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. 

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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

Quality of life confidence up, survey shows

JAMAICANS are expressing increased satisfaction with their lives, despite job prospects nearing record lows, according to the Confidence Index released Wednesday.

Overall, consumer and business confidence for the third quarter 2014 dipped slightly to 97.8 and 112.1 points from 100.8 and 112.8 points respectively three months earlier. Confidence, however, remains much higher than 12 months earlier for both indices.

The rise in satisfaction comes from a general view that the economic policies of the Government, directed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), are warranted.

“Of particular importance, when asked about their satisfaction with the quality of their lives, Jamaicans voiced substantial gains in the recent survey, rising to the highest levels in two years. These gains represent a significant degree of acceptance and accommodation of recent changes in economic policies, despite the accompanying rise in their reports of hardships,” said a survey conducted by Market Research Services, a Kingston-based company headed by pollster Don Anderson.

The study was developed in co-operation with the Surveys of Consumers Department at the Survey Research Centre, University of Michigan, and published through the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce Conference Board.

However, despite increased satisfaction, people still feel that it’s hard to get a job. In fact, the number of people with an optimistic view of job prospects actually dropped to the lowest levels recorded since the survey began in 2001.

“There was a near unanimous opinion among consumers that jobs were currently in short supply, a view held by just over nine-in-10 Jamaicans. Less than 1.0 per cent thought that jobs were plentiful, an all-time record low,” stated the report.

The Consumer Confidence Index, however, is well above the 10-year low of 86.7 points recorded in last year’s third quarter. The reason was that consumers recognised that the economy had begun to improve, although the gains reported by consumers are thus far quite small.

“Devaluation, stagnant salaries, scarce job opportunities, higher taxes, and rising prices continued to be the common complaints of consumers,” stated the report.

Turning to business confidence, the index grew higher during the first three quarters of 2014 than in any other year since 2007.

“Business firms clearly think the new economic policies of the Government are having a favourable impact,” it stated.

Roughly, one-third of business respondents expect the economy to improve, compared with 19 per cent a year earlier. The overall improvement during the past year was the largest recorded during the past decade.

“When asked to explain their improved views on the economy, nearly half of all firms reported that their optimism was linked to favourable assessments of the impact from the adopted government and IMF policies,” stated the report.

In fact, roughly half of all firms in the third quarter 2014 survey reported that it was now a good time to invest to increase capacity.

“These robust investment plans for new plants and equipment represent a substantial vote of confidence by business firms in the future state of the Jamaican economy. Importantly, this sense of renewed confidence in the outlook for the Jamaican economy has not been altered by the unexpected slower pace of past economic gains,” stated the report.

In May 2013, Jamaica entered into its most recent loan agreement approved by the IMF that would result in the island securing nearly US$2 billion in loans over four years from the IMF, World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank under an Extended Fund Facility.

Since the IMF agreement, the local currency lost some 20 per cent of its value against its US counterpart. It resulted in some businesses shifting to exports to fuel growth while others imported less.

“Importantly, the data confirm an ongoing adaptation of firms to increase their exports as well as to produce more products domestically to effectively reduce imports. Significant economic reform is not a sprint, but needs the skills of long-distance runners,” stated the report.

– Steven Jackson

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Quality of life confidence up, survey shows

St Vincent economy shows improvement but ‘difficulties are still with us’ – Gonsalves

St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves (File photo)

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, Tuesday July 1, 2014, CMC – The Vincentian economy has shown improved performance during the first five months of 2014, compared to the same period of 2013, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves revealed at a press conference Monday.

Gonsalves, who is also Minister of Finance, however, repeated his warning that the nation is not yet out of the woods.

“Difficulties are still with us on many fronts even though we have seen an improvement in the overall fiscal situation.”

He said the drought during from January to May impacted farmers even more than the devastation left by the trough system that caused severe flooding on Christmas Eve.

Revenue and grants during the first five months of 2014 totaled EC$221.2 million (One EC dollar= US$0.37 cents)compared to EC$199.2 million during the same period of 2013.

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Total expenditure also registered an increase, of 4.8 per cent to EC$227.76 million, up from EC$217.3 million during the 2013 period under review.

Recurrent expenditure increased by 3.8 per cent, moving from EC$197.4 million to EC$204.87 million.

At the same time, capital expenditure rose 15.2 per cent – from EC$19.9 million to EC$22.9 million.

The current balance shows a surplus of EC$12.56 million, compared to a deficit of EC$14.78 million. The overall balance, however, is a deficit of EC$6.6 million, compared to a deficit of EC$18.03 million in 2013.

