Showing posts sorted by date for query cyber awareness. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query cyber awareness. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Oxford University Will Get £1 Million of Investment in Next 2 Year to Tackle Cyber Crime

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 5/05/2013 03:10:00 pm

Oxford University Will Get £1 Million of Investment in Next 2 Year to Tackle Cyber Crime

The rising amount of cyber crime has already put the world of security under a serious threat. Since last five years we have seen many devastating cyber attack which have broken almost every security measure. In short, today the entire cyber space is posing a serious risk. To get rid of this situation many developed countries have already started taking required counter measure. Cyber awareness program, campaigns are going in almost every part of the world. Such steps and countermeasures were mainly limited to government and corporate, but now as we are sitting at the edge of cyber threat, so the security system should be more enhanced. While looking at the current status OXFORD University have came forward, and they are going to open a cyber hub to tackle these ongoing cyber challenges. Acceding to the official website of Oxford Mail - OXFORD University will get £1 million of investment in the next two years to fund a center to tackle cyber crime. Funding for the Government’s Global Center for Cyber Security Capacity Building has been announced by Foreign Secretary William Hague, who pledged £500,000 a year for at least the next two years. It will be based at the home of the Oxford Martin School, with the aim of combating activists and terrorists who are posing a growing threat to our national security and economy.
The school’s director, Ian Goldin, Oxford University Professor of Globalisation and Development, said: “The whole purpose is to address critical challenges of the future. The international scale of the challenge requires new research and connections with the business world, which is part of the school’s mandate.” The centre will be based at the Old Indian Institute, a former university library building, on the corner of Broad Street and Catte Street, which is currently being refurbished. Prof Goldin, whose new book Divided Nations explores the risks brought about by rapid globalization and technological leaps like the internet, said keeping up with criminals will be far from easy. He said: “We are in a race, or struggle, between people who want to keep systems safe and secure and those who – for whatever reasons that may be commercial, nationalist or anarchical – want to undermine the system. That won’t end. 
According to some legitimate sources it has been confirmed that the new center will be a beacon of expertise and put the UK at the forefront of cyber policy development. It will operate from Broad Street from September. The two-year funding will help pay for an additional 12 specialists. Sadie Creese will head the new center as professor of cyber security.



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'Data Theft' A Serious Issue! Be Watch Full, Be Safe

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 2/20/2013 06:52:00 pm

Hidden Costs of 'Data Theft' A Serious Issue! What You Need to Know to Be Safe 

Sitting at the edge of technology, we the people of this century are blessed with all the required equipment  which makes our work so easy that one could have even imagined three hundred years ago. Along with these positive sides, we must have to keep in mind that, these technologies not only elaborating our effort  making life easier, but also posing  high level of threat. As the main concern of VOGH is cyber domain, so here w would like to share a fact which will make you think and even make your cyber life and your personal life too uncanny. Yes, I am talking about the rising cyber threats; the more we are shedding with technologies, the more we are involving our lives with some dangerous threats and challenges. Now a days cyber criminals are every where, you don't even know, what trap has already been set for you, that can ruin your happy life. One of the big example is "Data Theft" which becoming boomerang for us. In an age of fully digitized data, consumers and businesses can lose thousands of dollars in the blink of a hacker’s eye. The costs of data theft are well known to anyone who has ever found themselves victim to financial identity or medical record fraud. What few of us realize is that the procedures required to right a financial wrong are often costlier than the crimes themselves. Lets share some interesting statistic, which will surely put terror in your mind - the economy loses an average of $22,346 for every time an identity is stolen. And to fully recuperate losses, repair credit and prosecute fraudsters, consumers, accountants, lawyers and IRS officials can spend up to 5,000 hours, the equivalent of two years of full-time work on a single case. Even so, 60% of medical record fraud victims admit that they don’t monitor their medical statements for inconsistencies. 

Shocking!! Why not?

For one, most consumers don’t have time every month to file through complex medical or financial statements and check for accuracy. And secondly, the image of thousands of evil savants working around the clock to hack BOA databases sure makes a consumer feel helpless. Identity theft seems random and unpreventable–a stroke of bad luck like getting struck by lightning. If we are struck, we tell ourselves, banks, credit agencies and insurance companies are legally bound to recover our funds and correct our records. 

Now lets check out a fascinating video in our Hidden Costs Series to get a deeper look at how our high-cost, high-risk data management systems really work.



Hidden Costs of Data Theft (Statistic At a Glance):-


Data theft includes financial identity theft, identity cloning, and medical identity theft. The average cost per victim was $22,346 in 2012. And the total national cost of just medical identity fraud was $41 billion in 2012. The worst part – nearly 60% of reported victims say they don’t ever check their medical records for fraud. Depending on the severity of the case, it can take over 5,000 hours (the equivalent of working a full-time job for two years) to correct the damage.
Since 1935, over 435 million social security cards have been issued. That’s over 2,175 tons of paper issued as cards, or 52,200 trees and 5 million new cards are issued every year. 
Worldwide, digital warehouses storing private information, like banking and personal history, use about 30 billion watts of electricity, which equals roughly the output of 30 nuclear power plants. Data centers in the US make up almost a third of that usage, and waste 90% of the electricity they pull off the grid.
On average, 47% of victims encounter problems qualifying for a new loan and 70% have difficulty removing the negative information from their credit reports.
Over the next five years, the IRS stands to lose as much as $21 billion in revenue due to identity theft, and worldwide, businesses lose close to $221 billion a year with the US, UK, Canada and Australia ranking the highest in reported fraudulent activity.


