be a functional alignment in which both sides could give and take.

via news.outlookindia.com | India to Help NATO Encounter Cyber Threats from China.

The Hindu : Sci-Tech : Over 8,000 cyber attacks on CWG ticketing system: Shivshankar Menon

There were over 8,000 cyber attacks on the Commonwealth Games’ ticketing and scoring systems in October last year but these were repelled, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon said here Thursday while underlining the need to strengthen cyber security.

“There were 8,000 attacks on the ticketing, timing and scoring systems and we managed to tackle them all,” Mr. Menon said at the Prem Bhatia Memorial Lecture here.

Mr. Menon was responding to a question on how India was preparing for the cyber warfare as its websites and networks were frequently under attacks from hackers, including the Chinese.

via The Hindu : Sci-Tech : Over 8,000 cyber attacks on CWG ticketing system: Shivshankar Menon.

Chinese hackers spreading virus through HC replica websites? – The Economic Times

NEW DELHI: Chinese hackers may be using websites similar to those of 19 high courts in the country to spread computer virus which can convert the user’s system into a virtual zombie, a security expert has claimed before the CBI.

Commander (Retd.) Mukesh Saini, former naval officer who is a cyber security consultant, brought the nefarious designs of these alleged hackers to the notice of Cybercrime wing of the CBI recently, which is looking into it.

In his report, Saini highlighted the modus operandi of these web sites which have addresses similar to the original ones – for example Delhi high court address is ‘http://delhihighcourt.nic.in’ while the phishing website address is ‘http://delhi.highcourt.in’. 

“When we analysed the website script, we found that the server had a ‘.cn’ location. Also we found that script used in the website was a declared malware program. These sites are dangerous because even if a user accidentally accesses them the malware spreads in his or her system. 

“The program is designed in such a way that user’s system functions normally but hackers can use it to extract any information without the user knowing it,” he claimed. 

Such websites came to the notice of Saini, founder of cyber security firm ‘Xcyss’, when he was following a news report on an employment scam running through the fake website of Patna High Court. Further analysis revealed that there were identical websites of 19 high courts in the country. 

The design of these replica websites was curious because it did not seek any information, such as financial details from the visitor, which prevents them of being suspicious.

 

via Chinese hackers spreading virus through HC replica websites? – The Economic Times.

Was China Behind Stuxnet? | China Power

But one leading analyst suggests that the sophisticated worm may actually have originated in a completely different part of the world—China. Writing late last month in Forbes, Jeffrey Carr noted that back in July, a power glitch in an India satellite resulted in ‘an estimated 70 percent of India’s Direct-To-Home companies’ customers (being) without service’.

via Was China Behind Stuxnet? | China Power.