By Deb Riechmann

WASHINGTON (AP) — CIA Director Mike Pompeo on Wednesday, Oct. 4, outlined his vision for more aggressive intelligence work around the world, saying he’s sending more spies to the field and moving decision-making down the chain of command to better protect national security.

Pompeo said he’s trying to cut red tape and create a culture at the agency that says: “If you are in a process and you’re not adding value, get out of the way.” Continue reading →

GI Plastek, industry-leading specialists in large-to-medium complex molded products, announces it has significantly expanded its in-house electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI) shielding capabilities. With its new mechanized production paint line, GI Plastek applies a copper shielding emulsion onto plastic molded parts to eliminate EMI/RFI penetration that could disrupt sensitive components and circuits in electronic equipment and potentially throw off instrument calibration. The shielding is also used to eliminate emissions from healthcare instruments that could interfere with other patient care equipment and affect patient safety. Continue reading →

In conjunction with National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the FBI reiterated the growing concern of cybercriminals targeting unsecure Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The number of IoT devices in use is expected to increase from 5 billion in 2016 to an estimated 20 to 50 billion by 2020. Once an IoT device is compromised, cybercriminals can facilitate attacks on other systems or networks, send spam e-mails, steal personal information, interfere with physical safety, and leverage compromised devices for participation in distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Continue reading →

By David Crary

The tipster’s account was grim. A woman had suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung at the hands of a man who for nine years had been forcing her into prostitution.

That confidential call was received in late January by the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which relayed the tip to an anti-trafficking task force operating in Virginia’s Hampton Roads area. Within days, investigators located and interviewed the woman, and arrested the man, Naeem Lateef Odums. He was indicted on sex trafficking charges in March, pleaded guilty in June and will be sentenced in November to at least 15 years in prison. Continue reading →

By Colleen Long and Tom Hays

NEW YORK (AP) — A Las Vegas shooter’s perch in a 32nd-floor hotel room overlooking 22,000 people jammed into a country music festival below is just the kind of nightmare scenario police dread in places where big crowds and high-rises mix.

From two broken-out windows of the Mandalay Bay Resort, Stephen Craig Paddock had an unobstructed view to rain rapid-fire bullets on the crowd, with few places for them to hide. Survivors of the recent bloodbath that left 59 people dead and more than 500 wounded repeatedly compared it to shooting fish in a barrel. Continue reading →

By Sally Ho

LAS VEGAS (AP) — As bullets began flying into a crowd of country music fans, a pack of 300-plus people ran about a mile to the Las Vegas airport, where they kicked down chain-link fences, hobbled over razor wire and were briefly mistaken by security officials for being attackers instead of shooting victims.

Once they pushed past the fence at McCarran International Airport, some of them ran onto the tarmac as helicopters beamed searchlights toward people they assumed were intruders. Continue reading →

By Deb Riechmann

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hackers allegedly working for the Kremlin stole details about how the U.S. infiltrates foreign networks and defends against cyberattacks after a National Security Agency contractor took the classified material home and put it on a personal computer, according to a news report published Oct. 5.

The Wall Street Journal reported the breach of classified information. It’s the third time since 2013 that a theft of sensitive information involving an NSA contractor has become publicly known. Continue reading →

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Against a backdrop of cyberattacks that have grown into full-fledged sabotage, Facebook chief security officer Alex Stamos brought a sobering message July 26 to hackers and security experts at the Black Hat conference.

In short: It’s time for hackers to shoulder responsibility for helping detect and prevent major attacks that threaten billions of Internet users around the world. Continue reading →

CHICAGO — A former member of the United States Air Force was sentenced Aug. 2 to four years in federal prison for stealing the personal identifying information of fellow service members and distributing it to others.

On the eve of his dismissal from the military, Ronnie Allen II stole a personnel roster containing the names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and other personal identifying information of more than 1,400 Air Force members stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. Hoping to make money, Allen distributed the stolen information to others, including co-defendant Antorondi Benion. The Air Force members’ information was then fraudulently used to open accounts at various financial institutions, and to file tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service in the names of the Air Force members. Continue reading →

By Sandy Moul | President, InfraGard San Diego Chair, InfraGard Pacific Region Presidents’ Summit

 

In late March of 2017, InfraGard San Diego hosted its third annual cyber symposium, Cyber 2027, in conjunction with the InfraGard Pacific Region Presidents’ Summit. The Presidents’ Summit, a day-and-a-half experience, is focused on chapter and professional development to enhance the success of InfraGard Member Alliances (IMAs).

Recognizing that representatives from chapters as near as Los Angeles and as far as Honolulu would be in attendance, InfraGard San Diego leaders aligned the timing of the Summit with their popular Cyber event, maximizing the travel investment for all attendees. Continue reading →