Content
stringlengths 1
111k
| labels
int64 0
1
|
|---|---|
(CNN)False claims that using Sharpie pens could invalidate ballots in Arizona prompted a top Department of Homeland Security official on Thursday to urge people to stop spreading disinformation online connected to the so-called "#SharpieGate" rumorsThose rumors fueled outrage among protesters Wednesday night, and prompted a lawsuit -- joined by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee -- filed against Maricopa County election officials.Rumors began to spread on social media Wednesday that voters in the battleground state of Arizona who used Sharpie pens on their ballots wouldn't have their votes counted. That confusion prompted state officials, election monitors and a top Trump administration official to push back on "#SharpieGate" rumors. "Don't promote disinfo! Stop spreading #SharpieGate claims," tweeted Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Christopher Krebs on Thursday morning, reminding people that election jurisdictions allow voters to mark ballots with a variety of writing instruments, including Sharpies.JUST WATCHEDArizona vote counting site preparing for more protestsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHArizona vote counting site preparing for more protests 01:35Maricopa County officials said poll workers were trained to require voters to use Sharpies at voting sites because the ink doesn't smudge as ballots are counted. An informational video was posted in a Maricopa County Elections Department tweet that said, "New offset columns on the ballots means bleed through won't impact your vote!"Read MoreRebuke of the online claims comes after a video -- viewed more than a million times on Twitter and shared widely on Facebook and Instagram -- featured an unidentified woman claiming without proof that poll workers tried to force her to use a Sharpie and that she insisted on using an ink pen, to make sure her vote would count. The video was shot outside the Communiversity at Queen Creek polling site in Maricopa County by Marko Trickovic, who can be heard asking her: "So what they're doing is they're telling people to use Sharpies -- that way those votes aren't counted?" She responds, "Yes." Overnight, a large protest erupted outside the Maricopa County Elections Department as demonstrators, some them armed, yelled, "Stop the steal!" and raised concerns about the use of Sharpies. Meanwhile, election workers -- watched by Democratic and Republican observers -- diligently counted the votes inside as the sheriff's department stood outside the doorway, reported CNN's Kyung Lah. The next morning, the Maricopa County Elections Department reconfigured its front parking lot to handle more expected protests."I don't understand the objective of these protesters. Of course we're going to count all the votes. We are legally obligated to do that," Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said of the protesters who had gathered at a Maricopa County vote counting center Wednesday night -- some of whom were armed -- and urged that every ballot be counted.Both parties intervene in lawsuit On Wednesday, two voters filed a lawsuit against Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes and the Maricopa Board of Supervisors, the election officials for the most populous county in Arizona, over the use of Sharpie pens to fill out ballots.At a Thursday hearing, a judge granted a motion from the Trump campaign and the RNC to intervene, as well as one from the Arizona Democratic Party.The lawsuit seeks class-action status on behalf of voters, claiming that the use of Sharpies led to "ballots either not being counted or being improperly subjected to human adjudication," which may have led to votes not being recorded accurately. It asks that any such ballots be "cured," or properly recorded. It also asks that elections officials let voters who filled out their ballots with Sharpie pens to be present during canvassing to observe the ballot count and be able to adjudicate their intent over ballots that could not be read by the voting machines.JUST WATCHEDFox News anchors are questioning their own network's election callsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHFox News anchors are questioning their own network's election calls 02:19It includes a declaration from a poll worker who states he had trouble running ballots through tabulation machines on Election Day: "Ballots that were rejected by one machine were tried on the other tabulation machine and in different orientations, always without success. For these reasons I believe that the issue was caused by the use of sharpies at the polling location."State election officials have rejected the idea that ballots filled out with Sharpies are being canceled.Alexander Kolodin, the lead attorney in the lawsuit, was a GOP candidate for state senator in Arizona who lost in the August primary. The Indianapolis-based Public Interest Legal Foundation, which also is involved in the suit, has repeatedly sued election officials for not purging voters aggressively enough, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy institute."This has gotten a lot of national interest," Kolodin told CNN.Arizona secretary of state, AG butt heads over SharpiesOn Wednesday, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Republican, tweeted: "We have received hundreds of voter complaints regarding Sharpies at polling locations. Accordingly, we sent this letter to Maricopa County election officials. Let's get some answers." A copy of the letter also was sent to Arizona's secretary of state.On Thursday, Brnovich spokesperson Katie Conner told CNN that "we've received more than a thousand complaints" online about the Sharpie issue.Demonstrators gather in cities and outside election offices amid election tensionsMaricopa's county attorney responded on Thursday with a detailed letter inviting Brnovich to observe a demonstration of the process for casting and tabulating ballots, saying that all voters in the county were encouraged to use Sharpies and stating that "no ballots were rejected at voting centers."The state's director of elections, Bo Dul, responded in a letter Thursday on behalf of Arizona's secretary of state expressing hope the attorney general "will cease perpetuating a conspiracy theory that undermines the hard work of Arizona's election administrators, poll workers, and voters," and rejecting "the false assumption that using Sharpies on a ballot causes ballots to be rejected, spoiled or cancelled. That is simply not true."Late Thursday, Brnovich tweeted, "Based on correspondence and conversations with Maricopa County officials, we are now confident that the use of Sharpie markers did not result in disenfranchisement for Arizona voters. We appreciate the county's prompt insight and assurances to address public concerns."In a letter sent Thursday to county officials, Brnovich said that "it was necessary and appropriate" for his office "to conduct some investigation, rather than simply brushing hundreds of Arizona voters off."Krebs, a senior Trump appointee and top cyber official, echoed the chorus of election officials trying to stop the spread of false information and fears over Sharpie use. He also linked to the Election Integrity Partnership, a coalition of research entities focused on mitigating attempts to delegitimize election results, which said there is "no evidence of a plot to disenfranchise voters by passing out sharpies at polling stations. Election officials provide voters with allowable writing implements."Sharpies can be used in many states "without issue," depending on the type of tabulation system used, according to the Election Integrity Partnership, which added that "#SharpieGate" continued to spread Wednesday, despite attempts by election officials and platforms to slow the dissemination. Officials stress that all votes will be countedOn its rumor control website, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned people that it's false that poll workers gave specific writing instruments, such as Sharpies, only to certain voters to cause their ballots to be rejected.In reality, "Election officials provide writing instruments that are approved for marking ballots to all in-person voters using hand-marked paper ballots," said the alert. The rumors also prompted the Michigan Department of State to issue a fact check, reminding voters that the use of a Sharpie to mark a ballot "will not invalidate or cancel a ballot or vote." Hobbs sought to reassure voters that their ballots will be counted. "There is no concern about ballots being counted because of the pen that was used to mark the ballots," Hobbs told CNN on Wednesday. "All of those ballots are being counted and even if the machines can't read them for some reason, a marker bled through to the other side, we have ways to count them. They are going to be counted."She added that there is "no merit to saying that this was some conspiracy to invalidate Republican ballots."Elections officials said that slower-drying ink from ballpoint pens can cause smudges on the mylar film in the tabulating machines processing equipment. "We provide Sharpies. Poll workers tell voters to use Sharpies. We didn't want voters to use ballpoint pens because of the issues they can cause with tabulators," said Maricopa County Elections Department spokesperson Megan Gilbertson, adding that the Sharpies were sanitized after each use.Gilbertson said that poll workers repeatedly asked the woman shown in the viral video to stop giving voters ballpoint pens and telling them "that ballots with Sharpies would be invalidated.""She would not comply, so we asked a plainclothes sheriff's deputy to speak with that citizen, and provide her with the information she needed to stop sharing that misinformation," Gilbertson said.This story has been updated with new details Thursday from the Arizona attorney general.
| 0
|
Story highlightsThird seed Andy Murray dismisses Viktor Troicki in straight setsJo-Wilfried Tsonga of France also into Monte Carlo third round Andreas Seppi earns second round match against Novak DjokovicRafael Nadal is seven-time defending champion at tournamentBritain's Andy Murray began his clay court campaign with an impressive straight sets win over Serbia's Viktor Troicki at the Monte Carlo Masters Tuesday.The world number four was the first of the big name seeds in action in the principality and wasted little time in dispatching Troicki 6-0 6-3 in a second round match.Murray reached the semifinals of the Masters 1000 tournament last year and the French Open, beaten on both occasions by the 'king of clay' Rafael Nadal.Troicki was able to muster little in the way of opposition and was whitewashed in a one-sided opening set.He was able to hold his service at the start of the second, but Murray broke again to edge ahead and a second break at 5-3 saw him close out victory in 67 minutes.The third seed, who is sporting a new close crop haircut, will meet either Julien Benneteau or Jurgen Melzer in the next round."It was good. I moved well," said Murray. "I was sliding pretty well on the court. Normally that's the thing that takes time to get used to. Normally for me that's a good sign on the clay, whether I'm playing well or not," he told the official ATP Tour website. Fourth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga celebrated his 27th birthday with a 6-2 6-4 win over Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in their second round match.The Frenchman was earning a tough third round clash against 13th-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, who recovered from a set down to beat Ivan Dodig of Croatia 3-6 6-3 6-1.Dodig had brought down the curtain on the career of his compatriot Ivan Ljubicic Sunday with a straight sets win in their first round match.In first round action, Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka shocked 10th seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-1 6-4, while Andreas Seppi of Italy beat Romania's Victor Hanescu 6-3 6-1 to set up a meeting with Novak Djokovic.World number one Djokovic is hoping to end Nadal's seven-year winning run in Monte Carlo having sat out the tournament last year.Both will be in action Wednesday with Nadal opening against Finn Jarkko Nieminen.
| 0
|
Story highlightsIn 2013, CNN reported on child sex trafficking in CambodiaCNN returns to the village of Svay Pak, a child trafficking hot spotSvay Pak, Cambodia (CNN)Sephak was aged just 13 years old when she was sold for sex by her mother.She was taken to a hospital, issued a certificate confirming her virginity, and then taken to a hotel room where a she was raped for days. She was returned home after three nights. Sephak grew up in Svay Pak, a poor fishing village on the outskirts of the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. It's a community that has become notorious as a place to buy child sex.Her mother, Ann, said her family had fallen on hard times and that they took out a loan that eventually spiraled to about $6,000 in debt. With money-lenders threatening her, Ann took up an offer from a woman who approached her promising big money for her daughter's virginity.Sephak said her mother was paid $800. But after Sephak's return, her mother began pressuring her to work in a brothel. Read MoreAnn said she regrets her decision and that if she had known then what she knows now, she would never have sold her daughter.Return to the epicenterThe CNN Freedom Project first spoke with Sephak in 2013, along with other child trafficking victims, as part of a documentary on sex trafficking in Cambodia. Sephak was rescued from her former life by anti-trafficking non-profit Agape International Missions (AIM). Now a woman, she works alongside other survivors in a factory run by AIM, earning money making bracelets and clothing."Today, I feel more much stability than before. Not a lot of stability, but enough," says Sephak. "Now I have a decent job. I really want other people to have the kind of work that I have."More from the CNN Freedom ProjectAmerican Don Brewster founded AIM in 2005 to fight child trafficking in Cambodia. A former pastor, he says the organization has so far rescued more than 700 people.Canada's stolen daughters: Sex traffickers target indigenous CanadiansMost of his efforts are focused in Svay Pak. It's a place where the poverty is overwhelming, with many families scraping by on less than a dollar a day. The residents are mostly undocumented Vietnamese migrants, many of whom live in ramshackle houseboats on the Tonle Sap River, eking out a living farming fish. "When we talk about child sex trafficking, this was at one point the epicenter," says Brewster."We would say when we came [to Svay Pak] it was 100% -- if you were a girl born here, you were going to be trafficked. We would say today it's significantly below 50%."But Brewster has warned that although children are no longer being sold in brothels here, trafficking is now taking place in hotels, where it is harder to detect, and harder to prevent. The US Department of State's 2017 Trafficking in Person's report says Cambodia does not fully meet minimum standards for eliminating trafficking, but notes that the Cambodian government has made significant efforts to fight human trafficking, including increasing the number of trafficking convictions. Read: The teenage refugees selling sex on Athens streets'Sometimes there's no choice'JUST WATCHEDFighting child sex trafficking in CambodiaReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHFighting child sex trafficking in Cambodia 03:13As AIM's director of investigations, Eric Meldrum works alongside Cambodian police to track down criminals and rescue victims. He says that in three years, he has helped rescue 130 girls in more than 50 different raids and that AIM's partnership with police has been crucial."The police are doing a good job," he says. "We've got a very good cooperation with them and there's a definite willingness throughout the police, throughout the hierarchy of the police, to crack down on the issue."Meldrum adds: "This is still a poor country and people are still looking to get money and unfortunately, with a lack of education, lack of jobs, the sex industry is one of the routes that people can make money to send home. The sex trafficking survivor who wants to end 'The Game'"Even sometimes families don't want their daughters or girls in the industry, sometimes there's no choice." In spite of the efforts of NGOs and police, that's a reality still faced by many girls in Svay Pak."It's hard to understand why these mothers do this," says Sephak. "They don't have money, so they make their daughters work."Even now, I see a lot of mothers who don't understand the feelings of their daughters. They don't understand that their daughters have hearts, that they suffer." JUST WATCHEDFull documentary: Every Day in CambodiaReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHFull documentary: Every Day in Cambodia 50:22Clarification: The headline of this article was updated on July 25 to more accurately reflect the content of the piece, which refers to girls of Vietnamese descent who were victims of sex trafficking in Cambodia.
| 0
|
Vehicles are becoming more and more reliant on computers for efficiency, safety systems, and infotainment systems. Most vehicles on the market today use throttle-by-wire systems, where the onboard computer controls the throttle of the vehicle. Toyota has had problems in the past with so-called unintended acceleration, with many pointing fingers at the electronic systems in the car.
Intel's McAfee unit, which is best known for software that fights PC viruses, is one of a handful of firms that are looking to protect the dozens of tiny computers and electronic communications systems that are built into every modern car. McAfee, makers of the popular anti-virus software, are just one of the teams looking to protect automobiles from many bugs and viruses which could wreak havoc on the tiny computers inside modern cars.
"You can definitely kill people", said John Bumgarner, chief technology officer of the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit, a non-profit organization that helps companies analyze the potential for targeted computer attacks on their networks and products. "Ford is taking the threat very seriously and investing in security solutions that are built into the product from the outset," he said.
To date, however, there have been no severe attacks on vehicles through viruses.But Studies have already proven that it is technically possible to hack into a car's on-board warning systems and alter its tire pressure, as well as prevent it from using its brakes.
| 1
|
Story highlightsSanta Teresa invited Suarez to matchSuarez claimed "football is for men" (CNN)It's safe to say that women don't agree with Barcelona star Luis Suarez's comment that "football is for men."The Uruguayan made the ill-advised remark in the aftermath of Barca's draw against Atletico Madrid Wednesday, words that have drawn widespread criticism.Follow @cnnsport
His jibe was prompted by Atletico defender Filipe Luis publishing a photo of a gnarly injury caused by Suarez's studs, after he initially protested he didn't make contact with his opponent. Menos mal que no me toca! 🙈 A photo posted by Filipe Luís Kasmirski (@filipeluis) on Sep 21, 2016 at 3:10pm PDT
But in an attempt to show the 29-year-old that football isn't just for men, women's football club Santa Teresa has invited Suarez to one of its matches."We invite Luis Suarez to Saturday's game against Betis," the club tweeted via its official account.Read MoreSituated in the city of Badajoz near the Portuguese border, Santa Teresa's Nuevo Vivero stadium is a little over 630 miles from the Nou Camp -- or a nine-hour drive.Invitamos a @LuisSuarez9 al partido del sábado ante el Betis ¡A las 16:00 en El Vivero!#AúpaSanta #LigaIberdrola pic.twitter.com/N2tWJopD83— Santa Teresa C.D. (@SantaTeresaCD) September 22, 2016
Although a flight to Badajoz airport would take just an hour and forty minutes.However, with Barcelona set to play Sporting Gijon at the same time as Santa Teresa's mid-table first division match with Betis, Suarez looks as though he'll be otherwise engaged -- especially with talisman Lionel Messi sidelined through injury.Barcelona wasn't immediately available for comment, after CNN asked whether Suarez planned to accept the invitation and attend a future match.Suarez is no stranger to controversy and has become one of football's most divisive figures over the course of his career.He has bitten three different players on separate occasions, the latest coming during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, resulting in a four-month suspension from any football activity and a nine-match international ban.In 2011, he was found guilty of racially abusing then Manchester United player Patrice Evra and was suspended for eight matches and received a $63,000 fine.
| 0
|
Microsoft to patch three critical vulnerabilities on Tuesday
When Patch Tuesday rolls around next week, Three critical vulnerabilities , as well as six Important issues will be addressed by Microsoft. Only three of the nine security bulletins are ranked Critical, while the remaining six are rated as Important.
Although all three of of the Critical vulnerabilities center on Windows, one of them also includes Internet Explorer 9. Interestingly, the flaw does not extend to previous versions of the browser, so it appears it's something new.
The two other critical bulletins could allow malicious users to remotely execute code on Windows operating systems, including all supported server and client versions. "Many are expecting a patch for CVE-2012-1889: a vulnerability in Microsoft XML Core Services, which is currently being exploited in the wild," says Marcus Carey, a security researcher with Rapid7.
Get the full details when the security bulletins are officially released next Tuesday. Happy patching next week!
| 1
|
A security researcher has discovered an easy way to infect Apple's Macintosh computers with an unusual kind of malware using its own Thunderbolt port.
The hack was presented by programming expert Trammell Hudson at the annual Chaos Computer Congress (30C3) in Hamburg Germany. He demonstrated that it is possible to rewrite the firmware of an Intel Thunderbolt Mac.
The hack, dubbed Thunderstrike, actually takes advantage of a years-old vulnerability in the Thunderbolt Option ROM that was first disclosed in 2012 but is yet to be patched. Thunderstrike can infect the Apple Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) by allocating a malicious code into the boot ROM of an Apple computer through infected Thunderbolt devices.
The hack is really dangerous as, according to the researcher, there is no means for the user to detect the hack, or remove it even by re-installation of the complete OS X, only because the malicious code actually is in the system's own separate ROM.
"Since the boot ROM is independent of the operating system, reinstallation of OS X will not remove it. Nor does it depend on anything stored on the disk, so replacing the hard drive has no effect. A hardware in-system-programming device is the only way to restore the stock firmware."
Hudson also showed that he could replace Apple's own cryptographic key with a new one, which will prevent legitimate firmware updates from being accepted.
"There are neither hardware nor software cryptographic checks at boot time of firmware validity, so once the malicious code has been flashed to the ROM, it controls the system from the very first instruction," Trammell Hudson said. "It could use SMM and other techniques to hide from attempts to detect it."
In addition to writing a custom code to the boot ROM, Hudson's presentation also notes a method by which the bootkit could replicate itself to any attached Thunderbolt device, giving it the ability to spread across even air-gapped networks.
In short, an attacker could use the vulnerable Thunderbolt port to install a custom bootkit, which could even replicate itself to any other Thunderbolt-attached device, thereby spreading all over across the networks.
You can watch the entire presentation given by Hudson below and can also refer this blog post to know more about Thunderstrike.
As far as Hudson knows, there are no Mac firmware bootkits in the wild and at this time, it exists only as a proof-of-concept. So, we can presume that the vulnerability can only be exploited if the attacker has physical access to the Thunderbolt Mac. Therefore, a regular Mac user need not to worry about the hack.
Apple has already patched part of the vulnerability in the latest Mac mini and on the iMac with 5K Retina Display, which will soon be available for other Macs.
| 1
|
Story highlightsCameron says football can "crack this problem"The English Premier League has had a number of high-proflie incidentsOne case stems from comments a Chelsea footballer allegedly madeRacist taunts, alleged and proven, have dogged English football for yearsBritish Prime Minister David Cameron will hold talks at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday to discuss racism in football following several high profile incidents in the English Premier League."We simply cannot brush this under the carpet," Cameron said, writing in The Sun newspaper. "I've no doubt that football will crack this problem — and the Government stands ready to do anything it can to help."Racism has been in the spotlight after cases involving some of football's most-famous players and figures.England national manager Fabio Capello resigned this month after a meeting with English Football Association chairman David Bernstein. Capello had openly criticized on Italian TV the English FA's decision to remove John Terry as England captain.JUST WATCHEDFootball pioneer looks at racist abuse ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHFootball pioneer looks at racist abuse 00:10Terry, who is accused of racially abusing another player during a match, will go on trial July 9 following the Euro 2012 finals.JUST WATCHEDEngland captain charged with racismReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHEngland captain charged with racism 03:00The case stems from comments the Chelsea footballer allegedly made to Queens Park Rangers player Anton Ferdinand in an English Premier League match last year. JUST WATCHEDLaureus panel discusses racismReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHLaureus panel discusses racism 05:50Alison Saunders, chief crown prosecutor for London, said Terry is being prosecuted for a "racially aggravated public order offense" because of the comments during the October 23 match. Photos: Career of John Terry Photos: Career of John TerryChelsea breakthrough – John Terry made his Chelsea debut as a substitute against Aston Villa in 1998. After a short loan spell with second-tier Nottingham Forest, Terry established himself in the Chelsea first team during the 2000-01 English Premier League season.Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Career of John TerryEngland debut – Terry's impressive form was recognized in 2003 when he was handed his England debut as a substitute in a 2-1 victory over Serbia and Montenegro.Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Career of John TerryThe wait is over – In his first full season as captain, Terry led Chelsea to a first English top-flight title in 50 years.Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Career of John TerryBack-to-back titles – Chelsea sealed back-to-back Premier League titles in 2006, and in 2010 Terry became the first captain to lead the club to a league and FA Cup double.Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Career of John TerryLeading from the front – Terry's international profile continued to grow and he was named England captain by new manager Steve McClaren in 2006. He scored the opening goal in his first match as skipper, a 4-0 victory over Greece.Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Career of John TerryMiss in Moscow – Chelsea faced Manchester United in the 2008 European Champions League final in Moscow. In the penalty shootout, Terry had the chance to give Chelsea the trophy for the first time but his spot-kick hit the post and United claimed glory.Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Career of John TerryCaptain come back – Having initially been stripped of the role in 2010, Terry was reinstated as England captain by Italian manager Fabio Capello in March 2011 following an injury to Rio Ferdinand.Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Career of John TerryCourt case – Terry pleaded not guilty to charges of racial abuse in a British court on February 1. The incident in question occurred during Chelsea's defeat to Queens Park Rangers in October. The hearing will be held from July 9.Hide Caption 8 of 8The maximum penalty for the offense is £2,500 (about $3,950).The London-born defender has denied the allegations. Cameron says recent events highlight the need to end "all forms of discrimination."The FA, the Premier League and every club has signed onto a charter to "Tackle Homophobia and Transphobia in Sport."In another case last year, Liverpool's Luis Suarez was suspended and fined for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.Suarez was suspended for eight matches and fined £40,000 ($63,000), England's Football Association announced in December.Evra said Suarez repeatedly shouted a racial slur at him during the October 15 match and demanded that Suarez be held accountable.Suarez did not specify what he said, but said it wasn't offensive. And his club issued a statement saying it was "very surprised and disappointed" with the decision.Racist taunts, alleged and proven, have dogged English football for years. In January, police arrested a man on suspicion of making a racially abusive gesture at a high-profile soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester United.Earlier that month, Merseyside police arrested a 20-year-old man on "suspicion of a racially-aggravated public order offense" following a Liverpool match against Oldham.
| 0
|
Story highlightsA corruption investigation widely reported in Spanish media is fueling criticism of the royal familySpain faces an economic crisis that has sparked sharp government austerity measuresKing Juan Carlos receives 292,752 euros annuallyPrince Felipe, next in line to the throne, receives about half that amountSpain's royal family publicly revealed its finances for the first time Wednesday, as the nation faces an economic crisis and corruption allegations bring increased scrutiny to the monarchy.King Juan Carlos receives 292,752 euros ($382,743) annually, the royal palace said in a statement. Prince Felipe, next in line to the throne, receives about half that amountQueen Sofia, Princess Letizia, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina received a combined total of 375,000 euros for royal duties ($490,274) in 2011, the palace's statement said.The announcement comes as a corruption investigation reportedly involving the king's son-in-law has fueled public criticism of the royal family.Authorities are investigating whether a foundation headed by Inaki Undangarin improperly used public funds, according to media reports. No charges have been filed against Undangarin, a former Olympic handball player who married Infanta Cristina in 1997. Urdangarin's attorney, in an interview with Europa Press earlier this month, said his client was innocent.JUST WATCHEDSpain's austerity angstReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSpain's austerity angst 02:11The palace pledged its commitment to austerity and transparency in its statement Wednesday.Spain faces an economic crisis that has brought thousands of protesters to the streets and sparked sharp government austerity measures. About 5 million people in the country are jobless. Spain has an overall unemployment rate of 21.5%, but it youth unemployment rate is a staggering 45%. Conservative prime minister sworn inEconomic protests surged across Spain over the past year, fueled by young people known as "indignants," who criticized government officials and financial institutions.When he took office last week, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said pulling the nation out of its deep economic crisis would be his top priority.
| 0
|
A new trojan horse app called Dockster is targeting Mac users by exploiting a known Java vulnerability CVE-2012-0507. The trojan is apparently being delivered through a website (gyalwarinpoche.com) dedicated to the Dalai Lama and once installed can collect user keystrokes and other personal information.
Mac in Danger ? Earlier this spring, a Russian security firm discovered a trojan piece of malware which took advantage of a Java vulnerability on many computers, Macs and PCs alike. This trojan, known as "Flashback," was used to enlist some 600,000 infected computers into a botnet.
Malware also provides an interface that allows attackers to download and execute additional malware. Dockster has been found to use the same exploit code as the previous SabPab virus to gain access through a backdoor. Dockster is also said to launch an agent called mac.dockset.deman, which restarts each time a user logs in to their Mac.
Dockster is only the latest Mac-based threat to hit organizations and people sympathetic to Tibet's conflict with the Chinese government.
In April, another piece of malware, known as "Backdoor.OSX.SabPub," or "SabPub" was found and distributed through Microsoft Office files sent to those who may sympathize with Tibet. The attackers behind SabPub used a technique known as "Spear-Phishing," a practice used to target smaller groups of people as opposed to sending out mass emails in hopes that someone will click a link.
In September, security firm AlienVault said it had discovered the creator of the PlugX Remote Access Tool (RAT), which had been used by hackers from various countries to target Tibet. The creator hailed from China.
| 1
|
Washington (CNN)The three words about the US Capitol attack that have sparked a firestorm inside the Republican Party -- "legitimate political discourse" -- were not included in early drafts of the resolution to censure Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, a person involved in the process tells CNN, but were added as the document was edited late last week at a meeting of the Republican National Committee in Salt Lake City.The final resolution approved Friday by RNC members, which denounced the two lawmakers for taking part in a House select committee investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack, described the inquiry as "a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse." But an early draft had referred to the investigation as "a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in nonviolent and legal political discourse."JUST WATCHEDRep. Kinzinger says he fears a civil war, naive to think not possibleReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRep. Kinzinger says he fears a civil war, naive to think not possible 04:35In the course of editing the language, a person involved in the process said, the words "nonviolent and legal" were ultimately replaced by "legitimate" throughout various drafts.The RNC was originally trying to expel Cheney, of Wyoming, and Kinzinger, of Illinois, from the Republican Party, but that effort was watered down amid objections from some members of the committee and congressional GOP leaders.Read MoreTrump sets off yet another GOP civil war, risking party's midterm strategyThe final resolution was sent to members in a pre-dawn email on Friday that included minutes from the previous committee deliberations at the winter meeting and four other resolutions that were voted on during the general session. The email arrived in members' inboxes around 1:40 a.m. Two RNC members told CNN it went directly to their spam/junk folders because it was a computer-generated RNC email as opposed to an email directly from Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. An original draft of the resolution was never circulated to all 168 voting members, only the final draft that was emailed out Friday morning. The New York Times and The Washington Post both reported Tuesday on the language in early drafts of the RNC resolution. JUST WATCHEDJohn Avlon calls out RNC for censuring Cheney and KinzingerReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHJohn Avlon calls out RNC for censuring Cheney and Kinzinger 04:29In the past, the committee has printed out copies of the resolutions and had them at members' seats when they arrive for the general session. This was not the case at the meeting in Salt Lake City, and several members were alerted to the language surrounding January 6 by members of the press while the actual session was taking place. The fierce criticism took McDaniel and other members by surprise -- and they are still working to clean it up. They have sought to blame the media for seizing upon those three words rather than addressing the unusually blunt blowback from Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and many others.Not all top Republicans, however, were displeased.Former President Donald Trump called McDaniel last weekend to praise the punishment of Cheney and Kinzinger, a person familiar with the matter said, a position that was echoed this week by House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy and others.
| 0
|
As Japan gears up for the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo for the next year, the country needs to brace itself for sophisticated cyberattacks, especially from state-sponsored hackers.
Microsoft has issued a short notice, warning about a new wave of highly targeted cyberattacks by a group of Russian state-sponsored hackers attempting to hack over a dozen anti-doping authorities and sporting organizations around the world.
The attacks are originating from the 'Strontium' Russian hacking group, widely known as Fancy Bear or APT28, and are believed to be linked to the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
The Fancy Bear hacking group, also known as APT28, Sofacy, X-agent, Sednit, Sandworm, and Pawn Storm, is believed to be linked to Russian military intelligence agency GRU and has been in operation since at least 2007.
Over these past three decades, the group has been credited to many high profile hacking incidents, like hacking the US presidential elections to influence the results, targeting a country with NotPetya ransomware, causing blackouts in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, and Pentagon breach.
The latest cyberattacks began on September 16, apparently after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found irregularities in a database from Russia's national anti-doping laboratory, warning that Russian athletes could face a ban from competing at Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
Microsoft's Threat Intelligence Center said that some of these "significant cyberattacks" were successful, but the majority were not, and that the company notified affected organisations and worked with some of them to "secure compromised accounts or systems."
Hackers Targeted 16 Sporting and Anti-Doping Organizations
Microsoft confirmed the Fancy Bear hacking group targeted at least 16 national and international sporting and anti-doping organizations across three continents, but it did not disclose their identity.
The hacking techniques used by Fancy Bear in the latest campaign involves "spear-phishing, password spray, exploiting internet-connected devices, and the use of both open-source and custom malware."
Though these techniques are very well-known and not new, they were evidently proven very effective in previous cyber attacks by Fancy Bear against "governments, militaries, think tanks, law firms, human rights organizations, financial firms and universities around the world."
For example, when the victim opens the malicious document attached to an email, the exploit automatically executes some PowerShell scripts in the background and installs malware over the victim's computer, giving attackers full remote control over it.
Fancy Bear Also Targeted Previous Olympic Events
This is not the first time when Fancy Bear hackers have targeted anti-doping organisations.
Fancy Bear leaked confidential athlete data from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in retaliation against the agency in 2016 when it took similar action against Russian athletes during the Rio 2016 Games Summer Olympics.
The hacking group has also been accused of conducting similar state-sponsored attacks during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics held in South Korea when used the "Olympic Destroyer" wiper malware to disrupt the Winter Games' official network.
Though the malware did not disrupt the live feed during the opening ceremony, it was successful in disrupting the official website for the Winter Games for 12 hours, collapsing Wi-Fi in the Pyeongchang Olympic stadium, and failing televisions and internet at the main press center, leaving attendees unable to print their tickets for events or get venue information.
To protect yourself and your organization from becoming a victim of Fancy Bear and similar cyberattack campaigns, Microsoft has recommended to deploy two-factor authentication (2FA) on all your business and personal email accounts and also enable security alerts about links and files from suspicious websites.
Besides this, organizations are also advised to educate their employees to spot phishing attacks, so that they won't be tricked into providing their organization's personal data to attackers.
| 1
|
Popular code repository site GitHub is warning that a number of users' accounts have been compromised by unknown hackers reusing email addresses and passwords obtained from other recent data breaches.
Yes, GitHub has become the latest target of a password reuse attack after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter.
According to a blog post published by Shawn Davenport, VP of Security at GitHub, an unknown attacker using a list of email addresses and passwords obtained from the data breach of "other online services" made a significant number of login attempts to GitHub's repository on June 14.
After reviewing the logins, administrators at GitHub found that the attacker had gained access to a number of its users' accounts in order to gain illicit access to their accounts' data.
Although the initial source of the leaked credentials isn't clear, the recent widespread "megabreaches" of LinkedIn, MySpace, Tumblr, and the dating site Fling, that have dumped more than 642 Million passwords over the past month could be the cause.
GitHub didn't reveal the number of compromised accounts, though it does not appear that any data was lost; so your source code repos are safe. As Davenport wrote:
"For some accounts, other personal information including listings of accessible repositories and organizations may have been exposed."
GitHub informed users that it has already reset the passwords of an unspecified number of accounts accessed successfully by the hacker and has begun contacting all affected users to instruct them how to get back into their account.
The company advised its users to "practice good password hygiene" and to enable two-factor authentication for its service.
Since the leaked credentials of recent widespread megabreach date back more than 3 years, there may have still been a possibility that those credentials were being re-used by many online users for other services.
So, it's high time you changed your passwords for all social media sites as well as other online services, especially if you use the same password for different websites.
| 1
|
(CNN)After scoring England's fifth goal, Raheem Sterling, a defiant grin on his face, cupped his ears towards the section of fans in Montenegro that had been racially abusing him and two England teammates.Despite enjoying his best season as a professional footballer, having already scored 25 goals for club and country, Sterling has sadly fielded more questions about racism than his goalscoring feats.In a post-match interview after Monday's Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro, he found himself once again having to tackle the subject."It's 2019 now ... we can only bring awareness and light to the situation," Sterling said.Over the past few months, the 24-year-old Manchester City forward has arguably done more than anybody else in Britain to promote racial discourse in an attempt to start changing perceptions.Read MoreREAD: Raheem Sterling and Gareth Southgate want action on racist abuse in MontenegroREAD: People feel free to be 'openly racist,' says Stan CollymoreIt started with an Instagram post in December, just 24 hours after Sterling had been racially abused by Chelsea fans during his side's Premier League match at Stamford Bridge. View this post on Instagram Good morning I just want to say , I am not normally the person to talk a lot but when I think I need my point to heard I will speak up. Regarding what was said at the Chelsea game as you can see by my reaction I just had to laugh because I don't expect no better. For example you have two young players starting out there careers both play for the same team, both have done the right thing. Which is buy a new house for there mothers who have put in a lot of time and love into helping them get where they are, but look how the news papers get there message across for the young black player and then for the young white payer. I think this in unacceptable both innocent have not done a thing wrong but just by the way it has been worded. This young black kid is looked at in a bad light. Which helps fuel racism an aggressive behaviour, so for all the news papers that don't understand why people are racist in this day and age all i have to say is have a second thought about fair publicity an give all players an equal chance. A post shared by Raheem Sterling x 😇 (@sterling7) on Dec 9, 2018 at 1:54am PST He posted two articles from the MailOnline -- one covering a young white player, the other a young black player -- arguing they highlighted the role the media plays in perpetuating racial prejudices in society.Sterling has a daunting fight on his hands, according to former Liverpool and England forward John Barnes, who had a banana thrown at him during the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton in 1988."Until we change our perceptions of what black is, which means looking down to the lowest echelons of society and looking at black people and treating them exactly the same way we treat white people in the same situation, then nothing will change," Barnes tells CNN."Throughout history over the last 300 years, we have been told -- and we continue to be told -- that there is a certain group of people that are more worthy than us -- that's what we have to challenge. Until we start challenging that in society, not just in football, nothing will change."It was good that Sterling mentioned that (media treatment) but more importantly you have to look at the perception people have of black people generally, not just black footballers and the influence the media plays in formulating those perceptions."'I didn't mean to be a leader'Barnes refers to the way in which the media painted the far-right terrorist who killed 50 Muslims in Christchurch, described as an "angelic boy" by the Daily Mirror and "blonde little boy" by the MailOnline.In the wake of the racist abused suffered by Sterling, Danny Rose and Callum Hudson-Odoi in Montenegro, it was put to Sterling that he has become the face and the leader at the forefront of tackling racism in Britain.READ: How Borussia Dortmund is leading football's fight against the far-right in GermanyREAD: Fans back idea of points deductions to curb racism in footballJUST WATCHEDHow Borussia Dortmund is tackling anti-SemitismReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHow Borussia Dortmund is tackling anti-Semitism 04:30On the pitch he had put in yet another match-winning display, cupping his ears towards the fans who had been abusing him after scoring England's fifth goal.Off it, whether in interviews or press conferences, he has spoken eloquently about the issue of racism, which has sadly pervaded football and society."I didn't mean to be a leader," Sterling said. "I don't think I'm a leader. It's just something I thought to myself that I'd been seeing for a while and I thought it was sad and I just wanted to bring awareness."The Montenegro Football Association has said it will not comment on the allegations made by the English FA but will, instead, wait for the outcome of UEFA's investigation.Many have praised Sterling for the way he has matured into a leader both on and off the pitch but, in reality, it's not him that has changed at all, all that's changed is the way the media portrays him.James Kirkham, Chief Business Officer at COPA90, led a survey into younger fans' relationship with football and believes Sterling's natural persona has endeared him to a new generation of supporter."I don't think Sterling has sat there and tried to orchestrate it," he said. "Sterling has never been anything but honest and transparent and I do know that he was shocked -- as many of his colleagues and players were -- by, frankly, the pretty sickening treatment they received from certain members of the press about a year ago."READ: 'Jews to the gas' -- The anti-Semitism shaming Dutch soccerREAD: Footballer banned for racial abuse quits the sportSterling moved to England from Jamaica as a five-year-old after his dad died from gun violence, the imposing arch of Wembley Stadium visible from the London estate he grew up on."I used to kick about in this green right by my house, and I could take a shot on goal and then turn round to celebrate and the Wembley arch would literally be right above my head," Sterling wrote in The Players' Tribune. JUST WATCHEDAjax's 'Super Jews' keep on singingReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHAjax's 'Super Jews' keep on singing 04:18"It was like you were there. I was really like, I can play there. I can do it."London club Queen's Park Rangers spotted his talent early and signed him to their academy, before Sterling made the switch to join Liverpool as a teenager.Sterling made his debut for the Merseyside club when he was only 17 and in 2015 his burgeoning talent convinced Manchester City to pay a then club record fee of £50 million ($65 million) for his services.It was after that move that the press coverage took a more spiteful tone. Sterling was labeled a "footie idiot" by one paper, while he was criticized for both spending money and saving money by flying with economy airlines.[Thread] a selection of times when our national press have chosen to run stories on Raheem Sterling. 1. The one where Raheem was 'tired'. pic.twitter.com/6K3cHu6r7T— Adam Keyworth (@adamkeyworth) May 28, 2018
The vilification came to a head in the lead up to the 2018 World Cup when a photo emerged showing Sterling with a gun tattoo on his leg.In the face of intense media scrutiny, the Football Association defended its player, praising his "honest and heartfelt" explanation for the tattoo."When I was two my father died from being gunned down to death," he said at the time. "I made a promise to myself I would never touch a gun in my life time, I shoot with my right foot so it has a deeper meaning."'We are weak on racism'In a time where Britain's two leading political parties have been accused of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, perhaps it should come as no surprise that racism permeates into other areas of society, inluding football stadiums.Just a week before Sterling was racially abused at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal's Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a banana thrown at him by a Tottenham fan during the north London derby.And while England manager Gareth Southgate was quick to condemn the abuse suffered by his players in Montenegro, he pointed out -- as he did in the build up to the World Cup in Russia -- that England is far from having its own house in order."I've seen this (racism) time and again," British journalist Darren Lewis told CNN. "I saw it in 2004 in Spain, I've seen it many times around Europe when I've gone to cover football matches on behalf of the Daily Mirror. "I'm sad to say I've also seen it here in England as well and there are not degrees to racism. I won't accept somebody saying to me: 'It's not as bad here as it is in Montenegro.' JUST WATCHEDSulley Muntari: Racism happens every gameReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSulley Muntari: Racism happens every game 03:31"We are weak on racism in this country, I don't think it justifies us being able to go and lecture Montenegro on their problems. Gareth Southgate last night, very wisely, pointed to the fact that we need to clean up our act in English football. When we do that, then we can lecture other countries."Southgate has been widely praised for tackling difficult subjects since becoming England manager, a refreshing change from the PR-washed answers given by coaches in the past.He has consistently shifted the focus of racism in other European countries back onto England, emphasizing the need to address it in British stadiums and the press before taking the morale high ground over other countries."In the build up to the World Cup in Russia, he was very open when he said: 'Let's not just look at Russia as the problem. We've got our own problems here,'" Kirkham said."The other night he rightly talked about how abhorrent what he heard was. "However, he stopped and reminded everyone that it is not a case of this problem has been solved at home, we've got our own house to still get in order -- and you know full well he's also referring to some of those very journalists in that very room."'Football can do nothing'Southgate and Sterling called for tough sanctions on Montenegro by UEFA, though European football's governing has a patchy record in the way its meted out punishment for incidents of racist abuse.In May 2018, the Russian Football Association was fined $29,000 for racist chanting whilst Turkish club Besitkas was fined $39,400 for a pitch invasion after a cat made it onto the playing surface during a Champions League game in the same season.Sterling called for an entire stadium ban, while others have suggested Montenegro be expelled from Euro 2020 qualifying, but Barnes believes no amount of sanctions will remedy the problem."They (UEFA) can't do anything; society has to do it," he said. "Football can do nothing. Until we get rid of racism in society, football will mirror society. "There's no different solution to getting rid of racism in football than there is to get rid of racism in society. "You cannot pass laws to change perceptions, only through education and understanding why people are racist in the first place and working with that. So laws aren't going to change anything."
| 0
|
London (CNN)Myanmar's ambassador to the UK said he had been locked out of the London embassy in what he described as another "coup," blaming the country's military.Ambassador Kyaw Zwar Minn -- who last month broke ranks with his country's military junta -- told CNN he tried to gain access to the embassy on Wednesday for several hours but was unable to enter. Several of his staff were still inside the building, and were not being allowed out, he said. Another source also said that Myanmar's military attaché in London had taken control of the building. They added that a group of at least seven people were inside, of which one was a child.Minn's spokesperson said Thursday that members of the military were in control of the premises and "threatening the embassy staff with severe punishment."Through the spokesperson the ambassador also urged the British government to send the junta's envoy back to Myanmar. Read MoreWhen asked Thursday if he was going to claim political asylum in Britain, Minn replied that he hadn't decided yet.Kyaw Zwar Minn listens to a statement being read on his behalf as he stands outside the Myanmar embassy in London on Thursday."We condemn the bullying actions of the Myanmar military regime in London yesterday, and I pay tribute to Kyaw Zwar Minn for his courage. The UK continues to call for an end to the coup and the appalling violence, and a swift restoration of democracy," UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a Twitter post early Thursday.CNN has reached out to the Myanmar military for comment. Phone calls made to the embassy went unanswered and emails bounced back.Myanmar's military seized power in the country on February 1, deposing civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government. Non-violent protests against the coup have since broken out across the country, and several Myanmar diplomats posted abroad have also made statements of resistance. Minn issued a statement last month calling for Suu Kyi's release from detention and pledged to keep the embassy open, following a call with Raab.At the time, Raab said in a tweet that he spoke to the ambassador and "praised his courage and patriotism in standing up for what is right."The military responded by recalling the ambassador. "Since he did not conduct himself in accordance with given responsibilities, an order [is issued] to summon and transfer him back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," MRTV reported.The source said embassy staffers were all caught by surprise during Wednesday's events, but that they had anticipated something could happen after the military coup in Myanmar and the ambassador's statement of defiance toward the junta.A Facebook live stream on Wednesday showed several people showing their support for Myanmar's UK ambassador and expressing confusion with the events of the day.Around 50 people also gathered outside the embassy building in Mayfair, an exclusive part of central London.A fight is brewing over Myanmar's seat at the United NationsOfficers from London's Metropolitan Police were also on the ground, warning people to disperse as they were in violation of coronavirus restrictions.Most those gathered since dispersed as the evening wore on, but CNN has seen at least four police vans filled with officers park near Myanmar's embassy. London's Metropolitan Police told CNN in a statement: "We are aware of a protest outside the Myanmar embassy in Mayfair, London. Public order officers are in attendance. There have been no arrests."In a statement to CNN, UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was "seeking further information following an incident at Myanmar's embassy in London." Myanmar's military leaders tried in vain in remove another diplomat in March, after UN Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun called on the international community members to use "any means necessary" to help restore the country's civilian leadership.He refused to step down however, a decision that has been supported by the UN.Myanmar military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun has said the junta plans to hold new elections after a one-year state of emergency.Helen Regan contributed to this report.
| 0
|
Protesting against attacks taking place on Gaza, Anonymous hackers attempts to hack most of the Israel websites in the past few days. "government and private websites are under siege from hackers, who have mounted 44 million cyberattacks in less than a week", the government said.
