Shadowy Russian Firm Seen as Conduit for Cybercrime

An Internet business based in St. Petersburg has become a world hub for Web sites devoted to child pornography, spamming and identity theft, according to computer security experts. They say Russian authorities have provided little help in efforts to shut down the company….Groups operating through the company's computers are thought to be responsible for about half of last year's incidents of "phishing" -- ID-theft scams in which cybercrooks use e-mail to lure people into entering personal and financial data at fake commerce and banking sites…….(Washington Post, 13 Oct 07)

Former CEO Says U.S. Punished Phone Firm
…Details about the alleged NSA program have been redacted from the documents, but Nacchio's lawyer said last year that the NSA had approached the company about participating in a warrantless surveillance program to gather information about Americans' phone records. In the court filings disclosed this week, Nacchio suggests that Qwest's refusal to take part in that program led the government to cancel a separate, lucrative contract with the NSA in retribution…..(Washington Post, 13 Oct 07)

Lawmakers Criticize CIA Director's Review Order

…The review is the latest reflection of disagreement within the CIA about the legality and appropriateness of the agency's treatment of suspects since 2001, including its decision to hold nearly 100 in secret prisons, to subject more than a dozen to extraordinarily harsh interrogation techniques, and to fly others to countries where torture is frequently practiced. The agency's leadership, including its lawyers, has been sparring with the inspector general's office for several years about those practices, and since 2004 has been questioned by Helgerson about allegations that CIA officers engaged in criminal activities in Iraq…….(Washington Post, 13 Oct 07)

Lawmakers Raise Concerns Over Call for Investigation of C.I.A. Watchdog’s Work

The top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee joined Democrats on Friday in expressing strong concern about an unusual inquiry into the work of the Central Intelligence Agency’s inspector general, John L. Helgerson, saying the review could undermine Mr. Helgerson’s role as independent watchdog. The inquiry was ordered by the C.I.A. director, Gen. Michael V. Hayden, in response to complaints about aggressive investigations by Mr. Helgerson’s office into the agency’s counterterrorism programs…..(New York Times, 13 Oct 07)

Who Killed Fred Woodruff?

…a theory: Russian Defense Ministry officials connected with the heroin trade wanted to make a bloody point to American intelligence by killing Woodruff: Stay out of Georgia. In the wake of the Soviet Union’s collapse only two years earlier, the CIA, the Pentagon and American oil companies were pushing aggressively into the newly free Black Sea nation, a seething cauldron of ethnic violence and corruption. Delta Force operatives were active in the Pankisi Gorge, adjacent to Chechnya, which was in full rebellion against Moscow. Other highly classified U.S. intelligence programs were under way there… In another odd coincidence, the CIA traitor Aldrich Ames had been in Tblisi several weeks before Woodruff’s murder. Ames, whose signature act was selling Moscow the names of the CIA’s spies in Russia, was then working for Baer on a CIA counternarcotics task force. He would have seen all of Woodruff’s intelligence reports. Ames might have elicited even more sensitive details from Woodruff when they went out drinking together — and were spotted arguing — at a Tblisi hotel bar a month or so before Woodruff was killed, according to witnesses who were interviewed by the FBI… Spokesmen for the CIA and the State Department would not comment publicly on their handling of the Woodruff affair……( Congressional Quarterly, 12 Oct 07)   Freddie Russel Woodruff (Arlington National Cemetery)

NSA's Lucky Break: How the U.S. Became Switchboard to the World

A lucky coincidence of economics is responsible for routing much of the world's internet and telephone traffic through switching points in the United States, where, under legislation introduced this week, the U.S. National Security Agency will be free to continue tapping it.  Leading House Democrats introduced the so-called RESTORE Act (.pdf) Tuesday that allows the nation's spies to maintain permanent eavesdropping stations inside United States switching centers. Telecom and internet experts interviewed by Wired News say the bill will give the NSA legal access to a torrent of foreign phone calls and internet traffic that travels through American soil on its way someplace else.  But contrary to recent assertions by Bush administration officials, the proportion of international traffic entering the United States is dropping, not increasing…..(Wired, 12 Oct 07)

Document: RESTORE Act .pdf

U.S. Targets Weapons Technology Theft

It's a threat even greater than the increasingly common recalls of Chinese products, U.S. officials say, and now branches of the U.S. government are teaming up to counteract the growing economic and military powers' appetites for technology secrets. Although the cloak-and-dagger battles of Cold War espionage passed with the demise of the Soviet Union, the stakes are higher now as many powers seek to gain advanced technology from the world's military and nuclear powers, especially the United States…To counter the threat, the Justice Department, along with Immigration Customs Enforcement, the FBI and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, launched a counter-proliferation initiative to curb the transfer of sensitive technologies being sent overseas especially to China, Iran and possibly terrorist networks. "It goes without saying that keeping this technology from falling into the wrong hands has never been more important than it is now in this post-9/11 world,"…Michael McConnell, the director of national intelligence, recently noted, "China and Russia's foreign intelligence services are among the most aggressive in collecting against sensitive and protected U.S. systems, facilities and developmental projects. Their efforts are reaching Cold War levels,"….(ABC, 12 Oct 07)

President Bush and Democrats battle anew over oversight of government surveillance operations

To what extent should courts become involved in the oversight of sensitive US eavesdropping operations? That is one of the most crucial items at issue in the developing struggle between congressional Democrats and the White House over new legislation to extend the government's surveillance authority…….(Christian Science Monitor, 12 Oct 07)

CIA chief investigating IG?

