Military tightens password security after CENTCOM Twitter hack - Obama says US must up its game on cyberthreats - Centcom hack shows US fails to get ahead of hackers

 (Shown here is an image of the compromised U.S. Central Command Twitter account.)

The hack attack that seized the U.S. Central Command’s Twitter and YouTube accounts on Monday has prompted the military to tighten its social media password security.

Officials have launched an investigation into the alarming hack, which saw the accounts briefly carrying messages promoting the Islamic State.

On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters that he has ordered all 50 Office of Secretary of Defense social media websites to change their passwords and increase the strength of their passwords — and offered a tip sheet to social media account administrators on “how to keep their accounts more secure.”

DoD has thousands of social media websites that it is operating in an official capacity.

Security experts say that the Central Command hack should serve as a wake-up call for military social media. “They probably could have avoided this using ordinary [password] hygiene,” Roger Kay, president of research firm Endpoint Technologies, told FoxNews.com.

Standard security procedures include the use of long passwords with multiple characters and ensuring that only a small number of people can access the accounts, according to Kay. “You want to have just one or two individuals responsible for the account,” he said. “They should be named individuals, so that if there’s a problem, you can go to those people.

Tim Junio, a cybersecurity fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, also highlighted the risks posed by weak passwords.

“If, in fact, the accounts were breached due to poorly chosen passwords and security challenge question responses, the advice would be to make sure that the staff responsible for social media for DoD are well trained in best practices for strong passwords and unique security question answers,” he told FoxNews.com, in an email.  

Twitter and YouTube have not yet responded to a request for comment on this story. A DoD spokeswoman told FoxNews.com that the FBI is investigating the intrusion and working with the department to determine the nature and scope of the incident.

In a statement released on Monday evening, Central Command said that its Twitter and YouTube accounts were compromised for approximately 30 minutes, before being taken temporarily offline while officials investigated the incident. The Twitter account and YouTube channel were back online late Monday.

In its statement, Central Command explained that the sites reside “on commercial, non-Defense Department servers.”

Endpoint Technologies’ Kay said that, while the hack is clearly embarrassing, moving the sites to specially-built servers within the Defense Department is not necessary. “They should continue to use commercial servers, but secure them using normal methods,” he said. “My sense is that they were a little bit careless with their security.”

Ofer Hendler, CEO of cloud security specialist Skyfence, told FoxNews.com that multi-factor authentication, which uses a combination of passwords, personal information, and device verification is a powerful way to protect against account takeover. “It forces would-be attackers to present at least two forms of authentication — one that involves something you own (e.g., a mobile device) and the other something you know (e.g., a one-time password),” he explained, in an email.

In its statement, Central Command noted that its operational military networks were not compromised in the hack and downplayed the incident as “a case of cybervandalism.” 

The Twitter account, while it was compromised, carried an image identifying the page as “CyberCaliphate” with a message that said, “I love you ISIS.” 

The hacker group may be the same one that is under FBI investigation for hijacking the websites or Twitter feeds of media outlets in the last month, including a Maryland television station and a New Mexico newspaper. 

The intrusion on the military Twitter account carried the same logo, CyberCaliphate name and photo that appeared on the Albuquerque Journal’s website in late December when one of its stories was hacked. And earlier this month, it appeared that the same hackers breached the Journal’s Twitter account and also took over the website and Twitter feed of WBOC-TV in Salisbury, Md. 

During the Central Command hack, tweets contained what appeared to be military plans and contact information for military officials — one posting even showed what appeared to be an image from a computer webcam in a military facility.

Central Command said that, based on its initial assessment, no classified information was posted and that none of the information came from its server or social media sites.  “Additionally, we are notifying appropriate DoD and law enforcement authorities about the potential release of personally identifiable information and will take appropriate steps to ensure any individuals potentially affected are notified as quickly as possible,” it said, in its statement.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

View the original article here

Military tightens password security after CENTCOM Twitter hack - Obama says US must up its game on cyberthreats - Centcom hack shows US fails to get ahead of hackers

Discovery star: Military lies?

LOS ANGELES –  The fallout continues for Joseph Teti, the star of Discovery’s “Dual Survivor,” who was booted from the Special Forces Association last week over claims he inflated his military service.

Since its formation in 1962, only ten people have been involuntarily removed from the non-profit, which functions as a fraternal organization for active and retired U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers.

This week, Cabela’s hunting and sporting goods chain, which sponsored the reality star, severed their relationship with Teti.

“In light of the Special Forces Association’s revocation of Joe Teti’s membership, Cabela’s has ended its association with Teti,” the company stated on its Facebook page.