Today Pakistani Hackers also deface Israeli Bing, MSN, Skype, Live and other big sites and In counter-attack Israeli Hackers Leak Credit Card Data from Palestine ISP website.
Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said just one hacking attempt was successful on a site he did not want to name, but it was up and running after 10 minutes of downtime.
Israel said that it generally experiences a few hundred hacking attempts per day. The attacks are reportedly coming from around the world.
Defence force sites have been the hardest hit, while the president's site has been hit 10-million times, the foreign ministry seven-million times and the prime minister three-million times.
Both sides have been active on social media, with the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) going so far as to live blog some of its manoeuvres on Palestine. Combatants and civilians in Palestine meanwhile have been more active on Twitter, receiving support from hacker collective Anonymous.
Among the group's other high-profile targets were the websites of Israel's Kadima Party, which was taken offline shortly after being hacked, and Bank of Jerusalem. Most of the sites that were hacked appeared to be unavailable, but others displayed pro-Palestinian images and messages.
| 1
|
London (CNN)If you've ever daydreamed about what it would be like to move in with the Queen, there's a job with your name on it.The Royal Household is hiring a live-in housekeeping assistant at Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty's official London residence.No more joining the throngs of tourists swarming towards the Palace gates each day, or straining your neck to get a peek at the Changing of the Guard. No more living in a tiny, overpriced flat in some far-flung suburb of the British capital.Your new office?Instead, you'll bring new meaning to "working from home" in the 77,000-square-meter Palace, with its 775 rooms, post office and movie theater. Did we mention there are 40 acres worth of gardens?If you get the job, you'll work and live "in stunning historic settings, ensuring that they're presented to their best for colleagues, guests and, of course, the Royal Family," according to the job description.Read More"Aiming for the highest standards," the ad continues, "you'll clean and care for interiors and items from carpets and furniture to historic vases and irreplaceable paintings." Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-reigning monarch in British history.Hide Caption 1 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth was born April 21, 1926, in London. She is held here by her mother, also named Elizabeth. Her father would later become King George VI.Hide Caption 2 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Princess Elizabeth poses for a photo at her London home in 1928.Hide Caption 3 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Princess Elizabeth is seen with her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, during a visit to Balmoral, Scotland, in September 1933. He would go on to become King Edward VIII in 1936. But when he abdicated later that year, Elizabeth's father became King and she became heir presumptive.Hide Caption 4 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II From left, Princess Elizabeth, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret wave to the crowd from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on June 22, 1939.Hide Caption 5 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth rides a horse in Windsor, England, in 1940. Her love of horses has been well documented.Hide Caption 6 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II A 14-year-old Elizabeth, right, sits next to her sister for a radio broadcast on October 13, 1940. On the broadcast, her first, she said that England's children were full of cheerfulness and courage.Hide Caption 7 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Princess Elizabeth shakes hands with an officer of the Grenadier Guards on May 29, 1942. King George VI made Elizabeth an honorary colonel in the Royal Army regiment.Hide Caption 8 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth, right, and Princess Margaret wear summer dresses circa 1942. Margaret is Elizabeth's only sibling.Hide Caption 9 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II With the Drakensberg Mountains behind her, Princess Elizabeth sits in South Africa's Natal National Park on April 21, 1947. It was her 21st birthday.Hide Caption 10 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II On November 20, 1947, Elizabeth wed Prince Philip, a lieutenant in the British Navy who had been born into the royal families of Greece and Denmark. After becoming a British citizen and renouncing his Greek title, Philip became His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His wife became the Duchess of Edinburgh.Hide Caption 11 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Princess Elizabeth arrives at a state banquet in London in March 1950.Hide Caption 12 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth ascended to the throne in February 1952, when her father died of lung cancer at the age of 56. Here, she walks to the altar during her coronation ceremony on June 2, 1953.Hide Caption 13 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II is photographed on the balcony of Melbourne's Government House during her tour of Australia in March 1954.Hide Caption 14 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II From left, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother visit Epsom Downs Racecourse in June 1958.Hide Caption 15 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen holds her son Prince Andrew while his sister, Princess Anne, watches during a family holiday at Scotland's Balmoral Castle in September 1960. The Queen has four children, including sons Charles and Edward.Hide Caption 16 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II is seen during the state opening of Parliament in April 1966.Hide Caption 17 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II with her oldest son, Prince Charles, in 1969. Charles is next in line for the throne.Hide Caption 18 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Prince Charles adjusts his coronet during his investiture ceremony as Prince of Wales in 1969.Hide Caption 19 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen and Prince Philip wave from a plane ramp shortly before taking off from Tokyo in May 1975.Hide Caption 20 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen takes a portrait at Windsor Castle for her 50th birthday on April 21, 1976.Hide Caption 21 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen meets the crowds during her royal tour of New Zealand in 1977.Hide Caption 22 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth walks with some of her corgis at the Windsor Horse Trials in May 1980.Hide Caption 23 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen stands next to Prince Charles as he kisses his new bride, Princess Diana, on July 29, 1981.Hide Caption 24 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth takes pictures of her husband during a horse show in Windsor in May 1982.Hide Caption 25 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth drives her Land Rover during the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May 1992.Hide Caption 26 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II While at Buckingham Palace, the Queen and Prince Philip view the floral tributes to Princess Diana after her tragic death in 1997.Hide Caption 27 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen addresses the nation on the night before Princess Diana's funeral in 1997.Hide Caption 28 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Prince Charles looks back at his mother after wedding Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in April 2005.Hide Caption 29 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen, second from right, greets a crowd from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011. Her grandson Prince William, third from left, had just married Catherine Middleton.Hide Caption 30 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen's signature is seen in the visitors book at Aras An Uachtarain, the Irish President's official residence in Dublin in May 2011.Hide Caption 31 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Madame Tussauds London reveals a wax figure of the Queen in May 2012.Hide Caption 32 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Prince Charles kisses his mother's hand on stage as singer Paul McCartney, far right, looks on at the Diamond Jubilee concert in June 2012. The Diamond Jubilee celebrations marked Elizabeth's 60th anniversary as Queen.Hide Caption 33 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen tours the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London in December 2012.Hide Caption 34 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II A boy in Belfast, Northern Ireland, takes a selfie in front of the Queen in June 2014.Hide Caption 35 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen enters the Great Hall at Edinburgh Castle after attending a commemorative service for the Scottish National War Memorial in July 2014.Hide Caption 36 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen waits to give her speech during the state opening of Parliament in May 2015.Hide Caption 37 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth listens to her great-grandson, Prince George, outside a church where George's sister, Charlotte, was being christened in July 2015. George and Charlotte are the children of Prince William, left, and Duchess Catherine.Hide Caption 38 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen takes a photo with five of her great-grandchildren and her two youngest grandchildren in April 2016.Hide Caption 39 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen poses with four of her dogs on the private grounds of Windsor Castle in April 2016.Hide Caption 40 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen and Prince Philip wave to guests in London who were attending celebrations for her 90th birthday in 2016.Hide Caption 41 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth speaks to Evie Mills, 14, at a hospital in Manchester, England, in May 2017. Evie was injured in a bombing that took place as people left an Ariana Grande concert.Hide Caption 42 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen sits at a desk in Buckingham Palace after recording her Christmas Day broadcast in 2017.Hide Caption 43 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen arrives for the wedding of her grandson Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018. Hide Caption 44 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen laughs with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, during a bridge-opening ceremony in Halton, England, in June 2018. It was Meghan's first royal outing without her husband, Prince Harry, by her side.Hide Caption 45 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen and US President Donald Trump inspect a guard of honor during Trump's visit to Windsor Castle in July 2018.Hide Caption 46 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen looks at her new great-grandchild, Archie, in May 2019. Archie is the first child of Prince Harry, second from left, and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. Prince Philip is on the far left. Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, is next to her at right.Hide Caption 47 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen welcomes Boris Johnson at Buckingham Palace, where she formally invited him to become Prime Minister in July 2019. Johnson won the UK's Conservative Party leadership contest and replaced Theresa May, who was forced into resigning after members of her Cabinet lost confidence in her inability to secure the UK's departure from the European Union.Hide Caption 48 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II An image of the Queen appears in London's Piccadilly Square, alongside a message of hope from her special address to the nation in April 2020.Hide Caption 49 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen rides a horse in Windsor, England, in May 2020. It was her first public appearance since the coronavirus lockdown began in the United Kingdom.Hide Caption 50 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen and Prince Philip pose for a photo in June 2020, ahead of Philip's 99th birthday.Hide Caption 51 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen and Prince Philip look at a homemade anniversary card that was given to them by their great-grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in November 2020.Hide Caption 52 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen takes her seat alone at Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021. The ceremony was limited to 30 people, in line with England's coronavirus restrictions.Hide Caption 53 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen opens Parliament in May 2021. It was her first major engagement since her husband's death.Hide Caption 54 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen receives a Duke of Edinburgh rose from Keith Weed, president of the Royal Horticultural Society, in June 2021. The newly bred rose was officially named in honor of Prince Philip.Hide Caption 55 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen meets with US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in the Grand Corridor of Windsor Castle in June 2021.Hide Caption 56 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen drives her Range Rover as she attends the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Windsor, England, in July 2021.Hide Caption 57 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen attends the Royal Windsor Cup polo match and a carriage-driving display by the British Driving Society in July 2021.Hide Caption 58 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, greet guests during a Windsor Castle reception for international business and investment leaders in October 2021.Hide Caption 59 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen cuts a cake to celebrate the start of her Platinum Jubilee in February 2022. It has been 70 years since the Queen took the throne in 1952.Hide Caption 60 of 61 Photos: The life of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen meets with Rear Admiral James Macleod, the outgoing Defence Services secretary, and Macleod's successor, Major General Eldon Millar, at Windsor Castle in February 2022. It was a few days before Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen tested positive for Covid-19.Hide Caption 61 of 61Hospitality experience is not essential, though that would be a bonus. The job pays £16,755 ($22,400) per year plus pension, and all meals are provided, along with a "variety of recreational activities."If you're interested, you'd better act fast. Dozens of people took to social media to announce they were thinking of dropping out of school, or moving to England, to take the job.My grandmother just called me to suggest I drop out of school to work a housekeeping job at Buckingham Palace... Seriously considering it 🤔— big dipper ✨ (@gabrielaax2) September 1, 2016
buckingham palace has a job opening bih i'm moving 2 england n applying— taylorㅤㅤㅤㅤ (@gottaehyung) September 1, 2016
Im not quite sure what im doing with my life but i did just download the job description to be a housekeeper at buckingham palace— Lizzy Billing (@LizzyBilling) September 2, 2016
And if you're worried about job satisfaction, don't be: the Royal Household claims more than 95% of their workers feel proud to work there, according the website. What are you waiting for? The vacancy closes on September 19, so apply here. Photos: Prince George: Third in lineBritain's Prince George is seen in this picture taken by his mother Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, to mark his seventh birthday on Wednesday, July 22. George is third in line to the British throne, following his grandfather, Prince Charles, and his father, Prince William.Hide Caption 1 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in lineGeorge and his younger siblings, Charlotte and Louis, play with their father in June 2020.Hide Caption 2 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in lineGeorge arrives with his sister, Charlotte, for her first day of school in September 2019.Hide Caption 3 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in linePrince George watches the Trooping the Colour parade from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in June 2019.Hide Caption 4 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in linePrince George and other children in the royal family arrive for the wedding of Princess Eugenie in October 2018. George's sister, Charlotte, is at far left.Hide Caption 5 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in linePrince George leaves the chapel after the wedding of his uncle, Prince Harry, in May 2018.Hide Caption 6 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in lineThe prince arrives for his first day of school in September 2017.Hide Caption 7 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in linePrince George looks out of the window of a seaplane while leaving Victoria, British Columbia, in October 2016.Hide Caption 8 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in lineGeorge and the family's pet dog, Lupo, are seen in this photo marking George's third birthday in July 2016.Hide Caption 9 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in linePrince George shakes hands with US President Barack Obama while Obama visited Kensington Palace in April 2016.Hide Caption 10 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in lineThe prince poses for a picture taken by his mother on his first day of nursery school in January 2016.Hide Caption 11 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in linePrince George is held by his father a day before his second birthday in July 2015.Hide Caption 12 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in linePrince George peers into the stroller of his sister, Charlotte, following her christening in July 2015.Hide Caption 13 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in linePrince George is held by his nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, during the Trooping the Colour ceremony in June 2015.Hide Caption 14 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in lineCatherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, took this photo of Prince George and Princess Charlotte shortly after Charlotte's birth in 2015.Hide Caption 15 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in linePrince William and Prince George arrive at a London hospital on the day Princess Charlotte was born in May 2015.Hide Caption 16 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in lineGeorge poses in a Kensington Palace courtyard in December 2014.Hide Caption 17 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in linePrince George and his parents visit a butterfly exhibition at London's Natural History Museum in July 2014.Hide Caption 18 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in lineGeorge takes his first steps in public as his mother holds his hand in June 2014.Hide Caption 19 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in lineThe royal family leaves an airbase in Australia to head back to the United Kingdom in April 2014. They took a three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand. It was their first official trip overseas after George's birth.Hide Caption 20 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in lineCatherine holds George as he meets a bilby — Australia's version of the Easter bunny — at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. One of the zoo's bilbies was renamed George in honor of the young prince.Hide Caption 21 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in lineGeorge plays with toys during a visit to the Government House in Wellington, New Zealand, in April 2014.Hide Caption 22 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in lineWilliam and Catherine speak to Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby after George's christening in London in October 2013.Hide Caption 23 of 24 Photos: Prince George: Third in lineThe Duke and Duchess of Cambridge depart a London hospital with newborn George in July 2013. He was born the previous day weighing 8 pounds and 6 ounces.Hide Caption 24 of 24
| 0
|
(Reuters)A day after beginning his reign as 'Australian of the Year', quad wheelchair champion Dylan Alcott was denied a fairytale finish to his decorated career on Rod Laver Arena.The Melburnian, who was seeking an eighth Australian Open title, fought valiantly against Dutchman Sam Schroder but was ultimately overwhelmed 7-5 6-0.Although defeated in his final match, the 15-time major winner received the applause of a hero as he bid farewell to tennis with an emotional speech."I am really the luckiest guy in the world. I didn't need to win today to realise that," he said."It is because of everybody watching today that people like me, people with a disability, are integrated and involved in our society. That is the reason I get out of bed."Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis are taking the Australian Open by storm Read MoreWhen announcing this would be his final Australian Open, the 31-year-old said it was due, in part, to his recognition that Schroder and Niels Vink were rapidly closing the gap.So it proved in the final.The first set was particularly hard-fought, with Alcott serving for it at 5-4. But from then on the Dutchman proved unstoppable when claiming a second Grand Slam title.Host broadcaster Channel 9 delayed its prime-time news bulletin to show the final in its entirety and Alcott's influence was clear to see all around Melbourne Park's main showcourt.The size of the crowd, which followed a doubles encounter involving Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, would be the envy of many tournaments. There were also several wheelchair-bound children watching the final around the stadium.Schroder said Alcott had been an inspiration."You have inspired so many people to get out there to play sports," he added. "I know you have done a great job inspiring the world."
| 0
|
Since all threats to data security and privacy often come from outside, but internal threats are comparatively more dangerous and a difficult new dimension to the data loss prevention challenge i.e. Data Breach. The "Insider threats" have the potential to cause greater financial losses than attacks that originate outside the company.
This is what happened recently with three credit card firms in South Korea, where the financial and personal data belonging to users of at least 20 million, in a country of 50 million, was stolen by an employee, who worked as a temporary consultant at Korean Credit Bureau (KCB).
"Confidential data of customers ranging from the minister-level officials to celebrities, including their phone numbers, addresses, credit card numbers, and even some banking records, have been leaked from Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank and several other commercial banks",
The stolen data includes the bank account numbers, customers' names, social security numbers, phone numbers, credit card numbers and expiration dates, according to the estimate by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS).
The arrested employee behind the theft, later sold the data to phone marketing companies, whose managers were also arrested earlier this month.
"The credit card firms will cover any financial losses caused to their customers due to the latest accident," the FSS said and assured that the Regulators have launched investigations into security measures at the affected firms.
"Their parent firms seem to be taking a step back (from the issue) and not showing any responsible attitude, We will hold them fully responsible for the data leak if their sharing of client data among affiliates and internal control turn out to be the cause."
Now this is not the first time when a company is facing data breach because of Insider Threat, last month an employee of Citibank Korea was arrested for stealing the personal data of 34,000 customers. In 2012, two South Korean hackers were arrested for data from 8.7 million customers in the nation's second-biggest mobile operator.
| 1
|
OpenBSD, an open-source operating system built with security in mind, has been found vulnerable to four new high-severity security vulnerabilities, one of which is an old-school type authentication bypass vulnerability in BSD Auth framework.
The other three vulnerabilities are privilege escalation issues that could allow local users or malicious software to gain privileges of an auth group, root, as well as of other users, respectively.
The vulnerabilities were discovered and reported by Qualys Research Labs earlier this week, in response to which OpenBSD developers released security patches for OpenBSD 6.5 and OpenBSD 6.6 just yesterday—that's in less than 40 hours.
Here's a brief explanation of all four security vulnerabilities in OpenBSD—a free and open-source BSD-based Unix-like operating system—along with their assigned CVE identifiers
OpenBSD Authentication Bypass (CVE-2019-19521)
The authentication bypass vulnerability resides in the way OpenBSD's authentication framework parses the username supplied by a user while logging in through smtpd, ldapd, radiusd, su, or sshd services.
Using this flaw, a remote attacker can successfully access vulnerable services with any password just by entering the username as "-schallenge" or "-schallenge: passwd," and it works because a hyphen (-) before username tricks OpenBSD into interpreting the value as a command-line option and not as a username.
Here, OpenBSD's authentication framework interprets "-schallenge" as "-s challenge," which forces the system into silently ignoring the challenge protocol that eventually bypasses the authentication automatically.
"If an attacker specifies a username of the form '-option', they can influence the behavior of the authentication program in unexpected ways," the advisory said.
According to the researchers, this vulnerability is practically exploitable in smtpd, ldapd, and radiusd, but not in sshd or su due to their defense-in-depth mechanisms that hang the connection even after successful authentication bypass.
However, one can still remotely exploit the flaw against sshd to determine whether an OpenBSD system is vulnerable to CVE-2019-19521 or not.
OpenBSD Local Privilege Escalation Flaws
As described above, the other OpenBSD vulnerabilities are local privilege escalation issues as briefly explained below:
CVE-2019-19520: Due to the mishandling of environment-provided paths used in dlopen(), xlock, which comes installed by default on OpenBSD, could allow local attackers to escalate privileges to 'auth' group.
CVE-2019-19522: Due to incorrect operation of authorization mechanisms via "S/Key" and "YubiKey," which is a non-default configuration, a local attacker with 'auth' group permission can gain full privileges of the root user.
CVE-2019-19519: Due to a logical error in one of the su's primary functions, a local attacker can achieve any user's login class, often excluding root, by exploiting su's -L option.
Qualys researchers have also released proof-of-concept exploits for each vulnerability in its advisory.
Since patches for all four security vulnerabilities are now available, affected OpenBSD users recommended to install patches using syspatch mechanism.
| 1
|
(CNN)Wisconsin's partisan review of the 2020 election results has turned into an Arizona-style circus, with the Republicans behind it targeting local officials and casting doubt on the election's outcome -- without offering any evidence of wrongdoing. Those leading the Republican review in Wisconsin have consulted with many of the same figures that advised Arizona's partisan ballot review. Wisconsin taxpayers paid to send Michael Gableman, who is leading the review, to South Dakota for a forum hosted by MyPillow CEO and election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell, and to Arizona to observe the review taking place there this summer, records obtained by American Oversight show.But in Arizona, though, ballots were reviewed and recounted for weeks in a Phoenix coliseum, with video cameras and journalists present. In Wisconsin, the review by Gableman, a former state Supreme Court justice appointed to lead the review by Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Republican lawmakers, is more secretive, largely taking place behind the tinted doors of a nondescript office that Gableman and his staff are using."Even as un-transparent as the Arizona audit was, this is even less transparent," said David Becker, the executive director of the non-partisan Center for Election Innovation & Research in Washington, DC. "You're seeing this all being done secretly," Becker said. "Gableman, who's conducting the audit, still has not even identified all the members of his staff who are being paid by taxpayer dollars. They're not identifying their methods. They're not identifying what they're doing. They're changing their stories about what they're looking for and how they're looking for it because they don't want to establish a single location of focus that can be criticized."Read MoreWisconsin Republicans duck questions about reviewGableman has a history of advancing conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. "Our elected leaders -- our elected leaders -- have allowed unelected bureaucrats at the Wisconsin Election Commission to steal our vote," he said at a November 7, 2020 event.He has offered limited, and often vaguely threatening, updates about his review on YouTube and in combative appearances in front of state lawmakers. He has also taken extreme legal steps, including asking a Waukesha County judge late last month to order the arrests of the mayors of Madison and Green Bay after attempts failed to compel city leaders to produce documents -- many of which were already public -- and testify. An attorney for the Green Bay mayor called those efforts "comic buffoonery." However, neither Gableman nor Vos were willing to answer CNN's questions this week about their efforts to re-examine President Joe Biden's victory over former President Donald Trump in Wisconsin last year by 20,000 votes, or 0.6 percentage points.Gableman refused to speak with a reporter as he left his office this week, and aides for Vos said the speaker had no time for an interview. Democrats being targeted by Gableman say his bizarre actions are aimed at identifying villains for Republicans to target and casting doubt on the 2020 election outcome even if he is unable to produce any evidence of wrongdoing. "It is both laughable because of how unprofessional they have conducted themselves, but it is also dead serious," said Madison, Wisconsin Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. She said she refuses to go along with reviewers' demand that she answer Gableman's questions in private, though she would do so publicly, and plans to ignore his threats to have her jailed. Gableman says in the subpoenas that he has the authority to act on behalf of the Wisconsin state Assembly, but lawyers for the mayors disagree and have asked a court to decide. "I'm confident that this is just an attempt to get more attention and to cast more doubt on the process, and to try and paint me and other mayors as the villains," Rhodes-Conway said. "When in fact, what we're actually trying to do is defend democracy."Democrats say the Wisconsin review is yet another effort to justify Trump's lies about widespread fraud costing him the 2020 election. "What this is, is an effort to perpetuate the big lie," said Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat. "I think this is really about 2022 and 2024," Kaul said. "I mean, when the insurrection happened, I was hopeful that we would see people who have been attacking our democratic institutions realize they had gone way too far, and take a step back. But I think what we've seen is that even though the insurrection ended, the spirit of the insurrection has remained with us. And that is in the halls of state legislatures it's in these fake investigations like the one going on here." "This is an effort to reduce confidence in our election results try to ultimately potentially overturn an election," he said. Wisconsin review reminiscent of ArizonaElection experts characterized Wisconsin as just the latest in a growing list of states continuing to respond to the lies of Trump and the demands of the Republican base that believers those lies. "We see repeatedly in Wisconsin all over the country for that matter is just an effort, because people are unhappy with the results, to try to find anything that could raise doubt to delegitimize an election and actually harm our democracy," Becker said. "It's the same story in Arizona with Cyber Ninjas," he said, referring to the Florida company inexperienced in ballot review that Arizona state senators hired to conduct their review. "It's the same story with efforts in Michigan and Pennsylvania and Georgia. Even those who are highly incentivized to try to prove that there was fraud the outcome was wrong. They can't do it even 400 days after the election."Like Arizona and other states still conducting partisan reviews of the 2020 election, Wisconsin and its counties repeatedly audited the election results immediately after last year's contest.One key difference between Arizona and Wisconsin, Becker said, is that in Arizona, some Republicans -- including local officials in Maricopa County -- were willing to "tell their voters the truth" that Biden won. "In Wisconsin, we don't see many people like that. We don't see many people have the courage" to admit that reality. One Republican who has acknowledged reality is state Sen. Kathy Bernier of Chippewa Falls. Bernier is a former county clerk, which means she oversaw local elections. Bernier has been critical of how the 2020 election was conducted. But she has also defended Wisconsin's processes, saying there are checks to prevent fraud. And she said undercutting Republican voters' confidence in the process could hurt the party moving forward. "If they don't have confidence in the electoral process, they're not going to come out and vote and, and primarily it's going to harm a Republicans," Bernier said. "So it's Republicans, including Donald J. Trump, who need, need to say, 'OK, let's stop, let's move forward. Let's correct election laws where we need to, where we need to provide safeguards and let's move forward onto the next election.'"
| 0
|
London (CNN)Britain's Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now proud parents to a baby boy. But one mystery still remains: What name will they bestow upon him? A giddy Prince Harry spoke to the media shortly after the birth of his son on Monday, telling reporters that the royal couple were "still thinking about names." "The baby's a little bit overdue so we've had a little bit of time to think about it, that's the next bit," said a delighted Harry during an interview in the royal mews of Windsor Castle. Harry, Duke of Sussex, speaks to members of the media at Windsor Castle following the birth of his son on Monday. What's in a name? Like any new parents, Meghan and Harry will undoubtedly have been considering baby names for some time and may have already decided on their favorites. Read MoreThere aren't any royal rules for choosing names but the British Royal Family likes to honor those who came before them. Bookmakers have Arthur and Edward, as well as Philip (a nod to Harry's grandfather), among their top choices for a newborn son. Meghan's mother Doria Ragland is pictured with Harry's father, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla in May 2018."They will most likely honor the grandparents within the middle names of the child," explains Wendy Bosberry-Scott, spokeswoman for the etiquette experts Debrett's. "For a boy, the names Arthur, George, Albert, David and Charles are favorites within the senior royals."We can also count on Baby Sussex being given a fair few names. Queen Elizabeth II bestowed four names on each of her four children. Current heir apparent Prince Charles's full name is in fact Charles Philip Arthur George. Meanwhile new father Prince Harry's full name is Henry Charles Albert David. Harry's brother William, the Duke of Cambridge, has continued the tradition of multiple names with all three of his children. Will Baby Sussex be a prince? Baby Sussex will become the seventh in line to throne, but that doesn't automatically make the new addition to the royal family a prince. Harry's great, great, great grandfather King George V restricted use of the titles Prince and Princess to certain senior members of the Royal Family. However, the Queen could step in to overrule that decree -- as she did with William and Catherine's younger children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis."If the Queen had not issued a Letters Patent in 2012, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis would now be styled as the children of a Duke," Bosberry-Scott says. "The 2012 Letters Patent was a reflection of the then-upcoming changes to the Succession to the Crown Act, which in 2013 ended the system of male primogeniture, and meant that Princess Charlotte kept her place in the line of succession when her younger brother was born." Bosberry-Scott says the baby boy will most likely use his father's second peerage title, Earl of Dumbarton. Conversely, Harry and Meghan may choose to pass on titles altogether, as Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter Zara Phillips did with her daughters Mia Grace and Lena Elizabeth.Bosberry-Scott says declining a title is not unheard of. "There have been occasions when a title has been declined, such as when the Honorable Angus Ogilvy -- the younger son of the 12th Earl of Airlie -- married Princess Alexandra in 1963. He was offered an Earldom but declined."When will we find out the name? Traditionally, the first to know of a royal birth is the reigning monarch. As well as Queen Elizabeth II, British Prime Minister Theresa May and the Governor General of each Commonwealth nation will be informed, along with the rest of the royals and Meghan's family in the United States. Ultimately, Bosberry-Scott says the baby's name will be announced "when Buckingham Palace decides to release it." "Traditionally the official announcement of the birth is placed on an easel just inside the gates of Buckingham Palace, but today social media is also used."The official notice of the birth of a baby boy to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is put on display outside Buckingham Palace on Monday. On Monday afternoon, a framed bulletin announcing the birth was placed in the forecourt of the Queen's London residence sans name. And so the wait continues. Sources for generator: UK Office for National Statistics 2018; The British Monarchy website; Babycenter.com
| 0
|
Researchers have disclosed vulnerabilities in multiple WordPress plugins that, if successfully exploited, could allow an attacker to run arbitrary code and take over a website in certain scenarios.
The flaws were uncovered in Elementor, a website builder plugin used on more than seven million sites, and WP Super Cache, a tool used to serve cached pages of a WordPress site.
According to Wordfence, which discovered the security weaknesses in Elementor, the bug concerns a set of stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities (CVSS score: 6.4), which occurs when a malicious script is injected directly into a vulnerable web application.
In this case, due to a lack of validation of the HTML tags on the server-side, a bad actor can exploit the issues to add executable JavaScript to a post or page via a crafted request.
"Since posts created by contributors are typically reviewed by editors or administrators before publishing, any JavaScript added to one of these posts would be executed in the reviewer's browser," Wordfence said in a technical write-up. "If an administrator reviewed a post containing malicious JavaScript, their authenticated session with high-level privileges could be used to create a new malicious administrator, or to add a backdoor to the site. An attack on this vulnerability could lead to site takeover."
Multiple HTML elements such as Heading, Column, Accordion, Icon Box, and Image Box were found vulnerable to the stored XSS attack, thereby making it possible for any user to access the Elementor editor and add an executable JavaScript.
Given that the flaws take advantage of the fact that dynamic data entered in a template could be leveraged to include malicious scripts intended to launch XSS attacks, such behavior can be thwarted by validating the input and escaping the output data so that the HTML tags passed as inputs are rendered harmless.
Separately, an authenticated remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability was discovered in WP Super Cache that could allow an adversary to upload and execute malicious code with the goal of gaining control of the site. The plugin is reported to be used on more than two million WordPress sites.
Following responsible disclosure on February 23, Elementor fixed the issues in version 3.1.4 released on March 8 by hardening "allowed options in the editor to enforce better security policies." Likewise, Automattic, the developer behind WP Super Cache, said it addressed the "authenticated RCE in the settings page" in version 1.7.2.
It's highly recommended that users of the plugins update to the latest versions to mitigate the risk associated with the flaws.
| 1
|
A British man suspected to be a member of 'The Dark Overlord,' an infamous international hacking group, has finally been extradited to the United States after being held for over two years in the United Kingdom.
Nathan Francis Wyatt, 39, appeared in federal court in St. Louis, Missouri, on Wednesday to face charges related to his role in hacking healthcare and accounting companies in the U.S. and then threatening to publish stolen information unless victims paid a ransom in Bitcoin.
According to a court indictment unsealed yesterday, Wyatt faces one count of conspiracy, two counts of aggravated identity theft and three counts of threatening to damage a protected computer.
However, the suspect has not yet pledged guilty to any of the charges in the U.S. federal court, where he appeared after fighting for 11 months to avoid being extradited from Britain.
Cyber Attacks by The Dark Overlord Group
British police first arrested Wyatt in September 2016 during an investigation into the hacking of an iCloud account belonging to Pippa Middleton, the younger sister of the British royal family member Duchess of Cambridge, and stealing 3,000 images of her.
Though he was released in that case without charge due to lack of evidence, Wyatt was again arrested in September 2017 over hacking companies, credit card fraud, and blackmail schemes.
The indictment does not name the companies allegedly attacked by The Dark Overlord hacking group between February 2016 and June 2017 but says the victims include multiple healthcare providers and accounting firms in Missouri, Illinois, and Georgia states.
However, the Dark Overload is the same hacking crew that previously has been attributed to a number of hacking attacks, including leaking 10 unreleased episodes of the 5th season of 'Orange Is The New Black' series from Netflix and hacking Gorilla Glue, Little Red Door cancer service agency, among others.
The Dark Overlord Threatened Victims and their Relatives
According to the press release published by the Justice Department, Wyatt created and operated the email and phone accounts to threaten the compromised organizations to extort money, and in case victims refused to pay, Wyatt harassed and threatened their relatives.
Among other threatening messages the defendant sent to the victims, the indictment accused Wyatt of sending threatening text messages to the daughter of one of the owners of the Farmington company, asking her, "hi ... you look peaceful ... by the way did your daddy tell you he refused to pay us when we stole his company files?"
The hacking group members also threatened to call the public accountants' clients "one by one" unless the company paid the ransom.
"Today's extradition shows that the hackers hiding behind The Dark Overlord moniker will be held accountable for their alleged extortion of American companies," said Brian A. Benczkowski, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's Criminal Division.
"We are thankful for the close cooperation of our partners in the United Kingdom in ensuring that the defendant will face justice in U.S. court."
Prosecutors have asked the court to keep Wyatt in jail until trial.
| 1
|
Cryptome Webpages infected with Blackhole exploit kit
Cryptome.org a popular website and similar to Wikileaks was hacked by the cybercriminals & Attackers were able to hide malicious scripts on every one of the site's 6,000 pages. Anyone visiting with a vulnerable browser will have found themselves infected with Blackhole, most likely adding their computer to a larger bot.
Cryptome attack, website owners only know they have a problem when users contact them with the bad news after detecting it with security software wise to its many techniques for staying out of sight. Cryptome official write, "A reader reported today that accessing a file on Cryptome caused this intrusion warning" and "Replacement with clean files is proceeding, probably done by end of day."
Two years ago, the organisation published Microsoft's secret Global Criminal Compliance handbook, which laid out how the company was gathering certain data from users of some of its services that could be accessed by the police and intelligence services.
| 1
|
Critical Sqli Vulnerability in channel [V] Website
A 16 years old White Hat Hacker "Arjun Siyag" from India discover a Critical Sqli Vulnerability in channel [V] Website (https://www.channelv.in). Proof of the hack is as shown in above image. Hacker disclose only the admin username and password, which will not effect the admin panel directly,because for login Email ID is required.
SQL Injection is one of the many web attack mechanisms used by hackers to steal data from organisations. It is perhaps one of the most common application layer attack techniques used today. Through SQL Injection, the hacker may input specifically crafted SQL commands with the intent of bypassing the login form barrier and seeing what lies behind it.
This is only possible if the inputs are not properly sanitised (i.e., made invulnerable) and sent directly with the SQL query to the database. SQL Injection vulnerabilities provide the means for a hacker to communicate directly to the database.
We are not disclosing the Vulnerable link for Channel's Security, if anyone from Channel [V] need assistance and Help Regarding solution of the Vulnerability, can contact us at admin@thehackernews.com.
| 1
|
(CNN)Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown has said that the team offered to pay him $200,000 to step away from the team and commit himself to a mental health facility. Speaking weeks after he removed his uniform and shoulder pads, waved to the crowd and walked off the field in the middle of the Bucs' game against the New York Jets, Brown said the team tried to send him to the "crazy house." "These guys at the Tampa Bay Bucs tried to make an agreement with me to give me $200,000 to go to the crazy house so these guys could look like they know what they were talking about," Brown said on the season debut of HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" which aired on Tuesday. Brown's attorney Sean Burstyn explained: "The offer was Antonio would basically sit on the sidelines, go on some list and commit himself to some form of intensive mental health treatment, and we were specifically told in writing by the general manager twice: 'Don't spin this any other way.'" Burstyn also added: "To the extent any of that is coming from a spin that Antonio had a spontaneous mental episode, it's resentful and it's hurtful and it's a disservice to people who do suffer from mental health challenges. We all have our difficulties." Read MoreWhen asked by Gumbel whether Brown thinks he needs mental health help, Brown responded: "I have mental wealth. I know a lot of people may not understand me, know how I look at things or don't know how I react to emotional things, but it's not for them to understand me. "I've got a beautiful family, kids and people all across the world that look up to me. And there's no reason I'm in this position at this point." Brown previously said in a statement that he left the game because of an ankle injury. He said the team knew about his injury, something the Bucs have denied. Brown is tackled by Rodney McLeod of the Philadelphia Eagles.Brown also told Gumbel that head coach Bruce Arians is lying when he says he wasn't told about Brown's injured ankle during the Jets game. When asked about the accusations, the team referred CNN to previous statements released on Brown -- none of which addressed the payment for mental health treatment. Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features, and videosBrown was released by the Bucs shortly after the incident. In the days following the incident, Arians claimed that Brown left the field because he was angry about not getting the ball enough in his eyes. Brown, however, disputed those claims. "I'm not worried about the ball," Brown said. "Tom Brady is my guy. He's the reason I'm on Tampa Bay, so I know I'm gonna get the ball."
| 0
|
Cybersecurity researchers are sounding the alarm bell over a new ransomware strain called "DarkRadiation" that's implemented entirely in Bash and targets Linux and Docker cloud containers, while banking on messaging service Telegram for command-and-control (C2) communications.
"The ransomware is written in Bash script and targets Red Hat/CentOS and Debian Linux distributions," researchers from Trend Micro said in a report published last week. "The malware uses OpenSSL's AES algorithm with CBC mode to encrypt files in various directories. It also uses Telegram's API to send an infection status to the threat actor(s)."
As of writing, there's no information available on the delivery methods or evidence that the ransomware has been deployed in real-world attacks.
The findings come from an analysis of a collection of hacking tools hosted on the unidentified threat actor's infrastructure (IP address "185.141.25.168") in a directory called "api_attack." The toolset was first noticed by Twitter user @r3dbU7z on May 28.
DarkRadiation's infection chain involves a multi-stage attack process and is noteworthy for its extensive reliance on Bash scripts to retrieve the malware and encrypt the files as well as Telegram API to communicate with the C2 server via hardcoded API keys.
Encryption Process
Said to be under active development, the ransomware leverages obfuscation tactics to scramble the Bash script using an open-source tool called "node-bash-obfuscate" to split the code into multiple chunks, followed by assigning a variable name to each segment and replacing the original script with variable references.
Upon execution, DarkRadiation checks if it's run as the root user, and if so, uses the elevated permissions to download and install Wget, cURL, and OpenSSL libraries, and takes a periodic snapshot of the users that are currently logged into a Unix computer system using the "who" command every five seconds, the results of which are then exfiltrated to an attacker-controlled server using the Telegram API.
"If any of these [libraries] are not available on the infected device, the malware attempts to download the required tools using YUM (Yellowdog Updater, Modified), a python-based package manager widely adopted by popular Linux distros such as RedHat and CentOS," SentinelOne researchers explained in a parallel write-up of DarkRadiation published Monday.
The ransomware, in its final phase of the infection, retrieves a list of all available users on the compromised system, overwrites existing user passwords with "megapassword," and deletes all shell users, but not before creating a new user with the username "ferrum" and password "MegPw0rD3" to proceed with the encryption process.
Worm-like Spreading Functionality
Interestingly, SentinelOne's analysis reveals different variations wherein the password for the user "ferrum" is downloaded from the attacker's C2 server in few versions, while in others, it is hardcoded with strings such as "$MeGaPass123#," implying that the malware is undergoing rapid changes prior to actual deployment.
"It must be noted that the ransomware appends radioactive symbols ('.☢') as a file extension for an encrypted file," Trend Micro threat researcher Aliakbar Zahravi said.
A second moving part associated with the attack is an SSH worm that's engineered to receive a credential configuration in the form of a base64-encoded parameter. Subsequently, this encoded argument is used to connect to the target system using the SSH protocol, and eventually download and execute the ransomware.
In addition to reporting the execution status, along with the encryption key, back to the adversary's Telegram channel through the API, DarkRadiation also comes with capabilities to stop and disable all running Docker containers on the infected machine, after which a ransom note is displayed to the user.
"Malware written in shell script languages allows attackers to be more versatile and to avoid some common detection methods," SentinelOne researchers said.
