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Fake Angry Birds Game spreading Malware from Android Market
From last week premium rate SMS Trojans surfaced in the Android Market. Google has pulled 22 apps that are masquerading as legitimate versions of popular games like Angry Birds and Cut the Rope. Security researchers have discovered a way to bypass an Android smartphone owner's permissions and access private data stored on their smartphone.
Avast Blog explain this as - For example, if someone tried to look for "Cut the rope free", this malicious application was in the fourth place in the search results. Apps published by the developer Miriada Production may look like well known Android games (Angry birds, Need for speed, World of Goo and others) and users could be easily confused.
The fake apps include "Cut the Rope", "Need for Speed", "Assassins Creed", "Where's My Water? ","Riptide GP", "Great Little War Game", "World of Goo", "Angry Birds", "Shoot The Birds", "Talking Tom Cat 2", "Bag It!" and "Talking Larry the Bird". The apps have been pulled from the Android Market.
The fraudulent apps would install a premium rate SMS Trojan that would rack up hidden charges on the user's phone bill. The apps would lure customers into clicking on options that would send text messages to premium line numbers leaving the user to foot the bill. According to Lookout Mobile Security, the new threat called RuFraud has been found in an initial batch of apps on the Android Market that include horoscope apps, wallpapers, and game apps that pretend to be legitimate games like Angry Birds.
What will happens if these threats are installed in your mobile devices?
It will attempts to send text messages containing the string "798657" to premium-rate numbers using the infected device's current default SMS Center (SMSC) by exploiting the Permissions function (android.permission.SEND_SMS), Capable of sending an affected user's GPS location via HTTP POST, Opens several ports and connects to specific URLs to receive and execute commands from a remote user, Gathers information like International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) numbers from infected systems, which is then sent to a specific site and Secretly forwards all incoming text messages to a remote user.
How do users get these threats?
Trend Micro has reported several incidents wherein malware came disguised as Android apps. Samples of Android malware found in the wild include:
ANDROIDOS_DROIDSMS.A: Came disguised as Windows Media Player.
ANDROIDOS_DROISNAKE.A: Came in the form of a game known as Tap Snake.
ANDROIDOS_GEINIMI.A: Came in the form of Trojanized apps hosted in certain third-party app stores in China.
ANDROIDOS_ADRD.A: Comes in the form of a Trojanized wallpaper app.
ANDROIDOS_LOTOOR.A: Trend Micro's detection for Trojanized versions of legitimate apps like "Falling Down".
ANDROIDOS_BGSERV.A: Trojanized version of Android Market Security Tool, which was released to address the modifications done by AndroidOS_LOTOOR.A.
Trend Micro Suggest "Users can also check the developer's profile for other apps. Google also offers developer ratings, as well as the status 'Editor's Choice' that can further validate the developer's legitimacy. It is also a good practice to check app ratings and user feedback for more verification. The user rating and feedback feature give people a more accurate view of the experiences users have when using or installing the app. You can find it just below the app icon.,".
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(CNN)Careful on that surfboard, there's some-fin in the water. Help for fur babies comes just in time. And viewers say a holiday commercial is wheelie, wheelie bad. These are your must-see videos of the week:#DontMessWithMeJUST WATCHEDTwitter blown away by Pelosi pushing back at reporterReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHTwitter blown away by Pelosi pushing back at reporter 02:11A seven-word question stopped House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in her tracks. Her retort to a conservative reporter instantly created a viral finger-wagging moment and an enduring quote.Wipeout!JUST WATCHEDA shark is about to knock this kid off his surfboardReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHA shark is about to knock this kid off his surfboard 00:50Try not to blink or you might miss it! A 7-year-old boy was surfing with his dad in Florida when a shark appeared to knock him off his surfboard. Perhaps the aquatic animal had too much jaw-va?Read MoreRock solidJUST WATCHEDThis concrete (yes, concrete) is high-techReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThis concrete (yes, concrete) is high-tech 05:44You may not realize it, but concrete has an emissions problem. Find out how one company is leading the way to reduce cement's massive carbon footprint.In the wrong gear?JUST WATCHEDPeloton mocked for holiday adReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPeloton mocked for holiday ad 01:38Peloton, an exercise bike that connects to live spin classes, is being ridiculed for a holiday ad. Critics say it peddles negative body image and bad marital dynamics.Very good snow angelsJUST WATCHEDPuppies living in a carcass rescued on mountainReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPuppies living in a carcass rescued on mountain 01:37Two snowmobilers helped rescue three puppies they found on a Utah mountain but had to leave the mother behind. The Great Pyrenees pups are believed to be survivors from a larger litter.
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Security researchers have discovered a remotely exploitable vulnerability in Called ID app "Truecaller" that could expose personal details of Millions of its users.
Truecaller is a popular service that claims to "search and identify any phone number," as well as helps users block incoming calls or SMSes from phone numbers categorized as spammers and telemarketers.
The service has mobile apps for Android, iOS, Windows, Symbian devices and BlackBerry phones.
The vulnerability, discovered by Cheetah Mobile Security Research Lab, affects Truecaller Android version of the app that has been downloaded more than 100 Million times.
The actual problem resides in the way Truecaller identify users in its systems.
While installation, Truecaller Android app asks users to enter their phone number, email address, and other personal details, which is verified by phone call or SMS message. After this, whenever users open the app, no login screen is ever shown again.
This is because Truecaller uses the device's IMEI to authenticate users, according to researchers.
"Anyone gaining the IMEI of a device will be able to get Truecaller users' personal information (including the phone number, home address, mail box, gender, etc.) and tamper app settings without users' consent, exposing them to malicious phishers," Cheetah Mobile wrote in a blog post.
Cheetah Mobile researchers told The Hacker News that they were able to retrieve personal data belonged to other users with the help of exploit code just by interacting with Truecaller's servers.
On a successful exploitation of this flaw, the attackers can:
Steal personal information like account name, gender, e-mail, profile pic, home address, and more.
Modify a user's application settings.
Disable spam blockers.
Add to a black list for users.
Delete a user's blacklist.
Cheetah Mobile informed Truecaller of this flaw, and the company updated their servers as well as released an upgraded version of its Android app on March 22 in order to prevent abuse exploiting this flaw.
Truecaller said in its blog post published Monday that the vulnerability did not compromise any of its user information.
If you haven't, download the latest version of Truecaller for your Android devices from the Google Play Store Now!
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If you have installed a network-attached storage device manufactured by LG Electronics, you should take it down immediately, read this article carefully and then take appropriate action to protect your sensitive data.
A security researcher has revealed complete technical details of an unpatched critical remote command execution vulnerability in various LG NAS device models that could let attackers compromise vulnerable devices and steal data stored on them.
LG's Network Attached Storage (NAS) device is a dedicated file storage unit connected to a network that allows users to store and share data with multiple computers. Authorized users can also access their data remotely over the Internet.
The vulnerability has been discovered by the researcher at privacy advocate firm VPN Mentor, the same company that last month revealed severe flaws in three popular VPNs—HotSpot Shield, PureVPN, and ZenMate VPN.
The LG NAS flaw is a pre-authenticated remote command injection vulnerability, which resides due to improper validation of the "password" parameter of the user login page for remote management, allowing remote attackers to pass arbitrary system commands through the password field.
As demonstrated by the researchers in the following video, attackers can exploit this vulnerability to first write a simple persistent shell on the vulnerable storage devices connected to the internet.
Using that shell, attackers can then execute more commands easily, one of which could also allow them to download the complete database of NAS devices, including users' emails, usernames and MD5 hashed passwords.
Since passwords protected with MD5 cryptographic hash function can easily be cracked, attackers can gain authorized access and steal users sensitive data stored on the vulnerable devices.
In case, attackers don't want to crack the stolen password, they can simply run another command, as shown, to add a new user to the device, and log-in with that credentials to get the job done.
To add a new user to the database, all an attacker needs to do is generate a valid MD5. "We can use the included MD5 tool to create a hash with the username test and the password 1234," the researchers say.
Since LG has not yet released a fix for the issue, users of LG NAS devices are advised to ensure that their devices are not accessible via the public Internet and should be protected behind a firewall configured to allow only a trusted set of IPs to connect to the web interface.
Users are also recommended to periodically look out for any suspicious activity by checking all registered usernames and passwords on their devices.
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Story highlightsPalace source tells CNN that Kate feels "fulfilled" by her achievements over the past 12 monthsWilliam and other royals have helped smooth her transition into the monarchy, source saysWilliam phoned Kate from the Falklands to coach her for her first public addressKate intervened to prevent her new puppy Lupo becoming a public relations eventThe Duchess of Cambridge has successfully graduated as a "fully fledged member" of Britain's monarchy after fulfilling all her objectives one year on from her marriage to Prince William, a senior royal source has told CNN.St. James's Palace, which represents her, William and his brother Harry, now regards Kate's "induction" as complete and the duchess herself feels "fulfilled" by the achievements of the past 12 months, the source said.Confirmation of her smooth transition into the ranks of royalty will help dispel fears voiced ahead of last year's wedding that commoner-born Kate would struggle with the pressure of being thrust into the public eye.But, thanks to guidance from her husband, Kate feels she has settled into her new life, CNN has learned."She would never judge her achievements but she has succeeded in doing what she set out to do in her first year," the source said. "She has achieved her objectives."JUST WATCHEDKate, Duchess of Cambridge: Part 1ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHKate, Duchess of Cambridge: Part 1 08:21Kate's other mentor has been her father-in-law, Prince Charles, with whom she has become close. "They spend a lot of time together. They go on visits to the opera and art galleries. They share passions that neither of the princes share. They get on very well."JUST WATCHEDKate, Duchess of Cambridge: Part 2ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHKate, Duchess of Cambridge: Part 2 06:59Gallery: Photographer's year with duchessJUST WATCHEDKate, Duchess of Cambridge: Part 3ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHKate, Duchess of Cambridge: Part 3 09:03The source was speaking to CNN for a new documentary: The Royals; Kate, Duchess of Cambridge airing on May 4. In it, CNN explores how the whole royal family has thrown its support behind their newest member as she finds her feet. Photos: Royal photographer's year with a duchess Photos: Royal photographer's year with a duchessRoyal Wedding – Getty Images photographer Chris Jackson talks to CNN about key images of Kate Middleton: "I was lucky enough to be positioned right outside the front of Westminster Abbey. I was seriously nervous. I had to get this picture. As they came out the front door, the crowd roared and I was just shooting away and you literally only had a matter of minutes, if that."Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos: Royal photographer's year with a duchessPippa Middleton – Jackson on THAT photo of Pippa Middleton: "You never know exactly what's going to happen afterwards, what the media are going to talk about but I did really feel that this was a strong image. I mean how often do you take a picture where you haven't got someone facing you, you can't see their face? I didn't realise it would be quite such a big deal."Hide Caption 2 of 10 Photos: Royal photographer's year with a duchessKate meets Reese Witherspoon – Kate meets Reese Witherspoon in Los Angeles: "I think the thing for me, which really struck me about this moment was having a chat with Reese [Witherspoon] before, she seemed so excited about meeting Catherine. This is someone who mixes with Hollywood royalty every day. But meeting actual royalty was just an incredible thing for her." Hide Caption 3 of 10 Photos: Royal photographer's year with a duchessThe 'pregnancy' false alarm – On the photo that stirred false pregnancy rumors: "I'm not sure if someone made a joke or Prince William said something to her but she just sort of laughed a bit and held her hands there and obviously it's a fortunate or unfortunate picture, depending on how you're looking. The picture has winged its way around the world onto numerous front pages."Hide Caption 4 of 10 Photos: Royal photographer's year with a duchessKate arrives in Wales – On Kate's official apperance after her engagement to Prince William: "From the point of view of pictures and moving images, I think Catherine always looks very confident. Even from her first appearance, I remember up in north Wales, she stepped out of the car with a huge smile on her face."Hide Caption 5 of 10 Photos: Royal photographer's year with a duchessKate's handbag 'security blanket' – Jackson: "She's developed a few mannerisms. Photographing her on a regular basis, I notice. You know, there's a laugh where she comes back and she laughs and looks at the camera. She often uses her handbag almost like a security blanket. It all looks great, it doesn't look bad at all."Hide Caption 6 of 10 Photos: Royal photographer's year with a duchessKate enjoys chatting to people – Jackson: "She always enjoys chatting to people and she gives people a great deal of time. Quite often you'll see Prince William has walked off ahead but she is left chatting with someone because she wants to keep talking to them."Hide Caption 7 of 10 Photos: Royal photographer's year with a duchessKate hugs a young girl – Jackson: "This was one of her solo engagements which she made while William was in the Falklands flying rescue helicopters. It just really shows that she gets stuck in and she's got the common touch and a real affinity with the children."Hide Caption 8 of 10 Photos: Royal photographer's year with a duchessKate's unusual hockey kit – Jackson: "Some of the fashionistas were getting very excited about Kate's jeans. She looked amazing, again. I think she was a little bit nervous when she arrived. But she knocked the ball around for a bit and I think the nerves evaporated slightly. It's great seeing her get stuck in and she doesn't hold back." Hide Caption 9 of 10 Photos: Royal photographer's year with a duchess'Clothes look really good on her' – Jackson: "She looks great in pictures. There's much talk about her weight. The fact is she's slightly slimmer. I think she looks healthy. It means that clothes look really good on her."Hide Caption 10 of 10"The queen has made a lot of time for the duchess. [Kate] gets on very well with the queen. They have a warm relationship as was evidenced in Leicester," says the source, referring to a visit last March when the pair were seen chatting and smiling.It has been a whirlwind year for Kate. Her wedding last April, one the biggest media events in history, was followed by a triumphant tour of Canada, which she regards as the highlight of her official year, and a trip to the United States.Watch: The Royals: Kate, Duchess of CambridgeWhen the duchess returned to Britain, she began shaping her own identity within the royal family.In January, she announced her support for four charities and began her first solo engagements. Last month she made her inaugural speech with the help of William who, CNN has learned, coached her via phone from the Falklands where he was on military service.By delivering her first speech, Kate completed the full range of official duties expected of a working royal.A small palace team has provided what training it can for the duchess, but they accept that the best insight comes from William and Charles.However, Kate has also proved to be a natural."For her, the public engagements are a joy," the royal source said. "She enjoys it. Not much fazes her. She is confident enough to handle it. She is strong-willed. She knows her mind. She is professional."Kate's hands-on approach came to light when the media was bombarding the palace with calls demanding to know the name of her new puppy.The duchess was unwilling to let her puppy become a public relations event, CNN understands. Instead she revealed it naturally during a visit to a school when a student asked her.In case you missed it, the newest member of the royal family is called Lupo.
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(CNN)Nikita Mazepin, who is set to race for Formula One team Haas next season, has apologized after a video was posted on social media believed to be him, touching the breast of a woman sitting in a car."I would like to apologize for my recent actions, both in terms of my own inappropriate behavior and the fact that it was posted onto social media," he tweeted on Wednesday.The now-deleted video was posted on his Instagram story on Tuesday, but is now being widely shared on social media. Mazepin's face is not actually seen in the video, which is shot inside of a moving vehicle. An unidentified hand can then be seen grabbing the chest of a woman in the back seat. Read MoreThe woman in the video pushes the hand away before putting her middle finger up to the camera.READ: 'Proud to partner with Bahrainis,' says F1 boss amid human rights criticismNikita Mazepin will drive for Haas F1 team next season. On Wednesday, American team Haas said in a statement on Twitter: "Haas F1 Team does not condone the behavior of Nikita Mazepin in the video recently posted on his social media. Additionally, the very fact that the video was posted on social media is also abhorrent to Haas F1 Team.""The matter is being dealt with internally and no further comment shall be made at this time," the racing team added.It was announced last week that the 21-year-old Russian would join Haas F1 team ahead of the new season. The rookie driver has promised to learn from his mistake. "I am sorry for the offense I have rightly caused and to the embarrassment I have brought to Haas F1 Team," he wrote. "I have to hold myself to a higher standard as a Formula 1 driver and I acknowledge I have let myself and many people down. I promise I will learn from this."CNN's Aleks Klosok contributed reporting.
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Story highlights The President's office says a working group will meet with the opposition30 police officers were injured in clashes, the Interior Ministry saysInterior Ministry says some protesters tried to march on government buildingsThe new law was passed by lawmakers loyal to Ukraine's president in a show of handsDemonstrators packed Kiev's Independence Square in freezing temperatures on Sunday, rallying in defiance of new laws that set limitations on the right to protest.Protesters and police accused each other of attacks during the large demonstration, which stretched into the early morning hours.Ukraine's Interior Ministry said protesters, wearing masks and helmets, used flares, tear gas, baseball bats and stones in clashes with police, breaking doors and windows on police buses and trying to take over government buildings.Video from the scene showed protesters and police squaring off, with demonstrators hurling Molotov cocktails toward officers.The ministry said 30 police were injured, and one was taken hostage by the protesters and later released.A post on a Facebook page for Olesia Orobets, an opposition lawmaker, said she had been attacked by police and her phone had been taken away.JUST WATCHEDBeaten journalist: I have lots of enemies ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHBeaten journalist: I have lots of enemies 02:51JUST WATCHEDUkraine under pressureReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHUkraine under pressure 01:44JUST WATCHEDSweden goading Russia on Twitter?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSweden goading Russia on Twitter? 01:24Estimates of the number of protesters in the capital's square varied widely. At least four of them were detained by police, the Interior Ministry said.Negotiations possibleSunday's protest marked the latest fallout over legislation that was approved Thursday by lawmakers loyal to Ukraine's pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, who signed it into law soon afterward.Amid the clashes, there were some signs that the opposing sides might soon sit together at the negotiating table.Opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Sunday that he had received a call from Yanukovych saying the government was prepared to negotiate with the opposition. The President's office said he was creating a working group to overcome the political crisis and had ordered it to meet with the opposition.The clashes and possible move toward talks come in the wake of weeks of public protests after Yanukovych's decision in November to spurn a planned a trade deal with the European Union and turn toward Russia instead.The new law includes provisions barring people from wearing helmets and masks to rallies and from setting up tents or sound equipment without prior police permission.Opposition politicians have objected to the way that Yanukovych's Party of Regions pushed the bill through the parliament, the Verkhovna Rada.Vitali Klitschko, an opposition leader and former heavyweight boxing champion, said the law -- which was adopted by a show of hands -- was "invalid," according to his UDAR party's website.He stood between the police and the crowd in the square, trying to prevent violence.The far-right Svoboda Party said in a news release that people were "outraged by the Party of Regions actions at the Verkhovna Rada and their recently adopted draconian laws. Protesters are demanding resignation of the government and asking the authorities to stop the persecution of activists."Kerry: 'Anti-democratic' stepsThe U.S. Embassy called for an end to the violence in the streets Sunday."We further urge the Government of Ukraine to immediately start negotiations with all sides to resolve the political standoff, address protestors' concerns, and prevent violence from spreading," the embassy said Sunday. "Violence only serves to foster fear and confusion, and distracts from the need for a political solution, which is the best way to carry out the will of the Ukrainian people."U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also criticized the new legislation in remarks Friday, saying it was "rammed through" the parliament "without transparency and accountability" and that it "violates all the norms" of the European Union."We believe deeply that the people of Ukraine want to affiliate and want to be associated with Europe and they want to turn in that direction," Kerry said."And the steps that were taken yesterday are anti-democratic, they're wrong, they are taking from the people of Ukraine their choice and their opportunity for the future."In December, despite weeks of protest by anti-government protesters, Yanukovych agreed to a deal with Russia's President Vladimir Putin for Moscow to buy Ukrainian debt and slash the price Kiev pays for its gas.The tumult in Ukraine goes to the heart of its future ties with Russia and the rest of Europe. Ukraine is split between pro-European regions in the west and a more Russia-oriented east.The protests have unfolded since November 21, when Yanukovych changed his stance on the EU trade pact, which had been years in the making.The demonstrators say an EU agreement would open borders to trade and set the stage for modernization and inclusion. Ukraine's government said the terms needed to be renegotiated to better protect Ukrainians.READ: Tense standoff in Kiev as Ukraine leader orders talks following clashesREAD: Beaten Ukrainian journalist says she was targetedREAD: Ukraine protests: 5 things you need to know
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While we all were busy in the WannaCry ransomware menace, two separate data breaches have been reported, one in DocuSign, a major provider of electronic signature technology, and another in BELL, Canada's largest telecommunications company.
In a notice on its website on Tuesday, DocuSign confirmed a breach at one of its email systems when investigating the cause of an increase in DocuSign-impersonating phishing emails.
"A malicious third party had gained temporary access to a separate, non-core system that allows us to communicate service-related announcements to users via email," DocuSign said in the announcement.
What Happened?
An unknown hacker or group of hackers managed to breach one of the electronic signature technology provider's email systems and steal a database containing the email addresses of DocuSign customers.
The attackers then used the stolen data to conduct an extensive phishing campaign to target the DocuSign's users over the past week.
The phishing email masqueraded as documents sent from another company with the subject line "Completed *company name* – Accounting Invoice *number* Document Ready for Signature," needing a digital signature from the recipient.
The emails, sent from domains including dse@docus.com, included a downloadable Microsoft Word document, which when clicked, installs "macro-enabled-malware" on the victim's computers.
What type of information?
The company said only email addresses of its customers had been accessed in the breach.
However, DocuSign assured its customers that no names, physical addresses, passwords, social security numbers, credit card information or any other information had been accessed by the attackers.
"No content or any customer documents sent through DocuSign's eSignature system was accessed; and DocuSign's core eSignature service, envelopes and customer documents, and data remain secure," the company stressed.
How many victims?
The number of victims affected by the phishing campaign has not been confirmed, but DocuSign encourages its customers to use the DocuSign Trust Center to help them protect themselves and their employees from phishing attacks.
"Right now we are still acting on the results of our ongoing investigation and cannot comment on those details," the company said.
What is DocuSign doing?
In an attempt to protect its customers, DocuSign has immediately restricted unauthorized access to its system and placed further security controls in place to hardened the security of its systems.
The company is also actively working with law enforcement authorities on the investigation of this matter.
What should DocuSign customers do?
DocuSign recommended its users to delete any email with the following subject line:
Completed: [domain name] – Wire transfer for recipient-name Document Ready for Signature
Completed: [domain name/email address] – Accounting Invoice [Number] Document Ready for Signature.
If you receive any suspicious email, you should forward it to the company's spam address, advised DocuSign.
Also, if the email looks like it has come from DocuSign, just do not respond to that email or click on any link provided in the message.
Instead, access your documents directly by visiting DocuSign official website, and entering the unique security code provided at the bottom of every legit DocuSign email.
The company also informed its users that DocuSign never asks recipients to open any PDF, Office document or ZIP file in an email. Last but not the least, always make sure your antivirus software is up-to-date.
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Story highlightsJeb Bush attended this year's Conservative Political Action ConferenceRuben Navarrette: Latinos want to see if Bush stands up to pressure from extremistsRuben Navarrette is a CNN contributor and a nationally syndicated columnist with the Washington Post Writers Group. Follow him on Twitter: @rubennavarrette. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. (CNN)When Jeb Bush spoke last week at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, the likely GOP presidential hopeful did better than expected. Of course, that could have been because expectations were so low.You remember "Bush Derangement Syndrome." When George W. Bush was president, it afflicted liberals who thought the chief executive couldn't do anything right. Now that Jeb might run for president in 2016, the condition vexes conservatives who believe that when it comes to choosing the GOP nominee, the former Florida governor is all wrong.During Bush's speech, a few dozen supporters of Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky -- wearing red T-shirts with the words "Stand With Rand" -- walked out and later blasted Bush as insufficiently conservative.But what should really count for a lot is that Bush is sufficiently competent. He's the grownup in a roomful of extremists who -- as they compare union members to ISIS (Scott Walker) or vow to abolish the IRS (Ted Cruz) or bash the media (Chris Christie) -- seem most interested in applause lines. Read MoreBush is a serious person with a serious shot at the presidency, something that you just can't say about all Republicans who appear to be running. As someone who is bilingual and whose wife hails from Mexico, Bush can hit Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee, where it hurts by carving into her Latino support. In his 1998 gubernatorial election, and 2002 re-election, Bush received over 60 percent of the Latino vote.And it's no secret that, for many Latinos who might vote for Bush, the make-or-break issue is immigration. That's because many Latinos see immigration as a way of determining a candidate's character. Latinos will be watching to see if Bush stands up to the pressure from extremists to join the GOP's closed border chorus. They're used to being thrown under the bus by politicians who sacrifice Latinos to gin up support from non-Latinos. And they won't put up with it. So which way is Bush going to go on immigration?For many years, he extolled the contributions of immigrants and expressed dismay that elements of his party are closed-minded and mean-spirited on the issue. He even acknowledged that, to many, the party is seen as "anti-immigrant."Lately, though, Bush has injected more nuance into his views -- and turned them mushy in the process.On the question of whether undocumented youth should have a path to citizenship, for example, Bush at first supported the idea, then he opposed it. And most recently, he has said that he could support such a path if Congress mandates it. On the Arizona immigration law, Bush apparently likes the concept of enlisting local police to be "the eyes and ears" of the border patrol. But he has also been sympathetic to critics who worry that this will lead to ethnic profiling of Latinos. Too often, Bush leaves the impression that he'll say whatever he needs to say to avoid conflict. So it was actually refreshing to see Bush use his appearance at CPAC -- which took the form of an onstage interview by conservative talk show host Sean Hannity -- to once again speak plainly. In response to questions, Bush emphasized the need to secure the U.S. border, insisted that immigration policy should be driven by economic concerns and the need for high-skilled immigrants, and reaffirmed support for giving undocumented immigrants driver's licenses and in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. The crowd booed that last one. Bush criticized President Obama's executive actions to prioritize deportations, but also bashed Republicans in Congress for protesting that policy by holding up funds for the Department of Homeland Security.Finally, in response to what is often the most contentious aspect of this debate, Bush also stressed the need to create a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants who are currently in the United States. "I know there's disagreement here," he said. "The simple fact is that there is no plan to deport 11 million people. We should give them a path to legal status where they work...and contribute to our society."More boos. The way Bush sees it, the GOP is good at being against things but "we have to start being for things again."In response to a heckler, Bush stared out into the crowd to address his critic."I'm marking you down as neutral," he told the heckler. "I'll look forward to being your second choice."Not even close. In the Washington Times/CPAC presidential preference straw poll of 3,007 participants, Bush came in fifth out of 17 candidates with just 8 percent of the vote. First place went to Rand Paul, who earned 25.7 percent.Clearly, Bush has a long way to go in convincing conservatives that he's their best choice. But his appearance at CPAC set exactly the right tone. Voters in both parties have plenty of candidates telling them what they want to hear just to get their support. What they need are more candidates who tell them what they need to hear: the truth. That won't make the candidates popular. But it does make them credible. Score 1 for Bush.Read CNNOpinion's new Flipboard magazine.Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.
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(CNN)Mike Tyson, once considered "the baddest man on the planet," is returning to the boxing ring Saturday for a highly anticipated bout.Fifteen years after retiring, the former heavyweight champion will square off against fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. for an exhibition fight titled "Frontline Battle." The World Boxing Council WBC will support, commemorate and score the fight."Despite the isolation and tribulations COVID-19 has caused, Tyson and Jones Jr. have shown us that when a person embraces a positive mental outlook, turns on his or her positive mental switch, all challenges can be overcome which is why we have created a one of a kind commemorative belt created specifically for the occasion," WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán said in a news release.Here's what you need to know about the fight.Who's fighting?Read MoreThe former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, 54, will go against former four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr., 51.The last dance or first blood? Mike Tyson returns to the ring to fight Roy Jones Jr.Tyson, the former heavyweight world champion, is considered one of the most feared boxers of all time. He finished his first year as a professional boxer with a 15-0 record, with all wins coming by knockout. "Iron Mike" was 20 years and four months old when he became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. He has a 50-6 career record, with 44 of the 50 victories coming on knockouts. He last fought in 2005, when he lost to Kevin McBride.Jones Jr. is a former world champion who sports a 66-9 record. Jones Jr. won his last bout in 2018 against Scott Sigmon."I'm happy. I get to see what it's like to be in the ring with Mike Tyson before I die," Jones Jr. told CNN. "I'll get the best wishes of my life."Is this a professional match?It's an 8-round exhibition fight, although the rules have reportedly been adjusted so it can end with a knockout.The rounds will be 60 seconds shorter than usual -- two minutes, instead of three -- and the fight has been sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission.The pair will use 12-ounce gloves without any protection.Since it's an exhibition fight, there are no titles at stake, but the winner will receive a commemorative belt create for the fight. Who will score the event?The WBC will use a remote scoring system to judge Tyson's and Jones Jr.'s performance."Having the WBC score this event is historic. I was the youngest WBC heavyweight Champion and it's humbling to have my career come full circle with the WBC for my match against Roy Jones Jr. on November 28th," said Tyson in a statement.Three champions will judge and score each round, with the criteria focusing on style, technique, effective punching, effective defense and effective aggressiveness."Pound for pound, point for point, the judges will see that I am the best there ever was and will be. As I said before, y'all must've forgot, but come November 28, 2020, y'all gonna remember," said Jones Jr.When is the fight?The four-hour live event will take place on Saturday, November 28 at 9 p.m. ET at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.Where can I watch it?The fight, which you can watch here, is a pay-per-view event and is being sold for $50 in the United States. Some of the money will be donated to charities that fight human trafficking and breast cancer, according to Jones Jr. Mike Tyson's Legends Only League will also donate a portion of proceeds to the WBC José Sulaimán Boxers Fund to support boxers who "have fallen into hard times," the news release said.The fight will be the first of a series produced by Legends Only League.CNN's Don Riddell, Allen Kim and Homero De la Fuente contributed to this report.
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Security researchers from Check Point Threat Intelligence Team have discovered the comeback of an APT (advanced persistent threat) surveillance group targeting institutions across the Middle East, specifically the Palestinian Authority.
The attack, dubbed "Big Bang," begins with a phishing email sent to targeted victims that includes an attachment of a self-extracting archive containing two files—a Word document and a malicious executable.
Posing to be from the Palestinian Political and National Guidance Commission, the Word document serves as a decoy to distract victims while the malware is installed in the background.
The malicious executable, which runs in the background, act as the first stage info-stealer malware designed for intelligence gathering to identify potential victims (on the basis of what is unclear as of now), and then it accordingly downloads the second stage malware designed for espionage.
"While the analysis...discloses the capabilities of the spotted malware, we are pretty sure it is part of a multi-staged attack that targets very specific victims," the researchers said in a blog post. "The malware below is part of the reconnaissance stage and should lead to the main course, whose nature is still unknown."
The malware is capable of sending a lot of information from the infected machines to the attackers' Command and Control server, including screenshots of the infected computer, a list of documents with file extensions including .doc, .odt, .xls, .ppt, .pdf and more, and logging details about the system.
Besides this, the malware also includes a few more modules to execute any file it receives from the server, enumerate running processes, terminate a running process by name, as well as send a list of partitions found on the infected machine.
The malware also includes modules to self-destruct itself by deleting the payload from the startup folder and deleting the actual file, and reboot the infected system.
"After reviewing all the malware functionalities, we are confident in saying that the attackers look for victims who answer well-defined characteristics and believe that further stages of the attack are delivered only to those who fit the specific victim profile," the researchers say.
Researchers believe these attacks could be related to the Gaza Cybergang APT group, an Arabic-language, politically-motivated cybercriminal group, who are operating since 2012 and targeted oil and gas organization the Middle East North African region.
However, according to the researchers, it is still not yet confirmed exactly which threat group is behind this campaign.
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Microsoft on Friday warned of active attacks exploiting unpatched Exchange Servers carried out by multiple threat actors, as the hacking campaign is believed to have infected tens of thousands of businesses, government entities in the U.S., Asia, and Europe.
The company said "it continues to see increased use of these vulnerabilities in attacks targeting unpatched systems by multiple malicious actors beyond HAFNIUM," signaling an escalation that the breaches are no longer "limited and targeted" as was previously deemed.
According to independent cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs, at least 30,000 entities across the U.S. — mainly small businesses, towns, cities, and local governments — have been compromised by an "unusually aggressive" Chinese group that has set its sights on stealing emails from victim organizations by exploiting previously undisclosed flaws in Exchange Server.
Victims are also being reported from outside the U.S., with email systems belonging to businesses in Norway, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands impacted in a series of hacking incidents abusing the vulnerabilities. The Norwegian National Security Authority said it has implemented a vulnerability scan of IP addresses in the country to identify vulnerable Exchange servers and "continuously notify these companies."
The colossal scale of the ongoing offensive against Microsoft's email servers also eclipses the SolarWinds hacking spree that came to light last December, which is said to have targeted as many as 18,000 customers of the IT management tools provider. But as it was with the SolarWinds hack, the attackers are likely to have only gone after high-value targets based on an initial reconnaissance of the victim machines.
Unpatched Exchange Servers at Risk of Exploitation
A successful exploitation of the flaws allows the adversaries to break into Microsoft Exchange Servers in target environments and subsequently allow the installation of unauthorized web-based backdoors to facilitate long-term access. With multiple threat actors leveraging these zero-day vulnerabilities, the post-exploitation activities are expected to differ from one group to the other based on their motives.
Chief among the vulnerabilities is CVE-2021-26855, also called "ProxyLogon" (no connection to ZeroLogon), which permits an attacker to bypass the authentication of an on-premises Microsoft Exchange Server that's able to receive untrusted connections from an external source on port 443. This is followed by the exploitation of CVE-2021-26857, CVE-2021-26858, and CVE-2021-27065 post-authentication, allowing the malicious party to gain remote access.
Taiwanese cybersecurity firm Devcore, which began an internal audit of Exchange Server security in October last year, noted in a timeline that it discovered both CVE-2021-26855 and CVE-2021-27065 within a 10-day period between December 10-20, 2020. After chaining these bugs into a workable pre-authentication RCE exploit, the company said it reported the issue to Microsoft on January 5, 2021, suggesting that Microsoft had almost two months to release a fix.
The four security issues in question were eventually patched by Microsoft as part of an emergency out-of-band security update last Tuesday, while warning that "many nation-state actors and criminal groups will move quickly to take advantage of any unpatched systems."
The fact that Microsoft also patched Exchange Server 2010 suggests that the vulnerabilities have been lurking in the code for more than ten years.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which released an emergency directive warning of "active exploitation" of the vulnerabilities, urged government agencies running vulnerable versions of Exchange Server to either update the software or disconnect the products from their networks.