After reading the above story carefully, many of you will feel insecure and panic. But I would like to inform you that the main purpose of sharing such important information, is to enhance carefulness, to rise cyber awareness. Many people became victim, not because of less knowledge, but of less information, less awareness. So from now onward before connecting your self into the digital world make sure that the significant & the emergent knowledge and information you have gathered from the article, should remain intact inside your brain. Trust me, if you became a bit cautious, you can easily get rid of all those cyber threats, and can enjoy the bless of technologies to make your life prosperous and happy. 

So stay tuned with VOGH and also be canny, be attentive and be safe inside the digital world. 

We the Team VOGH heartily thanks one of our invaluable reader and friend Emily Stewart of Insurance Quotes for the statistic and the awesome video. We love you Emily :) 




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Hong Kong Govt Opens a New Cyber Security Center Worth $9 Million

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 12/13/2012 07:35:00 pm

Hong Kong Govt Opens a New Cyber Security Center Worth $9 Million

Now a days cyber attack has became one of the most challenging issue for almost every country and its Government. Previously we have seen cyber awareness were mainly limited to the first world countries like USA, England, Australia and few other European countries. While keeping in mind the rising amount of cyber threats and its output, now both second world and the third world countries have also taken this issues very seriously. To get rid of this burring challenge and to make it's cyber fence safe and secure The Hong Kong Govt launched a Cyber Security Center on December 7 to enhance the city’s internet security and protection of critical infrastructure, and strengthen the defense against cyber-attacks. Hong Kong Govt has spent HK$9 million (£730,000) for this new Cyber Security Center in a bid to tackle the growing threat to critical infrastructure in the Special Administrative Region of China. The Center  which will operate under the Technology Crime Division of the Commercial Crime Bureau, will start with a force of 27 police personnel, ranking from Police Constable to Chief Inspector. “The incidence of cyber-attacks is increasing,” said Tsang Wai-hung, Commissioner of Police, during the inauguration ceremony of the Center  “Police recognize the need to respond to the worldwide cyber crime phenomenon, particularly cyber-attacks aimed at critical infrastructures, by enhancing our readiness and capability to counter such threats.

So far the Cyber Security Center has been given four main responsibilities as follows:-
  1. It will strengthen collaboration with other government departments and stakeholders, both local and overseas, concerning cyber-attacks against critical infrastructures. 
  2. It will monitor the flow, but not the content, of data traffic of major infrastructure systems.
  3. The Center will collect intelligence to analyse cyber-attacks, and provide an immediate response when necessary.
  4. The Center will conduct research into cyber security and cyber-attacks, and perform security audits to maintain the protection of Hong Kong.

In addition to these key responsibilities, the Center will support the daily operations of the Technology Crime Division in the prevention and detection of technology crimes. 




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48 Countries Worldwide Joined Biggest Global Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Online

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 12/11/2012 05:53:00 pm

48 Countries Worldwide Joined Biggest Global Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Online

Cyber bullying, online child sexual abuse has became one of the biggest threat and challenge for the society. Several security report are pointing out that the number of cyber bully is increasing every day. There are daily reminders about those risks, whether it's the tragic fate of Amanda Todd, bullied into suicide. To get rid of these burning issues European Union (EU) Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström together with US Attorney General Eric Holder launched a Global Alliance against Child Sexual Abuse Online. In this campaign Forty-eight countries have joined forces to launch the most expansive fight ever against the spread of online child sex abuse. According to current estimates, there are more than one million images of sexually abused and exploited children now online. Every year, that number grows by 50,000 new images, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Participants at the launch include Ministers and high-level officials from 27 EU Member States, who are also joined by 21 countries outside the EU (Albania, Australia, Cambodia, Croatia, Georgia, Ghana, Japan, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, the Philippines, Serbia, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United States of America, and Vietnam). The countries of the alliance are committing themselves to a number of policy targets and goals. Thanks to increased international cooperation, the fight against child sexual abuse online will therefore be more effective.
"Behind every child abuse image is an abused child, an exploited and helpless victim. When these images are circulated online, they can live on forever. Our responsibility is to protect children wherever they live and to bring criminals to justice wherever they operate. The only way to achieve this is to team up for more intensive and better coordinated action worldwide", said Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström.
“This international initiative will strengthen our mutual resources to bring more perpetrators to justice, identify more victims of child sexual abuse, and ensure that they receive our help and support,” said Attorney General Holder. “Through this global alliance we can build on the success of previous cross-border police operations that have dismantled international pedophile networks and safeguard more of the world’s children.” 

