President Obama calls for intel report on Russian hacking

The request is making headlines just days after lawmakers in both the House and Senate announced plans this week to launch similar probes into the 2016 election.

The White House is calling on U.S. intelligence agencies to deliver a comprehensive report that will contain evidence concerning Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. The request is making headlines just days after lawmakers in both the House and Senate announced plans this week to launch similar probes into the matter.

In early October, the Homeland Security Department and Office of the Director of National Intelligence formally accused Russia of hacking into the Democratic National Committee. Internal DNC communications were subsequently leaked and shared on social media, causing reputational damage to an organization at the center of a presidential election.

NBC News, citing an unnamed senior intelligence official, reports the information may be made public. White House counterterrorism advisor Lisa Monaco told reporters Friday about the White House request.

A timeline for when the report will be delivered remains unclear. CyberScoop has reached out to the White House and ODNI for comment.

During an event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, Monaco said that cyberattacks againstthe U.S. crossed a “new threshold” in 2016.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., and Senate Select Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., are reportedly working closely together to investigate Russia’s suspected interference.

But as Washington rushes to uncover information collected by the country’s intelligence agencies, lawmakers do so in the shadow of a presidential inauguration for an individual who has continuously denied Russia’s aggression in cyberspace.

As a presidential candidate, Trump not only praised Russian President Vladimir Putin but also called on the Kremlin to find missing emails belonging to his then political opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 

Senate Intel chair urges national cyber director to safeguard against open-source software threats

Tom Cotton, R-Okla., cited Chinese and Russian involvement in open-source tech and the risks to government and defense systems.

While White House demands deterrence, Trump shrugs

UK sanctions Russian hackers, spies as US weighs its own punishments for Russia

Government

• FBI officials say AI is bolstering adversaries, emphasizing need to focus on cyber basics, patching

• CIA’s Michael Ellis says cyber intelligence is changing how the agency operates

• The G7 tells industry to hurry up and prep for post-quantum encryption

• Jail time for Maine child in 764 marks turning point in federal law enforcement

Technology

• FCC proposes public scorecard to rate telecoms on anti-robocall efforts

• Pegasus, NoviSpy variant spyware found on devices of Serbian activists

• Wyden seeks upgraded NSA security guidance on commercial VPN use

• The Collective Cyber Defense letter wrote your next vendor questionnaire

Threats

• Microsoft discloses two actively exploited zero-days among 974 vulnerabilities

• Russian national extradited to US for alleged involvement in bank-account takeover scheme

• Attackers exploit zero-days in consistently besieged SonicWall product

• Dogged Russia-based botnet dismantled after 23-year run

Policy

• Whistleblower says USPS deploying new, ‘untested’ IT systems governing mail-in ballots

• ‘Watershed 250’ test program in Texas looks to private sector for water cybersecurity help

• Former sexual abuse victims say Grok used their images, videos to train deepfake capabilities

• Cyber threats nudge Trump to sign executive order on foreign equipment in U.S. energy infrastructure