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Thursday 20 July 2017 10:00

Plans to release wild cats into parts of the British countryside have sparked a row between the National Sheep Association and conservation body, the Lynx UK Trust.

The conservation group has applied to Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage for a licence to release six cats into Kielder Forest, Northumberland.

But the NSA initially slammed the plans over potential attacks on lambs and environmental concerns.

See also: Wild lynx plan not possible under current law NSA

NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said: Clearly NSA is opposed to lynx because of the predatory threat the species pose to sheep.

And the NSA does not believe we have enough largescale, suitable habitat to support the minimum population of 250 lynx that is needed for true genetic sustainability.

He added: Animal welfare and disease biosecurity, as well as unconsidered changes in ecology if we were to see pastoral farming decline, also present huge problems.

We stand to lose the beauty of an area like Kielder if farming, grazing and human activity cannot continue as it has done for centuries in this area.

The NSA has since added claims that the trusts consultation process was flawed and misleading.

The NSAs view is [Lynx UK Trust] has made inconsistent efforts to publicise meetings. In my mind, if lynx were to be released in Kielder, the opinions of people living and earning from that area should carry far greater weight than those of someone living 300 miles away.

It is the local people that are the real stakeholders, Mr Stocker said.

He also slated the method of the planned reintroduction.

It is almost inconceivable that once released the lynx would ever be removed and therefore we dont accept this is a pilot project, it is a release.

But the Lynx UK Trust has hit back with a robust defence of its plans.

A spokesman for the trust said: Studies show that each lynx will only kill 0.4 lambs per year. That means the six lynx which we hope to release will account for 2.4 lambs across the entire UK flock.

The spokesman said that figure was dwarfed by the number of lambs lost through infection and exposure each year.

He also rebuffed claims that the lynx population would swell to 250.

The release of 20 lynx in Germany in 2000 has resulted in a population of just 100 animals. Using that as a basis for calculation, the six we hope to release would take 40-50 years to reach the same number seen in Germany.

It is also important to point out that the lynx would not remain in Kielder but would spread across thousands of square miles of southern Scotland and the north of England.

He also firmly rejected the NSA claim that the consultation process was flawed.

Instead he insisted that the trust had followed guidelines on consultation process and had deliberately targeted local villages and businesses.

We knocked on every single door in Kielder village and have received 130 questionnaires back from people in the area.

We also published plans on social media and in the local press, highlighting meetings with businesses and farmers.

The spokesman said that they had pressed home the message that rather than a significant threat, the lynx would increase ecotourism in the area and give a reduction in foxes leading to a net decrease in livestock attacks.

We believe the lynx is a potential benefit to farmers and ask people to learn more about the animal before making any judgements, he said.

More here:
NSA and wildlife group clash over lynx release plans - FarmersWeekly

The idea of a hostile country hijacking computers deep inside the United States sounds frightening. But is it really so different from what countriesincluding the U.S.have always done in the name of espionage?

That was a question posed to Gen. Keith Alexander, a former director of the NSA, at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference on Tuesday in Aspen, Colo.

Alexander responded by saying there's a clear distinction between countries using computers to spy and to attack.

"Its intent. Cyber war is to inflict damage while spying is to learn secrets," he said, adding that every nation engages in cyber-spying.

As a examples of computer activity that rises to the level of cyber war, Alexander pointed to the alleged attack on Sony by North Korea, and to attacks in Ukraine aimed at the company's economy and infrastructure.

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The distinction between spying and cyber war is important since the latter has the potential to trigger military retaliation, or invoke responses under treaties like NATO, while espionage is considered less serious.

Nations are going to test us in cyber space," said Alexander without elaborating as to whether recent hacking activities directed at the U.S. approach the level of war.

Alexander and others on the panel also discussed what the United States should do to protect itself against cyber attacks. According to Oren Falkowitz, the CEO of an anti-phishing service called Area 1 security, a lot of this responsibility should fall to the private sector.

Its just not the role of the government to protect everyone in this country, he said, explaining that businesses should be responsible for securing their own networks unless critical infrastructure is involved.

