10 Dec 10. The Israel Defense Forces has stepped up its efforts to track top secret data and alert unusual access into army computers in the wake of the Wikileaks scandal. The Israeli Army has installed a system capable of tracking the trail of documents moving from one place to another, and records information about who prints them and who burns them onto compact disks. The system prevents the transfer of top secret documents without proper security clearance and also sets off alarms when disk-on-key devices are inserted into IDF computers, according to The Media Line.
Israeli army C4I Technology Division head brigadier general Ayala Hakim said the army was constantly enhancing measures for a leak-proof network.
“Through a combination of discipline, technology, training and procedures that compartmentalise sources of information, we’ve enhanced our operational security and are coming as close as possible to 100% protection,” he added.
MALMAB, the security arm of the Israel Defense Ministry, is also aiding against leaks and is mainly concerned with preventing any leaks regarding Israel’s alleged arsenal of nuclear weapons and top secret data. (Source: armytechnology.com)
09 Dec 10. Internet-based threats to businesses’ intellectual property represent a threat to US national security and the country needs to do more to bolster its defences, a top Pentagon official has said.
The comments by William Lynn, deputy defence secretary, highlight that what had been previously seen as a trade issue – particularly affecting ties with China – is now one of the US’s main national security concerns. “Intellectual property is indeed part of the broader security equation,” Mr Lynn said in a View from DC interview with the Financial Times. “If people are stealing our intellectual property, over the long term they are actually compromising the security of the country by doing damage to our economy.”
In an acknowledgement that efforts to reduce the US fiscal deficit are likely to hit the Pentagon’s budget, despite resistance from the military, he also said there could be overall spending cuts once US troops in Afghanistan handed over to local forces. Mr Lynn was speaking in the wake of diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks that detail an extensive series of alleged cyberattacks and internet intrusions by China. (Source: FT.com)