Cyber Threat is Nations Biggest Economic Risk

At the RSA security conference in San Francisco today, White House cybersecurity chief Howard Schmidt said that the biggest economic threat facing the nation is the cybersecurity problem.

He said the government is mobilizing to deal with electronic attacks, which have hit everyone from Google to everyday consumers who have had their identities stolen in credit card scams. (He didn’t dwell on the idea that this is the biggest economic threat; after all, bankers and insurance companies have been pretty big threats to the U.S. economy as well).

In his first major public appearance since President Obama appointed him last year, Schmidt said that the country has to do something about fixing systemic problems that make the nation’s computers vulnerable to cyber attack.

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Doomsday Cyber Terror Attack Scenario Answers Unsettling

What if a crippling attack struck the country’s digital infrastructure? Experts including current and former officials tackle the question. The results show that the peril is real and growing. Excellent article in the L.A. Times, by Bob Drogin.

The crisis began when college basketball fans downloaded a free March Madness application to their smart phones. The app hid spyware that stole passwords, intercepted e-mails and created havoc.

Soon 60 million cellphones were dead. The Internet crashed, finance and commerce collapsed, and most of the nation's electric grid went dark. White House aides discussed putting the Army in American cities.

That, spiced up with bombs and hurricanes, formed the doomsday scenario when 10 former White House advisors and other top officials joined forces Tuesday in a rare public cyber war game designed to highlight the potential vulnerability of the nation's digital infrastructure to crippling attack.

The results were hardly reassuring.

“We're in uncharted territory here,” was the most common refrain during a three-hour simulated crisis meeting of the National Security Council, the crux of the Cyber Shockwave exercise.

via Read Full Article.

Hat Tip – Brad Thor

Interagency Teams Can Now Question Terror Suspects

Interagency interrogation teams have started to question key terrorism suspects under a classified charter approved last week, but authorities have been slower to resolve pressing issues that emerged since Christmas — including how to draw the line between gathering intelligence and building a legal case, according to federal officials and experts following the process.

The High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group, announced to fanfare by White House officials last summer, was not formally authorized until Jan. 28, under a previously unreported 14-page memo signed by the president's national security adviser, Gen. James L. Jones. The delay became a matter of political debate last month after members of Congress asked why the group had been not deployed to interrogate Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is accused of trying to detonate an explosive Dec. 25 on an airliner about to land in Detroit.

via Interagency teams can now question terror suspects – washingtonpost.com.

Official Says Terrorism Suspect Is Cooperating

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a jetliner bound for Detroit on Dec. 25, started talking to investigators after two of his family members arrived in the United States and helped earn his cooperation, a senior administration official said Tuesday evening.

Mr. Abdulmutallab, 23, began speaking to F.B.I. agents last week in Detroit and has not stopped, two government officials said. The officials declined to disclose what information was obtained from him, but said it was aiding in the investigation of the attempted terrorist attack.“With the family, the F.B.I. approached the suspect,” the senior administration official said, speaking to reporters at the White House on the condition of anonymity because of the pending legal case. “He has been cooperating for days.”

via Read Full Article- Source.

White House Considers Moving 9/11 Terror Trial

In a surprising turn of events, The New York Daily News reports The White House has ordered the Justice Department Thursday night to consider other places to try the 9/11 terror suspects after a wave of opposition to holding the trial in lower Manhattan.

The dramatic turnabout came hours after Mayor Bloomberg said he would “prefer that they did it elsewhere” and then spoke to Attorney General Eric Holder.

“It would be an inconvenience at the least, and probably that's too mild a word for people that live in the neighborhood and businesses in the neighborhood,” Bloomberg told reporters.

“There are places that would be less expensive for the taxpayers and less disruptive for New York City.”

State and city leaders have increasingly railed against a plan to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed in Manhattan federal court since Holder proposed it last month.

Sen. Chuck Schumer said he was “pleased” that the administration is reconsidering the location of the trial.

via White House asks Justice Department to look for other places to hold 9/11 terror trial.

U.S. Is Unprepared for Major Bioterrorism Attack

Missteps during the recent distribution of the H1NI vaccine caused many analysts to fear how the US might respond to a large-scale bio-terrorism attack. A report, released today by a congressionally appointed commission might not do much to ease those fears.

More than eight years after the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks, the United States is still unprepared to respond to the threat of large-scale bioterrorism, a congressionally appointed commission said Tuesday in a report that gave the government mixed grades overall for how it has protected Americans from weapons of mass destruction.

The report, which measured the government’s performance in 17 key areas, gave the White House and Congress “F” grades for not building a rapid-response capability for dealing with disease outbreaks from bioterrorism, or providing adequate oversight of security and intelligence agencies.