…Helgerson has been aggressive in his investigations of the CIA, criticizing senior figures including former Director George Tenet and officers involved in the agency’s detention of terrorist suspects. The CIA rarely comments on media reports but on Thursday night the agency sought to play down the newspapers’ characterizations of the review. A CIA spokesman said in a statement that Hayden firmly believes in the work of the Office of the Inspector General……(AP, 12 Oct 07)

US Says Illegal Weapons Exports Growing

…Last week, two Utah men were arrested for allegedly trying to sell parts over the Internet for F-4 and F-14 fighter jets _ which are only flown by Iran. The week before, two engineers were indicted in San Jose, Calif., on charges of stealing computer chip designs intended for the Chinese military. Government lawyers and investigators Thursday described a growing number of unauthorized exports that could be dangerous if the parts and supplies end up in the hands of terrorists or hostile nations. "The concept of terrorists, criminals or rogue nations obtaining weapons and other restricted technology is chilling," said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Julie Myers…..(AP, 12 Oct 07)

CIA investigates conduct of its inspector general

CIA Director Michael V. Hayden has mounted a highly unusual challenge to the agency's chief watchdog, ordering an internal investigation of an inspector general who has issued a series of scathing reports sharply critical of top CIA officials, according to government officials familiar with the matter. The move has prompted concerns that Hayden is seeking to rein in an inspector general who has used the office to bring harsh scrutiny of CIA figures including former Director George J. Tenet and undercover operatives running secret overseas prison sites……(LA Times, 12 Oct 07)

Fact Sheet: Major U.S. Export Enforcement Actions in the Past Year

Below is a snapshot of some of the major export-related criminal cases and prosecutions handled by the Justice Department in the past year. These cases resulted from investigations by the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and other federal law enforcement agencies. This list of cases is not exhaustive……(WebWire, 12 Oct 07)

The true story behind Jonathan Pollard

…Now Ron Olive, retired foreign counterintelligence agent and author of “Capturing Jonathan Pollard,” will be able to count Yuba City and Marysville among his stops. On Thursday, he spoke at the Yuba City Kiwanis Club about his experience as a special agent in charge of investigating Pollard, the American-born Israeli spy. Pollard is 22 years into a life sentence for conspiracy to deliver national defense information to a foreign government……(Appeal-Democrat, 12 Oct 07)

U.S. OKs Israel-China Spy Sat Deal

Israel’s Ministry of Defense has secured tacit U.S. government consent for a prospective remote sensing deal with China based on the Eros B, a commercial, high-resolution satellite nearly identical to the Israeli military’s Ofeq-5. Sources here and in Washington confirmed the U.S. greenlight for Beijing’s participation in a unique operational program run by Imagesat International (ISI), a Dutch Antilles-incorporated firm based here that owns and manages Eros-series spacecraft……(Defense News, 12 Oct 07)

Espionage: Documents fault FG’s claim on Asuni’s citizenship
There are indications that the Federal Government may have goofed in its claims that the detained Niger-Delta Peace Activist, Dr Judith Asuni is not a Nigerian. Indeed, some documents now in circulation indicate that the activist born as a United States citizen 60 years ago and granted permit through naturalization to become a Nigerian in 2004 in accordance with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution……(Sun News, 12 Oct 07)

Inquiry opens into passing of secret files

Federal and local investigations were underway Thursday into allegations by a Marine gunnery sergeant that he gave stolen top-secret antiterrorism files to a Los Angeles Police Department officer and an L.A. County sheriff's detective. Authorities said the probes by the FBI, LAPD internal affairs and Naval Criminal Investigative Service come after Gunnery Sgt. Gary Maziarz testified during a court-martial at Camp Pendleton in July that he gave classified military intelligence to several people, including the two L.A. law enforcement officials. Maziarz was on trial for allegedly taking the classified military files from Camp Pendleton and the U.S. Northern Command, which tracks domestic terrorism activity…In his testimony, he said that L.A. County Sheriff's Det. Larry Richards, a department counterterrorism specialist and Marine reserve colonel, "recruited" him to collect classified documents at Camp Pendleton and pass them to him and others, according to military sources…With access to the most closely guarded U.S. government secrets, most military reservists working as intelligence analysts or counterterrorism agents would have been provided access to "Top Secret" or even "Top Secret, Sensitive Compartmented" information…..(LA Times, 12 Oct 07)

Espionage - 'Gov't Approved Asuni's Citizenship'

The claim by government before the Federal High Court, Abuja, that detained Niger Delta Peace Activist, Dr Judith Asuni is not a Nigerian may not be true, as documents have shown that the American, born 60 years ago, was indeed granted the naturalisation to become a Nigerian in 2004. Asuni was arrested and put on trial over allegations of espionage. Her application for bail was rejected on the ground that government had received new information of her activities, which are injurious to national security…..(This Day, 12 Oct 07)

Putin warns U.S. over missiles

In a tense start to talks on a range of thorny issues, President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned U.S. officials to back off a plan to install missile defenses in eastern Europe or risk harming relations with Moscow. Addressing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the Russian president appeared to mock the U.S. missile defense plan, which is at the center of a tangle of arms control and diplomatic disputes between the former Cold War adversaries……(AP, 12 Oct 07)

Video: ‘Putin generation’

Interactive: How Gorbachev's "Soviet Union" became 15 independent states

FSB Director Patrushev Interviewed on Work of Russian Counterintelligence

Text of interview with Army General Nikolay Patrushev, director of the Russian Federal Security Service, by Argumenty i Fakty Chief Editor Nikolay Zyatkov: "Counterintelligence: Today Spies Are Caught like This..."report by Russian weekly Argumenty i Fakty on 10 October……(Eurasia Net, 11 Oct 07)

Forbes Introduces SPIES Act to Increase Protections Against Foreign Espionage

…The Supporting Prosecutions of International Espionage Schemes Act of 2007 (SPIES Act) will update existing laws to give the United States better tools to combat foreign espionage. The SPIES Act would reform existing espionage laws to address outdated statutes, as well as increase criminal penalties for espionage crimes. Additionally, the legislation would expand the coverage of espionage laws to cover terrorist organizations, not only foreign nations. The bill would also increase penalties for violations of the Arms Export Control Act and the Export Administration Act and would improve the coordination among the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, State and Commerce on the enforcement of export controls…..(American Chronicle, 11 Oct 07)