"CISA is aware of widespread domestic and international exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server vulnerabilities and urges scanning Exchange Server logs with Microsoft's IoC detection tool to help determine compromise," the agency tweeted on March 6.
It's worth noting that merely installing the patches issued by Microsoft would have no effect on servers that have already been backdoored. Organizations that have been breached to deploy the web shell and other post-exploitation tools continue to remain at risk of future compromise until the artifacts are completely rooted out from their networks.
Multiple Clusters Spotted
FireEye's Mandiant threat intelligence team said it "observed multiple instances of abuse of Microsoft Exchange Server within at least one client environment" since the start of the year. Cybersecurity firm Volexity, one of the firms credited with discovering the flaws, said the intrusion campaigns appeared to have started around January 6, 2021.
Not much is known about the identities of the attackers, except that Microsoft has primarily attributed the exploits with high confidence to a group it calls Hafnium, a skilled government-backed group operating out of China. Mandiant is tracking the intrusion activity in three clusters, UNC2639, UNC2640, and UNC2643, adding it expects the number to increase as more attacks are detected.
In a statement to Reuters, a Chinese government spokesman denied the country was behind the intrusions.
"There are at least five different clusters of activity that appear to be exploiting the vulnerabilities," said Katie Nickels, director of threat intelligence at Red Canary, while noting the differences in the techniques and infrastructure from that of the Hafnium actor.
In one particular instance, the cybersecurity firm observed that some of the customers compromised Exchange servers had been deployed with a crypto-mining software called DLTminer, a malware documented by Carbon Black in 2019.
"One possibility is that Hafnium adversaries shared or sold exploit code, resulting in other groups being able to exploit these vulnerabilities," Nickels said. "Another is that adversaries could have reverse engineered the patches released by Microsoft to independently figure out how to exploit the vulnerabilities."
Microsoft Issues Mitigation Guidance
Aside from rolling out fixes, Microsoft has published new alternative mitigation guidance to help Exchange customers who need more time to patch their deployments, in addition to pushing out a new update for the Microsoft Safety Scanner (MSERT) tool to detect web shells and releasing a script for checking HAFNIUM indicators of compromise. They can be found here.
"These vulnerabilities are significant and need to be taken seriously," Mat Gangwer, senior director of managed threat response at Sophos said. "They allow attackers to remotely execute commands on these servers without the need for credentials, and any threat actor could potentially abuse them."
"The broad installation of Exchange and its exposure to the internet mean that many organizations running an on-premises Exchange server could be at risk," Gangwer added.
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Wellington, New Zealand (CNN)Henny Ansell is effectively in a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend -- but her boyfriend is only a few miles away.Ansell and Michael Bryan live in Wellington, the harbor-side capital of New Zealand. For the next four weeks -- at least -- the couple won't be able to see each other in person.That's because the country is in lockdown in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19."At first, we didn't really understand the rules -- we kind of thought, it will be fine, we'll be able to see each other once or twice a week," says 25-year-old Ansell, who has been with her boyfriend for five years. "And then it kind of dawned on us that that's probably not good."Bryan invited her to stick out the lockdown in his flat, but another flatmate's girlfriend was already staying. Besides, she wanted to be at her own place -- and it was a bit small for him to stay with her. Henny Ansell and her boyfriend Michael Bryan are doing long distance for the next month, although they're both in the same city.Read MoreSo instead, the couple -- who met while working at a local pizza chain -- will spend the next few weeks chatting virtually, even though they live around 8 kilometers (5 miles) apart. They already text each other good morning and good night, but instead of in-person hang outs, their immediate future looks set to feature constant texting and watching Netflix shows together but apart. "It's very tempting (to meet up), and it's frustrating because it's like, oh surely we could just meet up and hug," Ansell says. "But you can't -- that destroys the whole purpose of it."It's very tempting (to meet up), and it's frustrating because it's like, oh surely we could just meet up and hug. But you can't -- that destroys the whole purpose of it.Henny AnsellAs countries impose strict lockdown measures and travel restrictions to combat the coronavirus pandemic, couples all over the world are facing similar predicaments. While some -- like Ansell -- are choosing to stay apart, others have found coronavirus has brought them closer together.The question of how couples should handle lockdowns is so widespread that it was even brought up at a press conference last week with Jenny Harries, the United Kingdom's deputy chief medical officer."I'm clearly going to start a new career here in relationship counseling, so I shall tread very carefully as I work through this answer," quipped Harries. "Test really carefully your strength of feeling, stay within the household either together or apart. But keep it that way." Together, apartOn the other side of the world in the United Kingdom, 21-year-old James Marsh and his girlfriend Kiera Leaper were due to celebrate their one-year anniversary on Monday.Instead, the country went into lockdown.James Marsh and Kiera Leaper are spending the next three weeks apart due to the lockdown.The pair -- who study together at the University of Leeds -- had seen it coming. When it looked like the country could go into lockdown, the pair squeezed in one last hangout before Marsh retreated to his family home at the opposite end of the country from Leaper. The lockdown is set to continue for at least three weeks. "We normally see each other every day, we stay with each other pretty much every night," Marsh said. "To go from that to this is obviously quite a big change."This will be the longest time we've gone without seeing each other since we've been officially together." This will be the longest time we've gone without seeing each other since we've been officially together.James MarshSo far, the couple have FaceTimed every day, and spend time together with their friends on online video chat platform Houseparty. They're trying to keep busy -- Marsh with his course work, and Leaper with exercise. But there are challenges. Marsh and many of his friends are in the final months of their three-year undergraduate degrees, and they're sad they won't get to celebrate together. "We'll just sort of go away with coronavirus being the memory of our third year," he said.And while technology was helpful for keeping Marsh and his girlfriend connected, it wasn't the same as being in the same room, he said.Even so, he thinks this time apart will strengthen their relationship."I think it's really important to be able to tackle stuff like this ... you can't always just rely on that person being there if you want to stick it out for the long haul," Marsh said."You might get a job that requires you to go away for work or stuff like that, and you can't have a dependency on that person in that case."Secret loveHemangay, a University of Delhi student, hasn't heard his boyfriend's voice for about a week.The 19-year-old, who asked not to use his real name as he is not out to his parents, lives with his family in New Delhi, the capital of India. For the past few months, he's been dating his 22-year-old boyfriend -- in secret.Searching for love in the time of coronavirusOn Tuesday, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the country of 1.3 billion was going into lockdown for the next 21 days. That means no one is allowed outside. Public transport is shut, so Hemangay wouldn't be able to make it to his boyfriend's house on the other side of Delhi, anyway. And because Hemangay can't take walks, he hasn't been able to phone his boyfriend -- he's too worried that his parents would find out about their relationship if he calls him from the family home."I'm still a student, I'm not that independent that I can go out and survive my life on my own terms," he said. "Once I become independent, then maybe I can take that risk." Since I'm not out with my family, I just can't openly contact him or chat with him. It's really tough for us to communicate.Hemangay"Since I'm not out with my family, I just can't openly contact him or chat with him," he said. "It's really tough for us to communicate."So for the next few weeks at least, one of the only ways they can communicate is messaging over WhatsApp. It's a far cry from their normal lives, when they would meet up almost every day after university. Hemangay last saw his boyfriend two weeks ago, before the measures -- and they had no idea what was to come. "That is the worst part about this, that I didn't know this would be the last time," he said. Hemangay is dreading the next few weeks of separation, but he knows there's nothing he can do. "I have never felt so helpless in my entire life," he said.Love in a time of uncertaintyApril was meant to be the light at the end of the tunnel for Isobel Ewing, 30, who has been in a long distance relationship with her boyfriend. Ewing, a broadcast journalist, moved to Budapest, Hungary in mid-January. She had been looking forward to April, when she would see her boyfriend of almost two years, Sam Smoothy, for the first time in months. A professional skier, Smoothy had been in North America for a few months, and had planned to come and spend time with her in Hungary. But coronavirus has thwarted those plans. Isobel Ewing and Sam Smoothy were meant to see each other in April. Coronavirus got in the way.After United States President Donald Trump announced on March 11 that he was banning travel from continental Europe to the US, they became afraid Smoothy would get stuck in North America. A few days later, Hungary closed its borders to foreigners, meaning Smoothy could no longer visit. That meant Smoothy was forced to go back to New Zealand instead of Hungary -- and their plans were on hold. Now, Smoothy is in New Zealand, self-isolating at Ewing's family holiday home. Ewing needs to stay in Budapest for work. She works from her Budapest apartment, and goes for runs in the hills and alongside the Danube River. They don't know when they'll be able to see each other again. "With long distance you get used to being apart," Ewing said. "But it's so key to have that time together to look forward to. And then to just have that plucked out from under us ... I'm kind of still processing it." Moving fasterFor three years, Anika, 32, has wanted to marry her partner, but things outside their control kept getting in the way.Finally, the New Delhi-based couple set their dates. They would register their marriage in court on March 20, hold a big dance party on April 10 with 400 people, and then have the wedding ceremony on April 12. Then the coronavirus outbreak happened.As the Indian government began taking more measures -- including suspending all tourist visas -- the couple grew more worried about their wedding. Anika, who asked not to use her real name for privacy reasons, started thinking of a plan B.We didn't want to postpone it again. What if something else went wrong? What if nothing changes? We wanted to start our lives together -- we didn't want to wait.AnikaAs the situation evolved, their wedding plans kept changing. Finally, with only days to spare, they decided they would get married on March 20, and hold a small ceremony after the court proceedings. "That entire week was pretty traumatic," she said, adding that they ended up uninviting guests to keep numbers down to 30 or so people for social distancing purposes. "We were sending last minute messages just apologizing to people."In the end, it was a sweet, intimate wedding, Anika says. There were nods to the crisis unfolding outside -- the couple updated their wedding hashtag to #loveinthetimeofcorona, and kept sanitizing and fumigating the space."Sometimes it's destiny," she said. "At that time yes, you feel stressed and disappointed. But now in retrospect, I think it was perfect."Even though it wasn't the wedding they had dreamed of, Anika and her husband didn't want to postpone it. In India, it's not culturally acceptable for couples to live together before marrying. Now, the pair have gone straight into life together -- under lockdown. "We had been seeing each other for a really long time, we'd been planning this wedding for a really long time," she said."We didn't want to postpone it again. What if something else went wrong? What if nothing changes? We wanted to start our lives together -- we didn't want to wait."
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Seattle (CNN)In Wednesday's early morning hours, Seattle police cleared the Capitol Hill Organized Protest area, a relatively quiet end to a demonstration that had evolved into an art party, a garden, a tourist attraction, a tent city, a presidential fixation and the scene of multiple shootings, two of them fatal."This is like being rescued by your abuser," J.R.P. said of the police effort. The HVAC system of her apartment building in the CHOP territory -- named for the neighborhood and once called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone -- had been contaminated four times during the protests by tear gas, and she was hit in the shoulder by a rubber bullet.But she is not going to miss the protest. "The CHOP was really good for a week," said J.R.P., who did not want her name published for fear she'd be fired from her job. "The last two weeks it's been turned into a militant cult."How it evolved is a case study in human nature, violence, mental illness, homelessness, and the difficulty in imagining a world without police.There's a growing call to defund the police. Here's what it meansProtesters wanted to end police violence against Black people by defunding the department by 50%. They argued armed officers shouldn't be called to respond to issues of mental health, homelessness, poverty. But once they created a police-free zone, they immediately had to deal with all those issues and more -- with only the donated time and supplies of fellow protesters, who still had day jobs. With police absent from the 6-square-block area, the experiment spun out of control, with accusations that it ended up causing exactly what it had aimed to stop: more violence against Black people.Read MoreSeattle's protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody grew violent around the East Precinct. Police tried to prevent protesters from marching past it and to disperse the crowd with tear gas and pepper balls. Instead it became a kind of rallying point. Graffiti bearing the name of George Floyd is seen June 24 in Cal Anderson Park in the CHOP.On June 8, police left the precinct. In an address to officers, Police Chief Carmen Best said "leaving the precinct was not my decision," but "ultimately, the city had other plans for the building and relented to severe public pressure.""I was there the first night the police left," Tarika Powell said. Someone put a microphone and speaker outside the police building, and people talked about the change they wanted to see. She said they were unified on ending police brutality. "There's nowhere else in the city where you have people coming together in conversations with one goal," she said. "And that was one of the things that made it so wonderful and so appealing."Then, someone put up a sign: Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. It's not clear which came first, the collective desire to set up the zone or the sign declaring it. But signs began popping up, and they were outrageous, and that made them funny. An official-looking traffic sign appeared on one corner: "Alt Route Exit 1312. Free Capitol Hill -- Last Exit." The first weekend of the CHOP had a kind of magical quality, where you could walk up to anyone and start talking. It didn't matter if they were kids or anarchists or old people, people dressed as wizards or as a giant pink pile of breasts.Protesters have occupied part of Seattle's Capitol Hill for a week. Here's what it's like inside"One of the really awesome things about the space, before the shootings started, was it brought together people from all over Seattle," said Powell of Black Collective Voice, a group of organizers who met in CHOP. "Even though Seattle is a very liberal place, it's divided by race and class. But there in CHOP you had people from various class and racial backgrounds coming together and supporting one cause."On the cold Tuesday night of June 16, around 1 a.m., we found a couple dozen young people partying around a bonfire in a dry fountain. They were drunk and happy. We said we were journalists and showed our badges. A guy drinking from a red Solo cup grabbed it, held it to his hip, and said, "If I had this, I'd be walking around this place like" and then began strutting theatrically.He also had an assignment for us. He pointed to the dozens of tents now planted on the lawn of Cal Anderson Park and whispered, "Who are these people??" He'd been playing basketball here his whole life, he said, and now the park was filthy. Why were people growing crops in it? Pointing to the garden, he posed the same question we'd already been asked by two other protesters: "When did Black people say they needed more vegetables?" It was a good question. Some protesters had urged others not to treat the scene as a party so as not to detract from the message of defunding the police. Still the CHOP grew bigger every day: a free clothing site, free food tents, late-night dodgeball, a "no cop co-op." A pop-up shop with free snacks, water and other items is seen June 9 near the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct.Volunteer medics, with training that ranged from first aid to professional nursing, had a couple tents in the parking lot of a taco restaurant. People passed out free masks to control the spread of Covid-19, and most people wore them, at least until the late-night party vibe took over. Protesters built gardens to plant crops, which a Seattle Public Utilities worker said was a problem because the park was on top of the watershed; she made them promise not to use nitrates. An urban farmer said he was going to graft the branches of fruit trees onto the park's trees so homeless people could just reach up and get something to eat.But one of the most peculiar developments was the improvised security team. There were constant rumors that White power groups were just hours away, ready to bring violence. A cloud of paranoia hung over the protest. So, a defense operation evolved, with members often dressed in all black, carrying walkie-talkies, sometimes wearing balaclavas and occasionally body armor. Right-wing media says Antifa militants have seized part of Seattle. Local authorities say otherwiseThe main security group was called the Sentinels, assisted by various leftist armed groups, who generally described themselves as offering protection for oppressed people from violence by the state, not as a replacement for government-vested power. Because maintaining a perimeter required organization and constant communication -- and that left behind something of a paper trail -- the security team also became one of the clearest ways to trace the evolution of the CHOP and its demise. A "plan of action" from the Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club, an anti-fascist organization, offered tips on de-escalation: Respond to nonviolence with nonviolence. If someone is being physically violent, the plan advised "either de-escalate, use less lethal force to subdue, or leave the area." Do not respond with lethal force unless someone is using lethal force, it says. "Don't be a cop." Avoid answering reports of "Property damage or its prevention (we're not cops)."Artists paint a streetwide sign that says Black Lives Matter over several blocks on June 11 in the CHOP.Some police saw protesters as vulnerablePolice saw the abandonment of the East Precinct as a humiliation, according to a Seattle police officer CNN spoke to a couple days after it happened. He did not want to be named because talking to journalists is against department policy. Seattle mayor tells Trump to 'go back to your bunker' after he criticizes her handling of protestsHe was shocked at how quickly public opinion had turned. "The city council is hostile to the police department," he said. "The public turned against us." The protest chants were personal. Even his Facebook friends were posting memes about police brutality. "My friends say, 'We need more cops like you. You're one of the good ones,'" he said. "I don't know what that means. I'm one of the normal ones.""I think that we have a really good police department in this city, and people would rather believe we're fascists than that we have a good police department that sometimes has to be police," the officer said. "What I want police reformers to understand is, if you're trying to make someone do something they don't want to do, you're eventually going to have to use force. You cannot de-escalate your way out of everything." He added, "It's always going to look bad."The police officer did not like the CHOP, but he worried the protesters were sitting ducks. On June 12, Seattle police officers were sent an email saying they should not respond to calls within the CHOP unless it was a "mass casualty event," like an active shooter or a structural fire."Everybody loves firefighters and hates cops," he said. "But they won't go in unless we go in."That meant paramedics wouldn't go in either. In just over a week, this problem would no longer be theoretical.Seattle police walk past debris and bulldozing equipment near the East Precinct on July 1 after police cleared the CHOP.Threats, from errant drivers to drug crises"In the beginning, we were there to look out for vehicles charging into the crowd," said Slate, who eventually led the security group and uses only a pseudonym. Then, it got more and more complex -- mental health calls, drug crises. Someone changed their group chat name to Sentinels, they said, and it felt good to formalize what they did. Slate became a leader, with a man who called himself James Madison his second in command. Black Collective Voice member Javi Cordero donated $400 worth of walkie-talkies. The John Brown Gun Club came in to help. Their authority was "reputation-based," Slate said, unlike the police, who got their authority by representing the government. The Sentinels had to "maintain our reputation with the community so they respect us." There was a communications tent and training on how to use the radios.But, Slate said, "the situation just kept changing, and getting crazier and crazier and crazier." Within a couple days, a Sentinels volunteer saw "a major fistfight that turned bloody. ... I attempted to draw people away to give medics space to no avail." A few days later, the volunteer was responding to dozens of calls. "There were several fist fights, a man who had snuck into the backyard of a Capitol Hill resident, and a large motorcycle gang rolled through that made my heart jump. It turned out that they were there to help with the barricade." Fox News publishes digitally altered and misleading images of Seattle demonstrations In the middle of the night in the first week, a white SUV started swerving through the CHOP, and people shouted to get out of the way. After a previous incident of a man driving into protesters and shooting a person in the arm, it seemed like a serious threat, and a crowd chased after the vehicle, someone yelling, "Get his ass!" When it stopped at a barricade inside the CHOP, a crowd pulled the door open. But the driver was not a White power terrorist, just an apparently drunk guy. They let him go.They had to create a plan for ideological opponents who provoked the crowd and captured some damning footage. "I'm sure you've seen the beautiful photoshop job Fox News did of me," Madison said. They were "fighting an information war in addition to all the other stuff on the ground," Slate said.Some protesters dealt with provocateurs with wit. On June 13, a man in a Trump shirt and khaki shorts began marching through the field with an American flag. People were angry and shouted at him, someone stole his flag and his MAGA hat, then someone else returned his flag and his hat. An elderly man told the crowd not to yell and curse at him, and people hugged, and then finally Steffon Riggins, who'd been there protesting since the fights with police, just bought the guy's flag for $60. The man left, and Riggins stood in the center of the CHOP's main drag, the American flag draped over his shoulders.A man views an upside down US flag at the Seattle Police Department's vacated East Precinct on June 14 in the CHOP.The power of de-escalation was repeatedly tested. In the park, a man experiencing homelessness set up a grill in the tent city, and called it something like "Klay's Kommunity Kitchen," Madison said. "He wrote KKK in grease," Madison said, "and he stood by that." An angry crowd formed, and the security team had to figure out how to de-escalate it. They eventually got the crowd to disperse, got the man to shut down his grill and clean off the KKK, and then called in a mental health volunteer. "We tried to not be the police but keep the peace."One morning, at about 6:30 a.m., protester Michaud Savage saw two men running down the street. "These homeless White dudes just start beating the s**t out of each other. I'm like, 'What do I even f**king do?'" Savage said. He said he and others de-escalated the situation, and the men moved along. "But I don't have training in that. I'm just a person."One security volunteer who works as a social worker saw several clients in the CHOP. Over time, the tents in Cal Anderson Park housed more and more people who were otherwise homeless. Cordero estimated 40% to 60% of tent city residents were homeless in the late days of the CHOP. Black Collective Voice had decided to keep a "safe distance," he said, "because the CHOP is too large, too unstable, too dangerous a problem for one group to address, and it has been fundamentally thrown to the wolves by the city, in not providing the resources to keep it safe."City crews on July 1 dismantle the CHOP.Protesters said they felt they'd been expected to solve society's most difficult problems on their own. "People within the city are aware that it has long had a large population of people who have drug and mental health issues and who are homeless, who are not receiving any services from the city," Powell said.Seattle has the third largest homeless population in America, according to the most recent report from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Densely packed beds in homeless shelters maybe have contributed to the spread of the coronavirus, according to a CDC report on three city shelters. During the pandemic, the city removed homeless encampments, despite CDC guidelines against it. The city council then presented an emergency bill to limit camp removals."There's always been a population of those individuals around Cal Anderson" Park, Powell said. "The city of Seattle has continually failed them. Now, they use that population as a political ploy against CHOP." The city blamed the CHOP for creating social and criminal problems that existed already, then said those problems would be fixed if police returned, she said. Mayoral spokeswoman Kamaria Hightower said, "While Cal Anderson does have a history of people experiencing homelessness camping on the grounds, I think the timeline and Executive Order make clear that protecting demonstrators, those living on site, the residents in the area, and employees of local businesses from the escalating gun violence was the reason action had to be taken." Powell asked, "How can we solve this problem within two weeks that you have failed to solve with decades of time and hundreds of millions of dollars in resources?"This perspective was shared by police. "We're being asked to do way too many societal issues," Mike Solan, the president of the Seattle police union, said. "That puts a lot of pressure on us as just human beings, but overall, in society, to have an answer, a solution, for everything we might encounter." The police chief "has repeatedly spoken of her dedication to holistic policing," SPD spokeswoman Sgt. Lauren Truscott said, and the department works with regional partners on "mental health, substance abuse, and other root factors in crime that go beyond policing." People hang out in the Conversation Cafe on June 12 in the CHOP.Shots ring out and tensions spikeEarly on June 20, a 19-year-old named Lorenzo Anderson, was shot near the medic tents near the taco restaurant. Protesters claim that volunteer medics treated him on the scene, called for an ambulance to come, but it would only get as close as a couple blocks away. Police say they weren't allowed entry. Anderson was pronounced dead at the hospital. Around the same time, DeJuan Young, 33, was shot just outside CHOP barriers. In a security group chat, one person describes discovering Young's chest wound as a medic was treating him. He lived. Police released body cam video of them responding to the scene. An angry crowd shouts that the victims had already been taken to the hospital.Residents and businesses sue Seattle over protest zoneThe shock of the first shooting, Slate said, was that people in the CHOP had expected paramedics to enter the zone if someone was seriously hurt. They were wrong. "That was wiped clean after the first (shooting)," Slate said. "But it cost a human life." Anderson's family demanded to know why the ambulance couldn't get in to treat him. Four protesters said some in the area blamed CHOP medics for being unable to save him, and it was not safe for medics to operate openly anymore. According to Slate, they faced threats. "This is when the first of the gang stuff started," Slate said. "Once that started and their involvement became known, the life of the medics became harder."The CHOP medics left their tent near the taco restaurant parking lot. He added, "We lost a significant number of riot medics because the nature of the injuries started changing. Not all of them are ready to have a man die on their hands." According to protesters, the John Brown Gun Club left, too.Shooting in Seattle protest zone leaves one dead. Police say 'violent crowd' denied them entryThe next day, on Sunday evening, a third person was shot in the arm. He was 17. There was a vigil after the first shooting. "There were a number of people present who were relatives or friends of the shooting victim," said one protester who attended. "Based on hearing what they have said, it does appear that there is a connection to some sort of gang violence."Asked if the CHOP shootings were gang-related, Truscott, the SPD spokeswoman said, "We do not normally discuss open/active investigations." Mayor Jenny Durkan in a July 1 news conference said, "We don't know yet enough about those shootings to determine exactly who did it."But within CHOP security group chats, there was frequent discussion that gangs were involved, warning of gang escalation and the presence of "gangbangers." The messages reveal the increasing danger of late-night CHOP. In voice memos circulated in one security group chat, someone reports, "We're seeing multiple armed people -- non-right-wingers -- hanging around." Another warns, "We have a couple of armed groups here trying to hold things down, but I would recommend that if you are not armed you stay away. If you are not armed and maybe even not armored, I would stay away."There was another shooting early on the morning of June 23. The next day, the Sentinel security team left the CHOP. Walkie-talkies were handed over to a new team. "We'd already made our peace with the fact that there were some things we weren't able to handle," Slate said. "You can't be a target if you're not there. You can't make a bad decision if you're not there." After the June 21 shooting, Slate was crouched behind a concrete barrier with Madison. "I got a rifle in my hand, he's got a rifle in his hand, and I said I really wish this were just a war zone. It'd be so much simpler." They wouldn't have to worry about legality, gangs, or mental health.People watch a screening of "13th," a documentary film by director Ava DuVernay, on June 9 in the CHOP.The Sentinels sign offOn June 29 at 3 a.m., a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old were shot in a car at a CHOP barricade. The 16-year-old was killed. The younger victim was hospitalized. Accounts of how it happened conflict. But videos from the moment show people running at the sound of gunfire. A voice memo sent to a CHOP security group said, "Shots fired. May have been from our end, toward car coming in through barricades, barreling in through barricades." Messages to security groups say the car was driving either in or around the CHOP, and that people guarding the barricades shot into it.In one video, when gunshots pause, someone shouts, "So, you're not dead yet huh?" In a CHOP safety group text, someone wondered who said it. Another person replied, "God that was f**king haunting."Another shooting in Seattle's police-free autonomous zone kills man and critically injures boy"I saw two kids shot from my balcony," J.R.P. said. Her boyfriend tackled her and pulled her and their dogs into a closet. "It was gunfire for two minutes straight." She'd been able to watch as the security situation evolved. "The nice ones left and the bad ones showed up," she said. "It went from daisies to barbwire."She and her neighbors had talked about creating a support group for people who lived through it all, so they could smoke cigarettes and drink coffee and talk about the surreal experience with people who really get it. No one else understands.The Sentinels bailed, too. They heard rumors they were targets of retaliation after the 16-year-old was killed. Slate told them to stop going to the CHOP. A security volunteer explained, "A lot of people I know are not down for continuing to be part of something where we don't know if we're being used as pawns or not."17-year-old shot in Seattle protest zone"There's three things really we weren't equipped for," Slate said. Sexual assault was one. Another was something that required a government agency like the ATF, because they'd found an AK-style rifle in an alley and had to deal with it. "The third thing is homicide," they said. "We weren't equipped for that." But they had collected evidence with gloves and little plastic baggies. Madison said he had a meeting with homicide detectives later. "The thing that really sucks is that we have to cooperate to some degree," Slate explained. "Otherwise we're accessories and that's a crime itself. And that's not our objective.""It's not CHOP's fault," Slate said. "Violence is not born out of what CHOP did. Violence moved to CHOP. But Lorenzo is dead because of the CHOP because Lorenzo was in the CHOP. ... You can't say it's a non-factor in his death."The protesters had to reckon with the CHOP changing the character of the neighborhood and the city, Slate said. "If Black lives really matter, why are we still here potentially risking the lives of more Black people?"Seattle mayor announces city will reclaim police-free autonomous zone taken over by demonstrators"I think it's very important for us as activists not to fall into the conversation that blames 'Black on Black' violence,'" Powell said. "The mayor and Seattle Police Department are using these men's deaths for political ends. I don't believe they would care or mention it if they could not use it as a political weapon against CHOP." The police "department routinely deploys significant resources whenever there are spikes in crime in a concentrated area," Truscott, the SPD spokeswoman, said. "Our department also relentlessly investigates homicides in our city." The mayor's office pointed to its "Reimagining Police" memo, which outlines how the city "has taken initial steps rooted in community demands to address policing and is committed to working towards lasting change."Violent crime typically increases in the summer in Seattle, and some of that is gang violence, according to SPD statistics. "Some summer shootings, robberies and other crimes are committed by individuals with gang affiliation," Truscott said.Seattle police, at right, look on as Department of Transportation workers remove barricades Tuesday at the CHOP."Although the violence is coming from outside CHOP, we reject the invitation to disparage these young men," Powell said. "People who are involved in gang activity are usually involved in that activity because they are poor and they do not see any means of not being poor besides engaging in criminal activity," she said. The protests were about "White supremacy and capitalism," she added, and, "they are victims of the same system." At a "decompression" gathering over the weekend, security volunteers got together with their masks off. It was emotional, and some people cried. "It was a nice opportunity to talk to people freely, because there's lots of paranoia in CHOP because people could be listening or livestreaming you," a security volunteer said. Slate said, "People were like, 'We didn't know what you looked like with your mask off.' I thought, 'Oh s**t, I've been a robot this whole time.'" Slate had been a uniform and not a person.Correction: This story has been updated with Slate's correct preferred pronouns.
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A really bad year for the world's second-largest email service provider, Yahoo Mail! The company announced today, 'we identified a coordinated effort to gain unauthorized access to Yahoo Mail accounts', user names and passwords of its email customers have been stolen and are used to access multiple accounts.
Yahoo did not say how many accounts have been affected, and neither they are sure about the source of the leaked users' credentials. It appears to have come from a third party database being compromised, and not an infiltration of Yahoo's own servers.
"We have no evidence that they were obtained directly from Yahoo's systems. Our ongoing investigation shows that malicious computer software used the list of usernames and passwords to access Yahoo Mail accounts. The information sought in the attack seems to be names and email addresses from the affected accounts' most recent sent emails."
For now, Yahoo is taking proactive actions to protect their affected users, "We are resetting passwords on impacted accounts and we are using second sign-in verification to allow users to re-secure their accounts. Impacted users will be prompted (if not, already) to change their password and may receive an email notification or an SMS text if they have added a mobile number to their account."
People frequently use the same passwords on multiple accounts, so possibly hackers are brute-forcing Yahoo accounts with the user credentials stolen from other data breaches.
Yahoo users can prevent account hijacks by using a strong and unique password. You can use 'Random strong password generator' feature of DuckDuckGo search engine to get a unique & strong password.
Users are also recommended to enable two-factor authentication, which requires a code texted to the legitimate user's mobile phone whenever a login attempt is made from a new computer.
Yahoo! was hacked in July 2012, with attackers stealing 450,000 email addresses and passwords from a Yahoo! contributor network.
Readers can also download two free Whitepaper related to the Email and account security:
Cloud-Based Email Archiving
Email Data Loss Prevention
Well, Yahoo is now working with federal law enforcement as a part of its investigation.
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(CNN)Greta Thunberg, Extinction Rebellion and a growing sense of alarm over global heating have made 2019 a watershed moment in terms of climate change action.Now the Collins Dictionary has named "climate strike" as its word of the year, defining it as "a form of protest in which people absent themselves from education or work in order to join demonstrations demanding action to counter climate change."Other words that made it onto the shortlist include "rewilding," or the act of returning areas of land to a wild state, including reintroducing animal species that are no longer naturally found there.Rewilding is cited in some quarters as a solution to climate change.Influencers prepare for an Instagram without likes"BoPo," short for body positive, or the idea that people should be proud of their appearance, was also on the shortlist. Read MoreAs was "nonbinary," which Collins defines as "relating to a gender or sexual identity that does not belong to the binary categories of male or female, heterosexual or homosexual."Social media makes an inevitable appearance with the inclusion of "influencer," which is used to describe people who uses digital platforms to promote products and lifestyle choices.The tech term "deepfake" also makes an appearance. It refers to the creation of fake photos or videos that look real, such as those created by controversial viral app Zao. Next up is "cancel," as in cancel culture, or the public rejection of a person or organization to show disapproval of them, and "double down," which is used to define the act of reinforcing your commitment to something despite opposition.The non-Brits' guide to Brexit (because it affects you too)And members of a political party might bemoan an influx of "entryists," or people who join up with the aim of changing its policies.In fact, Collins says politics has such an influence on the way we use language it has published a list of terms inspired by Brexit.By far the most kinetic is "milkshake," which, in addition to defining a sweet, dairy-based drink, now refers to the act of throwing such a drink all over someone.The term shot to prominence after right-wing figures Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, were "milkshaked" by opponents on the campaign trail earlier this year.Other terms on the list include "Brexiety," or a feeling of unease over Brexit, as well as "cakeism," used to define the "idea of wanting all the benefits of EU membership with none of the expenses or responsibilities."
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A notorious banking trojan aimed at stealing bank account credentials and other financial information has now come back with new tricks up its sleeve to target government, military, and manufacturing sectors in the US and Europe, according to new research.
In an analysis released by Check Point Research today, the latest wave of Qbot activity appears to have dovetailed with the return of Emotet — another email-based malware behind several botnet-driven spam campaigns and ransomware attacks — last month, with the new sample capable of covertly gathering all email threads from a victim's Outlook client and using them for later malspam campaigns.
"These days Qbot is much more dangerous than it was previously — it has an active malspam campaign which infects organizations, and it manages to use a 'third-party' infection infrastructure like Emotet's to spread the threat even further," the cybersecurity firm said.
Using Hijacked Email Threads as Lures
First documented in 2008, Qbot (aka QuakBot, QakBot, or Pinkslipbot) has evolved over the years from an information stealer to a "Swiss Army knife" adept in delivering other kinds of malware, including Prolock ransomware, and even remotely connect to a target's Windows system to carry out banking transactions from the victim's IP address.
Attackers usually infect victims using phishing techniques to lure victims to websites that use exploits to inject Qbot via a dropper.
A malspam offensive observed by F5 Labs in June found the malware to be equipped with detection and research-evasion techniques with the goal of evading forensic examination. Then last week, Morphisec unpacked a Qbot sample that came with two new methods designed to bypass Content Disarm and Reconstruction (CDR) and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) systems.
The infection chain detailed by Check Point follows a similar pattern.
The first step begins with a specially crafted phishing email containing an attached ZIP file or a link to a ZIP file that includes a malicious Visual Basic Script (VBS), which then proceeds to download additional payloads responsible for maintaining a proper communication channel with an attacker-controlled server and executing the commands received.
Notably, the phishing emails sent to the targeted organizations, which take the form of COVID-19 lures, tax payment reminders, and job recruitments, not only includes the malicious content but is also inserted with archived email threads between the two parties to lend an air of credibility.
To achieve this, the conversations are gathered beforehand using an email collector module that extracts all email threads from the victim's Outlook client and uploads them to a hardcoded remote server.
