Category Archives: jeff sessions

Chinese economic espionage is target of new Justice Department initiative

Posted on by

Department of Justice officials say alleged Chinese economic espionage is “increasingly rapidly,” and they have established a high-level initiative dedicated to countering what they call a pervasive threat to U.S. national security. Led by Assistant Attorney General John Demers and staffed by senior DOJ officials, the new initiative will work to counter various forms of Chinese economic espionage, including the targeting of U.S. centers of ingenuity like universities, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Thursday. The effort could lead the department to make recommendations to Congress for legislation to address the threat, he added. “Chinese economic espionage against the United States has been increasing and it has been increasing rapidly,” Sessions said at a press conference. “We are here today to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ We’re not going to take it anymore.” The Chinese government, Sessions said, was “notorious around the world” for intellectual property theft. Beijing has denied such allegations. The new DOJ […]

The post Chinese economic espionage is target of new Justice Department initiative appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Chinese economic espionage is target of new Justice Department initiative→

DOJ Cyber Task Force expected to release first-ever report in late July

Posted on by

The Department of Justice’s internal “Cyber-Digital Task Force,” created by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in February, will release its first-ever public report later this month at the Aspen Institute’s annual Security Forum, a department spokesperson told CyberScoop. The report is expected to detail a series of security recommendations that the government should consider to protect future U.S. elections from a myriad of different threats, including foreign hacking attempts. A statement by the DOJ previously explained that the Task Force will “prioritize its study of efforts to interfere with our elections; efforts to interfere with our critical infrastructure; the use of the Internet to spread violent ideologies and to recruit followers; the mass theft of corporate, governmental, and private information; the use of technology to avoid or frustrate law enforcement; and the mass exploitation of computers and other digital devices to attack American citizens and businesses.” When Sessions launched the group earlier this year, […]

The post DOJ Cyber Task Force expected to release first-ever report in late July appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading DOJ Cyber Task Force expected to release first-ever report in late July→

Government would be barred from mandating crypto backdoors under House bill

Posted on by

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers on Thursday reintroduced legislation that would bar the government from mandating “backdoors” — configurations that enable surveillance — in commercial software and hardware products. The move is the latest salvo in a long-running legislative fight over law enforcement access to encrypted communications, and it comes after a Senate committee recently sought input from big technology firms on regulating encryption. Law enforcement officials say encryption has hampered investigations by preventing access to suspects’ communications, while cryptographers warn that weakening encryption could greatly undercut digital security for everyday people. “It is troubling that law enforcement agencies appear to be more interested in compelling U.S. companies to weaken their product security than using already available technological solutions to gain access to encrypted devices and services,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., one of the bill’s sponsors, said in a statement. She introduced the bill in 2014 and has repeatedly sounded the alarm […]

The post Government would be barred from mandating crypto backdoors under House bill appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Government would be barred from mandating crypto backdoors under House bill→

DOJ looks to improve handling of cyberthreats with new task force

Posted on by

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new cybersecurity task force on Tuesday that aims to appraise the way the Department of Justice handles cases that involve the internet. The Cyber-Digital Task Force “will canvass the many ways that the Department is combatting the global cyber threat, and will also identify how federal law enforcement can more effectively accomplish its mission in this vital and evolving area,” a news release said. Sessions said he is creating the task force in order to generate ideas on how to best combat global cyberthreats. “The Internet has given us amazing new tools that help us work, communicate, and participate in our economy, but these tools can also be exploited by criminals, terrorists, and enemy governments,” Sessions said. The deputy attorney general will appoint a senior department official to chair the task force. DOJ declined to provide any more information about the task force, such as […]

The post DOJ looks to improve handling of cyberthreats with new task force appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading DOJ looks to improve handling of cyberthreats with new task force→

After AlphaBay’s Demise, Customers Flocked to Dark Market Run by Dutch Police

Posted on by

Earlier this month, news broke that authorities had seized the Dark Web marketplace AlphaBay, an online black market that peddled everything from heroin to stolen identity and credit card data. But it wasn’t until today, when the U.S. Justice Department held a press conference to detail the AlphaBay takedown that the other shoe dropped: Police in The Netherlands for the past month have been operating Hansa Market, a competing Dark Web bazaar that enjoyed a massive influx of new customers immediately after the AlphaBay takedown. Continue reading After AlphaBay’s Demise, Customers Flocked to Dark Market Run by Dutch Police→

The FBI Says It Can Finally Find Hackers Who Don’t Smoke Weed

Posted on by

The agency says it’s managing to meet its hiring goals despite a ban on hiring anyone who’s used marijuana within the last three years. Continue reading The FBI Says It Can Finally Find Hackers Who Don’t Smoke Weed→

AG Nominee Backs Law Enforcement’s Ability to ‘Overcome’ Encryption

Posted on by

President Trump’s attorney general pick Jeff Sessions says law enforcement should be able to “overcome” encryption in criminal investigations. Continue reading AG Nominee Backs Law Enforcement’s Ability to ‘Overcome’ Encryption→