Category Archives: NSA

National Security Agency (NSA) Director Paul Nakasone predicted Tuesday that the rate of ransomware attacks will not slow down in the next five years, and said efforts to counter those threats must remain constant as well.

Every single day, Nakasone said when asked how often the U.S. would face ransomware attacks in five years, during a conversation at cybersecurity firm Mandiants Cyber Defense Summit Tuesday.

We are persistently engaged, and being persistently engaged, you have unique insights that you can develop, you have unique capabilities you can bring forward, there are matters upon which you can engage your adversaries, said Nakasone, who also serves as commander of U.S. Cyber Command. I think if you leave that, then your adversaries have determined in due course what they are going to do.

Mandiant CEO Kevin Mandia, whose company responds to ransomware attacks and other cyber incidents, noted the need to keep the uniform on following Nakasones prediction around ransomware attacks.

While ransomware attacks are nothing new, they have escalated over the past year during the COVID-19 pandemic, with cybercriminals going after vulnerable groups such as schools and hospitals thataremore likely to pay to quickly regain access to encrypted systems.

Ransomware attacks have risen to become a national security threat in recent months following high-profile attacks on Colonial Pipeline, which provides 45 percent of the East Coasts fuel, on meat producer JBS USA, and on IT company Kaseya,which impactedup to 1,500 companies it worked with.

The Biden administration has been proactive in taking a stand against ransomware attacks, with President BidenJoe BidenBiden and Xi Jinping to hold virtual summit by end of this year Facebook whistleblower to meet with Jan. 6 committee: report On The Money Presented by NRHC Senate nears debt ceiling ceasefire MORE pressuring Russian President Vladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich PutinBiden and Xi Jinping to hold virtual summit by end of this year High prices, winter shortages delay arrival of post-fossil-fuel world NSA director expects to be facing ransomware attacks 'every single day' in five years MORE to take action against cybercriminals within Russias borders during their in-person meeting in Geneva earlier this year.

Later this month, the administration will continue an effort to reduce ransomware attacks when the White House National Security Council convenes 30 countries to address cybersecurity concerns.

Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology, also spoke at the Mandiant conference Tuesday, describing the upcoming meeting as a counter-ransomware initiative with a focus on cryptocurrency, resilience, disruption and diplomacy.

Theres been a great deal of interest in countries around the world participating in these tracks, discussing how we partner, and discussing how we build an enduring partnership to make us most effective, and its exciting to work with allies and partners to make forward progress against these hard problems, Neuberger said.

When asked by Mandia if she believed the U.S. would still be facing ransomware attacks every day in five years, Neuberger said she was hopeful that would not be the case.

While Nakasone was pessimistic about the future of ransomware attacks, he expressed optimism around the national attention on cybersecurity and the talent pool working for the government, following a tough year of attacks.

I think our nation realizes how important that cybersecurity is for our economy, our informational capabilities, and our defense, Nakasone said. I feel really good about the future, I feel really good about where were headed.

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NSA director expects to be facing ransomware attacks 'every single day' in five years | TheHill - The Hill

Happy Weekend Greenpoint! We made it to October 2021. Wild. Remember to tag @Greenpointers on Instagram with all your favorite pics of the leaves changing, the autumnal sunsets and all the beautiful things that make this season so special in North Brooklyn.

This week, we reported on the opening of Nikes new Williamsburg shop, a different concept from traditional retail.

We also showcased the openings of Mos General, a pizzeria and provisions store, as well as No Strings Attached Noodle Bar, which merges Italian-American and Japanese cuisine, seamlessly. Those craving some fall flavors can also book it to Peter Pan, where the new fall menu features delicious apple and pumpkin treats. And if tacos are more your thing, we covered the opening of the new and very popular Taqueria Ramirez.

Keep stretching your stomach: A pierogi eating contest is coming to the neighborhood this October! And the prizes are generous.

Those in need of some seated entertainment can enjoy the newly relaunched Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, which has a slew of film series coming up.

Also in the neighborhood, Casa Ora unfortunately experienced its third break in this month and is looking for assistance. Those who want to help with Hurricane Idea relief can also participate in a weekend karaoke fundraiser at the Williamsburg School of Music.

And of course, we have our weekly roundup of weekend events to look forward to! As always, check out our seasonal Fashion Sundae for fall fit inspiration.

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Greenpoint This Week: Mo's General, NSA Noodle Bar and more - greenpointers.com

The Transparency in Coverage Rule (TiC), published October 2020, provides consumers better insight into the cost of services before obtaining care and receiving a bill.

