Free Republic

The year 2021 saw new threats emerge in the cybersphere as malicious code was weaponized with devastating effects that reverberated throughout the American economy. It is becoming clear that cyberattacks are quickly becoming a great equalizer for militarily inferior countries seeking to attack America. This year the federal government also created several new initiatives that have so far shown inconclusive results, but the American cybersecurity posture was largely defensive, and as a result, millions of dollars in ransoms were paid to cybercriminals in 2021. So, with that said, here are some of the more notable cybersecurity events of 2021. January:...

The past 6-plus months of the Biden administration has seen America endure repeated cyberattacks against every segment of the US economy and critical infrastructure. With the perception of American vulnerability that exists under our failing new leadership, the flurry of cyberattacks we are seeing is a major problem that is showing no signs of slowing down. Just in the past few months, attacks against Colonial Pipeline and beef supplier JBS have threatened the way we transport ourselves and the important day to day goods we need to survive, as well as affecting what and how much we can eat. This...

Last week, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) announced the launch of an investigation into the recent string of ransomware attacks against U.S. firms and infrastructure. That followed a formal, multi-ally announcement the day before accusing Chinese intelligence of directing an attack against Microsoft Exchange servers used by American businesses, non-profits, and academic institutions. These announcements came on the heels of a series of inward-facing steps outlined by the Biden administration between early June and mid-July, representing the early turning of gears as Washington reluctantly pivots towards ransomware and other major cyberattacks. We saw the...

Criminals know how to pick a victim, and COVID-19 provided hackers with the perfect opportunity to ramp up ransomware attacks. As this Government Technology report outlines, hackers began unleashing viruses around the same time Mother Nature (or a lab in Wuhan) began unleashing “her” own virus on the world. With the world knocked off balance, people and businesses left dizzy and disoriented, cybercriminals got to work. Last year, the U.S. saw a 300-percent increase in cybercriminal activity. This year, things have only gotten worse. According to recent research, five ransomware attacks occur with each passing minute. Evolution is a natural...

A lot has been written about the Pentagon's plan to move its computing operations onto the cloud. The contract to do the work is said to be worth $1 billion in just the first year to the firm that wins the bid, and billions more after that. The contract is sole source - meaning one company would be responsible for designing and maintaining the contracted services for at least a decade and probably in virtual perpetuity - so it's no surprise rumors about the bid being rigged are flying around. There's a lot at stake for the winners and the...

In September, we learned that Equifax had suffered a massive data breach that exposed the personal information -- including names, addresses, birthdates and Social Security numbers -- of 145 million Americans. It was the latest in a string of cybersecurity breaches in recent years. The frequency of such attacks -- with other prominent examples including breaches of systems belonging to Target, eBay, Yahoo and Home Depot -- demonstrates the complexity of securing sensitive information in the internet age. If there's one thing that all these breaches have taught us, it's that cybersecurity is hard. There's no easy legislative fix, and...

Intellectual property rights are under attack from Congress. On Monday, the Senate is expected to vote on a motion to proceed to S. 1519, the “National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018.” That bill contains a provision that would nationalize the intellectual property of software firms that do business with the Department of Defense. The big high profile fights on the NDAA will be on issues where the Trump Administration disagree with Senator John McCain’s (R-AZ) drafted and committee passed bill. According to The Hill, the Trump Administration has a number of problems with the bill including “a prohibition on...

Hackers connected with the Russian government breached the computer network of the Democratic National Committee, gaining access to the entire database of opposition research on Donald Trump, DNC officials and cybersecurity, experts said Tuesday. DNC leaders were reportedly informed of the intrusion in late April.The hackers were able to read all of the Democrats' email and chat traffic, according to officials who responded to the breach.The Washington Post reports that the breaches crossed political lines: The intrusion into the DNC was one of several targeting American political organizations. The networks of presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were also...

Everyone is losing their mind over Apple being forced to help the FBI unlock an iPhone. Just what is going on? Relax, don't spill your almond milk latte. We'll make it crystal clear for you.

Welcome to Infomercial America, or, if you prefer, the United States of Spam. Whenever political conspiracy theories break out into the open, pundits and intellectuals name-check the brilliant but flawed essay "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" by Richard Hofstadter. Under President George W. Bush, the "9/11 Truthers" were the poster boys and girls of the paranoid style. Others hinted that the flooding of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina might have been deliberate. Under President Obama, it was the "Birthers." A related theory was that Obama is a secret Muslim. A generation before that, it was the John Birch Society...

It's shameful that a company like Sony would go groveling to a deceitful, tyrannical, un-American thug, but this column is not about Sony’s sucking up to Al Sharpton. This column is about a tort system that is dedicated not to justice but to making lawyers richer, and it comes not only at the price of American prosperity but at the cost of our liberty as well. Certainly, Sony has a yellow streak as wide as Seth Rogen’s gut. Its creepy supplication to that race-hustling, MSNBC troll shows its true cowardly character, since Sharpton – unlike North Korea – doesn’t have...

Ready to pay more for Internet access? Me neither. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what we can expect under the “net neutrality” rules being pushed by President Obama. “Net neutrality” may sound harmless, but there would be nothing neutral about this change. Currently, broadband providers such as Verizon, AT&T and Comcast are treated differently than traditional telephone companies and electric utilities. They aren’t subject to “common-carrier” rules that prohibit them from varying rates and services. In short, they can offer -- and charge -- what they want. That’s good for consumers, because it means that in order to compete, they’re always trying...

ISIS is hoping to carry out major attacks on the West that could wreak major havoc—and they could do it from anywhere in the world. Islamic State militants are planning the creation of a 'cyber caliphate' protected by their own encryption software - from behind which they will launch massive hacking attacks on the U.S. and the West. Both Islamic State and Al Qaeda claim to be actively recruiting skilled hackers in a bid to create a team of jihadist computer experts capable of causing devastating cyber disruptions to Western institutions. […] Large numbers of Islamic State fighters are young,...