Clues Link US to New Computer Viruses; Draft of Cyber Security Executive Order “Leaked”

Kevin Hayden – TruthisTreason.net

Source: Reuters

Researchers have found evidence suggesting that the United States may have developed three previously unknown computer viruses for use in espionage operations or cyber warfare.

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For now, the two firms know very little about the newly identified viruses, except that one of them is currently deployed in the Middle East. They are not sure what the malicious software was designed to do.

Hayden’s Note:

Interesting timing for this piece of information to come to light.  Recently, a “leaked” draft of a cybersecurity Executive Order was plastered across the internet, indicating an attempt to intimidate and use heavy handed mob tactics to coerce certain members of Congress into approving the CISPA-like bills that resulted in tremendous public outcry and concern.  Here’s a bit more info -

Source: TechDirt

Earlier this week, we wrote about how the White House was working on an executive order to act as a “stand in” for cybersecurity legislation that has so far failed to pass Congress (CISPA passed in the House, but a different effort, the Cybersecurity Act, failed in the Senate, and it would have been difficult to get the two houses aligned anyway). Last weekend Jason Miller from Federal News Radio wrote about a draft he saw… but failed to share the actual draft. We got our hands on a draft (and confirmed what it was with multiple sources) and wanted to share it, as these kinds of things deserve public scrutiny and discussion. It’s embedded below. As expected, it does have elements of the Lieberman/Collins bill (to the extent that the White House actually can do things without legislation). It’s also incredibly vague.

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All that said, it is important to recognize that this is a draft, and it is not only subject to change, but there are indications that it is likely to change. But, seeing as this could have significant impact, it should be something that the public has a chance to weigh in on.

Honestly, looking this over, you get the sense that it’s really designed to do one thing: scare those who fought against the various bills back to the table to compromise and get a bill out. It’s no secret that the administration’s overall preference is to get a law in place, rather than this executive order. That’s been a failed effort so far, but you have to wonder if this is a ploy to scare those who opposed the Cybersecurity Act into thinking that if they don’t approve some legislation, the exec order might be a bigger problem. There are way too many things left open ended in this draft, and while the administration can’t go as far as Congress on many things, the open-ended nature of this order could certainly lead to problems for the industries who opposed previous efforts.

Related posts:

1. Doomsday Executive Order or Govt Preparedness? Either Way, It’s Tyrannical
2. Obama Prepares Executive Order for Indefinite Detention
3. John Wheeler: SEC Investigations, Air Force UAVs, Cyber Security and a Landfill