The participants of this campaign put out this list of goals for the new initiative, which has been dubbed the Global Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Online, in a press release:-

  • Enhance efforts to identify victims and ensure that they receive the necessary assistance, support and protection;
  • Enhance efforts to investigate cases of child sexual abuse online and to identify and prosecute offenders;
  • Increase children's awareness of online risks, including the self-production of images and "grooming" methods used by paedophiles;
  • Reduce the availability of child abuse material online and the re-victimization of children;
  • Establish dedicated law enforcement units for these crimes in all countries;
  • Make it easier to initiate joint cross-border police investigations;
  • Intensify co-operation with hotline services, where the public can report findings of online child pornography; and
  • Ensure that the Interpol international database of child abuse material grows by 10 percent annually.







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Indian Govt Investing $200 Million in Next 4 Years to Strengthen Cyber Security Infrastructure

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 11/10/2012 12:57:00 am

Indian Govt Investing $200 Million in Next 4 Years to Strengthen Cyber Security Infrastructure

More cyber awareness and more emphasis on cyber security, now a days this line has almost became an agenda for Indian government. Few months ago the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh himself confirmed that from now on wards India will pay as much attention as possible to make the cyber fence digitally safe and secured. So the govt is working on a robust cyber security structure. That cyber awareness program followed by another deceleration came from Indian ministry. Where the government said that they will invest around USD 200 million in next four years to strengthen their cyber security infrastructure. On sidelines of 3rd Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit, Telecom and IT Minister of India Kapil Sibal said “We have 1.2 billion people and will be largest in terms of population country in the world in years to come. This (cyber crime) affect us perhaps much more than any other country in the world,” 
The Minister added that priority for India at present is to protect its infrastructure like nuclear, aviation, banking infrastructure, among others. “I presume multi-dimensional and multi-sectoral infrastructure will be established in different area. In the Department of Electronics and IT (DEITy) itself we must have investment of USD 200 million in next four years to create necessary infrastructure. We are working on that,” DEITy Secretary J Satyanarayana said.
Sibal said global community must come together to resolve cyber security issues. Citing reports, the Minister said that threats to Cyberspace have increased dramatically in the past years affecting 431 million adult globally or 14 adults victims every second or one million cybercrime victims every day. The Minister said no nation can fight cybercrime or secure its cyberspace in isolation and called for urgent need to work on agreements on international standards. The Minister said that there is need to jointly work on devising standardised and coordinated response strategies along with comprehensive cyber security strategy. “Among this, it very important to build awareness among users for responsive use of cyber space,” he said. The Minister extended India’s support to global community in addressing cyber security challenge.



-Source (eGov)




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"Project Blackstar" Team Ghostshell Leaks 2.5 Million Records From Russian Govt & Individual

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 11/05/2012 05:08:00 am

"Project Blackstar" Team Ghostshell Leaks 2.5 Million Records From Russian Govt & Individual 

A hacker group calling them selves "Team Ghostshell" who was recently behind the attack several top universities called an open operation declaring war on Russia's cyberspace. The operation is dubbed “Project Blackstar”. In the first phase of the operation  the hacking collective Team Ghostshell posted approximately 2.5 million accounts/records leaked, from governmental, educational, academical, political, law enforcement, telecom, research institutes, medical facilities, large corporations (both national and international branches) in such fields as energy, petroleum, banks, dealerships and many more. The hacker group also claimed to have access "to more russian files than the FSB and we are very much  eager to prove it." - said Ghostshell. The rest of the Pastebin post goes on to call out the Russian government and is littered with references to corruption, capitalism and social injustice. Judging by some of the records released, the Russian Police, along with Novatek, Russia's largest independent natural gas producer, the Alfa Group, an investment consortium and JINR, the country’s Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, all appear to have been implicated in the alleged leak. Some records appear to include individuals’ usernames and passwords while other documents almost read like resumes, complete with individuals’ names, IP addresses, education and job history.
Above I have discussed the last hack by Team Ghostshell where they had published 120,000 records from some of the world’s top universities. That leak, dubbed “Project WestWind,” sought to “raise awareness towards the changes made in today’s education,“ spilling student and faculty email addresses, passwords and IDs. Now this “Project Blackstar” with a leak of 2.5 million records from several Russian cyber space,  again arising a big doubt, that how much secure our cyber world is? 



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FBI's Cybercrime Unit Taken New Initiative to Nab Hackers & Intruders

