The Trump administration, through the Department of Defense, plans to spend $1 billion over the next four years on what it calls “offensive cyber operations.”
The provision in Trump’s landmark One Big Beautiful Bill does not say what those “offensive cyber operations” are, nor what specific tools or software would qualify. The budget does note that the money will go toward enhancing and improving the capabilities of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which operates in the Asia-Pacific region, including China, the U.S.’ biggest geopolitical rival.
Read more…
Source: TechCrunch News
Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber secnews and insights delivered right to your inbox.
Related:
- CISA Issues Emergency Directive Requiring Federal Agencies To Mitigate Apache Log4j Vulnerabilities
December 17, 2021
WASHINGTON – The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued Emergency Directive (ED) 22-02 today requiring federal civilian departments and agencies to assess their internet-facing network assets for the Apache Log4j vulnerabilities and immediately patch these systems or implement other appropriate mitigation measures. This Directive will be updated to further drive additional mitigation actions. The directive is in response to the active exploitation by multiple threat actors of vulnerabilities found in the widely used Java-based ...
- US federal agency compromised in suspected APT attack
December 17, 2021
A sophisticated threat actor has gained access and has backdoored the internal network of a US federal government agency. The security firm did not name the agency in its report, but The Record understands that the target of the attack was the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). According to its website, the USCIRF is ...
- US lawmakers want to put NSO Group, 3 other spyware makers out of business with fresh severe sanctions
December 15, 2021
Eighteen US Democratic lawmakers have asked the Treasury Department and State Department to punish Israel-based spyware maker NSO Group and three other surveillance software firms for enabling human rights abuses. In a letter signed by US Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA), and 16 others, the legislators urge Secretary of ...
- US Cyber Command head confirms direct actions against ransomware gangs
December 8, 2021
General Paul M. Nakasone, head of US Cyber Command confirmed during a recent national security event that his agency has begun taking direct action against international ransomware gangs as part of a larger effort to curtail attacks on American companies and infrastructure. The General explained that his agency is working hand-in-hand with the NSA, FBI, and ...
- Canadian indicted for launching ransomware attacks on orgs in US, Canada
December 7, 2021
The FBI and Justice Department unsealed indictments today leveling a number of charges against 31-year-old Canadian Matthew Philbert for his alleged involvement in several ransomware attacks. Officials from the Ontario Provincial Police held a press conference on Tuesday to announce the charges and Philbert’s arrest in Ottawa. In a statement, US Attorney Bryan Wilson of the District ...
- U.S. State Department phones hacked with Israeli company spyware
December 3, 2021
Apple Inc iPhones of at least nine U.S. State Department employees were hacked by an unknown assailant using sophisticated spyware developed by the Israel-based NSO Group, according to four people familiar with the matter. The hacks, which took place in the last several months, hit U.S. officials either based in Uganda or focused on matters concerning ...