We know what youre thinking. The deadline for compliance is rapidly approaching.

Weve got your back.

We also provide legislative expertise and guidance to help plans manage the complexity introduced by both the NSA and the TiC Rule.

And while these new requirements will add complexity to healthcare claim processing and administration, both pre- and post-service, the ruling's most significant impact lies in two key areas: transparency and member engagement and out-of-network (OON) claim processing and payment.

Zelis Machine-Readable Files will address out-of-network (OON) MRF data requirements for Zelis-priced OON claims. We will also offer in-network (INN) MRF data with median INN rates for clients whose primary networks are owned or managed by Zelis.

Zelis Member ID will enable enhanced ID card capabilities to print compliant ID cards with additional required information including member deductible, out-of-pocket maximum, and information on where to find in-network providers.

Zelis Member Communications will publish compliant AEOBs (both print and digital) with the ability to handle increased volume.

Zelis will offer compliant directories for clients whose primary networks are owned or managed by Zelis.

Zelis Market-Based Pricing offers payers a fully outsourced solution that meets No Surprises Act (NSA) compliance immediately upon implementation. Moreover, we provide the Qualifying Payment Amount (QPA), provider payment amount, provider settlement, and support in an Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR.)

Market-Based Pricing calculates reasonable and acceptable reimbursements benchmarked by procedure, provider, and geography.

Zelis Claims Negotiation succeeds through a combination of expertise, proactive provider outreach, and a demonstrable validity of market rates, driving a high rate of successfully retained savings prior to payment.

Because providers can no longer balance bill the member for NSA claims, their billing practices on these claims are likely to change. Zelis will offer expert guidance for negotiating with providers and incorporating market median data for NSA claims.

Zelis Claims Settlement manages the settlement process on your behalf to ensure compliance by defending, negotiating, and providing data needed for successful settlement, all within the timeframes required by the NSA.

As part of the IDR process, Zelis Claim Resolution will leverage our negotiations and claim settlement expertise, provide data, analytics, and reporting to support and defend clients in IDR, all within the time frames specified in the NSA.

Some providers may use the threat of arbitration to persuade payers to settle for higher reimbursements. Zelis will help you understand the impact of various pricing strategies and their likelihood of acceptance. Zelis will collect, aggregate, and analyze claims settlement and arbitration data to develop a predictive model that illustrates the overall effectiveness of pricing and arbitration results, and how those evolve over time.

The No Surprises Act and Transparency in Coverage Rule will impact all healthcare organizations, from large health plans and systems to small medical offices and individual providers. As such, leaders across the healthcare industry must directly understand the details of the legislation prior to implementation or have a trusted advisor with legislative expertise who can guide them to appropriate solutions.

Zelis can help.

To further explore getting started with NSA compliance, reach out to your Zelis representative or contact us here.

For access to additional information, visit Zelis No Surprises Act Information Hub.

As a leading payments company in healthcare, Zelis prices, pays, and explains healthcare for payers, providers, and healthcare consumers. Zelis was founded on the belief that there is a better way to determine the cost of a healthcare claim, manage payment-related data, and make the payment. We partner with more than 700 payers, including the top-5 national health plans, Blues plans, regional health plans, TPAs and self-insured employers, 1.5 million providers and millions of members, enabling the healthcare industry to pay for care, with care.

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Zelis Helps Address New NSA and TiC Regulations - HealthLeaders Media

The National Security Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a joint Cybersecurity Information Sheet today detailing factors to consider when choosing a virtual private network (VPN) and top configurations for deploying it securely. Selecting and Hardening Remote Access VPN Solutions also will help leaders in the Department of Defense, National Security Systems and the Defense Industrial Base better understand the risks associated with VPNs.

VPN servers are entry points into protected networks, making them attractive targets. Multiple nation-state advanced persistent threat (APT) actors have weaponized common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs) to gain access to vulnerable VPN devices. Exploitation of these CVEs can enable a malicious actor to steal credentials, remotely execute code, weaken encrypted traffics cryptography, hijack encrypted traffic sessions, and read sensitive data from the device. If successful, these effects usually lead to further malicious access and could result in a large-scale compromise to the corporate network.

The Information Sheet details considerations for selecting a remote access VPN, as well as actions to harden the VPN from compromise. Top hardening recommendations include using tested and validated VPN products on theNational Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) Product Compliant List, employing strong authentication methods like multi-factor authentication, promptly applying patches and updates, and reducing the VPNs attack surface by disabling non-VPN-related features.

