Category Archives: DIA

Lawmakers press spy leaders on lagging efforts to block foreign hackers, deterrence

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When companies become aware they have been targeted by criminal or nation-state hackers, they need to fess up and come to the U.S. government with information to help feds get a better handle on foreign nation-state hacking, FBI Director Chris Wray emphasized during testimony on Capitol Hill Wednesday. Wray noted that companies coming forward when they are impacted in cyberattacks is a crucial part of developing a sort of early-warning system for foreign hackers working to conduct sweeping cyber-operations against multiple American companies and government entities. “We need that first company [impacted]. Someday you’re going to be the first company, if you’re the CEO and someday you’re going to be the second, third or fourth company,” Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee during the intelligence community’s global threats briefing. “We need in every instance those companies to be stepping forward promptly and reaching out to government so that we can […]

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DIA uses purchased phone location data without warrants

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The Defense Intelligence Agency has been using smartphone location data purchased from commercially available databases, according to an intelligence memo obtained by CyberScoop. The DIA, which primarily provides intelligence to support U.S. military operations, has been gathering the location data on both Americans and non-U.S. citizens dating back two-and-a-half years, according to the memo, which was drafted by the DIA for the offices of Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., states. The DIA has sought to access Americans’ data and their past movements a total of five times in that time period, according to the memo. The memo did not state the number of times non-citizens’ data was queried. While the agency did not describe what the searches encompassed, the memo makes clear that the agency is obtaining sensitive location data without a warrant. The Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement previously suggested in a legal memo that government officials […]

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Senate Intelligence Committee wants DNI to investigate commercial spyware threats

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The Senate Intelligence Committee quietly approved a measure last week that would require the Director of National Intelligence to submit a report to Congress on the threats posed by foreign governments’ and entities’ use of commercially available surveillance software. The DNI’s report, which would be sent to Congress 180 days after the Intelligence Authorization Act for 2021 passes, would include information on how the U.S. — and other countries — can work to reduce the threats of commercial spyware, including through export controls, diplomatic pressure, trade agreements, and work with the technology and telecommunications sectors to better secure consumers’ software. The committee wants the DNI to specifically address the threat posed to U.S. citizens, in addition to those living abroad or employed by the U.S. government. The report request comes nearly one year after the United Nations Special Rapporteur David Kaye called for a moratorium on the creation and sale of […]

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Cyber Security Project Investment Proposal – DIA Needipedia – Fight Cybercrime and Cyber Jihad With Sensors – Grab Your Copy Today!

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Dear blog readers, I decided to share with everyone a currently pending project investment proposal regarding the upcoming launch of a proprietary Technical Collection analysis platform with the project proposal draft available on request part of DIA’s… Continue reading Cyber Security Project Investment Proposal – DIA Needipedia – Fight Cybercrime and Cyber Jihad With Sensors – Grab Your Copy Today!→

Former DIA official allegedly sold secrets to China, including possible Cyber Command information

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A former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) official was caught providing secret military documents to the Chinese government, including what appears to be sensitive information about the locations of U.S. Cyber Command outposts and personnel, according to a newly unsealed Justice Department indictment. The case reveals an increasingly obvious counterintelligence battle between the U.S. and China as the two countries are spending billions on developing advanced cyberwarfare units. The arrest of Ron Rockwell Hansen, a 20-year Army veteran, marks the third publicly visible case in the last year of an American passing secretive documents to Chinese government-linked agents. Former Central Intelligence Agency case officer Jerry Chun Shing Lee was arrested in January for allegedly tipping off Chinese spies to the CIA’s human network inside the authoritarian regime. No longer employed by the government but still familiar with the U.S. intelligence community, Hansen possessed top-secret security clearances for both his civilian and active-duty work. He […]

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U.S. spies think the FBI is botching the Kaspersky investigation

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U.S. spies believe FBI agents have mismanaged the ongoing counterintelligence investigation into Moscow-based cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab, current and former senior U.S. officials familiar with the matter tell CyberScoop. Officials tell CyberScoop believe the FBI has engaged in deliberate media leaks and overblown classified congressional briefings to build their case around Kaspersky. These officials also say the FBI should be more covert in their efforts by quietly convincing private companies to uninstall Kaspersky software and issuing other classified directives, which they believe would not put the rest of the intelligence community — especially agencies engaged in cyber operations — in the crosshairs for retaliation. The FBI has briefed private sector firms across industries urging the companies to cut ties with Kaspersky on security grounds, CyberScoop reported last week. On some occasions, the FBI’s outreach efforts in the U.S. have gone well. At least one major American energy firm recently opted against signing a significant business deal with Kaspersky due […]

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DNI: Chinese hacking against U.S. companies is ‘ongoing’ but ‘significantly reduced’

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Chinese hacking against U.S. targets is ongoing but “at volumes significantly lower” than before the landmark agreement reached in 2015 between Beijing and Washington D.C., according to the Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats. Former President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a deal in 2015 after cyberattacks that included widespread intellectual property theft for commercial gain, along with soft attribution that prompted threats of sanctions and other retaliation. Coats’ comments came in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday during a hearing on worldwide military threats faced by the United States. Almost two years after the agreement was signed, Coats’ assessment notes significant progress on the cybersecurity front between the world’s two biggest economies. “We assess that Beijing will continue actively targeting the U.S. government, its allies, and U.S. companies for cyber espionage,” Coats said in his written testimony. “Private-sector security experts continue to identify ongoing cyber […]

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