Gonsalves said the current revenue has increased by ‘a sizeable sum’ and his government has seen taxes on international trade increase by 1.6 per cent, while taxes on domestic transactions has increased by 6.3 per cent.

Revenue from valued-added tax has increased by 8.7 per cent. The raise in revenue is an indication of increased economic activity and improved efficiency in administration of taxes, Gonsalves said.

He, however, said that interest, rent, and dividend had moved from EC$1.7 million in 2013 to EC$10.33 million in 2014

Meanwhile, other revenue moved from EC$5.6 million to EC$14 million in 2014. Gonsalves said this reflected some revenue received after the Christmas Eve disaster.

“So we see a general improvement over the same situation last year, but we are still not out of the woods and the fiscal situation remains challenging,” he said noting the additional expenses after the Christmas Eve trough system, which left EC$330 million — 17 per cent of GDP — in loss and damage.

He said the loss and damage after the storm was ‘a big blow’, followed by a drought during the first five months of 2014.

He said 12 inches of rain fell in some parts of the country during three hours on Christmas Eve, but only 20 inches fell from January to May, compare to the usual 45 inches.

Gonsalves said he has found that making public information about the performance of the economy “gives a good indication to the citizens as to how we are managing the fiscal situation and to alert them and business, workers, public servants, where we are and facilitating them as to where we are and to frame decision which they have to make”.

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St Vincent economy shows improvement but ‘difficulties are still with us’ – Gonsalves

VIDEO: Footage shows prisoner"s escape

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VIDEO: Footage shows prisoner"s escape

How real are reality shows?

IT is the guilty pleasure of many of us with a seriously itchy ‘remote finger’. Yes, your secret’s out, we know that you like to clandestinely channel-surf and flick on to watch your favourite Kardashian, Bridezilla or Honey Boo Boo, our modern-day, entrepreneurs of the self, live their lives out loud and sometimes brawling on the silver screen.

I am reading an abstract from an article in Bloomberg Business Week in May, focusing on a lawsuit against cable network Art and Entertainment (A&E) by actor Dave Hester and his claims that the reality television show, ‘Storage Wars’ is a fraud. According to the article, “Reality TV producers defend their shows’ manipulations on different grounds — that they don’t cloud the most important aspect of the series, the participants’ personalities.“Lenid Rolov, an executive producer for seasons of The Hills, Real Housewives, and many other shows, says, “People would be surprised how real it actually is. The people we follow can’t really hide who they are, what they’re about, and how they feel about things. Though a show like The Hills might feel scripted, because it’s meant to look like 90210, you’re still getting a strong sense of who each person is and the true dynamics of their relationships.” Doron Ofir, who’s cast several reality shows, including Jersey Shore and RuPaul’s Drag Race, also insists that however contrived the situations are, people are behaving in an authentic way. “Something that makes me crazy is when cast members say, ‘They edited me to be this character,’ like Omarosa’s famous line,” he says. “Ten years later, you know Omarosa is what she is.”Reality shows are television shows which see participants, the ordinary folks or perhaps celebrities (usually child stars who have fallen on hard-times wanting to make a come-back), go through a series of real life or scripted incidents. My initial research reveals that reality shows had their genesis in the 1940s in line with the creation of television broadcasting. Bet you didn’t know that there are umpteen types of Reality shows masquerading across your TV Guide as we speak.Well, firstly, there is your garden variety talent show, in which ordinary people with hidden talents get an opportunity to showcase their singing, dancing or other dubious ‘talents’ and are judged by a panel of judges or else the rest of us, texting in our votes. The prize: a record deal, oftentimes fleeting fame and then a quick disappearance into your backyard, right into oblivion. Mark you, it might have been best for the world at large if the talents of some former unknowns had remained firmly and deeply buried, but everyone deserves their one red hot minute of fame and fortune. So, in the past we had ‘The Gong Show’ (1976) and in more recent times, American television and Simon Cowell, gave our viewing pleasure gems such as ‘American Idol’, ‘America’s got Talent’. Not to be outdone, we here had our own homegrown ‘Dancin ‘ Dynamos’ and ‘Digicel’s Rising Stars’. The spin-offs from this one seemingly resides on every continent, Canadian idol, Philippine Idol and Australian Idol, to name a few.Then there are the reality game shows where participants like you and me compete to prove our intellect or physical prowess, and we emerge being ‘The Donald’s’ Apprentice, “Smarter Than a Fifth Grader’ or come out the ‘Biggest Loser’ after a series of humiliating courses of training by a physical trainer spawned from the bowels of hell. One wonders how many of those thousands of pounds lost just upped and fled as a result of the humiliation of seeing those revealing tights-clad bodies in all their rotund glory, on the silver screen.There are two sides to the coin of these weight loss shows. On the one hand, viewers like you and me receive inspiration and motivation from watching as we receive knowledge about weight loss and the importance of exercise to a healthy lifestyle. On the other hand, if we are not careful we might be led to believe the lie of the ease with which the participants achieve their weight-loss goals. Kindly bear in mind that they are basically on a crash diet for the series and have the highly paid assistance of trainers, nutritionists and psychologists. We, on the other hand, live in the Real World which offers us the best in nutrition from the food cart down the road, friends who might be mercilessly critical of our poundage and the un-winking eye of our bedroom mirror.The best and perhaps the ‘more real’ of the reality shows is the Hidden Camera show where participants’ activities (again humiliating and sometimes humorous) are filmed without their knowledge for the benefit of product sponsors. So Cheaters, You Got Punk’d or ‘Deal With It’ puts you on the spot when you are caught being naughty on camera. Then there are the adventure shows, where we are challenged to overcome a challenge, ‘Fear Factor’ Survivor or WipeOut. Let us not forget the Paranormal Shows in which participants are placed in so-called terror-filled situations (Ghost Hunters) which are claimed to be ‘paranormal’. Your guess is as good as mine as to why anyone with two cents knocking around in their heads would want to voluntarily participate in such a nonsensical mockery.Then there is my all-time favourite reality show, the ‘factual’ television show which presents in a one-hour documentary the edited life of the reality stars as they go about their ‘normal’ everyday life. Clumsily filled with product placement and over-branding, these shows go over the top to pull us into the lifestyle of the rich and famous. So they have us trying to keep up with the cloyingly false lives of the Kardashians (and their seventy-two day marriage) or rubberneck the phony Real Housewives of Atlanta and wonder what wouldn’t people do for money.“Like the Scarecrow who wants brains, the Tinman who wants a heart, and the Cowardly Lion who wants courage, we all travel down the Yellow Brick Road in search of a desirable form.” (Organisational & Social Dynamics (2013) Perhaps, the reality shows are modern-day psychic vehicles which take us down our own personal yellow brick road.Yvonne Grinam-Nicholson, (MBA, ABC) is a Business Communications Consultant with RO Communications Jamaica, specialising in business communications and financial publications. She can be contacted at: yvonne@rocommunications.com. Visit her website at www.rocommunications.com and post your comments.The cast members of MTV’s “Jersey Shore” at their television home in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. (Photo: AP)Kim Kardashian is a reality tv favourite. (PHOTO: AP)

