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Informing your decisions with actionable intelligence
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Informing your decisions with actionable intelligence
Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte may have his eye on history as he attempts to secure a prime downtown Washington property – Navy Hill, overlooking the Potomac River – for his headquarters. During World War II, the property’s gracious Central Building, constructed in 1910, served as the home office for William “Wild Bill”…
The Transportation Security Administration, which has faced start-up pains for much of the past four years, is expanding career opportunities for passenger and baggage screeners in hopes of reducing staff turnover and improving aviation security. For the most part, TSA screeners have had little chance to advance in their jobs, and many have quit because…
Now is the time to tell our soldiers in Iraq that “hot pursuit” is okay, that the terrorist training camps on both sides of Iraq are legitimate targets, to be attacked in self-defense. Now is the time to tell the Iraqi government to come forward with the abundant evidence of Iranian evil-doing, and that we…
More a current events than an intel post, so pardon the interruption . . . So I’m reading about Hezbollah rocket attacks against Nazareth and for some reason I’m taken back to the spring of 2001 when the Taliban blew up the Bamiyan Buddhas and I wonder: how soon before there is no physical evidence…
An internal investigation by the [FBI’s] Office of Professional Responsibility found “sufficient circumstantial evidence” that Special Agent Bassem Youssef was blocked from a counterterrorism assignment in 2002 after he and U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) met with FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III to discuss Youssef’s complaints. […] Youssef, who served as FBI…
SOI reminds us that success in this fight means less about territory than some would suggest. The down-side; it means that it’ll get uglier before it gets prettier.
Iran’s Hizbollah, which claims links to the Lebanese group of the same name, said on Tuesday it stood ready to attack Israeli and U.S. interests worldwide.”We have 2,000 volunteers who have registered since last year,” said Iranian Hizbollah’s spokesman Mojtaba Bigdeli, speaking by telephone from the central seminary city of Qom. Somewhere in the Pentagon,…
. . . to come out of the IC in a long time: Many U.S. intelligence agencies as well as the congressional intelligence oversight committees hire their senior staff from a predictable, somewhat in-grown pool of personnel, which frequently includes those who have previously worked in the intelligence field since they can be immediately cleared.…
A former State Department official at the center of an espionage investigation is claiming reports of his involvement with a Taiwanese intelligence agent are inaccurate and distorted. In a court filing Friday, lawyers for the veteran American diplomat, Donald Keyser, insisted that no harm to America’s security was done by his lengthy and sometimes intimate…
Reading this I am reminded of three things; the stellar effectiveness at keeping the peace that UN forces in Srebrenica, their inability to keep their pants on in the presence of children, and the idea that a best-seller-scenario (as opposed to movie-plot-threat) is actively being discussed as an option. Peacekeepers, please. Marine barracks bombing ring…
So I’m flying home from DC and dutifully get in like at the TSA screening point. No, no one placed a wand in an inappropriate place or groped me or made me drink my own bodily fluids. No, I was struck by the TSA staff, which consisted of one . . . what is the…
A reader sends this link to the SITE Institute . . . A document which seeks to debunk the claim that jihad is a wasted venture against America due to the disparity in terms of military capabilities and force in numbers, and discusses the concept of “Fourth Generation Warfare,” was distributed yesterday, July 10, 2006,…
Thursday marks a dubious anniversary in the Homeland Security Department’s brief history. A year ago Secretary Michael Chertoff, as part of a department-wide restructuring, announced he would appoint an assistant secretary for cybersecurity and telecommunications. Today, that position remains unfilled. Chertoff took the first step on Thursday toward elevating the position of national cybersecurity czar…
GroupIntel Forums members (and anyone who wants to join) please hit the new poll at: http://groupintel.net/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9901014161/m/6351053691
As mentioned previously, I participated in a panel discussion about captured media at the Heritage Foundation on Tuesday. Most of the thunder was stolen by HPSCI Chairman Hoekstra, but I didn’t mind. The guy has his finger on the pulse of related issues and frankly I wouldn’t have cared if he had talked the whole…
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen established Israel’s new permanent embassy in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Thursday. The two countries have had diplomatic ties for 30 years, but the establishment of a permanent embassy is an advancement from the previous temporary Israeli mission in Ashgabat. Cohen tweeted that the new embassy is just “17 kilometers from the border…
A new report released by Bridewell Consulting found that over one third of critical national infrastructure security leaders are concerned over insider threats that may arise from economic downturn. The report polled 1025 individuals who have pertinent roles in cybersecurity for companies located in the US and UK in the communications, transportation, government, finance, utilities,…
Fighting in Sudan’s capital is severely affecting food supplies, along with disrupting access to water and electricity according to Khartoum residents. Some families only have enough food for two days and are attempting to make their supplies last longer. Water and electricity cuts have affects many homes in Sudan since the conflict broke out on…
A threat actor commonly known as Mint Sandstorm and Phosphorus has been identified as weaponizing N-day vulnerabilities. The group ha associated with the Iranian government, as well as APT35, APT42 and Charming Kitten. Microsoft released a report earlier this week highlighting the group’s new techniques that are designed to launch campaigns that align with Iran’s…
