Yuichiro Chino / GettyImages While the internet has undoubtedly brought new benefits, it’s also brought new problems as cyber criminals look to exploit our seemingly ever-growing reliance on connectivity. Special Feature Phishing emails, malware and ransomware attacks, or getting your bank details, passwords and other personal information stolen – the internet has provided malicious hackers with […] More

Getty Images/iStockphoto Cyber attacks don’t just affect the virtual world: they can have concerning real-world consequences for everyone, and a recent incident seemingly involving a near miss has demonstrated just how disruptive they can be. South Staffordshire Water, which provides drinking water for over 1.6 million people in the UK, was hit by what it […] More

US President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law bipartisan legislation that will ban companies like Huawei and ZTE from getting approval for network equipment licences in the US. The legislation, Secure Equipment Act of 2021, will require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt new rules that clarify it will no longer review or approve any authorisation applications for networking equipment that pose national security threats. Last year, the FCC formally designated Huawei and ZTE as national security threats, with that decision being made as the agency found that both companies had close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and China’s military apparatus. Since March, FCC commissioner Brendan Carr has made repeated calls for the legislation to be passed, saying at the time that the FCC has authorised 3,000 applications for Huawei networking equipment to be used. “Once we have determined that Huawei or other gear poses an unacceptable national security risk, it makes no sense to allow that exact same equipment to be purchased and inserted into our communications networks as long as federal dollars are not involved. The presence of these insecure devices in our networks is the threat, not the source of funding used to purchase them,” Carr said at the time. Besides Huawei and ZTE, other Chinese companies flagged as national security threats are Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, and Dahua Technology Company. At the end of last month, the FCC also removed the authority for China Telecom to operate in the US, with the telco required to pack its bags and stop providing domestic and international services by the end of Christmas.

Citing a recommendation from the Trump-era Justice Department, the Commission said China Telecom America “failed to rebut” a series of concerns raised. “China Telecom Americas, a US subsidiary of a Chinese state-owned enterprise, is subject to exploitation, influence, and control by the Chinese government and is highly likely to be forced to comply with Chinese government requests without sufficient legal procedures subject to independent judicial oversight,” the FCC said. With the US clampdown especially focused on Huawei, alongside other countries following suit, the Chinese tech giant reported a steep decline in its first-half revenue, with its business to the end of June reporting 320 billion yuan in sales, compared to 454 billion yuan at this time last year. In providing the financial results, rotating chair of Huawei Eric Xu said the aim of the company moving forward would be to survive sustainably.   Related Coverage More

A former vice president of a company in Georgia has been sent behind bars for sabotaging systems and causing delays in the shipment of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). 

Christopher Dobbins once worked for Stradis Healthcare, a medical equipment packaging company that facilitates the delivery of PPE, supplies, and surgical kits. After being fired in March 2020, with final paycheck in hand, the 41-year-old accessed a secret, fake staff account he had created while still in Stradis’ employ. 
The ex-employee, described as “disgruntled” by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was then able to maintain secret access to the company’s systems, despite his legitimate account being revoked. 
Dobbins set about disrupting Stradis’ electronic records by creating a secondary user account and both editing over 115,000 records and deleting over 2,300 entries. 
The FBI said this week that the intrusion “disrupted the company’s shipping processes, causing delays in the delivery of much-needed PPEs to healthcare providers” who are trying to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Dobbins’ actions did not just cause the company’s operations to grind to a screeching halt in March; issues continued for months after as Stradis sought to repair the damage. 
Swift action was taken to isolate and stop the former employee’s activities, and law enforcement — the FBI Atlanta Cyber Task Force — was called in. Dobbins was then arrested and pleaded guilty to multiple computer intrusion charges in July. 

He will now serve a year and a day behind bars and has been ordered to pay restitution to the tune of $221,200. 
“During the height of a world-wide pandemic this defendant disrupted the distribution of critical medical supplies to health care workers on the front lines of the battle,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This swift and efficient result sends a message that anyone who puts the lives of American citizens at risk will be pursued and punished for their egregious behavior.”
Stradis previously announced that the company was “happy to assist” the FBI in the arrest of Dobbins. 
“Of course we are disappointed about a former employee who caused the company immeasurable internal harm and caused some temporary delays in our shipping system but our focus is completely consumed in working 24/7 to serve the medical community and the public during this critical time,” commented Stradis CEO Jeff Jacobs. 
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Special feature Cyberwar and the Future of Cybersecurity Today’s security threats have expanded in scope and seriousness. There can now be millions — or even billions — of dollars at risk when information security isn’t handled properly. Read More Iranian government-backed hackers are back at it, targeting US federal workers in the hopes of compromising […] More