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 10/31/2012 06:09:00 am

FBI's Cybercrime Unit Taken New Initiative to Nab Hackers & Intruders 

The month of October has been declared by FBI as the National Cyber Security Awareness Month of 2012 , and in the last week of this month the cyber crime division of FBI has started a new program which will specially emphasis on hackers and intrusion. The main aim of this program is to focusing on hackers and to prevent cyber crime. Last month  Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a report based on information from law enforcement and complaints submitted to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) detailing recentcyber crime trends and new twists to previously-existing cyber scams. Now the recent movement of FBI will surely inject fear into the heart & mind of hackers. According to FBI's official release - Early last year, hackers were discovered embedding malicious software in two million computers, opening a virtual door for criminals to rifle through users’ valuable personal and financial information. Last fall, an overseas crime ring was shut down after infecting four million computers, including half a million in the U.S. In recent months, some of the biggest companies and organizations in the U.S. have been working overtime to fend off continuous intrusion attacks aimed at their networks. The scope and enormity of the threat—not just to private industry but also to the country’s heavily networked critical infrastructure—was spelled out last month in Director Robert S. Mueller’s testimony to a Senate homeland security panel: “Computer intrusions and network attacks are the greatest cyber threat to our national security.”
To that end, the FBI over the past year has put in place an initiative to uncover and investigate web-based intrusion attacks and develop a cadre of specially trained computer scientists able to extract hackers’ digital signatures from mountains of malicious code. Agents are cultivating cyber-oriented relationships with the technical leads at financial, business, transportation, and other critical infrastructures on their beats. 

Today, investigators in the field can send their findings to specialists in the FBI Cyber Division’s Cyber Watch command at Headquarters, who can look for patterns or similarities in cases. The 24/7 post also shares the information with partner intelligence and law enforcement agencies—like the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security and the National Security Agency—on the FBI-led National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force.
A key aim of the Next Generation Cyber Initiative has been to expand our ability to quickly define “the attribution piece” of a cyber attack to help determine an appropriate response, said Richard McFeely, executive assistant director of the Bureau’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch. “The attribution piece is: who is conducting the attack or the exploitation and what is their motive,” McFeely explained. “In order to get to that, we’ve got to do all the necessary analysis to determine who is at the other end of the keyboard perpetrating these actions.”
The Cyber Division’s main focus now is on cyber intrusions, working closely with the Bureau’s Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence Divisions.  “We are obviously concerned with terrorists using the Internet to conduct these types of attacks,” McFeely said. “As the lead domestic intelligence agency within the United States, it’s our job to make sure that businesses’ and the nation’s secrets don’t fall into the hands of adversaries.”
In the Coreflood case in early 2011, hackers enlisted a botnet—a network of infected computers—to do their dirty work. McFeely urged everyone connected to the Internet to be vigilant against computer viruses and malicious code, lest they become victims or unwitting pawns in a hacker or web-savvy terrorist’s malevolent scheme.
“It’s important that everybody understands that if you have a computer that is outward-facing—that it’s connected to the web—that your computer is at some point going to be under attack,” he said. “You need to be aware of the threat and you need to take it seriously.” 


To Listen the Podcast of FBI's "“The intrusions are occurring 24/7, 365 days a year.” Click Here






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DHS & Public Safety Canada Started Joint Cybersecurity Action Plan

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 10/31/2012 06:08:00 am

DHS & Public Safety Canada Started Joint Cybersecurity Action Plan

A joint venture Cyber Security plan has been announced by US Department of Homeland Security and Canada. According to the official website of Public Safety Canada - PS Canada along with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are pursuing a coordinated approach to enhance the resiliency of our cyber infrastructure. The Cybersecurity Action Plan (the Action Plan) between PS and DHS seeks to enhance the cybersecurity of our nations through increased integration of PS' and DHS' respective national cybersecurity activities and improved collaboration with the private sector. This Action Plan represents just one of many important efforts between Canada and the United States to deepen our already strong bilateral cybersecurity cooperation.
As the Internet knows no borders, all countries have a responsibility to prevent, respond to, and recover from cyber disruptions and to make cyberspace safer for all citizens across the globe. Due to a shared physical border, Canada and the United States have an additional mutual interest in partnering to protect our shared infrastructure. This Action Plan aims to articulate a shared approach to fulfill PS' and DHS' vision of working together to defend and protect our use of cyberspace and to strengthen the resiliency of our nations. These efforts, combined, advance the objectives articulated by President Obama and Prime Minister Harper in the February 2011 declaration, Beyond the Border: A Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness.
This Action Plan outlines three goals for improved engagement, collaboration, and information sharing at the operational and strategic levels, with the private sector, and in public awareness activities, for activities conducted by PS and DHS. The Action Plan establishes lines of communication and areas for collaborative work critical to enhancing the cybersecurity preparedness of both nations. The Action Plan's goals and objectives are to be conducted in accordance with the June 2012 Statement of Privacy Principles by the United States and Canada. This Action Plan is intended to remain a living document to be reviewed on a regular basis and updated as needed to support new requirements that align to the Plan's key goals and objectives. It intends to support and inform current and future efforts to advance the goals of Beyond the Border, which ultimately seeks to enhance broad bilateral cooperation on cybersecurity efforts across both governments.

Goals and Objectives:-

1. Enhanced Cyber Incident Management Collaboration between National Cybersecurity Operations Centers

PS' Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre intends to work jointly with DHS' United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team and Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team towards the following objectives:
  • 1.1 Increase real-time collaboration between analysts by improving existing channels for remote communication and arranging in-person visits;
  • 1.2 Enhance information sharing at all classification levels and collaborate on training opportunities, while promoting inter-agency coordination, as appropriate, as well as the proper protections for information, as outlined in the Statement of Privacy Principles;
  • 1.3 Coordinate on cybersecurity incident response management, relating to defense, mitigation, and remediation activities and products, including with other public and private entities consistent with each country's laws and policies;
  • 1.4 Align and standardize cyber incident management processes and escalation procedures; and
  • 1.5 Enhance technical and operational information sharing in the area of industrial control systems security.