Watchdog of C.I.A. Is Subject of C.I.A. Inquiry

The director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Gen. Michael V. Hayden, has ordered an unusual internal inquiry into the work of the agency’s inspector general, whose aggressive investigations of the C.I.A.’s detention and interrogation programs and other matters have created resentment among agency operatives. A small team working for General Hayden is looking into the conduct of the agency’s watchdog office, which is led by Inspector General John L. Helgerson. Current and former government officials said the review had caused anxiety and anger in Mr. Helgerson’s office and aroused concern on Capitol Hill that it posed a conflict of interest……(New York Times, 11 Oct 07)

More Questions Over White House E-Mail

…Asserting that the White House may not have kept copies of e-mails that are at the heart of a dispute over the Bush administration's record-keeping, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a motion asking for a court order to preserve computer backup tapes. "The White House is refusing to confirm that they have maintained e-mail going back to the beginning of the administration as they are required by law to do,"……(AP, 11 Oct 07)

The City's Critical Link To All First Responders

Mel Blizzard wants people to talk. He wants them to have information. And he'll tell you your safety depends on it…Blizzard is the civilian head of the D.C. Fusion Center, which is housed in an undisclosed location, and acts as a secure clearinghouse for all threat-related information that affects the District. Through the Fusion Center, Blizzard aims to set up a system so the District can be connected to all "critical partners" in the national capital region: 11 local jurisdictions, 2 states and 231 federal departments and agencies. He also works with the fire and health departments, various transportation agencies and other organizations, including the business community……(Washington Post, 11 Oct 07)

Amateur intelligence delivery methods by web sleuths, not White House, responsible for intelligence

…investigators with the Northeast Intelligence Network watched this series of events unfold, after one well respected and long-time researcher and contributor to this agency had already properly secured and provided the bin Laden video information to the appropriate contacts at the appropriate government intelligence levels. Therefore, having “no dog in this fight,” the Northeast Intelligence Network can objectively offer insight into this intelligence morass with unsurprising findings…Although our agency provides reports on the very events we reference, it is only after a very specific vetting process is completed, with those who are responsible for the security of our nation. Oftentimes, we here at the Northeast Intelligence Network do not publish our intelligence data in its purest form at the request of our government contacts or simply due to sound judgment….(Canada Free Press, 11 Oct 07)

Offered Columbia prof post, but stuck in Iran

The Iranian academic who was being held prisoner in Iran on espionage charges, and to whom Columbia University President Lee Bollinger offered a visiting professorship upon his release, has been released on bail, under the condition that he remain in Iran. According to The New York Times, Kian Tajbakhsh, a social scientist and urban planner, was released on bail of just under $107,000 on Sept. 20 in Tehran, Iran, after 131 days in solitary confinement for "security-related charges." Tajbakhsh is a dual citizen of the United States and Iran……(New York University News, 11 Oct 07)

Feds Appealing Patriot Act Ruling

…U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken ruled last month the act cannot be used to authorize secret searches and wiretapping to gather criminal evidence _ instead of intelligence gathering _ without violating the Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches and seizures. The ruling came in a challenge to the act by Brandon Mayfield, a Portland lawyer whose home and office were secretly searched and bugged after the FBI misidentified a fingerprint in the Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people in 2004…..(AP, 10 Oct 07)

White House Fights Democratic Changes to Surveillance Act

…In separate votes along party lines, the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees approved bills that would require the government to get approval from a special intelligence court for blanket surveillance of targets overseas. Supporters say the legislation is needed to safeguard the rights of innocent U.S. citizens who may be caught up in such surveillance……(Washington Post, 11 Oct 07)

House Panels Vote for More Scrutiny Over Foreign Eavesdropping

Two Congressional panels on Wednesday rejected President Bush’s request to renew the government’s broad eavesdropping authority, and instead adopted a measure that would give federal judges greater oversight and more scrutiny over electronic surveillance conducted overseas by the National Security Agency…..(New York Times, 11 Oct 07)

Lebanese authorities free Israeli held on suspicion of espionage

A dual citizen of Israel and Germany, who was arrested in Lebanon on charges of espionage last month, has been released from prison, the German website Der Spiegel reported Thursday. Lebanese General Prosecutor Saeed Mirza issued a statement saying the man, Daniel Sharon, had already been released on Tuesday……(Haaretz, 11 Oct 07)

Putin spy accuses UK of Russia destruction plot

Vladimir Putin's spy chief accused MI6 yesterday of hatching a plot to "dismember" Russia. Nikolai Patrushev's vehement tirade raised fears that the Kremlin could expel more British diplomats in a populist move ahead of elections in the coming months. Mr Patrushev, who heads the FSB, the KGB's main successor agency, said he had evidence that MI6 and its Western counterparts were actively plotting Russia's downfall. "They have claimed credit for the collapse of the Soviet Union and they are now hatching plans aimed at dismembering Russia," he told Argumenty I Fakty, a weekly journal. "We should pay special attention to Great Britain, whose intelligence bodies do not just carry out normal intelligence but also try to influence the internal political situation in the country." MI6, he said, was recruiting Russian double-agents both in Russia and in traditionally hostile eastern European countries…..(Telegraph, 11 Oct 07)

Spying and Technology

Former CIA disguises expert Antonio Mendez was online Thursday, Oct. 11 at noon ET to discuss a recent story about robotics and espionage, the roles technology has played for spies through the years, and the ways it can transform spying in the future. The transcript follows…….(Washington Post, 11 Oct 07)

Spy Museum Showcases High-Tech Gear, Historic Secrets

The International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. has become one the city's most popular tourist attractions. Three and a half million visitors have passed through its doors since it opened in 2002. Exhibits here feature poison pens, umbrella guns, high tech surveillance gear, and other tools of the spy trade……(Voice of America, 11 Oct 07)

