Dec. 22, 2020 10:24 am ET | WSJ Pro
Good day. On a Grand Prix race weekend this fall, McLaren’s CEO received an email requesting payment with a click-through link. But the supplier wasn’t real and the incident was a scam, WSJ Pro’s Catherine Stupp reports.
Other news: Latest developments in SolarWinds hack; Chinese privacy law to limit use of facial recognition; Microsoft and other tech giants join Facebook’s legal fight against spy-tool maker NSO Group; and a London crypto exchange reports suspicious withdrawals.
CEO Targeted
How U.K. racing team McLaren almost got phished. Zak Brown, chief executive of U.K.-based Formula One racing team McLaren Racing Ltd., received a suspicious email on a weekend in late October as the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix race was about to be held in Imola, Italy.
Dec. 21, 2020 9:29 am ET | WSJ Pro
Good day. When it comes to deterring hackers, the Dutch National Police believes in getting a head start, WSJ Pro’s Catherine Stupp reports. The police force is running two programs aimed at reforming young people who commit computer crimes, and dissuading youths at risk of doing so.
Experts say young people are often unaware that some activities might be illegal, and that swift early intervention can prove effective.
Also today: Microsoft’s president calls for international action on cybersecurity; Ukraine’s government says it experiences daily cyberattacks; and U.S. lawmakers urge a defense spending bill be signed into law in the wake of cyberattacks.
Dutch Program Aims to Deter Young Hackers Before They Commit Crimes
Police initiative informs young people about hacking laws and alternative ways to use their skills
Staff of the Dutch National Police’s Cyber Offender Prevention Squad. Pictured from left to right: Wouter Klijnsoon, Barry van Kampen, Floor Jansen, Gregory Francis and Lieske Zonderland. Photo: Dutch National Police By Dec. 21, 2020 5:30 am ET
Floor Jansen, a Dutch police officer who worked on drug smuggling and organized crime until a few years ago, is on a mission to reform teenage hackers. Ms. Jansen joined the Dutch National Police’s high-tech crime unit in 2012 and started working with young hackers in 2018, intervening after they are prosecuted for their first crime. Instead of prison or community-service sentences, she offers some a program, called Hack Right, to learn about cybersecurity and help them stay out of trouble. Catching hacker
EU Regulators Seek to Extend Cybersecurity Rules to More Industries
New bill designates cloud providers and data center operators as critical infrastructure
The proposed rules elevate cybersecurity to the board level, said Thierry Breton, EU commissioner for internal market, shown in November. Photo: pool/Reuters By Dec. 17, 2020 5:30 am ET | WSJ Pro
European regulators want to designate cloud computing providers, data center operators and other sectors as critical infrastructure, requiring them to comply with mandated cybersecurity rules for the first time.
The draft EU legislation, known as the directive on network and information systems, also strengthens security rules for all of the bloc’s seven previously designated critical infrastructure sectors, such as health care and financial services. Companies would need to implement measures to protect data and inform authorities quickly if they are hac
“[These attackers] are weaponizing market share and scale against a software provider,” Mr. Pollard said. “That’s incredibly concerning.”
Some computer systems at the Commerce and Treasury departments, as well as the Department of Homeland Security, were compromised as a result of the attack. SolarWinds lists many additional customers on its website 425 of the Fortune 500 companies and additional U.S. agencies but it is unclear how many and which have been affected.
Mr. Pollard said such reach can allow attackers to hit multiple targets through a single entry point.
“While there’s a lot of advantages of centralizing from a procurement perspective, you have to wonder if you concentrated too much risk in the U.S. government,” he said. “You’re not going to put the president and vice president on the same flight.”