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The Obama administration on Wednesday released a long-awaited framework for cybersecurity that is intended to nudge businesses toward strengthening their networks against attacks. The voluntary guidance, established by President Obama via executive order and developed by the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, gives critical infrastructure companies a guidebook for ways to prevent and respond to the growing threat of cyberattacks. The framework includes a “core” that outlines standards that companies can implement to identify, detect, respond to and recover from cyber threats. “The goal is not to expand regulation,” one administration official said. “Our goal is to...

Seventy percent of Israeli Jews do not believe the US can be relied upon to maintain key Israeli interests and security requirements in the American-brokered agreement being drafted with the Palestinians, a Geocartography Institute poll taken this week found. When the pollsters asked respondents whether they trusted the US under President Barack Obama to maintain Israel’s interests in a deal, 23% said definitely no, 25% said no, 22% said not completely, 17% said yes, 8% said definitely yes and 5% had no opinion. …

Remember when John McAfee warned us in November that anybody who signed up to the Obamacare site might have their bank account cleaned-out by hackers? The eccentric genius and former fugitive called the government website 'a hacker's wet dream', adding that there were 'NO safeguards' that would stop someone from starting a fake Obamacare website 'for a couple hundred dollars' that could 'empty your bank account' in hours.  McAfee added unambiguously that 'It's going to happen, and it's going to happen soon... nothing in the Obamacare system safeguards against this.'  And I thought he was just trying to sell...

A 19-year-old who lived at home with his mom and worked at a local call center stole the identities of America's rich and famous — including Kim Kardashian and the head of the FBI — and took over their financial accounts..... ...Earlier this week, Flores learned he'll spend the next 3 1/2 years in federal prison for his identity theft scheme..... ....At the time, Flores was already facing criminal charges in state court, where he was accused of taking private information from a coworker's personnel profile and having his colleague's paycheck directly deposited into his own bank account. Flores was...

Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security. Why Anonymity Matters Tor protects you by bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world: it prevents somebody watching your Internet connection from learning what sites you visit, and it prevents the sites you visit from learning your physical location.

Introduction The world has grown safer over the past few hundred years as murder rates and even the number of full scale wars have declined. However, that does not mean that we can relax and stop being vigilant. Implementing these tips will improve the security of your home, your family and your home business if you have one. Securing Your Home Close the garage door when you leave the house. An open garage without any cars is an easy entry point for thieves while it gives a clear sign that you are not home. Put a lock on your shed....

WASHINGTON — Egyptian members of the Muslim Brotherhood dodged extra security screening at JFK Airport under VIP treatment provided by the State Department, internal government documents reveal. The special treatment, known as “port courtesy,” was extended during March and April 2012, according to documents compiled by the department and turned over to the Investigative Project on Terrorism as part of a Freedom of Information Act request.

by John Urban | TopRight News A potentially disastrous security breach by the Pentagon was discovered by sheriff's deputies during a routine traffic stop in Southern Arizona. Pinal County deputies stopped a 2006 Ford Expedition for a traffic violation. The Mexican national initially presented an Arizona Identification Card, in the name of Armando Villalobos of Phoenix. A records check revealed that not only did the illegal alien have no driver's license, but there were outstanding felony warrants for his arrest in Texas.The suspect eventually told the deputy that his real name was in fact Mario Bustamante, 37, and that he was in...

Twisted Trio: Mexico, the U.N., and John Kerry are working to save the life of ghoulish illegal alien cop-killer Edgar Arias Tamayo.- by John Urban | Top Right NewsMexico's government is trying to block the execution of a convicted cop killer in Texas this week, arguing that it would violate international law. And our very own Secretary of State John Kerry is working with them -- and the United Nations -- trying to save the life of an illegal alien murderer.You heard that right. Edgar Arias Tamayo, a 46-year old Mexican man, was in the country illegally when he killed Houston...

The hits just keep on coming for ObamaCare. It was less than two weeks ago that I highlighted the potential premium rate death spiral that ObamaCare faces due to the fact that only old and sick people are signing up for the program. Now it seems there are further security related concerns plaguing the site, as cyber-security expert David Kennedy recently claimed that “gaining access to 70,000 personal records of Obamacare enrollees via HealthCare.gov took about 4 minutes.” It’s actually hard to be this incompetent if you tried. More from the Washington Times: The man who appeared before Congress last...

