Security Update – 15 April 2009

Cyber attacks on governments and critical national infrastructure systems are an increasing security threat. Media reports in April 2009 alleged that Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had been the subject of Chinese communications espionage during a visit to China in August 2008. Although Mr. Rudd denied being aware of the alleged phone and computer monitoring, he admitted that the government was wary of cyber espionage. Meanwhile, two reports published by the universities of Cambridge and Toronto have warned that a huge electronic espionage system run from servers in China has been used to spy on individuals, governments and organisations. China has denied both sets of reports.

The virus worm that penetrated military networks early in 2009 has prompted the US government to overhaul its cyber security policy, while recent reports have identified increasing vulnerability to cyber attacks in both the US’s national utility grids and various government agencies. The increased threat is due to more sophisticated developments in malware, botnets, trojan worms and fake antivirus programs, as well as a proliferation of digitally savvy criminal organisations using cyber space. An assessment by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation into US electric utilities has found that insufficient protection exists against the prospect of multiple cyber attacks on power substations, despite US$100m being spent on addressing cyber attacks and network failures.

Security Briefing – 26 March 2009

Corporate and business leaders are being increasingly targeted as the global financial crisis continues. The home of Sir Fred Goodwin, former head of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), was vandalised on 25 March while bosses from 3M and Sony have been held hostage by their own employees in France in recent weeks. Meanwhile, protests have been continuing across Europe with public anger mounting as economies slow and mass redundancies occur. Such protests are set to radically increase during the next few days in advance of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in London on 2 April.

Increasing anger in response to financial crisis

Media Update - New York Times 5 January 2009

Air Security Could Involve Private Jets By Christine Negroni

One of the biggest conveniences of private aviation is the speed with which passengers can get on the plane and off the ground.

A private jet at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, one of the nation’s busiest for private and corporate aviation.

Media Update - BBC News 2 January 2009

Royal security chiefs have launched an investigation after plans of the Queen's official residence in Scotland were found near a footpath.

Architectural drawings of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, show details of the royal mews and cafe in front of the palace.

A spokeswoman for the palace said the discovery was a security breach which was being taken "very seriously".

It is understood all the areas detailed in the plans are open to the public.

The architect's drawings were discovered under a bush on a path leading to the Water of Leith, in Roseburn, Edinburgh. The drawings, with an accompanying letter, were found by the Daily Record newspaper's agony aunt, Joan Burnie, as she took her Jack Russell terrier Polly for a walk.

She told the paper: "Polly saw them underneath a bush on the path and came out with the plans in her mouth.

"I took them from her to see what they were and that's when I saw the letter. "I was shocked to see the plans were for Holyroodhouse."

The paper reported the plans showed power ducts, cables and a transformer, as well as the sizes of the gardens and locations for boiler rooms, gas meters, store cupboards, kitchens, toilets and wash areas.

Three public entrances are highlighted and the dimensions of the stable yards and seated terrace areas are given, it reported.

Media Update - The Wired Campus 16 December 2008

Utica, N.Y. — I am standing in a room that I will probably never stand in again, no matter how many times I visit Utica College in the future.

Media Update - Reputations Online 28 October 2008

Rob Rachwald from Fortify highlights some of the corporate cover-ups and offers advice on how to adopt an inside out security strategy that tackles the root of insecurities within companies.

If it were to become manifest just how routinely hugely sensitive corporate and governmental data is being hacked, I can guarantee that none of us would rest easy in our beds again.

And this worrying situation is not exactly a secret among those in the know either. In fact, it’s the biggest information security cover-up you that are ever likely to come across and it’s scary.

But let me tell you a story to illustrate the point. One day a couple of years ago, one of corporate America’s large bellwether stocks got a ‘phone call from the FBI, explaining that the company had a major vulnerability in one of its key systems. The agent talked about where and what it was in great detail and requested that it be fixed immediately. But he refused to disclose how he knew.

So the guy taking the call went away, had the situation investigated and found the vulnerability. He also discovered that a foreign government had already penetrated the organisation’s applications infrastructure and was in a position to bring it down whenever the time was deemed right.