Cyber Rattling: The Next Threat
CMU cyber security program earns federal recognition
By Tribune-ReviewTwo top federal computer intelligence agencies have designated Carnegie Mellon University for the first time as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations, the school announced Wednesday. The designation by the National Security Agency and the U.S. Cyber Command makes the school and its students eligible for certain …
Cyber threat facing U.S. ‘continuous,’ security experts say
By Andrew ConteHackers might learn enough from recent attacks on U.S. banks to prepare for larger, more destructive assaults should they choose to initiate them, the U.S. …
Facial recognition technology moving toward identifying almost anyone
By Andrew ConteThe Tsarnaev brothers, like anyone in a crowd of strangers, might have expected to be anonymous. But when the FBI released blurry, off-angle images of …
Debate on drones raises issue of safety vs. privacy
By Andrew ConteElmer Burger II looks up across the room at an architects’ cocktail party as he hears the quick, repetitive chop of 4-inch helicopter blades cutting …
Militaries’ growing use of ground robots raises ethics concerns
By Andrew ConteIf North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Un ever orders troops into the demilitarized zone, an army of South Korean robots could be waiting. A Samsung …
Humans will retain key role in robot use
By Andrew ConteWith an army-green paint job and six knobby tires, Crusher rests inside Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center in Lawrenceville. A metal easel nearby …
Irwin native among ‘white hat’ hackers hired to protect computer networks
By Andrew ConteGrowing up in Irwin, Adam Cecchetti says he never hacked into a cellphone, a website or a company’s software for malicious reasons. Now living in Seattle, he spends almost every moment trying to defeat those people who do. He and …
Unintentional file-sharing a boon for hackers
By Andrew ConteThousands of computer users every moment could lose their most personal information — tax returns, credit cards, and banking and investment accounts — even though …
Cyber adversaries could ‘flip switch’ to attack, experts warn House members
By Andrew ConteComputer attacks on South Korea underscore the growing threat of cyber warfare that starts with the flip of a switch, computer security experts told federal …
Army cyber chief: Don’t lose feds’ high-tech experts to budget cuts
By Andrew ConteWASHINGTON — Federal budget cuts are affecting the nation’s ability to recruit and keep the best cyberwarriors for the fight against hackers and foreign countries …
Experts: Nukes an option for computer attack
By Andrew ConteThe United States should be prepared to use every military option, including nuclear retaliation, in response to a huge computer attack, an independent Department of Defense task force said. But the nation must determine whether its nuclear arsenal can withstand …
Computer defenses at mercy of sequester
By Andrew ConteEven as President Obama and top lawmakers have declared war on computer attackers, political infighting over federal spending could cut into the very programs designed …
Obama cyber defense plan would concentrate first on protecting trade secrets
By Andrew ConteRhetoric and diplomatic sanctions alone will not deter hackers from attacking U.S. government and business computers, security experts said in response to a White House …
Businesses say privacy and legal concerns prevent cybersecurity cooperation
By Andrew ConteWASHINGTON — Pervasive computer spying by the Chinese against the government and American companies is growing in volume and in damage, the chairman of the …
House Intelligence Committee chairman blames Iran for bank cyber attacks
By Andrew ConteWASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee told the Tribune-Review on Wednesday that he is 99.9 percent confident Iran initiated recent cyber attacks …
Obama executive order could be important in fight against computer attackers
By Andrew ConteComputer attacks have become so frequent and dangerous that the government needs help from private sector companies to protect information and infrastructure, U.S. Attorney for Western Pennsylvania David Hickton told the Tribune-Review. The cybersecurity executive order that President Obama signed …
Rewards may far outweigh risks for savvy hackers
By Andrew ConteA malicious computer hacker has to find just one way in. Like soldiers defending a fort, however, anyone trying to protect a website or online business must try to close every potential breach. A single coding mistake, in the wrong …
Cyberspace offers new frontier to exploit weaknesses, initiate attacks
By Andrew ConteThirty years after a young hacker played by Matthew Broderick nearly triggered a nuclear war in the movie “WarGames,” fears of malicious computer attackers causing …
As hackers go, CMU students in it to win
By Andrew ConteYou know all that stuff that keeps you up at night — paying the bills, wanting a raise, buying a bigger home or a nicer …