NSA is releasing this guidance as part of our mission to help secure the Department of Defense, National Security Systems and the Defense Industrial Base.

For more details on how to select a secure VPN and further harden your network,read the full Information Sheet here.

For more cybersecurity guidance, visit NSA.gov/cybersecurity.

Read more at NSA

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NSA, CISA Release Guidance on Selecting and Hardening Remote Access VPNs - Hstoday - HSToday

Winners of the 2021 National Cross-Country race event on Thursday, September 30 received additional prizes including cash, certificates, and books authored by the Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Professor Peter Twumasi.

Winners in both the Male & Female categories were given GH 3,000 whilst the silver medalists pocketed GH 2,000 and bronze medalists taking GH 1,000.

The overall Regional best for male and female, Ashanti and Upper West Regions also received GH 5,000.

The winners were also given certificates and books authored by Prof. Twumasi.

The NSA on Saturday, February 20, this year organized the cross-country race for the third time since 2019 in Sefwi Wiaso in the Western North Region.

In all, about 192 male and female athletes drawn from the sixteen Regions participated in the 10km event where Afful Basit from Central Region came first in the males category with a time of 29.44.14, and Belinda Segbobu of Upper West region also won the females race after clocking 35.11.

The 2022 National Cross-Country race will be held at Akyem Oda in the Eastern Region.

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Winners of 2021 National Cross-Country race receive additional prizes from NSA - BusinessGhana

Chairman of the club licensing committee, Kwame Baah Nuako, has dismissed the National Sports Authority (NSA) who have expressed their displeasure over what can be described as a dissatisfaction with being sidelined in the licensing process.

The boss of the NSA, Peter Twumasi explained in an interview with Asempa FM that regulatory bodies like CAF, pre-inform and liaise with the authority in carrying out inspections, hinting that the NSA were not made aware of any inspection by the club licensing board.

I have not seen any assessment, even the person who came to the stadium to do the assessment I have not seen him. In the national accreditation, if youre coming to do assessment, an assessment conference is scheduled where you make known your purpose. Even if you are a legitimate body that is what you have to do. CAF brings a letter and informs us on what they are coming to do and then we give them officers to take them round. So when they are done, they sit down with the management and speak about what they noticed during the inspection, Twumasi said.

In response, Baah Nuako objected to the claim of the NSA boss, and further explained that his board have no agreement with the NSA.

I think we need to correct certain impressions. CAF has never written to the National Sports Authority. They dont deal with the National Sports Authority, so its not correct CAF wrote to the NSA. They wrote to the GFA. Im the chairman of the club licensing board so whenever CAF writes on issues relating to club licensing, the FA will forward it to me

The point is that, the National Sports Authority has not applied for a license before the Club Licensing Board. It is Accra Hearts of Oak and those who use the venue who have applied for a license from the club licensing board. When they come, one of the things they have to prove is that they have the permission of the owner of the venue. So in this case, we dont even want to know who owns the venue.

And in doing so, they are telling us they have the permission to use the venue. Whose responsibility is it to communicate to National Sports Authority? Is it the club licensing board? Do we have a contract with the National Sports Authority? Has the National Sports Authority requested for a license? No.

The inspection is between the club licensing board and the license applicant. Not the venue owner, Baah Nuako explained in an interview.

Pending a re inspection to ascertain the status of recommendations, the club licensing board have conditionally rejected the match venues of 15 Ghana Premier League clubs.

Re-inspection is set to take place on the 18 of October.

Link:
We don't have any contract with NSA Kwame Baah Nuako - Myjoyonline

Everything old was new again this week as ransomware came roaring back into the headlines, hitting a crucial Iowa grain cooperative, among other targets. And WIRED sat down with DeSnake, the former number two of the dark web marketplace AlphaBay, to hear about his reemergence and relaunch of AlphaBay four years after its takedown by law enforcement. "AlphaBay name was put in bad light after the raids. I am here to make amends to that," DeSnake said.

The Groundhog Day vibes continued with the annual release of Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 15. The new OS comes with a slew of privacy features, including more granular details about what your apps are up to, a mechanism to block email trackers, and a sort of VPN-Tor Frankenstein monster called iCloud Private Relay that protects your browsing activity. Use WIRED's handy guide to get up to speed and start changing some settings.

And if you want a DIY project that isn't tied to a tech company's walled garden, we've got tips on how to set up your own network attached storage (NAS) that plugs straight into your router and gives you a place to share files between your devices or easily store backups.