Falkowitz also downplayed the cyber threat posed by new technologies like artificial intelligence, stating that 95% of all hacks begin with phishing, so there is no reason for hackers to pursue more exotic AI-based tactics.

Gen. Alexander, who now heads a company called IronNet Cybersecurity, was less sanguine about the AI threat.

As countries look to cyber as an element of national power, theyll turn to AI and other new tech," he warned.

Meanwhile, another U.S. company is having considerable success in using an unorthodox techniquepaying hackersto protect companies from cyber attacks. The company, HackerOne, runs programs called "bug bounties" that involve inviting a large network of friendly hackers to attempt to break into a company's network, and then rewarding them if they are successful.

The bug bounty programs have proved so successful that even the U.S. military is using them. Last year, the military paid HackerOne to run a program called "Hack the Pentagon" that flushed out numerous computer vulnerabilities.

Go here to see the original:
Spying or Cyber War? How to Tell the Difference - Fortune

Today, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) just filed its second lawsuit against the National Security Agency (NSA).

We made lawful demands for government records that will shed light on the Susan Rice unmasking scandal that rocked the intelligence community. The NSA failed to comply with the law. So, today, we took the NSA to federal court.

Heres what Fox News reported back in April:

Susan Rice, former national security adviser under then-President Barack Obama, requested to unmask the names of Trump transition officials caught up in surveillance. The unmasked names, of people associated with Donald Trump, were then sent to all those at the National Security Council, some at the Defense Department, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and then-CIA Director John Brennan essentially, the officials at the top, including former Rice deputy Ben Rhodes.

The only way we even know about the Obama Administrations apparent politically motivated unmasking is because this raw intelligence information - classified national security secrets - was illegally leaked to the media.

The ACLJ went to work in our effort bring these secret and unlawful actions to the forefront. Our Government Accountability Project prepared a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests designed to get to the bottom of this disturbing revelation.

Our FOIA Request sought:

records pertaining to any and all requests former National Security Advisor Susan Rice made to National Security Agency (NSA) officials or personnel regarding the unmasking of the names and/or any other personal identifying information of then candidate and/or President-elect Donald J. Trump, his family, staff, transition team members, and/or advisors who were incidentally caught up in U.S. electronic surveillance.

The NSA acknowledged our FOIA request and even granted expedited processing which means the NSA acknowledged the time-sensitive urgency behind our requests. But, even though expedited processing means the NSA is bound to process the request faster than other requests, we have heard nothing from them since.

So, today, we filed a critical lawsuit and we will force the NSA to answer to a federal court for its blatant disregard for the law. Among other things, we asked the Court for [a]n Order enjoining Defendant from continuing to withhold any and all non-exempt records responsive to Plaintiffs FOIA request.

This is not our first time weve taken the NSA to federal court. We filed a lawsuit earlier this year to force the NSA to produce government records that could expose the people and purposes behind the Obama Administrations eleventh hour rule change that dramatically expanded access to raw signal intelligence signed by the Obama Administration officials on their way out the door. It was these changes that have lead to an unprecedented avalanche of dangerous national security leaks.

Both of these lawsuits are part of our ongoing effort to aggressively combat the dangerous national security leaks that have been plaguing the federal government. The deep state shadow government bureaucracy must not be allowed to endanger the national security of the American people as it carries out a vicious vendetta against the current Administration. We will not stop fighting until we defeat and expose the shadow government leaks.

You can be part of our effort. We need your voice. Sign our petition today.

Excerpt from:
ACLJ Files Federal Lawsuit Against NSA Whatever it Takes to Get to the Bottom of the Dangerous Susan Rice ... - American Center for Law and Justice...

After a long debate, the United States is reportedly moving forward with plans to separate its military-focused Cyber Command branch from the National Security Agency. The changes could be announced in the coming weeks, according to the Associated Press.

