White House Confirms Cyber Attack On One Of Its Computer Networks : The Two-Way : NPR

The AFP, Politico and Fox News quote a unnamed administration officials saying the network hit did not contain any classified information and there was no indication any data was stolen.

The AFP reports:

"The US official said the attack was against 'an unclassified network' and was a case of 'spear phishing,' in which a spoofed email tricks a user into clicking through to a website where a hacker can install malicious software or gain control of another computer.

"'These types of attacks are not infrequent and we have mitigation measures in place,' the official said.

"'In this instance, the attack was identified, the system was isolated, and there is no indication whatsoever that any exfiltration of data took place. Moreover, there was never any impact or attempted breach of any classified system.'"

The White House was responding to questions that arose from a report published by the Free Beacon, a conservative website, this weekend.

The Free Beacon reported that Chinese-linked hackers "broke into one of the U.S. government's most sensitive computer networks, breaching a system used by the White House Military Office for nuclear commands, according to defense and intelligence officials familiar with the incident."

The White House, notes Fox News, downplayed that report saying it did not involve nuclear systems.

"In this instance the attack was identified, the system was isolated, and there is no indication whatsoever that any exfiltration of data took place. Moreover, there was never any impact or attempted breach of any classified system," Fox quotes an unnamed White House official as saying.

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Anti-Muslim filmmaker arrested

Via Strategic Culture Foundation Source: The Voice of Russia The filmmaker of the provocative trailer and "supposed" film "The Innocence of Muslims" Nakoula Basseley Nakoula was arrested on Thursday in Los Angeles according to the local city prosecutor's office which released a statement reading: “The creator of the film is in custody and has to appear before a federal court." It is noted that Nakoula was previously convicted and serving time for crimes of a financial nature and is suspected of violating the conditions of his early parole from prison. According to Reuters, he was released from prison in 2011, with the condition that he would not use the Internet without the permission of the authorities and that he was forbidden from using pseudonyms. During his court hearings it will be decided whether these conditions were violated. Nakoula Basseley Nakoula says that he is not the creator of the film, but was only dealing with organizational matters for the company which produced the film which enraged Muslims worldwide.

Iran Defense Missiles can reach the entire of Persian Gulf coastline (US Bases)

Iranian missiles can destroy large naval vessels and reach the entire Persian Gulf coastline and U.S. bases that lie beyond it, Iran's Revolutionary Guard said. The commander of the IRGC's navy issued that assessment after concluding the final stage of a Persian Gulf missile drill, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported Tuesday. In the drill, the navy fired four missiles at a mock sea target, sinking it in 50 seconds, said Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi. Iran started mass production of its Persian Gulf anti-ship missile, designed to destroy targets at sea, in early 2011. The supersonic projectile, which carries a 1,400-pound warhead, is immune to interception and features high-precision systems, Fars said. Last week the Revolutionary Guard displayed the country's air defense shield.

Newsfeed - Iran: IRGC Rear Admiral Fadavi: "Dark Days await US forces in case of an Attack against Iran

Via Breaking News.com Asenior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps says dark days await US forces in case of an attack against Iran. Referring to the mine-sweeping drill held by the United States near the Persian Gulf, IRGC Navy Commander Rear-Admiral Ali Fadavi said, “We keep a moment-by-moment watch on every move of the Americans.” “Over the past years, we have not neglected to enhance our naval capabilities, particularly in the field of mines, and these capabilities are unimaginable to the Americans,” the Iranian commander added. “Our missile-equipped speedboats are only a small part of our naval capabilities and each of these vessels can be effective in fighting huge US warships,” Fadavi said. Fadavi added that only Britain, France, Japan and the United Arab Emirates have joined the US in the Persian Gulf maneuver and other countries merely attend the meetings and conferences related to the exercise. He said the latest estimates suggest that 64 US vessels are present in the region, adding that the Americans claim, however, that 20 of the vessels are participating in the drill. He added that Six British, French, two Japanese and two Emirati ships are also taking part in the maneuver. The US anti-mine exercises began on September 16 and are scheduled to wrap up on September 27. The US Navy claims that the exercises are purely defensive and not directed at any country.

