ClearSky Cyberdefense Forum

Most of the attention to the issue of cyberattacks is focused on the potential for the malicious use of electronic devices, computer systems and networks. But there is a closely related and much less widely appreciated threat in the form of physical attacks launched using cyber-physical systems. The U.S. National Science Foundation defines cyber-physical systems as “the tight conjoining of and coordination between computational and physical resources.”[1] While the research community has focused on the many beneficial uses of cyber-physical systems including robotic surgery, search and rescue, healthcare monitoring, and high-performance manufacturing,[2] it is important to recognize that these platforms can be used for malicious purposes as well. In that respect, drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs, constitute a significant potential security threat.

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Sony plans to fully restore all PlayStation services in Japan, finally resuming service after a massive security breach hobbled the company and issued in a wave of hack in April. The Tokyo-based company announced it will restore online purchases of game content and video-on-demand from the PlayStation Network and Qriocity music service in Japan on July 6. The restoration marks the final step to full service after an 11-week shutdown of video game services after hackers stole data from nearly 100 million accounts, one of the largest data breaches to date.

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The Twitter account of Fox News was hacked early on Monday, and a series of messages were posted erroneously reporting the assassination of US president Barack Obama.

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A hacking group has claimed it breached corporate security at Apple and has published what it said were two dozen administrator names and apparently encrypted passwords for a server at the US technology group.

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Symantec Corp.’s whitepaper “A Window Into Mobile Device Security: Examining the security approaches employed in Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android,” offered a technical evaluation of Apple Inc. and Google Inc.’s mobile platforms to help corporations understand the security risks of deploying the software in enterprises.

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Published by  Shen Yi (China Daily)

Since US Internet policy is provocative, it ought to work with nations like China to make the virtual world safe and stable

The New York Times reported last month that the US State Department had helped develop an “Internet suitcase”, which could build a shadow network in certain countries giving users direct access to the virtual world without using local communication infrastructure. It is feared that the product will be used to help dissidents in countries where governments have strong control over cyberspace.

This shows the complexity of cyberspace. On one hand, nearly all countries agree that global cooperation should be deepened to regulate global cyberspace. On the other, some countries want to take advantage of their expertise in information technology (IT) to impose their authority over others. This became even more evident after the United States issued its first international cyberspace strategy in May.

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Lockheed plans to enter the projected $1.3 billion market for utility cybersecurity next month with Palisade, a software program developed in partnership with American Electric Power Co. of Columbus, Ohio. The program alerts power companies to hacker intrusions and attacks on their electronic systems.

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