As the conflict continues between the Indian government and Sikh separatists, supporters of the Khalistani movement are using networks of linked accounts and bots to emanate calls to action on Twitter. These online campaigns come as Indian police still search for Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh and Indian representatives and consulates are attacked in America. The…
According to new research from the University of Toronto Citizen Lab, the Israeli NSO Group has continued to utilize iPhone security applications to exploit and influence the devices. Best known for its zero-click spyware “Pegasus,” the NSO Group has a history of enabling customers with questionable human rights records to spy on citizens. The Citizen…
A global rice shortage is on the horizon, potentially the largest one in two decades. The shortage is primarily due to extreme weather conditions, including floods, droughts, and typhoons, as well as the ongoing war in Ukraine. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation by disrupting supply chains, leading to decreased production, transportation delays,…
At least 78 people have died in a crush at a school in the capital of Yemen, Sanaa, during a distribution of charity for Ramadan. The incident occurred in the Bab-al-Yemen area of the city. Houthi rebels have run Sanaa since they drove the government out in 2015 and hundreds of people crowded into the…
The Read The Manual (RTM) ransomware group has been observed by security researchers at Trellix targeting corporate environments. According to an advisory that Trellix published last week, the group takes a businesslike approach and forces affiliates to adhere to a strict set of rules. The company was able to analyze RTM Locker group’s panel, which…
Zero trust security vendor Zscaler recently released a report noting a 50% worldwide increase in phishing attacks. The company believes that the 2022 increase compared to 2021 was likely driven partly by phishing kits and new AI tools that are now accessible to threat actors. AI tools can help threat actors craft convincing phishing messages…
NCR, a US-headquartered payments company, has confirmed that it suffered from a ransomware attack that targeted one of its data centers in Hawaii. The breach was disclosed on Saturday, just a few days after it was initially discovered on April 13. The company states that it took appropriate actions after identifying the breach, including launching…
The United States armed forces have killed a senior leader of the ISIL group in Syria. Abd-al-Hadi Mahmud al-Haji Ali was the primary target of a helicopter operation that was carried out early on Monday morning. The senior member was described as being an operational planner responsible for attacks in the Middle East and Europe. …
On Monday, a US diplomatic convoy was fired upon in Sudan according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. No one was injured in the incident. Sudan has seen deadly fighting between rival forces for days and Earlier it was reported that the EU’s ambassador in Sudan, Aidan O’Hara, had been assaulted in his home…
Separatists in Indonesia’s Papua region say they have killed nine soldiers in an ambush. Competing reports from the military say one soldier was killed during search and rescue operations to find a kidnapped New Zealand pilot. Soldiers were dispersed to several areas to search for the captured Susi Air pilot Phillip Mehrtens. The military is…
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that it suffered from a data breach that exposed the personal data of 20,800 Iowans who receive Medicaid. The cyberattack did not impact the Medicaid system itself, and the attack occurred on a contractor’s computer systems. The contractor impacted by the cyberattack, Telligen, assists the department…
Delegates from nine Arab nations are meeting in Saudi Arabia to determine the possibility of normalizing relations with Syria and allowing its return to the Arab League. Ministers and officials from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan are meeting on Friday. Syria’s suspension from the Arab League…
A Pakistan-aligned threat group known as APT36 or Transparent Tribe has been observed targeting the Indian education sector. The group is deploying malicious Office documents that distribute Crimson RAT, security researchers say. SentinelOne security researchers published an advisory this week addressing the attacks. The advisory states that Crimson RAT is consistently used by the APT36…
Ghana is the first country to approve a new malaria vaccine. The scientists who developed the vaccine say it could be a “world changer”. The vaccine is called R21 and appears to be very effective. Previous ventures in the same area had not been successful. Ghana’s drug regulators assessed the final trial data on the…
A North Korean missile caused concern in the Japanese city of Hokkaido Thursday after the government’s emergency alert system called for residents to take cover. Millions of people on the Japanese island received a J-alert or evacuation order shortly after 8 a.m. local time urging them to seek shelter. The evacuation order was lifted amid…
War-torn Syria will reopen its diplomatic embassy in Tunisia and appoint an ambassador there according to a joint statement. The announcement came on Wednesday after over a decade of tensions and strained ties between the two countries. A similar move was made by Tunisia on April 3, when President Kais Saied instructed his foreign minister…
India reports that Ukraine has asked for more medical equipment and medication, along with inviting Indian companies to help rebuild the country. These requests were made during a four-day visit to India by First Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Emine Dzhaparova. The visit ended on Wednesday. This was the first visit by a high-ranking official from…
The Russian parliament has approved new legislation that would allow call-up papers to be served online. The Russian government denied the move is aimed at speeding up the mobilization of Russian men or stopping draft-dodging. Thousands of Russians have avoided the draft to escape participating in the war in Ukraine. Until now, conscription papers had…
Italian ministers have called fro a six-month state of emergency due to the increase in migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa. The state of emergency allows for €5m in funding. The state of emergency was called after 3,000 migrants arrive in the past three days. A large number of boats have landed on the…
Informing your decisions with actionable intelligence
Informing your decisions with actionable intelligence