US accused of making insect spy robots

The US government has been accused of secretly developing robotic insect spies amid reports of bizarre flying objects hovering in the air above anti-war protests. But official protestations of innocence have failed to kill speculation of government involvement after a handful of sightings of the objects at political events in New York and Washington. Vanessa Alarcon, a university student who was working at an anti-war rally in the American capital last month, told the Washington Post: "I heard someone say, 'Oh my God, look at those.'… The incident has similarities with an alleged sighting at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York when one peace march participant described on the internet seeing "a jet-black dragonfly hovering about 10 feet off the ground, precisely in the middle of 7th Avenue".….(Telegraph, 11 Oct 07)

MI5 agents begin moving into their new Ulster headquarters

…The spy station in greater Belfast - believed to be in a new building inside Palace Barracks in Holywood - will house the agency's Northern Ireland operations. But it will also serve as a back-up headquarters in case MI5's London base, Thames House, becomes damaged or cut off by a terrorist attack. Dolores Kelly, the SDLP Policing Board member who has long opposed the handover to MI5, questioned how that key position in anti-terror and disaster planning squares with the 1990 declaration that Britain has " no selfish strategic or economic interest" in Northern Ireland……(Belfast Telegraph, 11 Oct 07)

Women guilty in spy base case

…Helen John, 70, and Sylvia Boyes, 64, were found guilty of trespassing at the US spy base at Menwith Hill, North Yorkshire, on April 1 last year - the day the Act came into force. John and Boyes were each conditionally discharged for three months by District Judge Martin Walker who ordered that each pay £50 in costs when they appeared at Harrogate Magistrates yesterday….(Telegraph and Argus, 11 Oct 07)

Fact Sheet: Major U.S. Export Enforcement Actions in the Past Year

Below is a snapshot of some of the major export-related criminal cases and prosecutions handled by the Justice Department in the past year. These cases resulted from investigations by the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and other federal law enforcement agencies. This list of cases is not exhaustive……(DOJ Press Release, 11 Oct 07)

Latest U.S. Strategy adds cybersecurity focus

…The 53-page document, unveiled at a White House ceremony, builds on the first National Strategy for Homeland Security published in 2002, calling out the overarching and varied nature of threats to cyberspace… Two weeks ago, a video reportedly leaked by officials at the Department of Homeland Security showed a staged test that demonstrated the potential impact of a cyberattack on an electrical generator. While the DHS has been criticized in the past for giving short shrift to cybersecurity, the latest Strategy appears to recognize the importance of the Internet on the health of critical infrastructure……(Security Focus, 11 Oct 07)

Analysis: DoJ's counter-proliferation push

…A wide range of federal departments, including intelligence agencies, are working together on the new effort, which will employ the aggressive tactics used to pre-empt terrorist attacks against would-be industrial spies. “The United States has become the world's primary target for technology theft,” said Assistant Attorney General Ken Wainstein, who heads the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Foreign states are actively and aggressively seeking out our technology to advance their own military systems and technical capacity. We know that several countries have established full-fledged procurement networks that work through front companies, joint ventures, trade delegations and other mechanisms to methodically target our government, our private industries and our universities as sources for this material,”…..(UPI, 11 Oct 07)

Network security: Using unified threat management (UTM)

The traditional network security model uses standalone devices for maintaining a secure network environment. These standalone network security products are generally deployed as software, running either on a PC or an appliance, and provide product-specific network security functions, like a firewall and VPN. While they do what they are designed for, they fail to provide the comprehensive security, network deployment flexibility and the performance necessary to combat today's ever increasing sophisticated cyber threats…..(Search Networking, 11 Oct 07)

Cybercriminals Could Steal Elections, Security Researcher Warns

Cybercriminals could imperil the 2008 presidential election and the U.S political process, according to a forthcoming book. Titled Crimeware and edited by Markus Jakobsson, a professor at the Indiana University School of Informatics, and Zulfikar Ramzan, senior principal security researcher with Symantec, the book details various forms of cybercrime. It is scheduled for publication in February…..(Information Week, 11 Oct 07)

'Dark Web' Project Takes On Cyber-Terrorism

…In recent years, the anonymous nature of the Web has turned it into a boomtown for all sorts of radicalized hate. "Since the events of 9/11, terrorist presence online has multiplied tenfold," says Hsinchun Chen, director of the University of Arizona's Artificial Intelligence Lab. "Around the year 2000, there were 70 to 80 core terrorist sites online; now there are at least 7000 to 8000." Those sites are doing everything from spreading militant propaganda to offering insurgency advice to plotting the next wave of attacks, making the net, as Chen also points out: "arguably the most powerful tool for spreading extremist violence around the world."…...(Fox, 11 Oct 07)

Arrests Throw Kremlin Feuding Into Open

A behind-the-scenes battle between Kremlin clans has broken into the open with the arrests of senior officers and public accusations _ a sign of a struggle for power in President Vladimir Putin's inner circle before his departure next year. The group of fellow KGB veterans closest to Putin has long been beset by rifts that have mostly remained hidden from the public. Putin may have been interested in maintaining the discord as a way of preserving a balance in his team and keeping his underlings at bay. But the infighting became public last week with the arrest of Gen. Alexander Bulbov, the right-hand man of Viktor Cherkesov, a longtime Putin associate who heads Russia's drug control agency……(AP, 10 Oct 07)

Russia says British, U.S. spies plot vote protests

…Nikolai Patrushev, head of the Federal Security Service (FSB) which deals with domestic counter-intelligence, said British spies were especially active in trying to influence Russian politics ahead of presidential elections next March. "They are trying to influence acts of protest and the mood of protest in Russia in a way that is favorable to their leadership," Patrushev told the Argumenty i Fakty newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday. He said Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) were using Poland, Georgia and the Baltic states to spy against Russia. "The CIA and SIS continue to attract their partners from Poland, Georgia, Baltic countries and several others to work against Russia,"….(Reuters, 10 Oct 07)