Aside from packing components for grabbing passwords, browser cookies, and injecting JavaScript code on banking websites, the Qbot operators released as many as 15 versions of the malware since the start of the year, with the last known version released on August 7.
What's more, Qbot comes with an hVNC Plugin that makes it possible to control the victim machine through a remote VNC connection.
"An external operator can perform bank transactions without the user's knowledge, even while he is logged into his computer," Check Point noted. "The module shares a high percentage of code with similar modules like TrickBot's hVNC."
From an Infected Machine to a Control Server
That's not all. Qbot is also equipped with a separate mechanism to recruit the compromised machines into a botnet by making use of a proxy module that allows the infected machine to be used as a control server.
With Qbot hijacking legitimate email threads to spread the malware, it's essential that users monitor their emails for phishing attacks, even in cases they appear to come from a trusted source.
"Our research shows how even older forms of malware can be updated with new features to make them a dangerous and persistent threat," Check Point Research's Yaniv Balmas said. "The threat actors behind Qbot are investing heavily in its development to enable data theft on a massive scale from organizations and individuals."
"We have seen active malspam campaigns distributing Qbot directly, as well as the use of third-party infection infrastructures like Emotet's to spread the threat even further," Balmas added.
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Microsoft formally released fixes for 112 newly discovered security vulnerabilities as part of its November 2020 Patch Tuesday, including an actively exploited zero-day flaw disclosed by Google's security team last week.
The rollout addresses flaws, 17 of which are rated as Critical, 93 are rated as Important, and two are rated Low in severity, once again bringing the patch count over 110 after a drop last month.
The security updates encompass a range of software, including Microsoft Windows, Office and Office Services and Web Apps, Internet Explorer, Edge, ChakraCore, Exchange Server, Microsoft Dynamics, Windows Codecs Library, Azure Sphere, Windows Defender, Microsoft Teams, and Visual Studio.
Chief among those fixed is CVE-2020-17087 (CVSS score 7.8), a buffer overflow flaw in Windows Kernel Cryptography Driver ("cng.sys") that was disclosed on October 30 by the Google Project Zero team as being used in conjunction with a Chrome zero-day to compromise Windows 7 and Windows 10 users.
For its part, Google released an update for its Chrome browser to address the zero-day (CVE-2020-15999) last month.
Microsoft's advisory about the flaw doesn't go into any details beyond the fact that it was a "Windows Kernel Local Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability" in part to restructure security advisories in line with the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) format starting this month.
Outside of the zero-day, the update fixes a number of remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities impacting Exchange Server (CVE-2020-17084), Network File System (CVE-2020-17051), and Microsoft Teams (CVE-2020-17091), as well as a security bypass flaw in Windows Hyper-V virtualization software (CVE-2020-17040).
CVE-2020-17051 is rated 9.8 out of a maximum 10 on the CVSS score, making it a critical vulnerability. Microsoft, however, noted that the attack complexity of the flaw — the conditions beyond the attacker's control that must exist in order to exploit the vulnerability — is low.
As with the zero-day, the advisories associated with these security shortcomings are light on descriptions, with little to no information on how these RCE flaws are abused or which security feature in Hyper-V is being bypassed.
Other critical flaws fixed by Microsoft this month include memory corruption vulnerabilities in Microsoft Scripting Engine (CVE-2020-17052) and Internet Explorer (CVE-2020-17053), and multiple RCE flaws in HEVC Video Extensions Codecs library.
It's highly recommended that Windows users and system administrators apply the latest security patches to resolve the threats associated with these issues.
To install the latest security updates, Windows users can head to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, or by selecting Check for Windows updates.
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According to Armorize, soccer news site Goal.com was recently found to be serving malware.
"In an analysis of the attack, Armorize researcher Wayne Huang suggests that a hacker specifically targeted and compromised Goal.com through a back-door that allowed the attacker to manipulate the site's content at will," writes threatpost's Brian Donohue.
"According to the report, Goal.com was detected on April 27 and 28, 2011 serving up an iframe attack that forwarded visitors to a rogue domain in the .cc top level domain (TLD)," Donohue writes. "That redirect was the first in a chain of events that resulted in the delivery of a known exploit pack, g01pack that targets attacks at the specific operating system and browser version the Goal.com visitor is using. After exploiting the user's browser, further malware, including a Trojan horse program were downloaded to the victim's computer."
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A cookie is a piece of data that is issued by a server in an HTTP response and stored for future use by the HTTP client. Quite simply, a cookie is a small text file that is stored by a browser on the user's machine. Cookies are plain text; they contain no executable code. The client then re-supplies the cookie value in subsequent requests to the same server. This mechanism allows the server to store user preferences and identity individual users.
One of the biggest issues in cookie mechanism is how to handle them. In short, the server had no way of knowing if two requests came from the same browser, called Cookie Handling vulnerability.
'Piero Tedeschi' reported a similar issue in 'Telecom Italia' (https://www.telecomitalia.it/), the largest Italian telecommunications company, also active in the media and manufacturing industries.
This vulnerability allow a malicious user to hijack multiples accounts, just by exporting and importing the cookies from the victim's browser and can reuse it even after Logout.
Once you logout, normally a website should not reuse same invalid cookies, but if you are Telecom Italia user, you can reuse same cookies again and again to authenticate session without providing your username or password.
Proof of Concept:
1) Login to Telecom's website.
2) Export cookies with any cookie handling browser extension (for example Cookie Exporter->Chrome) and save it in a text file ("cookie.txt") on your computer system.
3) Now Logout and import (for test, you can use another browser) same cookies that you have saved on your computer system, with a browser extension (for example Cookie Importer->Firefox) on another system.
4.) After importing cookies, just refresh page and user will get access to Telecom Italia's accounts without authentication.
This vulnerability is tested on these e-mail:
@alice.it
@virgilio.it
Telecom Italia also provide emails address @tin.it and @tim.it which are also supposed to be vulnerable to this method.
How to create email for Telecom Italia: You can create an email from Virgilio (https://www.virgilio.it) for free.
Attack's Methods (Stealing Cookies): To steal cookies there are many methods i.e
Cross Site Scripting (XSS) with a Cookie Stealer in php
Trojan
Physical Access
MITM (Man in The Middle attack)
Similar flaw was last year reported by us in Hotmail and Outlook, which are still vulnerable.
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A group of researchers has detailed a new timing vulnerability in Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol that could potentially allow an attacker to break the encryption and read sensitive communication under specific conditions.
Dubbed "Raccoon Attack," the server-side attack exploits a side-channel in the cryptographic protocol (versions 1.2 and lower) to extract the shared secret key used for secure communications between two parties.
"The root cause for this side channel is that the TLS standard encourages non-constant-time processing of the DH secret," the researchers explained their findings in a paper. "If the server reuses ephemeral keys, this side channel may allow an attacker to recover the premaster secret by solving an instance of the Hidden Number Problem."
However, the academics stated that the vulnerability is hard to exploit and relies on very precise timing measurements and on a specific server configuration to be exploitable.
A Timing Attack to Leak Secret Keys
Using time measurements to compromise a cryptosystem and leak sensitive information has been the heart of many timing attacks, and Raccoon employs the same strategy to the Diffie-Hellman (DH) key exchange process during a TLS handshake, which is crucial to trading data over a public network securely.
This shared secret key generated during the exchange enables secure browsing on the Internet, allowing users to safely visit websites by protecting the communications against eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks.
To break this security wall, the malicious party records the handshake messages between a client and server, using it to initiate new handshakes to the same server, and subsequently measuring the time it takes for the server to respond to the operations involved in deriving the shared key.
It's worth noting that "DH secrets with leading zeroes will result in a faster server KDF computation, and hence a shorter server response time."
Assuming the attacker can identify this edge case, it allows the bad actor to decipher the secret key of the original handshake and ultimately decrypt the TLS traffic to recover its contents in plaintext.
But the attack has its constraints. It necessitates that the server reuses the same DH ephemeral key (a mode called DHE) across sessions and that the attacker is as close to the target server as possible to perform high precision timing measurements.
F5, Microsoft, Mozilla, and OpenSSL Release Security Updates
While Raccoon may be hard to replicate in the real world, several F5 products were found to be vulnerable to a "special" version of the attack (CVE-2020-5929) without resorting to timing measurements by directly observing the contents of server responses.
F5, Microsoft, Mozilla, and OpenSSL have all released patches to thwart the attack by addressing the concern with ephemeral key reuse. For its part, Mozilla has turned off DH and DHE cipher suites in its Firefox browser, and Microsoft's advisory recommends customers to disable TLS_DHE.
With ephemeral keys crucial for ensuring forward secrecy, the research is another reason why reusing cryptographic keys can undermine security.
"Our attack exploits the fact that servers may reuse the secret DH exponent for many sessions, thus forgoing forward secrecy," the researchers concluded.
"In this context, Raccoon teaches a lesson for protocol security: For protocols where some cryptographic secrets can be continuously queried by one of the parties, the attack surface is made broader. The Raccoon attack showed that we should be careful when giving attackers access to such queries."
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Story highlightsTrump does not see himself as a normal politician, Van Jones saysDonald Trump made comments Monday that 3 to 5 million votes in this year's election were illegal (CNN)It's only been five days since the inauguration of President Donald Trump and it's been a week filled with executive actions and demonstrations. In the CNN series "The Messy Truth," airing Wednesday night, host Van Jones asks whether it's week one of a Trump presidency or week one of anti-Trump resistance. Van Jones: Both political parties kind of suck"The truth has never been messier than it has been these past six days," he said. "We've got a boastful, strong man who plays fast and loose with the facts."Jones, an outspoken Democrat and former adviser to the Obama administration, argued that in a divided nation there must be an attempt to understand our new President. "Consider there may actually be a method to all this madness," he said. "Remember, Trump does not see himself as a normal politician. And he never had the strategy of a normal politician. A normal politician who wants to prove himself would just point to the Constitution and the Electoral College and be done with it. But notice something, Trump almost never mentions the Constitution. Instead, he talks about polls and ratings and crowd sizes. Why? Because Trump sees himself as the leader of a mass movement -- first and foremost."Van Jones: I have 'emotional whiplash' after Trump, Obama eventsJones said when tackling the unproven claims Trump has made since November's election, alleging millions of illegal votes were cast, Americans need to understand his mythology and strategy, which is to position himself as a populist president.Read More"It actually rational in his mind for him to talk numbers," he said. "It's not just psychopathy. It's also strategy.".@VanJones68: "The truth has never been messier" #TheMessyTruth https://t.co/rqiJJnTPkZ— CNN (@CNN) January 26, 2017
"The Messy Truth" is a trademark of Magic Labs Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
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After the success of Pokémon Go, Nintendo's "Super Mario Run" has become the hottest game to hit the market with enormous popularity and massive social impact. The game has taken the world by storm since its launch for iOS devices over a week ago.
Can you believe — it was downloaded more than 40 million times worldwide in its first four days of release.
But if you have downloaded a Super Mario Run APK for your Android device, Beware! That's definitely a malware.
Since Super Mario Run has currently been released only for iOS devices and is not on Google Play, it caused a lot of disappointment among Android users.
So, eventually, many Android device owners who love Mario games and can not wait to play Super Mario Run ended up downloading APKs outside of the Google Play Store.
But those tons of phony copycat unofficial Super Mario apps on many third-party Android app stores turn out to be malware or viruses that attempt to look like the legitimate Super Mario Run app.
Super Mario can Take Full Control of your Android Device
To download the third party APK, users are required to "side-load" the malicious app by modifying their Android core security settings, allowing their device's operating system to install apps from "untrusted sources."
Some of these malicious apps can even take full control of your Android device, as the apps request privileges to edit, read, receive and send text messages, take photos and record videos and track your location using GPS.
However, one of the apps titled "Super Mario" creates additional icons, displays pop-up and banner ads, installs other malicious apps onto victim's smartphone, and performs other intrusive activities without any users interaction, according to Tokyo-based Trend Micro antivirus firm, which detected malicious Super Mario apps 90,000 times this year.
"Clicking on these ads or icons will direct users to either adult sites or malicious sites. In either case, the goal is to get users to install various apps," researchers at Trend Micro writes.
"While some of these apps are perfectly legitimate, some are suspicious apps distributed by third-party app stores, including more malicious apps that even request for administrator rights."
Another app, also titled "Super Mario" and discovered by the security firm, prompts users first to install an app called 9Apps, which then asks for more permissions, including recording audio, reading modifying the calendar and even access to complete SD-card.
Here's How to Prevent Yourself
So, instead of downloading applications from unknown third party stores, Android users are required to wait for the official Google Play release.
Downloading apps from third parties do not always end up with malware or viruses, but it certainly ups the risk. So, it's the best way to wait to avoid compromising your device and the networks it accesses.
You can also go to Settings → Security and make sure "Unknown sources" option is turned off.
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London (CNN)The fire service in the UK city of Manchester arrived two hours late to the scene of a deadly suicide bombing last year and played "no meaningful role" in the response, a report published Tuesday has found.Suicide bomber Salman Abedi killed 22 people last year on May 22 in the foyer of an arena, as thousands of people streamed out after attending an Ariana Grande concert.An independent review, chaired by former Head of the Civil Service Lord Kerslake, illustrated how poor communications between the emergency agencies gave the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) conflicting information. The service began the wrong type of response and later set up at an incorrect "rendezvous" point several miles away from the scene as a result.Two fire teams were in earshot of the explosion yet did not immediately respond at or nearer to the scene, having been told it was too dangerous to do so. "The Fire Service was effectively 'outside the loop,' having no presence at the rendezvous point established by the Police, little awareness of what was happening at the Arena and only a very limited and belated presence," the report found.Flowers left in St. Ann's Square on May 23, 2017, a day after the bombing.Read MoreThe fire service was heavily reliant on the police and ambulance services for information and an inter-agency officer to coordinate the different services.The fire service said in a statement Tuesday that there were clear failures in the leadership and decision-making in the response, and that the firefighters had been let down by their superiors."The 22nd May 2017 was Greater Manchester's darkest hour and it is clear that our response fell far short of that which the people of Greater Manchester have a right to expect. I apologize unreservedly for that," said Dawn Docx, the service's interim chief fire officer."The fundamental mistake made by the fire service that night was failing to communicate with our partner agencies and that is something at the forefront of our plans to change fundamentally the fire service and its culture."The report said there was no single reason or person behind the failure: "Rather, it was a combination of poor communication and poor procedures."Vodafone failThe report also pointed to failure by telecommunications company Vodafone, saying that a casualty bureau it had set up "was seriously hampered by the complete failure" of a telephone-based communications system provided by Vodafone."As a consequence, communication with the families caught up in the attack was badly affected," the report found.It said that a dedicated telephone contact service was not set up more than four hours after the attack."This failure was a cause of significant stress and upset on the night to the families involved, who were seeking to find out more about the situation of their loved ones. A number were reduced to a frantic search around the hospitals of Greater Manchester to find out more."Tributes for the victims of the Manchester bombing at Albert Square on May 24, 2017.Vodafone, which has a contract with the government to provide dedicated phone services in emergencies, has also apologized. In a statement to CNN it admitted that a failure in one of its systems meant the Greater Manchester Police were not able to issue the dedicated number immediately after the attack."This was clearly unacceptable and we sincerely apologize for the distress caused to those affected by this terrible attack," Vodafone said in a statement sent to CNN.The report did, however, commend emergency responders, saying there was "a lot to be proud of."Police and ambulance services arrived at the scene rapidly, and armed officers quickly secured the area.
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Story highlightsManning will be benched for the first time since his rookie seasonHe had started every Giants game since November 21, 2004 (CNN)As he normally is, Eli Manning was at Giants practice Wednesday. Except this time the two-time Super Bowl MVP was no longer the main man -- he was the understudy.It's a sight few -- including Manning himself -- could have envisioned heading into this week: relegated to the scout team, splitting reps with rookie Davis Webb.Follow @cnnsport
Giants head coach Ben McAdoo shocked the NFL world Tuesday, announcing that he will start Geno Smith at quarterback for Sunday's game against the Raiders.It snaps Manning's streak of 210 consecutive regular-season games, the second-longest by a quarterback in NFL history behind Brett Favre (297)."It's hard," Manning, who visibly was emotional, said Tuesday. "It's been a hard day to handle this. But hang in there and figure it out."Read MoreWATCH: Eli Manning reacts to the announcement that he will not start on Sunday pic.twitter.com/nQoPEcfTl3— New York Giants (@Giants) November 28, 2017
Manning said McAdoo gave him the opportunity to start while Smith and Webb would also get to play, but he felt that starting just to keep his streak going and knowing he wouldn't finish the game felt "pointless.""I mean, I just didn't think that you start knowing that you're going to come out of a game to keep a streak alive, maybe," Manning said."That's not what it's about. It's not a preseason game where you're going to play the start to the half, what's the next week? A quarter, a series, that's not fair. That's not fair to me, that's not fair to Geno, that's not how you play."You play to win. You're named the starting quarterback, you think it's your job to go win the football game. When you know you're just going to play a little bit, I didn't feel like that was the right way to play."Quarterback Eli Manning turns 37 on January 3.'Pathetic'Manning had started every Giants game since November 21, 2004, dating back to his rookie season -- where he was the No. 1 overall pick in the draft -- when he took over for Kurt Warner. He led the Giants to two Super Bowl titles, both against the Patriots.The Giants are 2-9 this season. McAdoo cited being out of contention and evaluating his roster -- including at quarterback -- as the reason for the change. Manning, who has 14 touchdown passes to seven interceptions this season, will turn 37 on January 3."Well, I have a lot of confidence in Eli as a player, as a quarterback," McAdoo said. "But at this point, it's my responsibility for the organization to make sure we take a look at Geno and at some point take a look at Davis and give them the opportunity to show what they can do heading into next year."So is this the end of Manning in a Giants uniform? "No," McAdoo said, though his decision was questioned by current NFL players and alumni, who lit up social media reacting to the news."One guy should not be demoted because of a TEAMS effort and lack production," former safety Antrel Rolle posted on Instagram. "If Eli gets demoted then the entire team should be demoted." I will say this without saying too much. Right is Right and Wrong is Wrong. One guy should not be demoted because of a TEAMS effort and lack production. If Eli gets demoted then the entire team should be demoted. All of his weapons are non existing and still the guys shows up every week and gives his all. That has to stand for something. There are ways to go about things and this is not the right way to go about this. Give him a fair evaluation under fair circumstances. I understand that this is a WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY LEAGUE... I posted this picture for one reason and one reason only. YOU NEED THE ONES WITH YOU THAT WILL RIDE FOR YOU!!!! ✌🏾💯 A post shared by Antrel Rolle (@antrelrolle26) on Nov 28, 2017 at 5:33pm PST Former Giants offensive lineman David Diehl tweeted: "I'm absolutely speechless. I've watched every game and have sat through this rough Giants season and this what you do to a man who has lead this team for 210 straight games."I'm absolutely speechless. I've watched every game & have sat through this rough @Giants season & this what you do to a man who has lead this team for 210 straight games— David Diehl (@davediehl66) November 28, 2017
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who was traded for Manning on draft day in 2004, weighed in Wednesday."I honestly thought it was pathetic, really," Rivers said to reporters. "He's been out there 210 straight games, with no telling how many bumps and bruises and injuries for his team. He won two Super Bowl MVPs."And with the respect he's had in the locker room over the years -- really, the respect he's gained throughout the league -- you feel like the guy's earned the opportunity."If they are deciding in fact to go another direction, I feel like he's earned the opportunity to finish off these last five weeks."JUST WATCHEDSee Peyton and Eli Manning's epic rapReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSee Peyton and Eli Manning's epic rap 00:56'Decisive'Smith becomes the Giants' first black starting quarterback in franchise history, making the Giants the final team in the NFL to do that. Smith also started 30 games in his four seasons with the Jets."Geno looked sharp today," McAdoo said Wednesday. "He's working hard at it. The communication part of things are early and the down when the ball is snapped -- he knows where he wants to go with the ball. He's decisive and I'm excited to watch him play."I feel we have a game plan in place where we feel Geno can give us a chance to be successful and win the ballgame on Sunday."
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Story highlightsJustin Thomas wins 99th PGA ChampionshipAmerican, 24, seals first major title"It's a springboard to even better" (CNN)When Justin Thomas shot a historic nine-under 63 in the third round of this year's US Open, he finally looked poised to crack the big time. Heading into the final round at Erin Hills in June, the American was one shot off the lead but would eventually fade to finish in a tie for ninth.At Quail Hollow on Sunday, Thomas made no mistake, conquering the notorious "Green Mile" with a final round of 68 to win the 99th PGA Championship by two shots. READ: Thomas claims first major titleChants of "let's go JT!" rang around the spectators at the 18th green before Thomas' proud father emerged from the crowd to hug his son -- golf's newest major champion.Read More"It was very special," Thomas told CNN Sport, reflecting on their warm embrace. "I'm not too much of an emotional person. I get excited, I get down, but in terms of crying it hasn't really happened to me in the past." "It was the probably as close I'm going to get sharing that with him."Dad and son. ❤️️Dream come true. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/n6en0cwwEK— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 13, 2017
Like father, like sonThomas, who took up the game at the age of two, grew up surrounded by golfing mentors.His father Mike has been head professional at Harmony Landing Golf Club in Kentucky since 1990, and his grandfather, Paul, was club pro at Zanesville Country Club in Ohio -- once playing alongside Arnold Palmer in a PGA Tour Champions event. Thomas remembers attending the 2000 PGA Championship at the Valhalla Golf Club near his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Back then, aged just seven, Thomas watched Tiger Woods secure his fifth major title, and also took home an autograph from Jack Nicklaus. JUST WATCHEDGolf's ultimate bromanceReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHGolf's ultimate bromance 01:40Seventeen years on, Thomas has now joined golf's elite. "I've just put so many hours of work in. So much of my life I've dedicated to golf, aspiring to win my first major championship. To be able to do so aged 24 is awesome."Winning the final major of 2017 caps a memorable season for Thomas who has now won four titles this year. In January, he also became the youngest-ever player to shoot 59 -- en route to victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Thomas' father always keeps the ball as a memento when his son wins a tournament and, at this rate, he's going to have to get a bigger mantelpiece."Any time he can put a ball on the rack it's great," Thomas said. "They don't come quite as frequent as they did when I was a junior golfer ... so to add the first major is great. "(Winning the PGA) almost deserves its own rack, being the first major. It's such a big win, not only for us and my team, but for my career. I'm just so happy we could all share it together." With more that $7 million prize money banked this season and now ranked sixth in the world, Thomas is hoping his biggest win to date can launch his career into a new orbit in the years ahead."I feel like the sky's the limit," he says. "I can do a lot of great things but none of them will happen if I don't continue to work hard. Visit CNN.com/sport/golf for more news and features"You know, it's in my own hands. I want it badly, I've wanted it badly for a while, and I'm glad to add another stepping stone in my career. Hopefully it's a springboard to even better."
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Story highlights European Union leader: More sanctions against Russia to be consideredUkraine's President says thousands of foreign troops are on Ukrainian soilPresident of Ukraine: 'Point of no return' may come if escalation continuesUkrainian forces bolster defenses around southern port of Mariupol A top European Union official said Saturday that new sanctions will be proposed within a week against Russia over its actions in Ukraine, but Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko sounded like he can't wait that long."I think we are very close to the point of no return," Poroshenko said Saturday following an EU summit in Brussels. "The point of no return is full-scale war, which already happened in the territory controlled by separatists and where -- instead of separatists -- there are regular Russian troops."Poroshenko said the situation had worsened in the last few days and that thousands of foreign troops and hundreds of foreign tanks are now on Ukrainian territory.Russia has repeatedly denied either supporting the rebels or sending its own troops over the border. But those assertions have been roundly rejected by the West. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, speaking at the summit, said new sanctions will be proposed."The European Council says that it stands ready to take further significant steps in the light of the evolution of the situation on the ground and it requests the commission to urgently undertake preparatory work ... and present proposals for consideration within a week," Rompuy said. JUST WATCHEDWhy did Ukrainian forces leave border?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhy did Ukrainian forces leave border? 01:53 Photos: Photos: Crisis in Ukraine Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Pro-Russian rebels fire artillery Tuesday, October 14, at Donetsk Sergey Prokofiev International Airport, which is on the outskirts of Donetsk, Ukraine. Fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels in the country has left more than 3,000 people dead since mid-April, according to the United Nations.Hide Caption 1 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Smoke rises behind the train station in Donetsk, Ukraine, during an artillery battle between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian government forces on Sunday, October 12.Hide Caption 2 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, center, inspects Ukrainian army positions close to Donetsk on Friday, October 10.Hide Caption 3 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – The main terminal of Donetsk Sergey Prokofiev International Airport is hit by shelling during fighting between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian forces on Wednesday, October 8.Hide Caption 4 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Pro-Russian rebels fire mortars toward Ukrainian positions near to the Donetsk airport on October 8.Hide Caption 5 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A pro-Russian rebel walks past a burning house after shelling in the town of Donetsk, Ukraine, on Sunday, October 5.Hide Caption 6 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – An Ukrainian sniper aims his weapon at a checkpoint near Popasna, Ukraine, on Thursday, October 2. Hide Caption 7 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Smoke rises from the area near the Donetsk airport after heavy shelling on October 2.Hide Caption 8 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – An injured man is transported at a hospital after shelling in Donetsk on Wednesday, October 1.Hide Caption 9 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A woman injured at a bus station cries at a Donetsk hospital on October 1.Hide Caption 10 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A pro-Russian rebel guards a damaged school in Donetsk on October 1.Hide Caption 11 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian servicemen patrol in the Donetsk region on Friday, September 26.Hide Caption 12 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A pro-Russian rebel guards a destroyed bridge in Nyzhnya Krynka, Ukraine, on Tuesday, September 23. Hide Caption 13 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Residents clean up debris at a building damaged by rockets in Debaltseve, Ukraine, on Monday, September 22.Hide Caption 14 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A firefighter checks out a damaged office building after shelling in Donetsk on Sunday, September 21.Hide Caption 15 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A Ukrainian soldier guards pro-Russian rebels during a prisoner exchange near Donetsk on September 21.Hide Caption 16 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Members of the Ukrainian military, held as prisoners of war, sit in a bus waiting to be exchanged near Donetsk on Saturday, September 20.Hide Caption 17 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Smoke rises after an explosion at a weapons factory controlled by pro-Russian rebels near Donetsk on September 20. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known.Hide Caption 18 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A Ukrainian helicopter patrols an area near Donetsk on September 20.Hide Caption 19 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A firefighter walks past the rubble of a building destroyed by shelling in Donetsk on Wednesday, September 17. Hide Caption 20 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A protester holds a smoke bomb during a demonstration outside the Presidential Palace in Kiev, Ukraine, on September 17. Activists protested the adoption of legislation giving greater autonomy to rebel-held parts of eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Hide Caption 21 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A man covers the body of his mother, who was killed on a bus during a battle in Donetsk on Tuesday, September 16.Hide Caption 22 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – People walk through a market Monday, September 15, in the Kievsky district of Donetsk.Hide Caption 23 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Smoke rises around the Donetsk International Airport on Saturday, September 13, as shelling continues between pro-Russian rebels and the Ukrainian army.Hide Caption 24 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A Ukrainian soldier stands guard as residents rally in support of a united Ukraine in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol on September 13.Hide Caption 25 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Russian trucks, flying Russian flags and carrying humanitarian aid for eastern Ukraine, line up at a border checkpoint in Donetsk on September 13.Hide Caption 26 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Workers unload supplies from Russia in Luhansk, Ukraine, on September 13. More than 200 Russian trucks entered Ukraine with supplies for the city, which has been cut off from electricity and water for weeks.Hide Caption 27 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian soldiers ride on an armored vehicle near Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on September 13.Hide Caption 28 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – People look at a large crater from a reported missile strike that hit a bus station Friday, September 12, in Makiivka, Ukraine.Hide Caption 29 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Workers clear rubble Thursday, September 11, after the bombing of a mine in Donetsk.Hide Caption 30 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A column of Ukrainian forces is seen in Volnovakha, Ukraine, on September 11.Hide Caption 31 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – An elderly woman sits next to a Ukrainian soldier standing guard in Volnovakha on September 11.Hide Caption 32 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Armed pro-Russian rebels walk September 11 in front of the destroyed Luhansk International Airport. The rebels took control of the airport on September 1 after heavy fighting with the Ukrainian army. Hide Caption 33 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Residents of Lutuhyne, Ukraine, push containers in a wheelbarrow September 11 as they walk between destroyed armored vehicles left behind by the Ukrainian army.Hide Caption 34 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian troops protect themselves from a nearby shooting in Debaltseve on Tuesday, September 9. Hide Caption 35 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Young residents of Berdyansk, Ukraine, dig trenches September 9 to help Ukrainian forces protect the city from possible rebel attacks. Hide Caption 36 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, left, inspects military personnel during a visit to Mariupol on Monday, September 8.Hide Caption 37 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A pro-Russian rebel stands next to a truck with a heavy machine gun attached to it Sunday, September 7, in Donetsk.Hide Caption 38 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Homes smolder after being hit by shelling in Donetsk on September 7.Hide Caption 39 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A woman stands next to a road sign September 7 after an overnight bombing attack at an Ukrainian army checkpoint on the outskirts of Mariupol. Hide Caption 40 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian troops stand on a deserted road as they patrol the border area of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions Friday, September 5, near Debaltseve.Hide Caption 41 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A man repairs damage to a building caused by shelling in Donetsk on September 5. Hide Caption 42 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Smoke rises on the outskirts of Mariupol after pro-Russian rebels fired heavy artillery on September 5.Hide Caption 43 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian soldiers ride a tank on a road close to where pro-Russian rebels fired heavy artillery outside Mariupol on September 5.Hide Caption 44 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A wounded Ukrainian soldier is helped by a medical team on the outskirts of Mariupol on September 5.Hide Caption 45 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A pro-Russian rebel holds a destroyed weapon in the village of Novokaterynivka, Ukraine, on Thursday, September 4.Hide Caption 46 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Unmarked military vehicles burn on a country road in Berezove, Ukraine, on September 4 after a clash between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels. For months, Ukrainian government forces have been fighting the rebels near Ukraine's eastern border with Russia. Hide Caption 47 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – People wait by their cars near Berezove on September 4 as rockets hit the road ahead.Hide Caption 48 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A pro-Russian rebel holds a dog, which has a hand grenade attached to its leash, in Donetsk on Wednesday, September 3.Hide Caption 49 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Pro-Russian rebels fire at Ukrainian army positions in Donetsk on September 3.Hide Caption 50 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A Ukrainian military vehicle patrols in the Donetsk region on September 3.Hide Caption 51 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Pro-Russian rebels hold a man near a column of destroyed Ukrainian military vehicles in Novokaterynivka on Tuesday, September 2.Hide Caption 52 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A Ukrainian military truck passes by a serviceman resting in his military camp in Ukraine's Donetsk region on September 2.Hide Caption 53 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A destroyed Ukrainian military vehicle sits abandoned on the side of the road near Novokaterynivka on September 2.Hide Caption 54 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Men clear rubble in Ilovaisk, Ukraine, on Sunday, August 31.Hide Caption 55 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian troops leave the rebel-held town of Starobesheve on Saturday, August 30.Hide Caption 56 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A Ukrainian loyalist fighter from the Azov Battalion stands guard on a hill on the outskirts of Mariupol on August 30.Hide Caption 57 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A pro-Russian rebel listens to the news on a transistor radio in the town of Novoazovsk, Ukraine, on Friday, August 29.Hide Caption 58 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian soldiers stop on a roadside as they wait for the start of their march into Mariupol on Wednesday, August 27. Hide Caption 59 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A man opens a box filled with rocket-propelled grenades left by the Ukrainian army in Starobesheve.Hide Caption 60 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A pro-Russian rebel walks through a local market damaged by shelling in Donetsk on Tuesday, August 26.Hide Caption 61 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian servicemen of the volunteer battalion Azov leave for Novoazovsk on August 26.Hide Caption 62 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Pro-Russian rebels escort captured Ukrainian soldiers in a central square in Donetsk on Sunday, August 24.Hide Caption 63 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – People yell as Ukrainian prisoners are paraded through Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on August 24. Hide Caption 64 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A pro-Russian rebel delivers a speech atop a damaged Ukrainian armored personnel carrier in Donetsk on August 24.Hide Caption 65 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – People look at damaged Ukrainian military equipment in Donetsk on August 24. Hide Caption 66 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – The first trucks of a Russian aid convoy roll on the main road to Luhansk in eastern Ukraine on Friday, August 22. The head of Ukraine's security service called the convoy a "direct invasion" under the guise of humanitarian aid since it entered the country without Red Cross monitors. Hide Caption 67 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A pro-Russian rebel holds shrapnel from a rocket after shelling in Donetsk on August 22.Hide Caption 68 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Residents sit in a makeshift bomb shelter during a shelling in Makiivka on Wednesday, August 20.Hide Caption 69 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Dogs play together as a Russian convoy carrying aid supplies stops at a border control point with Ukraine on August 20.Hide Caption 70 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian forces take their position not far from Luhansk on August 20.Hide Caption 71 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Clouds of smoke are on the horizon as Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels clash in Yasynuvata, Ukraine, on Tuesday, August 19. Hide Caption 72 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – An Ukrainian helicopter flies near Kramatorsk on August 19.Hide Caption 73 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian soldiers load a missile during fighting with pro-Russian rebels Monday, August 18, near Luhansk.Hide Caption 74 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Boys play at a refugee camp, set up by the Russian Emergencies Ministry, near the Russian-Ukrainian border on August 18.Hide Caption 75 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian soldiers carry weapons at a checkpoint near Debaltseve on Saturday, August 16.Hide Caption 76 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Pro-Russian rebels greet each other as they pass near Krasnodon, Ukraine, on August 16.Hide Caption 77 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A fireman tries to extinguish a fire after shelling in Donetsk on August 16.Hide Caption 78 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian border guards patrol near Novoazovsk on Friday, August 15.Hide Caption 79 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Trucks of a Russian humanitarian convoy are parked in a field outside the town of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, in the Rostov region of Russia about 20 miles from the Ukraine border, on August 15. Ukrainian officials were preparing to inspect the convoy, which was bound for the conflict-torn east.Hide Caption 80 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A truck driver from the convoy jumps out of a trailer on August 15. The Ukrainian government had expressed fears that the convoy was a large-scale effort to smuggle supplies or troops to pro-Russian rebels.Hide Caption 81 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A tank belonging to pro-Russian rebels moves along a street in Donetsk on August 15.Hide Caption 82 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A Ukrainian soldier walks past a line of self-propelled guns as a column of military vehicles prepares to head to the front line near Ilovaisk on Thursday, August 14.Hide Caption 83 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A Ukrainian soldier prepares a mortar at a position near Ilovaisk on August 14. Hide Caption 84 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A man inspects damage at his house after a shelling in Donetsk on August 14. Hide Caption 85 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A convoy of trucks, which Moscow said was carrying relief goods for war-weary civilians, moves from Voronezh, Russia, toward Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on August 14.Hide Caption 86 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Pro-Russian rebels on the outskirts of Donetsk stand at a checkpoint near a bullet-riddled bus on Wednesday, August 13.Hide Caption 87 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A pro-Russian rebel inspects damage after shelling in Donetsk on Thursday, August 7.Hide Caption 88 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Smoke billows from a Ukrainian fighter jet crash near the village of Zhdanivka, Ukraine, on August 7. Hide Caption 89 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Residents of eastern Ukraine cry in a hospital basement being used as a bomb shelter August 7 in Donetsk.Hide Caption 90 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ordnance from a Ukrainian rocket launcher shoots toward a pro-Russian militant position in the Donetsk region on August 7.Hide Caption 91 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Relatives of Ukrainian military member Kyril Andrienko, who died in combat in eastern Ukraine, gather during his funeral in Lviv, Ukraine, on August 7.Hide Caption 92 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Refugees from southeastern Ukraine wait at a refugee camp in Donetsk on Wednesday, August 6.Hide Caption 93 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A pro-Russian rebel adjusts his weapon in Donetsk on August 6.Hide Caption 94 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Men walk past a bomb crater in Donetsk on August 6.Hide Caption 95 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A man steps out of his car as Ukrainian soldiers inspect the vehicle at a checkpoint in Debaltseve on August 6.Hide Caption 96 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian servicemen sit on a bus near Slovyansk, Ukraine, on Tuesday, August 5.Hide Caption 97 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A pro-Russian separatist guards a road as Australian, Malaysian and Dutch investigators prepare to examine the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 near the village of Rossipne, Ukraine, on August 5. U.S. and Ukrainian officials allege that a Russian-made missile shot down the plane from rebel-held territory, killing all 298 people on board. Russia and the rebel fighters deny involvement.Hide Caption 98 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Rescue workers carry the body of a woman who was killed during a bomb shelling in Donetsk on August 5.Hide Caption 99 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A boy stands in a hallway of a refugee hostel run by pro-Russian rebels in Donetsk on Monday, August 4.Hide Caption 100 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian servicemen from the Donbass volunteer battalion clean their guns Sunday, August 3, in Popasna, Ukraine.Hide Caption 101 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian soldiers fire shells toward rebel positions near Pervomaysk, Ukraine, on Saturday, August 2.Hide Caption 102 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – Ukrainian troops patrol near the village of Novoselovka on Thursday, July 31.Hide Caption 103 of 104 Photos: Photos: Crisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine – A woman says goodbye to her mother as she flees her home in Shakhtersk, Ukraine, on Tuesday, July 29. See more photos of the crisis from earlier this yearHide Caption 104 of 104JUST WATCHEDRussia denies invasion of Ukraine ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRussia denies invasion of Ukraine 02:26Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared defiant in the face of a chorus of Western condemnation over what NATO says is clear evidence of Russian military aggression in Ukraine.Moscow doesn't want or intend to wade into any "large-scale conflicts," Putin said Friday at a youth forum, state-run Itar-Tass reported. A few breaths later, he made the point that Russia is "strengthening our nuclear deterrence forces and our armed forces," making them more efficient and modernized."I want to remind you that Russia is one of the most powerful nuclear nations," the President said. "This is a reality, not just words."German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed in a phone call Thursday that they would have to consider tougher action against Russia.The European Union and the United States have already slapped economic sanctions on targeted Russian individuals and businesses. The union also has sanctioned certain sectors of the Russian economy, prompting Russia to retaliate with its own measures.Port city fortifiesThe Ukrainian military worked to fortify the port city of Mariupol after Russian intelligence groups were observed there, Col. Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for the Ukrainian National Defense and Security Council, said Saturday.A CNN team saw Ukrainian forces strengthening defensive positions on the eastern outskirts of the city, reinforcing checkpoints and digging trenches along roads leading toward the Russian border. Beyond these checkpoints, the team found a small advance detachment of Ukrainian troops on the main road about halfway between Mariupol and Novoazovsk. The soldiers said it had been quiet Saturday. JUST WATCHEDRussian troops in UkraineReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRussian troops in Ukraine 03:16JUST WATCHEDRussia's Message on Ukraine ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRussia's Message on Ukraine 01:37JUST WATCHEDJudah: 'Putin created a monster'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHJudah: 'Putin created a monster' 05:10The CNN team encountered the first pro-Russian rebel roadblock a short distance outside Novoazovsk, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the Russian border, with concrete blocks across the road and a heavy machine gun among the weaponry. A 12.7 mm heavy machine gun was among the weapons at the roadblock. The fighters would not allow the CNN team to pass through but said they should "come back tomorrow."There is a large stretch of territory east of Mariupol, some 15-30 kilometers wide depending on location, that is occupied by neither Ukrainian forces nor pro-Russian fighters.In the villages between the two "front lines" there are no signs of damage. Some stores are open and there is some civilian traffic on the roads. Long queues have formed at one checkpoint out of Mariupol as people from rural areas try to get in and out of the city. Denials 'without credibility'Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in March, following the ouster of pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych the previous month. Violence broke out in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions in April, as separatist leaders declared independence from the government in Kiev. Since mid-April, the conflict between the pro-Russia rebels and the Ukrainian military has cost more than 2,500 lives, according to the United Nations.White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Friday that -- whatever the Kremlin says -- the reality is Russian troops are inside Ukraine and have fired on Ukrainian military positions.See the NATO satellite imagesIn response, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said NATO had previously used "images from computer games" to -- in his view -- falsely make the case that Russian troops are in Ukraine, and said the "latest accusations are pretty similar."
