Tag Archive for: house

Biden Worries House Tumult Could Disrupt U.S. Aid to Ukraine: Live Updates

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President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine arriving at the European Political Community summit in Granada, Spain, on Thursday.Credit…Marcelo Del Pozo/Getty Images

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine arrived in Spain on Thursday to participate in a European summit aimed at strengthening cooperation across the continent amid concerns about waning support for his country as it faces another winter of Russian aggression.

The Ukrainian leader’s trip to the southern Spanish city of Granada came a day after President Biden expressed worries that the recent political turmoil in Congress could disrupt the flow of U.S. aid to Ukraine.

“I think it’s too late for us to worry. I think we have to work on it,” Mr. Zelensky told reporters at the summit when asked if he was concerned about a possible scaling back of U.S. military aid.

He said that he was confident that the United States would continue to support Ukraine’s war efforts, noting that meetings with Mr. Biden and with Congress members last month were positive.

Mr. Zelensky earlier said that the “joint goal” of those gathering in Granada was “to ensure the security and stability of our common European home.”

“We will pay special attention to the Black Sea region as well as our joint efforts to strengthen global food security and freedom of navigation,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Ukraine’s key priority, particularly as winter approaches, is to strengthen air defense.”

E.U. leaders are expected to discuss long-term financial aid for Ukraine at a summit planned later this month in Brussels. On Thursday, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, told reporters in Granada that what Ukraine needed was “predictability and reliability” on direct budget support.

“I’m very confident of support for Ukraine from the United States,” she said. “What the United States is working on is the timing.”

Thursday’s meeting in Grenada comes amid concerns about potential cracks in Europe’s united front on Ukraine, as governments reckon with the economic and political costs of providing long-term support for Kyiv.

It is just the third meeting of the European Political Community, a…

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FBI was using advanced hacking software despite White House ban

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Since November of 2021, US-based companies have been barred from doing business with the NSO Group, an Israeli research firm behind some of the most advanced hacking tools the tech world has ever seen. Come to find out, a New York Times investigation from this past April revealed that a US government agency was actively using a powerful hacking tool from the NSO Group dubbed Landmark.

The White House subsequently launched an investigation and asked the FBI for assistance. Which agency, the White House wanted to know, was operating in defiance of the ban? And believe it or not, the investigation revealed that the agency using Pegasus was the FBI itself. Specifically, the FBI was using the software to track suspected drug cartel members in Mexico.

For what it’s worth, the FBI says the tool was provided to them by a contractor called Riva Networks. According to the FBI, the bureau wasn’t aware of the software’s origins.

The report reads in part:

The F.B.I. now says that it used the tool unwittingly and that Riva Networks misled the bureau. Once the agency discovered in late April that Riva had used the spying tool on its behalf, Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, terminated the contract, according to U.S. officials.

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It is also unclear which, if any, government agencies besides the F.B.I. might have worked with Riva Networks to deploy the spying tool in Mexico. Two people with direct knowledge of the contract said cellphone numbers in Mexico were targeted throughout 2021, 2022 and into this year — far longer than the F.B.I. says the tool was used.

The reason why the NSO Group is precluded from doing business in the US is a long and interesting tale. Put simply, several stories over the past few years revealed that foreign governments with questionable human rights records were using NSO Group hacking tools to “maliciously target” journalists and dissidents. This ultimately prompted the White House to ban American companies from doing any type of…

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Samsung Partners with the White House to Launch a Cybersecurity Labeling Program to Protect American Consumers

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On July 18, 2023, the White House auditorium served as the backdrop for a significant milestone in the convergence of the tech sector and government. Located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, steps away from the West Wing, it hosted the U.S. government’s announcement of the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark program, an initiative aiming to guide consumers toward cybersecurity-conscious purchasing decisions.

samsung-us-cybertrust-program

The U.S. Cyber Trust Mark is an initiative propelled into reality by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel of the Federal Communications Commission, with robust support from both the White House and the National Security Council. Its aim is to introduce a labeling system for consumer electronics and appliances, providing a valuable key to understanding the cybersecurity strengths and weaknesses of products people bring into their homes. This move will empower consumers, enabling them to make well-informed decisions about the technological devices they choose to incorporate into their daily lives.

As a global tech giant, and a longtime proponent of cybersecurity, has been a longstanding supporter of such measures. Ever since the company launched its security guidelines as part of the “Works with SmartThings” program in 2018 – a precursor to existing global Internet of Things (IoT) standards – it has championed voluntary cyber-labeling programs.


SmartThings

At a roundtable discussion held as part of the event, Samsung was represented by Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President and Head of SmartThings. She relayed the company’s commitment to the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark initiative, underscoring it as a high-priority undertaking for Samsung. This commitment extends to Samsung’s own range of connected products as well as to the open multi-brand IoT ecosystem facilitated by the SmartThings platform.

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Jung emphasized that SmartThings is not only a secure platform but also one that is open and interoperable. She noted that all devices integrated into this platform must pass rigorous functional testing to ensure seamless interoperability. In addition, they must undergo extensive security testing to guarantee

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Antivirus used to spread malware, White House ransomware summit

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Threat group rides antivirus software to install malware

Researchers at Kaspersky discovered the China-based threat group Cicada targeting Japanese organizations. The group used a spear-phishing email to prompt the install of the legitimate K7Security Suite. However it also included a malicious DLL to install it’s custom LODEINFO backdoor. Because Cicada effectively uses a legitimate security app to sideload the DLL, other security apps may not detect it. Targeted organizations span across media groups, diplomatic agencies, and public sector organizations, indicating the group plans to use the backdoor for cyberespionage. 

(Bleeping Computer)

White House organizes ransomware summit

The White House hosted its second International Counter Ransomware Summit starting on October 31st, bringing together three dozen nations as well as private-sector companies. The Summit focused on how to make systems more resilient to attacks overall and disrupting threat actors in the planning stages. Private companies attending included Microsoft, Maniant, Crowdstrike, and Palo Alto Networks. The Biden administration cited the recent ransomware attack on the Los Angeles school district as a factor in deciding to call the summit now. 

(AP)

Ed tech company exposed user data

The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint against the ed tech company Chegg, alleging “careless” security practices that compromised personal data. Based on the filing, these practices data back to 2017. In 2018, sensitive information on about 40 million customers became exposed after a former contractor accessed a third-party database. This included names, emails, passwords, sexual orientation, and parents’ income. SInce then, this dataset appears for sale online. The company also reportedly exposed information of employees, including social security numbers. The complaint chided Chegg for not requiring multi-factor authentication, storing personal data in plain text, a lack of any written security policy until 2021, and using “outdated and weak” encryption. 

(Engadget)

Twitter exploring paid verification

According to documents seen by and sources…

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