FSA Militants from Syria enter Lebanese Terretories

By Almanar Broadcasting Lebanon Militants from Syria Enter Lebanese Territories, Attack Army Post Local Editor Militants of the so-called “Free Syrian Army” violated the Lebanese border, before they attacked a checkpost for the Lebanese army in theborder town of Arsal. "Overnight a large number of insurgents attacked a Lebanese army post in the Arsal region. This was the second time in less than a week that the Free Syrian Army has entered Lebanese territory," an official statement said on Saturday. "Army reinforcements were dispatched to the area and began to pursue the gunmen, who fled after the attack towards the mountains and several border towns and villages" inside Lebanon. "The army leadership will not allow any party to use Lebanese territory to implicate Lebanon into events in neighboring countries, and reaffirms its determination to protect Lebanese territory," the statement added.

Islamic Iran unveils newest air defense system Date and Ti

By Islamic Invitation Turkey 09-21-2012 iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has displayed the country’s latest domestically-manufactured air defense system. Raad air defense system was displayed during the Friday parade of the Iranian Armed Forces in the capital city, Tehran, marking the 32nd anniversary of eight years of defense against Iraq’s invasion of the country under executed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein The mid-range system which is equipped with Taer 2 missiles is capable of intercepting targets at a range of up to 50 kilometers and at the height of 75,000 feet. Raad is the optimized version of the Russian-made Buk surface-to-air missile system. The Friday parade also showcased the latest achievements of Iran’s Armed Forces in defense and military hardware. In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in the defense sector and gained self-sufficiency in essential military hardware and defense systems. Iran has repeatedly stated that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.

Mursi Stressses Importance Of IRAN, EGYPT'S Unity In Facing Global Challenges

Via FARS NEWS AGENCY TEHRAN (FNA)-Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi said Iran plays an important role in resolving he regional crises, and underlined that Tehran and Cairo should be united in dealing with global challenges. When the follower of unrighteousness are united in their nrighteous path, why should not we go united in our right osition when dealing with global challenges". Mursi said in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Cairo on Tuesday. Stressing that Egypt assumes Iran's stability as its own stability, he said, "There is no problem between Iran and Egypt." The Egyptian president also underscored the important role of Iran's assistance to the settlement of problemsin the region, and announced Cairo's readiness for any kind of regional cooperation with Tehran. After the collapse of Hosni Mubarak's regime, the Iranian and Egyptian officials voiced their interest in the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries and Salehi officially invited the then Egyptian counterpart Nabil Al-Arabi to pay a visit to Tehran. Later, the Iranian foreign minister and his former Egyptian counterpart also held a meeting in Bali, Indonesia. Also, during the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran late August, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Egyptian counterpart conferred on ways to promote the bilateral relations between Tehran and Cairo, and stressed the need for continued consultations in this regard.

EU calls on Muslim Governments to Protest Embassies

BRUSSELS, September 15 (RIA Novosti) Tags: "Innocence of Muslims", Christopher Stevens, Catherine Ashton Chief EU diplomat Catherine Ashton strongly condemned the attacks on Western diplomatic missions in several Muslim countries and urged the local authorities to ensure their security. "I have been following the development with great concern and urge the national authorities of the affected countries to quickly ensure the safety of diplomatic missions and to protect diplomatic personnel," she said in a statement to RIA Novosti. Riots erupted across the Muslim world this week in response to an American anti-Islam video, "Innocence of Muslims," posted to the Internet on Tuesday, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three others were killed in Benghazi on Tuesday in one of the first of several such riots, which have since spread to Tunisia and Sudan, among other predominantly Muslim countries. About 5,000 rioters also attacked the Embassies of Germany and the U.K. in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.

