DefenseTech Military.com
  • Categories
  • Full Archives
  • Monthly Archives
  • About Defense Tech
Subscribe to RSS

About Defense Tech

Defense Tech examines the intersection of technology and defense from every angle and provides analysis on what’s ahead.

Tip Us Off

Tip for Defense Tech?

SEND IT!

It’s Confidential!

Categories

  • ‘Canes
  • Af-Cam
  • Afghan Update
  • Ammo and Munitions
  • Armor
  • Around the Globe
  • Av Week Extra
  • Axe in Iraq (and Elsewhere)
  • Bizarro
  • Blimps
  • Blog Bidness
  • Body Armor Blues
  • Bomb Squad
  • Brownshoes in Action
  • Bubbleheads, etc.
  • Cammo Green
  • Catch the “Buzz”
  • Chem-Bio
  • Civilian Apps
  • Cloak and Dagger
  • Commandos
  • Comms
  • Contingency Ops
  • Cops and Robbers
  • Crazy Ivan
  • Cyber-warfare
  • Data Diving
  • Defense Tech Poll
  • Defense Tech Radio
  • Dissent Tech
  • Door Kickers
  • Drones
  • DT Administrivia
  • Eat DT’s Dust
  • Extra! Extra!
  • Eye on China
  • F-35 Watch
  • Fast Movers
  • FCS Watch
  • Fire for Effect
  • FOS Files
  • Friday Funnies
  • Gadgets and Gear
  • Going Green
  • Grand Ole Osprey
  • Ground Vehicles
  • Guns
  • Homeland Security
  • In the Bubble with Joe Buff
  • In the Weeds with Eric
  • Info War
  • Iraq Diary
  • Jarhead Jazz
  • JSF Watch
  • Just War Theories
  • Lasers and Ray Guns
  • Less-lethal
  • Logistics
  • Los Alamos and Labs
  • M4 Monopoly
  • Medic!
  • Mercs
  • Missiles
  • Money Money Money
  • Most Wanted
  • MRAP Edge
  • Net-Centric
  • Nukes
  • Old Skool
  • Our Shrinking Planet
  • PEO Soldier
  • Planes, Copters, Blimps
  • Podcast
  • Politricks
  • Polmar’s Perspective
  • Popular Mechanics
  • Rapid Fire
  • Raptor Watch
  • Red Team
  • Retro-Futuro
  • Robots
  • Roll Your Own
  • Sabra Tech
  • Ships and Subs
  • Snipertech
  • Soldier Systems
  • Space
  • Special Ops
  • Star Wars
  • Strategery
  • Stray Trons
  • Tactical Development
  • Terror Tech
  • The Deadlies
  • The Defense Biz
  • The Peoples’ Site
  • The Sunday Paper
  • The Tanker Tango
  • The View from Av Week
  • Those Nutty Norks
  • Training and Sims
  • Trimble on the Case
  • Uncategorized
  • Video Lounge
  • War Update
  • Ward’z Wonderz
  • You can run…

Archives

  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006
  • October 2006
  • September 2006
  • August 2006
  • July 2006
  • June 2006
  • May 2006
  • April 2006
  • March 2006
  • February 2006
  • January 2006
  • December 2005
  • November 2005
  • October 2005
  • September 2005
  • August 2005
  • July 2005
  • June 2005
  • May 2005
  • April 2005
  • March 2005
  • February 2005
  • January 2005
  • December 2004
  • November 2004
  • October 2004
  • September 2004
  • August 2004
  • July 2004
  • June 2004
  • May 2004
  • April 2004
  • March 2004
  • February 2004
  • January 2004
  • December 2003
  • November 2003
  • October 2003
  • September 2003
  • August 2003
  • July 2003
  • June 2003
  • May 2003
  • April 2003
  • March 2003
  • February 2003
  • January 2003

Home » Cyber-warfare » Your Credit Card Could be Funding Terrorism

Your Credit Card Could be Funding Terrorism

credit-card.jpg

It is hard to pick up a tech publication without finding a story about another security breach that has compromised credit card information. According to Identity Theft Resource Center there were 167 data breaches in the first three months of this year. At least 8.3 million records containing sensitive information were potentially compromised in the same time period.

One Recent Event: Data from 4 Million credit cards stolen. Recently, Hannaford announced what security experts call a sophisticated attack on their computer network that resulted in the theft of credit and debit card account information.

When we think of credit card data theft and fraud you don’t think about terrorism — but that is indeed the case. Al Qaeda is a skilled practitioner at using the Internet for a multitude of reasons. According to FBI Director Robert Mueller, “The Internet has been used by the likes of Al Qaeda to recruit, to train, to communicate.” The arrest of Al Qaeda’s top cyber terrorist provided hard evidence of their use of stolen credit card data for funding. In one case, terrorist groups use the stolen credit card information to purchase $3 million of materials to carry out terrorist attacks. Al Qaeda’s top cyber terrorist 23 year old Younes Tsouli (online name — Irhaby007), recently admitted conspiring to defraud banks, credit card companies and charge card companies.