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#Enter_at_your_own_Risk Cyber Awareness Magazine Issue January edition Released
As we promised last month, The Hacker News along with Security-FAQs, SecManiac, Korben, Security-Shell, SecTechno have come together to bring you an outstanding array of internet security and hacking information. You can Download Here Special Magazine January 2012 Edition. Previous Editions available Here.
Sit back, read and enjoy :
Lee Ives from London, England talk about internet security for your children and what to watch out for and how to protect them and yourself. Security Expert, Pierluigi Paganini takes us on a visit to China and makes us wonder just how influential China's hacking is on world internet security. Read and decide for yourself.
Get political emotions warmed up reading "Anatomy of a Revolution" by our own editorial staff. Mourad Ben Lakhoua takes us on a scary journey of what new Malwares are lurking about and what to expect in the future.
Avram Marius Gabriel, who works under the pseudonym "d3v1l", gives us a look at an emerging technical society as like minded techies in Romania come together to share and learn. Get mad and take action as you read how your internet privacy and freedoms are about to be taken away in our editor Patti Galle's article on SOPA…….coming to your personal rights soon.
Manuel Dorne, administrator from Korben gives us a look at FIREFOX security tools. A must for any techie interested in "how to." And finally, a good read about politics in general in "No Turning Back" by our editorial staff.
Welcome to the January Special Edition…..let us know what you think, learn, and hope for! Connect With us on Google+ , Twitter and Facebook.
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Story highlightsAnton Skiba called CNN on Saturday to confirm his releaseHe was detained when a CNN crew returned to Donetsk from working at MH17 crash siteHis work for CNN included translating and providing local knowledgeA Ukrainian journalist detained Tuesday by pro-Russian rebels while working as a freelance producer for CNN has been freed. Anton Skiba called CNN on Saturday to confirm his release. CNN also received visual confirmation that Skiba is free from sources on the ground in Donetsk.On Tuesday evening, armed fighters led by a senior official from the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic were waiting outside the Donbass Palace Hotel, in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, as CNN television crew returned from a day's work at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Skiba had worked for one day with the CNN crew when he was detained.Skiba's work as a journalist for CNN also encompassed translating and providing local knowledge.An official with the Donetsk People's Republic initially accused Skiba of "terrorism" and of posting offers, on his Facebook page, of cash rewards for the killing of rebel fighters. The official later dropped the accusation about the Facebook posts and said Skiba was being questioned for having multiple forms of identification with different surnames. On July 11, Alexandr Kalyussky -- the senior official who detained Skiba -- was added to the growing list of rebel officials to face sanctions from the European Union. Skiba had previously also worked as a freelancer for the BBC for two days in the wake of the MH17 crash. A journalist at the Moscow-based weekly magazine Russian Reporter told CNN that Skiba also worked for several months in 2013 as a photographer for the publication.
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Story highlightsProsecutor: Jose Socrates to be questioned in probe of suspicious banking operationsSocrates was prime minister from 2005 to 2011Former Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates and three other people were arrested in connection with an investigation into suspected tax fraud, corruption and money laundering, the country's prosecutor general's office said Saturday. Socrates, who was detained late Friday, was due to appear before a judge for questioning on Saturday regarding an investigation of suspicious banking operations and money transfers, according to a statement from the prosecutor's office. Socrates was prime minister from 2005 to 2011, when he stepped down after his socialist government was unable to push though austerity measures, which were intended to preclude a bailout to ease the country's debt crisis.
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It's time to gear up for the latest May 2018 Patch Tuesday.
Microsoft has today released security patches for a total of 67 vulnerabilities, including two zero-days that have actively been exploited in the wild by cybercriminals, and two publicly disclosed bugs.
In brief, Microsoft is addressing 21 vulnerabilities that are rated as critical, 42 rated important, and 4 rated as low severity.
These patch updates address security flaws in Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Exchange Server, Outlook, .NET Framework, Microsoft Hyper-V, ChakraCore, Azure IoT SDK, and more.
1) Double Kill IE 0-day Vulnerability
The first zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2018-8174) under active attack is a critical remote code execution vulnerability that was revealed by Chinese security firm Qihoo 360 last month and affected all supported versions of Windows operating systems.
Dubbed "Double Kill" by the researchers, the vulnerability is notable and requires prompt attention as it could allow an attacker to remotely take control over an affected system by executing malicious code remotely through several ways, such as a compromised website, or malicious Office documents.
The Double Kill vulnerability is a use-after-free issue which resides in the way the VBScript Engine (included in all currently supported versions of Windows) handles objects in computer memory, allowing attackers to execute code that runs with the same system privileges as of the logged-in user.
"In a web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit the vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the website. An attacker could also embed an ActiveX control marked 'safe for initialization' in an application or Microsoft Office document that hosts the IE rendering engine," Microsoft explains in its advisory.
"The attacker could also take advantage of compromised websites and websites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements. These websites could contain specially crafted content that could exploit the vulnerability."
Users with administrative rights on their systems are impacted more than the ones with limited rights, as an attacker successfully exploiting the vulnerability could take control of an affected system.
However, that doesn't mean that low-privileged users are spared. If users are logged in on an affected system with more limited rights, attackers may still be able to escalate their privileges by exploiting a separate vulnerability.
Researchers from Qihoo 360 and Kaspersky Labs found that the vulnerability was actively being exploited in the wild by an advanced state-sponsored hacking group in targeted attacks, but neither Microsoft nor Qihoo 360 and Kaspersky provided any information on the threat group.
2) Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
The second zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2018-8120) patched this month is a privilege-escalation flaw that occurred in the Win32k component of Windows when it fails to properly handle objects in computer memory.
Successful exploitation of the flaw can allow attackers to execute arbitrary code in kernel mode, eventually allowing them to install programs or malware; view, edit or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.
The vulnerability is rated "important," and only affects Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. The issue has actively been exploited by threat actors, but Microsoft did not provide any detail about the in-the-wild exploits.
Two Publicly Disclosed Flaws
Microsoft also addressed two "important" Windows vulnerabilities whose details have already been made public.
One of these is a Windows kernel flaw (CVE-2018-8141) that could lead to information disclosure, and the other is a Windows Image bug (CVE-2018-8170) that could lead to Elevation of Privilege.
In addition, the May 2018 updates resolve 20 more critical issues, including memory corruptions in the Edge and Internet Explorer (IE) scripting engines and remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities in Hyper-V and Hyper-V SMB.
Meanwhile, Adobe has also released its Patch Tuesday updates, addressing five security vulnerabilities—one critical bug in Flash Player, one critical and two important flaws in Creative Cloud and one important bug in Connect.
Users are strongly advised to install security updates as soon as possible in order to protect themselves against the active attacks in the wild.
For installing security updates, head on to Settings → Update & security → Windows Update → Check for updates, or you can install the updates manually.
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(CNN)The nine-page whistleblower complaint released Thursday morning amounts to pouring jet fuel on the already-raging fire of whether or not President Donald Trump sought to use his office to further his personal political agenda in a series of interactions between his administration and the Ukrainians.Much of what is in the complaint is somewhat subjective and not based on firsthand knowledge, facts that could allow Republicans to poke holes in it as nothing more than a political hack job.
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Notice, however, that I said "much" of the complaint fits into this category. Not "all" of the complaint. And not one set of facts -- or alleged facts -- in particular. Here it is, in the words of the whistleblower, detailing the July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky:"In the days following the phone call, I learned from multiple US officials that senior White House officials had intervened to 'lock down' all records of the phone call, especially the official word-for-word transcript of the call that was produced -- as is customary -- by the White House Situation Room. This set of actions underscored to me that White House officials understood the gravity of what had transpired in the call.Read More"White House officials told me that they were 'directed' by White House lawyers to remove the electronic transcript from the computer system in which such transcripts are typically stored for coordination, finalization, and distribution to Cabinet-level officials."Instead, the transcript was loaded into a separate electronic system that is otherwise used to store and handle classified information of an especially sensitive nature. One White House official described this act as an abuse of this electronic system because the call did not contain anything remotely sensitive from a national security perspective."Wow.Here's why that allegation from the whistleblower matters SO much and has the potential to directly threaten Trump's presidency:1) If true, it makes clear that there was a concerted effort by the Trump White House to cover up the conversation because they knew that what Trump had said and done was so problematic. That's a far cry from Trump's description of the call as "perfect" and totally normal.2) Either the transcript of the call is in the "computer system where such transcripts are typically stored" or it isn't. Ditto the allegation that the transcript was put into a separate electronic system reserved for classified information. Where the transcript was placed is not a subjective judgment. And it is something that should be find-out-able. Now, my guess is that if it turns out the transcript was placed in the electronic system for classified information, the Trump side's pushback will be that it was done so because there was classified information in it. But that runs counter to the transcript of the call released by the White House on Wednesday and Trump's repeated claims that the call was a total nothing-burger. ("You will see it was a very friendly and totally appropriate call," he tweeted about it earlier this week.)In short: The allegation in the whistleblower report of a coverup over the July 25 call between Trump and Zelensky matters so incredibly much not only because it alleges that forces within the White House knew how bad it was and acted to try to keep it from getting out. But also -- and this is the truly important part -- that there seems a high likelihood that there is an electronic paper trail that can either confirm (or not) the whistleblower's claim.If it is proven that the transcript of the call was purposely siloed -- and the classified categorization was misused to keep the conversation from ever reaching the public -- the Trump presidency could be genuinely imperiled. When it comes to a Senate impeachment trial, the political breakdown of the chamber is on Trump's side, for now. But could this change that? We're not there yet, but that coverup claim in the whistleblower's report provides a roadmap of how we might end up there.
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Wimbledon, England (CNN)The upset bug has struck Rafael Nadal -- again -- at Wimbledon. When the two-time champion lost to Dustin Brown 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-4 in the second round on Center Court Wednesday, it marked the fourth time in a row he had fallen to a player ranked 100th or lower at the All England Club. In this case, Brown -- a dreadlocked German with Jamaican ancestry who once traveled around Europe in a camper van to keep his career going -- was a 102nd-ranked qualifier. But he did have history of beating Nadal, last year at a Wimbledon warmup event in Halle.Brown, 6-foot-5, is far from orthodox. He serves and volleys relentlessly, slaps forehands and attempts more than a few drop shots. Follow @cnnsport
It mostly all worked, to Nadal's dismay. Read More"If I would stay back and rally with him left, right, that would not be a very good match for me," Brown, who sports a tattoo of his dad on his left side, told reporters. "Obviously I try to play my game." Nadal said he entered Wimbledon in a positive frame of mind, or at least better than what he had felt for much of this season, even after he lost in the quarterfinals at the French Open -- a tournament he has won a record nine times -- and dropped in the rankings. He triumphed at an event in Germany to begin his grass-court campaign, but was seeded a lowly 10th in southwest London. A stat that would have graced any era... @DreddyTennis #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Ux6zutDt9Z— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2015
Once he relinquished a break advantage in the first set against Brown, the doubts he experienced earlier in 2015 appeared to resurface and parts of his game crumbled. Looking unsure of himself, his serve all but vanished and his once feared forehand went astray. His statistics of 42 winners and 15 unforced errors hardly seemed appropriate."It's not the end," vowed Nadal, the 14-time grand slam winner. "It's a sad moment for me ... but life continues. My career, too. "I have to keep going and working more than ever to try to change that dynamic."Lukas Rosol, then the world No. 100, eliminated Nadal in the second round in 2012; Steve Darcis, then ranked 135th, sent the Spaniard packing in the first round in 2013; and Nick Kyrgios, at the time the world No. 144, knocked him out in the fourth round last year. This season it was Brown's turn. "All the kids that play tennis dream about being able to play on that Center Court," said Brown. "Playing against him there is special. "Also, being able to put that performance together, it was definitely very difficult and I'm very happy that I held it together for the whole match."Brown -- a grass-court specialist if ever there was one -- knocked off his second Wimbledon champion in London. After the 30-year-old produced an angled ace on his third match point, he emulated his feat of 2013 when he downed Lleyton Hewitt -- like Nadal a former world No. 1, too. Brown hit 13 aces altogether Thursday and won nearly 80% of his first-serve points. Nadal's loss came as the likes of Roger Federer, Andy Murray and defending women's champion Petra Kvitova all cruised into the third round on a hot but manageable day at SW19. Wimbledon had record temperatures of about 36 degrees Celsius (97 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday. Brown's reward is a third-round meeting with Serbian Viktor Troicki, whom Nadal defeated in the Stuttgart final last month. Things didn't start well for Brown, though. He trailed by an early break. Reversing the deficit made for an obvious turning point in the first set. "After losing the first set, you are under pressure the rest of the match," said Nadal. A more subtle shift allowed Brown to recover in the third and ultimately take control. With Nadal holding the momentum, the Mallorcan failed to take advantage of a creaking Brown in the latter's opening service game. He paid the price in the fifth game, broken a point after hitting two double faults in a row. Now facing an uphill battle -- and no longer the player who rallied to win two five-setters en route to the crown in 2010 -- Nadal fell behind 3-1 in the fourth. He was given a lifeline when saving two match points at 3-5, but after Brown donated a double fault to begin the ensuing game, Nadal didn't capture another point. Federer, meanwhile, wasn't really tested against Sam Querrey and not many would have forecast a tight contest to begin with. Federer had only lost prior to the third round at a major once since the middle of 2003 and his 36th-ranked American opponent held a 0-8 record versus top-10 opposition at the grand slams. But if the 6-4 6-2 6-2 result was fairly predictable, Federer's artistry on one particular stroke Thursday was far from routine -- even for him. The Swiss struck what had to be the shot of the tournament with his 'tweener -- or shot between the legs -- at 4-2 in the second set. Facing the net, it turned out to be a perfect lob that drew an error. Twitter went into overdrive and Querrey, a laid back Californian, joined in on the praise. "He's got that aura around him," Querrey said of the record 17-time men's grand slam champion. "He hit that shot between his legs. He hit some amazing passing shots, hit some half volleys. "He hits shots that other guys don't hit. You want to go over and give him a high five sometimes, but you can't do that."The ever chilled Federer, who next plays big-serving Aussie Sam Groth, wouldn't have minded. Murray, who could have encountered Nadal in the quarterfinals, didn't linger against Dutchman Robin Haase, one of those players Nadal defeated in five sets at Wimbledon in 2010. The 2013 champion cruised 6-1 6-1 6-4. Trying to stop the in-form Scot in the third round is Andreas Seppi. For so long the lone British man who makes the third or even second round at a grand slam, Murray has company this year after wildcard James Ward beat Jiri Vesely. The last time two British men featured in the third round at Wimbledon was in 2002, when, in no surprise, Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski were the duo. Kvitova needed just 35 minutes to overcome Kiki Bertens in the first round. It was 58 minutes against Kurumi Nara -- 6-2 6-0 -- on Thursday. As for Nadal, despite his loss, he didn't lose his sense of humor. When asked if he would stay in his premises near the venue and remain in London for a few more days, he quipped: "I don't have more work in London, so ... if you want to use the house, it's going to be free tomorrow."Read more on this story at Bleacher Report Who will win Wimbledon? Have your say on CNN Sport's Facebook page
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Apple has rolled out the second minor iteration of its newest mobile operating system iOS 9, which fixes the iOS lockscreen vulnerability.
The widely publicized LockScreen bug allowed anyone with physical access to your iOS device running iOS 9.0 or iOS 9.0.1 to access all the contacts and photos without unlocking the device.
Just one week after the last update iOS 9.0.1, Apple rolled out iOS 9.0.2 update that fixes:
iMessage activation problems
An issue with mobile data settings
An issue with iCloud Backup
An issue where the screen incorrectly rotates when receiving notifications
Improves the stability of Podcasts
According to an update on Apple's support website, the iOS lockscreen issue was the only security bug fixed in the latest iOS 9.0.2 release.
Last week, iPhone user Jose Rodriguez published a "dead simple" method to bypass lock screen of the devices running iOS 9 and iOS 9.0.1.
Using the benevolent nature of Apple's personal assistant Siri, anyone with physical access to the device could gain access through the lock screen. However, Rodriguez confirmed the flaw was fixed in iOS 9.0.2.
If you haven't updated your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch devices to iOS 9.0.2 yet, you can download the update right by going to Settings –> General –> Software Update on your iOS device and tapping on the 'Download and Install' button.
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Story highlights An Irish naval vessel with 367 shipwreck survivors on board arrives in Palermo, SicilyAbout 200 people are feared dead in the shipwreck, an Irish naval commander saysSome 600 migrants are thought to have been aboard; search continues for those missingRome (CNN)Rescuers continued the search Thursday for as many as 200 migrants feared drowned after a fishing boat capsized in the Mediterranean off the coast of Libya.So far, 373 migrants have been rescued and 25 bodies have been recovered since the boat sank Wednesday, Cmdr. Filippo Marini of the Italian Coast Guard, which is coordinating the rescue operation, told CNN.Around 600 people are thought to have been on board the packed wooden vessel when it went down.Irish navy Cmdr. Brian Fitzgerald told journalists Thursday that about 200 people are feared dead. Three vessels operated by the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders are aiding the continued search efforts. "Yesterday is heavy on our minds but the boats will not stop," the organization said on Twitter on Thursday.Read MoreYesterday is heavy on our minds but the boats will not stop..The #Phoenix, #Dignity1 and #Argos are all searching for boats in distress.— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) August 6, 2015
Rescuers don't know how many people might have been trapped in the hull of the boat, Doctors Without Borders said.An Irish naval vessel was also involved in the rescue operation Wednesday off the Libyan coast, taking on board 367 of the survivors, 12 women and 13 children among them. They arrived in the Sicilian port city of Palermo on Thursday.Irish Defense Minister Simon Coveney said the 25 bodies recovered were also on board. They include those of four children.He warned Wednesday evening that the death toll was likely to rise."Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost their lives, the survivors and the rescuers for whom this is an extremely difficult operation," Coveney said.The ships were sent to the scene after a distress call Wednesday morning from the fishing boat, Marini said.The boat crammed with migrants capsized as soon as the Irish vessel arrived, he said, probably because all those on board moved to one side at the same time. Rubber boats were immediately put into the water to save people as the boat went down.Rescuer: 'Horrific sight' Doctors Without Borders said its ship Dignity I had been called first to assist the fishing boat, then diverted to another vessel in trouble -- from which it rescued 94 people -- before being called back to help with the original boat."It was a horrific sight, people desperately clinging to lifebelts, boats and anything they could, fighting for their lives, amidst people drowning and those who had already died," said Juan Matías, project coordinator for Doctors Without Borders on the Dignity I."The fact that we were first called to assist this boat and then shortly afterward sent to another one highlights the severe lack of resources available for rescue operations."Among those rescued was a 19-month-old Palestinian girl, along with her parents, Doctors Without Borders said. She was pulled from under the water by her father.The Dignity I provided medical treatment to 10 people, the medical aid charity said, with five in such a severe condition that they had to be evacuated by helicopter.It called for the creation of safe and legal ways for people to seek asylum or migrate to Europe, saying that was the only way to bring an end to such tragedies.Marini said another 381 migrants had been rescued in a separate operation carried out by an Italian Coast Guard vessel Thursday morning.Risking death for a better lifeThe boats are just the latest vessels overflowing with migrants seeking to reach European soil to get into trouble in Mediterranean waters. More than 2,000 migrants have now died this year as they tried to make the perilous crossing, the International Organization for Migration said in a statement Tuesday."As in 2014, the overwhelming majority died in the Channel of Sicily on the Central Mediterranean route connecting Libya and Italy, where unseaworthy vessels used by smugglers and traffickers significantly increase the likelihood of tragedies occurring," the organization said.At the same time, thanks to international maritime efforts, some 188,000 migrants have been rescued in the Mediterranean so far this year, it said.Why migrants head to MediterraneanJournalist Livia Borghese reported from Rome, and Laura Smith-Spark wrote from London. CNN's Radina Gigova and journalist Peter Taggart contributed to this report.
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Melbourne (CNN)Younger players facing an idol like Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova on a grand stage may feel it is a dream come true. But at this Australian Open, it hasn't quite led to a fairy-tale ending. Sharapova reduced 22-year-old Harriet Dart to tears with a devastating 6-0 6-0 win over the Briton in the first round, and on Saturday 18-year-old Dayana Yastremska looked similarly distraught after a 6-2 6-1 defeat to Williams in the third round in Melbourne. The 31st installment of Serena versus Venus will have to wait but a blockbuster is on the way nonetheless as Williams battles world No. 1 Simona Halep in the round of 16. The Romanian -- who endured a topsy-turvy off-season and went the distance in the first two rounds this week -- contested likely her best match since August in dispatching the elder Williams 6-2 6-3. READ: Sharapova ousts WozniackiREAD: Kyrgios turns commentatorRead MoreA mother to one-year-old daughter Alexis Olympia, Williams also played mom to Yastremska when they approached one another to shake hands after the 67-minute contest on Rod Laver Arena. The 37-year-old told the teary Ukrainian: "You're amazing. You're so young. You're gonna make me cry" before they exchanged a hug. Serena Williams consoles Dayana Yastremska after their Australian Open match Saturday. Williams said later in her post-match press conference seeing her opponent in distress "broke my heart" and she recalled being in Yastremska's position when losing to Venus in the 2000 Wimbledon semifinals. Recalls Venus match"I was walking to the net, I started bawling," said Williams. "I couldn't help it. Young girls, young women, just want to go out there and do their best and want to win."Yastremska used to mimic the 23-time grand slam winner's strokes while watching her play and on the eve of the season's first major, even got a chance to meet the legendary American. Visit cnn.com/sport for more news and videosShe isn't the only challenger Williams has needed to console this fortnight: Tatjana Maria, Williams' neighbor in south Florida, wept after a 6-0 6-2 defeat on Tuesday. Williams has dropped a mere nine games through three rounds -- her lowest tally at a major since the 2013 US Open, which she won -- but will likely encounter greater resistance the rest of the way. Starting with Halep.Even if she has repeatedly said Venus is her toughest opponent -- losing 12 times to her -- Halep inflicted a heavy 6-0 6-2 defeat on Williams at the 2014 WTA Finals. Williams, however, thumped Halep several days later 6-3 6-0 to win the tournament and holds an 8-1 record overall against the 27-year-old. Simona Halep was jubilant after beating Venus Williams in Melbourne. "I played many times against her," said Halep. "We had also tough matches together. So it's going to be just a huge match for me. I will not put pressure on myself. There's a good chance for me to play my best tennis and to feel good on court."I have huge respect for her because she's a great champion, but she's just an opponent next round," she also said. Speaking prior to her sister's outing, Williams understandably said she was rooting for Venus but would relish a matchup against Halep. "I honestly would love to face the world No. 1," said Williams. Given all her time at No. 1 herself and time away from the game after giving birth, it has been a while since Williams took on a top-ranked player -- in Doha in 2013 to be exact. Other dangerous opponentsFurther afield if Williams prevails, potentially, are players who have downed Williams at grand slams, Garbine Muguruza, Karolina Pliskova and Naomi Osaka. US Open winner Naomi Osaka came back to beat Hsieh Su-Wei at the Australian Open. An Osaka-Williams tussle would bring much hype given their eventful US Open final, but the Japanese was almost upset Saturday by the crafty 28th-seed from Chinese Taipei, Hsieh Su-Wei. READ: Osaka wins contentious US Open finalChanging pace and direction, using drop shots and with wonderful disguise on her ground strokes, Hsieh stunned Halep and Muguruza in grand slams last year. She is almost unique in her style. When Hsieh led by a set and 4-1, and even 4-2, 40-0 on serve, another huge scalp was on the way. Osaka had earlier shown her frustration by, unusually, throwing her racket to the ground to earn a warning and took a tumble on court trying to counter Hsieh's unpredictable shots. Osaka rallied, however, for a 5-7 6-4 6-1 win. JUST WATCHEDEllen lands Naomi Osaka a date with her crushReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHEllen lands Naomi Osaka a date with her crush 01:34"I'm happy with how I fought," she told reporters. "For me that's like, one of the biggest things I always thought I could improve, because it sort of seems like before I would accept defeat in a way, and then this time I just wanted to learn from the last match that I played in Brisbane," she added, referring to a straight-set loss to Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko. Good response from MuguruzaMuguruza finished her marathon clash against Jo Konta at 3:12 a.m. in the previous round yet overcame any fatigue to beat twice French Open semifinalist Timea Bacsinszky 7-6 (7-5) 6-2. Men's favorite Novak Djokovic, bidding for a record seventh Australian Open crown, lost his first set of the tournament but recovered to beat 'Next Gen' Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-0. That despite being agitated when the lights were turned and receiving a warning for bad language, he said, in the third set.Follow @cnnsport
"I don't remember having lights in the past years at 5 p.m. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe not," Djokovic told reporters. "I just felt with such a low position of the sun, the lights being switched on at 5 p.m. was completely unnecessary. It was very bright. There was no reason for the lights."
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A Swedish man who was the mastermind behind the $40 BlackShades Remote Access Tool (RAT) that infected over half a million systems around the world was sentenced to almost five years in a U.S. prison on Tuesday.
Alex Yücel, 25, owned and operated an organization called "BlackShades" that sold a sophisticated and notorious form of software, called RAT, to several thousands of hackers and other people in more than 100 countries for prices ranging from $40 to $50.
BlackShades malware was designed to capture keystrokes, steal usernames and passwords for victims' email and Web services, FTP clients, instant messaging applications, and lots more.
In the worst case, the malicious software even allowed hackers to take remote control of victim's computer and webcam to pilfer photos or videos without the knowledge of the computer owner.
Yucel (a.k.a. "marjinz") was sentenced to four and three-quarter years in prison by U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel after pleading guilty in February in a New York federal court, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The accused asked the judge for leniency in imposing sentence and said he regret marketing the sophisticated malware to hackers. "I deeply regret starting this [BlackShades] whole project, which obviously went out of control," he said.
However, Castel sentenced him to 57 months behind bars along with a penalty of $200,000, saying that "the message must go forth that this is a serious crime."
"We rely on our computers as an extension of how we live our lives," Castel said in a press release. "This is spreading misery to the lives of thousands [of online people]. That's what this is."
Yucel has already served approximately 13 months in New York prison and roughly one month in Moldova custody, where he was held after capture.
The accused developed the RAT with Michael Hogue, an Arizona US resident who already pleaded guilty for the creation of BlackShades malware and agreed to cooperate with U.S. authorities as part of a plea deal. Hogue is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24 this year.
In mid-May last year, the law enforcement authorities in the United States and Europe started large-scale International raids against people suspected of developing, selling and buying the notorious BlackShades RAT.
The raids took place in over 100 countries worldwide, and the authorities seized 1,900 command and control (CnC) domains and arrested more than 100 people around the world involved in the illegal activities related to BlackShades malware.
BlackShades tool was actually developed by an IT surveillance and security-based company, as a tool for parents to monitor their children's activities and for finding the cheating partners in the relationship. However, as usual the cyber criminals have made it a favorite tool to carry out illicit activities.
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Nation-state driven cyber attacks are routinely conducted on a global scale to defend national sovereignty and project national power. We are living in the cyber era, human conflict is involving also the fifth domain of warfare, the cyberspace. As never before disputes take place with blows of bits, militias of every government are developing cyber capabilities dedicating great effort for the establishment of cyber units.
Network security company, FireEye, has released a report titled "World War C: Understanding Nation-State Motives Behind Today's Advanced Cyber Attacks" which describes the effort spent by governments in cyber warfare context, the document analyzes in detail the different approaches adopted by various countries in conducting nation-state driven cyber attacks.
Security experts highlight the intensification of state-sponsored attacks for both cyber espionage and sabotage purpose, campaigns such as Moonlight Maze and Titan Rain or the destructive cyber strikes on Iran and Georgia have signed the evolution of the military doctrine.
"Cyberspace has become a full-blown war zone as governments across the globe clash for digital supremacy in a new, mostly invisible theater of operations. Once limited to opportunistic criminals, cyber attacks are becoming a key weapon for governments seeking to defend national sovereignty and project national power."
In the arsenal of government militias are entering strongly DDoS tools, spyware and computer viruses, nation-state driven cyber attacks are considerable an optimal option by governments for the following reasons:
Reduced costs compared to conventional strikes.
Efficiency
The asymmetric nature of the cyber attacks makes difficult the defense.
The anonymous nature of the offense allows the attacking government to circumvent the approval by the world community to a military offensive.
Possibility to conduct cyber attacks in peacetime for immediate geopolitical ends, as well as to prepare for possible future kinetic attacks.
As explained in the study the attribution of responsibility for a cyber attack is a very hard task, FireEye experts correctly highlighted that to uncover the perpetrators is necessary to apply a multi layered approach based on forensic "reverse-hacking" techniques, build a deep knowledge of "patterns" of attack, evaluate the geopolitical context of cyber attacks aims associated to specific government.
