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CIA Confirms Cyber Attack Caused Multi-City Power Outage

According the SANS Institute, the CIA has disclosed that several critical infrastructures have been hit with cyberattacks recently.

SANS FLASH
CIA Confirms Cyber Attack Caused Multi-City Power Outage
On Wednesday, in New Orleans, US Central Intelligence Agency senior
analyst Tom Donohue told a gathering of 300 US, UK, Swedish, and Dutch
government officials and engineers and security managers from electric,
water, oil & gas and other critical industry asset owners from all
across North America, that "We have information, from multiple regions
outside the United States, of cyber intrusions into utilities, followed
by extortion demands.  We suspect, but cannot confirm, that some of
these attackers had the benefit of inside knowledge.  We have
information that cyber attacks have been used to disrupt power equipment
in several regions outside the United States. In at least one case, the
disruption caused a power outage affecting multiple cities.  We do not
know who executed these attacks or why, but all involved intrusions
through the Internet."

According to Mr. Donohue, the CIA actively and thoroughly considered the
benefits and risks of making this information public, and came down on
the side of disclosure.

Delegates at the meeting shared information on how attackers are eluding
current defenses and on promising practices for mitigating the most
critical vulnerabilities. Link—>

Non profit terrorism research not as appealing these days

Renowned non-profit the Site Institute which monitors terrorist web sites has determined that they’d prefer to be a “for profit” entity.

“After several years of public service, the SITE Institute, a non- profit organization, has ceased its operations. Its assets have been sold and the proceeds transferred to other non-profit organizations consistent with the educational and charitable mission of the SITE Institute. Some of the activities formerly conducted by the SITE Institute will now be carried out by the SITE Intelligence Group, a for-profit entity.”