"As scripts do not need to be recompiled, they can be iterated upon more rapidly. Moreover, since some security software relies on static file signatures, these can easily be evaded through rapid iteration and the use of simple obfuscator tools to generate completely different script files."
| 1
|
(CNN)Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku believes racism in football is at an "all-time high" ahead of the start of the European Championships. Lukaku, who is preparing for Belgium's opening game of the Euros against Russia on Saturday, has received racial abuse a number of times throughout his football career, notably when he was the subject of monkey chants from fans in 2019. Today, he thinks abuse towards players is only getting worse."I think racism in football right now is at the all-time high. Why? Because of social media now as well," Lukaku told CNN Sport. "I understand why people like Thierry Henry are blocking social media because it's easy, you can track somebody down ... The social media companies, they have to do more for me."Read MoreEarlier this year, former Arsenal forward Henry deleted his social media accounts following a spate of online racist abuse aimed at Black footballers and what he said was the inability of social media companies to hold users accountable for their actions.Lukaku scores in Belgium's 1-0 victory over Croatia last Sunday. A few weeks after Henry had closed his accounts, English football clubs and governing bodies took part in a three-day social media blackout to protest against abuse."For me, to be honest, I don't really see progress. I see a lot of campaigns and all that stuff, but really until there is no real action taken," Lukaku added."In Italy, when it happened to me directly, there was something that was done because the Serie A really communicated with me and my team. "And we basically tried to educate people in Italy that it is not good, because in Italy, it is a beautiful country and I've been accepted really well by everybody, home fans, away fans. "I think when that happened, it changed. That's what all the leagues should do. They should talk to the players and basically try to start doing things with the players and with their teams."Over the past week, supporters in England have booed while players took a knee ahead of games against Austria and Romania.England manager Gareth Southgate said his players are "totally united" on taking a knee and "determined more than ever" to do so throughout the Euros. This year's tournament, which was postponed from last year, is being held across 11 cities -- Amsterdam, Baku, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Munich, London, Rome, Seville, Saint Petersburg -- where a limited number of fans are being allowed to attend. Lukaku playing in the friendly between Belgium and Greece earlier this month. When it comes to football's response to racism, Lukaku also pointed to the formation of the Super League, a proposed restructure of club football in Europe that fell apart as a number of teams withdrew following strong criticism from fans. "When the Super League started, people were very quick to shut it down on social media ... people and fans were going on the streets (to protest)," said Lukaku. "I'm the same, I didn't want it to happen. But why don't you put the same energy when it's about racism as well? Because it's the same platforms, basically."Lukaku, whose goal helped Belgium to a 1-0 victory against Croatia on Sunday, scored 24 league goals last season as Inter Milan won its first Scudetto since 2010. His Belgium team are among the favorites to win the upcoming Euros having never won the tournament before. After finishing third at the 2018 World Cup, Roberto Martinez's side won all 10 of its qualifying games for the Euros and now prepare to contest a group featuring Finland, Russia and Denmark.
| 0
|
(CNN)During moments of self-reflection, it doesn't take long for Haven Shepherd to recognize that her life is a miracle.It's something Shepherd, a swimmer for the USA, was recently reminded of while competing at the Tokyo Paralympics, where she placed fifth in the 200m individual medley. "I was just putting my suit on, and I was looking around and I was like: 'Wow, I have no scars on the rest of my body, it's all just on my legs,'" she tells CNN's Selina Wang. Shepherd, who turned 18 earlier this year, has been a double amputee since she was 14 months old when she survived a bomb explosion that killed her biological parents. "I was born in Vietnam to two parents that had an affair and had me," she explains. "In Vietnam, women can't divorce husbands, and so for their circumstance, they thought the thing that would be best for their family was to commit a family suicide.Read More"They strapped bombs onto themselves, and they held me, and I was blown 40 feet away from the accident, and all the damage was done to my legs."Shepherd competes in the 200m individual medley at the Tokyo Paralympics. READ: 'The possibilities are endless on how fast we can go,' says Paralympian David Brown, the world's fastest blind athleteAt 20 months old, Shepherd was adopted by an American family in Carthage, Missouri -- her parents, Rob and Shelly, and her six siblings. She had learned to swim in her family's backyard pool by the time she was three years old, and at 10 started racing competitively.Having experienced her first Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Shepherd acknowledges how the events of her early life have shaped who she is today."My mom was always really honest about what happened to me and it's definitely made me the person that I am now," she says."I think of my biological mom's sacrifice. I was always this baby, I was always a very happy, bubbly baby ... and I look at her sacrifice of her life for me. "I got to live this amazing life, I am here at the Paralympics, I got to have an amazing childhood."Shepherd is pictured with her adopted parents, Rob and Shelly, in 2018. The 'peace from within'Through swimming, Shepherd has discovered what she calls a "peace from within" -- a sense of calm and comfort while in the water that she's felt ever since she was a young child. "The very first time I ever smiled when I first got adopted was when my parents put me in the swimming pool," she says. "I love how it comes full circle; swimming still makes me smile to this day ... there's no sound, you don't hear anything, and it's just so special to know that a sport has your back."You look forward to that at the end of the day. (I do) nine practices in a week and I'm dead tired, but I still look forward to it."READ: Avani Lekhara becomes first Indian woman to win Paralympic goldWhile swimming consumes most of her energy, Shepherd is also an influential figure away from the pool: a model, a motivational speaker, and an ambassador for other amputees. Shepherd is interviewed at the US Paralympic trials earlier this year.Over the course of her life, she's come to see her disability as "one of the greatest gifts that I've ever had." "Definitely going through an amputation -- or just growing up without limbs in general -- makes you grow up really fast because you need to choose what the world is going to be to you," says Shepherd. "Is it going to be somewhere where it's not safe and you never leave your house and you don't want people to look at you? Or do you want the world to know that: 'Hey, we exist?'JUST WATCHEDBlind Afghan war vet becomes first American Paralympian to win triathlonReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHBlind Afghan war vet becomes first American Paralympian to win triathlon 05:02"When people see me out in the wild, you would think I'm some new fish they found on National Geographic. Everybody's looking at me, but I think that's so special, too -- to be a learning tool for people, educating them (about) the Paralympics and the disabled community."Paris 2024Although Shepherd notes that attitudes are changing towards disability sport, she also says that Paralympians deserve more recognition for their athletic achievements, singling out teammate Jessica Long, who has 26 Paralympic medals to her name but doesn't attract the same media attention as fellow American swim stars Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel. In terms of her own performance in Tokyo, Shepherd -- who identifies Long as one of her idols -- was delighted with her time of 3:03:59 in the 200m individual medley final, which was watched by her family back home. "I was so thrilled with that and I've accomplished all of my goals," she says. "I feel like I could just pass out right now."Having ticked off her Paralympic goals, Shepherd can now turn her sights to other life events -- and the next Paralympics. "I'm definitely thinking about colleges and definitely want to go into some type of therapy. I love family therapy," she says. "We'll see where my life goes, but definitely you'll see me in Paris."
| 0
|
Story highlightsSyria defeated 3-0 against Japan in soccer World Cup qualifying matchPrior to Thursday's match, Syria had won three straight matchesThe loss leaves Syria in second place in Group EThe Eagles have never qualified for a World Cup (CNN)A brutal civil war, bombed-out towns and hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing in terror.It's against that backdrop that Syria has been bidding to reach the World Cup for the first time in its history.After three consecutive wins over Afghanistan, Singapore and Cambodia, the war-torn nation was beaten 3-0 by Asian powerhouse Japan Thursday.Normally Syria would play its matches in Aleppo, a city which has had "the life bombed out of it." Instead, this game was staged 3,000 kilometers away in the Omani city of Seeb. The defeat meant Syria lost top spot in Group E of the Asian qualifying section.Read MoreThere are eight five-team groups in the section, with each team playing home and away fixtures against the other teams in its group. Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid gives Syrian migrant's son special momentThe eight group winners and four runners-up advance to a final stage, contested by two six-team groups.Playing in temperatures of over 91 degrees Fahrenheit, four-time Asian champions Japan -- ranked 55 in the world by FIFA -- struggled to break down Syria in the first half.After the restart, A.C. Milan star Keisuke Honda and Leicester City striker Shinji Okazaki scored in a 15-minute period before Takashi Usami 's late goal wrapped up a 3-0 win for Japan. The result means Japan leapfrog Syria at the top of Group E.Despite this defeat, Syria is well placed to advance to the next stage of qualifying -- it has nine points from four matches and is two points ahead of third-place Singapore.Ranked 123rd in the world, Syria has thrashed both Afghanistan, ranked 27 places higher, and Cambodia 6-0 on the road. It also beat Singapore 1-0 in front of 100 fans at the Sultan Quaboos Stadium in the Omani city of Muscat in September. Photos: Photos: Osamsa Abdul Mohsen addresses the media at Atocha train station, Madrid. The Spanish footballing school CENAFE offered the Syrian a coaching role and a home for his family.Hide Caption 1 of 14 Photos: Footage emerged online of Mohsen being tripped by a Hungarian camerawoman, whilst carrying his son, which shocked people all over the world. Other clubs across Europe have been helping Syrians during this crisis.Hide Caption 2 of 14 Photos: AS Roma launches "Football Cares" initiative to aid refugee charities – Roma players pose for a team picture before a Serie A match against Frosinone with "Football Cares" emblazoned across their jerseys.Hide Caption 3 of 14 Photos: "Football Cares" is an initiative founded by the Italian club that aims to raise money for refugee charities.Hide Caption 4 of 14 Photos: Roma chairman and president, James Pallotta, hopes many clubs and fans will engage with "Football Cares" to help the hundreds of thousands of refugees that have poured into Europe fleeing conflict in the likes of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.Hide Caption 5 of 14 Photos: Former U.S. soccer star Mia Hamm is a board member at Roma and says she would be willing to donate some of her old jerseys for auction to help raise money for "Football Cares."Hide Caption 6 of 14 Photos: Other major European clubs like Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain and Borrusia Dortmund have already donated considerable amounts to refugee charities.Hide Caption 7 of 14 Photos: So too have Bayern Munich which stated it would provide $1.1 million to refugee charities last month.Hide Caption 8 of 14 Photos: The Bundesliga club has also said it plans to set up a training camp for some of the thousands that have crossed into Germany via Hungary and Austria.Hide Caption 9 of 14 Photos: On top of this, Bayern will offer refugees meals and German language classes in conjunction with the city of Munich. Hide Caption 10 of 14 Photos: Bayern isn't the only German club helping migrants. Here refugees, invited by Mainz 05, attend a Bundesliga match against Hannover 96 at Coface Arena in August.Hide Caption 11 of 14 Photos: Banners with "Refugees welcome" or "Welcome to Germany" were visible in many recent Bundesliga matches.Hide Caption 12 of 14 Photos: Germany expects to receive 800,000 asylum seekers in 2015, four times more than in 2014.Hide Caption 13 of 14 Photos: Portugal players observe a minute of silence in honor of refugees and migrants coming to Europe prior to their training session at Coimbra da Mota stadium in Estoril on September 3, 2015.Hide Caption 14 of 14Protests against the government and President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 plunged Syria into a chaotic war which is still raging today. Fighter jets announced Russia's arrival on the ever-growing list of nations who have bombed Syria when it launched airstrikes on Wednesday.A coalition of countries led by the U.S. have been bombing ISIS targets on a near-daily basis since last September, in the hopes of rooting out the terror group from its strongholds in the country.But Russia's involvement marks a new and uncertain chapter in a war that has now killed more than 250,000 people since 2011 and displaced 10.6 million people from home -- about half of Syria's pre-war population.According to James Dorsey, the author of the "Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer", Assad uses the soccer team to give the regime "a degree of prestige."He told The Guardian it shows "a sense of normality amid the mayhem." FT Syria 0-3 Japan
Honda, Okazaki & Usami earn the Samurai Blue a deserved away win #WCQ
http://t.co/7ipu8XSBah pic.twitter.com/EkpHUFn9uN— FIFAWorldCup (@FIFAWorldCup) October 8, 2015
Syria's next fixture see it welcome Afghanistan to its temporary home. A fixture would put its qualification campaign back on track.
| 0
|
Cisco has once again fixed four previously disclosed critical bugs in its Jabber video conferencing and messaging app that were inadequately addressed, leaving its users susceptible to remote attacks.
The vulnerabilities, if successfully exploited, could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on target systems by sending specially-crafted chat messages in group conversations or specific individuals.
They were reported to the networking equipment maker on September 25 by Watchcom, three weeks after the Norwegian cybersecurity firm publicly disclosed multiple security shortcomings in Jabber that were found during a penetration test for a client in June.
The new flaws, which were uncovered after one of its clients requested a verification audit of the patch, affects all currently supported versions of the Cisco Jabber client (12.1 - 12.9).
"Three of the four vulnerabilities Watchcom disclosed in September have not been sufficiently mitigated," Watchcom said in a report published today. "Cisco released a patch that fixed the injection points we reported, but the underlying problem has not been fixed. As such, we were able to 7ind new injection points that could be used to exploit the vulnerabilities."
Most critical among the flaws is CVE-2020-26085 (similar to CVE-2020-3495), which has a severity rating of 9.9 out of 10, a zero-click cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability that can be used to achieve remote code execution by escaping the CEF sandbox.
CEF or Chromium Embedded Framework is an open-source framework that's used to embed a Chromium-based web browser within other apps.
While the embedded browser is sandboxed to prevent unauthorized access to files, the researchers found a way to bypass the protections by abusing the window.CallCppFunction, which is designed to open files sent by other Cisco Jabber users.
All an adversary has to do is initiate a file transfer containing a malicious ".exe" file and force the victim to accept it using an XSS attack, then trigger a call to the aforementioned function, causing the executable to be run on the victim's machine.
Worse, this vulnerability doesn't require user interaction and is wormable, meaning it can be used to automatically spread the malware to other systems by disguising the payload in a chat message.
A second flaw, CVE-2020-27132, stems from the way it parses HTML tags in XMPP messages, an XML-based communications protocol used for facilitating instant messaging between any two or more network entities.
Due to the lack of proper sanitization of these tags, a harmless file transfer message can be manipulated by injecting, say, an image HTML tag pointing to a malicious URL or even execute malicious JavaScript code.
"No additional security measures had been put in place and it was therefore possible to both gain remote code execution and steal NTLM password hashes using this new injection point," the researchers said.
The third and final vulnerability (CVE-2020-27127) is a command injection flaw concerning protocol handlers, which are used to inform the operating system to open specific URLs (e.g., XMPP://, IM://, and TEL://) in Jabber, making it possible for an attacker to insert arbitrary command-line flags by simply including a space the URL.
Given the self-replicating nature of the attacks, it's advised that Jabber users update to the latest version of the software to mitigate the risk.
Watchcom also recommends that organizations consider disabling communication with external entities through Cisco Jabber until all employees have installed the update.
| 1
|
Along with a dream to make Internet access available to everyone across the world, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is working to make the Internet a more secure place as well.
Till now, a number of large technology companies have bug bounty programs to reward researchers and cyber enthusiast who contribute in the security of Internet by finding out security holes in software or web platforms, and the social networking giant Facebook is the latest one to do so.
Facebook and Usenix have together implemented the Internet Defense Prize — an award recognizing superior quality research that combines a working prototype with great contributions to securing the Internet, Facebook announced Thursday at the annual USENIX Security Symposium in San Diego.
Also, Facebook announced the first award under its Internet Defense Prize, and crowned a pair of German researchers for their paper, "Static Detection of Second-Order Vulnerabilities in Web Applications" — a seemingly viable approach to detecting vulnerabilities in web applications.
The duo used static approach to detect "Second-order vulnerabilities" in web applications that are used to impose harm after being stored on the web server ahead of time. Second-order vulnerabilities involve uploading malicious script/payload to the targeted web servers, allowing an attacker to exploit it remotely.
"For example, XSS attacks that target the application's users are worse if the payload is stored in a shared resource and distributed to all users," paper explained.
It is very difficult to detect Second-order vulnerabilities when analyzing the source code statically, but "By analysing reads and writes to memory locations of the web server, we are able to identify unsanitized data flows by connecting input and output points of data in persistent data stores such as databases or session data," said researchers, who revealed 159 second-order vulnerabilities in six popular web applications including several critical zero-day holes.
The researchers, Johannes Dahse and Thorsten Holz of Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, received $50,000 prize money by an award committee made up of Facebook and USENIX representatives. The committee saw a "clear path" for using the money to build the research into technology that could be implemented in the real world.
The Internet Defense Prize is an ongoing program and the committee is soliciting new entries for a future prize, according to John "Four" Flynn, a security engineering manager at Facebook who served on the Award Committee for the Internet Defense Prize.
"We decided to focus on creating greater opportunities and incentives for researchers to produce work that actually protects people," Flynn wrote in a blog post. "Our answer is the Internet Defense Prize, an award to recognize superior quality research that combines a working prototype with significant contributions to the security of the internet — particularly in the areas of protection and defense."
The committee is inviting researchers and security enthusiasts to submit their work to Facebook for consideration to be a future recipient of the Internet Defense Prize, and said that the award amount may increase depending on the strength of the submission, or it may hold onto the funds if no project meets the bar.
Last November, Facebook has also helped create the Internet Bug Bounty, similar to the Internet Defense Prize, in order to reward researchers for finding large-scale Internet vulnerabilities in open source software projects. The Internet Bug Bounty is hosted by HackerOne, which also includes other large companies such as Microsoft and Google.
| 1
|
(CNN)Here is a look at the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.FactsNineteen men hijacked four fuel-loaded US commercial airplanes bound for west coast destinations. A total of 2,977 people were killed in New York City, Washington, DC and outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The attack was orchestrated by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The VictimsRead MoreAt the World Trade Center (WTC) site in Lower Manhattan, 2,753 people were killed when hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 were intentionally crashed into the North and South Towers, or as a result of the crashes. Of those who perished during the initial attacks and the subsequent collapses of the Towers, 343 were New York City firefighters, 23 were New York City police officers and 37 were officers at the Port Authority. The victims ranged in age from two to 85 years. Approximately 75-80% of the victims were men.At the Pentagon in Washington, 184 people were killed when hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building. Near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, 40 passengers and crew members aboard United Airlines Flight 93 died when the plane crashed into a field. It is believed that the hijackers crashed the plane in that location, rather than their unknown target, after the passengers and crew attempted to retake control of the flight deck. As of October 2019, 1,645 (60%) of 2,753 WTC victims' remains have been positively identified, according to the medical examiner's office. TimelineSeptember 11, 2001- 8:46 a.m. ET - American Airlines Flight 11 (traveling from Boston to Los Angeles) strikes the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. - 9:03 a.m. ET - United Airlines Flight 175 (traveling from Boston to Los Angeles) strikes the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. - 9:37 a.m. ET - American Airlines Flight 77 (traveling from Dulles, Virginia, to Los Angeles) strikes the Pentagon Building in Washington. - 9:59 a.m. ET - South Tower of WTC collapses in approximately 10 seconds.- 10:03 a.m. ET - United Airlines Flight 93 (traveling from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco) crashes in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. - 10:28 a.m. ET - North Tower of WTC collapses. The time between the first attack and the collapse of both World Trade Center Towers is 102 minutes.December 13, 2001 - The US government releases a tape in which Osama bin Laden takes responsibility for the attacks. December 18, 2001 - Congress approves a measure to allow the president to designate September 11 as "Patriot Day" on each anniversary of the attacks. December 2001-June 15, 2004 - The original Victims Compensation Fund processes death and injury claims from families and relatives of September 11 victims. Families of those killed had until December 22, 2003, to apply for compensation. The fund reopens in 2011.May 24, 2007 - The Chief Medical Examiner of New York City, Dr. Charles S. Hirsch, rules that the death of Felicia Dunn-Jones in 2002, from dust exposure, is directly linked to the 9/11 attack and therefore a homicide.July 19, 2007 - The New York Medical Examiner's Office announces that the remains of three more people are positively identified. 1,133 victims, 41% of the total, remain unidentified.January 2009 - The medical examiner's office rules that Leon Heyward, who died the previous year of lymphoma and lung disease, is a homicide victim because he was caught in the toxic dust cloud just after the towers collapsed.January 2, 2011 - President Barack Obama signs James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, reopening and expanding the scope of the Victim Compensation Fund. June 17, 2011 - The New York medical examiner rules that Jerry Borg's death on December 15, 2010, is a result of inhaling toxic substances from the dust cloud generated by the collapsing twin towers.May 10, 2014 - The unidentified remains of those killed in the attacks are returned to the World Trade Center site where they will be kept in a repository under the jurisdiction of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York.August 7, 2017 - The New York City medical examiner's office announces that the remains of a man killed at the World Trade Center are positively identified due to more sophisticated DNA testing being available. 2019 - The remains of three victims are identified by the New York City medical examiner's office through DNA testing.September 11th Victim Compensation FundThe original fund operated from December 2001 to June 2004.The initial Victim Compensation Fund received 7,408 applications for both death claims and personal injury claims.The fund made awards in 5,560 of those cases.The reopened and expanded fund has operated since January 2, 2011. Information on total awards is updated regularly and posted here.Families who agreed to get compensation from the federal fund agreed not to sue the airlines.Economic Impact$500,000 - Estimated amount of money it cost to plan and execute the 9/11 attacks. $123 billion - Estimated economic loss during the first 2-4 weeks after the World Trade Center towers collapsed in New York City, as well as decline in airline travel over the next few years. $60 billion - Estimated cost of the WTC site damage, including damage to surrounding buildings, infrastructure and subway facilities.$40 billion - Value of the emergency anti-terrorism package approved by the US Congress on September 14, 2001.$15 billion - Aid package passed by Congress to bail out the airlines.$9.3 billion - Insurance claims arising from the 9/11 attacks.Cleanup at Ground ZeroMay 30, 2002 - Cleanup at Ground Zero officially ends.It took 3.1 million hours of labor to clean up 1.8 million tons of debris. The total cost of cleanup was $750 million. Homeland SecurityThe Department of Homeland Security was created in response to September 11. It merged 22 governmental agencies into one, including the Customs Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the US Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Through the Container Security Initiative, over 80% of imported maritime containerized cargo is prescreened before entering the US. March 12, 2002 - The Homeland Security Advisory System is introduced. April 20, 2011 - The National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) replaces the color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS). JUST WATCHEDBush compares domestic violent extremists to 9/11 terroristsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCH (15 Videos)Bush compares domestic violent extremists to 9/11 terroristsBiden and Obama observe September 11th moment of silenceTicket agent who checked in terrorists reflects on 9/11'I see a plane': Widow recounts last phone call with her husband on 9/11Lieutenant describes being inside Pentagon day care during 9/11 attackWatch: CNN was covering these stories just before the 9/11 attackNYPD detective dies at 53 from cancer linked to 9/11 work9/11 first responders' gift brings Jon Stewart to tears9/11 hero who saved hundreds dies of cancerA 9/11 wedding tale10 children continue their father's legacy after 9/11Last 9/11 rescue dog laid to rest9/11 Memorial Museum dedicationLook back at how September 11 unfoldedAmid the 9/11 flames, he chose to help
| 0
|
(CNN)Firefighters on Wednesday welcomed much-needed rain as a wildfire burning in the Florida Panhandle is threatening areas that were battered by Hurricane Michael in 2018, officials said. The Bertha Swamp Road Fire swelled to more than 33,000 acres and was only 20% contained as of the evening, fire officials said. There was some good news: Rainfall allowed firefighters to establish containment lines in areas not previously accessible."The weather forecast calls for increased rainfall through tomorrow morning before tapering off," the forest service said in an evening statement. "While the rain being seen now is good, increased winds and low humidity are expected this weekend, which means the wildfire threat remains, and residents should remain cautious.The Bertha Swamp Road Fire, the largest currently burning in the panhandle, has moved through land that's covered by "thick, dry, and dead trees and vegetation left behind from Hurricane Michael," the Florida Forest Service said.The powerful hurricane claimed the lives of at least 36 people across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia in 2018 after making landfall as a Category 5 storm. Read More"It's the storm that keeps on giving and giving," Florida's Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said Tuesday. "It's like a ghost, we can't get rid of the damn thing. If you look at the path of the storm that it has taken when it hit here in October of 2018, it's the exact same path the fire is taking." Thousands of acres near Panama City are torched as Florida Panhandle wildfires continueThe Bertha Swamp Road Fire was sparked in Gulf County and spread to Bay and Calhoun counties just east of Panama City, a popular tourist destination, fire officials have said.Gov. Ron DeSantis activated a state of emergency in all three counties.The Bertha Swamp Road Fire is one of three that comprise the Chipola Complex Fire, along with the Adkins Avenue Fire and the Star Avenue Fire, officials said. The complex fire has scorched more than 34,000 acres in all. The Adkins Avenue Fire has burned 875 acres and is 85% contained, and the Star Avenue Fire is about 200 acres and 95% contained, the forest service said.A strike team of heavy bulldozers continues to establish and improve containment lines, officials said.Over the weekend, the fires forced nearly 1,100 homes to be evacuated, though all evacuation orders for the Adkins Avenue and Star Avenue fires have been lifted.Here's what you should do if you get trapped by a wildfireThe Broad Branch community near Kinard in Calhoun County was evacuated Tuesday due to the Bertha Swamp Road Fire, officials said."Over the last few days, gusty winds have picked up in the early afternoon and lasted through the evening, causing erratic fire behavior. Weather conditions today are no different and forced additional evacuations in Calhoun County," the forest service said."While the weather forecast in the coming days calls for a possibility for rain, it will not be enough to decrease the wildfire threat any time soon."CNN's Jamiel Lynch, Amanda Musa and Tina Burnside contributed to this report.
| 0
|
A popular jailbreaking tool called "unc0ver" has been updated to support iOS 14.3 and earlier releases, thereby making it possible to unlock almost every single iPhone model using a vulnerability that Apple in January disclosed was actively exploited in the wild.
The latest release, dubbed unc0ver v6.0.0, was released on Sunday, according to its lead developer Pwn20wnd, expanding its compatibility to jailbreak any device running iOS 11.0 through iOS 14.3 using a kernel vulnerability, including iOS 12.4.9-12.5.1, 13.5.1-13.7, and 14.0-14.3.
Tracked as CVE-2021-1782, the flaw is a privilege escalation vulnerability in the kernel stemming from a race condition that could cause a malicious application to elevate its privileges.
"We wrote our own exploit based on CVE-2021-1782 for #unc0ver to achieve optimal exploit speed and stability," Pwn20wnd said in a separate tweet.
The vulnerability has since been addressed by Apple as part of its iOS and iPadOS 14.4 updates released on January 26, 2021, but not before admitting that the issue may have been under active attack by bad actors.
The iPhone maker, however, did not disclose how widespread the attack was or reveal the identities of the attackers actively exploiting them.
Jailbreaking, similar to rooting on Google's Android, involves a privilege escalation that works by exploiting flaws in iOS to grant users root access and full control over their devices. In doing so, it allows iOS users to remove software restrictions imposed by Apple, thereby allowing access to additional customization and otherwise prohibited apps.
For its part, Apple has steadily made it difficult to jailbreak devices by locking down its hardware and software for security reasons, which it says helps counter malware attacks.
ZecOps CEO Zuk Avraham said the jailbreak is "yet another example that attackers have an edge on iOS vs. defenders," adding "[Apple] needs to stop the need to jailbreak the device in the first place and should just enable users to have full access without a need to run an exploit."
Last May, the unc0ver team released a similar jailbreak for iPhones running iOS 11 to iOS 13.5 by exploiting a memory consumption issue in the kernel (CVE-2020-9859). But it was patched by Apple in a matter of days with the release of iOS 13.5.1 to prevent the vulnerability from being exploited maliciously.
| 1
|
The infamous hacking collective Shadow Brokers – the one who leaked the Windows SMB exploit in public that led to last weekend's WannaCrypt menace – are back, this time, to cause more damage.
In typically broken English, the Shadow Brokers published a fresh statement (with full of frustration) a few hours ago, promising to release more zero-day bugs and exploits for various desktop and mobile platforms starting from June 2017.
However, this time the Shadow Brokers leaks will not be available for everybody, as the hacking collective said:
"TheShadowBrokers is launching new monthly subscription model. Is being like [the] wine of month club. Each month peoples can be paying membership fee, then getting members only data dump each month."
To some extent, this is good news, but it is terrible news too. Good because now all these upcoming alleged unpatched vulnerabilities will be patched after being disclosed and terrible because the group will sell new zero-day exploits and hacking tools to private members with paid monthly subscription, instead of telling them to Microsoft.
Apparently, other hackers, criminal gangs, state-sponsored hackers, maybe some journalists and people from tech companies, would naturally join Shadow Brokers' membership.
Get Ready for the 'Wine of Month Club'
So, anyone buying the membership of the "wine of month club" would be able to get exclusive access to the upcoming leaks, which the Shadow Brokers claims would include:
Exploits for web browsers, routers, and smartphones.
Exploits for operating systems, including Windows 10.
Compromised data from banks and Swift providers.
Stolen network information from Russian, Chinese, Iranian, and North Korean nuclear missile programs.
The claims made by the group remain unverified at the time of writing, but since the Shadow Brokers' previously released data dump turned out to be legitimate, the group's statement should be taken seriously, at least now, when we know the EternalBlue exploit and DoublePulsar backdoor developed by the NSA and released by the Shadow Brokers last month was used by WannaCry to cause chaos worldwide.
Before publicly dumping these exploits in April, the Shadow Brokers put an auction of cyber weapons stolen from NSA's elite hacking team called Equation Group for 1 Million Bitcoin.
After failed auction, the hacking group even put up those hacking tools and exploits for direct sale on an underground site, categorizing them into a type — like "exploits," "Trojans," and "implant" — each of which ranged from 1 to 100 Bitcoins (from $780 to $78,000).
After failure from all sides, the group started leaking those hacking exploits. Last month, the Shadow Brokers released a Microsoft Windows SMB exploit that was used by the WannaCry ransomware, which infected 200,000 machines in 150 countries within just 48 hours.
While talking about the WannaCry ties with North Korean state-sponsored hacking group Lazarus Group, the group said:
"The Oracle is telling theshadowbrokers North Korea is being responsible for the global cyber attack Wanna Cry. Nukes and cyber attacks, America has to go to war, no other choices!"
Shadow Brokers Lashed out on US Government and Tech Companies
In its recent post, the Shadow Brokers criticized both the US government and tech companies, such as Microsoft, for not cracking down on the exploits when they had the chance, months before their release.
The hacking group said the US government is paying tech companies not to patch zero-days in their products, claiming that it has spies inside Microsoft among other US tech firms.
The Shadow Brokers even accused Google Project Zero team, saying:
"TheShadowBrokers is thinking Google Project Zero is having some former TheEquationGroup member. Project Zero recently releasing "Wormable Zero-Day" Microsoft patching in record time, knowing it was coming? Coincidence?"
Who knows if these accusation made by the Shadow Brokers group are true or not, but the world should be well prepared for another WannaCry-like massive destroyer.
| 1
|
Story highlightsThe court will likely rule soon on a plea bargain request by the accused cruise ship captainFive other defendants have already asked for a separate plea bargain trial"I'm still so angry and I want justice," says a civil plaintiff who was on the shipCapt. Francesco Schettino is accused in the deaths of 32 people on the Costa ConcordiaThe ship captain accused of causing the deaths of 32 people in last year's Costa Concordia cruise disaster asked for a plea bargain Wednesday as his trial got under way in Italy.Francesco Schettino faces three criminal charges: involuntary manslaughter for the deaths; causing a maritime disaster; and causing personal injury to 150 people who were badly hurt in the accident.The trial, being held in Grosseto, begins a year and a half after the luxury cruise liner ran aground off the west coast of Italy.If convicted on all charges, Schettino could face a sentence of about 25 years in total. But his lawyers may argue that he serve his sentence under a form of house arrest, since there's virtually no danger of him repeating the offense.His lawyers asked for a plea bargain in exchange for a sentence of three years and five months in prison.JUST WATCHEDIncredible drone video of Costa ConcordiaReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHIncredible drone video of Costa Concordia 01:20JUST WATCHEDCosta Concordia disaster: 1 year laterReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCosta Concordia disaster: 1 year later 03:19JUST WATCHEDCosta Concordia survivor relives escapeReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCosta Concordia survivor relives escape 04:40But the prosecutor voiced his opposition to the request, which means it is almost certain to be turned down. The tribunal is expected to rule on it within a few days.A similar request was made by Schettino in May but was rejected.Four crew members and an officer for Costa Cruises who were originally co-defendants with Schettino have already asked for a plea bargain trial. Their requests will be decided Saturday. Read more: Cruise passengers get bill of rightsSchettino's trial was due to start last week but was postponed because lawyers involved in the case were taking part in a nationwide strike to protest measures aimed at streamlining civil trials.Night of chaosSchettino was in court with his lawyers for Wednesday's hearing, the start of a process that will be closely watched in Italy and elsewhere.The Costa Concordia, carrying 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members, made global headlines when it turned on its side after striking rocks off the Italian island of Giglio on January 13, 2012.Read more: What cruise lines don't want you to knowAccording to passengers' accounts, chaos ensued that night, as guests rushed to fill lifeboats and escape the shipwreck. Some crew members helped passengers and then jumped overboard, passengers said; remaining crew members seemed helpless to handle the melee.The case centers on several questions, including why it allegedly took Schettino more than an hour to issue an order to abandon ship and why he allegedly left the vessel before all passengers had abandoned it.Given the complicated nature of the case, the trial could drag on for a year or more.The prosecutor presented the court with a list of 357 witnesses Wednesday.Read more: Costa Concordia reveals its darkest secretsRunning in tandem with the criminal prosecution are numerous civil suits against Schettino, which can be heard at the same time. This means more than 250 civil parties are also represented in court.The first hearing, devoted to preliminary questions, was held in a theater to accommodate the dozen of lawyers involved.'I want justice'Among the civil plaintiffs is Gianluca Gabrielli, who came to Grosseto for the opening hearing of the trial."I'm still so angry and I want justice, this is why I'm here," he told CNN outside court. "It was all going well, it was the nicest holiday we ever had with the family," he said, remembering the hours before the 114,000-ton ship hit the rocks just before 10 p.m. on a winter's night. Gabrielli recalls getting into a lifeboat with his wife and the two girls, then ages 3 and 4. But the lifeboat was stuck, so the family had to climb out and struggle to the opposite site of the sliding vessel.There, they had to slip into the sea using a rope ladder, with no life jackets and holding the children in their arms."I thought 'we'll all die,' it was all dark and cold," he said. "I still have unjustified panic moments, even this morning during the hearing, I suddenly thought that an earthquake was coming."Massimiliano Gabrieli, one of the lawyers in a pool representing about 100 passengers, said they are seeking up to 1 million euros ($1.3 million) in compensation for each survivor of the fateful cruise."We want this sentence to be an example, to serve as monitor so that similar accident never happen again," he said.The civil plaintiffs also include the Costa cruise line, which is suing Schettino for causing the accident and destroying its ship. However, many of the civil parties and Schettino's own lawyers argue that Costa and its parent company, Carnival, should be considered as criminal defendants in the trial.Cruise safety after the Concordia'This is not a car accident'They suggest that responsibility for the handling of the situation after the shipwreck, including any delay in the order to abandon ship, should extend beyond the captain.But the court decided Wednesday that Costa Cruises should remain a civil party because it had suffered damage."This is not a car accident. I'm very disappointed that Schettino is the only defendant," Domnica Cemortan, a Moldavian dancer who was on the bridge the night of the shipwreck and is a civil plaintiff in the case, told CNN outside the court.Evidence presented to the court is likely to include conversations between Schettino and cruise line emergency officials on the night of the accident.The 32 deaths occurred during the abandonment of the ship rather than in its impact with the rocks.Meanwhile, the Costa Concordia lies half-submerged on its side on the shore of Giglio Island, rusting and rotting in the waters off Tuscany's coast.Nearly 500 workers are involved in an operation led by Titan Salvage to remove the wreck while protecting the marine environment. Titan and Costa Cruises said last week they hope to be able to rotate the vessel to a vertical position in September. They will then be able to assess whether it can be refloated and towed away.1 year on, survivors to mark the disaster
| 0
|
Guess how many devices participated in last Friday's massive DDoS attack against DNS provider Dyn that caused vast internet outage?
Just 100,000 devices.
I did not miss any zeros.
Dyn disclosed on Wednesday that a botnet of an estimated 100,000 internet-connected devices was hijacked to flood its systems with unwanted requests and close down the Internet for millions of users.
Dyn executive vice president Scott Hilton has issued a statement, saying all compromised devices have been infected with a notorious Mirai malware that has the ability to take over cameras, DVRs, and routers.
"We're still working on analyzing the data but the estimate at the time of this report is up to 100,000 malicious endpoints," Hilton said. "We are able to confirm that a significant volume of attack traffic originated from Mirai-based botnets."
Mirai malware scans for Internet of Things (IoT) devices that are still using their default passwords and then enslaves those devices into a botnet, which is then used to launch DDoS attacks.
A day after the attack, Dyn confirmed that a botnet of Mirai malware-infected devices had participated in its Friday's Distributed Denial of Service attacks.
However, after an initial analysis of the junk traffic, just yesterday, the company revealed that it had identified an estimated 100,000 sources of malicious DDoS traffic, all originating from IoT devices compromised by the Mirai malware.
Earlier the company believed that approximately "tens of millions" of IP addresses were responsible for the massive attack against its crucial systems, but the actual number came out to be much much less, leaving all of us wondering, as:
How did the Attack Succeed to this Massive Level?
To this, Hilton said that Domain Name System protocol itself has the ability to amplify requests from legitimate sources.
"For example, the impact of the attack generated a storm of legitimate retry activity as recursive servers attempted to refresh their caches, creating 10-20X normal traffic volume across a large number of IP addresses," Hilton said. "When DNS traffic congestion occurs, legitimate retries can further contribute to traffic volume."
"It appears the malicious attacks were sourced from at least one botnet, with the retry storm providing a false indicator of a significantly larger set of endpoints than we now know it to be."
Friday's cyber attack overwhelmed Dyn's central role in routing and managing Internet traffic, rendering hundreds of sites and services, including Twitter, GitHub, Amazon, Netflix, Pinterest, Etsy, Reddit, PayPal, and AirBnb, inaccessible to Millions of people worldwide for several hours.
Dyn did not disclose the actual size of the attack, but it has been speculated that the DDoS attack could be much bigger than the one that hit French Internet service and hosting provider OVH that peaked at 1.1 Tbps, which is the largest DDoS attack known to date.
According to the company, this attack has opened up an important debate about Internet security and volatility.
"Not only has it highlighted vulnerabilities in the security of 'Internet of Things' (IOT) devices that need to be addressed, but it has also sparked further dialogue in the Internet infrastructure community about the future of the Internet," Hilton said.
Next DDoS Attack could reach Tens Of Terabits-Per-Second
If the IoT security is not taken seriously, the future DDoS attack could reach tens of terabits-per-second, as estimated by network security firm Corero.
The DDoS threat landscape is skyrocketing and could reach tens of terabits-per-second in size, following a discovery of a new zero-day attack vector that has the ability to amplify DDoS attacks by as much as 55x, Corero warned in a blog post published Tuesday.
According to the security firm, this new attack vector uses the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), which if combined with an IoT botnet, could break records in DDoS power.
Dave Larson of Corero explains:
"LDAP is not the first, and will not be the last, protocol or service to be exploited in this fashion. Novel amplification attacks like this occur because there are so many open services on the Internet that will respond to spoofed record queries. However, a lot of these attacks could be eased by proper service provider hygiene, by correctly identifying spoofed IP addresses before these requests are admitted to the network."
You can read more on Corero's official website.
How to Protect your Smart Device from being Hacked
1. Change Default Passwords of your connected devices: If you have got any internet-connected device at home or work, change your credentials if it still uses default ones. Keep in mind; Mirai malware scans for default settings.
2. Disable Universal Plug-and-Play (UPnP): UPnP comes enabled by default in every IoT device, which creates a hole in your router's security, allowing malware to infiltrate any part of your local network.
Check for "Universal Plug and Play" features and turn them OFF.
3. Disable Remote Management through Telnet: Go into your router's settings and disable remote management protocol, specifically through Telnet, as this is a protocol used for allowing one computer to control another from a remote location. It has also been used in previous Mirai attacks.
4. Check for Software Updates and Patches: last but not the least, always keep your connected devices and routers up-to-date with the latest vendor firmware.
Check if your IoT device is vulnerable to Mirai malware
There is an online tool called Bullguard's IoT Scanner that can help you check if any IoT device over your network is vulnerable to Mirai malware.
If it detects any, contact the device's manufacturer or lookout for a solution to patch those vulnerable gaps.
The tool makes use of the vulnerability scanning service Shodan for finding unprotected computers and webcams on your home network that are exposed to the public and potentially accessible to hackers.
| 1
|
Miami Gardens, Florida (CNN)Miami Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills criticized the team's owner, Stephen Ross, for his plan to host a fundraiser for President Donald Trump. He told CNN he doesn't mind the blowback he may receive. That has included death threats.On Thursday, following a preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons, Stills said he's gotten "five to 10" death threats in the last 24 hours on social media for his stance."For me I'm trying to lead by example I'm trying to do the work that I feel like God has placed in my heart to do. If it comes with a little bit of kickback, that's okay," he told CNN in Miami Gardens, Florida.At Thursday's game, Stills also knelt during the national anthem. Read MoreRoss will host a roundtable luncheon Friday where attendees will pay up to $100,000 for a photo with the President and $250,000 to listen in on a roundtable discussion, according to the event invitation. Ross is a billionaire real estate developer who is the majority owner of the Related Companies, which oversees luxury gym Equinox Fitness and SoulCycle.The luncheon has resulted in threats to boycott Ross' Equinox and SoulCycle businesses.Stills spoke out on Twitter on Wednesday, saying that Ross' support of Trump does not align with the mission espoused by the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality.🤔 You can't have a non profit with this mission statement then open your doors to Trump. https://t.co/sNBWfEXvLn pic.twitter.com/nNkRf2wJep— Kenny Stills (@KSTiLLS) August 7, 2019
He said he was "baffled" seeing the work that RISE did to eliminate racial discrimination and comparing it with the work that President Trump has done. He said he just didn't see it aligning."There's no hard feelings or beef between us but I think someone has to have enough courage to let him know that you can't play both sides of this," Stills said. "If you're going to associate yourself with bad people then people are going to know about it."Who is the billionaire Equinox owner taking heat for backing Trump?Ross said in a statement to CNN that he still champions inclusion."I have always been an active participant in the democratic process. ... I have known Donald Trump for 40 years, and while we agree on some issues, we strongly disagree on many others and I have never been bashful about expressing my opinions. ... I have been, and will continue to be, an outspoken champion of racial equality, inclusion, diversity, public education and environmental sustainability, and I have and will continue to support leaders on both sides of the aisle to address these challenges," Ross said.Stills hasn't spoken to Ross about his tweet, he said. But even with the potential backlash, Stills says his comments were not meant to be divisive."Everything that I've done in my career is to bring people together. I'm not here to have any divisive conversations or get back in this back and forth about politics. It's just about human beings and like loving and respecting each other and that's not what we're doing right now," Stills said.CNN's Madeline Holcombe wrote this story in Atlanta. CNN's Coy Wire reported from Miami Gardens, Florida.
| 0
|
(CNN)One physician had his prescription pad taken away after he repeatedly failed tests assessing his competency. Another was banned from treating mentally ill inmates and accused of endangering nursing home patients by prescribing excessive dosages of medications. At least three others had criminal convictions for illegal prescribing. Avanir Pharmaceuticals paid nearly 500 doctors to speak or consult on its drug, Nuedexta, between 2013 and 2016, according to government data. Through a review of the top prescribers and top paid physicians in this group, CNN identified a dozen who have been disciplined by state medical boards. These offenses included the harmful treatment of nursing home residents and "grossly negligent acts" involving the inappropriate prescribing of dangerous and addictive drugs -- resulting in probation, suspension, fines and revoked licenses. Original investigation: The little red pill being pushed on the elderlyRead MoreNuedexta is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat a rare condition marked by uncontrollable laughing and crying, called pseudobulbar affect (PBA). But in a recent investigation, CNN found repeated examples where state regulators discovered doctors had prescribed Nuedexta to dementia patients, purportedly for PBA, when it was actually being used to control unruly behaviors. This medication has experienced a massive jump in sales in recent years, propelled by prescriptions to nursing home residents for whom the drug may not be necessary or even safe. After CNN's initial report, the Los Angeles city attorney announced that it was launching a probe into Avanir, examining whether the company broke state or federal laws in the sale, marketing or prescribing of Nuedexta. The city attorney said it will likely examine certain doctors paid by the company as part of this. They are basically being signed up as a sales force.