"A cyber attack, viewed outside of its geopolitical context, allows very little legal maneuvering room for the defending state," "False flag operations and the very nature of the internet makes tactical attribution a losing game. However, strategic attribution – fusing all sources of intelligence on a potential threat – allows a much higher level of confidence and more options for the decision maker," "And strategic attribution begins and ends with geopolitical analysis." said Professor Thomas Wingfield of the Marshall Centre, a joint US-German defense studies institute.
"The biggest challenge to deterring, defending against, or retaliating for cyber attacks is the problem of correctly identifying the perpetrator," said Prof. John Arquilla, Naval Postgraduate School "Attribution" for a nation-state driven cyber attack is difficult due to similarity with the methods adopted by single individuals, organizations, or state-sponsored hackers. States are often mistakenly identified as non-state entities, and vice versa.
Another dangerous phenomenon that we are assisting is the growth of number of cyber mercenary groups close to governments that are structured as cyber criminal gangs but that are able to offer hacking services to involve in nation-state driven cyber attacks.
"Cybercrime organizations offer anyone, including governments, cyber attack services to include denial-of-service attacks and access to previously compromised networks." states the World War C report.
FireEye experts analyzed the Nation-state driven cyber attacks identifying the tactics and characteristics for the offensive in various regions:
Asia-Pacific: home to large, bureaucratic hacker groups, such as the "Comment Crew" who pursues targets in high-frequency, brute-force attacks.
Russia/Eastern Europe: More technically advanced cyber attacks that are often highly effective in evading detection.
Middle East: Cybercriminals in the region often using creativity, deception, and social engineering to trick users into compromising their own computers.
United States: origin of the most complex, targeted, and rigorously engineered cyber attack campaigns to date, such as the Stuxnet worm. Attackers favor a drone-like approach to malware delivery.
New players are entering the arena of cyber warfare strongly, countries such a North Korea, Iran and Syria have demonstrated to represent a serious menace also for the most industrialized superpower, this is the democracy of the new military doctrine. Examining most advanced countries in cyber warfare, China is considered responsible for the largest number of Nation-state driven cyber attacks, it uses high-volume noisly cyber attacks mainly for cyber espionage.
On the other end U.S., and Israel, providing the most advanced technologies, are able to conduct more sophisticated and surgical cyber operations, Stuxnet and Duqu are just a couple of examples of products of joint effort spent by the two governments. The Russian Government is considered one of the entities with major cyber capabilities, like Israel and US it is able to perform sophisticated nation-state driven cyber attacks, but little is known about the internal organization of its cyber units. According to rumors, a group of hackers that report directly to the President is the core of Russian cyber command that has operated in a stately way in cyberspace against hostile governments and on the domestic front against opponents of the regime.
"Though relatively quiet, Russia appears to be home to many of the most complex and advanced cyber attacks FireEye researchers have seen. More specifically, Russian exploit code can be significantly stealthier than its Chinese counterpart—which can also make it more worrisome. The "Red October" campaign, including its satellite software dubbed "Sputnik," is a prominent example of likely Russian malware." states the report.
FireEye's World War C ends proposing a list of factors that could influence the cyber security landscape in the medium term:
Outage of national critical infrastructure - we have still not assisted to cyber attacks that have compromised a national infrastructures like a power grid, but that day may not be far.
Cyber arms treaty - we are already assisting with the cyber army race for the above reasons, governments will continue to invest to increase their cyber capabilities. Following the table reporting the investment in cyber capabilities I presented to the Cyber Threat Summit 2012, let's consider that that the expense has grown despite the cuts in most cases.
PRISM, freedom of speech, and privacy - Disclosure of PRISM and other US surveillance activities will further complicate the delicate scenarios. The debate on topics such as freedom of speech and privacy could bring some "annoyance" to the intelligence activities conducted by the various governments, and nothing else in my judgment. No mistake, privacy and technology are like two separated spouses that live in the same house.
New actors on the cyber stage - cyberspace is a crowded place, Iran, Syria, North Korea, and even non state actors such as Anonymous have employed cyber attacks as a way to conduct diplomacy and wage war by other means. FireEye researchers wager of growing cyber capabilities of Poland, Brazil and Taiwan.
Stronger focus on evasion - due to the evolution of cyber defense attackers may be improve the offense with sophisticated techniques to avoid detection and fly under the radar.
Information warfare is ongoing ...
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(CNN)The Biden administration is weighing new options, including providing more arms to Ukraine to resist a Russian occupation, to try to raise the costs for Russian President Vladimir Putin should he decide to invade the country. The discussions, described by multiple sources familiar with them, reflect a sense of pessimism in the administration following last week's diplomatic talks with Russian officials that yielded no breakthroughs and as Russia has continued to raise its force levels in the last few days.In addition to considering how to help the Ukrainian military and government fend off an invasion, the US is evaluating options for bolstering Ukrainian forces' ability to resist a potential Russian occupation. That includes potentially providing the Ukrainian Army with additional ammunition, mortars, Javelin anti-tank missiles, and anti-aircraft missile systems, which would likely come from NATO allies, a senior US official told CNN. The news comes ahead of a face to face meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Friday. A senior State Department official said the scheduled meeting "suggests that perhaps diplomacy is not dead."Blinken to travel to Ukraine and Germany this weekPresident Joe Biden has said that sending US combat troops to Ukraine to fight a war with Russia is off the table. But special operations forces already rotate in and out of the country to provide training to Ukrainian forces and a senior administration official said it is possible that other agencies could provide some support, likely the CIA. CIA Director Bill Burns traveled to Kyiv last week to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and discuss risks to Ukraine, a US official said.Read More"We are looking at a range of options to help defend Ukraine," a senior administration official told CNN. This may include additional defensive arms sales, "advice," and "helping Ukraine be able to stay in the fight against a larger, conventional Russian military presence."The deliberations about supporting a resistance campaign reflect an increasingly pessimistic view inside the administration about Putin's willingness to invade and occupy large swaths of Ukrainian territory. Russia has increased force levels since Friday, the senior administration official said. "Let's be clear. Our view is this is an extremely dangerous situation. We're now at a stage where Russia could at any point launch an attack in Ukraine," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday. "And what Secretary Blinken is going to go do is highlight very clearly there's a diplomatic path forward. It is the choice of President Putin and the Russians to make whether they're going to suffer severe economic consequences or not."Right now, military sources familiar with the planning say there has been no official change in guidance from Washington, and officials emphasized that these are early considerations that have not yet been formally presented to the President for approval. Some members of the administration are wary of getting bogged down in an anti-occupation support effort and have argued that US forces should leave if a war erupts. Increased pessimismUS officials left the meetings in Europe last week even more pessimistic about what Putin could be planning, and how limited the west's leverage is to stop it—even with the punishing sanctions and increased NATO presence in eastern Europe currently on the table. "We can exact some pain, but there is a big difference between exacting pain and actually having leverage," a senior US official said. As recently as late last week, Biden administration officials were conducting table-top exercises gaming out all of the possible US and allied policy responses, sources familiar with the planning told CNN. Top US officials also spent much of the weekend in senior-level meetings to discuss the way forward, a senior State Department official said. Putin and Biden are caught in a high-stakes gamble over UkraineThe US has continued to say that diplomacy is "crucial" and that talks will hopefully continue. But there have been no details on what the next diplomatic steps look like, and Russia has been drawing down its diplomatic presence in Kyiv in what a US official said was ominous and concerning to the US. Russia's foreign ministry denied on Tuesday that it had begun evacuating diplomatic personnel, saying "The Russian embassy in Kyiv is operating in a standard way." Pentagon officials, meanwhile, have been drawing up options for how the US could help to fuel a sustained resistance campaign in Ukraine and inflict the highest possible costs on Russia in the wake of any invasion, according to sources familiar with the conversations.The CIA continues to operate an intelligence collection training program in the US for Ukrainian special operators and intelligence officials, current and former officials familiar with the program tell CNN. The program was first reported by Yahoo News. A CIA spokesman pushed back on any suggestion that the program has helped to train a Ukrainian insurgency in waiting, but former intelligence officials familiar with it say that the program includes the kind of covert paramilitary training needed to collect intelligence in a warzone."The purpose of the training, and the training that was delivered, was to assist in the collection of intelligence, not to assist in an insurgency," a senior intelligence official said. Putin's plans still unclearUS officials still don't know what Putin's plans are, or whether he has even made up his mind to invade. Some officials who have seen the intelligence say there is evidence Russia is planning to try to take Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and overthrow the government. The deployment of forces from Russia's Eastern Military District into Belarus on Monday struck many US officials and Russian military analysts as particularly ominous, as have a spate of cyberattacks targeting Ukraine last week. But others believe it is more likely that Russia will launch a more limited operation in eastern Ukraine aimed at securing a land bridge to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. The US on Friday accused Russia of prepositioning a group of operatives in eastern Ukraine to conduct a false-flag operation, accusing Ukraine of provocations and using it to justify an invasion. Bipartisan US Senate delegation meets with Ukrainian President as Russian invasion threat loomsLike within the Biden administration, Ukrainian officials have not concluded that Putin has made up his mind, a Ukrainian official said, adding that the talks in Europe had no perceptible impact on the crisis. Meanwhile, the buildup of Russian troops along Ukraine's borders -- and in neighboring Belarus -- has continued to grow."We see that it's not de-escalating, it's ongoing," the official said. "Still not enough to do a full-scale invasion and sustain it but it's still a lot." As part of the build-up, Russia has deployed more aircraft closer to the border, which has raised fears of a significant air component to an eventual invasion. Two to three dozen Sukhov-34 fighter jets have joined helicopters positioned near Ukraine, the official said.Ukrainian defense officials are in daily contact with US counterparts at the Pentagon, the official said, preparing for a variety of different actions the Russians could take. "We prepared a response for each scenario," the official said. "We are going to fight if something happens. Our people are ready to fight. Every window will shoot if [Russians] go [in].""Everyone who is willing to fight will do so and will receive a weapon for this, like in 2014," the official continued, adding that individual "reservists" who have received some training will simply have to sign up at a recruiting office. Asked where the weapons for those reservists will come from, the official said they would come from the NATO-supported Ukrainian stockpiles. "Material support from partners will go to them as well," he said. CNN's Kylie Atwood contributed reporting.
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Yes, you heard it right.
Mark Zuckerberg has left his job at Facebook. Don't believe me? I can prove it to you.
— Check this Facebook Post by yourself —
This is weird, Isn't it?
But, don't be surprised or shocked, because what you just saw was only an illusion.
This is actually a minor bug in the popular social media website that allows anyone to manipulate the life event of any user who has his work status posted on Facebook.
The bug, uncovered by the independent hacker Sachin Thakuri, is not a technical flaw.
So how was he able to do this?
All Thakuri did is took the original URL of Mark Zuckerberg life event:
https://www.facebook.com/zuck/timeline/story?ut=32&wstart=-2051193600&wend=2147483647&hash=971179541251&pagefilter=3&ustart=1&__mref=message_bubble
...and remove the ustart=1 parameter, which left him with:
https://www.facebook.com/zuck/timeline/story?ut=32&wstart=-2051193600&wend=2147483647&hash=971179541251&pagefilter=3&&__mref=message_bubble
Clicking on the above manipulated URL displays the same life event page of Mark Zuckerberg but with the text: Left Job at Facebook instead displaying Started Working at Facebook.
Although this is not a serious privacy or security bug, but it could be used maliciously by bad actors in order to trick victims into believing that someone have quit their job.
Thakuri reported this bug to the Facebook security team, but the bug has not been fixed as of yet. So, we can expect from the company to fix this issue as soon as possible.
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London (CNN)Five men have been arrested in connection with a fire "believed to have been started deliberately" at a UK asylum facility on Friday.The fire broke out on Friday at the Napier Barracks, a decommissioned military complex that now houses asylum-seekers and has been at the center of a recent row between Home Secretary Priti Patel and refugee charities who have called on her to close the facility.Napier barracks suffered a fire believed to have been started deliberately.Charities have claimed that the estimated 400 asylum-seekers at the facility have been living in poor conditions in overcrowded dormitories and that a recent Covid-19 outbreak has infected at least 120 people, PA Media reported.Kent police Saturday said enquiries into the incident were continuing and that "no serious injuries were reported as a result of the incident, however a significant amount of damage was caused to one part of the site following a fire -- which is believed to have been started deliberately."On Friday, the home secretary took to Twitter to condemn the "shocking scenes" from Napier Barracks where the Home Office said windows were smashed and a building set on fire.Read More"The damage and destruction at Napier Barracks is not only appalling but deeply offensive to the taxpayers of this country who are providing accommodation while asylum claims are being processed," Patel tweeted."This site has previously accommodated our brave soldiers and army personnel -- it is an insult to say that it is not good enough for these individuals," she added.Patel's comments drew some criticism, with the founder of one refugee charity saying the home secretary "should be ashamed of herself" for so quickly pointing the finger at asylum-seekers."For a British home secretary to accuse and castigate ordinary people when the facts of this incident are not yet even known is shocking and disturbing," Clare Mosley, founder of the charity Care4Calais, said in statement sent to CNN."This is not simply a careless, off-the-cuff emotional response. It is a misleading, opportunistic smoke screen concocted to deflect attention from the multiple warnings she has had about what was clearly going to happen at Napier barracks," Mosley added.Care4Calais, in a Facebook post on Friday, said Napier residents they had spoken to "tell us they are simply terrified.""Their future remains uncertain and today's events create more distress and fear," it added.
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Story highlightsDrummer apologizes after wiping his backside with Flamengo jerseyChad Smith is the drummer for U.S. rock group Red Hot Chili PeppersSmith later posted a picture of himself wearing a Flamengo shirtNever underestimate Brazil's love for football -- a lesson learned the hard way by a member of one of the world's biggest rock bands.Chad Smith, drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has apologized to fans of Brazilian football team Flamengo after wiping his backside with one of the club's shirts.The incident occurred during a drum clinic in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte last week, when Smith shoved a red and black Flamengo shirt down the back of his trousers prompting booing from large parts of the gathered crowd.Read: Juventus closes gap on leaders Roma Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nominees Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesLionel Messi – Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina) CNN rating: Contender Can anyone dethrone Messi? The Argentine has lifted the prize in each of the last four years and once again starred for Barcelona during the 2012-13 season as they romped to the Spanish title, scoring 46 goals during a victorious La Liga campaign.Hide Caption 1 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesCristiano Ronaldo – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal) CNN rating: Contender Ronaldo is bidding to win the award for the second time in his career and, although Real finished a distant second to Barca in La Liga and failed to win any silverware last season, the Portuguese's class ensures he is always a contender for top honors.Hide Caption 2 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesZlatan Ibrahimovic – Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain & Sweden) CNN rating: Contender Since arriving in Paris, the mercurial Sweden striker has become a symbol of PSG's new elite status. Ibrahimovic finished as the top goalscorer in France as PSG secured the league title. His penchant for scoring jaw-dropping goals, and his often outspoken approach, has made him a cult figure among football fans the world over.Hide Caption 3 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesFranck Ribery – Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich & France) CNN rating: Contender The 2012-13 season was the finest of Ribery's career to date, with the Frenchman one of the key players in a Bayern team which won the European Champions League, the Bundesliga and the German Cup. A number of Bayern players would be worthy recipients of the accolade, with Ribery's craft and guile making him a standout candidate.Hide Caption 4 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesArjen Robben – Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich & Netherlands) CNN rating: Contender The Dutch winger finally managed to shake off his tag as a player who chokes on the big stage by scoring a last-minute winner against Borussia Dortmund to crown Bayern champions of Europe. For this alone, Robben is in contention.Hide Caption 5 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesPhilipp Lahm – Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich & Germany) CNN rating: Contender Lahm was captain of the Bayern team which swept all before it last season. The Ballon d'Or would be testament to the German's calm, composed leadership of a team which etched its name in history.Hide Caption 6 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesThomas Muller – Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich & Germany) CNN rating: Contender The Bayern youth academy graduate has forged a reputation as one of the world's most clinical finishers. Muller will hope to add the Ballon d'Or to the Golden Boot he won at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.Hide Caption 7 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesBastian Schweinsteiger – Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich & Germany) CNN rating: Longshot Bastian Schweinsteiger has long been a rock at the base of the Bayern midfield, but the playmaker looks likely to be outshone by his attacking teammates.Hide Caption 8 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesManuel Neuer – Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich & Germany) CNN rating: Longshot Neuer's class is unquestionable, however no goalkeeper has ever won the award. Neuer's contributions during the 2012-13 campaign, which included a standout performance in the Champions League final against Dortmund, will not be enough to lift him above Messi, Ronaldo et al in the final ballot.Hide Caption 9 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesRobert Lewandowski – Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund & Poland) CNN rating: Longshot The Polish striker was the spearhead of a Dortmund team which won plenty of admirers during its run to the Champions League final. Lewandowski's four-goal demolition of Real Madrid in the semifinals was a display of ruthless finishing, but he looks set to miss out in 2013.Hide Caption 10 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesAndres Iniesta – Andres Iniesta (Barcelona & Spain) CNN rating: Longshot Iniesta's pedigree and talent makes him one of the finest players on the planet, but the midfielder will likely suffer as a result of Barcelona's crushing defeat at the hands of Bayern in the Champions League semifinals.Hide Caption 11 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesGareth Bale – Gareth Bale (Real Madrid & Wales) CNN rating: Longshot The world's most expensive player enjoyed the best season of his career so far with Tottenham Hotspur, prompting a money-spinning move to Real Madrid. The Welshman will likely miss out, however, having not played in Europe's top club competition last season.Hide Caption 12 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesEdinson Cavani – Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain & Uruguay) CNN rating: No chance Cavani is one of the world's most talented goalscorers with PSG forking out a reported $88 million to snare the Uruguayan away from Napoli last July. Time will tell whether a spell with one of Europe's top clubs will see Cavani challenging for major international honors in the future. Hide Caption 13 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesNeymar – Neymar (Barcelona & Brazil)CNN rating: No chance Neymar's goal in the recent El Clasico match between Barca and Real Madrid showed he is starting to settle in European football. A World Cup win in his homeland with Brazil could see Neymar mount a convincing challegne for the 2014 award.Hide Caption 14 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesXavi – Xavi (Barcelona & Spain) CNN rating: No chance Xavi's list of accomplishments in the game, a World Cup winner, three Champions League triumphs and two European Championships, means he will always be regarded as an all-time great. Regrettably, at 33, the midfielder is battling persistent injury problems.Hide Caption 15 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesLuis Suarez – Luis Suarez (Liverpool & Uruguay) CNN rating: No chance Suarez's talent means he warrants a place on any list of the world's best footballers. Unfortunately his temperament often gets in the way. The Uruguayan has received lengthy bans for racism offenses and biting opponents.Hide Caption 16 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesAndrea Pirlo – Andrea Pirlo (Juventus & Italy) CNN rating: No chance A refined midfielder who oozes class, Pirlo would be a surprise winner after a campaign which saw Juve win the Italian title but fail to advance beyond the quarterfinals of the Champions League.Hide Caption 17 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesThiago Silva – Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain & Brazil) CNN rating: No chance The defender led Brazil to Confederations Cup success in 2013. If he can repeat the feat as captain of his country at next year's World Cup, he won't be far away from the 2014 honor.Hide Caption 18 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesRobin van Persie – Robin van Persie (Manchester United & Netherlands) CNN rating: No chance The Dutchman's goals propelled United to the Premier League title in convincing fashion, but the Old Trafford club's failings in Europe meant he struggled to make an impact on the continent.Hide Caption 19 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesYaya Toure – Yaya Toure (Manchester City & Ivory Coast) CNN rating: No chance The powerful midfielder endured a frustrating 2012-13 campaign with Manchester City. Toure saw his team finish 11 points behind neighbors United in the Premier League, lose the FA Cup final to lowly Wigan and fail to advance past the group stage of the Champions League.Hide Caption 20 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesRadamel Falcao – Radamel Falcao (Monaco & Colombia) CNN rating: No chance Falcao's goalscoring prowess helped Atletico Madrid to a Copa del Rey triumph and a place in this season's Champions League. A prolific campaign with Monaco and a good World Cup with Colombia would raise the forward's profile.Hide Caption 21 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesMesut Ozil – Mesut Ozil (Arsenal & Germany) CNN rating: No chance Ozil has delighted Arsenal fans since swapping Real Madrid for London in August, but the German needs to lead the Gunners to glory if he is to challenge for individual honors.Hide Caption 22 of 23 Photos: 2013 Ballon d'Or nomineesEden Hazard – Eden Hazard (Chelsea & Belgium) CNN rating: No chance Helping Chelsea win the 2013 Europa League, Europe's second-tier club competition, won't be enough to see Hazard in the running.Hide Caption 23 of 23The 52-year-old has since attempted to build bridges with fans of Flamengo, which claims to be Brazil's best-supported club with 30 million fans."I want to apologize for my inappropriate antics at the drum clinic, my joke about team rivalries went too far. Flamenco (sic) fans...I'm sorry," Smith tweeted to his 269,000 followers.Read: Van Persie header downs ArsenalSmith, a key member of the American band since 1988, later sought to further endear himself to Flamengo fans by posting a picture of himself cheering on Instagram wearing one of the club's jerseys.Flamengo is one of Brazil's most successful clubs and is one of five to have never been relegated from the top division.
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Blackhole Exploit Kit attack on WampServer & Wordpress sites
Kimberly from Stopmalvertising found Blackhole Exploit Kit on Website of most popular Webserver software site WAMPSERVER. Almost at the bottom of the webpage they notice a Javascript requesting a file from jquery.googlecode.com. The URL is followed by a long string of parameters. The file returns a 404, it's just there to fool people.
Once the script decoded we obtain an iframe leading to vc-business.com/in.php .According to Analyse of Kimberly , If a vulnerable Java, Windows Media Player, Flash or Adobe Reader version is detected, the visitor will be redirected to 91.194.214.66/dng311011/c7a44076f6c722eb74725563b0a000a0/spl.php and from there to 30domaaaam.in/main.php?page=c76874df55550a3f. According to Norton Safe Web, 91.194.214.66 has been caught in distributing the ZeroAccess rootkit.
Second Recent Attack by Blackhole Exploit discovered in thousands of WordPress websites that use a popular non-updated TimThumb image tool. Avast senior researcher Jan Sirmer found attackers had exploited weak FTP server authentication credentials and a vulnerability in the TimThumb image resizer to upload malicious PHP files to the site. But this is not the only way for example they use stolen passwords to direct FTP changes.In your FTP, alongside other site files, a new file will appear that looks like this: ./wp-content/w3tc/min/a12ed303.925433.js or ./wp-includes/js/l10n.js
The attack used the BlackHole exploit kit, which redirected the website's visitors to an external malware-hosting site. Researchers detected an additional 3,500 unique infected WordPress sites, which redirected visitors to malicious sites between Aug. 28 to 31. During September , the company blocked redirects from 2,515 WordPress sites, Sirmer said.
In bottom part of code, there is a request to https://91.169.216.20/url.php where only one line of code is stored: assa ='Domain with Black Hole exploit kit'. A fix is available for the TimThumb tool.
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Story highlightsSecond seed Li Na crashes out of WimbledonBarbora Zahlavova Strycova beats her in straight setsNovak Djokovic survives injury scare to progress in men's singlesDefending champion Andy Murray eases into last 16Australian Open champion Li Na bowed meekly out of Wimbledon Friday to extend her miserable record at the grass court grand slam, blaming her lack of preparation for a shock defeat. The Chinese second seed was beaten 7-6 7-6 by Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic, ranked 43 in the world, who was reaching the last 16 of a grand slam for the first time in 32 attempts.Trailing 6-5 in the second set tiebreaker, Li successfully challenged after her forehand was called long.But given a second chance of redemption on a replayed match point, Li served her seventh double fault to exit in lame fashion.Read: Third time lucky in Aussie final for Li Na The 32-year-old Li has never gone beyond the last 32 in eight appearances at the All England Club and also went out in the first round of the French Open last month.JUST WATCHEDLi Na wins 'dream' trophyReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHLi Na wins 'dream' trophy 01:36JUST WATCHEDAsia's tennis superstarsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHAsia's tennis superstars 02:15It's a far cry from her triumph in Melbourne back in January when she beat Dominika Cibulkova in the final of the opening grand slam of season, her second triumph in one of tennis' four majors.After her defeat, Li told reporters that she had made an error of judgment in skipping the warmup event at Eastbourne. "I think I needed some matches before the big one, I think I made the wrong decision," she said.For the 28-year-old Zahlavova Strycova, it was her biggest win of a mediocre career on the WTA Tour, interrupted by a six-month ban for a doping offense in 2013."I am very happy. I played a great match and I believed I could do it. It's my biggest win," she said.Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki awaits the Czech in the next round, the Dane beating Croatian teenager Ana Konjuh 6-3 6-0 to reach the last 16 of a grand slam for only the third time since 2011.Read: Serena: 'I'm favoritePetra Kvitova later won the battle of former champions on Centre Court after an enthralling two and a half hour battle against Venus Williams.JUST WATCHEDWhat the French Open means to Li NaReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhat the French Open means to Li Na 01:31JUST WATCHEDWimbledon champs on Open CourtReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWimbledon champs on Open Court 00:30Kvitova, who took the title in 2011, had to come back from a set down to beat the five-time champion from the United States, 5-7 7-6 7-5.Polish fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, the runner-up to Venus' younger sister Serena in 2012, also made the last 16 with a 6-2 6-0 win over Portuguese qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito.Djokovic scareIn the men's tournament, top seed Novak Djokovic took a nasty tumble on the way to a 6-4 6-2 6-4 win over France's Gilles Simon.The 2011 champion made a spectacular diving attempt to reach a Simon shot in the sixth game of the third set and fell awkwardly on his shoulder.The Serbian star needed treatment on the court and had to take a painkiller before rounding out an otherwise routine win.Read: Djokovic suffers recurrence of wrist injury"Yes it was a sharp pain when I fell. It was an awkward fall. I was just hoping nothing was going on bad with the joint," he admitted later to reporters."There was no damage in the joint, so I could play a few games after that. The muscle was still quite sore because of the impact, so all in all I'm just glad to get through."Now there are two days off so I'm going to recover and get ready."Djokovic faces a tough last 16 clash against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but has won 10 of his 11 meetings with the Frenchman, who is seeded 14th this year.Defending champion Andy Murray wasted little time on Centre Court later as he polished off Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in their third round clash.Third seed Murray won 6-2 6-3 6-2 and will play Kevin Anderson of South Africa for a place in the quarterfinals Monday. But sixth seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic went out in a late evening upset, losing in straight sets, 7-6 6-4 7-6 to Marin Cilic of Croatia. Read: Murray defends new coach Mauresmo
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Story highlightsPeng Shuai becomes only third Chinese player to reach a grand slam semifinalUnseeded 28-year-old beats teen Belinda Bencic, next faces Caroline WozniackiPeng underwent major heart surgery aged 12 to pursue tennis dreamFive-time men's champion Roger Federer through to quarterfinalsChina's population may be in excess of 1.3 billion inhabitants but only two of its players had ever reached a grand slam semifinal -- until Tuesday. That was when unseeded Peng Shuai put years of frustration, thoughts of retirement and major heart surgery to one side as she blew away Swiss teen Belinda Bencic at the U.S. Open. At her 37th grand slam, the 28-year-old was finally into her first semifinals. The buildup had mainly focused on the 17-year-old Bencic but it was the little known Peng -- far more recognized as a doubles player -- who stole the show with a powerful display. Read: Knee injury forces Li Na out of U.S. OpenBy so doing, she follows in the footsteps of Li Na, a two-time grand slam winner, and Zheng Jie, who reached semifinals at Wimbledon (2008) and the Australian Open (2010)."It's a little bit too exciting," Peng said on court after her 6-2 6-1 victory, earning a round of applause after pausing as emotion got the better of her. JUST WATCHEDAlthea Gibson's Tennis legacyReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHAlthea Gibson's Tennis legacy 04:50JUST WATCHEDAna Ivanovic fights to regain number 1 statusReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHAna Ivanovic fights to regain number 1 status 03:20"I love tennis, I love to play." That much is clear from her back story. Aged 12, Peng went against her family wishes to undergo a major operation to repair a fault in her heart. The procedure was so complicated surgeons had to access her heart through her left leg but as Peng made clear in a 2008 advertisement, there was one fundamental reason she went through with it. "All I thought was very simple: if I want to continue tennis, I need to have this operation," she said in the Adidas advert. Nearly two decades later, her tenacity was rewarded when she achieved the No. 1 ranking in doubles. By so doing, she became the first Chinese to ever achieve top spot -- whether in singles or doubles, male or female. Despite the ranking, a player who has never won a singles title revealed she had been wracked by doubts in recent times. "A career is tough sometimes," said Peng in victory. "I've thought about giving up, stopping playing (singles), because I didn't know if I can make it, but my coach and parents told me to never give up." With her two-fisted ground strokes proving too much for a rattled Bencic, the youngest U.S. Open quarterfinalist since 1997, Peng hit 24 winners. JUST WATCHEDLi Na wins 'dream' trophyReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHLi Na wins 'dream' trophy 01:36JUST WATCHEDSharapova's agent inspired by ESPNReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSharapova's agent inspired by ESPN 02:51Although Zheng was the first Chinese player to reach a grand slam semifinal, world No. 3 Li has taken the country's tennis further. She won its first singles grand slam at the 2011 French Open, before clinching a second title at this year's Australian Open. No Chinese woman has ever reached the U.S. Open singles final, a record that Peng -- who has won two grand slam doubles titles in the last year -- will try to correct on Thursday. She will meet 2009 finalist Caroline Wozniacki, who continued her career resurgence by crushing Italian 13th seed Sara Errani 6-0 6-1 later Tuesday.The former world No. 1, who has a 5-1 career record over Peng, reached the last four of a grand slam for the first time since 2011, also in New York."She was much stronger than me physically tonight," said Errani, a semifinalist in 2012. "She doesn't let you play. She never misses. "And every point was a long point, and it made me feel worse, physically."Serena Williams is in action on Wednesday against Italy's Flavia Pennetta, but she suffered a frustrating day on Tuesday. Not only did she lose her doubles quarterfinal with sister Venus to Russian pair Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, but she also suffered an injury scare. JUST WATCHEDBecker: Reaction to coaching job surprised me ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHBecker: Reaction to coaching job surprised me 08:01JUST WATCHEDInside Andy Murray's luxury hotelReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHInside Andy Murray's luxury hotel 05:46The world No. 1's right foot had to be heavily bandaged early in the second set of the 7-6 6-4 defeat. In the men's event, second seed Roger Federer marched into the quarterfinals for the 10th time in the last 11 years with an aggressive 6-4 6-3 6-2 win over Spanish 17th seed Roberto Bautista Agut.The five-time U.S. champion, seeking his first final appearance since losing the 2009 title match, came to the net 50 times as he comfortably set up a clash with French 20th seed Gael Monfils."I'm happy I'm able to come forward now because coming to net requires a lot of agility and explosiveness, and I have it back," said the veteran 17-time grand slam winner.He has a 7-2 record over Monfils, beating him in three sets on the way to winning the Cincinnati title last month."I know exactly how I need to play him," Federer said. "I know I'll be coming in; he knows he'll be defending. He'll be wanting to serve well and play big as well."Monfils, known for his all-action style, was in impressive form as he overcame a sluggish Grigor Dimitrov 7-5 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows for a third time.Sixth seed Tomas Berdych will play Croatia's Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals, after the Czech beat Austria's Dominic Thiem 6-1 6-2 6-4.Cilic, seeded 14th, came from behind to beat Richard Gasquet 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 3-6 6-3, avenging his five-set defeat by the Frenchman at January's Australian Open.In Wednesday's opening quarterfinals, Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka takes on Japanese 10th seed Kei Nishikori, then in the late session world No. 1 Novak Djokovic plays Andy Murray in a repeat of the 2012 title match.Read: Greatness beckons for BencicRead: Third time lucky for Li at Australian Open
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Story highlightsEthiopian smashes 10,000m world recordAlmaz Ayana bests 1993 mark by 14 seconds (CNN)The Rio Olympics track and field competition has barely started but we already have a new world record in the women's 10,000 meters final. Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana stunned spectators at Rio's Olympic Stadium on Friday crossing the line in a time of 29 minutes, 17.45 seconds, smashing a record that has stood for nearly 23 years. Ayana, the reigning world 5,000m champion, obliterated the field taking 14 seconds off the previous best set by China's Junxia Wang in September 1993.
The 24-year-old Ayana was followed home by Kenya's Vivian Cheriot with London 2012 champion Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia taking bronze. READ MORE: Rio Olympics 2016 -- Where is everyone?Read MoreA further two gold medals will be decided on the opening day of track and field -- the men's 20 kilometers walk and women's shot put.
