Author: Thomas J Ackermann

See also: CyberWarfare Resources   APT Attacks Overview 334 zero-days were used in APT attacks since 2006 What on Earth is an APT? RedBaldKnight/Bronze Butler APT are discovered using malware with sophisticated stego Zero-day in newly patched Adobe Acrobat was used in APT spotted by ESET APT’s-The New Age Intruders APT Reports and OPSEC Evolution,…

Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) – artist’s concept   In a recent test series at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, DARPA’s Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) program demonstrated the ability of CODE-equipped Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) to adapt and respond to unexpected threats in an anti-access area denial (A2AD) environment. The UASs efficiently…

One of the recovery tools in development for surveying a grid from above is simply a balloon utilities can launch to detect live power (not reliable in the bad weather) among the more than 900 independent utilities around the US.   by Lily Hay Newman – 14 NOV 2018 In his years-long career developing software…

TruffleBot identifies smells by measuring small changes in air pressure and temperature   by Megan Scudellari – 26 OCT 2018 An electronic nose typically identifies odors by detecting the “fingerprint” of a chemical compound across an array of sensors monitored by pattern-recognition software. E-nose technology is already in use across many industries, including agricultural, environmental, food,…

Matrix Technology is the name of Sikorsky’s program for rotorcraft that minimize, or even eliminate, the role of the human pilot. Part of Darpa’s ALIAS program: Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System   By Jack Stewart – 01 NOV 2018 With the possible exception of Tom Cruise, learning to fly a helicopter demands months of classroom,…

It took humanity centuries to decide that Earth orbits the sun. Now a neural network has come to the same conclusion, using the same data, in just a few hours!   Intelligent Machines Who needs Copernicus if you have machine learning? It took humanity centuries to decide that Earth orbits the sun. Now a neural…

It seems so obvious, yet so many ignore the basics – good summary.        

White hat hackers earned more than $1 million for exploits disclosed at the Tianfu Cup PWN hacking competition that took place on November 16-17 in Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province. The contest ran alongside the Tianfu Cup conference and is similar to Zero Day Initiative’s Pwn2Own – they both offer significant prizes and…

The Odysseus is one of the biggest unpiloted aircraft ever built; the solar-powered Odysseus unmanned aerial vehicle can fly above 60,000 feet (18 km) for three months or more at a time. High-flying drones like Odysseus could be especially useful for military applications.   Nov. 21, 2018 / 6:31 PM – By Tom Metcalfe More…

A well known Russian state-sponsored cyber-espionage group has used a new Trojan as a secondary payload in recent attacks targeting government entities around the globe, Palo Alto Networks reports.  Also known as APT28, Fancy Bear, Pawn Storm, Sednit and Strontium, the Sofacy group is believed to have orchestrated the attacks targeting the 2016 presidential election…

Here’s everything you need to know about CISA   Lights Out In July, officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed a very scary rumor: hackers working for the Russian government had hacked the U.S. power grid, gaining a level of access at which they could have cut off power to U.S. citizens. Clearly, U.S. infrastructure simply…