Mysterious transmissions assaulting Israeli satellite TV broadcasts

Israeli satellite TV viewers have for the past month had their favorite programs disrupted by electronic snowstorms, variously said to be caused by the radar of U.N. patrol boats, Russian spy ships or Israel's military…The interference began on Sept. 6, the day Israeli warplanes slipped past Syria's Russian-made air defense systems, attacked a military target deep inside the country and escaped unchallenged. Israeli has maintained an almost total official silence over the strike, which Syria said hit an unused military installation……(AP, 10 Oct 07)

Spy Chief: West Wants to Split Russia

…Nikolai Patrushev, who heads the Federal Security Service, the main KGB successor agency, also claimed that foreign spies were working to foment discontent in Russia in the run-up to December's parliamentary elections and the presidential vote next spring. Patrushev is a longtime ally of President Vladimir Putin, and his comments reflect deeply entrenched suspicions of Western intentions in the Kremlin's inner circle amid a cold spell in Russia's relations with the West. Putin himself is a 16-year KGB veteran and former chief of the Federal Security Service, known as the FSB…..(AP, 10 Oct 07)

Russia intercepted over 300 foreign spies in past 4 years - FSB

…"More than 270 actively operating agents and 70 foreign intelligence recruits, including 35 Russians, have been exposed since 2003," Argumenty i Fakty quoted Nikolai Patrushev as saying. He said that 14 agents and 33 recruits have been caught this year alone.  Patrushev said six Russians were caught in an attempt to transfer state secrets to foreign countries, and have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Retired Colonel Valentin Shabaturov was given a 12-year sentence this year for treason and espionage…..(RIA Novosti, 10 Oct 07)

US grapples with cybersecurity

…Greg Garcia, assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications at the US Department of Homeland Security, told his audience that his number one priority was securing US federal government systems…Garcia's three main priorities: strengthening federal systems, developing a national preparedness and deterrence strategy and enhancing response capabilities…The first priority concerns the expansion of Einstein, a situational awareness program…National strategy and cyber-response…second priority, developing a national strategy, is based on a risk management approach and referred to as the national infrastructure protection plan...third priority, involves strengthening the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), which was established in 2003…..(ISN, 10 Oct 07)

DHS offers baseline for U.S. IT security skills

The Homeland Security Department recently published a draft of a framework of knowledge and skills it believes the United States needs to prevent cyberattacks. Development of the “IT Security Essential Body of Knowledge” (EBK) began in 2003, when the DHS National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) began working with the Defense Department, academia and private industry to examine workforce IT certifications and what would be needed to advance security skills. Starting with the DOD’s “Information Assurance Skill Standards” document, which had goals considered close to those for the national workforce, the NCSD development team isolated what it considered the core IT security competencies…..(FCW, 10 Oct 07)

U.S. Intelligence Officials Will Probe Leak of Bin Laden Video

U.S. intelligence officials will investigate allegations that the government improperly leaked a secretly obtained Osama bin Laden video, alerting al-Qaeda to a security gap in the terrorist group's internal communications network that it was able to shut, an intelligence spokesman said yesterday. Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for the director of national intelligence, said officials are looking into the leak allegation by the SITE Intelligence Group, which passed the video on to the White House and the director of national intelligence's office before its leak……(Washington Post, 10 Oct 07)

New Security Strategy Emphasizes Disaster Preparedness

The White House yesterday updated the nation's homeland security strategy for the first time since shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, acknowledging the need to prepare for catastrophic natural disasters as well as the "persistent and evolving" threat of terrorism…Several security analysts praised the document for attempting to put such policies on more solid footing. But they also questioned its timing and long passages defending the pet initiatives of a dwindling administration, instead of reconciling security directives and plans issued over the past six years……(Washington Post, 10 Oct 07)

Document: National Strategy for Homeland Security October 2007 .pdf

GOP Opposes Attempt To Revise Wiretap Law

A House Democratic effort to revise the nation's new foreign intelligence surveillance law met swift resistance yesterday from the White House, Republican lawmakers and even some party members. The GOP leaders of both chambers said the bill introduced yesterday by the chairmen of the House intelligence and Judiciary committees seeks to impose restrictions that would impede intelligence and law enforcement efforts to prevent a terrorist attack…..(Washington Post, 10 Oct 07)

Immunity Crucial in Talks on Eavesdropping Rules

Whether telecommunication utilities should have legal immunity for having helped the National Security Agency conduct eavesdropping without warrants emerged on Tuesday as the pivotal issue in the debate over wiretapping powers. The Bush administration, urged by the telecommunication industry, is pushing hard for Congress to include immunity for past actions in any package to protect them from a series of civil suits…..(New York Times, 10 Oct 07)

Something is wrong when sharing requires breaking the law

…Testimony by former Gunnery Sgt. Gary Maziarz, who received a 26 month prison sentence for his cooperation with federal prosecutors, revealed that his colleagues in the reserve military intelligence community were using their occasional access to national-level intelligence on terrorism to support their day jobs: countering terrorism at the local government level. One member of the ring works in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and the other in the LAPD. Maziarz, then an intelligence analyst at Camp Pendleton, was invaluable to the ring because of his ability to regularly access national intelligence databases and pass a steady stream of information to his accomplices on terrorism suspects in the LA area……(Threat Watch, 10 Oct 07)

Information Sharing, By Hook or By Crook

The disclosure of a clandestine network of U.S. military officers that diverted classified documents from military agencies and illegally provided them to law enforcement agencies serves as a vivid reminder that improved information sharing within the government is a goal that has still not been achieved. "Marine Gunnery Sgt. Gary Maziarz said patriotism motivated him to join a spy ring, smuggle secret files from Camp Pendleton and give them to law enforcement officers for anti-terrorism work in Southern California,"…..(FAS, 10 Oct 07)

