Cybersecurity: When Hackers Attack: Are computers now the conventional front for hostilities? Michael Chertoff joins subject experts on Milken Global Conference discussion

President Obama has called attacks on U.S. computer networks "one of the most serious economic and national security threats our nation faces." The FBI's director recently warned IT professionals to be on the alert for organized cybercriminals, rogue hacktivists and breaches by foreign governments. Hackers have infiltrated banks, credit card companies, major retailers and defense contractors, pilfering consumer data and intellectual property. 
The Milken Institute presented international experts to discuss cybersecurity on a  panel at its Global Conference in May 2012.  Panelists:   

1. Michael Chertoff, Chairman, The Chertoff Group; former Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
2. Shawn Henry, President, CrowdStrike Services; former Executive Assistant Director, FBI
3. Mikko Hypponen, Chief Research Officer, F-Secure
4. Daniel McGahn, President and CEO, AMSC
5. Moderator:  Marc Goodman, Founder, Future Crimes Institute; Global Security Advisor and Chair for Policy, Law and; Ethics, Singularity University

New measures to enhance cybersecurity are making their way through Congress, but will proposed federal standards really keep us one step ahead of the hackers? Can law enforcement handle a shadowy, constantly morphing enemy on the Internet - without further eroding privacy protections? How should governments, private firms and individuals respond to the threats?

Recorded at the Milken Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California.

Congress forcing Israel to divulge strategy, tactics against Syrian nuke raid

Israel will reportedly be appearing before Congress to give US lawmakers a full briefing on the September 6th IDF bombing raid against the North Korean-built nuclear installation in Syria. Sunday it was reported that Congress has forced the administration's hand on the issue by making its approval of the administration's intelligence budget contingent on receiving a full briefing on the raid.

JPost's Caroline Glick has written an outstanding analysis of the situation:

Sunday it was reported that Congress has forced the administration's hand on the issue by making its approval of the administration's intelligence budget contingent on receiving a full briefing on the raid.

Israel, which initially was upset with the administration's insistence on silencing all discussion of the Sept. 6 operation, is now reportedly unhappy with the administration's decision to release its details. ... The administration is expected to provide the information at Congressional hearings later in the month and Israeli Defense Ministry officials are beside themselves.

Defense officials fear that the revelation of Syria's rogue activities will push Syrian dictator Bashar Assad over the edge. ... (Israel) also has an interest in protecting intelligence sources and methods which may be compromised by a disclosure of the operation. ...

Israel has its own strategic interest in exposing Syria and building an operational alliance with the US to defeat Syria and Iran in the war that they wage with North Korean assistance against Israel and the US. ...

Syria's apparent nuclear proliferation with Iran and North Korea requires a reclassification of the threat posed by Syria from nuisance to strategic threat.

Finally, American lawmakers have argued that understanding the Israeli operation is essential for understanding the nature of the Iranian-Syrian-North Korean alliance. By preventing the release of details on the raid, the administration is denying Congress and the American public the ability to understand the rationale and the modes of operation of arguably the greatest threat to US national security. How can Congress support an ally like Israel if it doesn't understand why what Israel does promotes US national security interests? And how can Congress support US actions in the war if it isn't aware of the nature of the axis fighting the US?

To read it all...

Joint US/Israeli report will assert that Saddam Hussein had and moved WMD to Syria

An upcoming joint US-Israel report on the Israel Air Force strike on a Syrian facility on September 6th will claim that former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein transferred weapons of mass destruction to the country, Israel's Channel 2 News stated Monday.

From World Net Daily Feb 15, 2006: Saddam Hussein's No. 2 Air Force officer, Georges Sada, told the New York Sun Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were moved to Syria six weeks before the war started. Sada claimed two Iraqi Airways Boeing jets converted to cargo planes moved the weapons in a total of 56 flights. They attracted little attention, he said, because they were thought to be civilian flights providing relief from Iraq to Syria, which had suffered a flood after a dam collapse in 2002. View the video of General Sada's January 2006 appearance on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes here.



