U.S. Navy Observes National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

The U.S. Navy Office of information offers the below report:

 WASHINGTON (NNS) -- October marks the annual cybersecurity education and awareness campaign. As Navy systems and functions become increasingly reliant on cyberspace, adhering to best cyber practices and behaving with integrity online are critical to protecting Navy networks. 

The cyber threat is real. Between September 2014 and June 2015, there were 30-million known malicious intrusion attempts on Department of Defense networks. Both civilian and military computer systems are under constant attack from a variety of sources. Adversaries use hacking, espionage, malware, viruses and worms to obtain personal information through emails, software downloads and social websites. 

Whether at work or at home, Navy personnel must remember that they are in the battlespace and are our first line of defense. 

"What we all have to remember is that every Sailor is cyber warrior," said Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. John Richardson. "Just like every Sailor is a fire fighter, every Sailor is a cyber warrior...It just takes one person to make a mistake; that mistake can be exploited and the network can be severely damaged by one person's lapse in concentration."

During October, organizations across the Navy are scheduled to disseminate information through articles, videos, social media and graphics to educate and inform Navy personnel and partners on this vital security issue. 

"In my role as Navy Cybersecurity director, I am on the hunt every day for capabilities that reduce the risk of cyber warfare disrupting maritime operations," said Vice Adm. Jan Tighe, deputy chief of naval operations for Information Warfare. "A critical step in reducing that risk, and the point of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, is to ensure that every member of our workforce understands their role in mitigating cyber threats. 

"If you touch a Navy network as a user, maintainer, developer or part of the cyber security workforce, you are in the cyberspace fight. Your actions and behaviors in cyberspace can either enable or prevent adversary opportunity. Since our networks are globally interconnected, it is as important for the shore based Sailor to be cybersecurity minded as it is for those serving forward and on tactical platforms. Cybersecurity is on all of us and all hands need to think cybersecurity, whenever you are interacting with our network."

This year's themes include: 
- The cyber threat is real 
- You're in the battlespace 
- Operating safely in the digital environment to protect cybersecurity is an all hands effort 
- Navy personnel uphold the highest standards of character and conduct in person and online

Efforts to drive home the cybersecurity imperative within the Navy will continue beyond October, as the Navy builds on the momentum provided by National Cybersecurity Awareness month, education efforts will continue throughout the next year and beyond.

Additional information on National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, including tips and resources for the use of local commands, can be found at a dedicated DHS webpage (www.dhs.gov/national-cyber-security-awareness-month) or on a Department of Defense page (www.defense.gov/News/Special-Reports/0415_Cyber-Strategy). 

For Navy specific information on cybersecurity throughout the month of October visitwww.navy.mil/local/cyberawareness. 

FBI: National Cyber Security Awareness Month - Cyber Security is Everyone's Responsibility

The FBI released the below information:

Data breaches resulting in the compromise of personally identifiable information of thousands of Americans. Intrusions into financial, corporate, and government networks. Complex financial schemes committed by sophisticated cyber criminals against businesses and the public in general.

These are just a few examples of crimes perpetrated online over the past year or so, and part of the reason why Director James Comey, testifying before Congress last week, said that “the pervasiveness of the cyber threat is such that the FBI and other intelligence, military, homeland security, and law enforcement agencies across the government view cyber security and cyber attacks as a top priority.” The FBI, according to Comey, targets the most dangerous malicious cyber activity—high-level intrusions by state-sponsored hackers and global cyber syndicates, and the most prolific botnets. And in doing so, we work collaboratively with our domestic and international partners and the private sector.

But it’s important for individuals, businesses, and others to be involved in their own cyber security. And National Cyber Security Awareness Month—a Department of Homeland Security-administered campaign held every October—is perhaps the most appropriate time to reflect on the universe of cyber threats and on doing your part to secure your own devices, networks, and data.

What are some of the more prolific cyber threats we’re currently facing?

Ransomware is type of malware that infects computers and restricts users’ access to their files or threatens the permanent destruction of their information unless a ransom is paid. In addition to individual users, ransomware has infected entities such as schools, hospitals, and police departments. The actors behind these sophisticated schemes advise the users that if they pay the ransom, they will receive the private key needed to decrypt the files. Most recently, these cyber criminals—demonstrating some business savvy—give victims the option of decrypting one file for free to prove that they have the ability to restore the locked files. More on ransomware.

Business e-mail compromise, or BEC, scams continue to impact many businesses across the U.S. and abroad. BEC is a type of payment fraud that involves the compromise of legitimate business e-mail accounts—often belonging to either the chief executive officer or the chief financial officer—for the purpose of conducting unauthorized wire transfers. After compromising a company’s e-mail account—usually through social engineering or malware—the criminals are then able to send wire transfer instructions using the victim’s e-mail or a spoofed e-mail account. BEC scams have been reported in all 50 states and in 100 countries and have caused estimated losses of more than $3 billion worldwide. More on BEC scams.

