Monday, July 19, 2021

U.S., EU, UK and Nato blame China for cyberattacks

The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and NATO are blaming the People’s Republic of China and its Ministry of State Security (MSS) for malicious cyberattacks, including ransomware attacks, cyber-enabled extortion, crypto-jacking, and rank theft from victims around the world. 

The U.S. Department of Justice announced criminal charges against four MSS hackers addressing activities concerning a multi-year campaign targeting foreign governments and entities in key sectors.


The White House said it has a high degree of confidence that malicious cyber actors affiliated with PRC’s MSS conducted cyber-espionage operations utilizing the zero-day vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server disclosed in early March 2021. 

The FBI and National Security Agency also published a joint cybersecurity advisory detailing various Chinese state-sponsored cyber techniques used to target U.S. and allied networks, warning that Chinese state-sponsored cyber actors consistently scan target networks for critical and high vulnerabilities within days of a vulnerability’s public disclosure.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/07/19/the-united-states-joined-by-allies-and-partners-attributes-malicious-cyber-activity-and-irresponsible-state-behavior-to-the-peoples-republic-of-china/


Biden's cybersecurity order mandates zero-trust for federal networks

In the wake of recent cybersecurity incidents, notably SolarWinds, Microsoft Exchange, and Colonial Pipeline, President Biden signed an executive order aimed at improving the nation's cybersecurity posture. Here are the highlights:Remove Barriers to Threat Information Sharing Between Government and the Private Sector. The Executive Order ensures that IT Service Providers are able to share information with the government and requires them to...