Topic: National Security Agency

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Is State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite, but propaganda war is fierce.

Despite early reports, a State Department program to shoot down Al Qaeda propaganda online is not a hack. But the efforts are having an impact, Secretary Clinton says.
Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide.

The US Supreme Court agreed to examine whether a group of US-based lawyers, activists, and journalists can challenge a Bush-era law authorizing broad surveillance overseas.
Exclusive: Cyberattacks on US natural-gas pipeline companies, evidence points to China

Those analyzing the cyberspies who are trying to infiltrate natural-gas pipeline companies have found similarities with an attack on a cybersecurity firm a year ago. At least one US government official has blamed China for that earlier attack.
Bin Laden letters paint picture of al-Qaeda at its worst

The seventeen documents released by the Obama administration are calculated to highlight the President's foreign-policy successes.
China blamed for multi-continent cyberspying caper in 2011

For six months in 2011, cyberspies infiltrated, undetected, at least 20 commercial and industrial organizations on three continents, states a new report by a US-based cybersecurity firm. Investigators name China as 'most logical' benefactor.
Backchannels
Concerns ahead for Egypt's election monitoring

The rules governing the monitors overseeing Egypt's presidential elections are very restrictive, reducing election transparency and making it easy for monitors to be disqualified.
Cybersecurity bill (CISPA): After House passage, what will Senate do?

Sen. John McCain is pushing a voluntary cybersecurity approach, while another CISPA-type bill would require companies like electric utilities to meet federal cybersecurity standards.
House cybersecurity vote sets up Senate showdown, Obama threatens veto

Ignoring a White House veto threat, the House on Thursday approved the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, which would encourage companies and the federal government to share information collected on the Internet to help prevent electronic attacks.
House passes cyber security bill over Obama's objections

The president has threatened to veto the bill, which is designed to empower the private sector to fight electronic attacks. The White House prefers a Senate alternative that vests that power in the Department of Homeland Security.
House passes cybersecurity bill despite veto threat over privacy protections

The cybersecurity bill seeks to protect the nation from cyberattack, but concerns over how personal information is shared with the government and corporations has sparked opposition and a veto threat from the Obama administration.
Is it really easy to hack NASA computers?

A NASA official recently stated that a stolen laptop contained algorithms used to control the International Space Station. This incident is one of many breaches of NASA's security that have occurred over the past two years.
'Loopholes' leave America with weak cybersecurity plan, experts say

A cybersecurity bill under consideration by Congress tries deal with private industry concerns, but its 'loopholes' would leave America open to cyberattack, experts said Thursday.
Regime change: How fear of Iran nukes, and campaign politics, revived the call

A tough-talking debate over pursuing regime change is all the rage again, this time focused on Iran. But proponents say they prefer economic sanctions to military force as the main lever.
Would SOPA and PIPA bills 'break Internet?' Anti-piracy measure being revised.

On the verge of passage in Congress, the SOPA and PIPA bills targeting online piracy have been bounced back for revision in the face of a public outcry and high-profile Internet protests.
Court rules for telecoms' role in domestic eavesdropping

A US appellate court has ruled that telecom companies have the right to legal immunity for helping the government eavesdrop on private communications. But in a separate opinion, the court also ruled that customers can sue the government for tracking e-mail and phone calls.
Did Iran hijack the 'beast'? US experts cautious about bold claims. (Video)

To hijack the lost US drone, Iran would have to have overcome major technical hurdles. None are impossible, but US experts question Iran's capabilities in such high-end cyberwarfare.
Where is Yemen headed as Saleh tries to reassert power?

President Ali Abdullah Saleh's recent return to Yemen has emboldened Saleh loyalists and angered protesters further. A civil war in Yemen could have repercussions for global trade.
A year of Stuxnet: Why is the new cyberweapon's warning being ignored?

Experts called Stuxnet a 'wake-up call' when it was identified as a cyberweapon. But even as hackers study it, there is scant evidence US utilities are bolstering their defenses against attack.
Supreme Court refuses terror suspects' case alleging CIA torture

US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the case of five foreigners seeking to pursue a lawsuit alleging CIA-directed torture abroad. With that, appeals court ruling stands, disallowing the suit to protect 'state secrets.'
What US cybersecurity needs: a few more good guys

In high-tech America, cybersecurity specialists trained for high-stakes fights with hackers are in short supply.
The bin Laden effect: How the Al Qaeda leader changed America

In life, Osama bin Laden made a huge impact on the US, all in the name of preventing another 9/11. If he and Al Qaeda fueled antagonism between the US and the Muslim world, they also pushed America toward a better understanding of the Middle East.
On Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, US and Pakistan really are on the same team

US and Pakistani interests do diverge in some areas, but combating Al Qeada isn't one of them. In fact, the speculation around Pakistan's complicity following the killing of Osama bin Laden is misplaced and harmful to our future cooperation with Pakistan, making us less safe.
SEAL Team Six: How American forces found bin Laden

SEAL Team Six: Hiding in a military city in Pakistan, Osama bin Laden was found through a combination of high-tech surveillance and old-fashioned detective work.
Osama bin Laden dead: How the US found him

Years of 'persistent hard work' led US intelligence to a complex about 50 miles northeast of Islamabad, Pakistan, where a 40-minute US special forces strike left Osama bin Laden dead.
The new cyber arms race

Tomorrow's wars will be fought not just with guns, but with the click of a mouse half a world away that will unleash weaponized software that could take out everything from the power grid to a chemical plant.