For additional information about terrorist cyber attack capabilities you may want to download this CRS Report to Congress titled: Terrorist Capabilities for Cyber Attack.

Overview and Policy Issues:

The game has changed! Information security as it relates to sensitive data, like credit card information, has now risen because of the link to terrorist financing. Imagine the psychological impact if you were to find your credit card was used to finance a terrorist attack that resulted in the death of innocent civilians. Imagine the damage to a corporation’s brand and possible backlash from their customers. Significant improvement in all aspects of security is needed to cut off this funding source.

– Kevin Coleman

Share |

April 8th, 2008 | Cyber-warfare | 277215 Comments »http://defensetech.org/2008/04/08/your-credit-card-could-be-funding-terrorism/Your+Credit+Card+Could+be+Funding+Terrorism2008-04-08+15%3A19%3A08Ward You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

« « Boeing: AF Had Worries About EADS Boom | Some Good News on Army SARs » »

This website uses IntenseDebate comments, but they are not currently loaded because either your browser doesn't support JavaScript, or they didn't load fast enough.

  1. demophilus says:
    April 8, 2008 at 12:41 pm

    I guess that explains all those charges on my account for Semtex, track suits, and shower shoes.

    Reply
  2. Christian says:
    April 8, 2008 at 12:56 pm

    Nice, demophilus.…

    Reply
  3. Camp says:
    April 8, 2008 at 12:59 pm

    When you say “Hannaford”, I take it you’re referring to this.…
    “Hannaford Breach May Presage ’08 Trend“
    http://​blog​.washingtonpost​.com/​s​e​c​u​r​i​t​y​f​i​x​/​2​0​0​8​/​0​3​/​h​a​n​n​a​f​o​r​d​_​b​r​e​a​c​h​_​m​a​y​_​p​r​e​s​a​g​e​_​0​.​h​tml
    “While the payment card industry standards require retailers to encrypt payment data when it traverses public networks, that requirement does not necessarily apply to a company’s own internal, non-public networks, Sartin said.
    “I would say a trend we’re seeing hitting a lot of retailers right now is that these organizations can be [compliant with the credit card industry security standards] and still have customer data stolen,” Sartin said. “The data in transit is allowed to traverse private links and internal infrastructure without being encrypted, and the attackers are taking advantage of that.“
    Sartin declined to say whether this dynamic was at work in the Hannaford case (his company had been retained by a party involved in the breach). But he noted that Cybertrust has found with a number of very recent compromises that attackers have seized control over the very terminals that control cash registers or point-of-sale systems within a retail store, or the server through which all registers connect to pass transaction data out across the Internet to the store’s payment processor.“
    Whether it’s the cause or not, I think Encrypted LANs (NICs with Crypto ASICs) should be the standard practice and not an exception. The above story is also probably just another push towards a Dynamic Credit Card Model.
    Regarding “Al Qaeda’s top cyber terrorist 23 year old Younes Tsouli”. According to the Washington Post article, he was basically a web admin who “stole via phishing scams and the distribution of Trojan horses”. The wording leads me to believe that he didn’t even write the Trojan apps, but instead just used off-the-shelf code.
    As for “The game has changed!… Imagine the psychological impact…Imagine the damage to a corporation’s brand”. I have to disagree. Theft has funded criminal organizations & murder since before civilization, how is this any different? Unless somebody gets a bill for a suicide bombing, or a specific entity was intentionally financing terrorism… people probably won’t even notice. Heck, the 9/11 plotters utilized basic U.S. banking services, and with the exception of United Airlines (who are still in business) I don’t recall any other brands.
    “Al Qaeda funded the hijackers in the United States by three primary and unexceptional means: (1) wire or bank-to-bank transfers from overseas to the United States, (2) the physical transportation of cash or traveler

    Reply
  4. Kevin says:
    April 8, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    To Camp — Finally someone who gets it. Security for our systems cannot be piecemeal and must go end to end. Encryption is one way to increase the security of our networks and our data. I am not sure you knew this but, criminal enterprises have been established to sell software exploits, trojans, viruses and other malware to anyone who want them. They have become the new arm dealers. While the government is laser focused on their systems and DoD capabilities, we will not really make a big difference in security until businesses are made to increase their security.
    Thanks for reading the article and your posting

    Reply
  5. b says:
    April 8, 2008 at 2:23 pm

    Coleman is a propagandist who sells himself for $5,000 a gig, currently for doing “cyberscare” but eventually for anything that might be profitable for HIM.
    This has little to do with Defense or Technology, thus doesn’t belong on this ever deteriorating blog, and a lot to do with hyping his business.
    If some 23 year old geek confessed (under torture?!) to be the “mastermind” of Al Qaeda’s internet operation I certainly have no fear for the world to be taken over by those.