Michael Santoro, Santa Clara University professor
Former Avanir employees say that the company's speaker program, where Avanir seeks out physicians and pharmacists to present about the drug to everyone from medical colleagues to nursing home employees and administrators, has been essential to its growing success. Between 2013 and 2016, Avanir and its parent company, Otsuka, paid doctors nearly $14 million for Nuedexta-related consulting, promotional speaking and other services, according to government data. Paying doctors for promotional speaking is legal and is defended as a way for experts in their fields to share important experience and information about medications, but it's long been a controversial practice. When asked about the doctors CNN identified as having disciplinary records, Avanir said in a statement that it works with experienced and knowledgeable doctors to "advance effective treatment options for people suffering from central nervous system disorders," a category that includes Alzheimer's disease.The company noted that it complies with all legal requirements when doing this and said it has a system in place to screen the physicians it works with.Avanir Pharmaceuticals, based in Aliso Viejo, California, is the maker of Nuedexta."Our medical department has in place a robust physician-verification system, which we continually work to refine, to determine if a physician has been disbarred, accurately represented his or her qualifications, and continues to maintain his or her fitness for practice," Avanir said in a statement. "We also rely on the judgments of medical boards, who have responsibility for determining whether a physician is fit to practice and may maintain a medical license. We stand proudly by our work and are dedicated to the patients we serve." At least one of Avanir's speakers is currently under federal government investigation, accused of accepting kickbacks in exchange for prescribing Nuedexta. According to a letter obtained by CNN, the federal government is investigating Cleveland neurologist Deepak Raheja for fraudulently diagnosing patients with PBA in order to secure Medicare coverage for off-label use and increasing dosages of Nuedexta beyond what is recommended. The letter, circulated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this year, alerted insurance providers that work with Medicare to the fraud allegations so that they could take "appropriate measures."
What should we investigate next?
Email Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken
The Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed there is an active investigation into Raheja, but declined further comment. Raheja denied that he had received kickbacks or been involved in any kind of Medicare fraud in his 25 years of practice. According to government data, Raheja received nearly $300,000 in payments for speaking about Nuedexta, as well as meals and travel, from the drugmaker between 2013 and 2016. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which represents drugmakers across the country, said companies should strive to work with speakers who meet ethical and professional standards. "In the rare instance where there is an outlier," the group said on its website, "companies take corrective action." City of Los Angeles opens probe into drugmaker following CNN reportAcademics interviewed by CNN who have researched pharmaceutical payments and industry ethics said physicians associated with research institutions -- and even some strict private practices -- are typically barred by their employers from these relationships entirely, and there is a concern that those doctors willing to accept large amounts of money from pharmaceutical companies will tend to be more likely to put financial incentives ahead of patient care. JUST WATCHEDIs your doctor being paid by a drug company?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHIs your doctor being paid by a drug company? 02:18Michael Santoro, a Santa Clara University professor and an expert in pharmaceutical industry ethics, said the use of doctors with these kinds of pasts is problematic, calling it a "scheme" used by the company to sell more pills. "The doctors who are being paid are obviously not scientific leaders," he said. "They are not practitioner leaders either, it would appear. They are basically being signed up as a sales force. Even those who would advocate a strong view of the propriety of paying thought leaders would not approve of these kinds of payments." Avanir said it "vehemently oppose(s) any mischaracterization" of its interactions with physicians and other members of the medical community, explaining that these relationships are ethical and are used as a way to share important information and raise awareness of medical conditions and treatments that could help patients. Drugmaker's ties to nonprofits pose 'conflict of interest'And while many of the medical board issues identified by CNN among Avanir speakers involved the prescribing of powerful opioids and psychotropics, one case centers on the use of Nuedexta. Oregon physician Robert Tilley had already been banned from providing mental health treatment to inmates when he was summoned to face the state medical board yet again -- this time for his prescribing of Nuedexta, among other concerns regarding his care of four nursing home patients. Our medical department has in place a robust physician-verification system...Avanir PharmaceuticalsThis complaint, filed in 2016 by the Oregon Medical Board, accused Tilley of attempting to prescribe the medication to a 66-year-old nursing home resident when there was no support for a PBA diagnosis. Tilley's attempt to initiate treatment of a patient with Nuedexta when it was not medically needed, the board stated, "constitutes gross or repeated acts of negligence and subjected patient A to the risk of harm." The state's complaint also alleged that Tilley had placed these patients in danger by inappropriately prescribing medications, altering dosages and discontinuing drugs, without explaining the rationale. One of his patients, a 68-year-old man who suffered from schizophrenia and was on dialysis, died after Tilley unnecessarily doubled his methadone and prescribed him an additional opioid, according to the medical board complaint. Another patient, a 62-year-old, wheelchair-bound man with dementia, ended up being treated for an overdose in the emergency room after Tilley prescribed him a powerful cocktail of opioids and other drugs. When the patient returned to the nursing home, Tilley then prescribed the same patient "excessive dosages" of methadone, in addition to an opioid and a benzodiazepine, the medical board stated. Despite these allegations involving nursing home patients and Nuedexta use, his active ban from treating prisoners, and at least four separate malpractice lawsuit settlements, government data shows Tilley was being paid by Avanir to speak publicly about Nuedexta. Tilley received $22,125 in speaking payments, travel and meals from Avanir between 2015 and 2016. He was also one of Nuedexta's top Medicare prescribers in 2015, writing hundreds of prescriptions for more than 50 patients (adding up to more than $200,000), according to government data. How much is your doctor getting paid by drug companies?Tilley said he has been unfairly targeted by the state medical board after complaints were filed against him because of personal vendettas. He denied any wrongdoing, and said he would never overprescribe a medication or otherwise harm a patient. "If I were incompetent, why would they be letting me practice?" he said, noting that the board actions had not resulted in the revocation of his license. He blamed the death of his patient referenced in the board's complaint on the nursing home, which he said took the resident to other physicians who prescribed narcotics on top of the methadone that Tilley had administered. He also said he became a speaker for Avanir only after he had already been prescribing Nuedexta and had seen some success with it in his patients. He said that he never broke any laws and that he only prescribed Nuedexta if they suffered from PBA or he thought it could benefit them, noting that it had far fewer side effects than dangerous antipsychotic medications often used to treat these patients. He also said that he carefully monitored for side effects and would discontinue Nuedexta if it didn't seem to be working. He said he generally stopped the medication for about half of the patients he put on the drug. The 2016 complaint about the prescribing of Nuedexta and other drugs in nursing homes is still pending, meaning there has not yet been a final board action or finding of wrongdoing. He also denied the charges against him regarding his improper treatment of prisoners, though he settled the case. Tilley said he has since retired from practicing medicine altogether and that he gave his most recent and final presentation on Nuedexta earlier this year. Offenses included the harmful treatment of nursing home residents and "grossly negligent acts" involving the inappropriate prescribing of dangerous and addictive drugs.Most of the Nuedexta speakers identified by CNN with medical board actions were reprimanded for their treatment of the elderly, excessive or illegal prescribing practices, or insurance fraud. State prosecutors accused Florida psychiatrist Gregg Friedman of billing the Medicaid program more than $1 million, for example, saying that much of the money was for patient visits that never happened. In 2000, he was charged with felony grand theft and "organized scheme to defraud," in addition to 18 counts of Medicaid fraud. CNN wasn't able to determine the resolution of his criminal case because the records were destroyed under state retention laws. But the state medical board took action, suspending Friedman's license and putting him on probation for five years. He settled the case without admitting guilt. Friedman, who has traveled around the country at Avanir's expense long after he was disciplined by the board, received hundreds of payments from Avanir and Otsuka between 2013 and 2016 -- totaling nearly $200,000. When reached by CNN reporters by phone, Friedman hung up after being asked about his work with Nuedexta. He did not respond to subsequent requests for comment. CNN identified other doctors who had clean records when they started speaking for Avanir, but landed in trouble while working for the company. Sign up to receive updates about this and other CNN investigationsNew Jersey psychiatrist Dinesh Patel appeared to have an untarnished record until he came under investigation by the state in March last year, and was found to have inappropriately kept a patient on lithium for more than a decade. But even after being placed on probation by the state medical board for "gross negligence" in the treatment of this patient, who ultimately suffered kidney failure, Patel continued to receive thousands of dollars in speaking payments from Avanir and Otsuka. Government data shows a payment was made to him as recently as November 2016 (though it's unclear when that speech was made), and Patel received almost $80,000 from Avanir between 2013 and 2016 -- most of which was for speaking. As part of Patel's probation with the medical board, he was ordered to complete a comprehensive assessment of his skills, and failed three different exams about psychiatry, ethics and the therapeutic uses and effects of drugs. After that, the medical board demanded in November of 2016 that he stop all prescribing -- limiting him to only verbal psychiatry. Even after completing recommended education and retaking the exams, he failed all three again and proceeded to permanently retire from medical practice (without admission of wrongdoing) and voluntarily retire his New Jersey medical license in July of 2017. Patel declined to comment for this story, but he did confirm that he is no longer a practicing psychiatrist. Avanir confirmed that the company no longer has "contractual" relationships with Patel, Friedman or Tilley.
Email Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken at watchdog@cnn.com.
CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn and Sergio Hernandez contributed to this report. Illustration by Megan Pendergrass.
| 0
|
Story highlightsWorld No. 1 Serena Williams wins her third successive match at WTA ChampionshipsAmerican beats Petra Kvitova in straight sets to reach semifinals of season-ending eventThird seed Agnieszka Radwanska is out after losing to Germany's Angelique KerberChina's world No. 5 Li Na wins again in other group, faces Victoria Azarenka in deciderSerena Williams became the first woman through to the semifinals of the season-ending WTA Championships on Thursday, winning her third successive match in Istanbul.The world No. 1 trounced former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 6-2 6-3 in just 72 minutes to secure top spot in the Red Group.The American has now won her past 13 matches at the event, passing Chris Evert to have the second-best unbeaten streak behind Martina Navratilova's 21 in a row from 1983 to 1987."I feel pretty good -- I was really aggressive tonight," Williams said after extending her career record to 5-0 against the fourth-seeded Czech, firing 27 winners -- with 11 aces -- and making just 13 unforced errors.Read: Azarenka beaten in Istanbul"Petra was aggressive too, but I think my serve did really well. I'm just glad to still be alive in the tournament -- I didn't have any expectations coming here, I just wanted to come here and enjoy myself, and that's what I've done. "It just feels good to not be out of the tournament." JUST WATCHEDWhat do star tennis players eat?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhat do star tennis players eat? 02:57JUST WATCHEDDmitry Tursunov's tour of Kuala LumpurReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDmitry Tursunov's tour of Kuala Lumpur 03:03JUST WATCHEDWawrinka ready for singles successReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWawrinka ready for singles success 06:11JUST WATCHEDA workout with David Ferrer ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHA workout with David Ferrer 03:59However, Polish third seed Agnieszka Radwanska is out after losing 6-2 6-2 to Angelique Kerber.The German now has a 1-1 record, as does Kvitova, ahead of their winner-take-all clash on Friday.In the White Group, Li Na is "one foot" away from making another piece of tennis history.Already the first Chinese player to win a grand slam singles title, and the first to be ranked in the top five, she will now seek to reach the semifinals of the WTA Championships for the first time.Read: Serena 'so focused' in IstanbulTwo previous attempts have ended in disappointment, going home with a 1-2 record on each occasion, but the 31-year-old is in touching distance this year after winning her second successive match in Istanbul."It was tight, but at least it's better than the last two years, because now I've got one foot in the semis -- but another foot still out of the door, so I have to see how it goes tomorrow," she said.Li faces world No. 2 Victoria Azarenka in her final round-robin match, and may still go through even if she loses -- depending on the result of Friday's other White Group clash between Jelena Jankovic and Sara Errani.Li beat Jankovic 6-3 2-6 6-3 on Thursday in the first match this week to go to three sets, leaving Serbia's former world No. 1 with a 1-1 record ahead of her final match against Errani -- who is out of contention following two defeats.Azarenka, who beat Li in January's Australian Open final when she was the top-ranked woman, also has a win and a loss.The Belorussian has won their past five encounters, including at the WTA Championships in 2011 and 2012, but has been in poor form recently with just one win in four matches since losing the U.S. Open final to Williams.Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov -- known earlier in his career as "Baby Federer" -- will face the real thing in Friday's quarterfinals at the Swiss Indoors event.The Bulgarian, who claimed his first ATP Tour title in Stockholm last weekend, earned a clash with 17-time grand slam winner Roger Federer by beating Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 6-2.Defending champion Juan Martin del Potro set up a clash with French qualifier Paul-Henri Mathieu, while Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Daniel Brands also went through to the last eight.World No. 3 David Ferrer reached the quarterfinals of his home Valencia Open, where he will play fifth seed Jerzy Janowicz, but American No. 4 John Isner was upset by Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.
| 0
|
Here's a look at the life of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. PersonalBirth date: July 3, 1971Birth place: Townsville, Queensland, AustraliaFather: John ShiptonRead MoreMother: Christine (Hawkins) AssangeChildren: with Stella Moris: Max and GabrielOther FactsWhen he was a year old, his mother married Brett Assange, who adopted him. Guest-starred as himself on the 500th episode of "The Simpsons" in 2012. He recorded his lines over the phone from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he was granted asylum for nearly seven years.Timeline2006 - WikiLeaks is founded by Assange. 2007 - WikiLeaks posts the procedures manual for Camp Delta, the US detention center in Guantánamo Bay.April 5, 2010 - WikiLeaks posts a video showing a US military helicopter firing on and killing two journalists and several Iraqi civilians in 2007. The military claims that the helicopter crew believed the targets were armed insurgents, not civilians. July 25, 2010 - WikiLeaks posts more than 90,000 classified documents related to the Afghanistan war.August 20, 2010 - Swedish prosecutors issue an arrest warrant for Assange based on allegations of sexual assault. August 21, 2010 - The Swedish prosecutor's office announces it is rescinding the arrest warrant.August 31, 2010 - Assange is questioned by Stockholm police and told of the charges against him.October 22, 2010 - WikiLeaks publishes classified military documents from the Iraq war.November 20, 2010 - The Stockholm Criminal Court issues an international arrest warrant for Assange.November 28, 2010 - WikiLeaks begins publishing diplomatic cables from US embassies. December 7, 2010 - Turns himself in to London authorities. Assange is remanded in custody.December 16, 2010 - Is released on bail and put on house arrest.February 24, 2011 - A judge rules in support of Assange's extradition to Sweden. Assange's lawyers file an appeal. April 24, 2011 - WikiLeaks begins releasing classified military documents providing details on the behavior and treatment of detainees being held at the US Navy's detention facility at Guantánamo Bay.September 2, 2011 - WikiLeaks releases its archive of more than a quarter million US diplomatic cables. November 2, 2011 - Appeals court judges in London rule in favor of Assange being extradited to Sweden.November 15, 2011 - The UK Judicial Office announces Assange has applied to take his appeal against extradition to Sweden to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.May 30, 2012 - The British Supreme Court denies Assange's appeal against extradition to Sweden but grants him two weeks to file an appeal. This is unusual, because rulings are supposed to be final.June 19, 2012 - Assange enters the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, requesting political asylum.August 16, 2012 - Ecuador announces it has granted asylum to Assange.August 19, 2012 - Makes a public address from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, demanding that the United States drop its "witch-hunt" against WikiLeaks. September 26, 2012 - Delivers a speech via satellite to a full conference room at the United Nations, asking the US government to end its actions against him and his website. The event is held by the Mission of Ecuador on UN grounds but is not officially sponsored by the world body.November 2012 - Assange's book, "Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet," is published.February 10, 2015 - Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe tells LBC Radio the operation guarding Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London is "sucking our resources in" as costs spiral to more than 10 million pounds ($15.3 million).May 11, 2015 - The Swedish Supreme Court denies Assange's appeal to dismiss an arrest warrant for allegations of sexual assault.July 3, 2015 - France rejects Assange's request for "protection" after he publishes an open letter in national newspaper Le Monde.August 13, 2015 - Swedish prosecutors announce they are dropping allegations involving sexual molestation and coercion as statutes of limitations in the investigation run out this month. However, the allegation of suspicion of rape still stands, and he may be investigated until 2020, Swedish prosecutors have said.February 5, 2016 - A UN rights working group says its investigation found that Assange is being arbitrarily detained by the governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom. May 25, 2016 - A Swedish court upholds the arrest warrant for Assange, with a Swedish prosecutor saying there's still probable cause to prosecute him on a rape allegation and that "the risk of him evading justice is still large."July 22, 2016 - WikiLeaks publishes nearly 20,000 emails from Democratic National Committee staffers. The hacked emails appear to show the committee favoring presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders during the US presidential primary. On July 29, Assange tells CNN's Anderson Cooper that the email release was timed to coincide with the start of the Democratic National Convention.September 15, 2016 - WikiLeaks announces via Twitter that "If Obama grants Manning clemency, Assange will agree to US prison in exchange, despite its clear unlawfulness," referring to Chelsea Manning, the imprisoned former Army intelligence analyst convicted of violating the Espionage Act. September 16, 2016 - A Swedish appeals court states again that the arrest warrant for Assange on allegations of rape still stands. This is the eighth time the European arrest warrant has been tested in a Swedish court. All eight judgments have gone against Assange.October 7, 2016 - WikiLeaks begins publishing hacked emails from Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta. November 14, 2016 - WikiLeaks tweets that Assange is giving a statement in the presence of a Swedish prosecutor regarding allegations he sexually assaulted two women in the country six years ago.January 3, 2017 - During an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News, Assange says that the Russian government was not the source of the hacked DNC emails. He also denies talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin and says he did not have contact with the campaign for US President-elect Donald Trump.April 20, 2017 - US Attorney General Jeff Sessions announces that the Department of Justice is preparing charges for Assange, and that his arrest is a "priority."May 19, 2017 - Swedish prosecutors drop their investigation of rape allegations against Assange, ending a nearly seven-year legal impasse.December 12, 2017 - Becomes a naturalized citizen of Ecuador.March 27, 2018 - Assange's internet communications outside of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London are suspended for at least the second time since October 2016. The government accuses him of failing to commit to an agreement not to release messages interfering with other nations' affairs.October 19, 2018 - Assange directs his legal team to launch proceedings against the government of Ecuador for "violating his fundamental rights."October 29, 2018 - Assange's lawsuit against Ecuador is rejected by an Ecuadorean court. During a video-linked hearing, Judge Karla Martinez alerts Assange he will have to abide by the new rules imposed by Ecuador's embassy in London.November 2018 - An inadvertent court filing in a case unrelated to Assange reveals that the WikiLeaks founder has been charged under seal in a US federal court. "Another procedure short of sealing will not adequately protect the needs of law enforcement at this time because, due to the sophistication of the defendant and the publicity surrounding the case, no other procedure is likely to keep confidential the fact that Assange has been charged," prosecutors wrote in the August 22 filing that was unsealed on November 8. The US Justice Department investigation of Assange and WikiLeaks dates to at least 2010.November 27, 2018 - The Guardian reports that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort secretly met with Assange several times inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, including around the time Manafort was made a top figure in the Trump campaign. The Guardian, citing sources, reports Manafort met with Assange in 2013, 2015 and in the spring of 2016. Manafort denies ever meeting Assange.April 11, 2019 - Assange is arrested by the Metropolitan Police in London on an extradition warrant from the US Justice Department. He is charged with conspiracy to attempt to hack a computer in connection with the 2010 release of classified military info obtained via Manning. Assange's attorney says the indictment is troubling because of its implications for freedom of the press. On May 23, it is announced that Assange has been charged with 17 additional counts under the Espionage Act.May 1, 2019 - Is sentenced to 50 weeks in a UK prison after he is found guilty of violating his bail conditions when he entered Ecuador's London embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden in 2012. Judge Deborah Taylor says Assange will be eligible for release after serving half the sentence, but that any parole would be "subject to conditions and outcome of any other proceedings" against him.July 15, 2019 - CNN reports on newly obtained documents that describe how Assange transformed the Ecuadorian embassy into a command center and orchestrated a series of damaging disclosures that rocked the 2016 presidential campaign in the United States. A day later, former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa says his country was aware that Assange was interfering in the 2016 US presidential election while staying at the embassy.November 19, 2019 - Sweden's deputy chief prosecutor announces that authorities are ending their investigation into an allegation of rape against Assange. The investigation into Assange was reopened in May following his removal from Ecuador's embassy in central London the previous month.April 11, 2020 - In a video posted online and shared by Wikileaks, Stella Moris reveals that she and Assange had two sons while he was living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Moris is part of the international legal team working for Assange, but she is not involved in the current extradition case. June 24, 2020 - The US Justice Department announces a second superseding indictment against Assange. The Justice Department alleges Assange recruited hackers to obtain information for WikiLeaks, but does not add any new charges.January 4, 2021 - A British judge rejects a US request to extradite Assange to America, ruling that such a move would be "oppressive" by reason of his mental health.January 6, 2021 - A British judge denies bail for Assange, ruling that "there are substantial grounds for believing that if Mr. Assange is released today he would fail to surrender to court and face the appeal proceedings."July 26, 2021 - The Judicial Branch of Ecuador rules in favor of revoking the citizenship of Assange. The court's decision nullifies Assange's status as a naturalized citizen of Ecuador, which was granted to him in 2017. December 10, 2021 - US authorities win their bid to overturn a British judge's ruling that Assange should not be extradited to face charges in the United States, on the basis of assurances given about his treatment there.
| 0
|
RiskRanker : A New malware detection technique
For many years, mobile security experts have been fighting an uphill battle against malware, which has been steadily and dramatically increasing in both volume and sophistication. Well, NQ Mobile's Mobile Security Research Center, in collaboration with North Carolina State University disclosed a new way to detect mobile threats without relying on known malware samples and their signatures.
"In the current scenario malicious software is present in the market place, ready to create havoc as soon as it is downloaded onto a device. Malware is discovered only after it has done irreversible damage. Existing mobile anti-virus software are inadequate in their reactive nature by relying on known malware samples for signature extraction. RiskRanker crushes the mean motives of the culprit by detecting any malicious content while it is still in the app market."
RiskRanker is a unique analysis system that can automatically detect whether a particular app exhibits dangerous behavior. It differs from other malware tools by identifying apps with risky behavior while they are in the app market and before they make their way to a user's phone.
"RiskRanker employs a unique two-step method of discovering malware," said by NQ Mobile's Vice President of Research, Dr. Simon Shihong Zou.
In a trial run earlier this year RiskRanker scanned over one hundred thousand apps from a variety of marketplaces that provide Android applications and identified 718 malware threats, including 322 zero-day threats. "The development of RiskRanker is another demonstration of NQ Mobile's leadership in mobile security and privacy," said NQ Mobile Chief Product Officer, Gavin Kim.
| 1
|
The Metropolitan Police have issued an urgent warning about a new ransom malware that is in circulation. Ransomware (also referred to in some cases as cryptoviruses, cryptotrojans or cryptoworms) comprises a class of malware which restricts access to the computer system that it infects, and demands a ransom paid to the creator of the malware in order for the restriction to be removed.
"The "malware" infects personal computers after users have accessed certain websites. *(It should be noted that there are several similar designs currently in circulation)"
Ransomware typically propagates like a typical computer worm, entering a system through, for example, a downloaded file or a vulnerability in a network service. The program will then run a payload which will begin to encrypt personal files on the hard drive. More sophisticated ransomware may hybrid-encrypt the victim's plaintext with a random symmetric key and a fixed public key.
The malware author is the only party that knows the needed private decryption key. Some ransomware payloads do not use encryption. In these cases, the payload is simply an application designed to effectively restrict interaction with the system, typically by overriding explorer.exe in the Windows registry as the default shell, or even modify the master boot record, not allowing the operating system to start at all until it is repaired.
We request readers to share this article with your friends on all social networks to alert them that this is a fraud and users are advised not to pay out any monies or hand out any bank details.
Police advice - "We would advise anyone who has been deceived by such a message and parted with any money to report the offence to their local police by dialling "101" or your local police. Virus/Malware infections where no money has been lost can be logged at www.actionfraud.org.uk/report_fraud."
Modern ransomware attacks were initially popular within Russia, but in recent years there have been an increasing number of ransomware attacks targeted towards other countries, such as Australia, Germany, and the United States among others.
In order to reduce the chances of being infected by this or similar malware we strongly recommend to use Some Best Antiviruses and never forget to update your software & potential vulnerabilities. Subscribe to The Hacker News Daily free Newsletter for Latest updates.
| 1
|
With a heavy heart, security researchers have early released the details of a set of vulnerabilities discovered in email clients for two widely used email encryption standards—PGP and S/MIME—after someone leaked their paper on the Internet, which was actually scheduled for tomorrow.
PGP and S/MIME are popular end-to-end encryption standards used to encrypt emails in a way that no one, not even the company, government, or cyber criminals, can spy on your communication.
Before explaining how the vulnerability works, it should be noted that the flaw doesn't reside in the email encryption standards itself; instead, it affects a few email clients/plugins that incorrectly implemented the technologies.
Dubbed eFail by the researchers, the vulnerabilities, as described in our previous early-warning article, could allow potential attackers to decrypt the content of your end-to-end encrypted emails in plaintext, even for messages sent in the past.
According to the paper released by a team of European security researchers, the vulnerabilities exist in the way encrypted email clients handle HTML emails and external resources, like loading of images, styles from external URLs.
Here's How the eFail Attack Works:
Email clients are usually configured to automatically decrypt the content of encrypted emails you receive, but if your client is also configured to load external resources automatically, attackers can abuse this behavior to steal messages in plaintext just by sending you a modified version of the same encrypted email content.
The attack vector requires injected plaintext into the encrypted mail, and then using the exploit, it will exfiltrate the originally encrypted data as soon as any recipient's mail client accesses (or decrypts) the message
It should be noted that to perform an eFail attack, an attacker must have access to your encrypted emails, which is then modified in the following way and send back to you in order to trick your email client into revealing the secret message to the remote attacker without alerting you.
As described in the proof-of-concept attack released by the researchers, the attacker uses one of the encrypted messages you are supposed to receive or might have already received and then turns it into a multipart HTML email message, as well as forges the return address, so it appears to come from the original sender.
In the newly composed email, the attacker adds an unclosed image tag, like this <img src="https://attackersite.com/ just before the encrypted content and ends it by adding the end of the image tag, like this: .jpg">, as clearly shown in the screenshot.
When your vulnerable email client receives this message, it decrypts the encrypted part of the message given in the middle, and then automatically tries to render the HTML content, i.e., the image tag with all the decrypted text as the new name of the image, as shown below.
Since your email client will try to load the image from the attacker-controlled server, the attacker can capture this incoming request, where the filename contains the full content of the original encrypted email in plaintext.
Although PGP has been designed to show you a warning note if the integrity of your email is compromised, a few email clients do not display these warnings, allowing any potential attackers to perform eFail attacks successfully.
How To Prevent Against eFail Attacks
Generally, it is a very tough job for an advisory to even intercept your encrypted emails, but for people desperately using email encryption always attract well-resourced and sophisticated attackers.
Ditching the use of PGP or S/MIME to prevent eFail attacks would be stupid advice, as it is quite easy to mitigate the reported issues.
Users can switch to a good email client that always shows a warning when the integrity of the emails is compromised and doesn't render HTML emails by default to prevent loading of external resources automatically.
Researchers also advise users to adopt an authenticated encryption algorithm for sensitive communication.
The research was conducted by a team of researchers, including Damian Poddebniak, Christian Dresen, Fabian Ising, and Sebastian Schinzel from Munster University of Applied Sciences; Jens Müller, Juraj Somorovsky, and Jörg Schwenk from Ruhr University Bochum; and Simon Friedberger from KU Leuven.
For more in-depth details on the attack technique, you can head on to this informational page about the eFail attack and the paper [PDF] titled, "Efail: Breaking S/MIME and OpenPGP Email Encryption using Exfiltration Channels," published by the researchers.
| 1
|
Story highlightsCarlsbad is golf's version of Silicon ValleyClub manufacturer Cobra uses space technology in driverRival company Callaway teams up with Boeing (CNN)Since golfers first bunted leather balls around Scottish links, they have searched for equipment to make them better -- and longer.From the original crude sticks to hickory-shafted clubs, through steel, titanium and carbon-fiber drivers, the game's "arms race" shows no sign of slowing. In fact, it has gone into orbit. Literally.Follow @cnnsport
In the constant battle to beat the competition, to help players hit the ball further than ever before, one company has gone to space to develop its latest clubs.READ: Why Jason Day is 'Tiger-esque'Read MoreCobra Puma, the brand favored by the world's fifth-ranked golfer Rickie Fowler, is pioneering materials and technologies tested on the International Space Station, via its partnership with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS.)Its recent King LTD driver even features a "spaceport" -- a see-through window on the sole of the club allowing the golfer to view its inner makeup.READ: The world's best par-3 holes Other brands are also branching out too. Callaway has teamed up with aerospace giant Boeing to improve the aerodynamics of its XR driver, used by Masters champion Danny Willett. Others have sought inspiration from the field of automotive design. The battle for supremacy shows no sign of letting up, particularly in Carlsbad -- golf's equivalent of Silicon Valley -- where big names such as Callaway, TaylorMade, Cobra Puma and Titleist are based. JUST WATCHEDCould this change the way we play golf?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCould this change the way we play golf? 08:02"There are a lot of very smart people working and thinking about golf clubs every day," Cobra Puma's vice-president of research and development, Tom Olsavsky, told CNN."It can be very interesting if you go to lunch somewhere outside the building. You have to look around and make sure there are no competitors. READ: How 'brotherly love' fueled Willett's Masters win"We definitely feel like we're in an arms race. We're always challenging ourselves to beat the other guys."Despite a reported downturn, the golf industry is still worth about $70 billion in the U.S. alone. JUST WATCHEDWhere is golf heading in 2016?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhere is golf heading in 2016? 10:52Every year or so -- and more often for some -- the manufacturers bring out new products boasting extra distance, more forgiveness (which reduces the effects of a bad contact on the ball), better accuracy and more consistency.In drivers, distance is still the holy grail, followed by forgiveness. Some sacrifice one over the other, some try to do both.As well as developing new materials, manufacturers dream up all manner of gizmos to help the "story": moveable weights to alter ball flight; adjustable hosels to change loft and lie; channels; slots; turbulators; speed crowns; smartpads; pink, white, blue club heads. And those spaceports.The marketing departments go into overdrive. Sexy slogans are crafted. ObsoleteCallaway gave us "Forgiveness Meets Fast" and "Built for Outrageous Speed," then there's Cobra's "The Ultimate Distance Machine," Titleist's "Distance Without Compromise," PING's "Faster. Straighter. Longer" and TaylorMade's "The Definition of Distance."New club, new combination of buzzwords. New price tags. TaylorMade's latest M1 driver came with a recommended retail price of $499, while Callaway's XR was $349, Cobra's King Ltd. and Titleist's 915 D3 were $449 and Ping's G LS Tec was $399.READ: Why Tiger Woods turned down John Daly's beer invitationIt's a far cry from even the modern birth of the game's arms race almost four decades ago, when the first steel-headed "woods" were introduced.In 1979, golf salesman Gary Adams launched TaylorMade with his original metal wood, dubbed the "Pittsburgh Persimmon" in honor of the type of timber long used in traditional woods.The takeover of metal woods was more of a trickle than a torrent -- it wasn't until 1988 that a player using a metal wood won a major, when Curtis Strange lifted the U.S. Open with a TaylorMade Burner driver.Two years later, Ely Callaway -- a former soldier, textiles executive and wine maker -- tapped into the skills of workers from the fading aerospace industry in Carlsbad, California and launched his iconic over-sized Big Bertha metal driver. The race was on. Persimmon would soon be obsolete.American Dustin Johnson was the longest hitter on the PGA Tour in 2015.'Indisputably better'However, it's not a free-for-all.Myriad rules -- laid down by governing bodies the United States Golf Association and the R&A -- are in place to curb technology. To conform, clubs must not exceed 48 inches long, while the head of a driver must not be bigger than 460 cubic centimeters. Plus, there are strict laws that govern the "spring" of the face. Although there is a whacky world of non-conforming designs out there, the game's big-name manufacturers are working feverishly within these parameters. In 1980, when persimmon ruled, the biggest hitter on the PGA Tour was Dan Pohl with an average driving distance of 274.3 yards. In 2015, 40 players on the PGA Tour recorded an average of more than 300 yards, with the leader Dustin Johnson at 317.7 yards."The clubs are indisputably better," former Golf.com managing editor Eamon Lynch told CNN. "But no one is more willing to believe in the promise of a technologically advanced, store-bought solution than a golfer with a crappy swing."Bubba Watson wields his pink driver to devastating effect.IncrementalSo what's next? Manufacturers have differing views on where their focus should be, with moveable weights, face technology, head shape and weight all key battlegrounds.Most seem to agree that a club's center of gravity -- which affects launch, spin, feel and ultimately distance -- is the priority in the next few years."Some companies spend a lot of time talking about aerodynamics but we see that as a very small gain because club heads are already pretty aerodynamic," Cobra Puma's Olsavsky says.READ: Musical golfer on Brazil's party people"We believe the trend is low and further-back center gravity (CG). Better use of materials, investing in carbon fiber crowns and improved CG is where the industry is headed."Whether the gains will be incremental, or whether there will be another big leap forward, depends on your time frame."If you buy a driver every year, yes, you would see more incremental changes than innovative," Olsavsky adds."If you don't buy a driver very often -- say every four, five or six years -- the change will be pretty revolutionary and you will notice a big difference."Danny Willett won the Masters with a new Callaway driver in the bag. For the pros used to switching in and out of the best equipment, marginal gains are important."Callaway only bring products to me when they know it's going to perform better than what I've got at the minute," Willett told a Callaway prodcast. "I did a lot of testing with the XR driver at home over the winter and put it in the bag right away. It did exactly what they said it would for my game. It gave me more ball speed and control of my ball flight and it was a win-win." READ: Is the Players Championship really the fifth major?Not all amateur golfers are convinced."If they kept adding an extra five yards every time, we'd all be hitting it 350 yards by now," says Ed Light, an eight-handicap golfer from Cranleigh in Surrey, England. "For the price of a new one these days, I tend to think the money's better invested in good quality lessons."JUST WATCHEDDanny Willett claims first major at Masters tournamentReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDanny Willett claims first major at Masters tournament 03:01Nick Russell, a member at Surrey's Walton Heath club, added: "I think technology has helped, but it's not distance I'm looking for as modern clubs and balls all go a long way; it's forgiveness, with a club that sits well and is pleasing to the eye."I am maybe 10 yards longer now than 10 years ago, probably due to technology, but I arguably swing it a bit better too so it's hard to judge."READ: Jordan Spieth's Masters disaster -- the ultimate choke?The elephant in the room in terms of distance is ball technology.Similar amounts of R&D time and money have taken the ball from a hair or feather-filled leather orb to a sleek, dimpled urethane-covered missile.But many, including Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, believe ball development should be reined back to ensure courses are not made obsolete by players hitting longer.The club makers, however, will continue pushing the envelope. Even into the final frontier.Like this story? Get more at cnn.com/golf What are your thoughts on golf's arms race? Have your say on CNN Sport's Facebook page. JUST WATCHEDAround Rio with one of Brazil's top female golfersReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHAround Rio with one of Brazil's top female golfers 05:42
| 0
|
MyHeritage, the Israel-based DNA testing service designed to investigate family history, has disclosed that the company website was breached last year by unknown attackers, who stole login credentials of its more than 92 million customers.
The company learned about the breach on June 4, 2018, after an unnamed security researcher discovered a database file named "myheritage" on a private server located outside of the company, and shared it with MyHeritage team.
After analyzing the file, the company found that the database, which included the email addresses and hashed passwords of nearly 92.3 million users, are of those customers who signed up for the MyHeritage website before October 27, 2017.
While the MyHeritage security team is still investigating the data breach to identify any potential exploitation of its system, the company confirmed that no other data such as credit card details and family trees, genetic data were ever breached and are stored on a separate system.
"Credit card information is not stored on MyHeritage to begin with, but only on trusted third-party billing providers (e.g., BlueSnap, PayPal) utilized by MyHeritage," MyHeritage wrote in a blog post published today.
"Other types of sensitive data such as family trees and DNA data are stored by MyHeritage on segregated systems, separate from those that store the email addresses, and they include added layers of security. We have no reason to believe those systems have been compromised."
MyHeritage also confirmed that there was no evidence of account compromise.
The company also notes that it does not store its customer passwords in plaintext; instead, the affected website uses a hashing algorithm with a unique salt to protect users' passwords, making them more resilient to cracking.
Therefore, your stolen passwords are probably safe, but the company still advised all of its users to change their passwords and keep a stronger and unique one, just to be on the safer side.
MyHeritage said it had hired an independent cybersecurity firm to conduct a forensic investigation of the data breach. The company also said it is adding two-factor authentication feature as an option for users.
| 1
|
Story highlightsSarkozy calls the allegation that he took campaign funds from Gadhafi "grotesque"He challenges Saif al-Islam Gadhafi to produce proof of donations in 2007Sarkozy is running for re-election as president of France, with voting on April 22French President Nicolas Sarkozy has denied taking money from the Gadhafi family during his 2007 run for France's highest office, calling the allegation "grotesque."He said the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi was "known for talking nonsense," and challenged his son Saif al-Islam Gadhafi to produce records of the donations.Sarkozy was responding to allegations which surfaced on the Internet ahead of the French presidential election scheduled for April 22. "I am sorry that a big channel like TF1 is taking from information from the documents from Mr. Gadhafi or his son," Sarkozy said in the interview, which aired on Monday night on TF1."When one quotes Mr. Gadhafi, who is dead, or his son, who is standing trial, the credibility is zero. And when you drag up their accounts with these questions you are asking, you quite degrade this political debate," he said in an attack on interviewer Laurence Ferrari.JUST WATCHEDFrench president: 'Too many foreigners'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHFrench president: 'Too many foreigners' 02:31JUST WATCHEDNo shock in France: Sarkozy will runReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHNo shock in France: Sarkozy will run 06:38Gadhafi was toppled in a civil war last year and killed after several months in hiding. His one-time heir apparent, Saif al-Islam was captured by Libya's new authorities and is awaiting trial.It's the second time in as many weeks that Sarkozy has made headlines with a nationally televised interview.Last week, he said France has too many foreigners and is not integrating them properly."Today we have a problem," Sarkozy said on France 2 TV on March 6."Our system of integration is working worse and worse, because we have too many foreigners on our territory and we can no longer manage to find them accommodation, a job, a school," he said.France places a premium on national identity, pressing the population to put "Frenchness" before religion or national background.Sarkozy is running for a second term in office. He faces a strong challenge from Francois Hollande of the Socialist party and a range of candidates from smaller parties, including the far-right Marine Le Pen.If no candidate wins a majority in the first round, there will be a second round on May 6, with the top two finishers facing off.
| 0
|
Story highlightsSeattle Reign and USWNT star takes knee during pre-game rendition of national anthemAfter game she tweets: "It's the least I can do" (CNN)US soccer international and Seattle Reign midfielder Megan Rapinoe knelt during the national anthem before her team's clash with the Chicago Red Stars in a show of solidarity with San Francisco 49ers' quarterback Colin Kaepernick.After the match, which saw the Reign come away with a 2-2 draw, she said the action was "very intentional." Rapinoe told American Soccer Now that the gesture was a "little nod to Kaepernick and everything that he's standing for right now. Slavery and the national anthem: The surprising history behind Colin Kaepernick's protest"I think it's actually pretty disgusting the way he was treated and the way that a lot of the media has covered it and made it about something that it absolutely isn't. We need to have a more thoughtful, two-sided conversation about racial issues in this country."Kaepernick, the quarterback who took the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2012, ignited a firestorm of criticism last month when he sat in protest during the national anthem for a pre-season game, saying he would not honor a song nor "show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color."I was on board with Kaepernick until....Read MoreSince then he has continued his divisive protest. Ahead of a preseason game against the Chargers he took a knee during the national anthem, saying that he chose to kneel rather than sit to "show more respect for men and women who fight for the country."The US Women's National Team (USWNT) star, in response to a tweet thanking her for the gesture, responded with a tweet saying "It's the least I can do."She added: "Keep the conversation going."It's the least I can do. Keep the conversation going. https://t.co/qwfHcqgV6J— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) September 5, 2016
Show of solidarityRapinoe cited her experiences as a gay American who deals with discrimination in her decision to make the very visible show of support. "Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties," she said. "(The gesture) was something small that I could do and something that I plan to keep doing in the future and hopefully spark some meaningful conversation around it. "It's important to have white people stand in support of people of color on this. We don't need to be the leading voice, of course, but standing in support of them is something that's really powerful."'Star-Spangled Banner' critics miss the pointThe 31-year-old was part of the team that helped the US win the World Cup in 2015. She also played for the USWNT in Rio for the Olympics. Rapinoe is not the first athlete to show solidarity with the sixth-year quarterback. Kaepernick's teammate, safety Eric Reid, knelt beside him before the Chargers game. Former NFL player and Green Beret Nate Boyer, a guest of Kaepernick, stood to the quarterback's left with his right hand over his heart.Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane also sat during the national anthem prior to his team's game against the Oakland Raiders. He told reporters that he felt similarly to what Kaepernick had expressed and wanted to show support for him.#VeteransForKaepernick trends as vets defend NFL player"The media painted this as I'm anti-American. I'm anti-men and women of the military," Kaepernick said after the 49ers' victory against the Chargers. "That's not the case at all."He said he intended to donate the first $1 million he earns this year to different organizations that help communities, although he did not name specific ones."I'm not anti-America," he said. "I love America. I love people. That's why I'm doing this. I want to help make America better."CNN has reached out to Rapinoe, the Seattle Reign and the National Women's Soccer League for comment.CNN's Joe Sutton, Jill Martin, Madison Park and Paul Vercammen contributed to this story.
| 0
|
Zero-day Smartphone Vulnerability exposes location and User Data
Smartphones are increasingly becoming the preferred device for both personal and professional computing, which has also attracted hackers to increase their focus on creating malware and other security vulnerabilities for these devices. A former McAfee researcher "Dmitri Alperovitch" has used a previously unknown hole in smartphone browsers to plant China-based malware that can record calls, pinpoint locations and access user texts and emails.