2. Joint Engagement and Information Sharing with the Private Sector on Cybersecurity

Due to the shared nature of critical infrastructure between Canada and the United States, PS and DHS intend to collaborate on cybersecurity-focused private-sector engagement for cybersecurity activities for which they are responsible through the following objectives:
  • 2.1 Share engagement approaches for private sector;
  • 2.2 Exchange and collaborate on the development of briefing materials for the private sector;
  • 2.3 Jointly conduct private sector briefings;
  • 2.4 Review approaches and align processes for private sector engagement through requests for technical assistance and non-disclosure agreements; and
  • 2.5 Standardize protocols for sharing information.

3. Continued Cooperation on Ongoing Cybersecurity Public Awareness Efforts

Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility and everyone, including our citizens, has a role to play. With increased media attention devoted to cybersecurity incidents and with the continuing growth of electronic commerce and social media, it is imperative that citizens receive clear and trustworthy information on how to manage cyber threats to themselves and their families. Ensuring that government's cybersecurity awareness messages are consistent across our border helps to deliver that information effectively and consistently. PS Communications, the DHS Office of Public Affairs, and the National Protection and Program Directorate's Office of Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C) intend to continue to work together as they:
  • 3.1 Collaborate on public awareness campaigns (websites, social media activities, education material, etc.);
  • 3.2 Collaborate on Cybersecurity Awareness Month (October); and
  • 3.3 Share and coordinate messaging on issues of common interest.

Governance of the Joint Action Plan:-

Senior officials within PS and CS&C intend to review and provide additional guidance in order to update this Action Plan on a quarterly basis. This Action Plan is intended to be a part of broader inter-governmental coordination across government agencies in both the United States and Canada.


To Download The Full Cybersecurity Action Plan Between Public Safety Canada and the Department of Homeland Security Click Here



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FBI Started National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2012

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 10/03/2012 04:37:00 am

FBI Started National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2012

Last week the  Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a report based on information from law enforcement and complaints submitted to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) detailing recent cyber crime trends and new twists to previously-existing cyber scams. As you all know that the Month of October is celebrated as National Cyber Security Awareness Month for last nine years. This year also FBI declared the October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2012. According to the official blog of FBI - the threat has continued to grow even more complex and sophisticated. Just 12 days ago, in fact, FBI Director Robert Mueller said that “cyber security may well become our highest priority in the years to come.” 

For its part, the FBI is strengthening its cyber operations to sharpen its focus on the greatest cyber threats to national security: computer intrusions and network attacks. We are enhancing the technological capabilities of all investigative personnel and hiring additional computer scientists to provide expert technical support to critical investigations. We are creating two distinct task forces in each field office: Cyber Task Forces, focused on intrusions and network attacks that will draw on our existing cyber squads; and Child Exploitation Task Forces, focused on crimes against children. We are also increasing the size and scope of the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force—the FBI-led multi-agency focal point for coordinating and sharing cyber threat information to stop current and future attacks.

The FBI also runs several other cyber-related programs, including the Innocent Images National Initiative—which combats online child predators—and the Internet Crime Complaint Center—a partnership between the Bureau and the National White Collar Crime Center that serves as a clearinghouse for triaging cyber complaints and provides an easy-to-use online tool for reporting these complaints.

Because of the interconnectedness of online systems, every American who uses digital technologies at home or in the office can—and must—play a part in cyber security. For example, if you open a virus-laden e-mail attachment at work, you could infect your entire company’s computer network. Don’t be the weakest link: get educated on cyber safety.

Here are a few basic steps you can take to be more secure:

  • Set strong passwords, and don’t share them with anyone.
  • Keep a clean machine—your operating system, browser, and other critical software are optimized by installing regular updates.
  • Maintain an open dialogue with your family, friends, and community about Internet safety.
  • Limit the amount of personal information you post online, and use privacy settings to avoid sharing information widely.
  • Be cautious about what you receive or read online—if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.


Visit the links below for more tips on protecting your computers and other electronic devices, information on cyber threats, and details on how to report cyber crimes or scams:



For more information:






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Indian Air Force (IAF) Issued Strict Rules & Discipline to Avoid Hacking