Within hours of the report’s release, the Obama administration revealed plans to fill gaps in the nation’s public health defenses with a series of initiatives to be announced in Wednesday’s State of the Union address. The proposals, which administration officials said had been in the works well before the report’s findings were known, will seek to speed up delivery of drugs in the event of a major attack, addressing one of the principal shortcomings identified by the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.

Source

Female Suicide Bombers May Attempt To Enter US

American law enforcement officials have been told to be on the lookout for female suicide bombers who may attempt to enter the United States.The women, believed to have ties to al Qaeda may have a western appearance and passports.

One official said at least two of them are believed to be connected to al Qaeda in Yemen, and may have a non-Arab appearance and be traveling on Western passports.

The threat was described as “current” but not imminent, said the official.

“They have trained women,” said former White House counter-terrorism official Richard Clarke, an ABC News consultant.

via Female Suicide Bombers May Be Heading Here from Yemen, Say Sources – Source.

Direct al-Qaeda Threat Closes Embassies In Yemen

Times Online reports Britain and the United States have closed their embassies in Yemen today in the face of threats from al-Qaeda.

Security chiefs at the two fortress-like buildings in the new part of Sanaa, the capital, would decide whether to re-open the embassies tomorrow, officials said.

“We’re not going to take any chances” said John Brennan, the head of the White House’s counter-terrorism department. He said there had been indications that al-Qaeda was planning to carry out an attack against a target in Sanaa, possibly the US Embassy.

US officials admitted that American intelligence had been behind two air strikes in Yemen before Christmas that killed at least one local al-Qaeda leader.

via Western embassies close in Yemen after ‘direct al-Qaeda threat’ – Times Online.

Northwest Airlines Flight 253 Incident Act of Terrorism

The incident aboard Northwest Airlines flight 253 is now being called an attempted act of terrorism according to reports on Fox News. An airline passenger claiming to have ties to Al Qaeda was subdued after he tried to ignite a powdery substance just before landing in Detroit, sources told FOX News.  Earlier reports were that a man attempted  to set off fireworks aboard the jet.

A senior White House official called it an attempted act of terrorism.

The passenger, one of 278 passengers flying from Amsterdam to Detroit, is now in custody, according to a statement from the Transportation Security Administration.

The suspect, described by law enforcement officials as a Nigerian man in his early 20s, claimed extremist ties during questioning, sources said.

According to one official. the suspect smuggled a powder aboard the plane in a container taped to his leg. Covering himself with a blanket to hide his actions, he used a syringe to inject a liquid into the powder, and a fire resulted from the combustible mix, according to the official, who did not identify the materials.

Rep. Peter King (R-NY), the ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee, identified the suspect as 23-year-old Abdul Mudallad of Nigeria, and King said Mudallad “definitely has connections” to Al Qaeda.

King said Mudallad was not on any “no-fly list,” but one source familiar with the investigation said the suspect did come up in another federal database after authorities checked his name on Friday.

“This could have been catastrophic,” said King, speaking to “FOX Report” Friday night. “We were lucky on this one.”

King said there is no evidence that this was part of a larger plot.

FBI and DHS officials would not discuss the suspect's possible motives. However, the FBI has already issued an alert about the case to other law enforcement agencies, one source said.

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and President Obama have been briefed on the situation, according to spokespeople for both.

“Passengers may notice additional screening measures put into place to ensure the safety of the traveling public on domestic and international flights,” DHS spokeswoman Sara Kuban said in a statement. “As always we encourage the traveling public to be observant and aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behavior or activity to law enforcement officials.”

After being notified of the incident by a military aide, President Obama, vacationing in Hawaii with his family, convened a conference call with his counterterrorism chief, John Brennan, and other national security officials, a White House spokesman said.

“[He] instructed that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel,” White House spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement. “The President is actively monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates.”

Northwest Flight 253 was close to touching down at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport when it declared an emergency on board, an airline official said.

via Northwest Flight 253 Attemped Act of Terrorism

Monitor this incident live via NTARC Intellispace

From The Washington Post – Nigerian Arrested In Failed Plane Attack Claims Links to al-Qaeda

A Nigerian man, claiming to be linked to al-Qaeda, allegedly tried to set off an incendiary device aboard a transatlantic airplane Friday as it descended toward Detroit’s airport in what the White House called an attempted act of terrorism.

The man was quickly subdued, according to an airline spokeswoman, and Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam landed safely around noon Friday, with several of the 278 passengers receiving minor injuries in the incident. The suspect was being treated at a hospital for burns he suffered while igniting the device, the Transportation Security Administration said.

The FBI is investigating the incident. President Obama, celebrating Christmas in Hawaii, was informed about it, a spokesman said, and he asked his aides to ensure that all measures are in place to provide security for air travel.

Officials said they are not prepared to raise the terrorism alert level, currently at orange — or the second-highest of five levels — for domestic and international air travel. However, the Department of Homeland Security said late Friday that passengers “may notice additional screening measures, put into place to ensure the safety of the traveling public on domestic and international flights.”