He conducted the experiment on a phone running Android operating system, although he saysApple Inc.'s iPhones are equally vulnerable. Android is particularly vulnerable because it has become the main operating system for mobile devices. Today most smartphones are android-based therefore there is a huge dividend for hackers to write Android-targeted malware compared to other operating systems.
Alperovitch, who has consulted with the U.S. intelligence community, is scheduled to demonstrate his findings Feb. 29 at the RSA conference in San Francisco, an annual cyber security gathering. Alperovitch and his team reversed engineered the malware called Nickispy and and took control of it.
A nice little piece of Android spyware, commonly known as 'NickiSpy.C' . For those unfamiliar, NickiSpy gained quite a bit of notoriety around July/August 2011, as it was one of the first malicious Android applications to have the ability to record phone calls. Alperovitch said he exploited a so-called zero-day vulnerability in smartphone browsers to secretly install the malware. Zero-day vulnerabilities are ones that are not yet known by the manufacturers and anti-virus companies.
The malware also intercepts texts and emails and tracks the phone's location, he said. In theory, it could be used to infiltrate a corporate network with which the phone connects. Like most pieces of Android spyware/malware, installation is dependant on the end-user. In an experiment he also delivered it through a classic "spear phishing" attack.
Protect from Malware : For Android, the danger is downloading apps outside of Google's App Market . If you're off somewhere getting apps from sources you don't know or trust, there could be consequences. For iPhone users, the line really is whether you jailbreak or not. Jailbreaking can be pretty easy, and getting pirated or bootlegged apps can seem like a great way to save money, but in doing so, you're basically handing out the smart phone equivalent of a front door key to Lord only knows.
| 1
|
UniCredit, an Italian global banking and financial services company, announced today that it suffered a security incident that leaked some personal information belonging to at least 3 million of its domestic customers.
Officially founded in 1870, UniCredit is Italy's biggest banking and financial services and one of the leading European commercial banks with more than 8,500 branches across 17 countries.
What happened? — Though UniCredit did not disclose any details on how the data incident happened, the bank did confirm that an unknown attacker has compromised a file created in 2015 containing three million records relating only to its Italian customers.
What type of information was compromised? — The leaked data contains personal information of 3 million customers, including their:
Names
Cities
Telephone numbers
Email addresses
What type of information was not compromised? — Unicredit confirmed that the compromised user records did not include any other personal data or bank details that would permit attackers access to customer accounts or allow unauthorized transactions.
What is UniCredit now doing? — The company immediately launched an internal investigation to investigate the incident and verify the extent of the breach, as well as informed all the relevant authorities, including law enforcement.
The company has also begun contacting all potentially affected customers by online banking notifications and/or post.
The bank also said it had placed additional security controls to harden the safety and security of its customers' data.
"Customer data safety and security is UniCredit's top priority, and since the 2016 launch of Transform 2019, the Group has invested an additional 2.4 billion euro in upgrading and strengthening its IT systems and cybersecurity," UniCredit said.
"In June 2019, the Group implemented a new strong identification process for access to its web and mobile services, as well as payment transactions. This new process requires a one-time password or biometric identification, further reinforcing its strong security and client protection."
What affected customers should do now? — Affected customers should mainly be suspicious of phishing emails, which are usually the next step of cyber criminals with personal identifying information (PII) in hands in an attempt to trick users into giving away further details like passwords and banking information.
Though the compromised data doesn't include any banking or financial data, it is always a good idea to be vigilant and keep a close eye on your bank and payment card statements for any unusual activity and report to the bank, if you find any.
This is not the first time when UniCredit has been a victim of such a data security incident. In 2017, the bank disclosed two similar data breaches—one occurred between September and October 2016 and another between June and July 2017— that affected nearly 400,000 Italian customers.
| 1
|
Story highlightsMan Utd confirms Jose Mourinho as bossPortuguese coach succeeds Louis van GaalVan Gaal was fired despite FA Cup win (CNN)Life in the English Premier League just got a whole lot more interesting.Manchester United has hired Jose Mourinho as its new manager, with his old La Liga rival Pep Guardiola having already been appointed by neighbor Manchester City.Follow @cnnsport
Mourinho and Guardiola had a volatile relationship during their time in charge of Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively -- and now they will renew that rivalry next season.Read: Man Utd sacks Louis van GaalThe Portuguese, whose appointment was confirmed by United on Friday, succeeds Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford.Read More"To become Manchester United manager is a special honor in the game," Mourinho said in a statement. "It is a club known and admired throughout the world. There is a mystique and a romance about it which no other club can match."Dutchman Van Gaal was dismissed Monday, only two days after his team had won the FA Cup final at Wembley to lift United's first major trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013. But he failed to secure qualification for next season's Champions League as the club finished fifth in the Premier League.JUST WATCHEDPremier League: Chelsea has fired star managerReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPremier League: Chelsea has fired star manager 01:39Former Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Madrid manager Mourinho had been linked heavily with taking over at United in recent months.The Red Devils had reportedly been tracking the 53-year-old since he left Chelsea in December, with speculation of a managerial change growing as Van Gaal's side struggled for form and results.Glory days to return?He now tackles the challenge of restoring United to its former glories.The club has struggled for success since Ferguson, who spent 27 years at Old Trafford, winning 13 Premier League titles and the Champions League twice, retired."José is quite simply the best manager in the game today," said United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward."He has won trophies and inspired players in countries across Europe and, of course, he knows the Premier League very well, having won three titles here."I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome him to Manchester United. His track record of success is ideal to take the club forward."Mourinho -- also linked with the manager's job at Paris Saint-Germain -- is likely to be given a large transfer budget as he attempts to put United back on top.PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Everton defender John Stones are among the big-name players linked with moves to the club.Mourinho, who has often spoken of his admiration for United, will be keen to make amends for the way in which his second spell at Chelsea came to an end after the Blues, then defending Premier League champion, slumped to nine defeats in its first 16 games.Despite that dismal run of results, he possesses one of the most impressive CVs in football management.JUST WATCHEDLooking back on Mourinho's Chelsea reign ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHLooking back on Mourinho's Chelsea reign 02:36He guided unfancied Porto to a shock Champions League win in 2004 and then took Chelsea to a first title triumph in 50 years in 2005.At Inter, he won the Champions League, Italian league and Italian Cup treble in 2010 before moving to Madrid. There, he lifted the 2012 Spanish title before returning to Chelsea a year later and leading the London club to another Premier League crown in 2015.Mou's controversiesMourinho has often been at the center of controversies during his career.Fellow managers Arsene Wenger, Rafael Benitez and Manuel Pellegrini, as well as Guardiola, have all had run-ins with him.Mourinho often tried to goad Guardiola, who would frequently refuse to respond to his remarks.Their rivalry erupted a few months later when Mourinho poked Guardiola's then assistant manager, Tito Vilanova, in the eye during a pitchside scuffle as Real and Barcelona faced each other.During the first game of the 2015-16 Premier League season, Mourinho was criticised for his treatment of Chelsea club doctor Eva Carneiro.Next month, he is due to appear at an employment tribunal into her departure from Stamford Bridge. Photos: Louis van Gaal sacked Photos: Louis van Gaal sackedLouis van Gaal has been sacked as manager of Manchester United.Hide Caption 1 of 5 Photos: Louis van Gaal sackedFormer Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly set to take over from the Dutchman.Hide Caption 2 of 5 Photos: Louis van Gaal sackedVan Gaal guided United to fourth place and qualification for the Champions League in his first season in charge, but results and performances have fluctuated n recent months.Hide Caption 3 of 5 Photos: Louis van Gaal sackedOne of the 64-year-old's lowest moments came in February as United lost 2-1 to Danish minnows Midtjylland in the Europa League.Hide Caption 4 of 5 Photos: Louis van Gaal sackedHowever, he did finish his tenure on a high by guiding Manchester United to its first trophy in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.Hide Caption 5 of 5
| 0
|
Microsoft today rolling out its October 2019 Patch Tuesday security updates to fix a total of 59 vulnerabilities in Windows operating systems and related software, 9 of which are rated as critical, 49 are important, and one is moderate in severity.
What's good about this month's patch update is that after a very long time, none of the security vulnerabilities patched by the tech giant this month is being listed as publicly known or under active attack.
Moreover, there is no roll-up patch for Adobe Flash Player bundled in Windows update for this month.
Besides this, Microsoft has also put up a notice as a reminder for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 users, warning them that the extended support for these two operating systems is about to end in the next two months and that they will no longer receive updates as of January 14, 2020.
Two of the critical vulnerabilities patched this month are remote code execution flaws in the VBScript engine, and both exist in the way VBScript handles objects in memory, allowing attackers to corrupt memory and execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user.
These two vulnerabilities, tracked as CVE-2019-1238 and CVE-2019-1239, can be exploited remotely by tricking victims into visiting a specially crafted website through Internet Explorer.
An attacker can also exploit these issues using an application or Microsoft Office document by embedding an ActiveX control marked 'safe for initialization' that utilizes Internet Explorer rendering engine.
Just like recent months, Microsoft has patched another reverse RDP attack, where attackers can take control over client computers connecting to a malicious RDP server by exploiting a critical remote code execution vulnerability in Windows built-in Remote Desktop Client application.
Unlike the wormable BlueKeep vulnerability, the newly-patched RDP vulnerability is client-side, which requires an attacker to trick victims into connecting to a malicious RDP server via social engineering, DNS poisoning, or using a Man in the Middle (MITM) technique.
Three critical RCE vulnerabilities are memory corruption flaws resides in the way Chakra scripting engine handles objects in memory in Microsoft Edge, whereas one critical RCE flaw is an elevation of privilege issue which exists when Azure App Service on Azure Stack fails to check the length of a buffer before copying memory to it.
Other vulnerabilities patched by Microsoft this month and marked as important reside in the following Microsoft products and services:
Microsoft Windows
Internet Explorer
Microsoft Edge
ChakraCore
Microsoft Office, Office Services and Web Apps
SQL Server Management Studio
Open Source Software
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Windows Update Assistant
Most of these vulnerabilities allow elevation of privilege, and some also lead to remote code execution attacks, while others allow information disclosure, cross-site scripting (XSS), security feature bypass, spoofing, tampering, and denial of service attacks.
Windows users and system administrators are highly advised to apply the latest security patches as soon as possible in an attempt to keep cybercriminals and hackers away from taking control of their computers.
For installing the latest Windows security updates, you can head on to Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update → Check for updates on your PC, or you can install the updates manually.
| 1
|
The cybersecurity threat landscape has never been more extensive and is most likely to grow exponentially in 2018.
Although the original creators of Mirai DDoS botnet have already been arrested and jailed, the variants of the infamous IoT malware are still in the game due to the availability of its source code on the Internet.
Security researchers have spotted a new variant of infamous Mirai IoT malware designed to hijack insecure devices that run on ARC embedded processors.
Until now, Mirai and its variants have been targeting CPU architectures—including x86, ARM, Sparc, MIPS, PowerPC and Motorola 6800—deployed in millions of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Dubbed Okiru, the new Mirai variant, first spotted by @unixfreaxjp from MalwareMustDie team and notified by independent researcher Odisseus, is a new piece of ELF malware that targets ARC-based embedded devices running Linux operating system.
"This is the FIRST TIME ever in the history of computer engineering that there is a malware for ARC CPU, & it is #MIRAI OKIRU!! Pls be noted of this fact, & be ready for the bigger impact on infection Mirai (specially #Okiru) to devices hasn't been infected yet," Odisseus tweeted.
ARC (Argonaut RISC Core) embedded processor is the world's second-most-popular CPU core that's being shipped in more than 2 billion products every year, including cameras, mobile, utility meters, televisions, flash drives, automotive and the Internet of Things.
However, this isn't first Mirai botnet variant based on Linux ELF malware. Mirai also has another ELF-based variant, which was designed to target devices running MIPS and ARM processors.
It should also be noted that Okiru, which has previously been also named as Satori IoT botnet (another Mirai variant discovered late last year), is "very different" from Satori despite having several similar characteristics, as explained in a Reddit thread.
Record-Breaking DDoS? The Calm Before The Storm
IoTs are currently being deployed in a large variety of devices throughout your home, businesses, hospitals, and even cities (smart cities), but they're routinely being hacked and used as cyber weapons due to lack of stringent security measures and insecure encryption mechanisms.
If you are unaware, the world's largest 1 Tbps DDoS attack so far was launched from just 152,000 infected IoT devices using Mirai botnet, and in a separate attack, just 100,000 devices took down the popular DynDNS service in late 2016.
Since Okiru has been ported to target a new range of millions of "expectedly insecure" devices running ARC processors, the DDoS attack going to be generated by Okiru botnet would probably be the biggest cyberattack ever.
"From this day, the landscape of #Linux #IoT infection will change. #ARC CPU has produced #IoT devices more than 1 billion per year. So these devices are what the hackers want to aim to infect #ELF #malware with their #DDoS cannons. It's a serious threat will be," Odisseus tweeted.
The fresh arrival of ARC-based IoT devices into botnet scheme will exponentially raise the number of insecure devices to an unprecedented size, making it easy for hackers to gain control over a large number of poorly configured and vulnerable IoT devices.
| 1
|
If you don't know yet, Microsoft is offerings up to $100,000 in exchange for finding vulnerabilities and exploits in the upcoming Windows 8.1 Preview which is expected to launch on June 26, the same time as the Microsoft Build Developer Conference.
Qualifying submissions with accompanying defensive ideas will also be eligible for a BlueHat Bonus worth up to $50,000. "These are super challenging to discover and they require a new technique," says Mike Reavey, director of Microsoft's Security Response Center.
Windows 8.1 is a major update to Microsoft's brand new operating system Windows 8, and given the serious bounty on offer, Microsoft clearly wants to leave nothing to chance as far as securing the operating system is concerned.
"Learning about new exploitation techniques earlier helps Microsoft improve security by leaps, instead of capturing one vulnerability at a time as a traditional bug bounty alone would," he said.
Microsoft's senior security strategist, Katie Moussouris, noted that the company is giving out rewards because Microsoft doesn't want to wait for another competition to learn about exploitation techniques.
Also Microsoft is offering up to $11,000 for critical vulnerabilities that affect Internet Explorer 11 Preview in Windows 8.1 Preview. "Most organization don't offer bounties for software in beta, so some researchers would hold onto vulnerabilities until the code is released to manufacturing,".
Taking such steps is part of a smart strategy on Microsoft's behalf to make sure users get the finest experience out of the yet-to-be-released update with as a best user security ensured as possible.
Microsoft is not the first company to start this kind of program. Many companies launched similar programs in order to find exploits and improve their products.
The bounty being offered by Microsoft will be the highest by a tech company for a bug bounty reward program. The web giant Google reportedly pay between $500 and $1,333.70 for flaws in its web browser Google Chrome and up to $20,000 for dangerous vulnerabilities in its web services like search engine Google, video web search Youtube, web-based email service Gmail, etc
| 1
|
(CNN)Since becoming the first black captain of South Africa to lift the Rugby World Cup trophy in November, Siya Kolisi has risen to a new level of fame.And, as a result, he's been on a sports voyage. He was invited to watch his favorite soccer team -- reigning European champions Liverpool -- play by its manager Jurgen Klopp. He even switched shirts with midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.Blessed an honoured to have met Siya Kolisi. World Champion 🏆 (and a big LFC fan 😉) But above all an enormous inspiration beyond his sport 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/f1fyDxYeUI— Gini Wijnaldum (@GWijnaldum) December 1, 2019 The Reds went on to draw with Napoli in the UEFA Champions League with Kolisi in the Anfield stands. But his most recent trip wasn't accompanied by the success he might have been hoping to see. Read MoreREAD: NBA celebrates Gorgui Dieng's charity work in native SenegalKolisi traveled to New York to watch a cross-city NBA derby, as the Brooklyn Nets faced the New York Knicks at the Barclays Center. And prior to the game, he exchanged shirts with the Nets' shooting-guard Spencer Dinwiddie. But unfortunately for Dinwiddie and his teammates, none of Kolisi's magic touch passed between the pair, as the Nets had a historically bad shooting performance against the Knicks. In the 94-82 loss, Brooklyn's eight two-point field goals were the fewest by a team in any game since 1950, when the Fort Wayne Pistons and Minneapolis Lakers each made four, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau.That game became famous for its final score of 19-18.Big Brooklyn welcome for South African rugby star and 2019 Rugby World Cup champ @SiyaKolisi_Bear! pic.twitter.com/soc9gEd1LM— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 26, 2019 Not only that, but in the Nets' 82 points, they shot just 26.9% from the field (21-for-78) -- the worst shooting percentage by any team since January 2012.READ: Steve Kerr: Golden State Warriors were 'wiped out' after NBA FinalsAfter the performance, Dinwiddie jokingly blamed the Nets' rustiness on the festive period."We were really, really bad," Dinwiddie told reporters. "Like, laughably bad. We shot really bad. Probably historically bad.Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features, and videos"Let's go with too much eggnog. I don't know what else to tell you."The Nets are currently playing without star free agent acquisitions Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, who are both out with injuries.
| 0
|
Due to the majority in the mobile platform, Google's Android operating system has been a prior target for cybercriminals and a recently exposed weakness in the way the operating system handles certificate validation, left millions of Android devices open to attack.
Researchers at BlueBox security, who identified the vulnerability, dubbed the flaw as Fake ID, which affects all versions of Android operating system from 2.1 (released in 2010) up to Android 4.4, also known as KitKat.
ALL VERSIONS ARE VULNERABLE UPTO KITKAT
Researchers marked the vulnerability as critical because it could allow a fake and malicious app to masquerade as a legitimate and trusted application, enabling an attacker to perform various actions such as inserting malicious code into a legitimate app, infiltrating your personal information or even take complete control of an affected device. Specifically, devices running the 3LM administration extension are at risk for a complete compromise, which includes devices from HTC to Pantech, Sharp, Sony Ericsson, and Motorola.
"Every Android application has its own unique identity, typically inherited from the corporate developer's identity," Bluebox CTO Jeff Forristal wrote in a blog post published Wednesday. The bug, however, will copy the identifies and use them "for nefarious purposes."
WHAT IS "FAKE ID" ANDROID VULNERABILITY
Researchers named the flaw "Fake ID" because it allows malicious applications to pass fake credentials to Android OS, which fails to properly verify the application's cryptographic signature. Instead, the operating system grants all the access permissions to the rogue application that it grants to the legitimate app.
Actually, in order to establish the identity of the app developer, Android applications are signed using digital certificates. But due to the claimed Fake ID vulnerability, the Android app installer doesn't try to authenticate the certificate chain of a given app, which means an attacker can built an app with a fake identity and impersonate it with extensive privileges such as an Adobe plug-in or Google Wallet.
IMPACT AND EXAMPLES
In the case of Adobe, the malware app would look like Adobe-trusted code and have the ability to escape the sandbox and run malicious code inside another app, the researchers said.
"For example, an attacker can create a new digital identity certificate, forge a claim that the identity certificate was issued by Adobe Systems, and sign an application with a certificate chain that contains a malicious identity certificate and the Adobe Systems certificate," the Bluebox researchers said in a post explaining their discovery.
"Upon installation, the Android package installer will not verify the claim of the malicious identity certificate, and create a package signature that contains the both certificates. This, in turn, tricks the certificate-checking code in the webview plugin manager (who explicitly checks the chain for the Adobe certificate) and allows the application to be granted the special webview plugin privilege given to Adobe Systems – leading to a sandbox escape and insertion of malicious code, in the form of a webview plugin, into other applications."
TARGETING GOOGLE WALLET PAYMENT SYSTEM
Researchers also pointed out one more target of an attacker exploiting the Fake ID vulnerability i.e. Google's own Wallet payment system. A malicious app with signature of Google Wallet would allow an attacker to access the NFC (Near Field Communications) chip in the device.
The NFC chip in the device is responsible for the storage of payment information used in NFC payments via Google Wallet. This NFC is used in various electronic payment applications and a malicious code can harvest credit card numbers as well.
According to Jeff Forristal, the attackers have more ways to exploit Fake ID vulnerability, a bug that he will discuss in a presentation at Black Hat in Las Vegas next week.
PATCH RELEASED, BUT YOU CAN'T GET IT IMMEDIATELY
Google already released a patch to its partners in April. However, it still leaves a millions of handsets out there that are still vulnerable, as it's up to the carriers themselves to push the updates to users.
The vulnerability resides in the Android operating system therefore the new update would be available for the users in the coming period, may be today, a month after or could take a year.
As the researchers say, Effectively addressing a vulnerability requires a three step process:
Google produces a generic code fix, which it provides to the Android phone manufacturers
Then phone manufacturers must then incorporate that fix into a firmware update suitable to specific phones, which they provide to carriers
The carrier then distributes the final update, which ensures your phone is safe from the vulnerability As regards Fake ID, Google has provided the generic code fix to the phone manufacturers.
Bluebox Security has also built a Scanner to test for the vulnerability and has a couple of ideas for those who still haven't got the patch.
Bluebox Security is the same company that uncovered the so-called Android "Master Key" vulnerability that allowed an attacker to modify any legitimate and digitally signed application in order to transform it into a Trojan program that could then be used to steal device' information or take control of the device.
| 1
|
If just relying on the security tools of Microsoft Office 365 can protect you from cyber attacks, you are wrong.
Variants of Cerber Ransomware are now targeting MS Office 365 email users with a massive zero-day attack that has the ability to bypass Office 365's built-in security tools.
According to a report published by cloud security provider Avanan, the massive zero-day Cerber ransomware attack targeted Microsoft Office 365 users with spam or phishing emails carrying malicious file attachments.
The Cerber ransomware is invoked via Macros. Yes, it's hard to believe but even in 2016, a single MS Office document could compromise your system by enabling 'Macros'.
Locky and Dridex ransomware malware also made use of the malicious Macros to hijack systems. Over $22 Million were pilfered from the UK banks with the Dridex Malware that got triggered via a nasty macro virus.
You can see a screenshot of the malicious document in the latest malware campaign below, targeting Microsoft Office 365 users:
While the security firm did not specify the exact number of users possibly hit by the ransomware, Microsoft reported in its first quarter 2016 that there are almost 18.2 Million Office 365 subscribers.
"While difficult to precisely measure how many users got infected," Avanan estimated that "roughly 57 percent of organizations using Office 365 received at least one copy of the malware into one of their corporate mailboxes during the time of the attack."
Although Cerber originally emerged in March, the malware campaign targeting Office 365 users began on June 22. However, Microsoft started blocking the malicious file attachment on June 23.
The Cerber Ransomware not only encrypts user files and displays a ransom note, but also takes over the user's audio system to read out its ransom note informing them that their files were encrypted.
The ransomware encrypts files with AES-256 encryption, asking victims to pay 1.24 Bitcoin (nearly US$810) for the decryption key.
How to Protect Yourself from Cerber Ransomware
In order to prevent yourself from the Cerber or any ransomware attack:
Always keep your system and antivirus up-to-date.
Regularly backup your files in an external hard-drive.
Disable Macros in your MS Office programs.
Always beware of phishing emails, spams, and clicking the malicious attachment.
You can also use an Intrusion detection system (IDS), for which you can try AlienVault Unified Security Management (USM) that includes an inbuilt IDS with SIEM and real-time threat intelligence to help you quickly detect malware and other threats in your network.
We have also written a step-by-step tutorial article on How to Protect your Computer from Macro-based Malware, which you can follow to secure yourself.
| 1
|
Story highlightsThe New York Times releases photos that show remnants of the bombUK officials investigating a Libya connection (CNN)The bomb that killed 22 people in Manchester was an intricate device that was likely put together by an experienced bomb-maker, who then sent a protégé to detonate it, experts say. The New York Times published photos Wednesday that purportedly show the remnants of the bomb, including a battery, screws and what appears to be a detonation system, as well as shreds of a blue backpack in which the device is believed to have been concealed.Here's what the pictures tell us about the suicide bombing outside the Ariana Grande concert: The attackerFrom the Times' pictures, it appears the attacker did not build the bomb, he was just the messenger, according to Bobby Chacon, a retired FBI agent. Read MoreSuicide bomber Salman Abedi"The level of sophistication seems to indicate experience in putting a device like this together, which points toward a bomb-maker, and they are valuable members of these groups so it's usually a lower-level, less valuable member used to deliver the device," Chacon said. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former British army officer, said the bomber's background shows he did not have the ability to make such a sophisticated device. "This is top bomb-maker work," de Bretton-Gordon said. "I would be very surprised if this boy had that capability and it seems more likely that he was a mule and was radicalized to be a suicide bomber. It's very likely there is a serious cell behind this attack."An explosives expert told CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank that based on what was has been publicly revealed, there is a disconnect between the bomb design and the likely skill set of the suicide bomber, Salman Abedi.What we know: The bomb was packed with nails and screws, and rescuers have reported pulling them out of injured victims. What we don't know: Is there a bomb-maker on the loose? Is he in the UK or elsewhere? How many suicide bomber protégés did he send out there? Detonation deviceIf the device shown in the photos was the detonator, there probably was a backup person nearby to help set off the bomb, according to Chacon. The New York Times says this is possibly the ignition switch that detonated the bomb. "In some of these incidents, the mule is instructed to detonate when they are at a point of maximum impact and possibly sometimes there is someone standing by to detonate the device by remote means in the event the mule loses his/her nerve or the mule is intercepted by law enforcement before reaching his/her destination," Chacon said. De Bretton-Gordon said the detonator is especially sophisticated, and not the work of an amateur. What we know: At least one person is suspected of detonating the bomb, 22-year-old Abedi.What we don't know: What type of bomb was it? If there was a backup person to detonate the bomb, is that person among the six arrested so far?The batteryThe battery in the picture was compact enough to stuff in the blue backpack, remnants of which are shown in the images, Chacon said.A label, possibly from a 12-volt battery that may have been the power source for the bomb, The New York Times reported.This image is of a shred of a backpack allegedly used in the Manchester attack. "The battery is likely a motorcycle battery, which is about a third to a quarter the weight of a car battery," he said. "Still heavy, but certainly capable of being both hidden and carried in a backpack and provide enough energy to power the device." The Times' photos appear to be taken by British authorities following the Manchester terror attack. The Greater Manchester Police declined to comment to CNN on the photographs. What we know: The New York Times described the battery as a Yuasa 12-volt lead acid battery. What we don't know: Was it the only power source? Why did the bomb-maker pick this particular type of battery? The networkBritish authorities have said they believe Abedi was the bomber. But they have not ruled out other attackers, and have raided several homes in Manchester, looking for his associates."I think it's very clear that this is a network that we are investigating. And as I've said, it continues at a pace. There's extensive investigations going on and activity taking place across Greater Manchester as we speak," police Chief Ian Hopkins said. The search for answers has taken investigators as far as Libya, where the attacker had roots and his brother was arrested. Abedi allegedly had links to terror groups, and traveled with a younger brother to Libya, where their father apparently attempted to keep them from returning to the UK. Concert bombing victims: Eight-year-old girl among deadHe was in Libya for three weeks and returned days before the attack, according to US military officials assigned to Africa. Abedi's brother was arrested in Libya on Tuesday night on suspicion of links to ISIS, according to Libya's Special Deterrence Force.CNN cannot independently verify the details from the militia. UK officials had no immediate comment on the reported arrest in Libya.ISIS has gained a foothold in Libya as the government struggles to assume full command of the security situation.ISIS claimed responsibility for the Manchester attack, even with no proven connection.What we know: The suicide bomber grew up in Manchester with parents who fled from Libya. What we don't know: Is the attack linked to ISIS, or the many ragtag militant groups in Libya? Are the attacker's associates in Libya or the UK?CNN's Luke McGee, Laura Smith Spark and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.
| 0
|
Google on Tuesday launched a Security testing tool "Firing Range", which aimed at improving the efficiency of automated Web application security scanners by evaluating them with a wide range of cross-site scripting (XSS) and a few other web vulnerabilities seen in the wild.
Firing Range basically provides a synthetic testing environment mostly for cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities that are seen most frequently in web apps. According to Google security engineer Claudio Criscione, 70 percent of the bugs in Google's Vulnerability Reward Program are cross-site scripting flaws.
In addition to XSS vulnerabilities, the new web app scanner also scans for other types of vulnerabilities including reverse clickjacking, Flash injection, mixed content, and cross-origin resource sharing vulnerabilities.
Firing Range was developed by Google with the help of security researchers at Politecnico di Milano in an effort to build a test ground for automated scanners. The company has used Firing Range itself "both as a continuous testing aid and as a driver for our development, defining as many bug types as possible, including some that we cannot detect (yet!)."
What makes it different from other vulnerable test applications available is its ability to use automation, which makes it more productive. Instead of focusing on creating realistic-looking testbeds for human testers, Firing Range relies on automation based on a collection of unique bug patterns drawn from in-the-wild vulnerabilities observed by Google.
Firing Range is a Java application that has been built on Google App Engine. It includes patterns for the scanner to focus on DOM-based, redirected, reflected, tag-based, escaped and remote inclusion bugs.
At the Google Testing Automation Conference (GTAC) last year, Criscione said that detecting XSS vulnerabilities by hand "at Google scale" is like drinking the ocean. Going through the information manually is both exhausting and counter-productive for the researcher, so here Firing Range comes into play that would essentially exploit the bug and detect the results of that exploitation.
"Our testbed doesn't try to emulate a real application, nor exercise the crawling capabilities of a scanner: it's a collection of unique bug patterns drawn from vulnerabilities that we have seen in the wild, aimed at verifying the detection capabilities of security tools," Criscione explained on the Google Online Security Blog.
Firing Range tool has been developed by the search engine giant while working on "Inquisition", an internal web application security scanning tool built entirely on Google Chrome and Cloud Platform technologies, with support for the latest HTML5 features and has a low false positive rate.
A deployed version (public-firing-range.appspot.com) of Firing Range is available on Google App Engine and since the tool is open source you can also find and check out the Source code on GitHub. Users are encouraged to contribute to the tool with any feedback.
| 1
|
Emergency Adobe Flash Player patch coming today !
Less than a week after warning that hackers were embedding malicious Flash Player files (.swf) into Microsoft Word documents to launch targeted malware attacks, Adobe plans to release an emergency Flash Player patch today to fix the underlying problem.
The patch will fix a "critical" vulnerability in Flash Player 10.2.153.1 and earlier versions for Windows, Mac OS X Linux and Solaris.
According to this Secunia advisory, the flaw allows a hacker to completely hijack a vulnerable Windows computer:
A vulnerability has been reported in Adobe Flash Player, which can be exploited by malicious people to compromise a user's system.
The vulnerability is caused due to an error when parsing ActionScript that adds a custom function to the prototype of a predefined class. This results in incorrect interpretation of an object (i.e. object type confusion) when calling the custom function, which causes an invalid pointer to be dereferenced.
Secunia has posted a technical analysis of the flaw as well.
Adobe has confirmed that the vulnerability (CVE-2011-0611) could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.
There are reports that this vulnerability is being exploited in the wild in targeted attacks via a malicious Web page or a Flash (.swf) file embedded in a Microsoft Word (.doc) or Microsoft Excel (.xls) file delivered as an email attachment, targeting the Windows platform. At this time, Adobe is not aware of any attacks via PDF targeting Adobe Reader and Acrobat. Adobe Reader X Protected Mode mitigations would prevent an exploit of this kind from executing.
A patch for Google Chrome users is already available in Chrome version 10.0.648.205.
Adobe plans to fix the vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader at a later date.
| 1
|
Washington (CNN)The Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC says five of its most valuable artifacts -- once thought to be part of the historic Dead Sea Scrolls -- are fake and will not be displayed anymore.German-based scholars tested the fragments and found that five "show characteristics inconsistent with ancient origin and therefore will no longer be displayed at the museum."CNN raised questions about the museum's Dead Sea Scroll fragments in an article published last November, as the Green family prepared to unveil their new, $500 million museum. At 430,000 square feet, and with views of the Capitol, the Bible museum represents a significant investment for its evangelical founders. Now scholars say the Dead Sea forgeries could be part of the most significant sham in biblical archeology since the "Gospel of Jesus' Wife," a fiasco that hoodwinked a Harvard scholar and made worldwide news in 2012. Some scholars estimate that as many as 70 forged fragments have hit the market since 2002. Oklahoma billionaires, the Greens are best-known for their chain of Hobby Lobby craft stores and their religious freedom battle with the Obama administration over covering contraception in company health care plans.Read More"Though we had hoped the testing would render different results, this is an opportunity to educate the public on the importance of verifying the authenticity of rare biblical artifacts, the elaborate testing process undertaken and our commitment to transparency," said Jeffrey Kloha, the chief curatorial officer for Museum of the Bible. "As an educational institution entrusted with cultural heritage, the museum upholds and adheres to all museum and ethical guidelines on collection care, research and display."But some scholars have been raising questions about supposed Dead Sea Scroll fragments for years, saying that unscrupulous antiquities dealers are preying on evangelicals like the Greens, making millions in the process. Those same scholars questioned the Greens' fragments even before the museum opened with splashy ceremonies last year, including an event attended by Vice President Mike Pence. Monday's revelations are not the first time the Greens have courted controversy with their artifacts collection. In 2017, the Green family's company, Hobby Lobby, agreed to pay $3 million and return artifacts smuggled out of Iraq as part of a settlement with the Justice Department.Steve Green, the Bible museum's evangelical founder and chairman, would not say how much his family spent for the 16 Dead Sea Scrolls fragments in its collection. But scholars say even small fragments with little text can fetch millions in the antiquities market. Through a spokesperson, Green declined to comment on the news about his museum's five fake scrolls. As to the 16 fragments: 7 will not be displayed, 9 will be tested further. Three of those 9 are currently on display at the museum with signs addressing the questions about their authenticity, the spokesperson said. On the website, "The Lying Pen of Scribes," scholars and scientists have identified more than 70 purported Dead Sea Scroll fragments that have surfaced on the antiquities market since 2002. Ninety percent of those are fake, said Arstein Justnes, a professor of biblical studies at the University of Agder in Norway, including the Museum of the Bible's. Kipp Davis, an expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls at Trinity Western University in Canada, was one of several academics who has tried to warn Christians, including the Green family, about the forgeries.Davis, who studied the fragments for the Museum of the Bible, said Monday's news about the fakes felt like bittersweet vindication. His takeaway: Evangelicals and others whose faith motivates them to collect artifacts should be very careful with antiquities dealers eager to pique their interest in supposedly ancient scraps of scripture. "These good intentions that draw from a place of faith are subject to some really gross manipulations," Davis said, "and that is a big part of what has happened here." The scholar said he believes 2-4 of the Greens' 16 fragments may be authentic, but that at least 8 are fake. In April 2017, Bible Museum sent five fragments to the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und-prüfung (BAM), a German institute for analyzing materials, where scholars tested for 3D digital microscopy and conducted material analyses of the ink and sediment on the papyrus. Scholars have theorized that forgers write on top of ancient scraps of papyrus or leather, making the scrolls appear authentic until the ink is tested. Their report, which the Bible Museum said they recently received, "further raises suspicions about the authenticity of all five fragments." Before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered 70 years ago, the earliest and most complete version of the Hebrew Bible was from the 9th century.But then Bedouin shepherds stumbled on the scrolls, hidden away for nearly 2,000 years in caves in Qumran, on the western shore of the Dead Sea.The discovery was so vast, with more than 900 manuscripts and an estimated 50,000 fragments, it took six decades for scholars to excavate and publish them all.The Israeli Antiquities Authority keeps a tight hold on most of the Dead Sea Scrolls, displaying them in the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem. For decades, it was almost impossible for private collectors to get their hands on even scraps from the famous archeological find.But in 2002, new fragments began mysteriously appearing on the market. The Greens bought their fragments between 2009-2014. At the time, they were deeply involved in the antiquities trade, amassing a collection of some 40,000 artifacts.Some scholars accused the Greens of buying too many artifacts too quickly, without being sure exactly where they came from, or who had owned them in the past."They made it widely known that they were buying everything," said Joel Baden, a professor at Yale Divinity school and co-author of "Bible Nation," a new book about the Greens."Every antiquities seller knew the Greens were buying everything and not asking questions about anything."In an interview before the Bible museum opened last Fall, Steve Green told CNN that wasn't sure who sold his family the Dead Sea Scroll fragments."There's been different sources, but I don't know specifically where those came from."
| 0
|
In July 2018, when Guizhou-Cloud Big Data (GCBD) agreed to a deal with state-owned telco China Telecom to move iCloud data belonging to Apple's China-based users to the latter's servers, the shift raised concerns that it could make user data vulnerable to state surveillance.
Now, according to a deep-dive report from The New York Times, Apple's privacy and security concessions have "made it nearly impossible for the company to stop the Chinese government from gaining access to the emails, photos, documents, contacts and locations of millions of Chinese residents."
The revelations stand in stark contrast to Apple's commitment to privacy, while also highlighting a pattern of conceding to the demands of the Chinese government in order to continue its operations in the country.
Apple, in 2018, announced iCloud data of users in mainland China would move to a new data center in Guizhou province as part of a partnership with GCBD. The transition was necessitated to abide by a 2017 regulation that required all "personal information and important data" collected on Chinese users "be stored in the territory."
"iCloud in China mainland is operated by GCBD (AIPO Cloud (Guizhou) Technology Co. Ltd). This allows us to continue to improve iCloud services in China mainland and comply with Chinese regulations," the iPhone maker's support document states.
Although iCloud data is end-to-end encrypted, Apple is said to have agreed to move the encryption keys to its Chinese data centers, when before all iCloud encryption keys were stored on U.S. servers, and therefore subject to U.S. laws around requests for government access.
While U.S. law forbids American companies from turning over data to Chinese law enforcement, the New York Times report reveals that Apple and China entered into an "unusual arrangement" to sidestep U.S. legislation.
To that effect, the company ceded legal ownership of its customers' data to GCBD, in addition to granting GCBD physical control over the servers and complete access to all information stored in iCloud, thereby allowing "Chinese authorities ask GCBD — not Apple — for Apple customers' data."
In the wake of the law's passing, Apple has provided the contents of an unspecified number of iCloud accounts to the government in nine cases and challenged three government requests for data, the report added. However, there's no evidence to suggest that the Chinese government gained access to users' data with the help of the digital keys.
What's more, Apple reportedly eschewed hardware security modules (HSM) made by Thales by building its own in-house HSMs after China refused to certify the devices for use. HSMs house one or more secure crypto processors and are used to perform encryption and decryption functions, and store cryptographic keys inside a tamper-resistant environment.
Besides refuting the allegations, Apple told the New York Times that it "never compromised" the security of users or user data in China "or anywhere we operate," adding its Chinese data centers "feature our very latest and most sophisticated protections," that are expected to be rolled out to other countries.
Beyond its handling of Chinese users' data, the report also called out Apple for its removal of tens of thousands of apps from the Chinese App Store over the past several years, including foreign news services, gay dating, and encrypted messaging apps. Since 2017, an estimated 55,000 apps have been purged, per data compiled by Sensor Tower.
"Apple asked a lot of people to back them against the FBI in 2015," security researcher and Johns Hopkins professor Matthew Green said in a series of tweets. "They used every tool in the legal arsenal to prevent the U.S. from gaining access to their phones. Do they think anyone is going to give them the benefit of the doubt now?"
"Apple is clearly being forced to give the Chinese government more control over customer data. The current compromise may even be 'ok', in the sense that some end-to-end encryption is allowed. But sooner or later the Chinese government is going to ask Apple for something that it doesn't want to give up, and Apple is going to have to make a choice. Maybe they already have," Green added.
| 1
|
In "Bridging the Divide," CNN profiles people who are working to find common ground on America's most divisive issues. (CNN)It took years for Kassi Underwood to truly understand how her decision to have an abortion would alter the course of her life. At the time, Underwood was a 19-year-old college student struggling with alcoholism. Ending her pregnancy seemed like the only option. Growing up in Kentucky, Underwood had dreamed of becoming a mother, and she never thought she would have an abortion. More Bridging the DivideDespite political opposition, two activists find common ground over gunsHate took his brother's life, but he says forgiveness was the only optionBut after her pregnancy was terminated she realized that neither the "pro-life" or "pro-choice" label worked for her. Getting lost in the abortion debateRead MoreNow Underwood is working to help other women be vulnerable and share personal stories getting lost in the debate over abortion. "Those stories have been politicized so that when you share a story and it happens to fit one of the two narratives you get lumped into a political category too," Underwood told CNN. Underwood shares her story with women at a sober house in Methuen, MassachusettsUnderwood sought treatment for her alcoholism and went on a quest to investigate healing and religious practices surrounding abortion. "It was a transformational experience in my life to make that choice," Underwood says of her abortion. "I had this fresh start where I had to rebuild my whole self." Underwood found herself with a message that neither side of the abortion debate could embrace - expressing grief over her abortion, but not regret. She started studying at Harvard Divinity School and published a memoir called "May Cause Love" about her experience. Underwood says it's the book she wanted to read as a 19-year-old struggling with an unexpected pregnancy. "It was the potential for a life that I was grieving but it was so much more than that," Underwood says. "A lot of that pain was having conflicting beliefs." Underwood holds her newborn son WallaceIn December, Underwood and her husband gave birth to a son, Wallace. She is working as a spiritual teacher for others and is developing an online program called "Revolution After Abortion." The program is focused on providing a community for women and gender nonconforming individuals who have experienced abortion firsthand. A difficult message in a partisan world"When we keep asking should people have access to abortion, we're missing their stories," Underwood told CNN. Underwood knows her work and her message can be hard to understand in today's hyper-partisan world: "People don't really know what to do with it. It's like they want to fight against it but they don't really know what to fight against. They want to support it but they're like, 'Is she on my side?' " Underwood suggests that neither side of the entrenched political divide on abortion is winning. And women who need emotional support aren't getting help. "It was kind of like I walked into a high school cafeteria and there's like two big lunch tables and they're like rivals," Underwood says. "The pro-choice movement has been fighting for years and abortion clinics are still getting shut down. The pro-life movement has been fighting for years and people have been having abortions for thousands of years. That doesn't change when abortion is illegal. People still have abortions," Underwood says. "So neither side is getting what they really need and what they really want." "I'm not going to sit at the tables with the people who are fighting, I want to find the person who's sitting alone. And that's my work." In "Bridging the Divide," CNN profiles people who are working to find common ground on America's most divisive issues. Hear their stories at CNN.com/BridgingtheDivide.
| 0
|
Recently, Tor Project Director - Roger Dingledine described a sudden increase in Tor users on the Tor Network after the events related to disclosure of the PRISM surveillance program, Since August 19, 2013, there has been an impressive growth in the number of Tor users.
