31 May 11. Jetico, developers of military-standard data protection software, has announced that their popular BestCrypt Container
Encryption software is now released for Mac users. Previously only available on Windows and Linux, Jetico’s proven file encryption software now offers full compatibility with Mac computers. “if a laptop containing confidential or personal information were to be stolen or accessed by an unauthorized person, BestCrypt offers peace of mind that any sensitive files are protected by strong encryption that’s simple to use.”Ideal for organizations or individuals that need to prevent data leakage and theft, BestCrypt Container Encryption delivers reliable data protection for sensitive or private information. Selected files and folders are automatically encrypted when stored inside BestCrypt container files which work like virtual disk drives. When the virtual disk drive is mounted or opened, you can read and write data or drag and drop files – just like you would with any regular removable disk drive. BestCrypt’s key advantage is working with container files for transfer and storage of encrypted data – compatible across Windows, Linux and Mac. Users can determine the size of the container depending upon their needs, as well as create multiple containers for more flexible data management. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)

31 May 11. Top Pentagon contractors have been bleeding secrets for years as a result of penetrations of their computer networks, current and former national security officials say. The Defense Department, which runs its own worldwide eavesdropping, spying and code-cracking systems, says more than 100 foreign intelligence organizations have been trying to break into U.S. networks. Some of the perpetrators “already have the capacity to disrupt” U.S. information infrastructure, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn, who is leading remedial efforts, wrote last fall in the journal Foreign Affairs. Joel Brenner, the National Counterintelligence executive from 2006 to 2009, said most if not all of the big defense contractors’ networks had been pierced. “This has been happening since the late ’90s,” he told Reuters Tuesday. He identified the main threats as coming from Russia, China and Iran. “They’re after our weapons systems and R&D,” or research and development, said Brenner, now with the law firm of Cooley LLP in Washington. Lockheed Martin Corp, the Pentagon’s No. 1 supplier by sales, said on Saturday that it had thwarted “a significant and tenacious” attack on its information systems network that it detected May 21. Ten days later, the company says its still working to restore full employee access to the network while maintaining the highest level of security. Lockheed, which is also the government’s top information technology provider, said it had become “a frequent target of adversaries from around the world.” A spokeswoman said it said it used the term “adversaries” only in a general sense. Lockheed has not disclosed which of its business units was targeted. Cyber intruders were reported in 2009 to have broken into computers holding data on Lockheed’s projected $380bn-plus F-35 fighter program, the Pentagon’s costliest arms purchase. Other big Pentagon contractors include Boeing Co, Northrop Grumman Corp, General Dynamics Corp, BAE Systems Plc and Raytheon Co. Each of these declined to comment on whether it believed its networks had been penetrated. James Miller, the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, said last May that the United States was losing terabytes of data in cyber attacks, enough to fill “multiple Libraries of Congress.” The world’s largest library, its archive totaled about 235 terabytes of data as of April, the Library of Congress says on its web site.
“The scale of compromise, including the loss of sensitive and unclassified data, is staggering,” Miller told a Washington forum.
U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who led a Senate Intelligence Committee cyber tas