Category Archives: National Security Agency

NSA puts ‘Ghidra,’ its reverse-engineering tool for malware, in the hands of the public

Posted on by

After years lurking in the shadows, the National Security Agency’s tool for reverse-engineering malware is now out in the open. The software framework has moved from classified status into use by military analysts and contractors in sensitive-but-unclassified settings, and now it’s available to anyone with an internet connection. In a bid to help private and public-sector analysts track how malicious code evolves and morphs, the agency announced the release of the tool at the RSA Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. “As we open-source it, I think the creative folks on the outside are going to build modules and capabilities and they’re going to be able to collaborate with us on improving it even further,” Rob Joyce, senior cybersecurity adviser at NSA, said at an interview. The gist of the software framework, called Ghidra, is that it allows analysts to compare different versions of malicious code to understand what each is doing differently, including […]

The post NSA puts ‘Ghidra,’ its reverse-engineering tool for malware, in the hands of the public appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading NSA puts ‘Ghidra,’ its reverse-engineering tool for malware, in the hands of the public→

NSA’s Joyce outlines how U.S. can disrupt and deter foreign hacking

Posted on by

The United States will do more to disrupt the malicious cyber-activity that foreign adversaries are aggressively using to advance their interests, a National Security Agency official said Thursday. “We have to impose costs in a visible way to start deterrence,” said Rob Joyce, senior cybersecurity adviser at NSA. “We have to go out and try to make those operations less successful and harder to do.” Speaking to an industry association in Hanover, Maryland, Joyce cited the 2017 WannaCry and NotPetya malware outbreaks — and Russia’s use of information operations in the 2016 U.S. election — as examples of nation-states moving from “exploitation to disruption” to impose their will in cyberspace. Washington has blamed North Korea and Russia, respectively, for the devastating WannaCry and NotPetya attacks, which cost billions of dollars in economic damage. Some foreign governments have less legal constraints on their activities in cyberspace than the U.S., Joyce told a local […]

The post NSA’s Joyce outlines how U.S. can disrupt and deter foreign hacking appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading NSA’s Joyce outlines how U.S. can disrupt and deter foreign hacking→

Senators ask Trump administration how badly shutdown hurt federal cybersecurity

Posted on by

After former U.S. officials raised concerns that the longest government shutdown in history had weakened federal cybersecurity, lawmakers are asking the Trump administration how bad the damage is. “We are concerned that these circumstances have left our government and citizens vulnerable to cyberattacks,” five Democratic senators wrote in a letter Tuesday to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Gen. Paul Nakasone, head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command. The senators – Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar, Massachusetts’ Ed Markey, New Mexico’s Tom Udall, Nevada’s Catherine Cortez Masto, and New Jersey’s Cory Booker – want to know how agencies are preparing to harden their networks for a future shutdown, citing past experience as a cautionary tale. During the 2013 government shutdown, the senators wrote, Chinese hackers compromised the Federal Election Commission’s computer network, crashing sensitive computer systems that disclose billions of dollars in spending each election cycle. “Shutdowns have severe […]

The post Senators ask Trump administration how badly shutdown hurt federal cybersecurity appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Senators ask Trump administration how badly shutdown hurt federal cybersecurity→

National intelligence strategy seeks better insight into adversaries’ cyber capabilities

Posted on by

A national intelligence strategy released Tuesday calls on U.S. spy agencies to improve their understanding of what is driving foreign adversaries’ growing cyber capabilities. The strategy, published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, pledges that intelligence agencies will “increase our awareness and understanding of adversaries’ use of cyber operations—including leadership plans, intentions, capabilities, and operations— to inform decisions and enable action.” The stakes are high; America’s spies must keep pace with growing list of hacking capabilities at adversaries’ disposal, according to the ODNI. “As the cyber capabilities of our adversaries grow, they will pose increasing threats to U.S. security, including critical infrastructure, public health and safety, economic prosperity, and stability,” the document says. There has been no shortage of recent foreign hacking threats to U.S. public and private organizations, from suspected Iranian targeting of domain name systems to alleged Chinese economic espionage. The new strategy recognizes that the […]

The post National intelligence strategy seeks better insight into adversaries’ cyber capabilities appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading National intelligence strategy seeks better insight into adversaries’ cyber capabilities→

From the NSA to Silicon Valley, a new kind of encryption is going commercial

Posted on by

Encryption as we know it is on the brink of a major advancement: Mathematics teams at IBM, Intel, Microsoft and a range of startup firms are pushing ahead with research that could make it possible for technology companies to encrypt data while it’s in use. This kind of security, known as homomorphic encryption, would mark a significant upgrade over current forms of encryption, which secure data while it’s stored or while it’s moving through a connection. Homomorphic encryption would better protect users who are using internet searches and accessing stored credit numbers as well as businesses that are sharing proprietary data as part of information sharing programs. The protocol was developed in part by U.S. National Security Agency researchers looking for a way to quickly search or transmit classified material without sacrificing security. It’s since become the focus of security-minded investors. “We think that whoever cracks homomorphic encryption is going […]