Intellectual property theft involves robbing individuals or companies of their ideas, inventions, and creative expressions—often stolen when computers and networks are accessed by unscrupulous competitors, hackers, and other criminals. Intellectual property can include everything from trade secrets and proprietary products and parts to movies, music, and software. And the enforcement of laws protecting intellectual property rights (IPR)—which are critical to protecting the U.S. economy, our national security, and the health and safety of the American public—is an FBI criminal priority. The Bureau’s IPR focus is the theft of trade secrets and infringements on products that can impact consumers’ health and safety, including counterfeit aircraft, automotive, and electronic parts. More on intellectual property theft.

“The FBI is doing everything we possibly can, at every level, to make it harder for cyber criminals to operate,” says Associate Executive Assistant Director David Johnson, “and I believe many of them are now starting to think twice before they put fingers to keyboard. But we also ask that the public do its part by taking precautions and implementing safeguards to protect their own data.”

Check back on our website during the month of October for information on protecting your data and devices and on FBI efforts to combat the most egregious cyber criminals.

My Philadelphia Inquirer Q&A With Chazz Palminteri

My Q&A with Chazz Palminteri appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer today.

The interview appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News as well.

You can read the Q&A online and watch a brief video from the film version of A Bronx Tale via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20161004_Q_A__Chazz_Palminteri_and__A_Bronx_Tale__come_to_Golden_Nugget.html

Or you can read the below:

Note: You can click on the above to enlarge.

Remembering The Tense Spy Thrillers Made From The Work Of Novelist Tom Clancy

Dan Gunderman at the New York Daily News offers a piece on the films made from the late Tom Clancy's spy novels.

On October 1, 2013, Tom Clancy, master of the Cold War espionage novel, passed away at the age of 66.

What he left behind is, undoubtedly, a carefully-fleshed-out and high-stakes literary and filmic world that will continue to impress readers and viewers as the years elapse.

Clancy, who has over 100 million copies of his books in print, conjured up the recognizable character Jack Ryan, a Marine turned investment broker turned CIA operatn the films made from Clancy’s writings, Ryan has been played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine. He was most recently brought to life in the 2014 film “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” featuring Chris Pine in the title role, with Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley and Kenneth Branagh (who also directed) taking on supporting roles.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/remembering-spy-thrillers-made-work-tom-clancy-article-1.2810424 

Ian Fleming Left Teasers About Bletchley Park In James Bond Novels, Expert Claims

Lydia Wilgress at the British newspaper the Telegraph offers a piece that reports on the speculation that the late thriller writer Ian Fleming left veiled references to top secret Bletchley Park (the UK's NSA-type operation) in his James Bond novels.

Who the real-life spy James Bond is based on is a question fans have been trying to answer for decades - but it seems that Ian Fleming may have borrowed a bit more than just a name for inspiration. 

The author was apparently so enamoured with the secret goings on at Bletchley Park that he left a number of teasers in his 007 novels in a “wild contravention” of the Official Secrets Act, one expert has claimed. 

The hints, which appear to have never been picked up by officials, range from subtle references to the Enigma machine to the inclusion of a game of chess “so obviously” based on real-life competition, which saw a top code breaker pitted against a Soviet grandmaster.  

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/02/ian-fleming-left-teasers-about-bletchley-park-in-james-bond-nove/

'A Torch Well Lit' And 'Open To Debate': Two Books That Look Back At William F. Buckley

Clark S. Judge offers a good review in the Wall Street Journal of two recent books about the late conservative author, columnist and editor/founder of National Review, William F. Buckley.

One book, Open to Debate: How William F. Buckley Put Liberal America on the Firing Line by Heather Hendershot, looks back at Buckley's TV series Firing Line, and the second book, A Torch Kept Lit: Great Lives of the Twentieth Century, edited James Rosen, offers Buckley's view of the great and famous people of his time.

You can read the rest of the review via the below link:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/reading-bill-buckley-in-the-age-of-trump-1475267507

Note: I was an avid viewer of Firing Line and I've read all of William F. Buckley's books. I never met him, but thankfully I was able to review two of his books for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

You can read my reviews of his books below:

On This Day In History: Thriller Writer Tom Clancy Died On This Day In 2013

As History.com notes, on this day in 2013 thriller writer Tom Clancy, author of The Hunt For Red October, Clear and Present Danger and other thrillers, died.

You can read about Tom Clancy via the below link:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tom-clancy-author-of-mega-selling-techno-thrillers-dies?cmpid=email-hist-tdih-2016-1001-10012016&om_rid=de5e4076c942a595dbda53f758321d197499484f6d117f61b6ac5c08e0d6f0aa&o

You can also read an earlier post on Tom Clancy via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2014/01/command-authoritytom-clancys-last.html