The two roles have caused tension

Since Cyber Commands 2009 inception, it has been under the same command as the NSA, but the two operate in different ways: Cyber Command has focused on digital warfare, while the NSA has focused on electronic intelligence gathering. According to the AP, those two roles have caused tension, especially in the battle against ISIS.

Under a new division of authority, Army Lt. Gen. William Mayville would reportedly be nominated to lead Cyber Command, replacing Admiral Michael Rogers, who also leads the NSA. Leadership of the NSA could be turned over to a civilian, according to the AP.

Last year, then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter reportedly sent a plan to President Obama proposing the split, and it seems the Trump administration is prepared to move ahead with those plans. The mechanics of the split including what the AP describes as Cyber Commands reliance on the NSA are still reportedly being worked out.

See the rest here:
The US is reportedly close to separating military-focused Cyber Command from the NSA - The Verge

COLUMBUS, Ga. In what may be a first for Georgia, Columbus State University is partnering with the Muscogee County School District on a National Security Agency (NSA) grant to develop and implement a course in cybersecurity education specifically designed for middle school students.

The $50,000 NSA grant allows CSUs TSYS School of Computer Science and its developing TSYS Center for Cybersecurity to work with Rothschild Middle School Leadership Academy to develop and implement a course in cybersecurity education specifically designed for 7th and 8th grade middle school students.

We do not think that a cybersecurity curriculum of this magnitude has been attempted at the middle school level in Georgia, said Tom Hackett, chair of CSUs Department of Counseling, Foundations, and Leadership and executive director P-12/University Partnerships. This STEM project is expected to raise interest in cybersecurity and will encourage students to continue learning about cybersecurity, a field very much in-demand by todays workforce.

The course will be structured on the National Security Agency (NSA) Cybersecurity First Principles but will be broken down into age-specific topics understandable by 7th- and 8th-grade students, Hackett said. The NSA Cybersecurity First principles include: domain separation, process isolation, resource encapsulation, least privilege, modularity, layering, abstraction, data hiding, simplicity and minimization.

He said the course will facilitate a learner-centered classroom with numerous hands-on exercises that provide opportunities for middle school students to apply their newly gained knowledge of cybersecurity education.

This program is just one example of what will be many developing partnerships between the Muscogee County School District (MCSD) and Columbus State University. Hackett, CSU President Chris Markwood and MCSD Superintendent David Lewis are working on more ways to develop programs and education goals to benefit P-12 students, university students and the local businesses that will be hiring these graduates.

We are proud of this unique partnership with CSU and excited for the opportunities it will afford our students as they begin exploration in this high-demand field, said David F. Lewis, superintendent of the Muscogee County School District.

About 140 7th and 8th grade students at Rothschild Middle School will have the appropriate prerequisite to take the year-long elective course on cybersecurity education during the 2017-2018 school year.

Whether you are 6 or 60 years old, cybersecurity is important to us all, said Wayne Summers, professor and Distinguished Chairperson of CSUs TSYS School of Computer Science. By teaching the elements of cybersecurity in middle school, we will encourage safe computing practice as well as expand the pool of candidates for future cybersecurity professionals. Based on a comprehensive study supported by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, there are nearly 13,000 cybersecurity job openings in Georgia and nearly 350,000 openings nationally.

The TSYS School of Computer Science, its TSYS Center for Cybersecurity and Muscogee County School District will ensure the cybersecurity education course will provide age-appropriate and performance based cybersecurity education in a safe environment for middle school students and will meet Georgia curriculum standards.

Hackett said the course curriculum will be available for download on the projects website and the course can be replicated in other middle schools across the nation.

The Rothschild teacher developing this falls course to be called Business Principles & Computer Science is enrolled at CSU this summer in the Information Security course in the TSYS School of Computer Science, which is designated by NSA as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education. Additionally, CSU is part of a consortium of seven University System of Georgia (USG) institutions to develop the USGs capabilities in IT and cyber security as well as significantly increase the number of IT and cyber security industry qualified graduates coming from USG institutions.

Visit link:
CSU Partners with School District to Earn NSA Grant for Middle School Cybersecurity Education - Colombus State News