DarkCyber for June 11, 2019, Now Available

DarkCyber for June 11, 2019, is now available at www.arnoldit.com/wordpress and on Vimeo at https://www.vimeo.com/341177540.

The program is a production of Stephen E Arnold. It is the only weekly video news shows focusing on the Dark Web, cybercrime, and lesser known Internet services.

This week’s story line up includes: News about Leidos’ new cyber intelligence system; the risks and vulnerabilities of autonomous smart weapons; and the overlooked factors in the Baltimore ransomware attack.

This week’s feature is a discussion of three facets of the Baltimore ransomware problem. The city was unable to deliver some services and conduct routine business due to malware. With the computers down, Baltimore officials struggled to get its computers back online. Most of the reports ignored three facets of this problem which are as important as the vulnerability of the city. DarkCyber points out that sensitive software must be better protected. Multiple security lapses within US government agency have occurred. The loss of the personnel data from the Office of Personnel Management, the Edward Snowden data theft, and the TSB activity, among other are inexcusable. There is plenty of talk about cyber security, but that talk has not prevented data loss. That’s a problem which endangers lives, national security, and the integrity of Federal institutions. Action is necessary.

Second, cyber security firms offering a mind boggling array of threat intelligence, defensive shields, and specialized procedures are not enough. Perhaps Baltimore could not afford products sold by companies located within the city limits or a short drive down the Baltimore--Washington Parkway. The vendors of cyber security systems have to do a better job. Now. The breezy PowerPoints and the slick demos are obviously falling short.

Finally, the Microsoft Corporation is the vector of an attack which has been available to bad actors for more than two years has dropped the ball. The company’s software has no significant defense, and that too is inexcusable. Microsoft has either been unable or unwilling to address the security flaws which EternalBlue exploits. Should a company receive the Department of Defense JEDI contract worth about $10 billion when its software is vulnerable and being exploited? Microsoft must be held accountable. More than a Congressional hearing is needed. Much more.

Stephen E Arnold, producer of DarkCyber and author of “The Dark Web Notebook,” said in his lecture on June 4, 2019, at the TechnoSecurity & Digital Forensics Conference: “The stakes continue to rise. Cyber professionals have to become more aggressive in their efforts to prevent bad actors from mounting successful attacks.”

Other stories covered in the June 4, 2019, DarkCyber video include:

Leidos (formerly SAIC) has announced developed a new intelligence analysis system known as “Advanced Analytics and Machine Learning Microservices Platform”. The system has been developed to solve one major problem facing analysts; specifically, data that can be useful has been stored on a variety of stovepiped software systems, or in different digital mediums. A manual investigation is impractical due to the different data formats and the volume of historical and real time data. The new system Artificial intelligence and machine learning uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to sort through data and pinpoint the content relevant to their operation.

The final story identifies new research which pinpoints what experts call “normal accidents” in smart, autonomous weapons systems. The problem was identified decades ago when complex processes interact and tiny probabilities trigger a chain of failure.
 
DarkCyber appears each Tuesday and is available on YouTube, Vimeo, and directly from the DarkCyber news service.
 
About Stephen E Arnold
Stephen E Arnold is the author of “Dark Web Notebook” and “CyberOSINT: Next Generation Information Access.” This book describes some of the technologies used by GSR and Cambridge Analytica to acquire and analyze Facebook user data. He has been named as a technology adviser to the UK based Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Human Trafficking and Child Sex Abuse.” Mr. Arnold also lectures to law enforcement and intelligence professionals who will be attending major law enforcement and intelligence conferences and training programs. In recent months, he has shared his research with law enforcement and intelligence professionals in the US and Europe. His most recent lectures focus on deanonymizing chat and digital currency transactions and the use of smart software for law enforcement and intelligence applications. He will be appearing at the TechnoSecurity & Digital Forensics Conference in San Antonio, Texas, and in webinars sponsored by different commercial enterprises. He publishes the free Web log “Dark Cyber Annex” (formerly Beyond Search) available at www.arnoldit.com/wordpress.
 

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