Cyber Defense – Ciberdefensa – Defesa Cibernética Sharing information and best practices: that's the idea! Compartilhar informações e boas práticas: essa é a idéia! Compartir información y mejores prácticas: ¡esa es la idea!

Interesting News from around the Cyber Defense Community - Mar 30th, 2023

a) 15 Countries participate in the first Inter-American Cyber Defense Challenge. (International, 30 Mar, 2023) Part of the text: Today the Inter-American Defense Board held the 1st Inter-American Cyber Defense Challenge. The Challenge consisted of a "Capture the Flag" and had more than 150 participants who made up 57 teams from 15 different countries (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Honduras, Uruguay, Spain). The Challenge organized by the IADB was the first exercise of its kind in which all the teams played collaboratively, i.e., utilizing a "chat" to solve the problems. This milestone demonstrates our collective efforts to build hemispheric trust and confidence in cybersecurity and to reinforce the critical importance of building the capacity of the member states of the Inter-American Defense Board. In this digital age, the cyber-attack threat has become a growing concern, affecting individuals, organizations, and nations. The Inter-American Defense Board recognizes the importance of collective defense capabilities and the need for greater cooperation in cyber defense. We are open to opportunities to partner with other organizations and companies in the cyber sector to continue contributing to the strengthening of the cyber capacity of the countries of the Americas. As we close this Challenge, we congratulate all participants and sponsors, confident that we can build a more secure hemisphere through our collective efforts. Know more: https://www.jid.org Challenge website: https://ciberdefensa.jid.org

b) Russia Supplying Cyber Weapons to Iran in Exchange for Drones: Report (Russia, 29 Mar, 2023) Part of the text: Russia will supply Iran with advanced technology, including software aimed at spying on dissidents’ phones and surveillance cameras, after Tehran provided Moscow with drones for the war in Ukraine. Russia is supplying Iran with cyber weapons capable of advanced digital surveillance, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Monday. The report states that Tehran is keen on expanding cyber warfare cooperation with Moscow. It also posits that the Kremlin has deepened its military commitment to Iran after the latter supplied drones that the Russian military has used to carry out strikes in Ukraine. Cyber Warfare Collaboration According to the report, two years ago, Russia and Iran signed a cyber-cooperation agreement focused on cyber defence networks. It noted that the deal was signed despite Russia having long-standing doubts regarding sharing digital capabilities with Iran, fearing they would be sold on the dark web. Russia plans to supply Iran with advanced technology, including software aimed at spying on dissidents’ phones, internet censorship, lie detectors, and surveillance cameras. Iranian and US sources told the WSJ that Tehran also requested dozens of Russian attack helicopters, fighter jets, and aid for its long-range missile programme. The report stressed that this development is concerning as the Iranian regime has already used the internet to slow down web traffic and stop the spread of videos and systems of communications that protestors could use. The regime also used surveillance tools that helped track protestors from different areas. According to the news outlet, Russia provided Iran’s cyber warfare programme with a more sophisticated way of monitoring communications inside the country. Annie Fixler, a cyber policy analyst, told WSJ that “given Russia’s superior capabilities, any amount of knowledge transfer would improve Iran’s cyber capabilities.” The report also quotes a document published by the University of Toronto, which found that Russia provided internet-censorship software called PROTEI to Iranian mobile service Ariantel. The Kremlin is believed to have used PROTEI to monitor phone lines, emails, and card transactions. Iran-Russia Defence Partnership Know more: https://www.statecraft.co.in/article/russia-supplying-cyber-weapons-to-iran-in-exchangefor-drones-report

c) Microsoft lleva la potencia de la Inteligencia Artificial a la ciberdefensa con Security Copilot (Internacional, 28 Mar, 2023) Parte del texto: Entrenado en diversas disciplinas de seguridad y redes, y construido con billones de señales de datos, Security Copilot aumenta drásticamente el alcance, la velocidad y la efectividad de cualquier equipo de seguridad. Microsoft Corp. ha anunciado que está llevando la próxima generación de Inteligencia Artificial (IA) a la ciberseguridad, con el lanzamiento de Microsoft Security Copilot, una herramienta muy necesaria para detectar y responder rápidamente a las amenazas y comprender mejor el panorama de las ciberamenazas en general. Security Copilot combina la amplia experiencia de Microsoft en la industria de la ciberseguridad y su vasto conocimiento en inteligencia contra amenazas para ayudar a los profesionales de la Seguridad y complementarlos a través de un asistente de IA muy sencillo de utilizar. «Hoy en día, los profesionales de la ciberseguridad tienen que hacer frente con demasiada frecuencia a ataques cibernéticos y atacantes cada vez más implacables y sofisticados», comenta Vasu Jakkal, vicepresidenta corporativa de Microsoft Security. «Con Security Copilot, estamos moviendo la balanza a nuestro favor. Se trata del primer y único producto de seguridad de IA generativa que permite a quienes se defienden moverse a la velocidad y escala de la IA». Security Copilot está diseñado para trabajar de forma fluida con los equipos de seguridad, a los que facilita la visión de lo que está sucediendo en su entorno, poder aprender de los informes de inteligencia de los que disponen, correlacionar la actividad de amenazas y una toma de decisiones de forma más informada y eficiente, a la velocidad de una máquina. Simplifica la complejidad y proporciona respuestas más rápidas En un mundo donde hay 1.287 ataques de contraseñas por segundo, la infraestructura y las herramientas aisladas no son suficientes para detener a los atacantes. Además, aunque los ataques han aumentado un 67% en los últimos 5 años, la industria de la seguridad no ha podido contratar suficientes profesionales expertos en riesgo cibernético para seguir el ritmo. Esto ha hecho que los defensores se encuentren abrumados, buscando ataques encubiertos dentro de un volumen increíblemente ingente de tráfico de red y de otras señales en plena expansión. Sepa más: https://news.microsoft.com/es-es/2023/03/28/microsoft-lleva-la-potencia-de-la-inteligenciaartificial-a-la-ciberdefensa-con-security-copilot/

