Security News
That's why this week's Black Hat and DEF CON conferences promise to run hot and heavy with a host of topics in the world of security. First, how might Black Hat USA 2021 and DEF CON 29 differ in their topics and slants? Both are joined at the hip because of their back-to-back schedules and slight distinctions, but there are some nuanced differences between the security conferences, according to 451 Research senior research analyst Daniel Kennedy.
Hackers and security experts have virtual, in-person and hybrid options for attending Black Hat USA 2021 and DEF CON 29 this year. There are still in-person and virtual tickets left for Black Hat but virtual tickets for DEF CON are sold out.
The United Nations International Telecommunication Union published its 2020 Global Cyber Security Index on Tuesday, and listed the US first in overall ranking, followed by a tie for second place tie between the UK and Saudi Arabia. The index ranks nations using 82 questions developed by a panel of experts.
Mercedes-Benz USA said last week that sensitive personal information pertaining to its customers was inadvertently exposed by a vendor. This information includes self-reported credit scores, along with a small number of credit card details, dates of birth, driver license numbers, and social security numbers.
The FBI on Saturday withdrew a subpoena issued to USA Today's parent company Gannett in April to find out who read an online news story published in February about a shootout that led to the deaths of two FBI agents and the wounding of three others. The article described how an FBI operation went awry a day earlier when two agents were shot and killed and three other agents were wounded while serving a warrant in a child exploitation investigation.
JBS USA, the US subsidiary of the world's largest meat processing company, said Monday that some operations were shut down following a cyberattack that affected its North American and Australian IT network. Headquartered in Greeley, Colorado, JBS USA is a global food company wholly owned by Brazil-based JBS S.A., the largest meat processing firm in the world.
The Republic of Korea took two bold steps into the future on Tuesday, by announcing that the last of its 2G networks will go offline in June and that it will initiate large-scale adoption of communications protected by quantum encryption. The quantum tests will build on demos conducted in 2020, but this time South Korea's government hopes to involve multiple industries and to educate them on the benefits of the tech and how to adopt it.
The first "Quad summit" of leaders from Australia, India, Japan, and the USA has announced the group will create a "Critical and Emerging Technology Working Group". The joint "Spirit of the Quad" statment said the group will: "Respond to the economic and health impacts of COVID-19, combat climate change, and address shared challenges, including in cyber space, critical technologies, counterterrorism, quality infrastructure investment, and humanitarian-assistance and disaster-relief as well as maritime domains."
On US presidential election day, 3 November, the nation's Federal Bureau of Investigation acted to seize 27 domains it says Iran used to conduct disinformation campaigns. FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig D Fair said the domains were used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "In attempt to manipulate public opinion in other countries, including the United States."
The USA and India have struck a new defence pact that will see the two nations share high-quality spatial data and satellite images. Doing so means that India can, in theory, be more precise should it act in neighbouring trouble spots.