Iran unveil Meshkat medium-range cruise missile

Via Islamic Invitation Turkey "Meshkat cruise missile, which God willing will be unveiled soon, has a range of more than 2,000 kilometers. It will be the upper hand of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Brigadier General Mehdi Farahi, who is also the director of Defense Ministry’s Aerospace Organization, said on Sunday. “Meshkat cruise missile will have submarine-, ground-and air-launched properties and could also be fired from a warplane,” the general said. Farahi said the Iranian Defense Ministry has already produced five cruise missiles, namely, Zafar, Nasr, Nour, Qaser and Ghadir, adding that the development of nine more cruise missiles is under study. He went on to say that Iran is upgrading the “precision, radar-invasiveness, tactical aspects and durability” of its missiles. The general, however, noted that the development of cluster warheads does not lie within Iran’s defense strategies, stressing that the country has done a lot in tweaking missile warheads, which is an important factor in upgrading ballistic missiles. Farahi played down the US deployment of missile defense systems in the region, saying they could never overpower Iranian missiles. “We hope that nothing would happen. But if any confrontation is to take place, they will see how their claims will turn out to be groundless.” In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in the defense sector and gained self-sufficiency in essential military hardware and defense systems. Iran has repeatedly assured other nations, especially regional neighbors, that its military might poses no threat to other countries, insisting that its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence.

The Tug-of-war over the South China Sea

The tug-of-war over the South China Sea is seen mainly as a struggle among rival claimants -China, Taiwan and several South-East Asian states -for control of valuable fisheries as well as sea bed oil, natural gas and mineral resources. China's claim to about 80 per cent of the 3.5 million square kilometre sea and its hundreds of atolls, rocks and reefs, has also alarmed outside seafaring and trading nations, including the United States, Australia and Japan. They regard the South China Sea as an international maritime highway with free navigation for seaborne trade, unimpeded movement of naval vessels, and unfettered over-flight for military aircraft. But recent developments in China's nuclear weapons program suggest there is another important dimension to China's increasing assertiveness in enforcing its claimed jurisdiction in the semi-enclosed sea: protecting a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines armed with atomic warheads and based at Sanya on China's Hainan Island. Okazaki Institute in Tokyo special research fellow Tetsuo Kotani says, ''Without understanding the nuclear dimension of the South China Sea disputes, China's maritime expansion makes little sense.'' One of the new generation subs was first spotted by a commercial satellite at Sanya in 2008. It was tied up to a pier that analysts said was China's first and so far only demagnetising facility for submarines. Demagnetisation is conducted before deployment to remove residual magnetic fields in the metal of a sub to make it harder to detect by hostile submarines, surface ships and anti-submarine aircraft. Initially, these new generation Chinese subs and the nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles they could launch while submerged would be able to target potential adversaries in the Asia-Pacific and US bases in the region. Eventually, with longer-range intercontinental missiles, they could cover the whole of the US from launch points in the deep waters of the South China Sea without having to venture too far from their rock shelter tunnels bored into a mountain that forms part of the Sanya naval base for China's South Sea Fleet. . This would give China a more effective deterrent against nuclear attack, one that operated from under the sea in addition to land-based nuclear missiles. In recent years, China has built up a relatively small but increasingly impressive arsenal of approximately 140 nuclear ballistic missiles either concealed in silos or mounted on special launch vehicles and moved around to different hiding places on land. Each carries a single nuclear warhead. But earlier this month, a newspaper controlled by the ruling Chinese Communist Party reported that China was developing the capability to do what Russia and the US have the technology to do -put multiple warheads on its intercontinental ballistic missiles, each capable of hitting different targets. This could greatly increase the number of China's operational nuclear weapons and overwhelm any missile defence system. At the same time, China is building a fleet of new JIN-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), known as Type-094. Two are in operation, a third is under construction and may already have been launched, and at least two more are expected to be built. Meanwhile, China is hoping to complete testing of the JL-2 nuclear-tipped missile for the Type-094 sub, which can carry 12 of the missiles. The US Defence Department's annual report to Congress in May on China's armed forces and military strategy noted that the while the JL-2 program had faced repeated delays, it ''may reach initial operating capability'' within the next two years, giving the Chinese Navy "caredible sea-based nuclear'' deterrent. In addition to adding a nuclear dimension to China's interests in the South China Sea, having a sea-based nuclear deterrent may pose serious control problems for the Central Military Commission which supervises the country's nuclear arsenal. The commission and the Chinese Navy have no experience in operating SSBNs in either peacetime or during a crisis. Yet remaining submerged and out of communication for lengthy periods is essential if SSBNs are to remain undetected. So for the foreseeable future, China's land-based nuclear missile force is expected to be the mainstay of the country's deterrent and retaliatory strike capability against the continental US or other faraway targets. But that will be cold comfort for any regional adversary of China that might soon be targeted by a new SSBN fleet armed with nuclear ballistic missiles. The writer is a visiting senior research fellow at the Institute of