The man who appeared before Congress last week to explain the security pitfalls of HealthCare.gov took to Fox News on Sunday to explain just how easy it was to penetrate the website. Hacking expert David Kennedy told Fox’s Chris Wallace that gaining access to 70,000 personal records of Obamacare enrollees via HealthCare.gov took about 4 minutes and required nothing more than a standard browser, the Daily Caller reported. “And 70,000 was just one of the numbers that I was able to go up to and I stopped after that,” he said. “You know, I’m sure it’s hundreds of thousands, if...

Top Capitol Hill lawmakers on Sunday expressed concerns about terror attacks at the upcoming Olympic games in Sochi, Russia, amid nearby terror attacks and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assurances that his country will “do whatever it takes” to protect athletes and visitors. “The threats are real,” Texas GOP Rep. Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told ABC’s “This Week.” McCaul is among those who think an attack during the games next month will most likely occur outside of the Olympic city and that terrorists will go after “soft targets” such as roads and transportation systems. McCaul, who...

Target shoppers can now sign up for free credit monitoring and identity theft assistance, which the discount chain is offering to all customers affected by its security breach. Target will pay for the services for 12 months, provided by Experian through its ProtectMyID alert system. After a year, consumers must pay for the service themselves if they choose to continue. To enroll, first visit CreditMonitoring.Target.com to request an activation code. You'll need to provide your name and email address. The activation code will be sent by email, arriving in one to five days, Target said. Once you have your unique...

We’re from the government and we’re here to help. One in seven Obamacare navigators in New Mexico is listed in the FBI’s crime information database.But these “experts” are here to serve you.New Mexico Watchdog reported: An investigation by the National Review, one of the leading conservative media outlets in the country, reports that one in seven navigators in New Mexico hired to help consumers work their way through the Affordable Care Act appeared on the FBI’s National Crime Information Center database.But an official with the state’s Affordable Care Act Implementation Projects emphasizes that while a person’s name may turn up on the FBI database, it does not mean they pose any risk to...

Cybersecurity researchers slammed HealthCare.gov's security during a House hearing on Thursday morning, saying the site is still riddled with problems that could put consumers' sensitive health details at risk. “The reason we’re concluding that this is so shockingly bad is that the issues across the site are so varied,” David Kennedy, founder of the information security firm TrustedSec, told NBC News. “You don’t even have to hack into the system to see big issues – which means there are [major problems] underneath.” Kennedy was the first of a group of so-called "white-hat hackers" who testified before the House of Representatives...

Last weekend, Target finally disclosed at least one cause of the massive data breach that exposed personal and financial information on more than 110 million customers: Malicious software that infected point-of-sale systems at Target checkout counters. Today’s post includes new information about the malware apparently used in the attack, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.

The internet is full of daft things. Animated cat GIFs, stupid headlines, NSA spies, etc.But the online world isn't just fields of mindless dreck. For instance, you could always take a crack at the web's toughest crypto-puzzle: the ever-baffling Cicada 3301. Appearing each year since 2012, these strange series of challenges have stumped clever netizens the world over. By solving the riddles, it appears you eventually get in touch with the quizmasters, who are no doubt interested in people with your skills.Now 2014's puzzle is underway after this image was linked to by this Twitter feed, which has been spewing...

The Obama administrationÂ’s interest in creating a streamlined application process [1] for Medicaid, CHIP, and subsidized health insurance via the state Obamacare exchanges has come at the expense of effective [2] security [3] and fraud prevention [4].As of January 1, 2014, this easing of requirements now includes the mandate that states accept applications completed entirely via telephone. Rather than require such applications be later accompanied by the electronic or mailed transmission of a signed document, HHS instead requires states to accept a spoken assent on a telephone call as the equivalent of an actual signature.Says J. Christian Adams, PJ...

Democratic senators are pleading with President Obama to abandon his proposal to trim Social Security benefits before it becomes a liability for them in the midterm elections. The president proposed a new formula for calculating benefits in his budget last year, in hopes that the olive branch to Republicans would persuade them to back tax increases in a broader fiscal deal. But Democratic lawmakers say Obama should shelve the idea now that they are facing a difficult midterm election where they need to turn out the liberal base to preserve their Senate majority. “I’m not sure why we should be...

Target has increased the estimate for the number of customers exposed in the massive hacking attack between Thanksgiving and December 14. It now appears at least 70 million consumers had their credit cards compromised. Also, Neiman-Marcus announced that they, too, were victims of a cyber attack over Christmas. And in an exclusive report, Reuters is saying that several other well known retailers were also hacked over the holidays. Neiman Marcus said an outside forensics firm discovered evidence on January 1 that indicated the retailer had been the victim of a cyber attack. It disclosed the breach nine days later, after...