And there's more! Each week we round up all the security news WIRED didnt cover in depth. Click on the headlines to read the full stories, and stay safe out there.

A letter to Congress shared with Motherboard shows that the US National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other members of the Intelligence Community use ad blockers on their networks as a security protection. "The IC has implemented network-based ad-blocking technologies and uses information from several layers, including Domain Name System information, to block unwanted and malicious advertising content, the IC chief information officer wrote in the letter.

You may use an ad blocker to make your browsing experience more pleasant, but the tools also have potential defense benefits. Attackers who try to run malicious ads on unscrupulous ad networks or taint legitimate-looking ads can steal data or sneak malware onto your device if you click, or sometimes by exploiting web vulnerabilities. The fact that the IC views ads as an unnecessary risk and even a threat speaks to long-standing problems with the industry. The NSA and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have released public guidance in recent years advising the use of ad blockers as a security protection, but the IC itself wasnt required to adopt the measure. Its members deployed ad blockers voluntarily.

The security division of Russian telecom giant Rostelecom took down a portion of a notorious botnet this week, thanks to a flaw introduced by the malicious platforms developers. The error allowed Rostelecom to sinkhole part of the system. A botnet is a zombie army of devices that have been infected with malware to centrally control coordinated operations. The platforms are often used for DDoS attacks, in which actors direct a firehose of junk traffic at a targets web systems in an attempt to overload them.

The Meris botnet is currently the largest botnet available to cybercriminals and is thought to be made up of about 250,000 systems working collectively. It has been used against targets in Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others. The Rostelecom partial takedown is significant, because Meris attacks are powerful and challenging for targets to combat. Earlier this month, a Meris attack on the Russian tech giant Yandex broke the record for largest-ever volumetric DDoS attack. Yandex managed to defend itself against the assault.

European law enforcement in Italy and Spain have arrested 106 people on suspicion of running a massive fraud campaign over many years, with profits totaling more than $11.7 million in the last year alone. And police said this week that the individuals involved have ties to an Italian mafia group. The suspects allegedly ran phishing schemes, conducted business email compromise scams, launched SIM-swapping attacks, and generally perpetrated credit card fraud against hundreds of victims. The activity was also allegedly connected to drug trafficking and other property-related crimes. To actually extract funds from these digital scams, the suspects allegedly laundered stolen money through a system of money mules and shell companies. In addition to the arrests, law enforcement froze 118 bank accounts and seized computers, SIM cards, 224 credit cards, and an entire cannabis plantation in connection with the bust.

More Great WIRED Stories

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Even the CIA and NSA Use Ad Blockers to Stay Safe Online - WIRED

Photo: Samuel Corum (Getty Images)

Ad blockers. Maybe you love them, maybe you dont think about them at all, but chances are, you know someone thats using them. And it turns out a growing number of those people are in the federal ranks.

Motherboard was first to report on a new letter Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on Wednesday that describes some of the federal agencies deploying ad-blocking tech alongside a pretty reasonable request for those agencies not currently on board: Use a damn ad blocker. Please.

I have pushed successive administrations to respond more appropriately to surveillance threats, including from foreign governments and criminals exploiting online advertising to hack federal systems, Wyden wrote the letter. And indeed, thanks to massive scandals like Cambridge Analytica and the smaller privacy scandals that just keep on coming in its wake, it looks like some agencies finally agree that targeted ads are terrifying. In 2018, the National Security Agency (NSA) issued public guidance urging its ranks to block unnecessary advertising web content. In January of this year, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) put out similar guidance for all federal agencies, urging officials to use ad blockers to protect against malware-laden ads, in particular.

Adversaries can use carefully crafted and tailored malicious ads as part of a targeted campaign against a specific victim, not just as broad-spectrum attacks, CISAs guide reads.

This letter might be new, but the threat certainly isnt. Weve seen malvertising campaigns target military bases in 2014, swing-state voters in 2018, and, well, a bunch of the rest of us since then. When ads start to creep into every digital avenue where we spend time online, its only natural that ads housing malicious software or other shady stuff will also be on the rise, too.

As Wydens letter lays out, this includes seemingly innocuous online advertisements that carry software designed to steal, modify or wipe sensitive government data, or record conversations by remotely enabling a computers built-in microphone.