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Torture Appeal

Without comment, the justices let stand an appeals court ruling that the state secrets privilege, a judicially created doctrine that the Bush administration has invoked to win dismissal of lawsuits that touch on issues of national security, protected the government’s actions from court review. In refusing to take up the case, the justices declined a chance to elaborate on the privilege for the first time in more than 50 years. The case involved Khaled el-Masri…..(New York Times, 10 Oct 07)

Supreme Court Won't Review Alleged CIA Abduction

The Supreme Court declined yesterday to open U.S. courts to a German citizen who said he was abducted, imprisoned and tortured by the CIA because he was mistakenly identified as a terrorist. The government had invoked its "state secrets" privilege and said there was no way for Khaled el-Masri to bring his lawsuit, or for the government to defend itself, without the disclosure of information that would endanger national security……(Washington Post, 10 Oct 07)

Panelists cite threats to U.S. computer networks

The United States is heavily dependent on cyberspace for its military, commercial and social interactions. But the vast and ever-expanding interconnected electronic networks are under constant attack and the nation's ability to defend them or to counterattack is hobbled by lack of coordination and "policy constraints," a panel of experts said Tuesday. "Cyberspace has become a really big deal. We do our banking, our commercial activities over the Internet," said Lt. Gen. Robert Elder, commander of the Air Force's Cyberspace, Global Strike and Network Operations command. "It's really important to the Air Force...To maintain air superiority, we have to maintain cyber superiority." The vulnerability of that capability has been demonstrated repeatedly, including an attack by hackers in June that shut down some of the Pentagon's unclassified computer systems and disrupted the e-mail system in the Defense Secretary's office…the potential for devastating disruption of a nation's government and commercial communications was demonstrated in April and May by a sophisticated, massive Internet attack that paralyzed Estonia for weeks, Grant said. Grant called the prolonged denial-of-service assault using a network of pirated computers -- which Estonian officials blamed on Russian security services -- "Web War I." Although experts from NATO nations and elsewhere tried to help, the cyber assault forced the Estonian government and its major financial and commercial institutions to shut themselves off from the electronic world…..(Congress Daily, 10 Oct 07)

Capital One Provides Tips to Help Small Businesses Safeguard Against Cyber Crime

Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) today released a set of cyber security tips to help small business owners protect themselves against online intrusions. The tips are being released in conjunction with the start of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which began on October 1…..(Business Wire, 10 Oct 07)

Hackers Threaten Cyber Money Sites

…gamers are concerned about a hacker attack. In any week, some 100,000 users visit ItemBay, Item Mania and Item Play Forum. ItemBay, for instance, saw over W360 billion worth of transactions just from item sales last year. Each of the sites is being flooded with questions from customers demanding to know what is going on. But delays in restoring the sites are preventing them from even posting a notice to explain the situation….(Chosun, 10 Oct 07)

Hamilton Next to Be Questioned by Police in McLaren Spy Case

Lewis Hamilton will also be interviewed by Italian authorities as part of the criminal investigation into the espionage affair that this year rocked formula one. His McLaren teammate and championship rival Fernando Alonso, who like 22-year-old Hamilton is not under investigation, was questioned in Ferrari's local region of Modena for two hours on Tuesday…..(Paddock Talk, 10 Oct 07)

Torture's Paper Trail
Last week, the New York Times published a front-page article describing two legal memoranda issued secretly by the Bush Administration in 2005 that purported to provide guidance regarding the legality of CIA interrogation methods. What the memos said, specifically, was that certain CIA practices did not violate the law. I emphasize the "purported" purpose of the memos because I think their true purpose was quite different. Rather than giving objective guidance that would assist CIA officials in conforming their conduct to legal standards, the memos were actually meant to provide legal cover for conduct that violated fundamental legal norms……(Findlaw, 10 Oct 07)

Espionage - Nigerian, 2 Others Granted Bail

Gambia yesterday released on bail two foreign workers from rights group Amnesty International, who were detained at the weekend on suspicion of spying when they attempted to visit a detained opposition politician. Tania Bernath, who holds joint British and United States (US) citizenship, and Ayobele Ameen, a Nigerian, were released on payment of a 100,000 dalasi ($5,376) bond but authorities retained their passports…..(All Africa, 10 Oct 07)

“It is an operation of special services”

Former Georgian Defense Minister Irakly Okruashvili’s arrest and his accusations against President Saakashvili caused an acute political crisis in Georgia. Head of the parliamentary international affairs committee and one of the president’s close associates Konstantin Gabashvili told Kommersant’s correspondent Vladimir Novikov how official Tbilisi views the events in Georgia and Russia’s role in these events…..(Kommersant, 9 Oct 07)

Students clash at Ahmadinejad's speech

An estimated 100 students staged a rare demonstration yesterday against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling him a "dictator" and scuffling with hard-line students at Tehran University. Mr. Ahmadinejad, who was giving a speech to a group at the university to mark the beginning of the academic year, ignored the chants of "death to the dictator" and continued with his speech on the merits of science and the pitfalls of Western-style democracy…..(Washington Times, 9 Oct 07)

Nigeria: FG Submits Security Document Found on Asuni

Barely 48 hours after the United States embassy in Abuja protested the continued detention of its citizen, Dr Judith Burdin Asuni, who is standing trial for espionage, the federal government has risen in stout defense of its action. The government yesterday submitted sensitive security documents, allegedly found with Asuni, to the Federal High Court in Abuja, and plans to charge her with "illegal" possession of a Nigerian passport…..(AllAfrica, 9 Oct 07)