d) US Indo-Pacific Command seeks extra $274 million for cyber (United States, 27 Mar, 2023) Part of the text: WASHINGTON — U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the oldest and the largest of the Pentagon’s unified combatant commands, asked Congress for an additional $274 million to fund offensive and defensive cyber capabilities, as officials seek to fend off hackers and gird for potential conflict with China. “Offensive cyber access and effects” projects, at $184 million, and “cybersecurity and network defenses,” at $90 million, are included in the command’s hefty $3.5 billion unfunded priorities list, a copy of which Defense News reviewed. The former supports “capabilities to access and effect cyberspace operations,” it said. The latter would fund INDOPACOM attempts to harden networks and quickly identify intruders. Combatant commands and military leaders annually send unfunded priorities lists, also called “wish lists,” to lawmakers, each offering different levels of detail, as required by law. They allow defense officials to note for Congress items that did not make it into the latest budget request from the White House but that would be useful should money be available. INDOPACOM’s ask comes as the U.S. looks to counter an increasingly influential and assertive China in both real and virtual worlds. The Biden administration’s cybersecurity strategy, published this month, identifies Beijing as the “broadest, most active and most persistent threat to both government and private sector networks” and China as the “only country with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to do so.” The command’s wish list, which also includes millions for missile warning and tracking, signals intelligence upgrades, foreign influence campaigns and more, highlights “exactly the kinds of capabilities that will make People’s Liberation Army planners and political leaders in Beijing think twice” about acting belligerently, according to Bradley Bowman, the senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank. “When you just quickly look at the list: Guam defense system, cybersecurity, network defenses, missile warning and tracking, space sensors, undersea targeting, resilient warfighting architecture, joint fires networks, maritime strike capabilities, and the list goes on and on,” he told C4ISRNET. “These aren’t exactly new golf courses in Hawaii, right? This is not a bigger house for the general.” Know more: https://www.c4isrnet.com/cyber/2023/03/27/us-indo-pacific-command-seeks-extra-274million-for-cyber/

e) Lawmakers Propose Civilian Cyber Reserve to Bolster DOD and DHS (United States, Mar 22, 2023) Part of the text: Senate lawmakers introduced a legislative package on Tuesday to establish civilian cybersecurity reserve pilot programs within the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to help bolster the federal government’s cyber resilience amid a national shortage of high-skilled cybersecurity personnel. The pair of bipartisan bills—introduced by Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.— would enable DOD and DHS “to recruit qualified civilian cybersecurity personnel to serve in reserve capacities to ensure the U.S. government has the talent needed to defeat, deter or respond to malicious cyber activity, especially at times of greatest need,” according to a joint press release. Participation in the reserve programs would be voluntary and “by invitation only,” and would not include members of the military Selected Reserve. “Cybersecurity threats targeting the United States continue to grow in scale and scope, demonstrating the urgent need for robust civilian cyber reserves capable of addressing these threats and protecting our nation,” Rosen said in a statement. “Our bipartisan legislation will help ensure the U.S. government can leverage existing cybersecurity talent from the private sector to help our nation deter and swiftly respond to cyberattacks.” The introduction of the legislative package comes as federal agencies and the private sector alike are struggling to keep pace with the growing digital threat landscape. A report released in October by a federal working group noted that there were “more than 700,000 cyber jobs to fill nationwide and nearly 40,000 in the public sector as of April 2022.” This shortage of trained cyber professionals is also a concern for DOD, which noted in a November memo that “attracting cybersecurity professionals continues to fall short of demand.” Know more: https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2023/03/lawmakers-propose-civilian-cyber-reservebolster-dod-and-dhs/384284/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------X---------------------------------------------------------------------------*The information contained in this newsletter, including any external links, is provided "AS IS," with no express or implied warranty, for informational purposes only. *As informações contidas neste boletim, incluindo links externos, são fornecidas "COMO ESTÃO", sem garantia expressa ou implícita, apenas para fins informativos. *La información contenida en este boletín, incluidos los enlaces externos, se proporciona "TAL CUAL", sin garantía expresa o implícita, solo con fines informativo

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