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Obama Monitoring Flight 253 Incident

As President Barack Obama vacations in Hawaii, officials say he’s keeping up to date on what’s described as a terror attempt on board a Northwest Airlines plane that was about to land in Detroit.

A Nigerian man was detained on the flight from Amsterdam Friday after he attempted to detonate an explosive device during landing.

The White House says Obama was notified about the incident and discussed it with security officials.

The White House is coordinating briefings for the president through the Homeland Security Department, the Transportation Security Administration and the FBI.

The suspect, identified by Rep Peter King, (R-N.Y.) as Abdul Mudallad, a 23-year-old Nigerian man known in counter-terror circles, told investigators he was acting on behalf of Al Qaeda.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Bill Burton released a statement following the incident Friday.

“The President was notified of the incident this morning between 9:00 and 9:30 Hawaii time by the President’s military aide. The President subsequently convened a secure conference call with John Brennan, his Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism Adviser, and Denis McDonough, NSS Chief of Staff.

“He asked to arrange a subsequent secure call and in that call instructed that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel. The President is actively monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates. There is currently no change to his schedule.”

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Suspicious Package Removed Near White House

The Secret Service on Tuesday removed a suspicious package left near the White House complex and a few nearby streets that had been closed while they investigated the scene were reopened.

The Secret Service removed the package, a briefcase, from 15th Street and Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. which is near the U.S. Treasury Department and a block from the White House, according to a Reuters photographer at the scene.

Source

Taliban Leader Warns Against Increase of Troops In Afghanistan

Mullah Omar, the elusive leader of the Afghan Taliban, has released a bold message to the White House, warning that any plan to boost troop levels in Afghanistan could lead to “bitterness and pain.” The Daily Beast’s Bruce Reidel decodes the chilling message.

On the eve of President Barack Hussein Obama’s announcement of troop levels in Afghanistan next week, his enemy Mullah Mohammed Omar has thrown down the gauntlet. In a major message to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al Adha this week, the commander of the Afghan Taliban addressed “the rulers of the White House” about their plans to increase troop numbers in Afghanistan and to pursue “illogical strategies” that he promises will only lead to “bitterness and pain.”

The self-styled “Amir of Believers,” meaning the commander of all the faithful in Islam, tells Obama that he and the Afghan people are experts in defeating empires, having destroyed the English and Russian empires before the invasion of the “imperialistic American crusaders.” In short, Omar welcomes the coming fight with a larger NATO army, and he lays down in this message his no-compromise strategy for victory.

via Read Full Article.

Did Uninvited Couple Crash White House State Dinner?

The Washington Post reports that the Secret Service is investigating how an uninvited couple was admitted to U.S. President Barack Obama’s White House state dinner, penetrating layers of security and mingling with VIP guests.

The couple from northern Virginia was not invited to the dinner, not included on the official guest list, and were never seated at a table in the South Lawn tent where the dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was held, The Washington Post reported, citing a White House official it did not identify.

A Secret Service spokesman told the Post that no one was under any risk or threat and that the agency was looking into a report that uninvited guests were admitted to the White House.

Tareq and Michaele Salahi — polo-playing socialites known for a bitter family feud over a Fauquier County winery and their possible roles in the forthcoming “The Real Housewives of Washington” — were seen arriving at the White House and later posted on Facebook photos of themselves with VIPs at the elite gathering.

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White House North Lawn Closed – Suspicious Package

The White House North Lawn has finally reopened after more than two hours after a suspicious package thrown over the fence prompted the closure — and a huge response from four fire trucks and numerous Secret Service. In order to get back in, reporters were walked along a West Wing hallway near the Oval Office. We learned that the president has a lot of large photos of himself along the walls.

After the president’s short speech, reporters were forced to remain in the Grand Foyer for the last 10 minutes. No word on when we might be allowed to leave. Your correspondent took the time to do a brief radio interview — and later talked to WDET while walking back from lunch.

Earlier, the Secret Service forced reporters off the White Hosue driveway and into the press room over an suspicious package found near the White House fence. Some reporters were forced to go through another entrance into the building, while our trip into the Grand Foyer for the president’s speech on General Motors Corp.’s bankruptcy filing was delayed by 15 minutes.

Not clear what it is, but this typically happens over suspcious packages. The Secret Service also cleared pedestrians off the sidewalk in front of White House.

via DETNEWS | Weblogs | Autos Blog.

White House Visitor Tourists Taken Into Custody

Two people facing deportation from the U.S. were taken into custody at the White House gate. They had arrived for a tour.

The pair were part of an adult education program, and a routine background check showed they had an outstanding immigration order against them. They were taken into custody yesterday before they entered the compound.

All White House visitors undergo a U.S. Secret Service background check.

Source

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