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A Chinese group "cloned" code stolen from the National Security Agency years before a security flaw was fixed, researchers said this week. The Chinese group, identified as APT31, used the so-called exploit, along with other hacking tools to stage attacks, Check Point, an IT security firm, said in a research note. Generally an APT, or Advanced Persistent Threat, is associated with nation-state cyber activity. "Check Point Research has determined that Chinese hackers cloned and actively used the cyber offensive tool of a US-based hacking group [that] is believed to be tied to the NSA," a Check Point spokesperson said to...

Rep. Louis Gohmert, a member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, said during a hearing Thursday that a government watchdog found that nearly all of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s emails were sent to a foreign entity. The FBI, specifically Strzok, did not follow-up. And, the foreign entity wasn’t Russia. The Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) in 2016 Charles McCullough III found an “anomaly on Hillary Clinton’s emails going through their private server, and when they had done the forensic analysis, they found that her emails, every single one except four, over 30,000, were going to an address...

State Department confirms multiple security incidents involving Clinton email investigation Fifteen individuals are believed to have mishandled classified information. Interviews with intelligence community officials have revealed that senior FBI leaders "seemed indifferent to evidence of a possible intrusion by a foreign adversary" into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s non-government email server, and that State Department officials allegedly sought to "downgrade classified material found on the server," according to Senate investigators still probing the matter. The information was contained in a letter and interview transcripts sent Monday by the majority staff on the Senate Finance and Homeland Security and Governmental...

The National Archives and Records Administration recently detected unauthorized activity on three desktops indicative of the same hack that extracted sensitive details on millions of current and former federal employees, government officials said Monday. The revelation suggests the breadth of one of the most damaging cyber assaults known is wider than officials have disclosed. The National Archives' own intrusion-prevention technology successfully spotted the so-called indicators of compromise during a scan this spring, said a source involved in the investigation, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the incident. The discovery was made soon after the Department of Homeland Security's...

The New York Times says Chinese hackers repeatedly penetrated its computer networks over the past four months, stealing reporters’ passwords and hunting for files on an investigation into the wealth amassed by the family of one of China's leaders. … The attacks coincided with a Times’ investigation into how the family and relatives of Premier Wen Jiabao built a fortune worth more than $2 billion. …

SNIPPET: "New York City is the center of a public uproar as Internet blogger Pamela Gellar rises with an “anti-jihad” ad campaign." SNIPPET: "Gellar and her group are protesting the Jihad, which in definition is the religious duty of Muslims. According to the Dictionary of Islam, jihad is defined as “A religious war with those who are unbelievers in the mission of Muhammad . . . enjoined especially for the purpose of advancing Islam and repelling evil from Muslims.” The literal meaning of jihad, according to the British Broadcasting Network, “is struggle or effort, and it means much more than...

Details about the recent cyber attacks against security firm RSA suggest the assailants may have been taunting the industry giant and the United States while they were stealing secrets from a company whose technology is used to secure many banks and government agencies. Earlier this month, RSA disclosed that “an extremely sophisticated cyber attack” targeting its business unit “resulted in certain information being extracted from RSA’s systems that relates to RSA’s SecurID two-factor authentication products.” The company was careful to caution that while data gleaned did not enable a successful direct attack on any of its SecurID customers, the information...

The world's largest Internet search company and the world's most powerful electronic surveillance organization are teaming up in the name of cybersecurity. Under an agreement that is being finalized, the National Security Agency would help Google analyze a major corporate espionage attack that the firm said originated in China and targeted its computer networks, according to cybersecurity experts familiar with the matter. The objective is to better defend Google -- and its users -- from future attack. Google and the NSA declined to comment on the partnership. But sources with knowledge of the arrangement, speaking on the condition of anonymity,...

A recent computer intrusion that forced the FBI to shut down its computer network and disrupted FBI operations was traced to an e-mail containing malicious code that originated in China, according to FBI officials. The forced shutdown of the network affected one significant FBI operation -- the May 20 arrest of homegrown terrorism suspects in New York, said officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. "The Chinese shut down our network," said one FBI official familiar with assessments of the attack.

With barely time to savour his triumph, Barack Obama has been confronted with various international crises to test his mettle. The U.S. President-elect faces threats from Russia, Israel and Afghanistan as it emerged his election team's computers were hacked by a 'foreign entity' during the election. Officials at the FBI and the White House believe the hackers sought to gather information on the evolution of both his and Senator John McCain's policy positions with the idea of using that information in negotiations with the next administration. Obama technical experts later speculated the hackers were Russian or Chinese, and security ended...

The Hunt for American al Qaeda The United States is turning up the heat in the hunt for the California boy turned al Qaeda operative, Adam Gadahn, who has been charged with treason and is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan. If caught and convicted, Gadahn could face the death penalty. The State Department along with the Department of Diplomatic Security announced the beginning of a publicity campaign in Afghanistan urging locals to provide any information on Gadahn's whereabouts, with a reward if the information leads to his capture. Radio advertisements with information concerning the $1 million reward have...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Two House members said Wednesday their Capitol Hill computers, containing information about political dissidents from around the world, have been hacked by sources apparently working out of China. Virginia Rep. Frank Wolf says four of his computers were hacked. New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith says two of his computers were compromised in December 2006 and March 2007. The two lawmakers are longtime critics of China's record on human rights. In an interview Wednesday, Wolf said the hacking of computers in his Capitol Hill office began in August 2006. He says a computer at a House committee office...

Chinese hackers target government CHINESE computer hackers have launched targeted attacks on classified Australian government computer networks. The cyber attacks has prompted an internal review of IT security, Fairfax newspapers report. The federal government will spend $70 million to improve IT security this year, a figure that could be increased after the recent spate of hackings. The attacks are thought to be part of an international espionage operation to glean intelligence from the western world. Australian intelligence figures are believed to be concerned at a growing level of industrial espionage. The attacks late last year are believed to have been...