American Faces Espionage Charge in Nigeria

A 60-year-old American aid worker arrested last month in the restive Niger Delta region of Nigeria while helping two German filmmakers was in possession of highly sensitive information that could jeopardize national security, a prosecutor at a Nigerian High Court said Monday. The worker, Judith Asuni, has lived in Nigeria for 36 years and runs a nonprofit organization based in the oil capital of Port Harcourt that works on reducing conflict in the Niger Delta. She was arrested along with a Nigerian colleague and two Germans on Sept. 26 and charged with violating the Official Secrets Act, a charge tantamount to espionage….(New York Times 9 Oct 07)

Japan plans unmanned mission to the moon

Japan plans to launch its first mission to land a spacecraft on the moon in the next decade, officials said on Tuesday, joining China and India in a race among Asian nations to explore the lunar surface. Japan's first lunar orbiter is currently circling the moon, and the country is racing with China and India to land a craft on the lunar surface -- a feat so far achieved only by the former Soviet Union and the United States….(Reuters, 9 Oct 07)

Saffron Through the Firewall

European Union justice and interior ministers met in Lisbon early this week to discuss how to inoculate the Internet against forces that can threaten the free world. By November, they expect to put together a raft of proposals to somehow secure the internet from, say, websites that recruit terrorists or teach you how to make a bomb…The more compelling Internet story last week took place as far away from Europe as one can get. It was from Burma -- via defiant blogs, emails, and phone-cam videos posted online -- that the world witnessed the other argument: that when it comes to the Internet (and all forms of media, for that matter) "standards" is a legitimate topic not only with respect to limiting the medium's (and its users') potential harm, but more importantly in setting and keeping the medium (and its users) free. Burma's slippered, bloodied citizens could not have been more eloquent with the silent, choppy videos they smuggled and posted online….(Washington Post, 9 Oct 07)

U.S. Weighed Radioactive Poisons

Early in the Cold War, the U.S. Army explored the potential for using radioactive poisons to assassinate "important individuals" such as military or civilian leaders, according to newly declassified documents. Approved at the highest levels of the Army in 1948, the effort was a well-hidden part of the military's pursuit of a "new concept of warfare," using radioactive materials from atomic-bomb production to contaminate swaths of enemy land or to target military bases, factories or troop formations……(AP, 9 Oct 07)

Aamulehti: Historians call for thorough examination of Finlandisation era

Leading researchers into recent Finnish history have argued that the period of so-called "Finlandisation" be opened up to comprehensive study. According to the online edition of the Tampere daily Aamulehti, ten of eleven prominent historians and professors interviewed by the paper’s Helsinki staff take the view that acquiescence to the will of the Soviet Union in the post-war period continues to dwell on the minds of people in this country……( Helsingin Sanomat, 9 Oct 07)

Democrats propose new eavesdropping law

…The law proposed Tuesday by the chairmen of the House intelligence and judiciary committees would allow the attorney general and the director of national intelligence to apply to the secret court for warrants to conduct surveillance on groups of foreign targets, such as al-Qaida members, for up to a year. But it restores safeguards that were removed from the August law. For example, the FISA court would have to review the procedures used to determine that the people being targeted are outside the United States. The court also would review procedures that require the NSA to black out the identities of people in the United States who aren’t court-approved targets. Other safeguards include reports to Congress and audits by the Justice Department’s inspector general. The bill also makes it clear that searches without warrants aren’t allowed in the United States……(McClatchy Newspapers, 9 Oct 07)

US court rejects CIA kidnap case

The US Supreme Court has thrown out an appeal by a Lebanese-born German citizen who accuses the CIA of kidnapping and torturing him. Khaled al-Masri had been appealing against the decision of lower courts not to hear his case against the CIA on national security grounds. Mr Masri says he was abducted in Macedonia in 2003 and flown to Afghanistan for interrogation. His case has highlighted the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" program…..(BBC, 9 Oct 07)

Democrats Seem Ready to Extend Wiretap Powers

… As the debate over the eavesdropping powers of the National Security Agency begins anew this week, the emerging measures reflect the reality confronting the Democrats. Although willing to oppose the White House on the Iraq war, they remain nervous that they will be called soft on terrorism if they insist on strict curbs on gathering intelligence…..(New York Times, 9 Oct 07)

Kenneth Harding; House Sergeant-at-Arms and Hill Fixture

Kenneth R. Harding, 93, the sergeant-at-arms in the House of the Representatives for most of the 1970s, died of pneumonia Oct. 3…Mr. Harding, who worked on Capitol Hill for 30 years, became the chief security officer in the House in 1972 after 18 years as director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. When Mr. Harding became sergeant-at-arms, the Watergate scandal was just breaking, and by 1974, the House leadership briefly considered sending him to the White House to seize tape recordings that the House Justice Committee had requested after the Nixon administration had sent only edited transcripts…..(Washington Post, 9 Oct 07)

Dragonfly or Insect Spy? Scientists at Work on Robobugs.

…No agency admits to having deployed insect-size spy drones. But a number of U.S. government and private entities acknowledge they are trying. Some federally funded teams are even growing live insects with computer chips in them, with the goal of mounting spyware on their bodies and controlling their flight muscles remotely. The robobugs could follow suspects, guide missiles to targets or navigate the crannies of collapsed buildings to find survivors. The technical challenges of creating robotic insects are daunting, and most experts doubt that fully working models exist yet……(Washington Post, 9 Oct 07)

Video: Onboard View

Video: ‘The Dragonfly’

RBC introduces new Phishing Resource Centre to help protect against online threats

…"Everyone needs to be more vigilant when conducting business via the web, and through education and awareness people can take simple steps to protect

themselves against online threats," said Jim O'Donnell, senior vice-president and chief information security officer, RBC. "RBC is continually educating

clients through tools and practical tips on our web site and one of the ways is through our new Phishing Resource Centre."….(Press Release, 9 Oct 07)

Fernando Alonso gives evidence to the court in Italy
Fernando Alonso has been in Módena, Italy today to declare before the town’s prosecutor in the Ferrari espionage case. The Italian judiciary is continuing to investigate the case, despite the fact that the FIA Formula One authorities have already held their own hearing and handed down the punishment of the 100 million € fine for McLaren and their banning from the constructors’ championship this year…..(Typically Spanish, 9 Oct 07)

