Category Archives: Gen. Haugh

Air Force unveils information warfare outfit amid U.S. effort to go on offense in cyberspace

Posted on by

After months of planning, the U.S. Air Force announced it is creating a new information warfare body, an official step that aims to bolster the military’s digital warfare capabilities. The Air Force announced this week it will create an information warfare command, which will combine the capabilities from the division now responsible for defending crucial networks, Air Forces Cyber, and the 25th Air Force, which oversees intelligence collection, surveillance, and reconnaissance. The new outfit will be known as the 16th Air Force, and led by Maj. Gen. Timothy Haugh, who formerly led the Cyber National Mission Force at Cyber Command, pending his confirmation. The update is one aspect in a series of efforts the Pentagon is undertaking to accelerate offensive operations after years of focusing primarily on defense. It also comes at a time when every other U.S. military service — the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard – also is considering upgrades to […]

The post Air Force unveils information warfare outfit amid U.S. effort to go on offense in cyberspace appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Air Force unveils information warfare outfit amid U.S. effort to go on offense in cyberspace→

U.S. ramping up offensive cyber measures to stop economic attacks, Bolton says

Posted on by

The U.S. is beginning use offensive cyber measures in response to commercial espionage, President Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, said Tuesday. “We’re now looking at — beyond the electoral context — a whole range of other activities to prevent this other kind of cyber interference … in the economic space, as well,” Bolton said while speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s CFO Network annual meeting. The U.S. faces many digital economic threats, including a particularly aggressive salvo from Beijing, which continues to steal intellectual property and conduct other cyber-espionage activities, according to the latest Pentagon assessment on Chinese military operations. The U.S. government traditionally has carried out offensive cyber operations in the electoral context, such as a 2018 Cyber Command operation that interrupted the internet access of a Russian organization that spread political disinformation on social media. Now, according to Bolton, American focus is expanding to deter the theft of IP. “We’re now opening the aperture, […]

The post U.S. ramping up offensive cyber measures to stop economic attacks, Bolton says appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading U.S. ramping up offensive cyber measures to stop economic attacks, Bolton says→

U.S. Cyber Command selects new top deputy for Gen. Nakasone

Posted on by

Gen. Paul Nakasone, head of U.S. Cyber Command, has selected the organization’s chief of staff as his top deputy, a decision that coincides with an ongoing effort to fortify digital readiness before the next election. Rear Adm. Ross Myers, who began his role as the command’s chief of staff last May, was confirmed by the Senate last week and is now a Vice Admiral and a three-star Deputy Commander. Nakasone, who is both the commander of Cyber Command and the Director of the National Security Agency, promoted Myers on Memorial Day. Myers has previously served as director of plans and policy at Cyber Command. He also served in several roles for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, including as assistant deputy director for Global Operations and executive assistant to vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He also is a career naval aviator. The number two position has been open since earlier this year, […]

The post U.S. Cyber Command selects new top deputy for Gen. Nakasone appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading U.S. Cyber Command selects new top deputy for Gen. Nakasone→

Cyber Command’s latest VirusTotal upload has been linked to an active attack

Posted on by

The malware sample that U.S. Cyber Command uploaded to VirusTotal last week is still involved in active attacks, multiple security researchers tell CyberScoop. Researchers from Kaspersky Lab and ZoneAlarm, a software security company run by Check Point Technologies, tell CyberScoop they have linked the malware with APT28, the same hacking group that breached the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 election cycle. A variant of the malware is being used in ongoing attacks, hitting targets as recently this month. The targets include Central Asian nations, as well as diplomatic and foreign affairs organizations, Kaspersky Lab’s principal security researcher Kurt Baumgartner tells CyberScoop. While ZoneAlarm can’t confirm the targets the attack is focused on, the company detected the specific malware hash in an active attack in the Czech Republic last week, Lotem Finkelsteen, ZoneAlarm’s Threat Intelligence Group Manager, tells CyberScoop. “Although we cannot confirm such an attack, Finkelsteen said, referring to the […]

The post Cyber Command’s latest VirusTotal upload has been linked to an active attack appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Cyber Command’s latest VirusTotal upload has been linked to an active attack→