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And then theres the many, many other privacy issues. Every ad loaded into a browser means more data going back to the companies on the other side, even if that ad is for something ridiculous that youd never click on in a billion years. There are no hard and fast rules for whats being sent in the so-called bidstream on the other side of that ad, but it generally includes details like your location, IP address, and device type. Ad blockers are far from perfect, and can collect that kind of data on you, toobut at least you know what company is on the other side. The digital ad ecosystem is an opaque and under-regulated mess, which makes it hard to pin down some shady ad company thats squirreling away your data. When an ad blocking company does the same (or worse), at least you have a company to be mad at, and a browser extension you can delete.

Its likely that the NSAs known all of this, and known it for a while, which is why they were first to hop onto the ad-blocking train. After all, this is the same agency that brought us Edward Snowden, and Snowdens revelations about the NSAs entire phone-tracking empire. In the years since, that empires continued to grow, even after the passage of the 2015 Freedom Act that gutted the way federal agencies tap into telecom data. But that law applied to telcos, not marketing firms or adtech companies that mine the same data by designand which made a business out of selling data to federal agencies in the years since Snowdens revelations, and that business appears to be going gangbusters. Hell, Wyden asked the NSA about this specific loophole less than a year ago, and they responded by... well, not responding.

Will adblockers hamper any of this? Who knows! What we do know is tech privacy legislation in the U.S. is becoming an increasingly fractured, ineffective messand the longer were stuck with that bleeding wound in tech policy, the more a browser extension feels like a pretty wimpy bandaid.

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Even the NSA Agrees: Targeted Ads Are Terrifying - Gizmodo

Earlier this year, a report from CNET explored the current state of ad blockers. Among the data cited within was a study from the software company Blockthrough, which estimated that 40% of adults in the United States make use of some ad-blocking technology. That might not come as much of a surprise to you but another recent report at Vice offers a fascinating window into some of the people and organizations utilizing ad-blocking technology.

In the Vice article, Joseph Cox covered the way the U.S. intelligence community has begun making use of ad-blocking technology. That includes the CIA and the NSA, among a number of other agencies. Last week, Senator Ron Wyden wrote a letter to the Office of Management and Budget calling for them to protect federal networks from foreign spies and criminals who misuse online advertising for hacking and surveillance.

Wyden cited guidelines from both the NSA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recommending that ad-blocking software be used. Wyden goes on to quote the Chief Information Officer from the Intelligence Community, who stated, The IC has implemented network-based ad-blocking technologies and uses information from several layers, including Domain Name System information, to block unwanted and malicious advertising content.

A report from CrowdStrike published earlier this year warned of the dangers of malvertising which has cropped up on legitimate websites, and has been used to give control of computers and mobile devices to a third party. Thats alarming enough in its own right, so its not hard to see why people dealing with classified information would be especially worried. Will Wydens letter find a welcome response? It could be the difference between an ordinary day and a crisis waiting to happen.

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Who's Worried About the State of Online Advertising? The NSA and CIA, For Starters. - InsideHook

United State intelligence services It is a consortium of some of the most important government security agencies in the United States. In this sense, it is of paramount importance that they are protected and that the data in their possession is not compromised. Apparently, the CIA and NSA, among other resources, protect themselves online with ad blockers.

In this way, they ensure that data is not stolen from them and are protected from the dangers of online advertising.

Ad blockers are an effective way to ensure that user data remains secure and that the actors trying to collect it cannot effectively collect information that can later be passed on to third parties.

Currently, many users turn to these ad blockers to ensure some security when browsing the Internet. What was not known is that among these agencies there are also prominent US agencies.

according to new message From Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, it was sent to the Office of Management and Budget, describing some of the federal agencies, The National Security Agency it's at CIA Use of online ad blocking tools. Moreover, all other agencies are advised to do the same to ensure your safety.

I have been lobbying successive administrations to respond more appropriately to surveillance threats, including from foreign governments and criminals exploiting online advertising to hack federal systems.

This is Ron Wyden.

The senator warned that companies providing online advertising collect large amounts of data about their users, which could be harmed if the data is used for malicious purposes. According to the same source, in 2018, the National Security Agency issued general guidelines for its organizations to ban unnecessary advertising content.

A few years later, in January 2021, Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency Published guidelines intended to protect against "harmful advertising and data collection by third parties".

All alerts directed to publicity celebrity Online comes from the possibility of selling all the data collected in the process to anyone. Therefore, federal organizations are more aware of this problem, and therefore they are actively looking for ways to protect themselves.

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The NSA and the CIA use ad blocking tools to stay safe - BOB fm