At first, No one knew who or what is responsible for this spontaneous growth of Tor users, but Security researchers at Fox-IT firm found evidence that the spike in Tor traffic is caused by a Mevade Botnet, that hides its Command-and-Control server in the anonymizing network.
The security firm documented the presence of the Mevade malware architecture based on the anonymizing network, "The malware uses a command and control connectivity via Tor .Onion links using HTTP. While some bots continue to operate using the standard HTTP connectivity, some versions of the malware use a peer-to-peer network to communicate (KAD based)."
"Typically, it is fairly clear what the purpose of malware is, such as banking, click fraud, ransomware or fake anti-virus malware. In this case however it is a bit more difficult. It is possible that the purpose of this malware network is to load additional malware onto the system and that the infected systems are for sale. " States the blog post.
The benefit of using Tor network is to hide C&C servers, that allow criminals to build a bulletproof architecture. It was September, 2012 when the German security firm GData Software detected a Botnet with a particular feature, it was controlled from an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) server running as a hidden service of the Tor.
The main advantages of Botnet based on Tor are:
The botnet traffic is encrypted, which helps prevent detection by network monitors.
By running as an Hidden Service, the origin, location, and nature of the C&C are concealed and therefore not exposed to possible takedowns. In addition, since Hidden Services do not rely on public-facing IP addresses, they can be hosted behind firewalls or NAT-enabled devices such as home computers.
Hidden Services provides a Tor-specific .Onion pseudo top-level domain, which is not exposed to possible sinkholing.
The operator can easily move around the C&C servers just by re-using the generated private key for the Hidden Service.
Researches linked the bot agent to the Mevade malware family. "A recent detection name that has been used in relation to this botnet is 'Mevade.A', but older references suggest the name 'Sefnit', which dates back to at least 2009 and also included Tor connectivity. We have found various references that the malware is internally known as SBC to its operators."
Authors of Mevade Tor variant appear to use the Russian Language. One of them is known as "Scorpion" and with his colleague having nickname "Dekadent" probably are the part of an organized cyber gang.
The monetization schema implemented by cybercriminals is not sure, probably their primary intent is install adware and toolbars on victim's systems. According TrendMicro Security expert the Mavade malware has also a "backdoor component and communicates over SSH to remote hosts" and the botnet could be used for data theft.
It is possible that the purpose of this malware network is to load additional malware onto the system and that the infected systems are for sale.
Members of the Tor Project have begun an investigation and explained in a blog post, "The fact is, with a growth curve like this one, there's basically no way that there's a new human behind each of these new Tor clients. These Tor clients got bundled into some new software which got installed onto millions of computers pretty much overnight. Since no large software or operating system vendors have come forward to tell us they just bundled Tor with all their users, that leaves me with one conclusion: somebody out there infected millions of computers and as part of their plan they installed Tor clients on them,"
"It doesn't look like the new clients are using the Tor network to send traffic to external destinations (like websites). Early indications are that they're accessing hidden services — fast relays see "Received an ESTABLISH_RENDEZVOUS request" many times a second in their info-level logs, but fast exit relays don't report a significant growth in exit traffic. One plausible explanation (assuming it is indeed a botnet) is that its running its Command and Control (C&C) point as a hidden service."
Tor users are advised to upgrade to the newest version of Tor to mitigate the effect of the Botnet, it in fact includes a new handshake feature which Tor relays prioritize over the older handshake. The upgrade will advantage legitimate new clients ever the ones who use the older version exploited by an actual variant of Mevade malware.
Of course it is a palliative and not curative, the authors of the botnet may decide to update their Tor component too, that is the reason why Tor official also appealed security community to deeply analyze the botnet to shutdown it.
| 1
|
A North Korean threat actor active since 2012 has been behind a new espionage campaign targeting high-profile government officials associated with its southern counterpart to install an Android and Windows backdoor for collecting sensitive information.
Cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes attributed the activity to a threat actor tracked as Kimsuky, with the targeted entities comprising of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador of the Embassy of Sri Lanka to the State, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Nuclear Security Officer, and the Deputy Consul General at Korean Consulate General in Hong Kong.
The attacks also involved collecting information about other organizations and universities in the country, including the Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA), Seoul National University, and Daishin Securities. Malwarebytes, however, noted that there is no evidence of active targeting or compromise by the adversary.
The development is only the latest in a series of surveillance efforts aimed at South Korea. Believed to be operating on behalf of the North Korean regime, Kimsuky (aka Velvet Chollima, Black Banshee, and Thallium) has a track record of singling out South Korean entities while expanding their victimology to the U.S., Russia, and various nations in Europe.
Last November, the adversary was linked to a new modular spyware suite called "KGH_SPY," which allows it to carry out reconnaissance of target networks, log keystrokes, and steal confidential information, as well as a stealthy malware under the name "CSPY Downloader" that's designed to thwart analysis and download additional payloads.
Kimsuky's attack infrastructure consists of various phishing websites that mimic well known websites such as Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, and Telegram with an aim to trick victims into entering their credentials. "This is one of the main methods used by this actor to collect email addresses that later will be used to send spear-phishing emails," Malwarebytes researcher Hossein Jazi said.
In using social engineering as a core component of its operations, the goal is to distribute a malware dropper that takes the form of a ZIP archive file attached to the emails, which ultimately leads to the deployment of an encoded DLL payload called AppleSeed, a backdoor that's been put to use by Kimsuky as early as 2019.
"Besides using the AppleSeed backdoor to target Windows users, the actor also has used an Android backdoor to target Android users," Jazi noted. "The Android backdoor can be considered as the mobile variant of the AppleSeed backdoor. It uses the same command patterns as the Windows one. Also, both Android and Windows backdoors have used the same infrastructure."
AppleSeed has all the hallmarks of a typical backdoor, with myriad capabilities to record keystrokes, capture screenshots, collect documents with specific extensions (.txt, .ppt, .hwp, .pdf, and .doc), and gather data from removable media devices connected to the machine, all of which are then uploaded to a remote command-and-control server.
But perhaps the most interesting discovery of all is that the threat actor calls themselves Thallium in the malware source code, which is the moniker assigned by Microsoft based on its tradition of naming nation-state hacking groups after chemical elements.
| 1
|
Over the past few years, Cyber Criminals have choose the official Google Chrome Web Store to push malware. In a recent announcement by Google, like Google Play Android apps store, all new apps uploaded to the Chrome Web Store will now also be automatically scanned for malware.
Also, Google warned developers that it may take a little longer than before for their app to go live in the store, and scanning may take from just a few minutes up to an hour.
"Starting today in the Chrome Web Store, you might notice that your item is not broadly available immediately after you publish it."
It is always against the Chrome Web Store Content Policies to distribute malware, if developer still wants to upload something malicious, they should cancel the process and withdraw their program.
"This new functionality does not require any action on the part of developers. When you publish an item in the store, the developer dashboard will indicate that your item is in the process of being published. " Google said.
| 1
|
Researchers have warned users of Android devices to avoid app downloads from particularly unauthorized sources, since a new and sophisticated piece of malware is targeting Android users through phishing emails.
The malware, dubbed SandroRAT, is currently being used by cybercriminals to target Android users in Poland via a widely spread email spam campaign that delivers a new variant of an Android remote access tool (RAT).
The emails masquerade itself as a bank alert that warns users of the malware infection in their mobile device and offers a fake mobile security solution in order to get rid of the malware infection.
The mobile security solution poses as a Kaspersky Mobile Security, but in real, it is a version of SandroRAT, a remote access tool devised for Android devices, whose source code has been put on sale on underground Hack Forums since December last year.
A mobile malware researcher at McAfee, Carlos Castillo, detailed the new variant of Android remote access trojan over the weekend in a blog post. According to the researcher, the package spread via phishing campaign is capable of executing several malicious commands on the infected devices.
SandroRAT gives the attacker an unrestricted access to sensitive details such as SMS messages, contact lists, call logs, browser history (including banking credentials), and GPS location data stored in Android devices and store all the data in an "adaptive multi-rate file on the SD card" to later upload them to a remote command and control (C&C) server.
"Spam campaigns (via SMS or email) are becoming a very popular way to distribute Android malware, which can steal personal information or even obtain complete control of a device with a tools like SandroRat," wrote Carlos Castillo. "This attack gains credence with the appearance of a bank offering security solutions against banking malware, a typical behavior of legitimate banks."
This new version of SandroRAT also has a self-update feature in it and it can install additional malware through user prompts for such actions. The malware gives the attacker full control over the messages, who can intercept, block and steal incoming messages, as well as insert and delete them.
It also appears that the attacker can send multimedia messages with specific parameters sent by the C&C server and can also record nearby sounds using the device's mic.
Castillo also notes that the SandroRAT variant of malware had decryption capabilities for older releases of Whatsapp messaging app. But, the users running the latest version of Whatsapp in their Android devices are not vulnerable because the developers adopted a stronger encryption scheme.
"This decryption routine will not work with WhatsApp chats encrypted by the latest version of the application because the encryption scheme (crypt7) has been updated to make it stronger (using a unique server salt)," Castillo explained. "WhatsApp users should update the app to the latest version," he advised.
Users are advised to avoid application downloads from unauthorized sources, particularly when the app download link is send through an email. Good practice is to always prefer downloading apps from the Google Play Store or other trusted sources. Stay Safe! Stay Tuned!
| 1
|
Story highlightsOnly 8,100 saw Monaco's Champions League game TuesdayMonaco played Bayer LeverkusenAverage crowd size was 7,836 in 2015-16Monaco, France (CNN)A Champions League night; the world's most prestigious club competition; a last-second equalizer to extend the home side's unbeaten start in their group -- but all played out in front of a half-empty stadium.For a fixture that many of Europe's top tier clubs would expect to sell out, Monaco attracted just 8,100 fans for its 1-1 draw against German side Bayer Leverkusen.With a capacity of just over 18,000, Monaco's Stade Louis II stadium is one of the smallest in Europe's top five leagues, yet the club often struggles to draw five-figure attendances. Follow @cnnsport
But it's certainly not for a lack of enthusiasm from the diehard fans that do go to watch, as is evident from the roars that erupt and echo around the enclosed basin every time a decision goes against the team, or a shot whistles past the post. Only 8,100 fans were present to witness Kamil Glik's injury-time equalizer for Monaco in the #ChampionsLeague. CNN spoke to a few to find out why numbers at the Stade Louis II are often so low. A photo posted by CNNSport (@cnnsport) on Sep 27, 2016 at 2:55pm PDT Read: Real Madrid held to draw in Champions League.Read More"Monaco is just too expensive for Monaco fans," laments Yohan, who traveled into the city to support his team for the game against Leverkusen. According to numbeo.com, the cost of living in Monaco is 87% higher than the United Kingdom, while rent is 746% higher than the UK -- with a one-bedroom apartment in the center of the city costing 5,500 euros ($6,166) per month."They don't live in the city, they live in other places around the country," added Yohan. "It's too expensive to live here, so not all the fans can come for the matches to fill the stadium."Luxury locationIt seems fitting, then, that one of the groups of people arguably culpable for driving prices up, and inadvertently keeping football fans away, is in town this week: superyacht owners attending the Monaco Yacht Show.The mini country on France's sun-kissed Mediterranean coast is home to about 38,000 people, and one in three are millionaires, according to WealthInsight in May 2015. It has the highest per capita GDP in the world.Monaco's big draw is tax. The principality scrapped income taxes back in 1869, and other tax rates for companies and individuals are exceptionally low. Unusual to witness a #ChampionsLeague match played in front of a largely empty stadium. Spoke to a few Monaco fans to try and understand why attendances are so low. A photo posted by Matias Edgardo Grez Haniewicz (@matiasgrez) on Sep 27, 2016 at 3:02pm PDT The prospect of keeping hold of most of their wealth has attracted people from over 100 nations, including Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and tennis star Novak Djokovic.Photo highlights from Monaco yacht showThat tax status is also arguably one of the lures for players who opt to join Monaco. Promotion back to Ligue 1, the top tier of French football, in 2013 was supposed to signal the start of an exciting and successful new era for the club.However, much like the Cote d'Azur coastline, Monaco's fortunes in recent years have been up and down.As if trying to compete with its resident yacht owners, the club -- bankrolled by Russian Dimitri Rybolovlev's billions -- began to splash the cash.The formidable talents of Joao Moutinho, James Rodriguez and club-record signing Radamel Falcao -- widely considered the world's best striker at the time -- were acquired, but all the club had to show for it was a Ligue 1 runner-up spot and a hefty Financial Fair Play fine.Recently, Monaco has adopted a more cautious approach. Rodriguez was sold to Real Madrid and Falcao departed for unsuccessful loan spells at Manchester United and Chelsea, though the Colombian is now back in the principality.Jemerson wins a header in front of a largely empty stand.And this season Monaco is very much on the up. The club is second in Ligue 1 -- a point behind rival Nice -- and has a good chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League."There are a lot of foreign people; Italians, Americans, English," Davide, draped in a Monaco scarf, tells CNN, reflecting on why the club struggles to fill the Stade Louis II. "And they don't really care about the football team, so it's really only French and Monegasque in the stadium. But the fans will still come to the big games."Davide, a Monaco resident, is referring to the club's August victory over reigning champion Paris Saint-Germain.Read: Allardyce loses England jobWhile the average home attendance this season has been around 9,700, more than 15,000 spectators showed up to witness an impressive 3-1 win over PSG.A real stalwart supporter, Triss attends not only the big games, but every home game. Wearing proudly the No. 8 of Moutinho, himself a stalwart since his move to the city in 2013, she says with a hint of resignation: "Monaco has very few real fans."Sparse crowds have become the norm at the Stade Louis II.Paul -- another fan who traveled in for the match -- points to Monaco's size as an immediate stumbling block for higher attendances."It is a small city," he tells CNN, standing in front of the impressive main facade of the Stade Louis II. "Only around 38,000 people live here, so there are always few people at the game. But around France we have a lot of fans."Neighboring Nice -- "hated" rivals, says Paul -- provides the nearest base of residence for many Monaco fans, although a drive in the Cote d'Azur traffic can easily push the journey time well past an hour."A lot of supporters prefer to support Nice than Monaco," Davide continues. "Although we have a lot of fans in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and around Europe too, but it's too far to come for every game so it's just the big matches."It's a testament to those fans' dedication, as a round trip from Lyon will take the best part of 10 hours, while a return journey from Marseille is around half that time.One of the most surprising packages in Europe so far, with only one Ligue 1 defeat to blemish an otherwise exemplary start to the season, Monaco certainly isn't being hindered by its vacant stands.And those diehard few who do go each week, Triss included, may well be rewarded with a season to remember.
| 0
|
We know that Hackers hack for a variety of reasons:
...some hack to test their skills,
…some hack to gain recognition,
...some hack to make money,
...some hack to support their Nation-State strategy,
...and, some hack alone, and some hack in Groups.
And Chinese Hackers are the ones who are infamous for their dedication towards Hacking.
Chinese hacking groups are better known for attacking and stealing information, organized cyber crimes, theft of intellectual property and state-sponsored cyber espionage attacks.
But it seems that several Chinese hacker groups have now shifted their motive of hacking towards 'making money'.
How much Money Hackers Actually Make?
It is a known fact that hacking makes money, but how much?
Answer: At least $4,500,000/year from one malware campaign.
How? We often observe mobile and desktop applications bundled with Ad-displaying programs, called Adware, to generate revenue.
Just last week we reported about "Kemoge Android Adware," disguising itself as popular apps, is making the rounds in as many as 20 countries.
Kemoge malware, whose origin is suspected from China, can root vulnerable Android devices, which practically allows hackers to take over victim's Android device.
Once installed, the malware automatically download other Apps it gets paid to promote.
But Kemoge adware is not alone, the researchers have discovered some it's variants that belong to the same malware family.
Chinese Adware Family Threatening your Android
In a recent blog post, Security experts at Cheetah Mobile company, developers of CM Security and Antivirus apps, detailed about how Chinese hackers are making millions of profits from underground App distribution chains.
Other members of the same family are:
Ghost Push
Braintest
Guaranteed Clicks
RetroTetri
All these malware under same illegal Mobile Marketing Industry Chain follow a similar modus operandi; which is:
Repackage popular apps to injected malicious code and Ad components
Bypass Google Play Store's Bouncer Security
Exploiting existing Android vulnerabilities to gain Admin-level permissions
Root users' devices that make them unable to uninstall the virus
And then promote malicious apps through legitimate channels
"As users are completely unable to uninstall these malicious apps, the virus developers soon get a massive number of active users." Cheetah Mobile researcher said.
"With this user base, the virus developer is able to set up a marketing promotion company and become a mobile dealer. Then they have the qualifications to cooperate with ad sponsors, making money by distributing products for advertisers."
These malicious apps were found on some famous App Stores, including Google Play, Aptoide and Mobogonie.
Some Critical Findings from their Research are:
This Virus family includes 4000 Samples
The Adware is affecting Android versions from 2.3 to 5.1.
More than 10,000 phone types and 2,742 brands have been affected.
The virus has affected more than 900,000 Android users in over 116 countries, especially Southeast Asia.
More than four suspicious domain names have been identified.
Tips for keeping your Android Device Safe
Users are advised to:
never click on suspicious links from emails or websites,
be careful what you download,
don't install apps without reviewing them,
inspect each and every permission an Android app asks for,
keep your Android device updated.
Read More:
China Admits It Has Army of Hackers
China arrested Hackers at U.S. Government Request
China Using A Powerful 'Great Cannon' Weapon to Censor The Internet
China Demands Tech Companies to give them Backdoor and Encryption Keys
To grab more of what China-based hacks and attacks are capable of, Follow us and Stay Tuned.
| 1
|
Yet another bluetooth hacking technique has been uncovered.
A highly critical cryptographic vulnerability has been found affecting some Bluetooth implementations that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker in physical proximity of targeted devices to intercept, monitor or manipulate the traffic they exchange.
The Bluetooth hacking vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2018-5383, affects firmware or operating system software drivers from some major vendors including Apple, Broadcom, Intel, and Qualcomm, while the implication of the bug on Google, Android and Linux are still unknown.
The security vulnerability is related to two Bluetooth features—Bluetooth low energy (LE) implementations of Secure Connections Pairing in operating system software, and BR/EDR implementations of Secure Simple Pairing in device firmware.
How the Bluetooth Hack Works?
Researchers from the Israel Institute of Technology discovered that the Bluetooth specification recommends, but does not mandate devices supporting the two features to validate the public encryption key received over-the-air during secure pairing.
Since this specification is optional, some vendors' Bluetooth products supporting the two features do not sufficiently validate elliptic curve parameters used to generate public keys during the Diffie-Hellman key exchange.
In this case, an unauthenticated, remote attacker within the range of targeted devices during the pairing process can launch a man-in-the-middle attack to obtain the cryptographic key used by the device, allowing them to potentially snoop on supposedly encrypted device communication to steal data going over-the-air, and inject malware.
Here's what the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the maintainers of the technology, says about the flaw:
"For an attack to be successful, an attacking device would need to be within wireless range of two vulnerable Bluetooth devices that were going through a pairing procedure."
"The attacking device would need to intercept the public key exchange by blocking each transmission, sending an acknowledgment to the sending device, and then injecting the malicious packet to the receiving device within a narrow time window. If only one device had the vulnerability, the attack would not be successful."
On Monday, CERT/CC also released a security advisory, which includes additional technical details about the Bluetooth vulnerability and attack method.
According to the CERT/CC, Bluetooth makes use of a device pairing mechanism based on elliptic-curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) key exchange to allow encrypted communication between devices.
The ECDH key exchange involves a private and a public key, and the public keys are exchanged to produce a shared pairing key.
The devices must also agree on the elliptic curve parameters being used, but in some implementations, these parameters are not sufficiently validated, allowing remote attackers within wireless range "to inject an invalid public key to determine the session key with high probability."
Stop Bluetooth Hacking—Install Patches from Vendors
To fix the issue, the Bluetooth SIG has now updated the Bluetooth specification to require products to validate public keys received as part of public key-based security procedures.
Moreover, the organization has also added testing for this vulnerability within its Bluetooth Qualification Process.
The CERT/CC says patches are needed both in firmware or operating system software drivers, which should be obtained from vendors and developers of the affected products, and installed—if at all possible.
Also Read: BlueBorne Attack Critical Bluetooth Attack Puts Billions of Devices at Risk of Hacking
Apple, Broadcom, Intel, and Qualcomm Found Affected
So far, Apple, Broadcom, Intel, and Qualcomm have been found including affected Bluetooth chipsets in their devices, while Google, Android, and Linux have yet to confirm the existence of the vulnerability in their respective products. Microsoft products are not vulnerable.
Apple and Intel have already released patches for this security vulnerability. Apple fixed the bug with the release of macOS High Sierra 10.13.5, iOS 11.4, watchOS 4.3.1, and tvOS 11.4.
Intel released both software and firmware updates to patch the Bluetooth bug on Monday, informing users that the high severity flaw impacts the company's Dual Band Wireless-AC, Tri-Band Wireless-AC, and Wireless-AC product families.
According to Broadcom, some of its products supporting Bluetooth 2.1 or newer technology may be affected by the reported issue, but the chip maker claims to have already made fixes available to its OEM customers, who are now responsible for providing them to the end-users.
Qualcomm has not released any statement regarding the vulnerability.
The Bluetooth SIG says that there is no evidence of the bug being exploited maliciously and that it is not aware of "any devices implementing the attack having been developed, including by the researchers who identified the vulnerability."
| 1
|
Story highlightsMercedes' dominance continues as Nico Rosberg wins pole position in BahrainGerman heads off teammate Lewis Hamilton in Saturday's qualifying sessionsRed Bull's Daniel Ricciardio is third but will start Sunday's race in 13th placeBahrain organizers celebrating 10th anniversary with race under lights for first timeNico Rosberg vowed to put on a "fantastic show" at Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix after ending Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton's dominance of qualifying.Formula One has been criticized for becoming boring in recent years due to Sebastian Vettel's all-conquering Red Bull, but this season the Mercedes team has taken center stage following a raft of new rule changes.While Vettel failed to make the final session on Saturday -- the second time in three race weekends so far the four-time world champion has suffered such fate -- championship leader Rosberg and 2008 titleholder Hamilton lined up for a shootout in Q3.It was the German who prevailed, denying Hamilton a third successive pole position after the Englishman locked up his wheels on turn one as the last driver still out on the track."We're here to put on a great show," Rosberg told reporters. "You could see some action tomorrow between us. Hopefully not, but it's very possible."We owe it to the fans, to everybody, to put on a fantastic show, and that's what we'll do."JUST WATCHEDCaterham boss changes tacticsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCaterham boss changes tactics 02:47JUST WATCHEDF1's big design changesReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHF1's big design changes 02:44The quieter V6 engines being used this year have left many, including F1's boss Bernie Ecclestone, lamenting a lack of atmosphere.For the past three years, Bahrain has been one of the most tense dates on the calendar, following the civil unrest which forced the cancellation of the 2011 race.There were reports of peaceful protests outside of Manama on Friday, but organizers were looking forward to a trouble-free celebration of the 10th anniversary of the event -- with the 57-lap race to be held at night under lights for the first time.Vettel has won the race for the past two years, but will start 10th on the grid after new teammate Daniel Ricciardo dropped from third in qualifying thanks to a 10-place penalty from last weekend's grand prix in Malaysia.Hamilton, who won at Sepang after failing to finish the season-opener in Australia, will be ahead of Williams' Valtteri Bottas and Force India's Sergio Perez.McLaren's Jenson Button will start his 250th career GP in sixth behind Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, whose teammate Fernando Alonso -- a three-time Bahrain winner -- will be ninth.Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa will start seventh for Williams ahead of McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen.Read: F1 stars welcome Schumacher newsRead: Schumacher shows signs of consciousnessRead: Hamilton dedicates win to flight victims
| 0
|
Story highlightsProtesters target a vegetable market; some 400 people are reported detainedA 25-year-old man was stabbed to death last weekSome residents in the area where the stabbing happened blame migrant workersRussian police detained almost 400 people on Sunday after protests over a recent stabbing death turned violent, state news reported.Both the stabbing death and the protests took place in southern Moscow.The latter targeted a vegetable market, where many migrants work, RIA Novosti reported.The state-run Russian news agency said that protesters broke glass and set off smoke bombs.It did not identify the 25-year-old man who was stabbed to death last week.State-run Itar-Tass reported that many local residents blame migrant workers for the murder and rallied Sunday to demand that those responsible are punished.Russia versus GreenpeaceSecurity Clearance: Inside the mind of Vladimir Putin
| 0
|
(CNN)Spanish top-flight football matches in Spain have been suspended as Real Madrid's football and basketball teams were put into quarantine amid the global coronavirus outbreak. Real Madrid took the quarantine decision after one of the club's basketball players tested positive for coronavirus."We have initiated the recommendations to start a quarantine for both the basketball team and the football team, given that the two teams share facilities in the Training Center," a Real Madrid statement said.Sports stars unite to support 'heroes' helping vulnerable in coronavirus fight"We have also decided to close the facilities of our training center and we recommended that all Real Madrid personnel who work in the training center quarantine themselves."Following the Real Madrid decision, La Liga organizers confirmed in a statement on Thursday that all matches in Spain's top and second division will be suspended for the next two matchdays. Read MoreLa Liga said it will "revaluate" the situation following the completion of quarantine "mandated by the affected clubs and other possible situations that could arise.""Considering the circumstances known this morning, referring to the quarantine established by Real Madrid and the possible positives of players in other clubs, La Liga considers that the threshold has been met to follow through with the next phase of the protocol against COVID-19," a La Liga statement said. The league added that it had notified the clubs, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the national sports ministry of the postponements.READ: Lewis Hamilton says it is 'shocking' Australian GP is going ahead as McLaren pulls outA general view inside the empty stadium as fans cannot attend the match between Eibar and Real Sociedad in La Liga.Second in La Liga, Real Madrid is due to face English side Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday March 17. However, doubts will now be raised as to whether that game can go ahead as planned. CNN has reached out to European football's governing body, UEFA, for clarity on the status of the game but is yet to receive a response.Elsewhere, the spread of the coronavirus pandemic has caused huge disruption to football across the globe. Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo is staying in Maderia, Portugal after a Juventus teammate tested positive for COVID-19. Defender Daniele Rugani said he was "fine" after he became the first Serie A player to test positive for the novel coronavirus. Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features, and videosSerie A has already been postponed until April 3 after the country's prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, issued a country-wide lockdown on Monday, including a ban being put in place on public gatherings.Champions League and Europa League ties have been played without fans in attendance, while Manchester City's game with Arsenal was also postponed. The novel coronavirus has infected around 125,000 people worldwide, killing 4,607, according to CNN's tally.
| 0
|
REMnux: A Linux Distribution for Reverse-Engineering Malware
REMnux is a lightweight Linux distribution for assisting malware analysts in reverse-engineering malicious software. The distribution is based on Ubuntu and is maintained by Lenny Zeltser.
REMnux is designed for running services that are useful to emulate within an isolated laboratory environment when performing behavioral malware analysis. As part of this process, the analyst typically infects another laboratory system with the malware sample and directs potentially-malicious connections to the REMnux system that's listening on the appropriate ports.
REMnux is also useful for analyzing web-based malware, such as malicious JavaScript, Java programs, and Flash files. It also has tools for analyzing malicious documents, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe PDF files, and utilities for reversing malware through memory forensics. In these cases, malware may be loaded onto REMnux and analyzed directly on the REMnux system without requiring other systems to be present in the lab.
Downloading REMnux
VMware virtual appliance archive
ISO image of a Live CD
| 1
|
(CNN)Social media erupted in horse emojis on Saturday as soon as American Pharoah crossed the finish line at the Belmont Stakes to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978.But it didn't take long for wisecracks and confusion over the infamous misspelling of his name to pop up amid the horse puns and exclamation points.Without naming names, let's just say at least one major news source got it "wrong" (and by wrong, we mean right), spelling his name "pharaoh" in a tweet, prompting rebukes from social media users.@ashmont But it's like there are a lot of Micheals in the world. Still, wish Pharoah was Pharaoh.— Musique Véronique (@v_diz) June 7, 2015
Pharoah (cq)
Pharoah (cq)
Pharoah (cq)— Michael Gold (@migold) June 6, 2015
Hot take: American Pharoah win ensures that Americans will never again spell pharaoh correctly.— Cory Shaffer (@cory_shaffer) June 6, 2015
We've been through this before but let's do it again: The bad spelling came from a mistake in the horse's registration paperwork.The Courier-Journal of Louisville reported that a fan submitted the name of the horse during an online contest, and spelled "pharaoh" wrong. The woman later told media outlets she checked the spelling before she submitted the name.Read MoreRegardless, the misspelling was put on the electronic form to the site where owners register their horses. Now the name is trademarked, the Louisville paper reported.That hasn't stopped the name from trending in the past with the wrong spelling, though that did not seem to be the case Saturday night. But as long as American Pharoah's owner, Ahmed Zayat, sticks with it, it seems the rest of the world with have to follow suit.Besides, horses can't spell.
| 0
|
SonicWall on Monday warned of active exploitation attempts against a zero-day vulnerability in its Secure Mobile Access (SMA) 100 series devices.
The flaw, which affects both physical and virtual SMA 100 10.x devices (SMA 200, SMA 210, SMA 400, SMA 410, SMA 500v), came to light after the NCC Group on Sunday alerted it had detected "indiscriminate use of an exploit in the wild."
Details of the exploit have not been disclosed to prevent the zero-day from being misused further, but a patch is expected to be available by the end of day on February 2, 2021.
"A few thousand devices are impacted," SonicWall said in a statement, adding, "SMA 100 firmware prior to 10.x is unaffected by this zero-day vulnerability."
On January 22, The Hacker News exclusively revealed that SonicWall had been breached as a consequence of a coordinated attack on its internal systems by exploiting "probable zero-day vulnerabilities" in its SMA 100 series remote access devices.
Then last week, on January 29, the San Jose-based company issued an update stating it had so far only observed the use of previously stolen credentials to log into the SMA 100 series appliances.
While SonicWall has not shared many details about the intrusion citing an ongoing investigation, the latest development points to evidence that a critical zero-day in the SMA 100 series 10.x code may have been exploited to carry out the attack.
SonicWall is internally tracking the vulnerability as SNWLID-2021-0001.
The company said SonicWall firewalls and SMA 1000 series appliances, as well as all respective VPN clients, are unaffected and that they remain safe to use.
In the interim, the company recommends customers enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) and reset user passwords for accounts that utilize the SMA 100 series with 10.X firmware.
"If the SMA 100 series (10.x) is behind a firewall, block all access to the SMA 100 on the firewall," the company said. Users also have the option of shutting down the vulnerable SMA 100 series devices until a patch is available or load firmware version 9.x after a factory default settings reboot.
Update — Patches Released
SonicWall has formally released a patch to address a zero-day vulnerability in SMA 100 series 10.x code.
"All SonicWall customers with active SMA 100 series devices running 10.x code should immediately apply the patch on physical and virtual appliances," the company said in a statement. "The patch also contains additional code to strengthen the device."
While the company has not shared more details on the vulnerability, NCC Group's Rich Warren hinted that it might have something to do with an authentication bypass.
| 1
|
Story highlightsTottenham Hotspur beat Watford 1-0 in English FA Cup fourth round tieRafael van der Vaart scores winning goal to put Spurs in last 16Veteran Carlo Cudicini with key saves for Premier League side Everton beat Fulham 2-1 in all-Premiership clash Tottenham Hotspur survived a testing encounter at second-flight Watford to progress to the last 16 of the English FA Cup with a 1-0 win Friday.Rafael van der Vaart's long-range strike just before halftime proved the difference but veteran goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini had to make a number of superb saves to keep the visitors in front.Tottenham were missing Gareth Bale, who scored a superb goal in their last-gasp 3-2 defeat against Manchester City last Sunday and showed little of the form that has made them title contenders in the English Premier League this season.Watford had given Tottenham some uncomfortable moments before Dutch star van der Vaart found space to unleash a shot which home goalkeeper Scott Loach might have tipped away.Luka Modric, who was below his best, was replaced by Aaron Lennon for the second half, but still Tottenham could not dominate with their usual passing game.Cudicini came to their rescue when he stretched to get the merest fingertip on youngster Sean Murray's curling shot which hit the post. Troy Deeney fluffed the follow-up with the goal gaping. Van der Vaart rattled the crossbar at the other end before Watford again came close as John Eustace hit the woodwork with a header from a corner.Still the home side pressed forward and Nyron Nosworthy force Cudicini into a reaction save and Kyle Walker blocked Marvyn Sordell's follow up.So relief at the end for Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, who came to the match straight from his trial in a London court on tax evasion charges."Full credit to Watford tonight, they were superb," Redknapp told ESPN. "We were well below our best but I'm pleased we have gone through."In Friday's other fourth round game, Everton had to come from behind to beat fellow English Premier League side Fulham 2-1 at Goodison Park.A goal 17 minutes from time from Everton's Belgian international midfielder Marouane Fellaini sealed their passage to the last 16.Fulham had gone ahead through a first half penalty from Danny Murphy but Everton leveled as Argentine Denis Stracqualursi scored his first goal for the club.Saturday's big clash in the FA Cup pits Premier League champions Manchester United against arch-rivals Liverpool.