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 9/30/2012 03:50:00 pm

Indian Air Force (IAF) Issued Strict Rules & Discipline to Avoid Hacking

Last month in a report we said Indian Govt is working on a robust cyber security structure, and parallely now the Indian Govt is emphasizing its security structure to fight against cyber threats. As a result of this ongoing cyber awareness, a very strict order have been issued by Indian air force to tackle and avoid cyber attacks. From now and onward every officer of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will now have to sign a declaration that they will not save or view any official document on personal computers. Failure to adhere to this directive will lead to a court marshal and prosecution. In a recent case, operational documents were found on the personal computer of a young pilot posted at an airbase in Tamil Nadu. A court of inquiry has been initiated. Over the years, cyberspace has emerged as a critical frontier for espionage as the use of computers and dependence on the internet has grown. Thus, document security has emerged as one of critical areas of concern for the government. It is perhaps alluding to these increasing instances of the cyberspace being used by foreign agencies to collect critical information. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while addressing top cops of the country at the annual security conference hosted by the Intelligence Bureau earlier this month, said, "Our country's vulnerability to cybercrime is escalating... Large-scale computer attacks on our critical infrastructure and economy can have potentially devastating results. The government is working on a robust cyber security structure."
As a general rule, computers in which sensitive information are stored or prepared are never connected to the internet. "The IAF internal communication network, for instance, is not only a stand-alone network with no connection to the net, but also has the system configured in such a way that it doesn't allow external storage devices like pen drives or CDs," a senior MoD official told the press. Nonetheless, some officers have been found "keeping copies or preparing documents using critical information in their personal computers, which have subsequently passed out by malwares in the system or hacked," the officer added.

Beside of developing a robust cyber security structure, there is another reason behind this decision, and that is Couple of months ago we have seen that Chinese hackers have broken into Indian Navy's Computer System & stolen sensitive data. Later, inquiries revealed that a few naval officers had, against the rules, taken copies of the plans in pen drives from a naval computer, to study. The Chinese-made pen drives allegedly had malwares which transmitted the data back to IP addresses in China once they were used on computers connected to the internet. So the Indian Govt is now very strict about data privacy, so the implemented this new rule. Such bold decisions will surely make security tight and also reduce the probability of data theft & cyber espionage. 


-Source (NDTV)






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Global Payment company Visa Conducted Security Training For CBI Officials

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 6/07/2012 12:16:00 am

Global Payment company Visa Conducted Security Training For CBI Officials To Fight Against Cyber-Crime
Global Payment company Visa has sensitized officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) about modus operandi of electronic payment frauds and measures to combat the rising cyber-crime. This whole campaign was a part of spreading awareness on changing nature of cyber crime and card frauds in India. Visa conducted a workshop in New Delhi where CBI officials of economic offence wing were given information on global trends in fraud risk management, cybercrime and measures available to detect and combat them. The company said that given the rapidly changing nature of cybercrime and card fraud in India, the objective of the awareness programme was to share the modus operadi of electronic payment frauds and the intricacies involved in them. 
Visa said it has stepped up its electronic payments security awareness initiative with a Cards Fraud and Payments Risk Awareness Programme for Indian law enforcement agencies.
"This programme has been developed in response to growing government and public concerns around increased fraud exposures around electronic payment products, cyber security and cyber crime," it said in a statement. Visa Group Country Manager (India and South Asia) Uttam Nayak said the company is committed to developing a safe and secure online experience. "Through such programmes we play our part in keeping the country's payment system safe and ensure that law enforcement agencies have the latest skills at their disposal," he said.
VK Gupta, Special Director of CBI said that as a law enforcement agency, it is critical to understand the evolving cybercrime landscape and the latest technology used to track and prevent criminal activities.
-Source (Money Life)



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The 2012 Cyber Defence University Challenge (Australia's First National Cyber Security Competition)

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 3/19/2012 12:11:00 am

The 2012 Cyber Defence University Challenge - Australia's First National Cyber Security Competition
The 2012 Cyber Defence University Challenge, Australia’s first national cyber security competition, has been announced  by The Gillard Government, in partnership with Telstra and Australian universities. The ultimate prize, sponsored by Telstra, is travel and entry to the Black Hat 2012 Conference in Las Vegas, USA, in July 2012. Black Hat conferences are much sought-after technical information security congresses and briefing seminars which bring together trainers and speakers from corporate, government and research sectors worldwide.
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy said the Challenge would test the cyber problem-solving skills of teams of Australian undergraduates in a virtual computer network scenario. “The Challenge will raise awareness of the importance of cyber security, particularly in the university and business sectors, while also showcasing the diverse career opportunities for ICT graduates,” Senator Conroy said.
“The need for greater awareness of cyber security issues and for more high-skilled ICT graduates were two of the key themes to emerge from the public engagement process associated with the Government’s Cyber White Paper, due for release later this year. “The Challenge is a positive example of the Government partnering with industry and academia to enable Australia to overcome the challenges associated with being a modern, digital economy. “The Government is committed to working with industry to develop a safe and secure digital economy for Australians.  We are also committed to increasing the skills and expertise necessary to protect online environments from cyber crime such as data theft.”
The Challenge will run for 24 hours on 3 – 4 April 2012. University undergraduates across Australia who are studying computer science and related degrees are encouraged to register a team in the Challenge via their university.