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Athens, Greece (CNN)With 75% of the vote counted, the center-right New Democracy party was on track to win the first national elections since Greece exited a bailout regime a year ago, signaling a clean break with years of firebrand populism and a return to mainstream politics. Initial results give New Democracy 39.6% of the vote, a strong mandate in a country governed for a decade by fragile coalitions. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras conceded defeat in a live TV broadcast, saying, "The result has been determined ... but we will be back." Kyriakos Mitsotakis of New Democracy thanked the Greek people in a victory speech, saying, "I know the difficulties lying ahead. ... I don't request a grace period because we don't have time for it." He added, "Transparency and meritocracy will return to Greece and our country's voice will be heard in Europe."Mitsotakis will be sworn in as prime minister at 1 p.m. Monday (6 a.m. ET).Read MoreThe results suggest a complete reversal of fortunes in Greece, with a return to a party that has been a pillar of Greece's pre-bailout establishment. Initial projections for the ruling Syriza, Coalition of the Radical Left party, give it 31.6% of the vote. In May, Syriza called a snap election after suffering a major blow in European Parliament elections.Mitsotakis is the scion of a Greek political dynasty whose father also served as leader under the same party. After studying at Harvard and Stanford, Mitsotakis worked in the banking sector before launching his political career, which saw him serve as minister of administrative reform between 2013 and 2015. Kyriakos Mitsotakis has pledged to rebrand Greece and change its image as Europe's problem child.A liberal reformist, Mitsotakis promises to rebrand the country and change its image as Europe's problem child in the wake of an eight-year depression that saw its economy slashed by 25% -- the worst contraction in a developed economy since the end of World War II. Mitsotakis says his priority is to reignite the economy by slashing taxes and regulations, while attracting investment. Greece's economic recovery is underway, although still weak and only forecast to grow by about 2% annually for the next three years. Mitsotakis' plan is to implement rapid changes, such as privatization, and transform Greece into a more business-friendly country. He will then go to the country's lenders in a bid to negotiate a new deal. "I believe I can negotiate with the Europeans more fiscal space and the markets are showing that they are quite excited about us coming into power," he has said. Much of his success depends on clinching this deal.Old guard But for all his reform plans, Mitsotakis comes from the same political establishment that plunged Greece into the crisis in the first place, and which voters rejected in 2015. The vote for the markets-friendly old guard is equally a protest vote against a government that over-promised and failed to deliver; a message to populists worldwide that things can change and then change back. In hindsight, Mitsotakis' strategy now feels like a winning recipe to Greeks. In January 2015, after two bailout programs and years of cuts and violent protests, Greece sailed into uncharted waters, rejecting old-style politics and a tough belt-tightening course under the then center-right New Democracy government. People voted for radical change promised by Syriza and its leader Tsipras, a charismatic speaker. The little-known party was elected on an anti-bailout platform promising to confront the country's lenders and put an end to austerity, but without much success. Alexis Tsipras' Syriza party was elected on an anti-bailout platform and a pledge to end austerity. Greece's populism odyssey resulted in bank runs and talk of Grexit, the country's exit from Europe's monetary union. Negotiations went to the brink. Banks shut for days and capital controls were imposed. At the last minute, facing chaos after a referendum that could have led Greece out of the EU, Syriza made a U-turn and signed a third bailout agreement followed by a snap election. A tamer second Syriza government was re-elected in September 2015, bringing in further austerity and tax hikes in order to meet fiscal targets.The events of summer 2015 signified for many Greeks the end to the illusion that it would be possible to resist change. Like Tsipras then, Greeks are now making a U-turn. "Greece already has first-hand experience of economic populism and is now rejecting it, making a turn towards pragmatism," says George Pagoulatos, a professor at the Athens University of Economics. "The vote in 2015 was one of hope, of desperation. Then the idealism collapsed. Now people are focusing on who they believe can deliver." Greek voters delivered a U-turn, rejecting economic populism and turning towards pragmatism. Greek tragedy In other parts of Europe that watched Greece's downfall from what may have seemed like a safe distance, the legacy of the "Greek tragedy" continues to serve as a rallying cry for Brexiteers and a cautionary tale for right-wing populists. It has also exposed some of the deepest rifts in the European Union, with far-right nationalists making big gains in May's European Parliament elections.In Greece itself, support for extremism is declining. Greece was one of the first European countries to bring an extreme right, anti-migrant party into parliament in 2012. Support for the Golden Dawn party was fueled by desperate economic conditions and a refugee crisis that in 2015-2016 saw around 1 million refugees enter Europe through Greece's shores. Election results show a big drop for Golden Dawn, and although nationalism has played a determining role in this election, it has carried a softer tone. Tsipras nevertheless ignited strong national sentiment within Greece and bore a heavy political cost for his hugely unpopular decision to ratify an accord to end a decades-long name dispute with its neighbor, the newly renamed Republic of North Macedonia.Nepotism, corruption scandals, and accusations of interference in the justice system have also taken their their toll. And Tsipras' anticipated moment of glory, when Greece exited its final bailout program in summer 2018, was drastically overshadowed by the deadly wildfires which left over a hundred people dead in Greater Athens. Instead of planned fireworks, Tsipras was left to deal with a huge public outcry over his handling of the tragedy. New Democracy supporters waved Greek flags at a rally for Mitsotakis in Athens.Populism coming to an end?Greece was the first country in the last decade to bring grand scale populism to the mainstream European arena. Now it is the first to firmly reject it, in an election result that may signal the beginning of the end for extreme populism in Europe. "Greece's first-hand experience of populism and the extreme right has enabled the country to exit from the biggest crisis in the eurozone with greater maturity," says Nick Malkoutzis, the political editor of MacroPolis. "It feels like a cycle is ending and the country is returning to political normality." What Greeks crave more than anything after so many years of living in constant crisis is stability, he adds. In Greece's new age of pragmatism, Mitsotakis personifies the country's proactive, comprehensive reform plan that will lead the country out of the economic labyrinth. He will be judged, however, by a country no longer easily wooed by empty promises.
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Story highlightsHoman said he recently asked HSI to audit how much of their time is spent on work site enforcementHe asked his agency to increase that effort "four or five times"Washington (CNN)The administration's top immigration enforcement official on Tuesday said his agency will vastly step up crackdowns on employers who hire undocumented immigrants -- a new front in President Donald Trump's hardline immigration agenda.Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tom Homan spoke at the conservative Heritage Foundation and was asked whether his agency would do more to target not just undocumented workers, but their places of work. Homan said he has instructed Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative unit of ICE, to potentially quintuple worksite enforcement actions next year.He said he recently asked HSI to audit how much of their time is spent on work site enforcement, and said he has ordered that to increase "by four to five times.""We've already increased the number of inspections in work site operations, you will see that significantly increase this next fiscal year," Homan promised, saying the goal is to remove the "magnet" drawing people to enter the US illegally.Read MoreDHS explores ways to transform immigration system without CongressAnd he said his agency would approach the task in a way that's "a little different" than in the past, by going just as aggressively after employees."Not only are we going to prosecute the employers that hire illegal workers, we're going to detain and remove the illegal alien workers," Homan said. "When we find you at a work site, we're no longer going to turn our heads," Homan elaborated after the event. "We'll go after the employer who knowingly hires an illegal alien ... but we're always going to arrest a person who is here illegally. That is our job."ICE still has posted the previous administration's policy on work site enforcement, which prioritizes targeting employers that use undocumented labor as a business model, engage in human smuggling, mistreat employees, commit identity fraud, launder money or are otherwise involved in criminal activity.ICE spokeswoman Liz Johnson said the strategy "continues to address both" employers and employees. White House lays out DACA deal asks"While we focus on the criminal prosecution of employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, under the current administration's enforcement priorities, workers encountered during these investigations who are unauthorized to remain in the United States are also subject to administrative arrest and removal from the country," Johnson said.According to a 2015 Congressional Research Service report, ICE arrested 541 individuals on immigration charges and 362 individuals on criminal charges in work site actions in 2014, continuing a downward trend in actions from a peak in 2011.
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(CNN)President Joe Biden stepped before the podium Tuesday in an impossible political bind -- attempting to assure vaccinated Americans that they don't need to cancel their holiday plans as he confronts a fast-growing Covid surge that is likely to further disrupt American life as many more workers call out sick.He outlined the next phase of the White House Covid response -- which includes a belated effort to maximize at-home testing -- at yet another anxiety-producing moment when Americans are being bombarded with confusing messages about what they should or should not do in the face of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The Covid contradiction that Joe Biden just can't changeEarlier this week, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that increased social mingling over the holidays "will lead to increased cases, overwhelmed health systems and more deaths" and added the grim message that "an event canceled is better than a life canceled." London has called off its New Year's Eve celebration in Trafalgar Square and Paris has scratched its New Year's Eve fireworks to keep its citizens away from large gatherings. Israel, which has been at the leading edge of Covid research, is now recommending that everyone over age 60 get a fourth dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine amid surging Omicron cases.Meanwhile, most Americans have not yet even received a first booster. And the guidance on masking -- which seems to be constantly changing -- varies in different cities and states across the country. Atlanta reinstated an indoor mask mandate Tuesday because of the high level of transmission. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the same the day before, just over a month after relaxing it.Read MoreBiden's political vise will only be tightened by interruptions to critical services like education, transportation, health care and policing if workers get sick as Omicron cases increase -- potential challenges the administration has not yet addressed in detail. The President has been trying to strike a careful balancing act by tailoring his messaging to the vaccinated and unvaccinated -- knowing that he faces a serious backlash if Americans sense a movement back toward lockdowns, shuttered businesses or school closures. In this increasingly intractable crisis -- with his party's political fortunes inextricably linked to how he handles the pandemic in the new year -- he is leaning on Americans to show personal responsibility, and even a sense of patriotic duty, by getting vaccinated and boosted and using common sense precautions.Fauci says reducing the recommended Covid isolation period for the fully vaccinated is being consideredBiden reassured Americans, and particularly those who have received a booster shot, that they "should feel comfortable celebrating Christmas and the holidays" as planned, adding, "You've done the right thing." But he had an entirely different message for the millions of unvaccinated Americans, warning them that they "have good reason to be concerned.""You're at a high risk of getting sick. And if you get sick, you're likely to spread it to others, including friends and family. And the unvaccinated have a significantly higher risk of ending up in a hospital or even dying," Biden said."All these people who have not been vaccinated, you have an obligation to yourselves, to your family, and, quite frankly -- I know I'll get criticized for this -- to your country," the President added. "Get vaccinated now. It's free. It's convenient. I promise you, it saves lives. And I, honest to God, believe it's your patriotic duty."Plans for more testing and backup for hospitalsBiden outlined new plans to get the nation ready for a potential surge -- including ramping up the nation's testing infrastructure; making 500 million free at-home tests available to Americans in the coming weeks; stockpiling masks, gowns and ventilators; calling up 1,000 military doctors and nurses to step in as reinforcements at overtaxed hospitals; and planning for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to open new pop-up vaccination clinics where Americans can get booster shots, with two sites already open in Washington state and New Mexico.But the administration is also clearly on defense about the scarcity of rapid at-home Covid tests and growing lines at Covid test sites around the country. The President flashed agitation when reporters asked him Tuesday whether his administration should have been better prepared for this moment on the testing front, given that many Americans are frustrated about their inability to buy rapid tests just before they were planning to gather with family and friends. When one reporter asked why it has taken so long to increase testing, Biden replied: "Come on. What took so long?""It didn't take long at all. What happened was the Omicron virus spread even more rapidly than anybody thought," he replied, even though many public health experts have pointed out that the US has moved more slowly than other nations to make rapid tests available during a pandemic that has spanned nearly two years.Vaccinated Americans can live their lives, despite OmicronHospitals in some parts of the country are already under severe stress as they brace for a rise in Covid cases. Dr. Donald Zimmer, an emergency room physician at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana -- where the hospital is at 127% capacity -- said the staff is "underwater.""Our hospital is pulling every lever that we possibly can to try to open up more bed space, to try to bring in more nurses and techs and respiratory therapists and to try to open up more zones," Zimmer said during an interview on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront." But many of the patients who are being treated for Covid are unvaccinated, he noted, and made a calculated decision not to get the vaccine. "They're taking up beds that we know we need for other patients that need surgery for their heart disease or for their cancer. ... Those patients don't have access to the care that they need right now and that's pretty frustrating." "It's overwhelming and its incredibly stressful," he said. In addition to outlining the reinforcements that the administration is planning for the nation's hospitals, Biden attempted to address the worries of many parents that their children may need to quarantine if cases rise in schools after the holiday break. Biden noted that children five and older are eligible for the vaccine and that students now have the option of testing to stay in the classroom if a classmate tests positive. "We can keep our K-12 schools open, and that's exactly what we should be doing," Biden said.Education Secretary Miguel Cardona sought to amplify that message Tuesday during an interview with CNN's Jim Sciutto on "Newsroom" when asked whether the administration has been looking at expanding testing in schools. Cardona said that his department is working closely with administration health officials to make sure there are enough Covid tests available in schools to ensure students "can stay in school and make sure we're not spreading Covid in schools."The education secretary rejected the notion that the US went too far in switching to remote learning during the early days of the pandemic, but noted that the nation is now in a different place."I believe that precautions that we took were necessary, but we're a year removed from that," Cardona said, noting that there were no vaccines back then to protect children and the older relatives they were seeing each day. "We know what works. We know how to protect ourselves. There's no reason our schools should be going remote fully. We need to keep our kids in the classroom."
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When I say Ransomware, the first nasty piece of malware strikes in the mind is CryptoLocker. A nasty strain of ransomware malware that threatened most of the people around the world by effectively destroying important files of the victims forever.
CRYPTOLOCKER - A DEVASTATING THREAT
CryptoLocker is a simple rather a devastating piece of Ransomware that encrypts the files on a victim's computer and issues an ultimatum - Pay up or lose your data.
CryptoLocker is particularly designed to extort money from computer users by holding computer files hostage until the computer user pays a ransom fee to get them back. Cryptolocker hijacker sniffs out your personal files and wraps them with strong AES-256-bit encryption before it demands money.
HOW TO DECRYPT CRYPTOLOCKER? FREE TOOL RELEASED
Thanks to security experts, who created an online service where victims whose systems have been encrypted by the CryptoLocker ransomware can get the decryption keys for free.
This online portal has been created by the security researchers from Security software and services firms Fireeye and Fox-IT. The researchers created the portal after they used a copy of CryptoLocker's database of victims that was obtained during the recent takedown of the GameOver Zeus botnet, which was used to distribute the ransomware.
"This time we basically got lucky," said Michael Sandee, principal analyst at Fox-IT, one of the security firms which helped uncover the cybercrime group behind Cryptolocker.
The infrastructure of Cryptolocker and other malware was taken down in June under a campaign known as Operation Tovar, but there are still many cases where this nasty strain of ransomware is infecting users, according to Fireeye.
"After the success of Operation Tovar, there were few resources available to help decrypt files that were still encrypted with the attacker's private key," Fireeye explains in a blog post.
CRYPTOLOCKER DEMANDS $500, BUT ONLINE DECRYPTION TOOL IS FREE
Where CryptoLocker ransomware forced its victim to pay upto $500 in Bitcoins within 72 hours for the private keys necessary to unlock personal files, on the other hand, the security firms are providing the private decryption keys for free via the just-launched Decrypt CryptoLocker website.
According to FBI estimates from June, more than 500,000 people fell victim to CryptoLocker between September 2013 and May 2014. Fox-IT says around 1.3 percent of victims paid to free their files, which indicates, the malware earned its makers around $3 million before the criminal network was smashed by authorities and security researchers in May.
HOW TO DECRYPT FILES INFECTED BY CRYPTOLOCKER
You only need a master decryption key in order to decrypt the locked files.
Go to https://www.decryptcryptolocker.com
Upload an email address and one of the encrypted files (one that should have no sensitive information).
The online tool will scan the file to figure out the encryption specifics, and then send you a recovery program and master decryption key via an email. You can take that key and the free decryptolocker.exe command line tool and decrypt your files.
FireEye warns that some data might not be recoverable, particularly if you've been infected by a CryptoLocker variant rather than CryptoLocker itself. You need to keep this in mind that there are many Cryptolocker variants with the names like PrisonLocker, CryptoDefense, TorLocker and CryptorBit, so the tool may not work against them.
Read More - Learn How to protect your computer from Cryptolocker Malware.
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Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett said she had made no commitments to the President or anyone else about how she might rule on a case aimed at dismantling the Affordable Care Act or on a potential dispute in the upcoming presidential election.Barrett vowed that she had not discussed specific cases, like the upcoming challenge to the Affordable Care Act, with Trump or anyone else when she was nominated to succeed the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose death threw the Senate into a pitched election-year confirmation battle that could swing the court in a more conservative direction."Absolutely not. I was never asked, and if I had been that would've been a short conversation," Barrett said at Tuesday's Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing when she was asked whether she had committed to vote to repeal the health care law.But during Tuesday's hearing, which lasted more than 11 hours, Barrett repeatedly declined to answer questions from Democrats on how she might rule on a range of topics, from the Affordable Care Act to Roe v. Wade and the high court's ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. She also declined to say whether she would consider recusing herself from potential upcoming cases, including election disputes."It's distressing not to get a straight answer," Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the Judiciary Committee's top Democrat, said after posing a series of questions to Barrett on the Supreme Court's landmark abortion rulings.Read MoreFeinstein pressed Barrett to explain whether she agreed with the late Justice Antonin Scalia that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided. Barrett, however, invoked Justice Elena Kagan's answer that she wasn't going to grade precedent."I completely understand why you are asking the question, but again I can't pre-commit, or say yes, I'm going in with some agenda, because I'm not. I don't have any agenda," Barrett said.Takeaways from Day 2 of the Amy Coney Barrett confirmation hearingsThe back-and-forth between Democrats and the nominee kicked off a lengthy two days of questioning. Democrats sought to elicit answers from Barrett on a number of controversial topics the Supreme Court could take up, including abortion, gun rights, voting rights, same-sex marriage and, in particular, health care.The Supreme Court will hear a case on November 10 on whether to strike down the Affordable Care Act, which means Barrett could be on the bench if Republicans are successful in confirming her before Election Day, November 3. The legal challenge to former President Barack Obama's signature health care law loomed over Tuesday's hearing: Democrats raised the care that the Affordable Care Act has provided to individuals, continuing their theme from Monday, while Republicans attacked the law.The presidential election and the upcoming health care case loomed over Tuesday's hearing. In the evening, the Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, a California senator who is on the committee, attacked Trump and Republicans for turning to the courts when they failed to repeal the health law themselves."The Affordable Care Act and all its protections hinge on this seat and the outcome of this hearing," Harris said. "And I believe it's very important the American people understand the issues at stake, and what's at play."Throughout the day, Barrett pushed back on Democrats' arguments that her previous criticism of Chief Justice John Roberts' opinion upholding the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate in 2012 was a sign of how she would potentially rule in next month's case. She said that her writing then was in an academic setting and argued that it had no bearing on the upcoming challenge the law."I am not hostile to the ACA. I'm not hostile to any statute that you pass," Barrett said. "I apply the law, I follow the law, you make the policy."Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, argued that her criticism of Roberts over the health care ruling was a key indicator of her views, prompting Barrett to object to the assertion. "I am not here on a mission to destroy the Affordable Care Act," she responded. "I'm just here to apply the law and adhere to the rule of law."Republicans sought to head off the Democratic criticisms of the legal effort to overturn the Affordable Care Act. Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham kicked off Tuesday's hearing with a sustained attack on health care law. "From my point of view, Obamacare has been a disaster for the state of South Carolina," Graham said. "We want something better. We want something different."The Ginsburg standardFrequently, Barrett fell back on a standard that's been attributed to Ginsburg, whom Barrett would replace, not to discuss specific cases because they could come before the court.Under questioning from Sen. Pat Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, Barrett would not say whether she would recuse herself from cases involving the 2020 election. Leahy argued Barrett should recuse herself, if confirmed, because Trump has said he's moving a nomination forward because the election is likely to go before the Supreme Court."I have made no precommitments to anyone," Barrett said, arguing the court had a legal process to consider recusal. "I can't offer an opinion on recusal without short-circuiting that entire process."Later, Barrett said she hoped "all members of the committee have more confidence in my integrity than to think that I would allow myself to be used as a pawn to decide this election for the American people."Barrett also declined to say whether the Constitution gave Trump the authority to postpone the date of the election. Doing so would require an act of Congress, but Barrett declined to weigh in, saying that doing so would make her "basically a legal pundit." She also declined to discuss questions about what constitutes voter intimidation. And she responded to a question from Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey about Trump refusing to accept a peaceful transition by saying she didn't want to get pulled into the "political controversy." Barrett apologized on Tuesday for a comment she made early in the hearing saying she would never discriminate "on the basis of sexual preference," a term that implies being gay or lesbian is a choice."I certainly didn't mean and, you know, would never mean to use a term that would cause any offense in the LGBTQ community," Barrett said. "So if I did, I greatly apologize for that. I simply meant to be referring to Obergefell's holding with respect to same-sex marriage."All 22 senators on the committee will have another chance to question Barrett on Wednesday in a 20-minute second round of questions. Outside witnesses will testify on Thursday, and Graham has said the committee is expected to vote on Barrett's nomination on October 22, setting up a Senate floor vote one week before the election.Graham walked Barrett through her judicial philosophy in the opening round of questions. Barrett explained that she shared a philosophy with Scalia, whom she clerked for, but she argued she would not be an identical justice if she is confirmed."If I'm confirmed, you would not be getting Justice Scalia. You would be getting Justice Barrett," Barrett said. "And that's so because originalists don't always agree."Graham asked Barrett whether she owned a gun, which she said she did."Do you think you could fairly decide a case even though you own a gun?" Graham asked."Yes," she responded.Two lengthy days of questioningPartisan battle lines over Barrett's nomination were quickly drawn on Monday during the first day of hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee as Democrats and Republicans offered up sharply divergent narratives of the high court fight to fill the vacancy created by Ginsburg's death.In opening statements delivered on Monday, Republican senators praised Barrett's judicial qualifications in glowing terms and emphasized her capability as a working mom, while Democrats warned that health care protections and the Affordable Care Act are at stake, and under threat, in the nomination fight. Republicans, who hold the Senate majority, are moving quickly to fill the vacancy with their sights set on confirmation ahead of Election Day. Democrats, in the minority, have limited options at their disposal to fight back. But they have been preparing a plan of attack that will focus squarely on issues they believe will resonate with voters while excoriating Republicans for rushing the nomination, an effort designed to avoid a spectacle that could damage their efforts to win back the Senate majority and the White House.While Democrats couldn't get Barrett to weigh in on the Roe v. Wade decision, they pressed her to explain past criticisms of the abortion rights ruling that conservatives -- and the President -- have sought to overturn.Leahy asked Barrett about an ad she signed that was published in 2006 in the South Bend Tribune describing the legacy of Roe v. Wade as "barbaric," pushing her on the views of the group that sponsored the ad, saying the group believes that in vitro fertilization (IVF) is equivalent to manslaughter. "Do you agree with them that IVF is tantamount to manslaughter," Leahy asked. Barrett said that she had signed the statement "on the way out of church," because it was consistent with the views of her church. "It simply said we support the right to life from conception to natural death," she said, adding that "it took no position on IVF." Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, tried to draw on Barrett's previous writings on "super precedent," or Supreme Court precedents that are so well settled there's no legal debate over them. Barrett would not say that Roe v. Wade fell into that category."The way I was using it in the article that you're reading from was to define cases that are so well settled that no political actors and no people seriously push for their overruling," Barrett said. "And I'm answering a lot of questions about Roe, which I think indicates that Roe doesn't fall in that category. And scholars across the spectrum say that doesn't mean that Roe should be overruled, but descriptively it does mean that it's not a case that everyone has accepted and doesn't call for its overruling."The panel's Democrats did not take up questions about her religion, as they've made clear they want to steer clear of questions about whether Barrett's devout Catholic faith will impact her views, an issue that arose during her 2017 confirmation hearings to sit on a federal appeals court and prompted an uproar among Republicans. Republicans emphasized Barrett's qualifications to be appointed to the high court. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who like Graham is up for reelection this cycle, made a point for Barrett to display the empty notepad sitting in front of her, showing she was answering senators' questions without using notes.Cornyn and the other Republicans also emphasized Barrett's view that the legislative branch makes policy and judges only interpret the law."I think part of the rationale for courts adhering to the rule of law and for judges taking great care to avoid imposing their policy preferences is that it's inconsistent with democracy," Barrett said. "Nobody wants to live in a court with the law of Amy, I can ensure you my children don't even want to do that. So I can't as a judge get up on the bench and say, 'You're going to live by my policy preferences because I have life tenure and you can't kick me out if you don't like them.'"This story has been updated with additional developments Tuesday.CNN's Lauren Fox, Manu Raju, Devan Cole, Hannah Rabinowitz, Rebecca Grandahl, Sara Fortinsky, Angie Trindade, Daniella Mora and Cat Gloria contributed to this report.
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Story highlightsAcid attacks are on the rise in London, according to a report released by the policePolice said at least four of the five attacks involved two males on a mopedLondon (CNN)Five men were attacked with acid in London, with one man suffering life-changing facial injuries in what police on Friday were treating as linked assaults.The five attacks on Thursday night, which were reported to police over a 70-minute period, are the latest in a spike of incidents using corrosive liquids as weapons in robberies and gang-related violence in the British capital.Police said at least four of the five attacks involved two males on a moped, and in at least two cases the attackers stole mopeds belonging to their victims. Another incident involved a robbery. A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and robbery, and is currently in custody at an east London police station. A 15-year-old boy was later taken into custody on the same allegations, according to police, who appealed for witnesses to come forward.Four of the attacks happened in the eastern borough of Hackney, and one other in Islington, in the city's north. All five victims were taken to hospital.Emergency services attend the scene at Hackney Road.Read MoreAttacks are on the riseAccording to a report released by the Metropolitan Police Service in March, acid attacks are on the rise in London. In 2014, there were 166 filed incidents, rising to 261 in 2015, and 454 in 2016. Police have told CNN that trend has continued this year.Acid attacks in London are largely concentrated in the city's east. Simon Laurence, chief superintendent for Hackney borough in east London, called on retailers to question youths buying household chemicals alone that could potentially be used in attacks. "It's drain cleaner, oven cleaner, ammonia -- different types of household products which can be bought. My plea is to sellers to have moral responsibility, social responsibility, to ask the questions," he told CNN in an interview.London's police chief, Cressida Dick, said police were concerned by the spike in acid attacks, which she called "completely barbaric.""We will arrest people. We will enforce the law as we can. We are working very closely with the Home Office to try to see whether there's any changes in the law required," she told LBC Radio.London Ambulance Service issued advice Friday on what to do after an acid attack on oneself or others. This includes wearing gloves or using a towel for protection while removing the chemical, taking off contaminated clothes or jewelery to prevent further burns and rinsing the burn immediately under a cool tap or shower for 10 minutes or more, taking care to protect the eyes. Loosely apply a dry bandage, gauze or clean cotton clothing to the area and take a mild pain reliever for minor burns that don't affect the face.'Ministers need to act'Sarah Newton, an official from the Home Office, told the BBC that tighter restrictions on acids and tougher penalties for their misuse were being discussed. "I and my colleagues in the Home Office have been increasingly concerned about the escalation of instances -- especially in London. So, we've been working with the Metropolitan Police and community policing some months now," she said.Parliament is due to debate the issue on Monday next week at the request of MP Stephen Timms from the main opposition Labour Party."Too many people are frightened of becoming a victim. Ministers need to act," said Timms in a statement before Thursday assaults. Corrosive acids are still quite easy to purchase from local, everyday stores around the UK. Acid was in the past more commonly used in personal disputes, often perpetrated by men against their female partners. Several other recent acid attacks in London have appeared to be racially motivated.Following an attack in June on 21-year-old aspiring model Resham Khan and her cousin Jameel Muhktar, a petition on Change.org demanding that the UK Parliament require individuals purchasing acid to hold a special license now has almost 370,000 signatures.CNN's Simon Cullen, Lindsay Isaac, Alla Eshchenko and journalist Zoha Qamar contributed to this report.
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Story highlightsEnglish team goes from vegetarian to veganSays it is the first club in the world to do soAgrees with WHO report about processed meat (CNN)The World Health Organization report has rocked meat lovers around the world -- but it could not have come at a better time for a soccer club that has championed the idea of vegetarianism.Follow @cnnsport
Forest Green Rovers will go one step further Saturday when the club goes exclusively vegan. The team, which this season is leading the English fifth tier, says the initiative will make it "the world's first vegan football club."Having already dropped meat from its menu in 2011, Forest Green is now doing away with fish and milk products to provide a totally vegan matchday experience for fans."We stopped serving meat to our players, fans and staff about four seasons ago," the club's owner, Dale Vince, a local businessman who made his fortune in green energy, told Rovers' website.Forest Green used to play in black and white but Vince changed the club's colors when he took over in 2010."We've been on a mission since then to introduce our fans to this new world. When you drop the 'meat and two veg' approach, a whole new world of food options opens up. Read More"The gap between vegetarian and vegan food is actually quite small; it's a step rather than a leap to take. A lot of our food has been vegan for some time now, and this season we've taken the last small step."This week, the WHO released a report which placed processed meats, including bacon and sausages, in the same category as smoking and asbestos for causing cancer.JUST WATCHEDExperts: Stop pigging out on baconReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHExperts: Stop pigging out on bacon 02:34According to the report, eating as little as two slices of bacon can increase the risk of bowel cancer by 18%.It says around 34,000 cancer deaths per year have been attributed to diets high in processed meats.Vince, meanwhile, has used his environmental experience to change the way Forest Green operates.His company, Ecotricity, based in Stroud in the west of England, is reportedly worth around $154 million and has helped transformed the local area.In 2012, Forest Green achieved the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) gold standard for environmental performance.The club boasts an organic field, collects water under the pitch to use for irrigation purposes and became the first football club in the UK to go meat-free.Forest Green lost out in the playoffs last season to local rival Bristol RoversIt also uses a "mow-bot" which uses GPS technology to cut the playing surface without needing any human intervention -- and it even sends the groundsman text messages if it needs help.The buildings are fitted with recycled carpet and have been decorated with organic paint.While meat pies have a long association with British football in satisfying fans' hunger pangs, Rovers' partnership with Quorn, which specializes in vegetarian and vegan foods, has served up a menu to supporters of sweet potato burgers, fajitas and pizza.There's also vegan beer and cider on offer, as the club goes all out to promote its message."The meat and dairy industry is responsible for more emissions than all the world's planes, trains, cars and boats put together," Vince added.The club uses an irrigation system which collects water from beneath the playing field"It involves incredible animal cruelty and staggering numbers: in Britain alone, over one billion animals are eaten each year -- three million per day -- and that's not even counting fish. Each of these animals lives a short and awful life, and each of them consumes more food than their bodies provide us with. "Cows, for example, can take up to 10 times more high-quality plant protein -- grains and soya -- than they produce: 10 kg goes in, 1kg comes out, which is madness. And, of course, as the WHO report this week makes plain, meat is bad for human health, being a major cause of cancer. "Making these facts plain and demonstrating what a plant based diet looks, and tastes like, is an important part of our work."Meat industry groups have slammed the WHO report as biased and misleading."They tortured the data to ensure a specific outcome," said Betsy Booren, vice-president of scientific affairs at the North American Meat Institute.Would you support a vegan club? Tell us on CNN FC's Facebook page
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Story highlightsChelsea have completed the signing of Bolton central defender Gary CahillThe 26-year-old England international joins Chelsea for a fee of $10.7 millionCahill's transfer is the biggest in England so far during the transfer windowEric Abidal signs a new contract with Barcelona to end speculation about his futureChelsea have completed the signing of England international defender Gary Cahill from Premier League rivals Bolton Wanderers for a fee of $10.7m.The 26-year-old finalized his protracted move on Monday after agreeing personal terms and passing a medical, making it the biggest English transfer so far during the January window. Cahill has signed a five-and-a-half year contract with the London club, despite doubts beginning to surface about the deal due to the length of time negotiations over his financial terms took.Who are football's top January transfer targets?He told the official Chelsea website: "Chelsea are a massive club. They look to win trophies season in season out and it is a big opportunity for me to be a part of that. "Opportunities like this, you just can't turn down," added Cahill, who has won seven England caps and will be battling with Brazilian David Luiz to partner England captain John Terry at the heart of the Chelsea defense.Speaking on Saturday about Cahill's impending arrival, Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas told reporters: "He has good technical abilities which is important in the way we want to play and to implement our philosophy.JUST WATCHEDWhat is happening with Tevez? ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhat is happening with Tevez? 01:51"Competition will be tight for him but we brought him in to become better as a team."Cahill joined Bolton from Aston Villa in January 2008 and developed into one of England's top defenders during his four years at the Reebok Stadium.However, he had already indicated he was not prepared to sign a new contract, meaning Wanderers were forced to sell him or lose him for free at the end of the season.Meanwhile, the Carlos Tevez transfer saga has taken a new twist after Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti confirmed the Italian club had made a $31.7 million bid for Manchester City's Argentine striker.Speaking to reporters after Inter's 1-0 victory over city rivals AC Milan, Moratti said: "Our offer is 25 million euros -- now it depends on them whether they accept it or not."Inter have emerged as favorites to sign Tevez, after Milan pulled out of the race last week when their plan to sell Alexandre Pato to Paris St Germain fell through following the Brazilian's decision to stay at the San Siro.Ironically big-spending PSG now seem the only realistic challengers for Tevez, who has fallen out of favor at City after refusing to come off the substitutes' bench during the 3-1 Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich earlier in the season.Elsewhere in the Premier League, Blackburn central defender Chris Samba has handed in a written transfer request, despite Rovers manager Steve Kean saying the player was not for sale.The Congolese international has already been the subject of a rejected bid from QPR, while title-chasing Tottenham and French big spenders PSG have also been linked with the player.Samba issued a statement saying: "In my five years at Blackburn I have always given 100% in every game I have played. I have had several opportunities to leave but I have always stayed."I have decided now is the right time for me to pursue a new challenge and I have asked the club to respect my decision and allow me to leave."In other transfer news, Barcelona have announced that French defender Eric Abidal has signed a new deal with the club.The 32-year-old, who had been linked with a move away from the Nou Camp, is now contracted to the European champions until June 2013, with an option to extend the deal until 2015.Abidal has made 177 appearances in four years with Barca, winning the Champions League twice and the Spanish La Liga three times.
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Story highlightsMax Verstappen wins Malaysian GPLewis Hamilton finishes secondExtends title lead to 34 points over Sebastian Vetttel (CNN)Dutchman Max Verstappen secured the second victory of his burgeoning Formula One career with a flawless drive to win the last Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang Sunday.Verstappen, who celebrated his 20th birthday on the eve of the race, put the disappointments of seven retirements in 2017 firmly behind him to claim Red Bull's second win of the season.Follow @cnnsport
Lewis Hamilton quickly conceded the lead to Verstappen after starting from pole, but finished second to extend his title lead over fourth-placed Sebastian Vettel to 34 points with five rounds remaining.7 DNFs in the first 14 races?Distant memories right now for @Max33Verstappen That winning feeling 💪#MalaysiaGP 🇲🇾 pic.twitter.com/RL1g1FE0xN— Formula 1 (@F1) October 1, 2017 Vettel, who started from the back of the grid in his Ferrari after engine problems ruined his qualifying session, produced the drive of the day, but could not dislodge Verstappen's teammate Daniel Ricciardo from the final spot on the podium.To cap a weekend of setbacks for Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen, who qualified in second, was unable to take part after a fault developed in his car ahead of the formation lap.Read MoreREAD: Red Bull to pair with Aston Martin in 2018That left Hamilton with an easier task to maintain his advantage off the start, but on the fourth lap of 56 he was overtaken by the charging Verstappen, who easily maintained his lead until the finish of a largely uneventful race.So how was your #MalaysiaGP, Sebastian Vettel? 🤔Started P19Finished P4Got hit after the 🏁Hitched a lift on a @SauberF1Team car pic.twitter.com/6wjqz4E7O2— Formula 1 (@F1) October 1, 2017 The biggest drama was reserved until after the finish as Vettel's car was clipped by the Williams of Canadian teenager Lance Stroll, wrecking the back wing and leaving the German to hitch a lift back to the pits."That's incredible," complained Vettel. "Stroll wasn't looking where he was going."Stroll had finished a fine eighth. "It's just a very strange incident, it wasn't intentional from either of us," said the 18-year-old.Verstappen, who many tip to be a future F1 world champion, realized he was in with an excellent chance of victory, particularly after Raikkonen's exit and with Hamilton eying the title.JUST WATCHEDMighty Max: Verstappen's desire to winReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMighty Max: Verstappen's desire to win 03:44"He (Hamilton) had more to lose than me in the championship, so I went for it in Turn One and from there I could do my own race," he said.Verstappen had to fend off an attack from Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas on the first corner to defend his second place, but that was to prove the high point of the day for the Finn, who slipped right off the pace in fifth place.With Bottas struggling, it left Hamilton with a lonely task to repel the challenges of Ricciardo and later Vettel, but he was satisfied with his result after a difficult weekend for the usually dominant Mercedes team.READ: Hamilton extends title lead over Vettel in Singapore "It was a tough race," he admitted. "They (Red Bull) had the upper hand on us today."He will now head to Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix next week with a solid, but not unassailable advantage over Vettel, with a maximum of 125 points up for grabs in the remaining races of the F1 season.Sunday's race marked the final edition of the Malaysian GP, which has been staged since 1999, but the country's prime minister, Najib Razak, hinted that it could return at some point.Visit cnn.com/motorsport for more news and videosRazak told reporters that he did not want the Sepang circuit to become a "white elephant" and did not rule out F1 coming back, "if the economics were right."