| 0
|
(CNN)Here's a look at the phone hacking scandal in the United Kingdom. Journalists at British newspapers are accused of making payments to police and hacking into the phones of celebrities, law makers, royalty, murder victims and other figures in the news. Most cases involve News Corp.'s News of the World, but the Sun as well as Mirror Group publications have also settled cases. TimelineNovember 2005 - British tabloid News of the World (NoW) prints a story about Prince William injuring his knee, prompting royal officials to complain to the police of probable voicemail hacking.August 2006 - NoW editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire are arrested for illegal phone hacking. January 26, 2007 - Goodman and Mulcaire are convicted of conspiracy to hack into phone voicemails of royals and are jailed. Andy Coulson, editor of NoW, claims to be unaware of hacking but still resigns. Read MoreMay 15, 2007 - The Press Complaints Commission says it found no evidence of phone hacking at NoW. July 2007 - Goodman and Mulcaire sue NoW for wrongful dismissal. Goodman receives £80,000 and Mulcaire receives an undisclosed amount. Coulson is hired as director of communications for Conservative party leader David Cameron, who becomes UK prime minister in May 2010. June 2008 - News Group Newspapers pays £700,000 to Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association, whose phone was hacked by Mulcaire. November 2009 - The Press Complaints Commission releases a report concluding that there is no evidence of continued phone hacking.March 2010 - Celebrity public relations agent Max Clifford agrees to drop his lawsuit against NoW for a payment of more than £1 million. September 2010 - Former NoW journalist Sean Hoare alleges that phone hacking was a common practice at NoW and encouraged by Coulson. January 21, 2011 - Coulson resigns as British Prime Minister Cameron's spokesman due to coverage of the phone hacking scandal.January 26, 2011 - British Metropolitan Police launch a new investigation into voicemail hacking allegations at NoW.February 25, 2011 - The High Court orders Mulcaire to reveal who asked him to hack phones. April 10, 2011 - NoW officially apologizes for hacking into voicemails from 2004 to 2006, setting up a compensation system for unnamed victims.July 4, 2011 - It is revealed that NoW journalists possibly hacked into missing teenager Milly Dowler's voicemail in 2002 and deleted messages to free space, causing her parents to believe she was still alive.July 6, 2011 - Rupert Murdoch, owner of NoW, promises full cooperation with the investigation and calls the accusations against NoW "deplorable and unacceptable."July 7, 2011 - News International announces that the July 10 Sunday edition of NoW will be the paper's last.July 8, 2011 - Coulson is arrested on claims relating to phone hacking and corruption. Goodman, the paper's former royal correspondent who served a four-month jail term in 2007, is also arrested on corruption allegations. July 10, 2011 - The tabloid shuts down, issuing a full-page apology for the hacking scandal on page three. The cover says, "Thank You & Goodbye."July 13, 2011 - News Corp. withdraws its bid to take over British satellite broadcaster BSkyB, as Prime Minister Cameron announces a wide-ranging public inquiry into the British media.July 14, 2011 - The FBI launches an investigation into the allegations that News Corp. employees or associates hacked into phones of 9/11 victims. July 15, 2011 - Rebekah Brooks, Chief Executive Officer of News International, resigns. Les Hinton, former Chairman News International, resigns as head of the Dow Jones division of the News Group Corp. and publisher of the Wall Street Journal. He was Brooks' predecessor at News International. July 16, 2011 - Murdoch issues an apology for phone hacking via full page ads in seven national newspapers. July 17, 2011 - Brooks is arrested by London police on charges of suspicion of corruption and conspiring to intercept communications. She is released on bail after 12 hours. Sir Paul Stephenson, Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the UK's highes-ranking policeman, resigns amid the growing controversy and speculation that London police were involved in the phone hacking scandal. This comes after revelations that former NoW executive editor Neil Wallis later became a communications consultant for the police. July 18, 2011 - Assistant Police Commissioner John Yates announces his resignation. Yates had ruled in 2009 not to reopen an investigation of phone hacking by journalists. Home Secretary Theresa May announces that London's police department will be investigated for corruption by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.July 19, 2011 - Murdoch, his son James Murdoch, and former NoW editor Brooks testify before Parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Committee.July 20, 2011 - Prime Minister Cameron addresses an emergency meeting to the House of Commons concerning the phone hacking scandal at News Group International and his former communications director, Coulson. July 21, 2011 - Colin Myler and Tom Crone, former top executives of NoW, accuse James Murdoch of giving "mistaken" evidence to a parliamentary committee about a settlement to Taylor.August 20, 2011 - Mulcaire is ordered by the court to name who hired him to hack the phones of Clifford, Taylor, Elle Macpherson, Simon Hughes, Sky Andrew and Jo Armstrong.September 14, 2011 - Dozens of celebrities, including Hugh Grant and J.K. Rowling, are given permission to participate in a top-level inquiry into phone hacking by British journalists.September 16, 2011 - Police in London have applied for a court order under the Official Secrets Act to try to force the Guardian newspaper to reveal confidential sources who have provided information on the phone-hacking scandal.October 21, 2011 - News International, publisher of the former NoW newspaper, agrees to pay £2 million -- about US $3.2 million -- to the family of Dowler. Also, Murdoch will pay £1 million -- about US $1.6 million -- to charities chosen by the Dowler family.October 25, 2011 - In a News Corp. shareholders vote Murdoch retains his seat, however 14% of the vote is against him. Murdoch's sons, James Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch, lose their Board of Director seats.November 14, 2011 - The Leveson Inquiry into journalistic culture, practices and ethics opens in London. It is revealed that more than two dozen News International employees used the services of convicted phone hacker Mulcaire.November 21, 2011 - The Leveson Inquiry begins hearing from witnesses, including Grant and the mother of Dowler, in the hacking scandal and in other questionable practices.November 23, 2011 - Gerry McCann and Kate McCann, the parents of missing toddler Madeleine McCann, testify before the Leveson Inquiry.November 24, 2011 - Celebrities Rowling, Sienna Miller and Max Mosley testify before the Leveson Inquiry.December 14, 2011 - Crone, a former NoW lawyer, testifies before Parliament that James Murdoch was made aware in June 2008 of the scope of the phone hacking situation. December 20, 2011 - CNN host Piers Morgan, former editor of both NoW and the Daily Mirror, testifies regarding his exact knowledge of the phone hacking scandal involving Paul McCartney and Heather Mills.February 8, 2012 - NoW's publisher pays out tens of thousands of pounds to settle lawsuits, including £40,000 ($63,000) and legal costs to actor Steve Coogan, £45,000 ($71,000) plus costs to Hughes, and £75,000 ($119,000) plus costs to sports agent Andrew. Former lawmaker George Galloway gets £25,000 ($40,000) plus costs. Alastair Campbell, who was communications director to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, will be paid costs and damages.February 29, 2012 - James Murdoch gives up his title of executive chairman of News Corp's UK publishing unit. He will keep his corporate title as deputy chief operating officer. The company says he will now focus on its pay television businesses and international operations.March 13, 2012 - UK police arrest six people, including former NoW editor Brooks. All six are arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice contrary to the Criminal Law Act 1977.April 3, 2012 - James Murdoch steps down as chairman of UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB. April 5, 2012 - John Ryley, the head of Sky News, admits to authorizing journalists to hack into emails of private citizens. Sky News is owned by News Corp.April 24, 2012 - James Murdoch testifies before the Leveson Inquiry. He insists that he knew little about the scale of phone hacking by people working for NoW and he had no reason to look into illegal eavesdropping by his employees when he took over the company's British newspaper subsidiary in December 2007. April 26, 2012 - Rupert Murdoch admits at the Leveson Inquiry to the cover-up of phone hacking at NoW and apologizes for not paying more attention to the scandal. May 1, 2012 - British lawmakers investigating phone hacking at NoW declare that Murdoch is not a "fit person to exercise the stewardship of a major international company." May 15, 2012 - Brooks and her husband, Charlie Brooks, are charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. May 28, 2012 - Blair appears before the Leveson Inquiry and denies any question of an alleged deal between Murdoch and his office while prime minister.June 14, 2012 - Prime Minister Cameron appears before the Leveson Inquiry. He is questioned about an October 7, 2009, text message from Brooks, sent after the newspaper switched support to the Conservatives, and about his relationship with Brooks.July 21, 2012 - A News International spokesman says that Murdoch stepped down last week from a number of company boards of directors, both in the UK and the United States.July 24, 2012 - The UK's Crown Prosecution Service says that eight people will face a total of 19 charges relating to phone hacking: former NoW staff Coulson, Brooks, Greg Miskiw, Stuart Kuttner, Neville Thurlbeck, Ian Edmondson and James Weatherup are accused of conspiring to intercept communications, while private investigator Mulcaire faces other charges. The accused deny the charges. September 4, 2012 - The number of likely victims jumps to more than 1,000 people, according to the top police officer working on the case. November 20, 2012 - Britain's Crown Prosecution Service announces that Brooks will be charged with conspiracy over alleged illegal payments to a Ministry of Defence employee. In a separate case, Coulson will face charges of conspiring to make illegal payments to officials for information relating to the royal family. November 29, 2012 - Judge Brian Leveson recommends that the UK news industry create its own regulatory body. He states that Parliament will not create a body to "regulate the press". February 8, 2013 - News International settles 144 lawsuits related to phone hacking. Seven cases were not settled and are reportedly scheduled to go to trial in June. March 18, 2013 - Siobhain McDonagh, Labour Part MP, accepts "very substantial damages" and an apology from the Sun for accessing text messages from her stolen cell phone.June 18, 2013 - Eunice Huthart, Angelina Jolie's stunt double, sues News Corp. for possible phone hacking. This is the first US lawsuit against News Corp. October 28, 2013 - The trial of Brooks and Coulson begins.October 30, 2013 - It is revealed that former NoW employees Thurlbeck, Weatherup and Miskiw have pleaded guilty to phone hacking. January 31, 2014 - Miller testifies regarding an alleged affair with Daniel Craig, which is exposed by a tabloid journalist who hacked Craig's voice mail.February 20, 2014 - The day Brooks is to take the stand for the first time, the judge formally clears Brooks of one charge of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office, in association with a photograph of Prince William dressed in a bikini at a costume party that was acquired by the Sun newspaper. The four other counts against Brooks still stand.June 24, 2014 - Coulson is found guilty of conspiring to hack phones between 2000 and 2006. Brooks, her husband Charlie Brooks and Kuttner are cleared of all charges against them. July 4, 2014 - After being found guilty of conspiracy, Coulson is sentenced to 18 months in prison. He is released in less than five months. April 17, 2015 - British prosecutors drop charges against nine defendants, including Coulson, awaiting trial on charges they paid officials for information. This marks the end of prosecutions against Coulson.December 11, 2015 - The Crown Prosecution Service announces no further action will be taken in their investigation of the phone hacking.April 28, 2016 - A High Court Judge rules that new phone hackings claims against the Sun newspaper can proceed.January 2018 - News Group settles four claims of phone hacking stemming from the 2016 court ruling for undisclosed sums. The claimants are Jimmi Harkishin, Chris Herbert, Vic Reeves and Kate Thornton.February 5, 2018 - Actor Hugh Grant settles a phone hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers, which owns the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People. The company had admitted all three newspapers had hacked into his voice mails. September 27, 2018 - News Group settles 16 claims. Claimants include former boxer Frank Bruno and six stars of the show Coronation Street.February 1, 2019 - Lawyers for Elton John, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Heather Mills and Fiona Mills release a statement that they have settled phone-hacking claims against NoW.May 20, 2020 - Lawyers for actor Kris Marshall report that they have settled his phone-hacking claim against NoW for an undisclosed amount.February 25, 2021 - Mirror Group Newspapers settles damages over phone hacking claims from a number of celebrities including actors Martin Clunes and David Walliams, issuing an apology and unspecified monetary compensation.March 4, 2021 - News Group settles 13 claims. Claimants include Great British Bake Off star Noel Fielding and Coronation Street and Shameless actor Chris Bisson.Major PlayersRupert Murdoch - Australian-born founder and CEO of News Corporation Ltd., the parent company of News International. News International owns the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times in the UK. Murdoch's holdings also include Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and Harper Collins.Rebekah Brooks - Former Chief Executive of News International, editor of the NoW at the time that the alleged hackings occurred. Brooks resigned on July 15, 2011.Andy Coulson - Most recently Cameron's communications chief and former editor of NoW, resigned after the 2007 conviction of Goodman and Mulcaire but claimed not to know about hacking.Clive Goodman - Former NoW's royal editor, jailed for four months after being convicted of conspiracy to intercept phone messages.Glenn Mulcaire - Private investigator jailed for six months after being convicted of conspiracy to intercept phone messages.Hugh Grant - Actor and hacking victim, calls for comprehensive inquiry into tabloid journalism in Britain.Claims Paid (selected)Chris Bisson, actor - undisclosed amountFrank Bruno, boxer - undisclosed amountCharlotte Church, singer - £600,000Martin Clunes, actor - undisclosed amountFamily of Milly Dowler, murdered teenager - £2 millionChristopher Eccleston, actor - undisclosed amountSarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York - undisclosed amountNoel Fielding, actor - undisclosed amountSadie Frost, ex-wife of Jude Law - £50,000David Furnish, filmmaker - undisclosed amount Uri Geller, psychic - undisclosed amountHugh Grant, actor - undisclosed amountJimmi Harkishin, actor - undisclosed amountGavin Henson, rugby player - £40,000Chris Herbert, manager - undisclosed amountSimon Hughes, Liberal Democrat MP - £45,000Elizabeth Hurley, actress - undisclosed amount Elton John, singer - undisclosed amountJude Law, actor - £130,000Kris Marshall, actor - undisclosed amountSienna Miller, actress - £100,000Heather Mills, ex-wife of Paul McCarthy - undisclosed amountFiona Mills, sister of Heather Mills - undisclosed amountJohn Prescott, former Deputy Prime Minister - £40,000Vic Reeves, comedian - undisclosed amountKate Thornton, journalist - undisclosed amountDavid Walliams, actor - undisclosed amount
| 0
|
(CNN)At least 38 people were killed after Myanmar's security forces opened fire on young peaceful protesters in towns and cities across the Southeast Asian nation Wednesday, in scenes described as "a war zone."Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in the weeks since a military coup on February 1. Security forces have intensified their response in recent days, opening live fire into crowds and using tear gas, flash bangs and stun grenades on demonstrators. Images and footage from Wednesday show bodies lying in the street surrounded by pools of blood as protesters run to take cover. The United Nations said the total death toll since the coup had risen to 50, though activists put that total as higher. "Today was the bloodiest day since the coup happened," Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener told a briefing Wednesday. About 1,200 people have been detained, with many relatives unsure where they are being held, she added. Read More"Every tool available is needed now to stop this situation," Burgener said. "We need a unity of the international community, so it's up to the member states to take the right measures."CNN reached out to the ruling military regime via email but has not yet received a response.Protesters run from police firing tear gas during a pro-democracy demonstration in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Wednesday.Protesters have for weeks demanded the release of democratically elected officials -- including the country's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi -- who are in detention. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party won a landslide victory in November elections; military leaders allege voter fraud but have provided no proof for their claim.Burgener said in discussions with the military, she had warned that the UN Security Council and member states were likely to take strong measures. "The answer was: 'We are used to sanctions, and we survived those sanctions in the past'," she said. "When I also warned they will go in an isolation, the answer was: 'We have to learn to walk with only few friends'."Security forces -- including members of the military's Light Infantry Divisions long documented to be engaged in human rights abuses in conflict zones throughout the country -- escalated their deadly crackdown on peaceful demonstrators this week. "Today, the country is like the Tiananmen Square in most of its major cities," the Archbishop of Yangon, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, said on Twitter. In one instance, Myanmar security forces were caught on camera beating emergency service personnel with the butts of their guns, batons and kicking them in the head, according to activist group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).The AAPP released the video on Wednesday and said in a statement it was from North Okkalapa, in Yangon. The video provides a glimpse into the brutal methods deployed the security forces. In the footage, three charity workers are asked to get out of their ambulance van at gunpoint, and then made to kneel on the floor with their hands behind their heads.Two uniformed police officers start hitting the men in the head with their guns and batons and also kick them. A few moments later a group of police officers with shields and members of the military join in, violently hitting the charity workers."The military is treating peaceful protestors in Yangon as a war zone. The military is creating terror, again," AAPP said.CNN does not know why the charity workers were stopped by the security forces. Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters make the three-finger salute of resistance during an anti-coup demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar, on Tuesday, April 27.Hide Caption 1 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarPolice officers clear a road after demonstrators spread placards in Yangon on Saturday, April 24.Hide Caption 2 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters run from security forces during an anti-coup demonstration in Yangon on April 12.Hide Caption 3 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarBuses from the Yangon Bus Service are seen burnt on April 12.Hide Caption 4 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarPolice talk as they arrive at the site of a demonstration in Yangon on April 12.Hide Caption 5 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarAnti-coup protesters walk through Yangon's Hlaing township on April 9.Hide Caption 6 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarAn anti-coup protester raises a decorated Easter egg along with the three-fingered salute of resistance during a demonstration in Yangon on April 4.Hide Caption 7 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters hold homemade pipe air guns during a demonstration in Yangon on April 3.Hide Caption 8 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters hold improvised weapons in Yangon on April 3.Hide Caption 9 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarResidents of the Tamwe area of Yangon participate in a candlelight vigil on April 3.Hide Caption 10 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarPeople take part in a "flower strike" in Yangon on April 2.Hide Caption 11 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters wearing face paint stand near a burning barricade during an anti-coup demonstration in Yangon on March 30.Hide Caption 12 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarSoldiers walk toward anti-coup protesters during a demonstration in Yangon on March 30.Hide Caption 13 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters run to avoid the military in Yangon on March 30.Hide Caption 14 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA man rides his bike as smoke billows from burning barricades in Yangon on March 30.Hide Caption 15 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters throw stones and use slingshots as security forces approached in Yangon on March 28.Hide Caption 16 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarSmoke rises after anti-coup protesters burned tires in Yangon on March 27.Hide Caption 17 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters make incendiary devices during an anti-coup rally in Yangon.Hide Caption 18 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarSmoke rises over Yangon's Thaketa Township on March 27.Hide Caption 19 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarMourners attend the funeral of Tin Hla, a 43-year-old who was reportedly shot dead by security forces during a protest.Hide Caption 20 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarPeople cry in Yangon after a relative was shot during a crackdown on anti-coup protesters.Hide Caption 21 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters occupy a street during a rally in Yangon on March 27.Hide Caption 22 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters gesture during a march in Yangon on March 26.Hide Caption 23 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarThein Zaw, a journalist with the Associated Press, waves after being released from a prison in Yangon on March 24. He had been detained while covering an anti-coup protest in February.Hide Caption 24 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarMen pray during the funeral of Khin Myo Chit, a 7-year-old girl who was shot in her home by Myanmar's security forces on March 23. The girl was killed during a military raid, according to the Reuters news agency and the advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.Hide Caption 25 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA Buddhist monk uses binoculars as he squats behind a road barricade with others in Mandalay, Myanmar, on March 22.Hide Caption 26 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarThe mother of Aung Kaung Htet wails during the teenage boy's funeral on March 21. Aung, 15, was killed when military junta forces opened fire on anti-coup protesters in Yangon.Hide Caption 27 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarUnidentified people cross the Tiau River at the India-Myanmar border on March 20. Some people from Myanmar have sought refuge in India since the protests began.Hide Caption 28 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarAn anti-coup protester jumps over a makeshift barricade in Yangon on March 19.Hide Caption 29 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters take positions on Yangon's Bayint Naung Bridge on March 17. The bridge was blocked with an improvised barricade to prevent security forces from crossing.Hide Caption 30 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarMedical students hold up the three-finger salute at the Yangon funeral of Khant Nyar Hein on March 16. The first-year medical student was fatally shot during the crackdown.Hide Caption 31 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters test Molotov cocktails in Yangon on March 16.Hide Caption 32 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters stand near burning tires in Yangon on March 16.Hide Caption 33 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarAnti-coup protesters pray in Yangon on March 14.Hide Caption 34 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarEmergency workers transport the body of Shel Ye Win, who was shot by security forces in Mandalay.Hide Caption 35 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarSmoke billows from the industrial zone of the Hlaing Tharyar township in Yangon on March 14. The Chinese Embassy in Myanmar said several Chinese-funded factories were set ablaze during protests. Demonstrators have accused Beijing of supporting the coup and junta.Hide Caption 36 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA member of Myanmar's police is seen firing a weapon toward protesters in Yangon on March 13.Hide Caption 37 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarPeople lay flowers and light candles beside bloodied pavement where protester Chit Min Thu was killed in Yangon.Hide Caption 38 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarMilitary trucks are seen near a burning barricade in Yangon that was erected by protesters and then set on fire by soldiers on March 10.Hide Caption 39 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA protester holds a homemade shield during an anti-coup demonstration in Yangon on March 9.Hide Caption 40 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA protester discharges a fire extinguisher to counter the impact of tear gas that was fired by police in Yangon on March 8.Hide Caption 41 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters string up longyi, traditional clothing worn in Myanmar, during a demonstration in Yangon on March 7.Hide Caption 42 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarThe wife of Phoe Chit, a protester who died during a demonstration, cries over her husband's coffin during his funeral in Yangon on March 5.Hide Caption 43 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters step on portraits of Myanmar's armed forces chief, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, during a demonstration in Yangon on March 5.Hide Caption 44 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarPeople cry in Yangon on March 4, near a spot where a family member was killed while protesting.Hide Caption 45 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters lie on the ground after police opened fire to disperse an anti-coup demonstration in Mandalay on March 3.Hide Caption 46 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarSchoolteachers wear traditional hats while participating in an anti-coup demonstration in Mandalay on March 3.Hide Caption 47 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA soldier stands next to a detained man during a demonstration in Mandalay on March 3.Hide Caption 48 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarAnti-coup protesters run in Yangon on March 3. One of them discharged a fire extinguisher to counter the impact of tear gas fired by police.Hide Caption 49 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarAn anti-coup protester writes vital emergency information of another protester on his arm in Yangon.Hide Caption 50 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarPolice run toward protesters to disperse a demonstration in Yangon on March 3.Hide Caption 51 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA citizen of Myanmar living in India burns a poster of Myanmar's military chief during a protest in New Delhi on March 3.Hide Caption 52 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarMedics help supply oxygen to a protester who was exposed to tear gas in Yangon on March 3.Hide Caption 53 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters flee after tear gas was fired during a demonstration in Yangon on March 1.Hide Caption 54 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters smoke behind shields during a demonstration in Yangon on March 1.Hide Caption 55 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters in Yangon run away from tear gas on March 1.Hide Caption 56 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarPeople in Yangon take part in a ceremony on February 28 to remember those who have been killed during demonstrations.Hide Caption 57 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarSoldiers patrol during a protest in Yangon on February 28.Hide Caption 58 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters take cover as they clash with police in Yangon on February 28.Hide Caption 59 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters erect barricades during a demonstration in Yangon on February 28.Hide Caption 60 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarPolice charge at anti-coup protesters in Yangon on February 27.Hide Caption 61 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarAn injured protester receives medical attention in Mandalay after police and military forces cracked down on protests on February 26.Hide Caption 62 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarFactory workers hold placards and shout slogans as they hold an anti-coup protest in Yangon on February 25.Hide Caption 63 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarAnti-coup protesters shout slogans in Yangon on February 25.Hide Caption 64 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA police officer films protesters near the Indonesian Embassy in Yangon on February 24.Hide Caption 65 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarThida Hnin cries during the funeral of her husband, Thet Naing Win, in Mandalay on February 23. He and another protester were fatally shot by security forces during an anti-coup protest.Hide Caption 66 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarPolice stand guard near the US Embassy in Yangon as protesters take part in an anti-coup demonstration on February 22.Hide Caption 67 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters hold signs featuring civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a demonstration in Yangon on February 22. Hide Caption 68 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters gather for a demonstration on February 22.Hide Caption 69 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA man is carried after police dispersed protesters in Mandalay on February 20. Hide Caption 70 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA police truck uses a water cannon to disperse protesters in Mandalay on February 20.Hide Caption 71 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA police officer aims a gun toward protesters during a demonstration in Mandalay on February 20.Hide Caption 72 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA protester holds a Suu Kyi poster as he sits in front of police in Yangon on February 19.Hide Caption 73 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters flash the three-fingered salute during a rally in downtown Yangon on February 19.Hide Caption 74 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarFlower tributes and sympathy messages are left in Yangon for Mya Thweh Thweh Khine. The 20-year-old was shot in the head at a protest in Naypyidaw, and she died on February 19.Hide Caption 75 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters block a major road during a demonstration in Yangon on February 17.Hide Caption 76 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarDemonstrators block a Yangon bridge with their cars on February 17.Hide Caption 77 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarBuddhist monks march during an anti-coup protest in Yangon on February 16.Hide Caption 78 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA Suu Kyi banner is displayed during demonstrations in Yangon on February 15.Hide Caption 79 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarSoldiers carry barricades in Yangon on February 15.Hide Caption 80 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarElected members of Parliament wave to protesters in Yangon as police surround the headquarters of Suu Kyi's political party, the National League for Democracy, on February 15.Hide Caption 81 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarMedics clear the way as an injured protester is carried away for treatment in Mandalay, Myanmar, on February 15.Hide Caption 82 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarPeople gather around an armored vehicle in Yangon on February 14.Hide Caption 83 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarYoung people in Yangon take part in an anti-coup hip-hop performance on February 14.Hide Caption 84 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters demonstrate in Yangon on February 14.Hide Caption 85 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA child runs alongside an armored vehicle in Yangon on February 14.Hide Caption 86 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters march through the city of Shwebo on February 13.Hide Caption 87 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarMembers of the Myanmar Photographers Association hold up their cameras as they call for Suu Kyi's release on February 13.Hide Caption 88 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarPolice detain a protester during a demonstration in Mawlamyine on February 12.Hide Caption 89 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarFarmers ride a tractor with a Suu Kyi poster during a demonstration in Thongwa on February 12.Hide Caption 90 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA protester dressed as Lady Justice makes a three-finger salute as she takes part in a demonstration in Yangon on February 11.Hide Caption 91 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters demonstrate in Bagan, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on February 11.Hide Caption 92 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarGen. Min Aung Hlaing, the country's military leader, makes a televised statement on February 11. He announced that more than 23,000 prisoners were set to be granted amnesty and released that day. It was unclear what offenses the prisoners were convicted of.Hide Caption 93 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarBodybuilders take part in a protest in Yangon on February 11.Hide Caption 94 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarPeople hold up letters that spell "get out dictators" during a demonstration at Inle Lake on February 11.Hide Caption 95 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA protester carries a child during a march in Yangon on February 10.Hide Caption 96 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarWomen in wedding gowns holds up anti-coup placards in Yangon on February 10.Hide Caption 97 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA police officer aims a gun during clashes with protesters in the capital of Naypyidaw on February 9.Hide Caption 98 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA protester pleads for police to refrain from using tear gas against demonstrators in Yangon on February 9.Hide Caption 99 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarPolice fire water cannons at protesters in Naypyidaw on February 9.Hide Caption 100 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters gather in Yangon on February 8.Hide Caption 101 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters flash three-fingered salutes as they face rows of riot police in Naypyidaw on February 8.Hide Caption 102 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarHospital workers show three-finger salutes during a demonstration in Yangon on February 7.Hide Caption 103 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarA rally takes place in Yangon on February 7.Hide Caption 104 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters shout slogans in Yangon on February 7.Hide Caption 105 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarProtesters give roses to riot police in Yangon on February 6.Hide Caption 106 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarYangon residents bang objects to show support for Suu Kyi and her party on February 5. Hide Caption 107 of 108 Photos: Unrest in MyanmarSoldiers block a road near Myanmar's Parliament on February 2, a day after the coup.Hide Caption 108 of 108The AAPP said live ammunition was used against protesters in at least seven towns and cities Wednesday. Among those killed was a 19-year-old girl in the second-biggest city Mandalay. Her image flooded social media sites, showing her wearing a T-shirt that read "Everything will be OK." Reuters reported she was shot in the head by security forces. In Myanmar's biggest city, Yangon, witnesses told Reuters at least eight people were killed when security forces opened fire with automatic weapons in the early evening."I heard so much continuous firing. I lay down on the ground, they shoot a lot and I saw two people killed on the spot," protester Kaung Pyae Sone Tun, 23, told Reuters.Another heavy toll was in the central town of Monywa, where six people were killed, the Monywa Gazette reported. Others were killed in various places including Mandalay, the northern town of Hpakant and the central town of Myingyan, according to Reuters. Rights group Fortify Rights said Thursday that "the similar use of excessive and lethal force by security forces in towns and cities throughout the country demonstrates coordination between units and an overarching national strategy.""This isn't a non lethal tactic to disperse protesters. This is an attack on peaceful protesters throughout the country," said John Quinley, Senior Human Rights Specialist at Fortify Rights. "And these are not crowd control techniques, this is an attack on civilians and people protesting against the military takeover."The rights group said photographs and videos from Wednesday show soldiers holding automatic weapons, long-range sniper rifles, and other firearms.UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said "we're seeing orders that police and military soldiers shoot people down in cold blood.""They're using 12-guage shotguns, they're using 38 mm rifles they're using semi-automatic rifles against peaceful protestors that pose no threat to them," he said. Andrews said the world is witnessing an "incredible carnage" in Myanmar and he is "terrified we are going to see even greater violence and killing of innocent people."World leaders have called for Myanmar's elected leaders to be restored. "The use of lethal force against peaceful protestors and arbitrary arrests is unacceptable," read a February 28 statement by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' spokesman, which also urged the international community to "send a clear signal to the military that it must respect the will of the people of Myanmar as expressed through the election."A protester uses a fire extinguisher as others holding homemade shields run during a demonstration in Yangon on Wednesday.A speech by Myanmar's Ambassador to the UN, Kyaw Moe Tun, prompted rare applause last week, after he said he represents the country's civilian government and called on the international community to use "any means necessary" to help end the coup.On Wednesday, a deputy ambassador from Myanmar, U Tin Maung Naing, resigned after military rulers named him to replace Kyaw Moe Tun.The US State Department condemned the violence, saying Washington is reviewing policy options to respond to the recent escalations."We are appalled and revulsed to see the horrific violent perpetrated against the people of Burma for their peaceful calls to restore civilian governance. We call on all countries to speak with one voice to condemn brutal violence by the Burmese military against its own people and to promote accountability for the military's actions that have led to the loss of life of so many people in Burma," US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a briefing.Pope Francis also appealed for an end to the violence on Wednesday."I appeal also to the international community to act so that the aspirations of the people of Myanmar is not suppressed by violence. That the young people of that beloved land get the opportunity of hope in a future where hate and injustice be replaced by meeting and reconciliation," he said during his weekly audience. CNN's Pauline Lockwood, Akanksha Sharma, Mitchell McCluskey and Jennifer Deaton contributed to this report.
| 0
|
John Bare is a photographer, songwriter and author who has worked for more than two decades in the nonprofit sector. His novel, "Fair-Skinned Brunette With the Porcelain Shine," will be available in January from Wisdom House Books. John shares his house with rescue dogs Winston and Isadora. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion at CNN. (CNN)My wife, Betsy, died in September from Covid-19.A big part of me died with her.Millions of families around the world are suffering from the same, sudden loss. I am part of this tribe, a new global community of survivors trying to find order in chaos, grinding through the emptiness this virus has created. With every sunrise, we count the minutes ticking off through the day, wondering if we can hold it together through Zoom meetings at work and well-intended queries about how we are doing. A slice of moon pie that John created from air-dry clay and acrylic paint. Caught in darkness, I have turned to pie to light my journey. I'm not eating pie. At least no more than usual. I use pie the way a student of meditation uses a mantra. To practice mindfulness. To soften sharp edges of the day. I carve pie slices from clay. I paint images of pies in acrylic. I photograph pie. I work on song lyrics about pie. I imagine writing murder mysteries where the plot turns on pie. I question the particulars of pie, wondering about the forces that shaped pie over the past thousand years. If pie could talk!Why I've been so vocal about my mom's Covid-19 storyPie makes people smile. Betsy's favorite was German chocolate pie from the local K&W Cafeteria. She'd frequently request a slice, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I would bring home a whole pie. Who buys one slice of pie? Coconut pie and chocolate icebox pie were back-ups.Read MoreBetsy found joy in food. In her last year, as pain increased from chronic diseases, she requested cake and ice cream each day. When store-bought cake would not do, we retrieved a chocolate pound cake from the local bakery. On special occasions, she'd order a hummingbird cake or Lady Baltimore cake.Betsy loved biscuits, too. With illness limiting our travel options, we aspired to annual holiday retreats to Chapel Hill, NC --- a two-hour car ride away. Her favorite breakfast there was a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit and cinnamon roll from Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen. She would nibble at both, not finishing either.Betsy in 2001 celebrating the third birthday of her niece in Concord, NC, with ice cream and cupcakes.Early on with Betsy, I learned not to reserve joy for special occasions. Turns out deprivation does not lead to salvation. It just leads to a hankering for pie.Betsy and I tested positive for the coronavirus at the same time in August. Our best guess is she contracted it at a local medical center -- while waiting in a line for a Covid-19 test a pulmonologist required for her annual exam. Between tests administered during hospitalizations and doctor visits, Betsy had cleared four or five Covid-19 tests before the positive result.For me, the illness was nasty. Loss of taste, cognitive disorientation, low-grade fevers and a level of exhaustion I did not know was achievable.For Betsy, who suffered from what we call "underlying conditions," the diagnosis arrived at the same time as a blood infection. For the first week, doctors described her coronavirus case as mild. By day eight, they described it as deadly. The virus grabbed her lungs and never let go.Rudy Giuliani's pricey Covid 'cocktail'The terms "underlying conditions" and "chronic disease," brought into public conversation by the pandemic, mask details we avoid. When we say our loved one is suffering from cancer, asthma, diabetes and kidney disease -- which were all on Betsy's list -- it makes people wince. So, we hold our tongues and nod as acquaintances suggest certain fixes -- from yoga to Pilates to forest bathing. Spousal caregivers become expert at helping partners suffering from chronic disease create an illusion that all is well. Now the ferocity of Covid-19 is tearing down this façade.A spouse waiting in the car is one of the tells of chronic disease. When I would stop at a country store near Davidson on the pretense of buying organic eggs and artisan cheese, Betsy would put in her order and wait. The first things in my basket were ginger cookies and fried pies. Betsy would unwrap a fried pie and eat it on the drive home.Now, I cry in the car. And I cry in the grocery store, at work, on the phone, in my doctor's office. I have cried writing, painting, sculpting, sending emails and pruning shrubs. I have cried in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Massachusetts and Montana. I am aggregating votes in the Electoral College of Crying.Betsy in the 1990s during a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Boone, NC.The crying is more complicated than anyone knows. Grief is a source, surely. More often, the tears emerge when I recall how lucky Betsy and I were to write our own ending, more or less. I cry out of guilt when my fortunes turn positive. I cry because I don't know how to order dinner now that I've lost my dining companion.I cry because I understand Roger Angell's commentary on aging, published in The New Yorker in 2014 when he was in his early 90s: "Everyone in the world wants to be with someone else tonight, together in the dark, with the sweet warmth of a hip or a foot or a bare expanse of shoulder within reach. Those of us who have lost that, whatever our age, never lose the longing: just look at our faces."I have not cried at the hospital because I was not allowed to see Betsy there. Managing Betsy's hospitalization by phone, one thing I learned is you never want to pick up a call and hear from palliative care. It signals the patient has slipped into a situation where life-or-death decisions are approaching.A slice of sour cherry pie that John created with air-dry clay and acrylic paint.Betsy's nurses, who delivered updates by phone, were as encouraging as the angels. Their kindness props up hope, even when conditions are not so great. After a few days, the hospitalist described her illness as "mild." Yet "mild" was still miserable for Betsy. The breathing supports hurt her face. Sleep was hard to come by. Her back pain flared. Out of caution, and worried about the need for emergency intubation, the hospital required a liquid diet. Betsy craved her own pizza creation -- thin crust, white sauce, pineapple and mushroom. She craved a Mr. Goodbar.The hospitalist was so optimistic that he sent Betsy home to recover. I was still under quarantine and recovering from Covid-19 myself, so we were frightened by the burden of my having take on the role filled by the medical professionals who had been caring for Betsy around the clock.When health workers lifted Betsy into the hospital bed we had rented for home use, we realized the doctor had not made provisions to supply the Covid patient's essential need: home oxygen. A nurse from the hospital called to check on Betsy, part of the "virtual" care the hospital provided to Covid-19 patients recovering at home. The nurse shrieked when I reported her oxygen level. "She needs to be in the hospital," the nurse said.Egg custard pie by John.In all, Betsy's home stay lasted about one hour. The emergency medics arrived not long after the call from the virtual-care nurse. They loaded Betsy back into an apparatus to move her down a flight of stairs and into the ambulance. That was the last time I ever saw her.Turns out returning to the hospital is not like checking back into a hotel, even when the hospital recalls the patient. The patient starts over in the ER. Brand new to a system already bloated with broken bodies. Betsy was left alone another night. No company, no solid food. In case an emergency surgery was required, as she described the experience to me later, she had to have an empty stomach. She was one of many bodies parked on one of many beds alongside the acute-care workstream somewhere in the warren of bays and hallways. When I called the next morning expecting to hear that the hospital had resolved the home-oxygen glitch, I was told she was in critical condition. Just like that. From our master bedroom to ICU, with conditions unfavorable.How the UK beat the US to Covid-19 vaccine authorizationA few days later the palliative care lady called. Her candor was brutal. Betsy was trying to breathe. The docs were providing support, short of the ventilator. The support, I was told by the palliative care lady, was not working. The family had to make a decision.Imagine every breath as a new project. Each breath a heavy lift, requiring specific intent and effort. For days and days, Betsy worked to suck in air and to push out air. Every breath took more from her than it gave. For Betsy and millions of Covid-19 patients, breathing is no longer an involuntary act. Over and over again, lying motionless in that hospital bed without a friend in sight, all of life's comforts stripped away. Stuck in whatever position the nurses have arranged their bodies, they focus all of their mental and physical energy on one thing: Breathing."I'm trying," Betsy would tell me in our calls. "I'm trying really hard."Only a couple of us close to Betsy know that, pre-Covid, on bad asthma days she struggled to pull enough air to read aloud to her granddaughters. How could I tell her that she was failing, that her full-out effort to breathe was not good enough, even with the contraptions that helped push and pull oxygen?Betsy had made it clear to doctors and family that she did not want to be moved to the ventilator. In the end, she decided to try the ventilator, on limited terms, to see if an experimental treatment of antibodies would reverse her fortunes.In my private call with the palliative care lady, I asked about what would happen if Betsy tried the ventilator. If the ventilator failed, I wanted to know, would Betsy wake up for a final conversation before passing?With Covid-19 raging, where are America's leaders?No, I was told. If the ventilator failed, Betsy would pass without regaining consciousness.It was a Monday, just after lunch, when I was able to connect to Betsy by phone. Just Betsy and me. No docs or family members. Soon a nurse came in and said the medical team was ready to move Betsy to the ventilator. We knew that was coming but didn't know when. Now the cold hard truth from the palliative care lady was no longer hanging out there in the future.We, of course, spoke of the chance of a miraculous recovery, of the excitement over the experimental antibodies treatment. We also acknowledged that, absent the miracle, this would be the last time we would ever speak to each another.You can watch this play out in the movies. You can imagine what you might say. In truth, there is no way to simulate the intensity. We both said to each other what we wanted to say. We were not rushed. The medical team would wait.I count this among the luckiest moments of my life. To have had this time together, for us each to say what we wanted to say, for us each to hear what the other said, was an incredible gift. Then there was nothing else to say. It was time. As we started to cut the phone connection, I could hear the medical team moving medical machines, readying Betsy for the intubation.The palliative care lady was right. Betsy never woke up. Her condition never reversed. Covid-19 took her.During the night and early mornings, in the state between asleep and awake, Betsy and I still talk. In our bed, I reach over and rub her arm. I wake up stroking a pillow. I am grateful for these encounters. They are sweet. Never bitter. On the shelves by her side of the bed, I have placed my first ceramics works, the clay carved and painted in the form of a slice of sour cherry pie. There is a secret compartment inside. Betsy liked secret compartments. I am grateful Betsy still visits me. I know that will pass one day, and it makes me sad to imagine it so. I have Betsy's voice preserved on a couple of phone messages, asking me to call her at the hospital. That wasn't intentional. Just that death comes on so fast. Only after the graveside service do you examine answering machines.Get our free weekly newsletterSign up for CNN Opinion's new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and FacebookWith grief sweeping over me in waves that come without notice, my psychologist says I should seek out things that bring comfort. My first response: Not feeling like this would bring comfort! But I have to trust the journey. There is no switch to flip. All of this is self-indulgent, and that nags at me.People lose loved ones every day. Death is the only guarantee. Tragedy is thick in the air. Refugees, migrant children separated from their parents, the uninsured sick who cannot get care. Who am I to ask for grace? I am blessed in so many ways. Our two rescue dogs, the companions that prolonged Betsy's life by filling days with wagging tails and kisses, now rush to lick my face. A friend in London gave birth to a girl the weekend Betsy passed, gifting me the circle of life. In the sweep of history, we are on this planet for a fraction of a fraction of any measurable unit of time.All of this reflection makes me wonder about pie, which for more than a thousand years has brought comfort to humans. We all seek our larger purpose. We thrive when we can be a part of something bigger than ourselves, something that unifies us. For the moment, I shall be part of pie.
| 0
|
As the world comes to grips with the coronavirus pandemic, the situation has proven to be a blessing in disguise for threat actors, who've taken advantage of the opportunity to target victims with scams or malware campaigns.
Now, according to a new report published by Check Point Research today and shared with The Hacker News, hackers are exploiting the COVID-19 outbreak to spread their own infections, including registering malicious Coronavirus-related domains and selling discounted off-the-shelf malware in the dark web.
"Special offers by different hackers promoting their 'goods' — usually malicious malware or exploit tools — are being sold over the darknet under special offers with 'COVID19' or 'coronavirus' as discount codes, targeting wannabe cyber-attackers," the cybersecurity firm said.
COVID-19 Discounts: Exploit Tools for Sale
The report comes following an uptick in the number of malicious coronavirus-related domains that have been registered since the start of January.
"In the past three weeks alone (since the end of February 2020), we have noticed a huge increase in the number of domains registered — the average number of new domains is almost 10 times more than the average number found in previous weeks," the researchers said. "0.8 percent of these domains were found to be malicious (93 websites), and another 19 percent were found to be suspicious (more than 2,200 websites)."
Some of the tools available for purchase at a discounted price include "WinDefender bypass" and "Build to bypass email and chrome security."
Another hacking group, which goes by the moniker "SSHacker," is offering the service of hacking into Facebook account for a 15 percent discount with "COVID-19" promo code.
What's more, a seller that goes by the name of "True Mac" is selling a 2019 MacBook Air model for a mere $390 as a "corona special offer." It goes without saying the offer is a scam.
A Long List of Coronavirus-Themed Attacks
The latest development adds to a long list of cyberattacks against hospitals and testing centers, phishing campaigns that distribute malware such as AZORuIt, Emotet, Nanocore RAT and TrickBot via malicious links and attachments, and execute malware and ransomware attacks that aim to profit off the global health concern.
APT36, a Pakistani state-sponsored threat actor that targets the defense, embassies, and the government of India, was found running a spear-phishing campaign using Coronavirus-themed document baits that masqueraded as health advisories to deploy the Crimson Remote Administration Tool (RAT) onto target systems.
Researchers from security firm IssueMakersLab uncovered a malware campaign launched by North Korean hackers that used boobytrapped documents detailing South Korea's response to the COVID-19 epidemic as a lure to drop BabyShark malware. Recorded Future observed, "at least three cases where reference to COVID-19 has been leveraged by possible nation-state actors."
A COVID-19-themed malspam campaign targeted the manufacturing, industrial, finance, transportation, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries via Microsoft Word documents that exploits a two-and-a-half-year-old Microsoft Office bug in Equation Editor to install AZORult malware. The AZORult info stealer has also been distributed using a fraudulent version of the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Map in the form of a malicious executable.
A fake real-time coronavirus tracking Android app, called "COVID19 Tracker," was found to abuse user permissions to change the phone's lock screen password and install CovidLock ransomware in return for a $100 bitcoin ransom.
Another phishing attack, uncovered by Abnormal Security, targeted students and university staff with bogus emails in a bid to steal their Office 365 credentials by redirecting unsuspecting victims to a fake Office 365 login page.
Comment spamming attacks on websites that contained links to a seemingly innocuous coronavirus information website but redirected users to dubious drug-selling businesses.
Aside from malware-laden spam emails, F-Secure researchers have observed a new spam campaign that aims to capitalize on the widespread mask shortage to trick recipients into paying for masks, only to send them nothing.
Staying Secure in the Time of COVID-19
It's amply clear that these attacks exploit coronavirus fears and people's hunger for information about the outbreak. Given the impact on the security of businesses and individuals alike, it's essential to avoid falling victim to online scams and practice good digital hygiene:
Businesses should ensure that secure remote access technologies are in place and configured correctly, including the use of multi-factor authentication, so that employees can conduct business just as securely from home.
Individuals should keep away from using unauthorized personal devices for work, and ensure "personal devices will need to have the same level of security as a company-owned device, and you will also need to consider the privacy implications of employee-owned devices connecting to a business network."
Watch out for emails and files received from unknown senders. Most importantly, check a sender's email address for authenticity, don't open unknown attachments or click on suspicious links, and avoid emails that ask them to share sensitive data such as account passwords or bank information.
Use trusted sources, such as legitimate government websites — for up-to-date, fact-based information about COVID-19.
| 1
|
Story highlightsCourt documents show police killer had previously spoken of desire to strike in FranceLarossi Abballa was already under investigation when he killed a French couple (CNN)The killer of a French police officer and his partner at their home outside Paris on Monday had previously spoken of his desire to launch terror attacks on French soil, according to court documents obtained by CNN. French terror attacker threatened Euro 2016 in Facebook video, source saysAccording to the records, communications by Larossi Abballa in 2011 "highlight the fact that he seemed also a volunteer to commit violent actions in France," in addition to wanting to be a jihadist fighter overseas.JUST WATCHEDWhy terrorists are turning to social mediaReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhy terrorists are turning to social media 01:28Abballa declared his allegiance to ISIS in a video message he recorded Monday after taking over the couple's home in Magnanville, west of Paris. Following a standoff with police, Abballa was shot dead by a SWAT team and the couple's 3-year-old son, who had been held by the attacker, was rescued.Given Abballa's record, and the fact that he was recently placed under investigation for alleged involvement in a jihadist recruiting cell for Syria, many in France are asking why he was not under more intense surveillance, or even house arrest.Read MoreISIS rides wave of attacks as its core territory shrinksFrom petty criminal to jihadist killerAbballa fits in many ways the typical profile of the would-be jihadist. Before his arrest in 2011, he had fallen into a life of petty crime. He began hanging out with a half-dozen men who downloaded everything from jihadist sermons to bomb-making manuals. JUST WATCHEDFrance calls police officer's killing 'terrorist act'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHFrance calls police officer's killing 'terrorist act' 03:11They did physical training, and even practiced beheading techniques on rabbits in woods near Paris, according to court documents. And they raised money to send would-be jihadists to Pakistan.But two men they sent, at the beginning of 2011, were arrested in Lahore and returned to France. Investigators then uncovered the rest of the cell, arresting Abballa and seven others.The former judge who questioned Abballa, Marc Trevidic, told the French daily Le Figaro that the charges against him in 2011 were tenuous. "There was not much that we could hold against him," Trevidic is quoted as saying.Intense security as terror threat hangs over Euro 2016'Thirst for blood'The court documents show Abballa as a follower rather than a leader in the cell, but impatient to wage jihad somewhere: Pakistan, Tunisia or -- even better -- France itself. JUST WATCHEDSources: ISIS terrorists planned to attack soccer championshipsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSources: ISIS terrorists planned to attack soccer championships 03:06On February 19th 2011, he wrote to a co-conspirator: "Allah with his willingness will give us the means to hoist the flag here; nothing is done, it's a challenge to meet." Subsequently he wrote of the "need to start work...the cleansing of the infidels....I have a thirst for blood."Others in the group saw Abballa as "bizarre" or "mysterious," according to the documents; his knowledge of Islam was sketchy. But while awaiting trial, he became known in prison for his militant proselytizing -- which led him to be moved between four different jails.He ultimately received a three-year sentence in September 2013 for association with known terrorists - but was released immediately for time served. He'd been in jail for 27 months. Abballa remained on the official list of individuals suspected of being linked to terrorism -- the Fiche de Surveillance -- and was on probation for six months. Second investigationAbballa appeared to have turned a corner after his release from prison. He set up a food delivery business; a former girlfriend says it seemed he had changed for the better. JUST WATCHEDSource: ISIS plotted attacks on 5 European cities ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSource: ISIS plotted attacks on 5 European cities 02:56But he hadn't. In February this year Abballa was placed under investigation in connection with recruiting fighters for Syria. He wasn't, however, arrested.Referring to other recent cases of homegrown jihadists striking on French soil, the conservative daily Le Figaro commented that "(w)hat is most incredible is that like (Toulouse gunman Mohammed) Merah, like Coulibaly, like the Kouachi brothers... Laroussi Abballa escaped the vigilance of authorities."Surveillance of Said and Cherif Kouachi and Amedy Coulibaly had been dropped months before they carried out terror attacks on the Charlie Hebdo offices and a kosher supermarket in Paris in January last year. French monitored Kouachi brothers but lost interest, despite red flagsThree others detainedSince Abballa's rampage on Monday, three men associated with him have been detained. They are still being questioned, according to French officials. JUST WATCHEDCNN Exclusive: ISIS 'intervention' in France ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCNN Exclusive: ISIS 'intervention' in France 04:10One of them is Aberouz Charaf-Din, regarded as a leading member of the 2011 cell. Charaf-Din was sentenced to five years but according to his attorney released in 2014 or 2015.The government has rejected suggestions that it missed signals about Abballa's intentions. "This man, who became a monster the moment he killed, had shown no signs of preparation," said Justice Minister Jean-Jacques Urvoas. And that goes to the heart of the dilemma for the French authorities, like their counterparts in the US and elsewhere."In France, we judge not on intentions but deeds," Urvoas said. And it is beyond the government's capability, or even will, to monitor the approximately 14,000 names on the security services' lists of radicalized individuals.Security vs. civil libertiesSome conservatives in France are arguing for a form of preventive detention for those regarded as most dangerous, that would extend existing police powers to keep people under house arrest. Eric Ciotti, a right-wing parliamentary deputy, says he has frequently proposed detention centers for about 1,000 suspects. The Council of State, which advises the government on legal issues, has rejected the idea as unconstitutional.And even if such centers were introduced, what's to say that another Larossi Abballa would not be seen as among the most dangerous, until his intentions became deeds? In the chilling video he recorded while at the couple's house, Abballa urged ISIS sympathizers to attack police, prison officers or town officials. "It's super simple," he said: "Just wait for them outside their offices."It's a form of terrorism that needs no wider network, nor contacts with ISIS, nor the purchase of heavy weapons. As one official noted Thursday, the opportunities for such attacks are infinite.
| 0
|
Late last week an unknown hacker or a group of hackers successfully targeted a cryptocurrency exchange with an aim to steal Bitcoins by compromising the web analytics service it was using.
