Archive for the 'Covert Operations' Category
Hackers With Wall Street Savvy Stealing M&A Data
December 1st, 2014Via: Bloomberg: Hackers with Wall Street expertise have stolen merger-and-acquisition information from more than 80 companies for more than a year, according to security consultants who shared their findings with law enforcement. A group dubbed FIN4 by researchers at FireEye Inc. (FEYE) has been tricking executives, lawyers and consultants into providing access to confidential data […]
Bird Bomb? Afghan Police Kill Bird Bearing Antenna, Explosives
November 30th, 2014Via: NBC: Afghan police said they are investigating how a wild bird came to bear an antenna, electronic devices and explosives. Police came across the strange sight around 8 a.m. in the northern Faryab province, a volatile region ravaged by Taliban violence. When police spotted the white bird — which isn’t native to the area […]
Allegations That British Politicians Murdered and Raped Young Boys “Only the Tip of the Iceberg”
November 26th, 2014Via: Telegraph: Revelations that politicians allegedly murdered and raped young boys is “only the tip of the iceberg” in the Westminster historic child abuse scandal, Theresa May has warned. The Home Secretary expressed dismay that institutions designed to protect children failed in the past and said she was determined to bring those guilty to justice, […]
Secret Malware in European Union Attack Linked to U.S. and British Intelligence
November 25th, 2014Via: First Look: Complex malware known as Regin is the suspected technology behind sophisticated cyberattacks conducted by U.S. and British intelligence agencies on the European Union and a Belgian telecommunications company, according to security industry sources and technical analysis conducted by The Intercept. Regin was found on infected internal computer systems and email servers at […]
Regin: Top-Tier Espionage Tool Enables Stealthy Surveillance
November 24th, 2014Via: Symantec: An advanced piece of malware, known as Regin, has been used in systematic spying campaigns against a range of international targets since at least 2008. A back door-type Trojan, Regin is a complex piece of malware whose structure displays a degree of technical competence rarely seen. Customizable with an extensive range of capabilities […]
Dragnet Surveilance: Americans’ Cellphones Targeted in Secret Spy Program, Fake Cell Towers Attached to Aircraft
November 13th, 2014There was a lot of coverage about fake cell towers several weeks ago. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of that because all of the coverage seemed to point at an attempt by an alleged “secure” smartphone company to drum up sales. I didn’t want to give that company any additional advertising, because I […]
Son of Stuxnet
November 13th, 2014Via: Firstlook: As he drove to work, he tried to wrap his mind around what he’d just seen, and couldn’t believe the Stuxnet gang was still active. After all the media attention and finger-pointing at Israel and the United States, he thought for sure the attackers would have laid low for a while to let […]
How the CIA Brought Animal Farm to the Screen
November 12th, 2014Via: Telegraph: The film version of Animal Farm was released to acclaim 60 years ago. There was a gala launch at the United Nations in New York and the film was praised by national newspapers. “The British out-Disney Disney” was one headline. George Orwell’s novella remains a set book on school curriculums, and his satire […]
Big Safari
November 7th, 2014Via: Vocativ: The man on the other line didn’t seem happy. “We are a secretive and shadowy organization that has been in existence for over 60 years,” he said. The man’s name is Col. Edward Topps. He’s the leader of a mysterious Air Force agency known as “Big Safari.” Last month, he called me out […]
$7 Billion U.S. Eradication Effort Delivers Record High Poppy Crop in Afghanistan
November 5th, 2014Via: Common Dreams: Opium poppy cultivation levels in Afghanistan are at a record high, though the U.S. government has spent over $7 billion to stop it, a federal watchdog states in a new report. In a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Attorney General Eric Holder and US AID […]