According to Military Times, Teti has been added to the “Special Forces Poser Patrol” Wall of Shame, and the watch maker Casio, which signed Teti in August to promote their new line of Pro Trek watches, is reviewing their association with him.

The trouble started with an appearance on “Dual Survival,” in which he claimed to have sniper and airborne qualifications, and again when he asserted that he was a combat veteran. Other service members said he technically never served in combat.

Teti told the Army Times that he served in a government counter terrorism unit “doing direct action missions right alongside Tier 1 assets.”

But Scott Hughes, an administrator at the Fake Warrior Project, and one of the first to call out Teti, isn’t buying it.

“Joe is making money off these false claims and that is a problem,” Hughes told FOX411. “He is now claiming that his membership ran out, but he was sent a certified letter and told he had 30 days to appeal the claims against him, but he didn’t do that.”

Longstanding member of the Special Forces Association, retired Army Sgt. Major George Davenport, has since called Teti “an embarrassment to the Regiment.”

Teti did not respond to FOX411’s requests for comment, but has defended himself against the allegations on his official Facebook page.

“I have never commented nor have I posted in any media information pertaining to medals I have or don’t have, or service that I did or did not perform,” he stated. “I do call myself a combat veteran, which I am, and this has been used by some to discredit me and make it appear I am a person of Stolen Valor. This is not the case.”

Teti insists that he provided Discovery will all the documents to backup his claims, and that he is the victim of a “smear campaign.” He also says there over a dozen fake pages and resumes and Internet posers claiming to be him.

According to his official biography, Teti is a combat veteran of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He claims to be a graduate of over 30 formal schools and during his service “planned and conducted a broad range of special operations missions covering the entire operational continuum.” These missions “gave the President of the United States an option when overt military and/or diplomatic actions were not viable or politically feasible.”

While many both within and outside of the Special Forces community are urging Discovery to fire Teti, the network declined to comment on the situation. 

Ironically, Teti was cast on the show as a replacement to Army veteran David Canterbury, who was let go from the show over allegations he lied about aspects of his military service.

Several other reality shows too have dealt with situations of “stolen valor.”

In 2012, NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” contestant Timothy Poe won the hearts of viewers not only for his smooth country crooning, but for his emotional story of being injured by a grenade while serving in Afghanistan, which he said caused him to start stuttering. But it quickly emerged that he only served one month in the war-torn country, and left due to an ear infection.

His ex-wife even suggested that the stutter was “put on.”

The following year, Fox’s “American Idol” hopeful Matthew Farmer was forced to apologize for lying on-air about his service, in which he falsely told judges that he had suffered a traumatic brain injury following an IED explosion in Iraq.

Anthony Anderson Jr., manager of the Facebook community Stolen Valor, which exposes cases of inflated or false military service and honors, stressed the importance of the entertainment industry verifying the claims of those they put into the public spotlight.

“Not only does it undermine public faith in that channel or show but it undermines the military community as a whole,” he added. “The public at-large loses trust in the community as they have seen so many lies of late, and that causes unnecessary skepticism.”

Follow @holliesmckay on Twitter

WATCH: Four4Four: ‘7th Heaven’ star molest scandal deepens

View the original article here

Discovery star: Military lies?

VIDEO: Lavrov attacks US "military interference"

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has used his speech at the United Nations General Assembly to attack America’s military “interference” in Syria.

He also accused Washington and Europe of supporting a coup d’etat in Ukraine and being unable to change their Cold War ”genetic code.”

View the original article here

VIDEO: Lavrov attacks US "military interference"

U.S. military joins Ebola response in West Africa

As one of the Ebola epicentres, the district of Kailahun, in eastern Sierra Leone bordering Guinea, was put under quarantine at the beginning of August. (Credit: ©EC/ECHO/Cyprien Fabre)

Carey L. Biron

WASHINGTON D.C., United States, Tuesday September 9, 2014, IPS – The U.S. military over the weekend formally began to support the international response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Advocates of the move, including prominent voices in global health, are lauding the Pentagon’s particularly robust logistical capacities, which nearly all observers say are desperately needed as the epidemic expands at an increasing rate.

Yet already multiple concerns have arisen over the scope of the mission – including whether it is strong enough at the outset as well as whether it could become too broad in future.

President Barack Obama made the first public announcement on the issue on Sunday, contextualising the outbreak as a danger to U.S. national security.

“We’re going to have to get U.S. military assets just to set up, for example, isolation units and equipment there to provide security for public health workers surging from around the world,” the president said during a televised interview. “If we don’t make that effort now … it could be a serious danger to the United States.”

