January 2013

Hackers in China Attacked The New York Times for Last 4 Months

For the last four months, Chinese hackers have persistently attacked The New York Times, infiltrating its computer systems and getting passwords for its reporters and other employees.

After surreptitiously tracking the intruders to study their movements and help erect better defenses to block them, The Times and computer security experts have expelled the attackers and kept them from breaking back in. The timing of the attacks coincided with the reporting for a Times investigation, published online on Oct. 25, that found that the relatives of Wen Jiabao, China’s prime minister, had accumulated a fortune worth several billion dollars through business dealings. Security experts hired by The Times to detect and block the computer attacks gathered digital evidence that Chinese hackers, using methods that some consultants have associated with the Chinese military in the past, breached The Times’ network. They broke into the e-mail accounts of its Shanghai bureau chief, David Barboza, who wrote the reports on Mr. Wen’s relatives, and Jim Yardley, The Times’ South Asia bureau chief in India, who previously worked as bureau chief in Beijing.

Hagel stresses importance of cybersecurity

Former-Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) said deterring future cyberattacks will be a "continued key challenge" for the United States and he will ensure the Defense Department provides "strong support" toward efforts to defend the country from hackers if he is confirmed as secretary of Defense.

In response to a slate of questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hagel said defending the country from cyberattacks should "involve the full range of tools at the disposal" of the U.S., but he didn't specifically say whether that will require the use of offensive and defensive cyber forces. However, he said one of the tools the U.S. should employ is "any authorized military operations," as well as diplomacy and law enforcement. Hagel provided few clues about what his cybersecurity strategy would be as head of the Defense Department. Hagel said he will carefully consider various cyber challenges facing the department and consult with other military officials and agencies before making decisions that will affect the country's cybersecurity policy.

Wanted: Geeks to help fight Pentagon’s cyberwar

The Pentagon is looking for more geeks to wage cyberwar. Problem is, they don’t exist — at least not enough of them.

While the Pentagon plans to add 4,000 troops and civilians to the U.S. Cyber Command, cybersecurity experts say the total need is much greater. Many people consider themselves cybersecurity professionals, but as for the truly advanced operators — sometimes called “hunters” and “tool builders” — there’s a real shortage, said Alan Paller, founder of the SANS Institute, a cybersecurity training school in Bethesda (MD). These are the people who can identify cyberattacks and then quickly build the tools needed to rewrite a network’s defenses, sometimes several times a day, said Paller, who last summer co-chaired the Homeland Security Advisory Council’s Task Force on CyberSkills. There aren’t that many of them in the country and everyone wants to hire them, he said.

FTC/DOJ Amicus Brief Supports Right of Private Parties to Pursue Relief Under the Antitrust Laws

The staff of the Federal Trade Commission has joined the U.S. Department of Justice in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the right of private parties to pursue relief under the antitrust laws.

At issue is whether courts should enforce an arbitration agreement under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) when that agreement effectively prevents a prospective litigant from pursuing its rights under the Sherman Act. The brief states that federal statutory claims are generally arbitrable, but only if the applicable arbitration procedures offer plaintiffs a practical opportunity to vindicate their federal rights. The FTC and DOJ submitted the brief in response to a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which invalidated an arbitration agreement containing a class action waiver and other prohibitions on cost sharing among the plaintiffs, because the plaintiffs showed that they would incur “prohibitive costs” if compelled to arbitrate individually against American Express (Amex) (No. 03 CV 9592, 2006 WL 662341 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 16, 2006)). In that case, several merchants alleged Amex engaged in an illegal tying agreement, in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Amex subsequently invoked a mandatory arbitration clause in its commercial contract. In the brief, the DOJ and FTC staff state that the Second Circuit acted correctly, and that enforcement of the arbitration clause would effectively deny the merchants the right to seek relief under the Sherman Act. Accordingly, the staff concludes that the judgment of the court of appeals should be affirmed, to ensure that private parties are not denied the opportunity to vindicate their rights under the antitrust laws.

Online activists fret over extremism

Internet activism’s heroes are sometimes labeled its destroyers. Supporters of online freedoms worry extreme acts may thwart the momentum gained last year with the crushing defeat of anti-piracy legislation. Those concerns underscore a central fear in activist circles: how to advocate a cause without destroying its credibility.

Tech companies claim more H-1B visas will fill IT labor gap

Microsoft, HP, Intel, Cisco, and Oracle are among the heavyweight IT companies throwing their support behind proposed legislation that would nearly double the number of H-1B visas the feds could dole out each year, from 65,000 to 115,000.