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2300+ High Profile Indian Websites Hacked By XtReMiSt Of Muslim Liberation Army (MLA)

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 3/18/2012 04:52:00 am

2300+ High Profile Indian Websites Hacked By XtReMiSt Of Muslim Liberation Army (MLA) 
One of the most dangerous hacker of Asia-pacific named XtReMiSt from Muslim Liberation Army (MLA) arise again. Here also he have engaged a missive cyber attack against Indian cyber fence, as expected the same cause repeated "To Raise The Awareness About Illegal Occupation Of India in Kashmir... We Will Never Surrender... Think As A Human... Killing Of Innocent Humans Because They Want Freedom is it a Justice? You Yourself A Best Judge...". This time he has hacked into more than 2300 Indian websites including News Channels, Govt. Undertaking Company, Institutes, Colleges, Multinational Group and so on. The full list of all those hack including deface mirror can be found on a pastebin release by the hacker. 
We want to give you reminder that earlier XtReMiSt has hacked and defaced many high profile sites like Technology Development Board (Govt.Of India) Bathinda Police Official Website, Baran Police, Jalgaon Janta Bank, Crime Investigation Department (CID) West Bengal and many Govt, University, Research Center, and so on. This attack again proves the strength and capabilities of MLA as well as XtReMiSt.  





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Key Role of McAfee In Largest IT Security System Deployment Extended By U.S. Department of Defense

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 3/10/2012 06:08:00 pm

The Key Role of McAfee In Largest IT Security System Deployment Extended By U.S. Department of Defense 

U.S. Department of Defense officially extends the key role of McAfee in largest IT security system deployment. McAfee announced that it will serve as the primary subcontractor to Northrop Grumman Information Systems (NGIS), the prime integration contractor, for the Host Based Security System (HBSS) program. The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) awarded Northrop Grumman a $189 million HBSS task order, which has a three-year base period with two one-year options.
HBSS is a flexible, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)-based program that monitors, detects, and counters against known cyber-threats to the DoD Enterprise in accordance with the Enterprise-wide Information Assurance and Computer Network Defense Solutions Steering Group. DISA serves as the lead organization providing program oversight for DoD for the HBSS solution. "DISA and McAfee have built a HBSS partnership that has resulted in vastly improved protection and situational awareness across the large and complex DoD global IT enterprise." said Ken Kartsen, vice president, Federal Sales, Public Sector, McAfee. "With the HBSS security framework, DoD can quickly deploy new protection capabilities for its host inventory of servers, desktops and notebooks. The highly scalable and open framework behind HBSS, McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator platform, is especially necessary in today's environment of rapidly escalating cyber threats and declining DoD budgets. We are honored and humbled by the continued trust that DISA has placed in us and will continue to innovate and drive the capabilities of this highly important system."
Under the terms of the agreement, the Northrop Grumman/McAfee team will continue to enhance the operational capability of the HBSS solution through McAfee advanced enterprise host technologies, solution training of DoD personnel, and McAfee Global Professional Services. HBSS is currently supported by the ePolicy Orchestrator(R) platform and by McAfee(R) Host Intrusion Prevention Systems (HIPS). Cyber training for HBSS will continue to be a key initiative under the new HBSS agreement with DISA. Continued Kartsen, "HBSS is the most extensive cybersecurity training program ever undertaken in the history of DoD."  For detailed information click here. 

-Source (McAfee)




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Cyber-War 2.0!! Bangladeshi Hackers Again Targeting Indian Cyber Fence

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 3/02/2012 07:09:00 pm

Cyber-War 2.0!! Bangladeshi Hackers Again Targeting Indian Cyber Fence 

Last month almost every media was busy while covering the story of Cyber-War between Bangladesh & India. The readers of VOGH get the full coverage of that issue. Earlier attack caused maximum damage (NIC, BSF, Stock Market, Media, Govt Sites, Political Party's Website & many other important & high profile sites) for India because all the attacks are coming from Bangladeshi side. Later hackers from BD stopped the attack and unofficially postponed the cyber-war. In our Magazine we have exposed the untold story of the entire issue. Being a media we did our job to raise awareness and as expected we get maximum support from all the peace lovers from the both countries. 
But now again Bangladesh Cyber Army restarted the so called cyber war, or you can call it Cyber-War 2.0. In your magazine we did maximum criticism of that very issue but it seems BCA either did not have much time to go through that PDF or just continuing the same bull shit stuff for Negative Publicity (The main object of this entire issue). So yet again they have blown more than 55 Indian sites to resend their message to Indian Govt & Indian Hackers Communities. 

VOGH Review:- 
But like earlier we are again standing against this issue, because we know what these hackers are looking for and what are the main object of engaging cyber attack & that is fake publicity stunt or you can say negative publicity. While fulfilling their bloody object they are just harassing and disturbing the cyber space which indeed causing serious problem for common people 


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Bangladesh Cyber Army (BCA) Hit Indian Stock Market

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 2/15/2012 05:53:00 pm

Bangladesh Cyber Army (BCA) Hit Indian Stock Market (Cyber-War Continues)

The Cyber-War between India and Bangladesh is going on and on. But now its became rather one sided and most of the attack is coming from the Bangladeshi side. Recently they have released their second video where they vow to hit Indian Stock Market websites. During peak hour three main sites of Indian stock market was apparently down due to massive denial of service attack from BD hackers. As expected this DDoS attack surely effect the financial & banking sector of India. 