While the United States has spent more than 20 million dollars in West Africa this year to combat the disease, Washington has come under increased criticism in recent months for not doing enough. Obama is now expected to request additional funding from Congress later this month.

Click here to receive free news bulletins via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)

The military’s response, however, has already begun – albeit apparently on a very small scale for now, and in just a single Ebola-hit country.

A Defence Department spokesperson told IPS that, over the weekend, Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel approved the deployment of a “25-bed deployable hospital facility, equipment, and the support necessary to establish the facility” in Liberia. For now, this is the extent of the approved response.

The spokesperson was quick to note that additional planning is underway, but emphasised that the Pentagon is responding only to requests made by other federal agencies and taking no lead role. Further, its commitment to the hospital in Liberia, the country most affected by the outbreak, is limited.

The Department of Defence “will not have a permanent presence at the facility and will not provide direct patient care, but will ensure that supplies are maintained at the hospital and provide periodic support required to keep the hospital facility functioning for up to 180 days,” the spokesperson said.

“This approach provides for the establishment of the hospital facility in the shortest possible period of time … Once the deployable hospital facility is established, it will be transferred to the Government of Liberia.”

On Monday, Liberia’s defence minister, Brownie Samukai, said his government was “extremely pleased” by the announcement.

“We had discussions at the Department of Defence on the issues of utilising and requesting the full skill of United States capabilities, both on the soft side and on the side of providing logistics and technical expertise,” Samukai, who is currently here in Washington, told the media. “We look forward to that cooperation as expeditiously as we can.”

The current Ebola outbreak has now killed some 2,100 people and infected more than 3,500 in five countries. On Monday, the United Nations warned of an “exponential increase” in cases in coming weeks.

Yet thus far the epidemic has resulted in an international response that is almost universally seen as dangerously inadequate. Obama’s statement Sunday nonetheless raised questions even among those supportive of the announcement.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the French humanitarian group, remains the single most important international organisation in physically responding to the outbreak. While MSF has long opposed the use of military personnel in response to disease outbreaks, last week it broke with that tradition.

Warning that the global community is “failing” to address the epidemic, the group told a special U.N. briefing that countries with “civilian and military medical capability … must immediately dispatch assets and personnel to West Africa”.

Yet while MSF has welcomed Obama’s announcement, the group is also expressing strong concerns over the president’s reference to the U.S. military providing “security for public health workers”.

MSF “reiterates the need for this support to be of medical nature only,” Tim Shenk, a press officer with the group, told IPS. “Aid workers do not need additional security support in the affected region.”

Last week, MSF urged that any military personnel deployed to West Africa not be used for “quarantine, containment or crowd control measures”.

The Defence Department spokesperson told IPS that the U.S. military had not yet received a request to provide security for health workers.

The United States is not the only country now turning to its military to bolster the flagging humanitarian response in West Africa.

The British government in recent days announced even more significant plans, aiming to set up 68 beds for Ebola patients at a centre, in Sierra Leone, that will be jointly operated by humanitarians and military personnel. The Canadian government had reportedly been contemplating a military plan as well, although this now appears to have been shelved.

Yet the concerns expressed by MSF over how the military deployment should go forward underscore the fact that there exists little formal guidance on the involvement of foreign military personnel in international health-related response.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), for instance, has no broad stance on the issue, a spokesperson told IPS. As the WHO is an intergovernmental agency, it is up to affected countries to make related decisions and request.

“Each country handles its own security situation,” Daniel Epstein, a WHO spokesperson, told IPS. “So if governments agree to military involvement from other countries, that’s their business.”

Another spokesperson with the agency, Margaret Harris, told IPS that the WHO appreciates “the skills that well-trained, disciplined and highly organised groups like the US military can bring to the campaign to end Ebola.”

Yet there is already concern that the U.S. military response could be shaping up to be far less robust than necessary.

MSF’s Shenk noted that any plan from the U.S. military would need to include both the construction and operation of Ebola centres. Thus far, the Pentagon says it will not be doing any operating.

While around 570 Ebola beds are currently available in West Africa, MSF estimates that at least 1,000 hospital spaces, capable of providing full isolation, are needed in the region.

In a series of tweets on Monday, Laurie Garrett, a prominent global health scholar with the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington think tank, expressed alarm that the Defence Department’s Ebola response was shaping up to be “tiny” in comparison to what is needed.

Click here to receive free news bulletins via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)

View the original article here

U.S. military joins Ebola response in West Africa

In pictures: The military coup in Chile

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.

View the original article here

In pictures: The military coup in Chile