The post From the NSA to Silicon Valley, a new kind of encryption is going commercial appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading From the NSA to Silicon Valley, a new kind of encryption is going commercial→

China’s cyber-espionage against U.S. is ‘more audacious,’ NSA official says amid Huawei flap

Posted on by

The U.S. government again is concerned about Chinese cyber-operations, a senior National Security Agency official said Tuesday amid ongoing news about possible vulnerabilities in widely used technology. “We have to worry about national security,” Rob Joyce, a senior adviser for cybersecurity strategy at NSA, said Tuesday at a Wall Street Journal event in New York. “We’ve been strong and consistent in saying we have some specific concerns about supply chain risks and ways nations may take advantage of that.” Joyce was referring to heightened international scrutiny around the Chinese technology giant Huawei. Canadian authorities this month arrested Meng Wangzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer, on suspicion of violation U.S. sanctions. Officials in the U.S., U.K., Australia and elsewhere have warned that Huawei’s ties with the Chinese government, combined with widespread adoption of the company’s technology, could result in espionage opportunities for Beijing. Western officials have not revealed any evidence proving such […]

The post China’s cyber-espionage against U.S. is ‘more audacious,’ NSA official says amid Huawei flap appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading China’s cyber-espionage against U.S. is ‘more audacious,’ NSA official says amid Huawei flap→

Ex-NSA chief welcomes more U.S. offensive operations in cyberspace

Posted on by

Former National Security Agency director Michael Rogers has welcomed the Trump administration’s willingness to use cyber-operations to deter foreign adversaries, adding that the United States’ previous reluctance to do so was counterproductive. “My argument when I was [in government was]: “We want to keep the full range of options and capabilities available,” Rogers said Tuesday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “One of the things that frustrated me at times was: Why are we taking one element just straight off the table?” said Rogers, who left the administration in May for the private sector. “I just thought, boy, if you’re in Moscow or Beijing, you are loving this approach to life because it doesn’t really change your risk calculus,” Rogers added. While NSA director from 2014 to 2018, he also led U.S. Cyber Command. Presidential Policy Directive 20, which then-President Barack Obama signed in 2012, had installed an intricate inter-agency legal […]

The post Ex-NSA chief welcomes more U.S. offensive operations in cyberspace appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Ex-NSA chief welcomes more U.S. offensive operations in cyberspace→

Ex-NSA employees criticize Mike Rogers’ role with Israeli venture firm

Posted on by

Some former National Security Agency officials have strongly criticized ex-NSA Director Adm. Michael Rogers’ decision to join the advisory board of a venture capital firm that is closely linked with an Israeli intelligence agency. The company, Team8, announced Rogers’ position last week. Founded by former members of the elite Israeli army intelligence group known as Unit 8200, Team8 researches cybersecurity market demand, raises investments from big tech companies, and creates startups based on those demand signals. It also describes itself as a think tank, and does its own threat research. Rogers, who headed NSA and U.S. Cyber Command for four years before stepping down this past May, will advise companies in Team8’s portfolio as well as companies under development. The retired admiral will be “instrumental in helping strategize” Team8’s expansion in the United States, the firm said in a statement last week. Rogers’ decision to join Team8 irked Robert Lee, a former Air Force officer and former NSA employee. […]

The post Ex-NSA employees criticize Mike Rogers’ role with Israeli venture firm appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Ex-NSA employees criticize Mike Rogers’ role with Israeli venture firm→

NSA official: Bloomberg story created a frenzied, fruitless search for supporting evidence

Posted on by

A news report claiming a compromise of U.S. companies’ supply chains by Chinese spies has triggered a thorough search in government and industry for evidence of the breach that has so far turned up nothing, according to a senior National Security Agency official, who expressed concern that the search was a distraction and potentially a waste of resources. “I have grave concerns about where this has taken us,” Rob Joyce said Wednesday at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “I worry that we’re chasing shadows right now.” The story in question is an explosive, anonymously-sourced report published last week by Bloomberg Businessweek. The report alleges Chinese intelligence agents placed malicious microchips on server motherboards supplied by Super Micro Computing Inc., setting up a backdoor to some 30 companies, including Apple and Amazon Web Services. While supply-chain threats emanating from China are certainly a concern, Joyce said, “what I can’t find are any ties to […]

The post NSA official: Bloomberg story created a frenzied, fruitless search for supporting evidence appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading NSA official: Bloomberg story created a frenzied, fruitless search for supporting evidence→

NSA staffer takes top-secret hacking tools home ‘to study’, gets 66 months

Posted on by

Nghia Hoang Pho may not have had malicious intent, but removal of the materials forced the NSA to abandon years of signals collection work. Continue reading NSA staffer takes top-secret hacking tools home ‘to study’, gets 66 months→