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President Barack Obama has ordered the shoring up of sanctions that the US could use against individuals and nations that attack the country with cyber tools and threats. No new sanctions have been created, but Obama is keen to see existing measures applied with more force and frequency. The US has used these tools before, and they were raised during discussions about the alleged North Korea attack on Sony Pictures. The president presents his actions as a reaction to the real menace that is growing in scale and capability and continues to hurt US firms like Home Depot. "I find that the increasing prevalence and severity of malicious cyber-enabled activities originating from, or directed by, persons located, in whole or in substantial part, outside the US constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the US. I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with this threat," he said. The response is a greater use of sanctions, and an increase in the powers available to the government, according to a White House blog post. "We are at a transformational moment in how we approach cyber security. The actions we take today will help ensure that the internet remains an enabler of global commerce and innovation," said Lisa Monaco, US homeland security advisor to president Obama. "We need to deter malicious cyber activity and to impose costs in response to the most significant cyber intrusions and attacks, especially when those responsible try to hide behind international boundaries. "Effective incident response requires the ability to increase the costs and reduce the economic benefits from malicious cyber activity. We need a capability to deter and impose costs on those responsible for significant harmful cyber activity where it really hurts - at their bottom line." Businesses such as the US Postal Service have been attacked with greater frequency over the past year and, while international entities are not always blamed, China is a regular suspect. Sanctions can be imposed against a nation or an individual, and they are expected to be used only at times when US assets and infrastructure are under threat. Source

+Vid US President Barack Obama has come out forcefully in favour of strong encryption despite the opposition of his intelligence establishment. Encryption has been a hot topic over recent weeks with Western law enforcement and intelligence agencies complaining about encryption-by-default in modern communication tools such as smartphones. Prime Minister David Cameron recently began pushing the idea of banning crypto products that UK spies are unable to access, an idea he first floated in a recent speech before lobbying US President Barack Obama on the issue, seemingly unsuccessfully. In an interview with Re/code, Obama said that he’s a ”strong believer in strong encryption," adding, "I lean probably further on side of strong encryption than some in law enforcement”. “Ultimately everybody, and certainly this is true for me and my family, we all want to know that if we’re using a smartphone for transactions, sending messages, having private conversations, that we don’t have a bunch of people compromising that process,” Obama explained. “There’s no scenario in which we don’t want really strong encryption.” The president went on to claim that public concern about stymieing terrorism investigations is behind legislators' concerns about encryption. “Where there is a situation in which we’re trying to get a specific case of a possible national security threat — is there a way of accessing it? If it turns out it’s not, then we’re really gonna have to have a public debate,” Obama said. “And, you know, I think some in Silicon Valley would make the argument that the harms done by having any kind of compromised encryption are far greater.” Obama also conceded that the ongoing Snowden disclosures have affected relations between Silicon Valley and the US government. “The Snowden disclosures were really harmful in terms of the trust between the government and many of these companies, in part because it had an impact on their bottom lines. A transcript of the full interview, which also covered cyber warfare and a variety of other hi-tech topics, can be found here. A video clip of a segment of the interview where Obama talks about encryption can be found at the top of this story. Despite the furore over the recent megahack on Sony, which the US government blames on North Korea, Obama dismissed the NORKs as no great shakes when it came to offensive cyber warfare, while stating that “China and Russia are very good [and] Iran is good.” Source

Obama will control internet, signs Emergency Internet Control Posted On 7/18/2012 12:36:00 AM By THN Security Analyst Barack Obama has signed an executive order that could hand control of the internet to the U.S. Government, in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack. "The federal government must have the ability to communicate at all times and under all circumstances to carry out its most critical and time sensitive missions," Obama said. President Obama adds that it is necessary for the government to be able to reach anyone in the country during situations it considers critical, writing, “Such communications must be possible under all circumstances to ensure national security, effectively manage emergencies and improve national resilience.” Later the president explains that such could be done by establishing a “joint industry-Government center that is capable of assisting in the initiation, coordination, restoration and reconstitution of NS/EP [national security and emergency preparedness] communications services or facilities under all conditions of emerging threats, crisis or emergency.” But Section 5.2 has raised alarm among those who fear the government will have too much control over the Web. The section explained how the secretary of homeland security - currently Janet Napolitano - will 'satisfy priority communications requirements through the use of commercial, Government, and privately owned communications resources, when appropriate.' White House officials have acted quickly to ease concern, insisting the order is just an update of an existing authority dating back to 1984 . The claim the government has been granted no extra powers. How threatening Obama's new executive powers are is subject to debate. Please pass your feedback in Comments. Obama will control internet, signs Emergency Internet Control : The Hacker News ~ http://thehackernews.com/2012/07/obama-will-control-internet-signs.html

Am pus-o! Vineee! Presedintele Obama recunoaste ca doreste promulgarea unor legi care sa permita serviciilor de securitate sa acceseze datele stocate pe diferite site-uri/server-e, mailuri, conturi de IRC, facebook, myspace, s.a.m.d, fara mandat judecatoresc daca considera ca e necesar pentru protejarea securitatii nationale fata de "amenintarile teroriste". Stiu ca suntem monitorizati, dar oare pana unde se va ajunge? O sa avem toti SO cu backdoor pentru serviciile secrete? Dupa modelul lor si alte state vor implementa masuri similare curand. Obama Admin Wants to Allow Web Wiretapping