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(CNN)Colorado and Nevada on Monday became the latest states to join California, Oregon and Washington in the Western States Pact, a working group of Western state governors that will coordinate how to reopen from the stay-at-home orders each has issued to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus."There's no silver bullet that will solve this pandemic until there is a cure, so we must have a multifaceted and bold approach in order to slow the spread of the virus, to keep our people safe and help our economy rebound," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, said in a statement on Monday.Nevada Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak echoed that message, saying he "believe(s) the sharing of critical information and best practices on how to mitigate the spread, protect the health and safety of our residents and reopen responsibly will be invaluable as we chart our paths forward."The inclusion of Colorado and Nevada in the Western States Pact bolsters the collaborative approach to reopening embraced by Democratic governors across the country. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee -- all Democrats as well -- stressed earlier this month that their pact would operate in "in a safe, strategic, responsible way."Read MoreNewsom thanked Colorado and Nevada in a statement Monday for joining their approach. "COVID-19 doesn't follow state or national boundaries, and it will take every level of government, working together to get the upper hand on this virus," he said. Still, the regional alignments come as some states start phased reopenings of their economies even as public health experts have repeatedly stressed the dangers of relaxing social distancing measures too early.President Donald Trump unveiled new guidelines for governors this month meant to help states loosen their social distancing restrictions and restart their economies. The milestones suggested by the White House to reopen include a sustained decrease in cases over a 14-day period, a return to pre-crisis conditions in hospitals and capabilities "to quickly set up safe and efficient screening and testing sites" as well as "quickly and independently supply sufficient Personal Protective Equipment" in hospitals, according to the document, which was obtained by CNN.This story has been updated.
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A serious vulnerability has been exposed in "emergency alert systems" that could be exploited remotely via radio frequencies to activate all the sirens, allowing hackers to trigger false alarms.
The emergency alert sirens are used worldwide to alert citizens about natural disasters, man-made disasters, and emergency situations, such as dangerous weather conditions, severe storms, tornadoes and terrorist attacks.
False alarms can create panic and chaos across the city, as witnessed in Dallas last year, when 156 emergency sirens were turned on for about two hours, waking up residents and sparking fears of a disaster.
Dubbed "SirenJack Attack," the vulnerability discovered by a researcher at Bastille security firm affects warning sirens manufactured by Boston-based ATI Systems, which are being used across major towns and cities, as well as Universities, military facilities, and industrial sites.
According to Balint Seeber, director of threat research at Bastille, since the radio protocol used to control affected sirens is not using any kind of encryption, attackers can simply exploit this weakness to activate sirens by sending a malicious activation message.
"All that is required is a $30 handheld radio and a computer," Seeber claims.
To perform the SirenJack attack, a hacker needs to be in the radio range and identify the radio frequency used by the targeted siren in order to send a specially crafted message.
"Once the frequency was found, analysis of the radio protocol quickly showed that commands were not encrypted and therefore vulnerable to forgery, rendering the system susceptible to malicious activations," Seeber explains.
Researcher finds that Outdoor Public Warning System implemented within the City of San Francisco, designed to alert residents and visitors of about possible danger, has more than 100 warning sirens that malicious hackers can exploit to cause widespread panic and annoyance across the city.
Seeber responsibly disclosed this issue to ATI Systems 90 days ago (on January 8). ATI Systems says the patch is being tested and will shortly be made available to fix its systems implemented in the City of San Francisco.
However, ATI Systems noted that installing the patch is not easy since many of its products are designed depending upon specific needs of each of its customers.
Therefore, customers are advised to contact ATI Systems to determine if they have a vulnerable configuration and/or flawed version of the system, and then take the appropriate steps suggested to remediate the issue.
Bastille researchers also encourage other siren manufacturers to "investigate their own systems to patch and fix this type of vulnerability," in case they find it.
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Story highlightsNovak Djokovic thrashes Tomas Berdych 6-0 6-2 in China Open finalFifth title in Beijing for world number one DjokovicMaria Sharapova claims WTA title in Chinese capitalKei Nishikori triumphs in home tournament in TokyoTomas Berdych finished the China Open final in Beijing Sunday with a broad smile on his face.It is not the reaction one would expect from a top-10 player thrashed 6-0 6-2, but his opponent was world number one Novak Djokovic, and the Serb had been in unstoppable form.Czech star Berdych was 6-0 5-0 down and facing the humiliation of the "double bagel" before staging a brief rally to break back and at least get two games on the board.So his demeanor at the handshake was one of pure relief, despite hardly troubling the scoreboard in a one hour six minute match.Djokovic broke Berdych's giant serve at will from the start and was never seriously troubled as he hit 19 winners in the one-sided contest.JUST WATCHEDJapan erupts in celebration of NishikoriReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHJapan erupts in celebration of Nishikori 02:48JUST WATCHEDHow Novak and Petra conquered WimbledonReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHow Novak and Petra conquered Wimbledon 08:12JUST WATCHEDNovak Djokovic wins Wimbledon crown ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHNovak Djokovic wins Wimbledon crown 02:04The loser acknowledged that he had been playing against someone in very special form."I just said to my coach now that I probably played over 700 matches in my career, and I met guys like Andre (Agassi) , Roge (Federer), all those probably in their best times. But I have never, ever experienced anything like that," he told the ATP Tour website.Form had dictated that Djokovic would emerge the winner, he has entered the ATP 500 event in the Chinese capital on five occasions and each time he has won the title.A straight sets semifinal win over Britain's Andy Murray had also shown him at his best, but Berdych had also dispatched Martin Klizan, the quarterfinal conqueror of world number two Rafael Nadal.Djokovic will now head to Shanghai for a Masters 1000 tournament, which he has won for the past two years.The WTA event in Beijing was claimed by Russia's Maria Sharapova, who beat Petra Kvitova in a tight three-set final.Sharapova will leapfrog Kvitova to go to number two in the rankings with a 6-4 2-6 6-3 win over the Czech.It was her first title since claiming the French Open and her fourth of the year.Kvitova saved a match point in a marathon eighth game in the third set, but Sharapova closed it out in the next game, her sixth victory over her opponent in eight career clashes.In Sunday's other ATP Tour final, there was a popular home triumph for Kei Nishikori in the Japan Open.He beat Canada's big-hitting Milos Raonic, the same player he beat for the 2012 Tokyo title, 7-6 4-6 6-4 at the Ariake Colosseum.Nishikori, who beat Djovovic in the semifinals of the U.S. Open before losing to Marin Cilic, has risen to number five in the race to qualify for the season-ending ATP Tour Finals in London.
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(CNN)The squads of both Ajax and Dynamo Kiev have been decimated by positive Covid-19 cases ahead of their respective Champions League matches.Ajax announced on Monday that 11 players had tested positive before it's tie against Danish side FC Midtjylland on Tuesday.As a result, the Dutch club will travel to Denmark with just 17 players for their third Group D game.Under UEFA rules, Ajax must play the game if 13 or more first-team players are available."There are few players who can play in the Netherlands but did not get permission to enter Denmark and it's a bit strange," Ajax manager Erik ten Hag said during a press conference on Monday.Read MoreREAD: Lionel Messi scores as Cristiano Ronaldo misses Barcelona's victory over JuventusAjax manager ten Hag during its match against Feynoord."They have no symptoms or complaints. If they might still be able to play rests in the hands of the medical personnel and the authorities. I have strong hope that they can play but I am not sure."Ajax lost its opening game in the Champions League to reigning Premier League champions Liverpool while it earned an 2-2 draw to last season's quarterfinalists Atalanta last time out.Elsewhere, six Dynamo Kiev players and five members of staff have tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of its Champions League Group G match against Spanish giants Barcelona on Wednesday."Testing showed a positive result in several players of the team: Georgy Tsitaishvili, Denis Garmash, Mikkel Duelund, Alexander Karavaev, Tudor Belutse and Mykola Shaparenko," the club said in a statement.Shaparenko controls the ball during the Champions League match against Ferencvaros."In addition, the tests of assistant head coach Emil Karas and four representatives of the team's staff gave a positive result."It also added that those who had tested positive were in self-isolation and doing well.Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features, and videosDynamo are third in Group G with one point, five behind leaders Barcelona.Meanwhile 25-year-old Bayern Munich defender Niklas Sule also tested positive ahead of the German's club clash with Red Bull Salzburg while Real Madrid's Brazilian defender Eder Militao recorded a positive test.
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Story highlightsTony Hillery wanted to show kids that tomatoes don't grow in supermarketsHillery started Harlem Grown to teach local children to farm their own foodThe nonprofit includes academic programs and career mentorship, tooNew York (CNN)Six years ago, Tony Hillery was volunteering at a New York City public school in Harlem.In the lunchroom one day, he met a kindergartner who told him that tomatoes grew in the supermarket."It was a real conversation, and she was adamant," he recalled. "And then I did an informal poll with the other students, and they agreed. They had no idea what is healthy food or where it comes from."CNN Hero Tony HilleryMany students lived at or below the poverty line, he said, and lacked affordable, fresh food. But Hillery was shocked to find that many children couldn't properly identify vegetables.Across the street from the school was an abandoned community garden, and Hillery had an idea. He made a few calls, registered it with the city and turned it into what has become a thriving urban farm.Read More"I got this big patch of dirt in the middle of Harlem, and I had never planted anything prior to then," he said.Today, his nonprofit, Harlem Grown, has 10 urban farms throughout the neighborhood. Hillery and his staff teach children how to grow food from seed to harvest and cook healthy meals using the fruits of their labor.Yet Hillery insists that urban farming is the hook to engage the youth. Then his group further enriches their lives through mentoring and exposure to higher education and possible career paths."The whole world can come through this little farm," said Hillery, whose programs reach more than 4,000 young people a year. "Poverty is just lack of access. We bring that access and that opportunity here to them."CNN's Laura Klairmont spoke with Hillery about his work. Below is an edited version of their conversation.CNN: How did the urban farming component of your work take shape?Tony Hillery: After spending so much time with the students, their problems started really coming to focus for me. Lack of access, lack of opportunity -- not just with food, but in life in general.The children referenced the abandoned lot across the street as the haunted garden. There was a lot of unsavory things happening in there. The fence was overgrown. You couldn't see inside. So, I just started cleaning it. After school, the kids would come over and help me. I bought 400 seedlings, and we had 400 students, and made a ceremony of it. Every child planted their seedling, and that was the start of Harlem Grown.CNN: What are the most rewarding aspects of farming and how does it benefit the children?Hillery: Mind you, I had never planted anything before this, and it's common knowledge here at Harlem Grown that I've killed more plants than I've grown. But to take a tiny, little seed, and put it in the ground, and nurture it into a full-grown plant that bears fruit and vegetables that you can consume, it's the most amazing, rewarding thing you can do. When we started, I saw how the children took such pride in taking care of their plants. I knew I was onto something.Here we have a simple formula: If a child plants it, they will eat it. So, we had to take it beyond just getting the food to learning about the food, growing the food. It's educating a child on what it is and how it tastes and how to prepare it. We want these kids to live a more healthy, sustainable lifestyle.But it's not just healthy nutrition, it's healthy lives, healthy community, healthy planet.CNN: And you bring your program right into the schools.Hillery: Currently we're in six elementary schools here in Harlem. During the school year, we're in the lunchrooms every day for breakfast and lunch. We have personal relationships that we develop with each child. You know when something is bothering them, when they're happy, when they're sad. We pick up on that and we work it. A vast majority of our children live in a very uncertain environment. We are a constant; we're always there for them.We build a small, hands-on garden for every school we're in. Our children plant, they tend, till, water, weed, harvest and eat the food we grow. We teach them reduce, reuse, recycle. With the children's help, we started composting -- taking our food scraps and turning into fertilizer that we use for our own crops.JUST WATCHEDCNN Hero Tony Hillery: Growing in HarlemReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCNN Hero Tony Hillery: Growing in Harlem 02:30CNN: How are you helping these young people on a deeper level?Hillery: In a bustling city like New York City, to find an oasis like this where you can go in and everything seems to slow down -- this is their green, safe place. They flock here for that. We use that as our opportunity to give them workshops and exposure to different things that these children would otherwise be totally disconnected from.When I started this program six years ago, every boy wanted to be Lebron James and every girl wanted to be Beyoncé. That was the scope of their vision. The same children today want to be CPAs, engineers, architects; they want to write code. Why? They've simply been exposed to it.Our program is directed by the children themselves. We ask what they're interested in, and we bring that to them. Once we find their spark, it's up to us to keep them engaged. It's not just growing the vegetables, it's growing the children. We're sowing seeds of hope.Want to get involved? Check out the Harlem Grown website and see how to help.To donate to Harlem Grown click the CrowdRise widget below.Tony Hillery, Harlem Grown on CrowdRise
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Story highlightsCurry house owners "can't find chefs" because of immigration lawsFour to five curry houses are closing each week, industry body saysLondon (CNN)Joke all you like about Britain's bland cuisine, but there are few countries in the world that love a spicy curry as much.But the chicken korma and rogan josh that have become British staples are now under serious threat, if some of the country's curry chefs are to be believed -- and in their eyes, it's the European Union's fault. JUST WATCHEDEU referendum: The migrants' viewReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHEU referendum: The migrants' view 01:54On June 23, Britons will vote in a referendum on whether to stay in the EU or leave the bloc. Many of the country's curry house owners and chefs want Britain to leave the EU -- a so-called "Brexit" -- saying current immigration laws make it impossible for them to hire the skilled workers they need to keep their kitchens cooking. The situation is so dire that four or five of Britain's 12,000 curry houses are closing their doors every week, says Oli Khan, vice president of the Bangladeshi Caterers Association. As chefs reach retirement age, there's simply no one around skilled enough to replace them. Read MoreOPINION: Europe's nervous silence on BrexitThe support for Brexit from chefs and curry house owners, predominantly from Bangladesh, has come as a surprise voice in the debate, as the Leave campaign is widely perceived as anti-immigration.Their argument centers around "freedom of movement," one of the pillars of the European Union -- meaning that citizens from across the community can essentially turn up in the country of their choice and try their luck at finding a job."It's not that we think Europeans shouldn't have a chance in Britain, it's just that we feel the country should choose who it needs, what kind of skills they need, so that industries like ours are not short handed," Khan told CNN.Freedom of movement has put pressure on Britain's migrant intake from outside the EU, prompting the government to almost double the minimum salary required for non-EU immigrants, from £18,700 ($26,610) to £35,000 ($50,000)."This just doesn't suit the industry. The average salary for a chef in the country is £25,000, so why should we have to pay a junior chef £35,000 to make curry? It's just not affordable," Khan said. Wish you were ... in or out?"Most South Asians born to immigrants in Britain are highly educated, so they take on other professions, like accounting, which come with better salaries," he explained.That social mobility has left those in the 200-year-old industry scratching their heads to work out where the next generation of curry chefs will come from.Immigration laws 'discriminatory'On Brick Lane, the heartland of London's curry scene, restaurants are packed to the brim on any given night of the week. In the Shaad restaurant, it's all hands on deck during a rush, as dozens break their Ramadan fast with a traditional Bangladeshi curry. Speak English, Brexit campaigners tell would-be migrants"I'm basically doing two people's jobs at once to keep up," head chef Mohammad Anam Hussain tells CNN, speaking Bengali through a translator."We need more staff, but it's difficult to find the right people already here in Britain. "And it's difficult to keep the quality of the food and service up when we're so stretched," he says. "We really need more skilled workers."The restaurant has three chefs and two kitchen hands, but it's still not enough. It has hired Eastern European and Spanish staff in the past, but Hussain says they never seem to work out. "There was a language barrier, and they didn't really like it," Hussain says. "They usually last around four weeks and find another job."Diners choose from a long list of curries on London's Brick Lane. Hussain complains that he hasn't understood much of the campaigning around the referendum, adding that it seems like a debate among the country's elite, with few immigrant voices in the mix."We are a multicultural society, so I don't think it's fair that white people are given priority for immigration," he said.The curry chefs have added a little spice to the debate, which many Britons say has been dull and confusing. Polls show that with less than two weeks to go until the referendum there are a significant number of voters still undecided -- so many that they as a group could determine an outcome.'Brexit' foes trade barbs on race as debate heats upAn organization called Operation Black Vote has welcomed the curry chefs' decision to add their voice to the debate, saying discussions on race and immigration prior to that have been "toxic" and have "demonized" ethnic minorities."I think it's great they're getting involved because the debate around immigration has been so negative," Operation Black Vote Director Simon Woolley told CNN."What these chefs are saying is that 'We're British, we have a role and a voice in this, and we have something positive to offer.' So it's a very welcome voice among all the noise and toxicity." In 2015, net immigration to Britain was 330,000. Per capita, this is not an unusual figure for an economy as strong as Britain's, but it is the second-highest number on record and has fanned the flames of anti-immigration sentiment.'Naughty' BrexitBut there are plenty of non-EU immigrants who think Britain is better off in the EU.Around the corner from Brick Lane is Whitechapel Market, where Asian, Middle Eastern and African immigrants tout everything from shoes and clothes, to exotic fruits and vegetables to cut-price toiletries.Oli Khan says immigration laws mean it costs too much to bring in curry chefs from Bangladesh.Many here say being part of the EU is good for the economy, and that leaving would require a costly and time-consuming renegotiation of trade."I think that the main risk as a businessman is the risk of [losing] free trade with Europe, which is beneficial to business people and their people as well," said Ahfaz Miah, who has owned a jewelry shop at the market for 21 years.Aisha Jama, a Sudanese immigrant shopping for headscarves, said she wanted to stay in the Union because of its high human rights standards."I think it's a bit naughty to say we want to do our own thing and to hell with the rest of Europe," she said.CNN's Antonia Mortensen contributed to this report.
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Story highlightsLewis Hamilton finishes first in qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix Hamilton claims his 33rd pole position to equal the British record Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel places second behind Hamilton Wet conditions at the Sepang Circuit made it tricky for drivers Saturday Lewis Hamilton grabbed his second straight pole position to begin the 2014 Formula One season. But he hopes the Malaysian Grand Prix goes better than the opener in Melbourne. Hamilton was forced to retire early into the Australian Grand Prix this month and could only watch as Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg emerged victorious. "For myself and for the team the priority is to try to bag as many points, collectively, me and Nico," Hamilton told reporters Saturday. "I think we have a great opportunity. "We've got a great car and the team's just performing fantastically right now, so fingers crossed we both see our way through to the finish line."Hamilton bettered reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull by 0.055 seconds in a rain-hit, eventful qualifying session at the Sepang International Circuit for the 33rd pole of his career. That ties him for the British record with Jim Clark. JUST WATCHEDHamilton praises Mercedes progressReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHamilton praises Mercedes progress 03:00JUST WATCHEDCan Caterham secure points in 2014?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCan Caterham secure points in 2014? 03:16JUST WATCHEDVettel: 'It will be a long season'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHVettel: 'It will be a long season' 01:20JUST WATCHEDVettel's dominance could bore F1 fansReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHVettel's dominance could bore F1 fans 03:32Rosberg was third. "Today was just incredible, how much, firstly, it rained before qualifying and then during the session it was very, very tricky out there I think for everyone," said Hamilton. "Particularly at the end it was almost impossible to see anything. "During my last lap I just couldn't see a thing behind (Force India's Nico) Hulkenberg. I couldn't see where the track went, didn't know where the corners were, when to brake." Even though he was only fractionally behind Hamilton in qualifying, Vettel suggested Mercedes was the team to beat Sunday. "I think Mercedes as a team has the best package," he told reporters. "They've done a very good job across the break."I think they're the favorites at the moment, no matter, I think, where we go. As a fact, after that I think it's fairly close between the other Mercedes-powered teams and probably Ferrari and us."Former world champion Fernando Alonso finished fourth -- despite colliding with Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso -- followed by Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. Caterham's Marcus Ericsson crashed in the first qualifying session, losing control of his car and hitting the wall. Williams' Valtteri Bottas received a grid penalty -- going from 15th to 18th -- after impeding a not impressed Ricciardo. "We raced each other a lot in the junior categories and I thought we had a lot of respect for each other, but it's a little difficult how many times he's done that now," Ricciardo was quoted as saying by Autosport.com. Read: Rosberg takes season opener
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Facebook made some important changes to the way in Facebook Pages, the fan pages set up by brands, bands and even cucumbers could be created.
In the past the tabs which could be added to these pages have been set up in two ways; the first used the Facebook FBML app. This allowed page tabs to be created using static Facebook Markup Language (FBML) or HTML, it wasn't particularly engaging but it was very simple to use. The second method for creating page tabs was by adding a custom Facebook app inside a standard FBML tab. This meant the custom app could request external data from a third party and display it inside the page tab. This content though was subject to many technical limitations, as it was all proxied through Facebook which broke many things including tracking pixels, JavaScript and Flash.
So what is the big change? Well Facebook now allow iframes to be included inside Facebook apps on page tabs, meaning that all that Facebook proxying can be avoided. While this is no doubt great news for legitimate developers it will undoubtedly make life for those with malicious intent much easier too.
It is now possible to set up a Facebook page, create a default landing tab (the one you first see when you visit the page) and include an app that contains an iframe. That iframe can for example contain JavaScript which immediately and without user interaction redirects you to any site it chooses. Say for example a page containing Fake AV or a page where an exploit kit is waiting to silently infect you with malware.
No more likejacking required, no more having to persuade users to install your app, if a criminal can make the bait sweet enough just to get you to visit the page, that is all they will require to start the chain that leads to your computer being compromised and used for criminal purposes.
Of course Facebook ask their developers to agree to a code of conduct that prohibits such activities, but when it comes to criminals, that's a bit like taking a driving license away from a joyrider.
I have informed Facebook of this oversight in their new functionality and will update this blog posting if I hear back from them.
Thanks to Stig Edvartsen for his eagle-eyes and Heidi Obschil-Müller for the iframe
News Source : https://mcaf.ee/b81e2
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Dr. John Lee is senior fellow at the Hudson Institute (Washington) and United States Studies Centre (Sydney), and an adjunct professor at the University of Sydney. From 2016 until April 2018 he was senior national security adviser to the Australian foreign minister and also served as the lead adviser on the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper. The opinions expressed here are his own. (CNN)On the day Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne met Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing to signal the beginning of a thaw in the Australia-China bilateral relationship, her boss, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, announced a $2.2 billion infrastructure package as part of the government's "step-up to the Pacific."Few Australian politicians want to admit that the "step-up" is targeted against another country. But it is occurring as Australians are becoming increasingly concerned with the significant Chinese increase of its diplomatic, economic and potentially military presence in the South Pacific, an area that has long been considered by Canberra to be its "backyard." The motivation for this massive investment is the worst kept secret in Australian foreign policy: Australians know it is about China; the South Pacific Islands know it is about China; even Beijing knows it is about China.Is Australia over-reacting? If not, why now? And can an economy less than one-eighth the size of China's really compete with the latter's ambitions in the South Pacific?John LeeFor foreigners, the national importance Australia attaches to the Pacific might be difficult to understand. In April 2018, Australian media reports claimed China had approached Vanuatu about building up its military presence on the island, and potentially opening a military base. Having given the island of around 270,000 people hundreds of millions of dollars of development aid, the reports also indicated that Beijing had been negotiating with Vanuatu about host and even basing rights for People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ships.Read MoreNo subsequent proof of these supposed negotiations was released. It was later denied by Vanuatu and rubbished by China. Even so, the reports generated at least as much popular interest and concern as China's well-known island-building program in the South China Sea and militarization of these artificial islands.In Australian strategic circles, the notion of a supposed naval base around 2,500 kilometers (1,500 miles) from its shoreline did more than raise eyebrows. It played into the country's sense of vulnerability. As reaffirmed in the 2016 Defense White Paper, the highest priority has been given to ensuring that no potentially hostile power is able to approach the Australian continent from Southeast Asia or the South Pacific in its national defense strategy.Moreover, it has long been unofficial policy between allies that the United States and Japan secure Northeast Asia, the US with Australian support secures Southeast Asia, and Australia takes the primary responsibility for securing the South Pacific. Perhaps a naval base hosting PLA vessels in Vanuatu was never in the cards. But the PLA is seeking to enhance its reach and any permanent Chinese military presence in the South Pacific would allow the its Navy to "break out" into the Western Pacific Ocean. That scenario -- or any other base offered to it by a poor and desperate Pacific Island -- would fundamentally undermine Australian strategic policy which has been in place since the end of World War II.China could overtake Australia as biggest donor to Pacific, if it pays upThis brings us back to Morrison's multi-billion infrastructure package, which includes funding an infrastructure bank for projects in the region. In the previous decade, Chinese funding of Pacific Island countries was part of its strategy of using "checkbook diplomacy" to persuade small island countries to recognize the People's Republic of China rather than Taiwan as the true "China."At least according to the Australian view, Chinese checkbook diplomacy is now about more than seeking official recognition at Taiwan's expense. It is also about winning over these small countries to China's way of thinking, whether it be about basing rights, controlling critical infrastructure in those countries or forcing states to turn a blind eye to controversial Chinese policies such as in the South China Sea.Beijing achieves this through showering small economies -- which would otherwise find it difficult to attract foreign investment -- with cheap loans. As has occurred in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos and Pakistan, the tendency of these small and developing economies to accept far more debt that they can repay allows Beijing to dictate the political and/or strategic terms of any debt-forgiveness or restructuring assistance. Persistent suspicion that China is seeking to use Hanabata and Gwadar Ports in debt-ridden Sri Lanka and Pakistan respectively for military purposes in the future only raises the discomfort levels for Australia when it comes to China in the South Pacific.China using 'debtbook diplomacy' to spread its strategic aims in Asia PacificCertainly, China does not take half-measures. Since 2011, it has offered at least $1.3 billion in donations and concessionary loans to Pacific Island countries. This surpasses the $1.2 billion New Zealand has given over the same period. China's amount is second only to the $6.6 billion from Australia.To be sure, Australia remains the preeminent aid and development contributor to the South Pacific and its decades of working with these small island economies means Canberra is well-positioned to remain the "partner of choice."Even so, Australia has been largely reactive and playing defense to China offense. For example, Canberra signed an agreement with the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea in July to pay for undersea cables between the three countries in a last-minute bid to prevent Chinese firm Huawei from receiving the contract. In September, Canberra joined with the US in a last ditch attempt to thwart Huawei winning approval to build the domestic Internet cable network in Papua New Guinea. These, and other, efforts have been reactive to Chinese overtures.The point is not to outbid China in terms of short-term generosity or allow Pacific Island nations to play Australia off against China to maximize both countries' largesse. Morrison intends to ensure that these small economies will choose an Australian backed funding source which abides by World Bank and other international commercial standards but where access is fast-tracked and not held up by unnecessary regulations (typical of World Bank and Asian Development Bank Loans), and which impose repayment terms that are sustainable and will not endanger the solvency of these economies.Australia knows it cannot keep China out of the South Pacific. But it can warn these developing economies about the price of severe indebtedness to China and offer them a ready alternative when it comes to the funding of critical infrastructure which would have domestic and/or regional security implications.Most of all, recent Australian policy is belated recognition it needs to compete in a region which has remain benign and free from potentially hostile external influence for over seven decades.
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Adobe is closing out this year with its December Patch Tuesday update to address a massive number of security vulnerabilities for just its two PDF apps—more than double the number of what Microsoft patched this month for its several products.
Adobe today released patches for 87 vulnerabilities affecting its Acrobat and Reader software products for both macOS and Windows operating systems, of which 39 are rated as critical and 48 important in severity.
The security update comes less than a week after Adobe released patches for a critical zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2018-15982) in Flash Player that was actively being exploited in a targeted attack targeting a Russian state health care institution.
The critical vulnerabilities addressed today in Acrobat and Reader include three heap-overflow bugs, five out-of-bounds write flaws, two untrusted pointer dereference issues, two buffer errors, and 24 use-after-free bugs.
Upon successful exploitation, all of the above critical vulnerabilities would allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on compromised computers.
Rest three critical-rated issues addressed this month are all security bypass issues which, if exploited, would lead to privilege escalation.
In addition to the critical bugs, Adobe patched 48 'important' security flaws in the Acrobat and Reader, including 43 are out-of-bounds read issues, four integer overflow flaws, and two security bypass issues—all of which could lead to information disclosure.
According to the company's support website, vulnerabilities rated as important, "if exploited would compromise data security, potentially allowing access to confidential data, or could compromise processing resources in a user's computer."
The company did not disclose technical details of any of the vulnerabilities, but categorized all the flaws, both critical and important, as "Priority 2," meaning that the flaws are unlikely to be exploited in the wild but are at high risk of being exploited.
"There are currently no known exploits. Based on previous experience, we do not anticipate exploits are imminent," Adobe says. "As a best practice, Adobe recommends administrators install the update soon (for example, within 30 days)."
Users of the Adobe Acrobat and Reader apps for Windows and macOS operating systems are highly recommended to update their software packages to the latest versions as soon as possible.
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It didn't take long. Intelligence agencies and cybersecurity researchers had been warning that unpatched Exchange Servers could open the pathway for ransomware infections in the wake of swift escalation of the attacks since last week.
Now it appears that threat actors have caught up.
According to the latest reports, cybercriminals are leveraging the heavily exploited ProxyLogon Exchange Server flaws to install a new strain of ransomware called "DearCry."
"Microsoft observed a new family of human operated ransomware attack customers – detected as Ransom:Win32/DoejoCrypt.A," Microsoft researcher Phillip Misner tweeted. "Human operated ransomware attacks are utilizing the Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities to exploit customers."
Microsoft's security intelligence team, in a separate tweet, confirmed that it has begun "blocking a new family of ransomware being used after an initial compromise of unpatched on-premises Exchange Servers."
Security firm Kryptos Logic said it identified about 6,970 exposed web shells, some of which were used to infect the compromised servers with DearCry ransomware, suggesting that other cybercriminal groups are piggybacking on the first-stage web shell backdoor planted by the Hafnium threat actor to install additional malware of their choice.
Calling DearCry a "copy" ransomware, Sophos Director Mark Loman said the strain creates encrypted copies of the attacked files using an encryption key embedded in the ransomware binary and deletes the original versions, thereby allowing the victims to "potentially recover some data" due to this encryption-behavior.
"Defenders should take urgent steps to install Microsoft's patches to prevent exploitation of their Microsoft Exchange patches. If this is not possible, the server should be disconnected from the internet or closely monitored by a threat response team," Loman said.
In a joint advisory published by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the agencies warned that "adversaries could exploit these vulnerabilities to compromise networks, steal information, encrypt data for ransom, or even execute a destructive attack."
Successful weaponization of the flaws allows an attacker to access victims' Exchange Servers, enabling them to gain persistent system access and control of an enterprise network. With the new ransomware threat, unpatched Servers are not only at risk of potential data theft but also get potentially encrypted, preventing access to an organization's mailboxes.
PoC Takedown From GitHub Triggers Debate
Meanwhile, as nation-state hackers and cybercriminals pile on to take advantage of the ProxyLogon flaws, a proof-of-concept (PoC) code shared on Microsoft-owned GitHub by a security researcher has been taken down by the company, citing that the exploit is under active attack.
In a statement to Vice, the company said, "In accordance with our Acceptable Use Policies, we disabled the gist following reports that it contains proof of concept code for a recently disclosed vulnerability that is being actively exploited."
The move has also sparked a debate of its own, with researchers arguing that Microsoft is "silencing security researchers" by removing PoCs shared on GitHub.
"This is huge, removing a security researchers code from GitHub against their own product and which has already been patched," TrustedSec's Dave Kennedy said. "It was a PoC, not a working exploit — none of the PoCs have had the RCE. Even if it did, that's not their call on when the appropriate time to release is. It's an issue in their own product, and they are silencing security researchers on that."
This was also echoed by Google Project Zero researcher Tavis Normandy.
"If the policy from the start was no PoC/metasploit/etc — that would suck, but it's their service," Normandy said in a tweet. "Instead they said OK, and now that it's become the standard for security pros to share code, they have elected themselves the arbiters of what is 'responsible.' How convenient."
But replying to Kennedy on Twitter, security researcher Marcus Hutchins said "'Has already been patched.' Dude, there's more than 50,000 unpatched exchange servers out there. Releasing a full ready to go RCE chain is not security research, it's recklessness and stupid."
If anything, the avalanche of attacks should serve as a warning to patch all versions of the Exchange Server as soon as possible, while also take steps to identify signs of indicators of compromise associated with the hacks, given that the attackers were exploiting these zero-day vulnerabilities in the wild for at least two months before Microsoft released the patches on March 2.
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Google has started rolling out this month's security updates for its mobile operating system platform to address a total of 33 new security vulnerabilities affecting Android devices, 9 of which have been rated critical in severity.
The vulnerabilities affect various Android components, including the Android operating system, framework, library, media framework, as well as Qualcomm components, including closed-source components.
Three of the critical vulnerabilities patched this month reside in Android's Media framework, the most severe of which could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on a targeted device, within the context of a privileged process, by convincing users into opening a specially crafted malicious file.