Moscow to react to Asian missile defense

Via RT.com Published: 07 September, 2012, 15:04 X-Band Radar (SBX) (AFP Photo) Russia has expressed its concern over American plans to deploy a new missile defense shield in Southeast Asia. "The continuing growth of the US potential in what we call the Far East –the Asia-Pacific region –does not go unnoticed in Russia," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said at a nonproliferation conference in Moscow. “We are closely following what is happening between the USA and its allies in Asia.” According to the diplomat, “important events” are unfolding in the region and “a lot has already been achieved,” cites Interfax. Moscow’s concerns about the situation arise from the technology involved, as well as the “geography and the US capability to deploy these assets in different locations.” It is important that Washington eases these concerns. Otherwise, “there is a set of measures worked out by the Russian leadership,” Ryabkov noted. Earlier, it was reported that Washington was planning to expand its missile defense in Asia in response to threats from North Korea and to counter China’s growing missile capabilities. Ryabkov noted. Earlier, it was reported that Washington was planning to expand its missile defense in Asia in response to threats from North Korea and to counter China’s growing missile capabilities. The buildup could include an early-warning radar system on a southern Japanese island and possibly another one in Southeast Asia. These two new radars would supplement the one already installed in Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan in 2006. The US global missile defense shield –in particular its European sector –has long been a stumbling block in the relations between Moscow and Washington. Russia worries that the planned system may pose a threat to its national security. The US has so far refused to provide legally-binding guarantees that the European missile defense assets would not be targeted against Russia. “The US missile defense system –is surely one of the key issues on today’s agenda because it involves Russia’s vital interests,” President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with RT. The differences on the issue can only be solved if both sides accept as an axiom that they are “reliable partners and allies for each other.” That would mean the parties “jointly do missile threat assessments and control this defense system together,” Putin said. The president stressed that Russia had done what it could and offered to work on the system together. However, the American partners are “refusing to go along.” Moscow is set to continue the dialogue on the matter, he stressed. “But naturally, as our American partners proceed with developing their own missile defense we shall have to think of how we can defend ourselves and preserve the strategic balance,” Putin added. In November last year, then-President Dmitry Medvedev said d Russia could place offensive weaponry on its borders with Europe as one possible measure against the deployment of American elements of missile defense shield in the region.

Israeli diplomat denies Egypt submarine deal straining ties with Germany

By Israeli diplomat denies Egypt submarine deal straining ties with Germany | Egypt Independent

A former Israeli ambassador to Germany cast doubt on speculation that Germany supplying Egypt with two submarines would considerably change German-Israeli relations, the German news agency DPA reported Monday. “More important is that Israel gets the German Dolphin submarines that can carry nuclear warheads,” former Ambassador Avi Primor said. “It is the only real defense we have against Iran.” On Sunday, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Israeli government sources said the deal would affect the two countries’ relations. A German government spokesperson, Steffan Seibert denied that, stressing that Germany was dedicated to Israeli security. Major General Osama al-Guindy, commander of the Egyptian Navy, had told the state-run newspaper Al-Ahram newspaper on Friday that Egypt and Germany signed an agreement for two Model 209 Submarines, which Yedioth Ahronoth said raised Israeli fears of a declining military edge. “Egypt gets weapons from the United States, our greatest ally, and we do not say anything to that,” Primor added.