IntelFusion FLASH Traffic Regional Edition: Africa, China, Russia, Pakistan

Last Updated on Monday, 25 January 2010 01:16 Written by Jeffreycarr Monday, 25 January 2010 12:24

I’m pleased to announce a new offering to the IntelFusion FLASH Traffic service: a monthly edition which focuses on a specific region of interest. While the weekly brief covers emerging global threats in real-time, many agencies and organizations have a specific geographical focus. This new product addresses that customer need on a monthly basis and delivers it for a very competitive price. Current areas of focus are:

• Africa
• China
• Russia/CIS
• Turkey/Pakistan

We will be launching this on February 1st, and all new subscribers will receive a free signed copy of “Inside Cyber Warfare“. Contact me for rates.

Project Grey Goose report on Critical Infrastructure: Attacks, Actors, and Emerging Threats

Last Updated on Thursday, 21 January 2010 07:26 Written by Jeffreycarr Thursday, 21 January 2010 07:26

Proj Grey Goose report on Critical Infrastructure: Attacks, Actors, and Emerging Threats

Is the government of Turkey leveraging its hacker population to build a regional power base?

Last Updated on Tuesday, 10 November 2009 05:26 Written by Jeffreycarr Tuesday, 10 November 2009 05:26

This is the topic for this week’s IntelFusion FLASH Traffic weekly brief. An abstract follows:

The increasing frequency of Turkish hacker crews attacking SCADA-related systems is seen by GreyLogic investigators as an emerging global threat, particularly when combined with two geopolitical events:

One. On October 10, 2009, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu signs a historic agreement to work towards restoring diplomatic ties with Armenia. Such an action, according to Henri Barkey of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington DC, is necessary if Turkey wants to become an important player in the region.

“With their strong military and economy they have the hard power, but what they are trying to do now is build up their soft power.”

Two. In July, 2009 the World Bank agreed to fund Turkey’s Smart Grid project; the World Bank’s first advent into clean energy; thereby elevating Turkey’s status in the region.

Turkey has the second largest Army in NATO and has 8 countries on its borders creating a strategic presence for itself that hasn’t been seen since the Ottoman Empire. The one thing that Turkish military generals are not speaking about is a Turkish cyber warfare or Information Operations program. The absence of such a component in Turkey’s military arsenal is suspicious at best considering its leadership role in the region. In 2003, Turkey launched its Information Security initiatives to protect its networks. In November, 2008, it was considering a membership in NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defense Council of Excellence (CCDCOE). A logical extension of both of those facts would suggest that the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF), as part of its ongoing modernization, is certainly exploring some type of Computer Network Operations or other Information Warfare capabilities.

If Turkey is keeping its plans for a military cyber capability a secret, its hacker crews are busy breaching Department of Energy Service Provider websites.

The full briefing is available to subscribers of IntelFusion FLASH Traffic.  Contact me for subscription rates for your company or agency.