Overnight Cybersecurity: US sees drop in Chinese cyberattacks

Welcome to OVERNIGHT CYBERSECURITY, your daily rundown of the biggest news in the world of hacking and data privacy. We’re here to connect the dots as leaders in government, policy and industry try to counter the rise in cyber threats. What lies ahead for Congress, the administration and the latest company under siege? Whether you’re a consumer, a techie or a D.C. lifer, we’re here to give you …

THE BIG STORIES:

–CHINA SCALES BACK ATTACKS ON THE U.S.: A top Obama administration official on Tuesday confirmed private sector reports that Chinese hacking had plummeted in the past year. “It seems like there has been a change in activity,” U.S. Assistant Attorney General John Carlin told a crowd at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event. “There is a debate as to how long lasting it might be, but there has been a change.” Last week, the security firm FireEye reported that attacks from China-based groups may have dropped as much as 90 percent over the last two years. To read our full piece, click here.

–…BUT STILL A TOP THREAT IN GERMANY: A German intelligence service identified some familiar cyber enemies in its annual report, released Tuesday. The Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, somewhat akin to the FBI counterterrorism unit, says Russia and China were the leading sources of cyber attacks on Germany. This year’s report also identified Iranian attacks – a first for Germany. For more, click here.

A POLICY UPDATE:

–RANSOMWARE, HEALTHCARE, WHO’S SCARED? A bipartisan pair of lawmakers is calling on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to treat “ransomware” attacks in the healthcare industry differently than other cyberattacks.

{mosads}”In the case of a ransomware attack, the threat is not usually to privacy, but typically to operational risks to health systems and potential impacts on safety, and service,” Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Will Hurd (R-Texas) wrote in a letter to Deven McGraw, deputy director for health information policy at HHS’s Office of Civil Rights.

Most of the regulations that govern health care focus on the privacy implications of breaches. The lawmakers are advocating a change and want to boost requirements for hospitals to report ransomware attacks.

To read our full piece, click here.

A LIGHTER CLICK: The Russian minister of culture believes Netflix is a White House plot to infiltrate his nation.  

A REPORT IN FOCUS:

–YOU’RE SELLING MORE THAN A HARD DRIVE: The Blancco Technology group reports that two thirds of hard drives they purchased on eBay and Craigslist still had personally identifiable data on them. One in 10 had sensitive business data – and only slightly fewer had company emails.

The problem is not just that people do a bad job deleting files. On around a third of the drives Blancco purchased, people tried to delete their data solely by dragging files to the recycle bin. The original owners were probably unaware that deleted data can be recovered until it is recorded over. Many companies make secure deletion software that would have done just that.

Read on at Blancco by clicking here.

A LOOK AHEAD:

WEDNESDAY

–The Senate Commerce Committee meets to discuss a variety of subjects at 10 a.m. Topics on the menu include the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, which would allocate funding for cybersecurity research and the Securing Access to Networks in Disasters Act of 2016, which aims to harden communications networks and assist 911 operators in locating cell phone callers.

THURSDAY

–The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a closed hearing on cyber and encryption challenges in national security at 9:30 a.m. NSA Director Admiral Michael Rogers is testifying.

–Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson visits the Senate Judiciary Committee for an oversight hearing at 9:45 a.m.  

–The Senate Intelligence Committee receives a closed briefing at 2 p.m.

WHO’S IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

–THE TAX MAN. The IRS announced new plans to beef up cybersecurity today, coming off the heels of two high profile attacks on their electronic filing system. That is probably not a surprise. What may be a surprise is how good of a job the agency was doing in spite of those attacks. Fraud claims are down 40 percent this year and the IRS has thwarted more than $1 billion in attempted identity theft – $350 million more than last year.

To read our full piece, click here.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Links from our blog, The Hill, and around the Web.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) revived his push to improve car cybersecurity. (The Hill)

25,000 internet-connected cameras were hijacked by hackers to attack a jewelry store. (Network World)

A chatbot successfully replaced lawyers in 250,000 parking ticket cases. (The Register)

Thomas S. Ross claims he invented the iPhone and wants to take a bite out of Apple. (Daily Dot)

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