The Immigration Innovation Act of 2013 (I-Squared, for short) would funnel some of the money from H-1B-related fees toward funding STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education in U.S. schools and colleges and retraining workers. Whether or not the United States. is suffering a severe shortage of IT and engineering talents remains a point of contention. Under the Immigration Innovation Act of 2013, the maximum number of H-1B visas for high-skilled foreign workers would jump from 65,000 to 115,000. That number would be adjustable based on economic demand. Dependent spouses of H-1B visa holders would be allowed to work in the United States as well. Additionally, the act would let foreign students at U.S. schools to apply for green cards while on their student visas, and it would let Congress roll over the unused green cards from year to year. Finally, the bill would increase fees on the issuance of visas by around 40 percent, up to $1,000. That money would go toward promoting education and worker retraining in the STEM fields.

Facebook Is a ‘Mobile Company,’ But Is That a Good Business?

“Facebook is a mobile company,” said Mark Zuckerberg. Investors seem to be arguing about whether that is a good thing.

Mobile accounted for 23 percent of Facebook’s total ad revenue last quarter, the company said. Considering it was 14 percent in the third quarter, growth is going in the right direction. But mobile revenue still significantly lags actual usage as 680 million people, or 64.2 percent of Facebook users, are browsing the service on their phones. Competition will also be tough. In the U.S. mobile ad market, Facebook is estimated to have a 12 percent share this year, which would be dwarfed by Google’s 57 percent, according to EMarketer. None of these signs should cause investors to unfriend Facebook in droves, but the top executives shouldn’t necessarily be jumping up and down over the results. The question about whether the great shift to mobile computing would unravel Facebook’s business has dogged the company ever since its initial public offering last year. Despite the intense optimism from its executives, who all mentioned the inroads being made in mobile advertising, Facebook’s performance last quarter doesn’t put those concerns to bed. Facebook acknowledged as much in today’s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which lists the familiar risk factor: “our ability to monetize our mobile products.”

On 3rd Try, South Korea Launches Satellite Into Orbit

South Korea succeeded in thrusting a satellite into orbit for the first time, joining an elite club of space technology leaders seven weeks after the successful launching of a satellite by its rival, North Korea. South Korea has attached an intense national pride to the 140-ton, 108-foot-tall Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, or KSLV-1, which was built with the help of Russian technology. Feeling behind China and Japan, both of which have successful space programs, South Korea has sought a technological prowess of its own.

Sen Grassley: Voluntary ratings for violent video games not enough

On Jan 30, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to examine the causes of gun violence in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown (CT). Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) suggested that violent video games can lead to real-world violence.

"There are too many video games that celebrate the mass killing of innocent people — games that despite attempts at industry self-regulation find their way into the hands of children," he said. Sen Grassley pointed to evidence that a mass killer in Norway had played the popular "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" game and had referred to the game as part of his "training simulation." "Where is the artistic value in shooting innocent civilians?" Sen Grassley asked. "I share Vice President Biden’s disbelief of manufacturer denials that these games have no effect on real-world violence," Sen Grassley said. Grassley's comments, which came in his opening statement, were some of the only mentions of violent video games during the hearing, which focused mostly on gun control proposals.

NRA spokesman Wayne LaPierre, in suggesting the problem was larger than guns, also suggested one of those other factors was "incredibly violent video games." Captain Mark Kelly, Rep Gabby Giffords' husband, told the committee that they both supported Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research into gun violence, which the White House has indicated will include research into the impact of entertainment violence on societal violence. "Remove the limitations on the CDC and other public health organizations on collecting data and conducting scientific research on gun violence," Kelly told the committee. "As a fighter pilot and astronaut, I saw the value of using data to achieve our military and scientific objectives. We wouldn't have gotten to the moon or built the International Space Station without robust use of data to make informed decisions. It is simply crazy that we limit gun violence data collection and analysis when we could use that knowledge to save lives."

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda For February Open Meeting

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced that the following items will be on the tentative agenda for the next open meeting scheduled for Wednesday, February 20, 2013:

Improving Wireless Coverage for Consumers Through the Use of Signal Boosters: The Commission will consider a Report and Order to significantly enhance wireless coverage for consumers, while protecting wireless networks from interference by adopting new technical, operational, and registration requirements for signal boosters.
Increasing the Amount of Spectrum Available for Unlicensed Devices in the 5 GHz Band: The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to substantially increase the amount of unlicensed spectrum available to accelerate the growth and expansion of new Wi-Fi technology offering consumers faster speeds and less network congestion at Wi-Fi hot spots.

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