Targeted Sites:-

Press Release of BCA:-

The video mentioned the reason to be the killing another of innocent Bangladeshi citizens in the Bangladesh-India border zone yesterday. In the last 3-4 days, a huge number of Indian sites fell victim to hacking attacks of Bangladesh Cyber Army. Two other groups, Bangladesh Black Hat Hackers and 3xp1r3 Cyber Army were also involved in the attacks. Besides, they also have supports from Pakistani hackers which we have already covered. National Informatics Center (NIC), Indian Railways, Passport Dept, MIT, NDTV all became victim of this cyber attack.

VOGH Review:-
Being a media its our duty to rise awareness, so after seeing this so called cyber-war we can only see that it is just damaging thousands of websites. In short hackers from both countries are just bringing ruin to their own cyber space. While attacking websites of different countries, either knowingly or UN-knowingly they are just putting their cyber space in risk. Also such cyber-war always make negative reputation for those countries who have engaged the war. In short if they do not end war - the war will end them. 

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NDTV Under Cyber Attack From BCA (Cyber-War Continues)

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 2/14/2012 04:51:00 pm

NDTV Under Cyber Attack From BCA (Cyber-War Continues) 
Cyber-War between Bangladesh and India continues. Hackers from bd mainly Bangladesh Cyber Army still targeting Indian cyber space. Earlier in our report we have covered the output of this cyberwar. Still if you do summary you will find that more than 10K websites from both India & Bangladesh get effected in this ongoing war. Among them there are many high value sites, Govt sites, media and many more. Even bd hackers launched attack on National Informatics Center (NIC), Indian Railways, Passport Dept, MIT and many more. Hackers claimed that they are continuously attacking Indian cyber fence to stand against injustice and oppression. This time the victim was a high-profile website, which is the official site of NDTV- a well known media. The NDTV server suffered from DNS failure. According to BCA The attack was done by the admin of Bangladesh Cyber Army named Bedu33n along with other members of BCA.
 
The above screen shot of submitted by BCA to prove the attack. This not the 1st time in the previous attack NTDV website suffers from massive denial of service attack. Also BCA released a You Tube video to send a message to Indian Govt. In their press release BCA said:-
 
"Indian hackers have hacked a number of our Government sites.
We know that the security of the sites are very weak, but we cannot allow them to hack these at any cost.
We have been forced to act back, we had no other way with our backs against the wall.
Under these circumstances, Indians have to agree to all the points as below, no matter what-
1. Stop hacking Bangladeshi websites and stop all types of access to Bangladeshi Cyber Space completely...
2. Stop killing innocent Bangladeshi citizens at BD-India borders...
3. Stop Tipaimukh Dam...
4. Sign the "Teesta Water Sharing Treaty"...
5.Either stop broadcasting of Indian Media in Bangladesh or let Bangladeshi Media enter India...
6. Stop all Anti-Bangladesh activities of BSF and punish all offenders for their deeds against Bangladesh...
7. Last but not the least, India has to stop all activities which go against Bangladesh in any possible way...
If these points are not accepted, our next attacks will be much bigger. You might think we are done, but this is just the beginning. Our next targets will be Indian Financial System, Communication System and IT Sector and Stock Exchange and we promise, those sites will be destroyed...."

VOGH Review:-
Being a media its our duty to rise awareness, so after seeing this so called cyber-war we can only see that it is just damaging thousands of websites. In short hackers from both countries are just bringing ruin to their own cyber space. While attacking websites of different countries, either knowingly or UN-knowingly they are just putting their cyber space in risk. Also such cyber-war always make negative reputation for those countries who have engaged the war. So If they do not end war - the war will end them.




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National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) Celebrates Data Privacy Day

Posted by Avik Sarkar On 1/28/2012 04:24:00 pm

National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) Celebrates Data Privacy Day & Launched Privacy Forum 

The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), a non-profit public-private partnership focused on cybersecurity awareness and education for all digital citizens and official coordinator of Data Privacy Day, will formally celebrate Data Privacy Day 2012 by hosting a privacy forum  at the George Washington University School of Law. Data Privacy Day is an annual awareness initiative that focuses on educating people about the importance of protecting the privacy of personal information and promotes individual control over private data. The awareness effort is celebrated in many places around the world.

Panelists include: David Hoffman, director of security policy and global privacy officer, Intel; Gerard Lewis, vice president, deputy general counsel and chief privacy officer, Comcast Cable; Ari Schwartz, 
senior Internet policy advisor, U.S. Department of Commerce; Rick Buck, head of privacy GSI, eBay Inc.; Erin Egan, chief privacy officer, policy, Facebook; JoAnn C. Stonier, 
global privacy & data protection officer, MasterCard Worldwide; 
and Bob Quinn, senior vice president-Federal Regulatory & chief privacy officer, AT&T.

The list of supporting organizations for Data Privacy Day 2012 includes the recent addition of AT&T and Facebook as official sponsorship partners along with Google, MasterCard Worldwide, Microsoft, Intuit, Comcast, and NQ Mobile (formerly NetQin Mobile). The current list of official sponsors includes Intel and eBay Inc. To Know Full information and resources surrounding Data Privacy Day Click Here.


-Source (sacbee & Stay Safe Online)



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