Category Archives: democratic national committee

DNC tells candidates not to use Huawei or ZTE devices

Posted on by

The Democratic National Committee has warned candidates running in the 2018 midterm elections not to use devices made by Chinese telecom firms Huawei and ZTE because of security concerns. “[P]lease make sure that you are not using or purchasing ZTE or Huawei devices anywhere within your staff – for personal or work-related use,” DNC Chief Security Officer Bob Lord wrote in an email obtained by CyberScoop. Lord sent the email Friday to Democratic state parties and the DNC’s sister committees. U.S. intelligence officials have long expressed concerns that equipment from Huawei and ZTE could be used to spy on Americans due to the companies’ alleged links to the Chinese government. Both companies have vigorously denied the allegations. Lord cited congressional testimony from February, in which U.S. intelligence directors raised security concerns about the Chinese companies. “I wanted to highlight that the intelligence community does not make statements like this lightly,” […]

The post DNC tells candidates not to use Huawei or ZTE devices appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading DNC tells candidates not to use Huawei or ZTE devices→

Justice Department Indicts 12 Russian Nationals Tied to 2016 Election Hacking

Posted on by

Indictments are part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 elections. Continue reading Justice Department Indicts 12 Russian Nationals Tied to 2016 Election Hacking→

DNC pushes employees, campaigns to embrace email security habits ahead of midterms

Posted on by

Staffers at the Democratic National Committee are getting better at spotting phishing emails, a skill that became a top priority after Russian-linked hackers breached the DNC during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, according to Chief Technology Officer Raffi Krikorian. Krikorian and his team have been challenging their colleagues to spot fake malicious emails. Since September of last year — primarily through a phishing simulation platform named Wombat — the DNC’s tech team has been targeting co-workers as part of a broad effort to evaluate internal cybersecurity risks. Staffers are graded on their ability to spot, report and avoid emails that in a real-world scenario might carry malware. The ongoing exercise is helping Krikorian and DNC Chief Information Security Officer Bob Lord learn how often any person in the organization is likely to click a suspicious email attachment. “People have such PTSD about what happened in 2016 that there’s a real desire to improve [security] here,” Krikorian […]

The post DNC pushes employees, campaigns to embrace email security habits ahead of midterms appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading DNC pushes employees, campaigns to embrace email security habits ahead of midterms→

Trump Cyber Executive Order Calls for 60-Day Review

Posted on by

President Donald Trump postponed the release and signing of an Executive Order around cybersecurity that calls for a 60-day review systems and critical infrastructure. Continue reading Trump Cyber Executive Order Calls for 60-Day Review→

Julian Assange is not Dead, but his Internet Connection is Cut by ‘State Party’

Posted on by

Don’t worry — Julian Assange is alive and kicking! But his Internet connection is dead.

Earlier today, Wikileaks tweeted that its co-founder, Julian Assange, had his internet connection intentionally cut by an unidentified “state party.”

The non-profit organization said it had “activated appropriate contingency plans,” giving no further explanation.

The tweet came after Wikileaks posted a

Continue reading Julian Assange is not Dead, but his Internet Connection is Cut by ‘State Party’→