    Reply
  6. Kevin says:
    April 8, 2008 at 2:43 pm

    b YOU JUST DON’T GET IT! Until you protect the massive systems used in business and the sensitive data they collect and store the country is at risk. Read “UnRestricted Warfare” it will help you understand our enemy. Oh by the way, I retired from Netscape and donate about 70% of my time to helping other deal with strategic technology issues. Just for the record.

    Reply
  7. SPY GUY says:
    April 8, 2008 at 3:38 pm

    All anyone has to do is read the news and you will see just how exposed our information systems are currently. I guess “b” can’t read! Symantec just announced internet threats rose over 400% in 2007 from 2006 numbers. We really need to address this!

    Reply
  8. TrustButVerify says:
    April 8, 2008 at 3:52 pm

    I keep waiting for one of these data breaches to catalyze a good ol’ American class-action lawsuit which ruins a major company and thereby scare everyone else into behaving responsibly, but so far it hasn’t happened.

    Reply
  9. DopplerDave says:
    April 8, 2008 at 4:23 pm

    Just as an FYI, I got a phone call advertising a 6.5% interest rate for my credit card. Interestingly, it did not say which credit card, i.e. bank and card company. The caller ID revealed that the call originated from a Middle Eastern country, Bahrain.
    I’m convinced it was a credit card scam. Was it terrorist related? I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

    Reply
  10. mk says:
    April 8, 2008 at 9:29 pm

    I attended the RSA conference and wanted to say that U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said almost word for word what you have been saying on here since you two began this blog. I think he is listening so both of you keep it up!
    THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS

    Reply
  11. Christian says:
    April 9, 2008 at 4:47 pm

    b,
    You’re just a big fat meanie!

    Reply
  12. dickIn says:
    April 14, 2008 at 7:13 am

    yeah…cyberscare or “pump my…budget” ?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

Spam Protection by WP-SpamFree

NOTE: Comments are limited to 2500 characters and spaces.

By commenting on this topic you agree to the terms and conditions of our User Agreement

    Recent Articles
    • Bigger, Badder IEDs in Afghanistan
    • Petraeus to SASC Today; Israel-Palestine to Come Up? (Updated)
    • South of the Border Mayhem
    • F-16 Sale to Taiwan, Would It Make A Difference?
    • Rise of the Cyber Arms Dealers
    • Author Steven Pressfield Blogs Afghan Visit With Gen. Mattis
    • Army Fast Tracks GPS Mortar Round
    • That Elephant’s Going To Do What? Where?
    • JSF Costs Jump 50 Percent
    • Let’s Talk AirSea Battle
    Recent Comments
    • Rise of the Cyber Arms Dealers
      Commercial programs are all well and good, but the scariest is...
      Ptsfp
    • F-16 Sale to Taiwan, Would It Make A Difference?
      If that's so then They should buy the...
      Tee
    • F-16 Sale to Taiwan, Would It Make A Difference?
      No. Any ABM that Taiwan could field would...
      Nathan
    • F-16 Sale to Taiwan, Would It Make A Difference?
      Yeah that is maybe true that Iraq Air defence...
      Tom
    • F-16 Sale to Taiwan, Would It Make A Difference?
      F-16C may not be advanced in your eyes, but...
      Tom
    • F-16 Sale to Taiwan, Would It Make A Difference?
      They should buy the Gripen NG, it's a 4.5...
      Tee
    • Bigger, Badder IEDs in Afghanistan
      Interestingly the complete roadway surveillance is what...
      Alex`
    • South of the Border Mayhem
      I think that legalizing MJ would be a good start as 40% of drugs...
      Guest
    • F-16 Sale to Taiwan, Would It Make A Difference?
      What is this?? Why not just let China absorb...
      Peter
    • F-16 Sale to Taiwan, Would It Make A Difference?
      Why would the PRC ever settle for such a...
      Benjamin
  • Channels:Military.com | Military Benefits | Military News | Off Duty |Join the Military | Military Education | Veteran Jobs | Military Money |Military Deals | Military Family | Military Community
  • Military.com Network:Military.com | MilBlogging | Defense Tech | DoD Buzz |SpouseBuzz | Fred's Place | GI Bill Express
  • Services: Army | Navy | Air Force | Marine Corps |Coast Guard | National Guard | Military Spouse
  • About Military.com About Us | Advertise With Us | Press | Affiliate Program |Monster Network | Help | Feedback | Privacy Policy |User Agreement| © 2010 Military Advantage