Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Network Security

National Intelligence Estimate Names China as Top Threat

Earlier this month, SecurityWeek reported on the AP report citing two U.S. officials that claimed a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report would detail the economic impact China’s alleged cyber campaigns have had on the nation. The Washington Post has published additional information on the report, obtained from sources with direct access to the sensitive report.

Earlier this month, SecurityWeek reported on the AP report citing two U.S. officials that claimed a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report would detail the economic impact China’s alleged cyber campaigns have had on the nation. The Washington Post has published additional information on the report, obtained from sources with direct access to the sensitive report.

As mentioned earlier this month, the NIE reflects the views of the nation’s intelligence agencies. According to a source who spoke to the Post on the condition of anonymity, cyber-espionage is “just so widespread that it’s known to be a national issue at this point.”

Previously the concern of the intelligence community and military, the topic of digital warfare and espionage has moved in to a financial concern. The report from the Post says the NIE describes a wide range of segments that have been targeted by alleged state-sponsored attacks, including the energy, finance, aerospace and automotive sectors.

According to the Washinton Post’s report, the NIE names Russia, Israel, and France as having engaged in hacking for economic intelligence, but clearly explains that the volume from those nations pales in comparison to China’s efforts.

“China’s intelligence services, as well as private companies, frequently seek to exploit Chinese citizens or people with family ties to China who can use their insider access to U.S. corporate networks to steal trade secrets using thumb drives or e-mail,” the Post story explains.

Word of the NIE report came a few days before President Obama signed an executive order related to cybersecurity, aimed at better protecting critical infrastructure from cyberattack.

During his State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday, Obama, said the nation faces a “rapidly growing threat from cyberattacks.”

“We know foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets…Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions and our air traffic control systems,” he said.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

The directive calls for voluntary reporting of threats to infrastructure, but stops short of mandating that information be shared.

According to statements made to the AFP, the order allows for “sharing of classified information in a way that protects that classified information but enables the broader use of it to protect our critical infrastructure.”

Yet, the need for meaningful legislation is still present. In addition, there are measures in place to prevent privacy breaches should an organization or agency share attack data.

Written By

Click to comment

Trending

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Join the session as we discuss the challenges and best practices for cybersecurity leaders managing cloud identities.

Register

SecurityWeek’s Ransomware Resilience and Recovery Summit helps businesses to plan, prepare, and recover from a ransomware incident.

Register

Expert Insights

Related Content

Cybercrime

The changing nature of what we still generally call ransomware will continue through 2023, driven by three primary conditions.

Data Protection

The cryptopocalypse is the point at which quantum computing becomes powerful enough to use Shor’s algorithm to crack PKI encryption.

Cybercrime

As it evolves, web3 will contain and increase all the security issues of web2 – and perhaps add a few more.

Identity & Access

Zero trust is not a replacement for identity and access management (IAM), but is the extension of IAM principles from people to everyone and...

Malware & Threats

The NSA and FBI warn that a Chinese state-sponsored APT called BlackTech is hacking into network edge devices and using firmware implants to silently...

Artificial Intelligence

The degree of danger that may be introduced when adversaries start to use AI as an effective weapon of attack rather than a tool...

Cybersecurity Funding

Network security provider Corsa Security last week announced that it has raised $10 million from Roadmap Capital. To date, the company has raised $50...

Network Security

Attack surface management is nothing short of a complete methodology for providing effective cybersecurity. It doesn’t seek to protect everything, but concentrates on areas...