Ali Ibrahim al-Tikriti, southern regional commander for Saddam Hussein's Fedayeen militia in the late 1980s was known as the "Butcher of Basra." Al-Tikriti commanded units that dealt with chemical and biological weapons. He defected shortly before the Gulf War in 1991. He acknowledged to WorldThreats.com's Ryan Mauro:

I know Saddam's weapons are in Syria due to certain military deals that were made going as far back as the late 1980's that dealt with the event that either capitols were threatened with being overrun by an enemy nation. Not to mention I have discussed this in-depth with various contacts of mine who have confirmed what I already knew. At this point Saddam knew that the United States were eventually going to come for his weapons and the United States wasn't going to just let this go like they did in the original Gulf War. He knew that he had lied for this many years and wanted to maintain legitimacy with the pan Arab nationalists.

He also has wanted since he took power to embarrass the West and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. After Saddam denied he had such weapons why would he use them or leave them readily available to be found? That would only legitimize President Bush, who he has a personal grudge against. What we are witnessing now is many who opposed the war to begin with are rallying around Saddam saying we overthrew a sovereign leader based on a lie about WMD. This is exactly what Saddam wanted and predicted.

Watch Video: Herzliya Policy Conference on Israel's National Policy - Featuring Bolton & Podhoretz

The Herzliya Conference, hosted by the Interdisciplinary Center at Herzliya, has become Israel's center stage for the articulation of national policy by its most prominent leaders.

To watch the 2008 Herzliya Conference live and online click here
To browse the conference schedule click here
To read transcripts of the speeches click here
To view bios of the conference speakers click here (Hat tip: Israel eNews.com)

Regarding the Israel Air Force's Syrian nuclear weapons raid, US Ambassador John Bolton said: "The daring and successful Israeli military strike… has obvious significance for the potential of a military strike against Iran's nuclear program. I think, given the debacle caused by our National Intelligence Estimate, that it's close to zero likelihood that President Bush will authorize use of military force against Iran's program before he leaves office, absent some dramatic new development."

He concluded: "Certainly in Teheran you can bet that they took careful notice of what the Israeli Defence Force did. Penetrating Russian supplied radars very similar to the air defenses that Teheran has; using techniques that could be very useful for a long range strike against Iran; this is the kind of operation that the Iranians needIran may be leading in points but the final whistle is still far ahead. to continue to worry about. Because I think with the collapse of American policy, the Israeli strike against the Syrian / North Korea facility is the harbinger of what may be – absent regime change in Teheran – the last resort… Unless you are prepared to see Iran proceed unmolested toward a nuclear weapons capability, which this NIE has given them free rein to do in my judgment, you are coming very close to a decision point in this country of whether you will use military force to stop Iran."

He believes that North Korea is assisting 2 members of the US' list of State Sponsors of Terrorism in nuclear weapons development, Iran and Syria, which the US State Department wishes to keep hidden to protect the failure of their treaty agreement which removed North Korea from the Terror Sponsors list.

Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz hinted Tuesday that the probability of an Israeli military strike against Iran has increased given "the deterioration of efforts to stop Iran diplomatically."

"The diplomatic timetable is running short and thus the next two years are critical for stopping Iran through diplomatic means."

Mofaz, who also served as defense minister as well as chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, was quoted in Ha'Aretz newspaper as saying, "Reality is complex but the picture is very clear: Iran may be leading in points but the final whistle is still far ahead… It is clear that the current trend must be reversed; and all the means are justified. This is a historical time… This time, no leader will be able to say 'we didn't know, we didn't understand the importance of this time.' The world must do everything that is necessary in order to assure a future of peace and prosperity for the next generations as well."

How Israel Destroyed Nuclear Threat by the Axis of Evil

Video demonstration of how Israel discovered Syria's North Korean- supported, nuclear weapons facility; how Israel built the evidence to convince a reluctant Washington of the need to intervene; and how, upon the arrival of North Korean materiel and manpower to implement it, Israel executed a daring raid inside Syria to destroy the threat.