Category Archives: capitol hill

Ransomware hits iConstituent, a service lawmakers use to communicate with voters

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The scourge of ransomware has now hit closer to home for U.S. politicians. Ransomware has impacted the newsletter service of iConstituent, a firm that U.S. lawmakers use to contact constituents, the House of Representatives’ Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) said Tuesday. Individual offices choose to buy iConstituent services, which include virtual town halls, email and texting, and other data services. “At this time, the CAO is not aware of any impact to House data,” the CAO office said in an emailed statement. “The CAO is coordinating with the impacted offices supported by iConstituent and has taken measures to ensure that the attack does not affect the House network and offices’ data.” iConstituent boasts that its software “supports millions of digital interactions between people and their governments each year.” It was unclear Tuesday morning how broadly the incident would impact House legislators’ communication with constituents. The Washington-based firm did not immediately respond […]

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Russia, Iran and China exploit Capitol Hill riot to push information operations, US intel concludes

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As America reels from the deadly Capitol Hill insurrection, Russia, Iran and China are using their state media mouthpieces to exploit U.S. divisions and further their interests ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration, according to a new U.S. intelligence analysis obtained by CyberScoop. The Jan. 14 intelligence memo produced by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security shows how U.S. adversaries wasted no time in amplifying scenes from the pro-Trump mob’s siege of the Capitol building. Russian state media has harped on the Jan. 6 riot’s “violent and chaotic nature,” while focusing on the second impeachment of President Donald Trump, according to the memo. One Russian “proxy” suggested that “Antifa,” a loose collection of left-wing activists, was responsible for the storming of the Capitol, the intelligence memo said. Some Republican lawmakers also have mentioned that baseless conspiracy theory. Iranian state media has zeroed in on calls for Trump’s removal from office […]

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DHS intel official alleges he was ordered to halt Russia reporting because it made Trump ‘look bad’

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In a whistleblower complaint made public Wednesday, a senior Department of Homeland Security official accused the department’s acting secretary of directing him to refrain from distributing an intelligence report on Russian election interference because it would make President Donald Trump “look bad.” The allegation from Brian Murphy, who until August was principal deputy undersecretary in DHS’s intelligence office, will add to criticism from Democratic lawmakers that intelligence has been politicized under acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf. According to the complaint, Murphy was instructed in July first by the DHS chief of staff and then by Wolf himself to hold off on distributing an intelligence memo on Russian disinformation because it was unflattering for Trump. That followed a directive in May from Wolf to Murphy, the complaint alleges, to stop providing intelligence assessments on Russian interference threats and to begin reporting on threats from China and Iran. “Mr. Wolf stated that […]

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Lawmaker calls on microchip makers for briefing after Spectre, Meltdown disclosures

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Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., has requested a briefing with the CEOs of Intel, Arm Holdings, and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) — companies that produce computer processors, which have all been exposed to security vulnerabilities. Earlier this month, cybersecurity experts discovered modern processor chip flaws called ‘Meltdown’ and ‘Spectre’ and since then, computer processor companies have been scrambling to deploy fixes. The flaws involve deep rooted vulnerabilities in most microchips that could allow hackers to access and steal sensitive documents and information. Each company has implemented software patches to repair systems and devices affected by ‘Meltdown’ but ‘Spectre’ on the other hand, cannot be easily repaired— there’s currently no known fix for it yet besides redesigning the processors from scratch. Since companies like Intel have implemented patches, computers with its processors have been performing slower. Brian Krzanich, Intel CEO, addressed the vulnerabilities at CES, stating that the company is still working […]

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Lawmaker calls on microchip makers for briefing after Spectre, Meltdown disclosures

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Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., has requested a briefing with the CEOs of Intel, Arm Holdings, and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) — companies that produce computer processors, which have all been exposed to security vulnerabilities. Earlier this month, cybersecurity experts discovered modern processor chip flaws called ‘Meltdown’ and ‘Spectre’ and since then, computer processor companies have been scrambling to deploy fixes. The flaws involve deep rooted vulnerabilities in most microchips that could allow hackers to access and steal sensitive documents and information. Each company has implemented software patches to repair systems and devices affected by ‘Meltdown’ but ‘Spectre’ on the other hand, cannot be easily repaired— there’s currently no known fix for it yet besides redesigning the processors from scratch. Since companies like Intel have implemented patches, computers with its processors have been performing slower. Brian Krzanich, Intel CEO, addressed the vulnerabilities at CES, stating that the company is still working […]

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