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How real are reality shows?

Emmy nominations leave snubbed shows, stars behind

Entertainment

Friday, July 19, 2013

NEW YORK, USA (AP) — That cliché about awards says it’s an honour just to be nominated. But what about all the worthies Emmy overlooks each year? Are they being dishonoured by Emmy’s neglect?It was a question raised by Emmy’s latest round of snubs as this year’s nominees were announced Thursday.HBO’s magnificent Treme? Jilted yet again.Same for AMC’s The Walking Dead and HBO’s True Blood. They just seem to freak out Emmy judges.Showtime’s Dexter was shut out, too, with no Emmy love lost on Michael C Hall (a past best-actor nominee five years in a row) or for Jennifer Carpenter, who, as Dexter’s foul-mouthed sister, has never been nominated for one of TV’s most vivid portrayals.Anyone who saw Tatiana Maslany in BBC America’s Orphan Black was floored by her multiple roles as identical women who were revealed to be clones. But Emmy shut its eyes to a salute for her.FX’s motorcycle drama Sons of Anarchy continues to get Emmy’s cold shoulder, despite riveting performances from an impressive gang of actors (including Katey Sagal, who won a 2011 Golden Globe for her role as the motorcycle club’s firey matriarch but, in her long career, has never snagged an Emmy nomination).And what about The Americans, FX’s splendid Cold War-era thriller? Sure, it scored a guest-actress nod for Margo Martindale. But how to explain zero recognition for terrific performances by stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys (not to mention the sly supporting-actor turn by Noah Emmerich)?Speaking of indelible supporting actors: Christopher Heyerdahl as The Swede on AMC’s Hell on Wheels, which, like Heyerdahl, was spurned by the Emmys.And is there any point in lamenting a second year that Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman were forgotten along with their great work for AMC’s The Killing?Kevin Bacon’s entry into series TV was received with excitement when Fox’s serial-killer drama The Following debuted earlier this year, but it was “hold the Bacon” at the Emmys as he and his series was ignored.What a difference a year makes: Fox’s comedy New Girl landed two Emmy nominations last season — for lead actress Zooey Deschanel and supporting actor Max Greenfield. They and the show got nada yesterday.

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Emmy nominations leave snubbed shows, stars behind