ESET malware researcher Matthieu Faou this weekend spotted malicious JavaScript code on up to 700,000 websites that were bundled with the traffic tracking code from the leading web analytics platform StatCounter.
However, after analyzing the code, the researchers found that hackers managed to compromise StatCounter and successfully replaced its tracking script with malicious JavaScript code primarily designed to target customers of the Gate.io cryptocurrency exchange.
Like Google Analytics, StatCounter is also an old, but popular real-time web analytics platform reportedly being used by more than two million websites and generates stats on over 10 billion page views per month.
Here's How Hackers Tried to Steal Bitcoins from Crypto Exchange
Though the malicious code was also injected into other hundreds of thousands of websites using the StatCounter service, the script only gets activated when the URL or content of the webpage contained a specific Uniform Resource Identifier (URI): myaccount/withdraw/BTC.
The "myaccount/withdraw/BTC" URI is exclusively associated with a gate.io webpage that offers users to make Bitcoin withdrawals and transfers.
The malicious script was intended to replace the destination Bitcoin address of transfers with an address belonging to the hackers.
"The script automatically replaces the destination Bitcoin address with an address belonging to the attackers, for example, 1JrFLmGVk1ho1UcMPq1WYirHptcCYr2jad," Faou explains in a report released Tuesday.
"The malicious server generates a new Bitcoin address each time a visitor loads the statconuter[.]com/c.php script. Thus, it is hard to see how many bitcoins have been transferred to the attackers," he adds.
"As a new Bitcoin address is generated each time the malicious script is sent to the victim, we were not able to see how many bitcoins the attackers have gathered."
According to the researcher, the malicious script was added to the middle of the legitimate StatCounter's JavaScript, which typically makes the malicious code harder to detect via "casual observation."
Gate.io Removes StatCounter Following Security Breach
Attackers successfully breached StatCounter on November 3, and ESET notified the company on November 5 when it discovered the hack, which the security firm labeled as a "supply chain" attack because the malicious script has appeared on the service used by the target.
"Even if we do not know how many bitcoins have been stolen during this attack, it shows how far attackers go to target one specific website, in particular, a cryptocurrency exchange," the researcher says.
StatCounter removed the malicious script on November 6, several hours before the Gate.io cryptocurrency exchange platform stopped using the popular analytic service to prevent further damage.
Gate.io also claimed the company subsequently scanned its website with 56 antivirus products, and "no one reported any suspicious behavior at that time."
The exchange also reported that its "users' funds are safe," but it did not reveal how many customers who performed transfers between November 3 and 6 had lost their funds, neither promised to reimburse those users.
Gate.io also urged its customers to maximize the security levels on their accounts by enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) and two-step login protection.
| 1
|
Today a cyber attack on Pakistan Government servers crash many Government departments's official websites including Ministry of Information Technology, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Economic Affairs & Statistics, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Environment and many more.
Indian Hacker 'Godzilla' continue to strike Pakistan Government because of their support to terrorism activities. Hacker said,"all network owned including switches because they deserve it, I have not touched any innocent website because target is only Government"
While Pakistani official are already aware about the risk from the newest viruses, worms and cyber attacks, so they having their servers running through a proxy server located at https://202.83.164.6/ ,but flawed cyber security practices once again results to messed up whole setup and hacker successfully breach into centralized local server located at 192.168.70.103 b/w website hosting server & proxy server at machine.
Hacker claimed to breach this centralized IBM server with Layer 2-3 Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module for IBM eServer, BladeCenter. This IBM server further connected to 22 local machines that were used to build the proxy server, that was securing the digital cyber space of Pakistan.
"They are running it through a local system 192.168.70.103 which is been shut down as we have access of the switch" he said.
After attack, shutdown of above server
Websites under attack:
www.moitt.gov.pk
www.railways.gov.pk
www.ead.gov.pk
www.interior.gov.pk
www.ipc.gov.pk
www.mora.gov.pk
www.establishment.gov.pk
www.housing.gov.pk
www.mosp.gov.pk
www.planningcommission.gov.pk
www.minorities.gov.pk
www.lgrd.gov.pk
www.moenv.gov.pk
More than 24 hours, the Gateway of Pakistan website (https://www.pakistan.gov.pk/) was also down because of same security breach, but official managed to recover that server after removing routing that one via same targeted proxy server.
Hacker also claimed to have access to File server of Pakistan Government. Network and server admins are working hardly to fix the issue generated after security breach, at the time of reporting this news,above listed all sites are down.
| 1
|
(CNN)The US has information suggesting China has expressed some openness to providing Russia with requested military and financial assistance as part of its war on Ukraine, a Western official and a US diplomat told CNN, and is conveying what it knows to its NATO allies.It is not yet clear whether China intends to provide Russia with that assistance, US officials familiar with the intelligence tell CNN. But during an intense, seven-hour meeting in Rome, a top aide to President Joe Biden warned his Chinese counterpart of "potential implications and consequences" for China should support for Russia be forthcoming, a senior administration official said.The series of events underscored the growing concern among American officials at the budding partnership between Moscow and Beijing as Biden works to isolate and punish Russia for its aggression in Ukraine. While officials have said the Chinese President was alarmed at what has taken place since Russia invaded, there is little to indicate China is prepared to cut off its support entirely.That leaves open a troubling possibility for American officials -- that China may help prolong a bloody conflict that is increasingly killing civilians, while also cementing an authoritarian alliance in direct competition with the United States.In a diplomatic cable, the US relayed to its allies in Europe and Asia that China had conveyed a willingness to assist Russia, which has asked for military support. The cable did not state definitively that assistance had been provided. One official also said the US warned in the cable that China would likely deny it was willing to provide assistance.Read MoreAmong the assistance Russia requested was pre-packaged, non-perishable military food kits, known in the US as "meal, ready-to-eat," or MREs, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The request underscores the basic logistical challenges that military analysts and officials say have stymied Russian progress in Ukraine -- and raises questions about the fundamental readiness of the Russian military. Forward-deployed units have routinely outstripped their supply convoys and open source reports have shown Russian troops breaking into grocery stores in search of food as the invasion has progressed. One of the sources suggested that food might be a request that China would be willing to meet, because it stops short of lethal assistance that would be seen as deeply provocative by the west.The Chinese Communist Party leadership is not all in agreement regarding how to respond to Russia's request for assistance, said one of the sources. Two officials said that China's desire to avoid economic consequences may limit its appetite to help Russia. Officials separately told CNN that Chinese President Xi Jinping has been unnerved by how the war in Ukraine has reinvigorated the NATO alliance. "There is real concern by some that their involvement could hurt economic relationships with the West, on which China relies," said one of the sources. Officials are also monitoring whether China provides some economic and diplomatic relief for Russia in other forms, like abstention votes at the United Nations. In Rome, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and a US delegation who met with top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi "raised directly and very clearly" concerns about Chinese "support to Russia in the wake of the invasion, and the implications that any such support would have for" China's relationship with the US and partners around the world, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said."That includes allies and partners in Europe and the Indo-Pacific," Price said at a State Department briefing Monday.Concerns over China's potential involvement in the war came as bombardments intensified in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and Russia's military campaign moved westward. Still, there remained signs that Russia's armed forces are being hampered by Ukrainian fighters, underscoring Russia's need for outside assistance.Ukrainian forces have "effectively struck Russian logistics and sustainment capabilities" in the war, a senior US defense official told reporters on Monday. And the US does not believe Russia's missile strikes on a Ukrainian military training center in western Ukraine will affect American efforts to provide weapons shipments to that country's military.Biden, who is working to rally international support for Ukraine, could travel to Europe soon to further consult with allies there, people familiar with the plans said, though as of Monday no trip had been finalized. His administration is also considering expediting the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees with US ties. The US President may face increased pressure to assist displaced Ukrainians soon -- the nation's President, Volodomyr Zelensky, plans to virtually address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.US watching how China responds to Russian invasion of UkraineHeading into the meeting, US officials said they expected Yang to portray China as a neutral partner willing to help facilitate talks between the two sides aimed at bringing an end to hostilities. China has ramped up its diplomatic efforts in the past days, including in a call last week between Xi and the leaders of France and Germany meant to signal a willingness to adopt a more proactive role in the crisis.The US has viewed those efforts somewhat skeptically, given China's recent closeness with Russia. And over the weekend, US officials said they had information that Russia had asked China for military support, including drones, as its invasion advances more slowly than the Kremlin had expected. Both the Chinese and Russian governments publicly denied that the request had been made.Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that China providing Russia with support is a "concern.""We also are watching closely to see the extent to which China actually does provide any form of support, material support or economic support, to Russia. It is a concern of ours. And we have communicated to Beijing that we will not stand by and allow any country to compensate Russia for its losses from the economic sanctions," Sullivan said.American officials say they believe Xi has been unsettled by Russia's invasion and the performance of Russia's military, which has experienced logistical and strategic setbacks since the invasion began more than two weeks ago. Watching from Beijing, Xi was caught off-guard that his own intelligence had not been able to predict what happened, even though the United States had been warning of an invasion for weeks, the officials said."They may not have understood the full extent of it," Sullivan said on CNN on Sunday, "because it's very possible that Putin lied to them, the same way that he lied to Europeans and others."The mostly global repudiation of Russia's actions has caused China to weigh what damage it may suffer to its reputation by sticking with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And an economic rupture with Europe or the United States could damage a Chinese economy already growing more slowly than it has in 30 years.For all those reasons, American officials believe now is a moment when engaging with China is an imperative as it determines how to proceed amid Russia's aggression. US and Chinese officials have been in regular touch over the past several weeks, including in the lead-up to Russia's invasion.Price said the US is "watching very closely the extent to which the PRC" -- another name for China -- "or any other country, for that matter, provides any form of support, whether that's material support, whether that's economic support, whether that's financial support to Russia.""Any such support from anywhere in the world would be of great concern to us," he said.He declined to comment specifically on reports about the diplomatic cable. "We have communicated very clearly to Beijing that we won't stand by. ... We will not allow each country to compensate Russia for its losses," he added.Price characterized the Chinese response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as somewhat "ambivalent.""I read a statement the other day from a PRC official calling the situation complicated. There's nothing complicated about this. This is naked aggression," he said.Russian invasion of Ukraine tosses its relationship with China into tumultSullivan's meeting Monday in Rome was originally meant as a follow-up to US President Joe Biden and Xi's nearly three-hour virtual summit in November, which occurred at the same time American officials began warning of a massive buildup of Russian troops along Ukraine's borders. On that call, Xi warned Biden that dividing the world into competing blocs would "inevitably bring disaster," according to a Chinese readout. Yet Russia's invasion has done more to align the world in competing alliances than anything Biden had done with the aim of bolstering American relationships -- an outcome American intelligence has found Xi was also unprepared for, believing instead that European economic interests would prevent countries there from imposing severe sanctions.That dynamic has complicated a relationship that Xi and Putin declared had "no limits" in a lengthy document in February, when Putin visited Beijing for talks and to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. The US decision to stage a diplomatic boycott of the Games infuriated Xi, officials have said, making Putin's presence in the stadium even more important.The evolving response in China to the Russian invasion -- from denying one would happen to avoiding public condemnation to presenting itself as a possible mediator -- has been closely monitored by the White House, where the potential of a Moscow-Beijing alliance is viewed with heightened concern. CIA Director Bill Burns said last week the partnership was rooted in "a lot of very cold-blooded reasons."A new "axis" forming in opposition to American-led efforts at bolstering regional security has been in the works since before the war in Ukraine, including in the economic, political and military sectors. But the US does not view the partnership as fully developed, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told lawmakers last week."We do see it as not yet at the point where we are, for example, with allies," Haines said. "They have not achieved that kind of level of cooperation, and we anticipate it is unlikely in the next five years that they will ... become the way we are an ally with our other NATO members in that context."This story has been updated with additional reporting.
| 0
|
Chinese security firm Qihoo 360 Netlab said it partnered with tech giant Baidu to disrupt a malware botnet infecting over hundreds of thousands of systems.
The botnet was traced back to a group it calls ShuangQiang (also called Double Gun), which has been behind several attacks since 2017 aimed at compromising Windows computers with MBR and VBR bootkits, and installing malicious drivers for financial gain and hijack web traffic to e-commerce sites.
In addition to using images uploaded to Baidu Tieba to distribute configuration files and malware — a technique called steganography — the group has begun using Alibaba Cloud storage to host configuration files and Baidu's analytics platform Tongji to manage the activity of its infected hosts, the researchers said.
The initial compromise relies on luring unsuspecting users to install game launching software from sketchy game portals that contain malicious code under the guise of a patch.
Once the user downloads and installs the patch, it accesses the aforementioned configuration information to download a separate program named "cs.dll" from Baidu Tieba that's stored as an image file.
In the subsequent stages, "cs.dll" not only creates a bot ID and reports it back to the attacker-controlled server, but it also injects a second driver that hijacks system processes (e.g., lassas.exe and svchost.exe) in order to download next-stage payloads to advance the group's motives.
Qihoo researchers also detailed a second infection chain wherein game client software is altered with malicious libraries (a modified version of photobase.dll), using a method called DLL hijacking to release and load the malicious driver before loading the legitimate module.
The company said it reached out to Baidu's security team on May 14 and that they jointly took action to prevent the further spread of the botnet by blocking all downloads from the URLs involved.
"During this joint operation, through the analysis, sharing, and response of threat information, we have formed a better understanding of the technical means, logic, and rules of the Double Gun gang," Baidu said.
| 1
|
Story highlightsNovak Djokovic unhappy with Madrid's blue clay surface after second-round winWorld No. 1 beats Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-2 3-6 6-2 but criticizes surfaceTomas Berdych and Juan Martin Del Potro also enjoy victories in Spanish capitalTop two seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova victorious in women's drawNovak Djokovic has had plenty to say about the blue clay at the Madrid Masters and he was in no mood to change his mind after a minor scare on his first competitive outing on the new surface.The world No. 1 thought the players should have been consulted on Madrid's decision to depart from the traditional red clay and the Serbian cut a frustrated figure as he beat Spanish qualifier Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-2 3-6 6-2."It's impossible to move," he was quoted as telling reporters by AFP. "I hit maybe five balls, the rest went just trying to put the ball into the court. "I was relying on serve and getting free points from his unforced errors. That was not tennis, either I need football shoes or some advice on how to play on this court. "I cannot find the words to describe this court. It's really tough to play like this on a center court. We need serious discussion about the future of this blue clay.JUST WATCHEDMadrid's new blue clay courtReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMadrid's new blue clay court 01:41"We cannot change anything this year, but my first impressions are not good. I don't want to be the one complaining, but I say honestly what I feel."Djokovic's victory was his first outing since he lost to Rafael Nadal in the Monte Carlo Masters and his win set up a third round clash with either Jurgen Melzer or Stanislas Wawrinka.No. 6 seed Tomas Berdych, from the Czech Republic, defeated South Africa's Kevin Anderson 6-4 6-3 while Aregntina's Juan Martin Del Potro, who won the Estoril Open last week, toppled Florian Mayer 6-4 6-2.There were also victories for French trio Gilles Simon, Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet.In the women's draw the top two seeds, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova, both made it safely into round three.Azarenka, the world No. 1, beat the Czech Republic's Andrea Hlavackova 6-3 7-6 before having her say on the blue clay surface."The surface is a bit slippery, but it's the same for all of us," the Belarusian told reporters. "I don't like to complain -- it is what it is and it won't change now."Sharapova, striving to complete a major slam with victory at the French Open later this month, also toppled a Czech opponent, Klara Zakopalova 6-4 6-3."It's not so much about the color," she told a press conference. "It does look good on television. But it plays a bit different. "It's about the amount of clay on the court and the way it bounces. I got settled in so it's just a matter of adjusting. It's also the same for everyone."Serbian Ana Ivanovic, the No. 13 seed, also made it into round three after beating Nadia Petrova, from Russia, 7-5 6-1.
| 0
|
Back in june this year, Google announced an alpha Google Chrome extension called "End-to-End" for sending and receiving emails securely, in wake of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden's revelations about the global surveillance conducted by the government law-enforcements.
Finally, the company has announced that it made the source code for its End-to-End Chrome extension open source via GitHub.
Google is developing a user-friendly tool for individuals to implement the tough encryption standard known as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) in an attempt to fully encrypt people's Gmail messages that can't even be read by Google itself, nor anyone else other than the users exchanging the emails.
PGP is an open source end-to-end encryption standard for almost 20 years, used to encrypt e-mail over the Internet providing cryptographic privacy and authentication for data communication, which makes it very difficult to break. But implementing PGP is too complicated for most of the people, therefore, the new tool was designed to make encryption easy.
Bringing PGP to the Gmail service will result in a much stronger end-to-end encryption for emails. End-to-End Chrome extension tool is based on OpenPGP and is still in the developing phase, but the company released an update about the progress of its project and moved the code for the project from its own Google Code repository to GitHub, so that researchers can review it.
"We've always believed strongly that End-To-End must be an open source project, and we think that using GitHub will allow us to work together even better with the community," Stephan Somogyi, Security and Privacy Product Manager for Google, wrote in a blog post on Tuesday.
The project includes contributions from Yahoo!'s security team and Alex Stamos, Yahoo's Chief Security Officer, is officially working on End-to-End. In August during the Black Hat USA conference in Las Vegas, Stamos announced that he would participate in the project.
End-to-End extension for Chrome is still in alpha but once it become more stable, the search engine giant will release it on the Chrome Web Store.
"We aren't yet making End-To-End available in the Chrome Web Store," Somogyi added. "We don't feel it's as usable as it needs to be. Indeed, those looking through the source code will see references to our key server, and it should come as no surprise that we're working on one."
Previously, when Google released the code for the new Chrome extension on Google Code repository and asked community to test and evaluate it, the company offered financial rewards of tens of thousands of dollars to find any security bugs under its Vulnerability Reward Program. The company thanked those who submitted bugs against the first alpha release and rewarded bounty for two vulnerabilities reported.
According to Somogyi, foremost challenge for engineers for now is to develop an adequate system to handle key management and distribution process.
"Key distribution and management is one of the hardest usability problems with cryptography-related products, and we won't release End-To-End in non-alpha form until we have a solution we're content with," Somogyi said.
The web giant believes that this End-to-End extension for Chrome will make end-to-end PGP encryption quicker and easier for people, so that they'll get an extra layer of security while communicating via emails. The extension could be released as "alpha" sometime next year.
| 1
|
Luring users on social media to visit lookalike version of popular websites that pop-up a legitimate-looking Chrome extension installation window is one of the most common modus operandi of cybercriminals to spread malware.
Security researchers are again warning users of a new malware campaign that has been active since at least March this year and has already infected more than 100,000 users worldwide.
Dubbed Nigelthorn, the malware is rapidly spreading through socially engineered links on Facebook and infecting victims' systems with malicious browser extensions that steal their social media credentials, install cryptocurrency miners, and engage them in click fraud.
The malware was pushed through at least seven different Chrome browser extensions—all were hosted on Google's official Chrome Web Store.
These malicious Chrome browser extensions were first discovered by researchers at cybersecurity firm Radware, after a "well-protected network" of one of its customers, an unnamed global manufacturing firm, got compromised.
According to a report published by Radware, the malware operators are using copies of legitimate Google Chrome extensions and injecting a short obfuscated malicious script into them to bypass Google's extension validation checks.
Researchers named the malware "Nigelthorn" after one of the malicious extensions which was the copy of popular 'Nigelify' extension designed to replace all pictures on a web page with gifs of 'Nigel Thornberry.'
Nigelthorn Propagates Through Links Sent Over Facebook
Nigelthorn is spreading through socially engineered links on Facebook, which if clicked redirects victims to fake YouTube page, asking them to download a malicious Chrome extension, to continue playing the video.
Once installed, the extension executes a malicious JavaScript code that makes victims' computers part of a botnet.
A similar malware, dubbed Digimine, emerged last year that also worked by sending socially engineered links over Facebook Messenger and installed a malicious extension, allowing attackers to access the victims' Facebook profile and spread the same malware to their friends' list via Messenger.
We recently wrote about another similar malware campaign, dubbed FacexWorm, that was also distributed by sending socially engineered links over Facebook Messenger and redirected users to fake YouTube page, asking them to install a malicious Chrome extension.
NigelThorn Steals Password for Facebook/Instagram Accounts
The new malware majorly focuses on stealing credentials for victims' Facebook and Instagram accounts and collecting details from their Facebook accounts.
This stolen information is then used to send malicious links to friends of the infected person in an effort to push the same malicious extensions further. If any of those friends click on the link, the whole infection process starts over again.
NigelThorn also downloads a publicly available, browser-based cryptocurrency mining tool as a plugin to trigger the infected systems to start mining cryptocurrencies, including Monero, Bytecoin or Electroneum.
Over the period of just 6 days, the attackers appeared to generate approximately $1,000 in cryptocurrencies, mostly Monero.
Nigelthorn is also persistent as to prevent users from removing the malicious extensions, it automatically closes the malicious extension tab each time the user opens it prevents removal.
The malware also blacklists a variety of clean-up tools offered by Facebook and Google and even prevents users from making edits, deleting posts and making comments.
List of Malicious Chrome Extensions
Here's the name of all seven extensions masquerading as legitimate extensions:
Nigelify
PwnerLike
Alt-j
Fix-case
Divinity 2 Original Sin: Wiki Skill Popup
Keeprivate
iHabno
Although Google has removed all of the above-listed extensions, if you have installed any of them, you are advised to immediately uninstall it and change passwords for your Facebook, Instagram and as well as for other accounts where you are using the same credentials.
Since Facebook Spam campaigns are quite common, users are advised to be vigilant when clicking on links and files provided via the social media site platform.
| 1
|
Story highlightsRussian mariner drank half a liter of rum, then started his shift in sole charge of cargo ship, report saysReport: Amount of alcohol consumed caused him to fail to plot crucial course adjustments (CNN)What shall we do with a drunken sailor?Don't put him in charge of a 7,000-ton, 423-foot (129-meter) cargo ship, for starters.That's how a Russian mariner who drank half a liter of rum before work, according to investigators, managed to crash into the coast of Scotland last winter -- at full speed.The Lysblink Seaways was on its way from Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Skogn in Norway when it slammed into the rocky shoreline near Kilchoan on the Ardnamurchan peninsula at about 2:30 a.m. on February 18.When the ship was salvaged, it was so badly damaged that it had to be scrapped. Read MoreEight times the limitAn investigation into what happened found that the vessel's 36-year-old chief officer -- the sole watchkeeper at the time of the crash -- had become "inattentive ... due to the effects of alcohol consumption," the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch said in a report released Thursday.While off duty in his cabin, the officer made a private phone call which "caused him anxiety, after which he consumed about 0.5 liter of rum," the report added. Half a liter is about 17 ounces.He then started his watch at midnight as the sole officer in charge of the vessel.The amount of alcohol the officer consumed caused him to fail to plot crucial course adjustments, the report said -- and the ship's navigation alarm system, which could have alerted the rest of the crew to his incapacity, had not been switched on. A breath test taken by the chief officer a few hours after the accident found his breath alcohol at 2.71 mg/ml -- almost eight times the UK limit for professional seafarers. (The blood alcohol content would be 0.27 in U.S. terminology.) JUST WATCHEDThe mistakes that lead to the Costa Concordia disasterReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe mistakes that lead to the Costa Concordia disaster 02:43Zero alcohol rule? FloutedThe ship's owner, DFDS, has a zero tolerance alcohol policy on board and was supposed to carry out random alcohol and drug testing.But the investigation found that the Lysblink Seaways carried a bonded store, which included a stock of spirits, beer and wine, and crew members often flouted the zero alcohol rule. "Records showed that the bonded store was regularly replenished, and empty beer, wine and spirit bottles and cartons found on board after the accident indicated significant levels of alcohol consumption by the crew," the report said. There was also no evidence that any random alcohol tests had been carried out on crew members.But too much rum wasn't the only thing that contributed to the accident, which caused the ship to leak 25 tons of marine gas oil into coastal waters. The investigation also discovered poor navigational practices and a lack of control measures -- which, had they had been in place, could have prevented the crash. The report didn't contain any recommendations as it said the ship's owner had already taken action, including removing bonded stores from vessels and looking into the random alcohol testing regime.'No excuse for it'Gert Jakobsen, a spokesman for DFDS, told CNN: "It's not a case we have seen before, and there is no excuse for it whatsoever."Everyone (in the company) knows the consequences of having alcohol in the blood or being in possession of alcohol on board. ...The officer in charge was fired. "We're happy that no persons were injured during this quite dangerous situation."
| 0
|
A Security Flaw in Universal Plug & Play (UPnP) are exposing more than 50 millions of computers, printers and storage drives to attack by hackers remotely.
Rapid7 said Tuesday in a research paper, that problem lies in routers and other networking equipment that use a commonly employed standard known as Universal Plug and Play or UPnP.
UPnP allows networked devices to discover each other and automatically establish working configurations that enable data sharing, media streaming, media playback control and other services.
In one common scenario a file-sharing application running on a computer can tell a router via UPnP to open a specific port and map it to the computer's local network address in order to open its file-sharing service to Internet users.
Over 80 million unique IPs were identified that responded to UPnP discovery requests from the internet and around 40-50 million network-enabled devices are at risk due to vulnerabilities found in the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol.
The long list of devices includes products from manufacturers including Belkin, D-Link, Cisco's Linksys division and Netgear.
They found that 20 percent, or 17 million, of those IP addresses corresponded to devices that were exposing the UPnP SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) service to the Internet. This service can allow attackers to target systems behind the firewall and exposes sensitive information about them.
Additional vulnerabilities, including ones that can be used in denial of service and remote code execution attacks, also exist in a UPnP library called MiniUPnP.
Rapid7 also release ScanNow UPnP, a free tool that can identify exposed UPnP endpoints in your network and flag which of those may remotely exploitable through recently discovered vulnerabilities.
People who own devices with UPnP enabled may not be aware of it because new routers, printers, media servers, web cameras, storage drives and smart TVs are often shipped with that functionality turned on by default.
| 1
|
Cloudworm - Candidate MS12-020 - POC
How secure are cloud servers?
In technical circles, people are aware of the cloud variables and that cloud service providers offload the virtual machine security onto the customer as much as possible.
Technical people know this. Not all cloud customers fall into this category and not all clouds are created equally. There are more casual and also very (too busy) customers as well.
It is highly probably that many Windows cloud images may be vulnerable to a MS12-020 RDP exploit by default.
New research using the nmap nse script "rdp-ms12-020.nse" developed by @ea_foundation shows that all Rackspace Windows cloud images are vulnerable by default. And on AWS EC2 any existing, unpatched Windows AMIs or EBS images (pre 2012.03.13) that are booted with the AWS Management Console default firewall ruleset are vulnerable as well.
A Cloudworm
Although cloud service providers have taken some steps to mitigate MS12-020, it is nowhere near enough to protect customers.
This is due to the fact that both cloud service providers, AWS EC2 and Rackspace have vulnerable by default security settings.
AWS EC2 have a global allow RDP (port 3389) as a default rule for all customers using the AWS Management Console to launch EC2 instances.
Rackspace have an unsecured "servicenet" (unfirewalled LAN) on all their cloud servers.
This means that when an exploit is developed to exploit MS12-020, it may be deployable onto a very large number of servers in the clouds, if the cloud providers do not act more pro-actively and promptly.
The most vulnerable customers are casual cloud users that have an expectation that the cloud service providers are providing their virtual servers with a sensible set of default firewall rules. Unfortunately, in the case of MS12-020, the exact opposite is true.
Experienced users may not be off the hook either. Booting older Windows cloud images will leave the server vulnerable until the user has patched and rebooted their cloud server, unless they have a sensible RDP ruleset and have secured any "open" network interfaces.
Source: https://www.snyping.com/misc/cloudworm/cloudworm-ms12-020.txt
https://www.snyping.com/misc/cloudworm/cloudworm-ms12-020.html
| 1
|
In what believe to be the largest data breach in history, Yahoo is reporting a massive data breach that disclosed personal details associated with more than 1 Billion user accounts in August 2013.
…And it's separate from the one disclosed by Yahoo! in September, in which hackers compromised as many as 500 Million user accounts in late 2014.
What's troubling is that the company has not been able to discovered how "an unauthorized third party" were able to steal the data associated with more than one Billion users.
The data breach officially disclosed on Wednesday actually occurred in 2013 and, just like the one in 2014, allowed the cyber crooks to obtain personal information of its users but not credit card details.
Here's what Yahoo's chief information security officer Bob Lord says the hackers obtained:
"The stolen user account information may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords (using MD5) and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers."
The hashed passwords used an aging algorithm called MD5 that can easily be cracked. Moreover, in some incidents, the hack revealed unencrypted security questions and answers that would provide quick access to users accounts.
The public disclosure of this latest data breach came upon "further analysis" of data that law enforcement provided Yahoo in November.
Change your Password and Security Q&A Immediately
Of course, if you are one of those potentially affected users, you are strongly recommended to change your passwords and invalidate affected security questions.
Also, if you are using the same password and answers for security questions somewhere else, change them too.
Yahoo has started notifying the account holders affected by the massive data breach, requiring them to change their passwords immediately.
Both the data breaches at Yahoo! came after the company negotiated a deal to sell its core internet business to Verizon Communication Inc for $4.8 Billion.
The September disclosure of half a billion users' breach prompted Verizon to say in October that it might withdraw from the agreement to buy Yahoo.
Here's the statement from Verizon spokesman Bob Verettoni about the recent largest data breach:
"As we've said all along, we will evaluate the situation as Yahoo continues its investigation. We will review the impact of this new development before reaching any final conclusions."
Previous data breach news had already magnified company's problems, and now when another data breach affecting a Billion users has been disclosed, would Yahoo be able to save its acquisition deal?
| 1
|
Story highlightsSpanish ski mountaineer Mireia Miro won the world championship in 2011Miro covers around 200,000 meters of elevation every skiing season The 26-year-old cultivated love of mountains during summer holidays in Pyrenees Miro also competes in skyrunning and recently took up BASE Jumping CNN's Human to Hero series celebrates inspiration and achievement in sport. Click here for times, videos and features (CNN)Climbing a height equivalent to Mount Everest just once would be a shuddering thought for most people, but can you imagine trying to scale 8,848 meters more than 20 times in six months ... on skis?That's the distance Mireia Miro estimates she covers every season in a bid to stay fit for the lung-busting sport of ski mountaineering. "In a normal winter, when we start skiing in November and we finish in April, sometimes May, I can do around 200,000 meters of elevation gain," Miro told CNN's Human to Hero series. The dedication to fitness has helped the Spanish dynamo reach the summit of her sport winning a clutch of titles in recent years. But not even trophies can match the winning feeling of being at one with nature. "I love being in the mountains -- it makes me feel part of the world, part of the Earth," she says.Read More"I don't know how to explain it ... it's a little bit difficult ... but when I'm in the mountains, especially ski mountaineering, in winter alone, I have a peaceful feeling and I feel part of the things that surround me," she adds."When I go up, I'm able to think of nothing -- it's as if your head is empty. For me, it's kind of a way to disconnect from the world."JUST WATCHEDSki mountaineer scales career peaks ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSki mountaineer scales career peaks 02:36Today, under a canvas of blue sky that could have been painted by her namesake Joan Miro, the Catalan skier is quietly blazing a trail through the snowy terrain, negotiating the gentler slopes of the Pyrenees before effortlessly switching up a gear to tackle steeper climbs. "What I like in the mountains in winter is that you can choose your own trail. When I'm on the skis, I can always choose where I want to go." she explains.Combining elements of cross-country and alpine skiing, ski mountaineering, or "skimo" for short, can be done for recreation or competitively with skiers racing against the clock over a set pre-set course."Senior women normally do 1,500 meters -- that's quite a lot, but we do three or four uphills and three or four downhills. The first women normally do that in one hour 30 minutes, one hour 40 minutes maximum -- (you are) always pushing yourself." There are dangers, notably avalanches when venturing off piste, but Miro has avoided them so far."I'm lucky, I can say that I haven't had any really scary situations," she says. With around 25 races to complete every season, Miro has to constantly be in peak physical shape which means putting in the hard yards almost every day. The staggering uphill climbs she completes during a season -- more than 120 miles worth -- are as much a mental battle as a physical one, she says. "I think that the mind is the motor of the body. If your mind is ready, is open to new things, you will enjoy it. If your mind is closed and you don't want to improve, you won't enjoy it." JUST WATCHEDIndia's discus heroReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHIndia's discus hero 03:07JUST WATCHEDMastering Vietnamese martial artReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMastering Vietnamese martial art 03:05JUST WATCHEDFrance's handball starReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHFrance's handball star 02:27With that philosophy, it is perhaps no wonder that the 26-year-old has been so successful winning dozens of races in recent years -- the high point coming in 2011 when she skied to both the World Championship and World Cup titles. Miro is also one of only a handful of women to have won the legendary Pierra Menta twice.The annual ski mountaineering race in the French Alps sees teams of two compete over four days on a monster of a course with elevations totaling 10,000 meters."I was dreaming of (winning the) World Championships (and) I was dreaming of Pierra Menta, but I didn't expect to win them because I thought I would never have the level to do it. So when I won both, for me it was like, wow, this is one of the best moments of my life!"Unlike many skiing stars, Miro wasn't clipped into her bindings from an early age. In fact, she grew up in Barcelona on Spain's north-eastern coast more interested in swimming and martial arts. But annual summer holidays to the Pyrenees soon fostered a lasting affection for alpine activities."My family took me to the mountains. We went for picnics, we went to see the lakes, we went to see animals, to see flowers but then when I was 12, I realized I wanted more. I wanted to learn more about mountains," she says.Her initial ski mountaineering outing was almost her last though."The first time I went other people were telling me 'you will love it! You will enjoy the descents, it's very beautiful'. But I was so tired when I arrived at the summit that I couldn't get down. I just did one turn and fell on the ground! So it was like: 'I don't like this sport. It's too tiring!"A skiing career looked to have been stopped in its tracks before it had even started, but when she signed up for tests at a training center -- Catalonia's Ski Mountaineering Technical Center -- at the age of 17, it changed her mind and the course of her life forever."I decided to go and just try and they picked me! That was the moment I started training and competing," she said. Miro was in good company at the center, counting superstar sky runner Kilian Jornet as one of her peers.Skyrunning is a sport that Miro also likes to compete in during the summer months, primarily as a way to keep fit for winter ski racing, although a troublesome knee hampered her progress in both activities last year. But the injury didn't completely ground her. JUST WATCHEDWhat is skyrunning?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhat is skyrunning? 03:08 "Last year, I started BASE jumping. It's very different from ski mountaineering or skyrunning but I love it ... It also makes me feel part of things that are around me and part of nature," she says."With BASE jumping you realize that you are nothing and you have to take chances and you have to live your life every day and give all your energy to live it in the best way possible."Miro has recently made a return to the slopes and is currently competing at the Ski Mountaineering World Championships in Verbier, Switzerland. After feeling the thrill of jumping off tall buildings last summer, heading back to the slopes could have felt like a bit of a comedown. But the Catalan native is adamant that scaling snowy peaks will always rock her world. "I love ski mountaineering because it gives me the feeling of freedom. Ski mountaineering is part of me, I think that I need it."
| 0
|
Paris (CNN)French president Emmanuel Macron said France will continue using the country's health pass to ensure uptake of booster shots of the vaccine in a national address Tuesday evening.Announcing the opening of third shots for those aged over 50 from the beginning of December, Macron also said that from mid-December proof of a third shot would be necessary for those aged over 65 to revalidate their health pass. Those aged over 65 have been able to request a third dose since September 1 in France.The health pass has been an essential tool for the French government in boosting vaccination rates, banning entry to public transport and a variety of public and private spaces for those without proof of full vaccination.Masks will remain obligatory in schools and are currently required indoors and on public transport.Read More "The fifth wave has started in Europe," Macron said, citing the WHO, adding that the UK and Germany are now recording 30,000 new Covid-19 cases daily. "We have not finished with the pandemic," he said.Europe's fifth waveLarge swathes of Europe are battling to beat back surges of the Delta variant amid the relaxation of restrictions and stuttering vaccine rollouts in some countries, with the WHO warning half a million Europeans could die of Covid-19.The continent's Covid-19 fortunes have shifted dramatically in recent months. By the end of the summer, many countries had done away with tough restrictions after nations particularly in the west of the bloc charged ahead with vaccination programs and cases plummeted.Now as other parts of the world reopen, Europe could again be facing a winter of renewed clampdowns. The Danish government has proposed reintroducing a digital "corona pass," according to Reuters, and Austria this week banned unvaccinated people from restaurants and hotels. Iceland too has reintroduced masks and social-distancing rules.In France, Macron shot down any hopes that Covid-19 health regulations might be relaxed in the near-term, "even if I know how difficult that is," he said. He made a "call of responsibility" to the 6 million French people who have yet to receive a single dose of the vaccine, adding that "we will have to live with the virus until the global population in its entirety is immunized." He said that France remained committed to "international solidarity" on vaccine provision.
| 0
|
Government organised 12 Chinese Hacker Groups behind all Attacks
About 12 different Chinese groups largely directed by the government there, do the bulk of the China based cyber attacks stealing critical data from U.S. companies and government agencies, according to U.S. cyber security analysts and experts. US online security companies are suggesting that it should have the right to force them to stop "by any means possible".
Sketched out by analysts who have worked with U.S. companies and the government on computer intrusions, the details illuminate recent claims by American intelligence officials about the escalating cyber threat emanating from China. And the widening expanse of targets, coupled with the expensive and sensitive technologies they are losing, is putting increased pressure on the U.S. to take a much harder stand against the communist giant.
The report states that many of the attacks carry tell-tale signatures of particular hacking groups being tracked by intelligence and cybersecurity teams in the U.S., contrary to many expert opinions which indicate that accurate attribution is nearly impossible if the attackers are savvy enough.
James Cartwright, a former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who advocates for increasing measures to hold China and other nation-states responsible for intrusion operations, said that "industry is already feeling that they are at war."
"Right now we have the worst of worlds. If you want to attack me you can do it all you want, because I can't do anything about it. It's risk free, and you're willing to take almost any risk to come after me," said Cartwright.
Cartwright believes the U.S. should be aggressive in their response to attacks that originate overseas, in essence establishing that "if you come after me [the U.S.], I'm going to find you, I'm going to do something about it. It will be proportional, but I'm going to do something... and if you're hiding in a third country, I'm going to tell that country you're there, if they don't stop you from doing it, I'm going to come and get you."
The government "needs to do more to increase the risk," said Jon Ramsey, head of the counter threat unit at the Atlanta-based Dell SecureWorks, a computer security consulting company. "In the private sector we're always on defense. We can't do something about it, but someone has to. There is no deterrent not to attack the U.S."
According to experts, the malicious software or high-tech tools used by the Chinese haven't gotten much more sophisticated in recent years. But the threat is persistent, often burying malware deep in computer networks so it can be used again and again over the course of several months or even years.The tools include malware that can record keystrokes, steal and decrypt passwords, and copy and compress data so it can be transferred back to the attacker's computer. The malware can then delete itself or disappear until needed again.
For the first time, U.S. intelligence officials called out China and Russia last month, saying they are systematically stealing American high-tech data for their own economic gain. The unusually forceful public report seemed to signal a new, more vocal U.S. government campaign against the cyberattacks.
[Source]
| 1
|
A North Korean government-backed campaign targeting cybersecurity researchers with malware has re-emerged with new tactics in their arsenal as part of a fresh social engineering attack.
In an update shared on Wednesday, Google's Threat Analysis Group said the attackers behind the operation set up a fake security company called SecuriElite and a slew of social media accounts across Twitter and LinkedIn in an attempt to trick unsuspecting researchers into visiting the company's booby-trapped website "where a browser exploit was waiting to be triggered."
"The new website claims the company is an offensive security company located in Turkey that offers pentests, software security assessments and exploits," TAG's Adam Weidemann said. The website is said to have gone live on March 17.
A total of eight Twitter profiles and seven LinkedIn profiles, who claimed to be vulnerability researchers and human resources personnel at different security firms (including Trend Macro, inspired by Trend Micro), were created for this purpose, with a few others posing as the chief executive officer and employees at the fictitious company. All the accounts have since been suspended.
As a precaution, Google has added the website's URL to its Safebrowsing blocklist service to prevent accidental visits, even though the site hasn't been found to serve any malicious content.
The campaign was initially flagged by TAG in January 2021, when it came to light that the adversary had created a research blog and multiple profiles on various social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, Discord, and Keybase in a bid to communicate with the researchers and build trust, only to deploy a Windows backdoor that came in the form of a trojanized Visual Studio Project.
Following the disclosure, researchers from South Korean cybersecurity firm ENKI revealed a zero-day in Internet Explorer that it said allowed the hackers to access the devices managed by its security team with malicious MHTML files. Microsoft later addressed the issue in its Patch Tuesday update for March 2021.
If anything, the latest development is yet another example of attackers quickly shifting gears when their methods are discovered and exposed publicly.
The real motive behind the attacks remains unclear as yet, although it's being suspected that the threat actor may be attempting to stealthily gain a foothold on systems in order to get hold of zero-day research, and in the process, use those unpatched vulnerabilities to stage further attacks on vulnerable targets of their choice.
| 1
|
Story highlightsRussian-based federation says Vladimir Putin gets eighth-degree belt in Kyokushin-kan disciplinePutin, 62, is quite the sportsman and already has highest rank in taekwondoNo protective gear is worn in Kyokushin-kan That Vladimir Putin, he's a baaad man.The muscle-bound Russian President rides horses while shirtless. He catches massive fish and gives them a kiss. He tranquilizes tigers. He also is apparently pretty good on the mat. Putin, 62, has been awarded a karate black belt, the Russian Kyokushin-kan Karate-do Federation said Friday.In a letter to Putin, the federation said the Kyokushin-kan International Honbu decided to award him an eighth-dan, or eighth-degree, black belt for his "contribution in promoting Kyokushin-kan karate in Russia."Putin, known also for his judo skills, had already been awarded a fifth-degree black belt in 2001, according to the federation. Kyokushin-kan is a full contact form of karate in which no protective gear is worn and in which striking an opponent in the head with hands is not permitted. Putin in 2013 also received the highest rank in taekwondo, the ninth-dan ranking, giving him honorary grandmaster status, according to Russian state news agency Itar-Tass.
| 0
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.