Chinese media denies link between RAW official and woman

A leading official Chinese newspaper today cautioned the Indian media against causing "distrust" between the two nations over an alleged link between a Chinese woman spy and an Indian intelligence official in Sri Lanka. Taking exception to the media reports in India over the alleged spy scandal, the global times, a sister publication of the People's Daily, the official mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party of China, noted that the recalled senior Indian official, Ravi Nair, has become a "hot person" in various media reports….(Zee News, 9 Oct 07)

One journalist released, four sentenced

Reporters Without Borders today welcomed the release of journalist Soheil Assefi, who spent more than two months in preventive detention in Tehran’s Evin jail, but stressed the poor state of press freedom in Iran where four other journalists have been given jail terms and a daily paper shut down. Assefi, a contributor to a number of publications and websites, was freed on 6 October 2007 after paying bail of 100 million Tumen (about 80,000 Euros)…..(RSF, 8 Oct 07)

Bangladeshi develops humanoid robot from scrap

…A Bangladeshi graduate student is developing a robot capable of picking up objects, mopping floors and performing other simple tasks -- at the fraction of the cost of other humanoids.Feroz Ahmed Siddiky of the International Islamic University in Chittagong says his "IRobo" responds to voice commands, has spatial intelligence and is cheap because it's made from scrap materials he's collected from electronic shops and car mechanics……(Reuters, 8 Oct 07)

Red agent captured; military spy killed

Police have arrested an intelligence officer of the communist New People’s Army who has a P500,000 bounty on his head, the Cordillera regional police announced yesterday. Regional police director Chief Supt. Eugene Martin identified the suspected rebel as Jose Cawiding, alias Ka Kiello and Willy, who was arrested by police agents led by regional intelligence officer Supt. Jess Cambay……(Manila Standard Today, 8 Oct 07)

Industry group uses awareness month to lobby for data breach laws

The Cyber Security Industry Alliance, a trade group made up of US-based security vendors, is in full gear to pressure members of Congress to enact data security and breach legislation…A number of industry and consumer groups are pushing for data breach notification laws, calling for strict data protection rules and stiff penalties to force companies to better lock down their data. The massive data security breach at Framingham, Mass.-based TJX Cos. helped fuel the movement. Data breaches have become more public in recent years as a result of legislation in more than a dozen states that require companies and government agencies to notify consumers if their data is lost……(Search Security, 8 Oct 07)

Shooting the messenger

It is indeed strange that in this age of transparency and accountability, an anachronistic law like the Official Secrets Act is used by Government to harass a distinguished soldier and fellow citizen who has done his country proud by exposing the corruption and inefficiency in India's external intelligence agency - the Research and Analysis Wing. Obviously, there are officials in RAW who are unhappy with the publication of India's External Intelligence: Secrets of Research and Analysis Wing, authored by Maj Gen VK Singh, who worked in this organization for a couple of years. They have reasons to be because Mr Singh's account of what transpires within RAW is not at all complimentary to them…..(Daily Pioneer, 8 Oct 07)

Senate Bill Aims to Define Who Is a Journalist

The Free Flow of Information Act of 2007 is the grand title attached to the bill that passed the Senate Judiciary Committee last week with bipartisan support. It is better known as the reporter's shield law……(Washington Post, 8 Oct 07)

Auditors give FBI tech fixes mixed marks

The Justice Department’s Inspector General Office concluded that the FBI has improved its system security since the Robert Hanssen spy debacle but pointed out areas where improvements are incomplete or lacking…The report presented detailed analysis of the status of system upgrades Justice had recommended. The verdict on system upgrade progress included both favorable and unfavorable items…..(GCN, 8 Oct 07)

IC21: The Intelligence Community in the 21st Century

Staff Study
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourth Congress….(FAS)

International law needs to be updated to govern the growing tide of cyberwarfare.

Estonia claimed to be under attack last spring, but not by guns or bombs. This assault came in the form of data requests from more than a million computers. It overwhelmed the Baltic nation's computer networks, crashing e-mail for its parliament, taking down emergency phone lines and freezing online services of government offices, banks, universities and hospitals. Estonia accused Russia of conducting a cyberwar in retaliation for a decision to move a Soviet-era war memorial. The Russian government denied involvement….(LA Times, 8 Oct 07)

Experts at UN-backed meeting lay foundation for global cybersecurity roadmap

Experts at a United Nations-backed conference have agreed to jointly take action to combat the constantly evolving and increasingly sophisticated challenges posed by cybercrime. “The legal, technical and institutional challenges posed by cyber-threats and cybercrime are global and far-reaching, and can only be addressed through a coherent strategy taking into account the role of different stakeholders and existing initiatives, within a framework of international cooperation,”….(UN, 8 Oct 07)

Pradeep Khosla, Renowned Cybersecurity Expert, Joins BitArmor Board Of Directors

BitArmor(TM), the leader in data control software that helps corporate executives protect and manage sensitive data throughout their organizations, today announced that Pradeep Khosla, Ph. D., has been elected to the company's board of directors…..(Tech Web, 8 Oct 07)

Kenneth P. Raeder DIA Senior Intelligence Analyst

Kenneth Paul Raeder, 61, who retired in 2005 as a senior intelligence analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency section overseeing Latin America, died Oct. 3…Mr. Raeder joined the DIA in 1979 and toward the end of the Cold War helped analyze the roles of the Soviet and Cuban military in Latin America. He also briefed high officials on hostage crises and the Falkland Islands war and went on fact-finding visits to Nicaragua and Honduras. He was operations officer in 1986 for the Libya Intelligence Support Team and was an analyst in 1998 for the Iraq Intelligence Task Force…..(Washington Post, 8 Oct 07)