"The severity assessment is based on the effect that exploiting the vulnerability would possibly have on an affected device, assuming the platform and service mitigations are turned off for development purposes or if successfully bypassed," the company says.
Out of the remaining seven critical vulnerabilities, one affects Android Library, one affects the System, two resides in Qualcomm components (one in DSP_Services and one in Kernel), and three resides in Qualcomm closed-source components.
Besides this, a high-severity flaw (CVE-2019-2104) in the Android Framework could allow an installed malicious app to bypass user interaction requirements in an attempt to gain access to additional permissions.
Six high-severity vulnerabilities addressed in Qualcomm components resides in WLAN Host (CVE-2019-2276, CVE-2019-2307), WLAN Driver (CVE-2019-2305), HLOS (CVE-2019-2278), and Audio (CVE-2019-2326, CVE-2019-2328).
According to the Android security advisory, none of the flaws addressed this month were publicly disclosed or found being exploited in the wild.
Apart from releasing patches for security vulnerabilities, the Android Security Patch for July 2019 also includes fixes for various issues in some of the supported version of Pixel devices.
Pixel smartphone users will get the July updates shortly, while others will have to wait for their Android device manufacturers or service providers to roll out the security patches for their devices.
Users are strongly recommended to download the most recent Android security updates as soon as they are available in order to keep their Android devices protected against any potential attack.
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JUST WATCHEDBrazil's perfect storm of crises ahead of OlympicsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHBrazil's perfect storm of crises ahead of Olympics 03:10 (CNN)The Olympic Games arrive in Brazil at a time when the country is ravaged by crises.With two months to go until the cauldron is lit in Rio de Janeiro, the host of South America's first Games is grappling with a public health emergency, a governmental meltdown and economic woes.While pressure and scrutiny in the build up to a major sports event is nothing new, Brazil faces a unique cocktail of difficulties.But despite the spread of the Zika virus throughout the region, President Dilma Rousseff standing down amid corruption allegations and Brazil's worst recession in over two decades, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) insist the show will go on.And as Brazil fights fires within its own borders, the international sporting community is battling its own controversies.Read MoreAllegations of doping hang over track and field.Russia faces the prospect of its athletes missing the Games, while the IOC revealed samples taken from participants at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics have tested positive for banned substances.It is against this backdrop that the world's biggest celebration of sport begins on August 5."I think it's all a perfect storm," Ed Hula, Olympics expert and founder and editor of online publication Around the Rings, told CNN's Connect The World."Anything bad that could happen to Rio de Janeiro seems to be happening at this point."ZikaIt's caused athletes to pull out of the Games and some countries to unveil special protective uniforms.But it seems the Zika virus won't derail Rio 2016. While the symptoms of the virus -- which include a rash, headaches and joint pain -- aren't severe, Zika has been linked to microcephaly in newborn babies and some cases of the muscle-weakening disease Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults.With this in mind, more than 100 prominent doctors and professors recently wrote an open letter to the WHO urging that the Olympics be moved or postponed "in the name of public health.""It is unprecedented," Hula said of the calls to stop the Games going ahead. "But there have been major sports events that have been moved because of concerns about health."The Women's World Cup (soccer) in 2002 was moved from China over fears about the Swine flu virus."So it has happened before, it won't happen to the Olympics this time around." And despite the outcry, the WHO remains unmoved."Based on current assessment, canceling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics will not significantly alter the international spread of Zika virus," it said in a statement. "Brazil is one of almost 60 countries and territories which to-date report continuing transmission of Zika by mosquitoes."People continue to travel between these countries and territories for a variety of reasons. The best way to reduce risk of disease is to follow public health travel advice."WHO revises sex guidelines for Zika preventionIt has also been suggested that, with the Games taking place during the Brazilian winter, mosquito numbers will be lower, decreasing the risk of transmission.When asked by CNN if it had a response to the open letter, the IOC said it was following the WHO's advice on the matter.While the WHO sees no reason to move or postpone the Games, it has updated its guidance on the virus -- including doubling the amount of time it suggests couples practice safe sex after returning from Zika affected areas from four to eight weeks.In addition, it recommends: "Couples or women planning a pregnancy, living or returning from areas where transmission of Zika virus is known to occur, are strongly recommended to wait at least 8 weeks before trying to conceive to ensure that any possible Zika virus infection has cleared; and 6 months if the male partner was symptomatic."JUST WATCHEDEverything you need to know about Zika ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHEverything you need to know about Zika 01:42PoliticsBrazil has been firmly in the spotlight for several years now -- and not for the right reasons. A backdrop of Zika, a spiraling economy and a uncertain leadership future is hardly what Brazilians hoped for when the Games were awarded to Rio in 2009. Just a few short months out from the Games and Rousseff has been forced out of office, accused of breaking budget laws, and Vice President Temer has stepped in as interim leader for 180 days. They have got a lot of problems to deal with in these final 60-odd days.Ed Hula, Olympics expertWhile her political future is uncertain, Rousseff will continue to hold the title of President, but will not be fulfilling the duties of the office. Rio mayor welcomes federal Olympic investigation"Well they've had more problems in the run up to these Games than we've seen with anything in the recent Games," explains Hula. "The health crisis, the construction, the corruption, the absence of an important leader for the government to lead the way for Brazil into the Olympics -- (it's) all very difficult situation for the Olympics, for Brazil, for Rio de Janiero."He adds: "They are doing the best they can but they have got a lot of problems to deal with in these final 60-odd days."
Zika, recession, political scandal loom over OlympicsVenuesThe battle for Olympic medals will take place at 32 venues spread across the city.
With so many shadows hanging over South America's first-ever Olympic Games, the venues have been a bright spot.According to organizers, the permanent sporting structures are almost 100 percent complete."Everything's going to be ready on time," Gustavo Nascimento, head of venue management for Rio 2016, told CNN. "We're going to deliver the park fully commissioned July 24 when we welcome the athletes for training."Since a senior IOC official slammed preparations for the Games as the "worst ever" back in 2014, organizers sped up construction.JUST WATCHEDOlympic sailors not daunted by sewage in Rio watersReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHOlympic sailors not daunted by sewage in Rio waters 02:00Now, most of the venues have been completed, including venues at the extreme sports complex in northwestern Rio and the structures at the main Olympic Park in the western part of the city -- such as the aquatic center, tennis stadium and handball arena.The exception is the velodrome. Just this week, the Rio city government said it canceled its contract with the construction company in charge of the velodrome after the firm filed for bankruptcy. But officials insist they will hand over the venue later this month, as scheduled."We are finalizing construction on the velodrome but everything else is built as far as construction, heavy construction is concerned," Nascimento said.City and state officials have failed, however, to make good on promises to clean up the sewage-clogged Guanabara Bay, where sailing and windsurfing events will be held."These are the first Olympics to be held on the Atlantic Ocean," Hula added."They might have taken it as a point of pride to say we're going to clean up the bay, we're going to clean up the pollution. But it's not going to happen for these Games. It's 50%, 60% treated and people will just have to be careful."As the countdown continues, organizers are working on the final stages."We are now in the middle of the construction of temporary infrastructure like tents, trailers cabins," Nascimento said.On Copacabana beach, tents for beach volleyball events are going up as well as metal bleachers for spectators."I'm asked if I'm biting my nails? I don't have time to bite my nails," Nascimento said. "Adrenaline is high. A lot of work yet to be done. But also a huge sense of pride of what we've accomplished so far. It's a transformation that already we can see in Rio."JUST WATCHEDOlympc athletes vs. Rio's polluted watersReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHOlympc athletes vs. Rio's polluted waters 02:54PeopleWith Brazil facing so many challenges, how do its people feel about the arrival of the Olympic Games? We took to the streets of Rio de Janeiro to find out how they are really feeling about the upcoming Games.Doping JUST WATCHEDThe evolution of doping in sportReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe evolution of doping in sport 02:19From a sporting perspective, doping has overshadowed the build-up to these Games. And much of the focus has been on Russia.Its track and field athletes were suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) last November after a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report accused Russia of running a "state-sponsored" doping program.The suspension may well extend to Rio; the IAAF council is scheduled to meet June 17 to hear an update from a task force monitoring Russia's attempt to be reinstated.To make matters worse for Russia, the FBI and federal prosecutors in the U.S. announced last month they would be launching their own investigation into doping claims.JUST WATCHEDRussia: Olympic doping allegations a 'major shock'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRussia: Olympic doping allegations a 'major shock' 01:09Kenya and Mexico, too, have felt the wrath of WADA for failing to get their respective anti-doping programs up to its standards.And if the current climate wasn't bleak enough, the IOC has revealed samples it retested from the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Games have returned positive results.But the IOC has a plan.It has announced it is doubling the budget for its pre-Olympic testing program, with special attention being paid to countries it deems "non compliant" -- namely Kenya, Mexico and Russia.In addition, it is working with national federations to ensure that athletes who -- during retesting and after analysis of B samples -- are found to have doped during previous Games are suspended and prevented from competing at Rio 2016.The IOC has also said it is expanding its program for retesting samples from the last two Summer Olympics, with a specific focus on medal winners.JUST WATCHEDExclusive: Olympic Chief talks about doping allegationsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHExclusive: Olympic Chief talks about doping allegations 04:24
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Earlier this month, a massive data breach at VTech – the maker of tablets and gadgets aimed at children – exposed the personal details of about 4.8 Million parents and photos of more than 200,000 Children.
If that was not bad enough…
…it turns out that the massive cyber attack against the toymaker company also left hundreds of thousands of snaps of parents and children, as well as a year worth of chat logs kept online in a way easily accessible to hackers.
VTech Data Breach
In a statement released Monday, the toymaker company VTech said the hacked database included victim's profile information including:
Customers' names
Email addresses
Passwords (One-way encrypted using MD5 hash that can be cracked in no time)
Secret questions and answers for password retrieval
IP addresses
Residential addresses
Download history
The database also included information on children including names, genders and date of births.
Also Read: Caution! Hackers Can Easily Hijack Popular Baby Monitors to Watch Your Kids.
However, the Hong Kong-based company noted the database didn't contain any credit card or personal identification information like social security numbers (SSNs) and driver license IDs.
Hack Leaks Photos and Chat Logs of Children & Parents
What's even more worrisome is that…
In addition to the above information, data from Kid Connect – a service VTech offered to let parents communicate with their kids – was also hacked. Kid Connect information included:
Pictures of Children and parents
Chat logs between parents and children
How did VTech Data Breach Happen?
The massive data breach actually occurred on Nov. 14 and impacted VTech's Learning Lodge app store database, which features learning game apps and other educational tools for kids to download on their VTech devices.
The kiddie toymaker company had alerted Learning Lodge customers of the recent hack, and had "temporarily suspended" the Learning Lodge site along with 13 of its associated websites as a precautionary measure, VTech said on its website Monday.
The hacker that discovered the data breach told Motherboard that he has no plans to misuse the leaked information he gathered.
However, now, when the information – including snaps and chat logs – is available online, it could be even harder for VTech to try to pretend that everything is all right.
VTech says it is still investigating the matter, and will look into new ways to strengthen its security. It also alerted customers of potential exposure, encouraging them to follow up with the company via email (vtechkids@vtechkids.com in the U.S.).
Experts Warn of More Cyber Attacks
Now that the massive database from VTech is available online, security experts are warning that hackers and cyber criminals are likely to use this information in order target similar IoT (Internet of Things) companies that handle customer data.
Also Read: How Drones Can Find and Hack Internet-of-Things Devices From the Sky
Breaches like VTech are not unusual, but since it involves services aimed at children that generally do not get much of the attention when it comes to the security of data.
Affected? How to Check and What to Do?
If you are a parent holding a Learning Lodge account, you are advised to check Have I Been Pwned? website, which compiles all the data from breaches and now includes users accounts stolen from VTech.
If you found your Learning Lodge account affected, you should:
Change your password immediately
Also, change your password retrieval information
You are also advised to change the passwords on any other online accounts for which you are using the same password as for Learning Lodge account.
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Two separate proofs-of-concept (PoC) exploit code for Memcached amplification attack have been released online that could allow even script-kiddies to launch massive DDoS attacks using UDP reflections easily.
The first DDoS tool is written in C programming language and works with a pre-compiled list of vulnerable Memcached servers.
Bonus—its description already includes a list of nearly 17,000 potential vulnerable Memcached servers left exposed on the Internet.
Whereas, the second Memcached DDoS attack tool is written in Python that uses Shodan search engine API to obtain a fresh list of vulnerable Memcached servers and then sends spoofed source UDP packets to each server.
Last week we saw two record-breaking DDoS attacks—1.35 Tbps hit Github and 1.7 Tbps attack against an unnamed US-based company—which were carried out using a technique called amplification/reflection attack.
For those unaware, Memcached-based amplification/reflection attack amplifies bandwidth of the DDoS attacks by a factor of 51,000 by exploiting thousands of misconfigured Memcached servers left exposed on the Internet.
Memcached is a popular open source distributed memory caching system, which came into news earlier last week when researchers detailed how hackers could abuse it to launch amplification/reflection DDoS attack by sending a forged request to the targeted Memcached server on port 11211 using a spoofed IP address that matches the victim's IP.
A few bytes of the request sent to the vulnerable Memcached server can trigger tens of thousands of times bigger response against the targeted IP address, resulting in a powerful DDoS attack.
For a detailed explanation on how Memcached amplification attack works, you can head on to our previous article.
Since last week when Memcached has been revealed as a new amplification/reflection attack vector, some hacking groups started exploiting unsecured Memcached servers.
But now the situation will get worse with the release of PoC exploit code, allowing anyone to launch massive DDoS attacks, and will not come under control until the last vulnerable Memcached server is patched, or firewalled on port 11211, or completely taken offline.
Moreover, cybercriminals groups have already started weaponizing this new DDoS technique to threaten big websites for extorting money.
Following last week's DDoS attack on GitHub, Akamai reported its customers received extortion messages delivered alongside the typically "junk-filled" attack payloads, asking them for 50 XMR (Monero coins), valued at over $15,000.
Reflection/amplification attacks are not new. Attackers have previously used this DDoS attack technique to exploit flaws in DNS, NTP, SNMP, SSDP, Chargen and other protocols in order to maximize the scale of their cyber attacks.
To mitigate the attack and prevent Memcached servers from being abused as reflectors, the best option is to bind Memcached to a local interface only or entirely disable UDP support if not in use.
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The Security Software company Malwarebytes has discovered a malicious scam spreading through rogue tweets by a number of fake Twitter accounts with a link to a story that says the United States Government is trying to ban cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
"The majority of the accounts pushing these things are clearly fake, using gathered Twitter handles to launch the barrage of malicious spam at the Twitterverse," wrote Adam Kujawa of Malwarebytes in a blog post on Thursday.
In most cases, cybercriminals use to spread the malicious software via an email, but distribution of malware through social media is relatively new tantrum of cyber criminals, as more people are fond of social media platforms now a days.
Adam discovered the scam and according to him the worst part of this new Twitter scam is that even without realizing the impact of this fake news, other Twitter users are retweeting from their accounts, making the malware scam more worse.
The tweets contain links lead to a news video on the Wall Street Journal and once you click on the link to watch the news video, you'll be first asked to install Adobe Flash Player.
As soon as you click on the "Install" icon, it will actually start downloading a piece of malware and this malware then further could be used by the spammers to download even more sophisticated malware onto your system.
The researcher analyzed the malware and found it to be a remote access Trojan (RAT), which is possibly related to the Darkcomet RAT.
"According to my own dynamic analysis, the malware creates an establish connection with a remote server and drops additional malware, such as the "notepad.exe" that is found in the Temp folder and beaconing out to the same remote server as the initial Install file," said Adam.
The URL of the link is actually sticking to the domain "www.siam-sunrise.com" which belongs to a website for a business in Thailand. Aside from the URL, the phishing site looks quite legitimate to the Wall Street Journal website with WSJ logo to trick the visitors.
Twitter has already shut down numerous accounts related to the spam and users are highly recommended to have a good anti-virus solution on their systems and avoid clicking any suspicious link and if found, immediately report the suspicious tweets to Twitter as Spam.
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Story highlightsMario Balotelli not surprised by Roberto Mancini's sacking by Manchester City ownersBalotelli worked under the Italian coach at Manchester City and Inter MilanItaly striker describes Mancini as a "great manager"Forward says there were "problems inside" City squadRoberto Mancini's sacking as Manchester City manager came as no surprise to Mario Balotelli.A year to the day after winning City's first championship in nearly half a century, Mancini was sacked by the club's Abu Dhabi owners on Monday.The 48-year-old Mancini's dismissal followed City's shock FA Cup defeat by Wigan on Saturday and their inability to defend their English Premier League title as rivals Manchester United ran away with the league this season.AC Milan striker Balotelli -- who played a part in City's Premier League title success as City finished top for the first time in 44 years last season -- endured a love-hate relationship with his former manager before his move to Italy.JUST WATCHEDMourinho on the enigma of BalotelliReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMourinho on the enigma of Balotelli 01:35JUST WATCHEDIs Manchester City manager Mancini out? ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHIs Manchester City manager Mancini out? 02:56JUST WATCHEDAlex Ferguson's recipe for successReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHAlex Ferguson's recipe for success 02:42"I am not really surprised," Balotelli, who joined Milan in a $30 million transfer in January, told CNN. "When I was with him he was a great manager and we had the best, I think, one of the best teams I have played with."Read: City dismiss Roberto ManciniAfter Mancini's sacking, City's former kit man Stephen Aziz, described the Italian as "arrogant, vain and self-centred" in one of a series of tweets that were later deleted from his Twitter account on Tuesday.And Balotelli hinted at difficulties within the City squad."I don't know why they didn't win. But obviously there were some problems inside - I don't know. I am here so I don't know."The striker left City in January as he returned to Serie A following a training ground bust-up with Mancini -- an incident that was caught by photographers and received prominent media coverage.It was the final episode in a tempestuous partnership with Mancini first having given Balotelli his big break as a raw, but talented 16-year-old at Inter Milan.Read: Balotelli tussles with manager Mancini Jose Mourinho described Balotelli as "unmanageable" during his time as Inter coach, but Mancini was more willing to forgive the talented striker's misdemeanors.JUST WATCHEDThiago Silva targets PSG dominance ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThiago Silva targets PSG dominance 03:07JUST WATCHEDManchester United's future after FergieReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHManchester United's future after Fergie 02:39JUST WATCHEDCNN Football Club: Alex Ferguson specialReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCNN Football Club: Alex Ferguson special 00:45At times Balotelli endured a troubled time at City, crashing his car on the way to training just days after signing in August 2010, while he was also reprimanded for throwing a dart at a youth team player the following March.In October 2011, Balotelli was forced to call the emergency services to his home after a firework was set off in his bathroom, leading to a fire.The next day he helped City defeat Manchester United win 6-1 at their rival's Old Trafford stadium before revealing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words, "Why always me?"Just weeks before their infamous coming together on January 3, Mancini had spoken of his love and admiration for a man who he considered to be a son."I love Mario because for many years we have worked and lived together," he told the British media in January."I've seen him grow. But the professional relationship is another thing and I've told Mario what I need from him."
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It's 2019, and just opening an innocent looking office document file on your system can still allow hackers to compromise your computer.
No, I'm not talking about yet another vulnerability in Microsoft Office, but in two other most popular alternatives—LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice—free, open source office software used by millions of Windows, MacOS and Linux users.
Security researcher Alex Inführ has discovered a severe remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in these two open source office suites that could be triggered just by opening a maliciously-crafted ODT (OpenDocument Text) file.
The attack relies on exploiting a directory traversal flaw, identified as CVE-2018-16858, to automatically execute a specific python library bundled within the software using a hidden onmouseover event.
To exploit this vulnerability, Inführ created an ODT file with a white-colored hyperlink (so it can't be seen) that has an "onmouseover" event to trick victims into executing a locally available python file on their system when placing their mouse anywhere on the invisible hyperlink.
According to the researcher, the python file, named "pydoc.py," that comes included with the LibreOffice's own Python interpreter accepts arbitrary commands in one of its parameters and execute them through the system's command line or console.
PoC Exploit and Video Demo Released
Inführ provided a proof-of-concept (PoC) video demonstration showing how he was able to trick the event into calling a specific function within a Python file, which eventually executed the researcher's payload through Windows command line (cmd) without showing any warning dialog to the user.
The researcher also released the PoC exploit code for the vulnerability and stressed that though he tested his exploit on Microsoft's Windows operating system, it should work on Linux, as well.
Inführ reported the vulnerability to LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice on October 18 last year. While LibreOffice fixed the issue by the end of that month with the release of LibreOffice 6.0.7/6.1.3, OpenOffice still appears to be vulnerable.
In mid-November, RedHat assigned the path traversal vulnerability a CVE ID and told the researcher not to disclose the details or PoC of the bug until January 31, 2019.
Inführ made the details and PoC exploit code of the vulnerability public on February 1, even when Apache OpenOffice 4.1.6 (latest version at the time of writing) remains unpatched. However, he says his exploit code does not work on OpenOffice.
"Openoffice does not allow to pass parameters; therefore, my PoC does not work but the path traversal can [still] be abused to execute a python script from another location on the local file system," Inführ explains.
As a workaround until OpenOffice releases a security fix, users can remove or rename the pythonscript.py file in the installation folder to disable the support for python.
So, merely ditching Microsoft Office for open-source office suites would not help much to protect yourself from such attacks, unless you adopt basic security practices.
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Symantec recently identified a database-corrupting piece of malware targeting systems mostly in Iran, but despite early speculation that it could be related to the likes of Stuxnet and Flame, it appears to be targeting small businesses rather than the country's infrastructure.
Malware Dubbed W32.Narilam, is predominantly active in the Middle East, and it has also been detected in the USA and UK. The worm looks for particular words in Microsoft SQL databases and overwrites them.
The worm specifically targets SQL databases with three distinct names, alim, maliran, and shahd. Once the targeted databases are found, Narilam looks for specific objects and tables and either deletes the tables or replaces items with random values.
On Monday an alert was published on tarrahsystem.com warning of the W32.Narilam threat to its customers. The bulk of the infections thus far have been found in the Middle East, particularly Iran and Afghanistan.
Kaspersky Lab took issue with reports based on Symantec's claim that Narilam was built using Delphi. "We've analysed the sample and found no obvious connection with these. Duqu, Stuxnet, Flame and Gauss have all been compiled with versions of Microsoft Visual C, while Narilam was built with Borland C++ Builder 6 (and not Delphi, as other articles seem to suggest), a completely different programming tool."
Iran's Computer Emergency Response Team issued a statement calling Narilam unsophisticated and "has no sign of a major threat." In fact, Iran's CERT said it had been previously detected in 2010 and targets accounting software developed by an Iranian company used by small businesses.
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(CNN)The reviews are in for Arsenal's performance against Brentford in the English Premier League's opening match on Friday and they make for grim reading if you're a Gunners fan."Weak and bullied," was how Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher described Arsenal's defending when Brentford scored its second goal in the newly promoted team's 2-0 victory."This is pathetic," tweeted Arsenal fan Piers Morgan. "We're being bullied off the park by a team of players who've never performed in the Premier League. "Even by Arteta standards, a new low," added Morgan referring to the Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. "I can't do this for the next nine months."Brentford's Sergi Canos scores his side's first goal against Arsenal.READ: PSG now has 'no excuses' in quest for Champions League dominationRead More'Struggle'Carragher's comment and Morgan's tweet might be brushed off by Arsenal's hierarchy as a passing media storm, but the fact that Rwandan President Paul Kagame was moved to tweet three times after the Gunners' defeat is arguably more embarrassing.Not least because Arsenal's jersey had 'Visit Rwanda' emblazoned on the sleeves.Long readsAustralia's first international cricketers won fame abroad. At home, they were betrayed'The Fight of the Century': A divided US nation 50 years onFootball club founded by Turkish immigrants creates stir in Germany Olympian pressured to 'perform better' and lose a few poundsThe Visit Rwanda website says Arsenal is the organization's sleeve sponsor, while French club Paris Saint-Germain is described as a "premium partner."The partnership also allows the East African country to "gain global exposure through branding on matchday LED boards at the Emirates Stadium [Arsenal's home ground], all the interview backdrops and a broad range of other marketing rights," according to the website."Brentford deserved to win and they did," tweeted Kagame, who in the past has described himself as a "committed fan" of his "beloved club Arsenal.""The game itself aside Arsenal and the fans don't deserve to kind of get used to this," continued Kagame, who went on to criticize Arsenal's transfer strategy."It's been a struggle of about decade(s) -- ups&downs -- more downs until this point. Can't we have a plan that really works?? One part to look at is how we deal in the market -- players we buy to execute the plan. The touch&go mentality does not bring change.Brentford's Christian Norgaard, center, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal against Arsenal.READ: Man Utd signs Varane; thumps Leeds as Fernandes scores hat-trickArsenal driftUnder former manager Arsene Wenger, Arsenal won the Premier League title in 1998, 2002, and 2004 and clinched seven FA Cups. Arsenal won the league and FA Cup Double in 1998 and 2002.Wenger was Arsenal's manager for 22 years before he stepped down in 2018. He was succeeded by Unai Emery and Arteta, but the club's drift has continued.Arsenal announced a three-year tourism partnership with the East African country in May 2018."The media has been speculating around £30 million but what I can tell you it's not £30 million ($41.5 million), it's less than that," CEO of the Rwanda Development Board, Clare Akamanzi, told CNN at the time. "Thirty-five million people (will be) viewing their (Arsenal's) shirts every single day," Akamanzi said.Rwanda's President Paul Kagame speaks during an interview with international media at the presidency office in Kigali, on May 28, 2021.READ: Ditching Man Utd to support my local team. Now they're in the Premier LeagueWhen the sponsorship deal was announced, critics said the money should have been spent alleviating the chronic poverty in the country. "I think when millions of Rwandans are living on less than a pound a day ($1.28), that's fairly obscene," UK Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen told CNN at the time."The public have a right to know how our aid budget is being spent, and the people of Rwanda have a right to know how their president is spending their money."Arsenal did not respond to CNN's request for comment -- by phone and email -- on when and whether the sponsorship deal had been renewed and Kagame's criticism of the club's transfer policy. However, the East African website reported the deal had been extended until 2023.Visit Rwanda didn't respond to CNN's request for comment about the partnership deal."We had really high hopes and we didn't get the result that we wanted or the performance we wanted," said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (left) after his team's 2-0 defeat by Brentford.READ: Lionel Messi's 20 career defining moments'Blame the owners'This isn't the first time Kagame has tweeted about Arsenal.When Wenger stepped down as manager three years ago, Kagame said "this should not have been the kind of ending of an era."The coach is leaving and club trophy-less it was long coming! I am still a committed fan going forward. Blame the owners."The relationship between Arsenal and Rwanda has also raised eyebrows given allegations of systemic human rights abuses in the East African country"Football has spent the past decade being bought and sold by sovereign states, used to puff, gloss and scour international reputations. What's another friendly despot? wrote the Guardian's chief sports writer Barney Ronay, who pointed to Human Rights Watch assessment of Rwanda."The ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) continues to target those perceived as a threat to the government," according to Human Rights Watch. "Several high-profile critics have been arrested or threatened and authorities regularly fail to conduct credible investigations into cases of enforced disappearances and suspicious deaths of government opponents."The Rwandan government hasn't responded to CNN's request for comment in recent reporting regarding attacks against its critics.
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(CNN)There's been a debate for much of the last few months as to when we really will know that the Covid-19 pandemic is over. The answer, at least in political terms, is March 25, when Hawaii will become the last state in the country to end its indoor mask mandate. "It's taken the entire community to get to this point -- with lowered case counts and hospitalizations," said Hawaii Gov. David Ige in a tweet announcing the decision.Read More While Ige also said he would consider reinstituting the mask policy "if needed," it's very hard to imagine Hawaii -- or any other state -- going back to a mandatory masking policy. What's remarkable is the pace with which states -- those led by Republican governors, but also those with Democratic governors -- started to drop their mask mandates after an Omicron-fueled surge in cases this winter. Last month, many states that still had indoor mask mandates began announcing they would end the policies, in some cases even before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its national masking guidance. California Gov. Gavin Newsom very publicly declared that his state was moving to the "next phase" of dealing with Covid-19 in mid-February. "We have all come to understand what was not understood at the beginning of this crisis, that there is no end date, that there is not a moment where we declare victory," Newsom said in announcing the plan to treat the virus as endemic rather than a pandemic.That rush among even Democratic governors to drop mask mandates reflects, yes, the drastically lower case numbers. But it is also proof that even for those most tolerant and supportive of mask-wearing, patience has run out. In Axios-Ipsos polling late last month, 62% of Americans said they were wearing masks at least sometimes when leaving home. As recently as January, that number was 73%. (The highest the number ever went was 92% in December 2020/January 2021.) In the third year of Covid-19, people are done with it -- and acting accordingly. Given that, it's hard to imagine any politician -- no matter their party -- insisting on another mask mandate, even if cases do surge at some point. The Point: Over the past two years, masks became the biggest symbol of not just our battle against the virus, but also our own political views. Now it seems everyone agrees that it's time to take them off -- for good.
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Google Play Developer Console enables developers to easily publish and distribute their applications directly to users of Android-compatible phones. Recently someone posted on Reddit that a developer is trying to spread malware by masquerading infected programs as legitimate software.
The account of the developer called, "apkdeveloper" and readers spotted that they are posting fake malware apps by names of famous android games and apps, using the word "Super" as suffix to them, making them seem as an upgraded version of the game.
The users can find the difference between the real app and malicious app by observing the device permissions, like as compared to the simple permissions like network access and read write access of the original Temple Run app, the 'Temple Run Super' app asks for sensitive information like location, phone status, identity and access to user accounts.
After many report abuse Google Play has removed the developer from the store page with all apps. Android smartphones and tablets, and device users are being cautioned to make efforts to protect themselves against it in the 2013.
Last week we also reported about another malware that is capable of attacks that involve execution of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS).
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Meat processing company JBS on Wednesday confirmed it paid extortionists $11 million in bitcoins to regain access to its systems following a destructive ransomware attack late last month.
"In consultation with internal IT professionals and third-party cybersecurity experts, the company made the decision to mitigate any unforeseen issues related to the attack and ensure no data was exfiltrated," JBS USA said in a statement, with CEO Andre Nogueira adding the firm made the "very difficult decision" to prevent any potential risk for its customers.
Stating that third-party forensic investigations into the incident are still ongoing, the company noted that no company, customer, or employee data was compromised as a consequence of the breach. The FBI officially discourages victims from paying ransoms because doing so can establish a profitable criminal marketplace.
JBS, the world's largest meat company by sales, on May 30 disclosed it fell prey to an "organized cybersecurity attack" targeting its IT network, temporarily knocking out its operations in Australia, Canada, and the U.S. The intrusion was attributed to REvil (aka Sodinokibi), a prolific Russia-linked cybercrime group that has emerged as one of the top-earning ransomware cartels by revenue.
Run as a ransomware-as-a-service business, REvil was also one of the early adopters of the so-called "double extortion" model that has since been emulated by other groups to exert further pressure on the victim company to meet ransom demands within the designated timeframe and maximize their chances of making a profit.
The technique involves stealing sensitive data prior to encrypting them, thus opening the door to new threats wherein refusal to engage can result in the stolen data being published on its website on the dark web.
REvil and its affiliates accounted for about 4.6% of attacks on the public and private sectors in the first quarter of 2021, according to statistics published by Emsisoft last month, making it the fifth most commonly reported ransomware strain after STOP (51.4%), Phobos (6.6%), Dharma (5.1%), and Makop (4.7%).
The syndicates are known to launder their financial proceeds through Bitcoin mixing services so as to obscure the trail, which is then sent to both legitimate and high-risk cryptocurrency exchange portals to convert the bitcoins into fiat, real-world currency.
The attack on JBS comes amid a recent spate of ransomware incursions in which companies are hit with demands for multimillion-dollar payments in exchange for a key to unlock the systems. Last month, Colonial Pipeline shelled out a ransom amount of approximately 75 bitcoins ($4.4 million as of May 8) to restore services, although the U.S. government earlier this week managed to recoup most of the money by tracking the bitcoin trails.
"Being extorted by criminals is not a position any company wants to be in," Colonial Pipeline CEO Joseph Blount said in a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on June 8. "As I have stated publicly, I made the decision that Colonial Pipeline would pay the ransom to have every tool available to us to swiftly get the pipeline back up and running. It was one of the toughest decisions I have had to make in my life."
In a similar development, U.S. insurance firm CNA is said to have allegedly paid off $40 million to the attackers to recover access to its systems in what's believed to be one of the most expensive ransoms settled to date. In a statement shared on May 12, the company said it had "no evidence to indicate that external customers were potentially at risk of infection due to the incident."
The incessant attacks on critical infrastructure and their impact to supply chains have prompted the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to publish a fact sheet detailing the rising threat of ransomware to operational technology assets and control systems and help organizations build effective resilience.
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Paris (CNN)Five people are dead after two French army helicopters collided in the south of the country Friday, authorities said.The crash happened between the towns of Cabasse and Carcès, northwest of the coastal resort of Saint-Tropez."The helicopters collided. There were three army personnel in one and two in the other. All are dead," police said, according to Agence France-Presse.Florence Parly, minister for France's armed forces, described the incident as "tragic" in a tweet on Friday, adding that she will visit the military facility where the helicopters were based later in the day. "I pay tribute to the soldiers killed and I want to tell their families and brothers in arms my solidarity and my full support," Parly tweeted.CNN's Antoine Crouin reported from Paris, with Hilary McGann contributing from London.
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Rome (CNN)Pope Francis has said the coronavirus pandemic is one of "nature's responses" to humans ignoring the current ecological crisis.In an email interview published Wednesday in The Tablet and Commonwealth magazines, the pontiff said the outbreak offered an opportunity to slow down the rate of production and consumption and to learn to understand and contemplate the natural world."We did not respond to the partial catastrophes. Who now speaks of the fires in Australia, or remembers that 18 months ago a boat could cross the North Pole because the glaciers had all melted? Who speaks now of the floods?" the Pope said.Pope Francis celebrates Palm Sunday mass in an empty church"I don't know if these are the revenge of nature, but they are certainly nature's responses," he added.The pandemic has radically changed the way the Vatican operates, with the Pope celebrating Palm Sunday mass in an empty church and the sites normally packed with tourists empty.Read MoreThe 83-year-old Pope, who has a damaged lung from an infection in his 20s, has twice tested negative for the novel coronavirus. He is being distanced from anyone who might be carrying the virus, takes his meals in his private quarters, and uses hand sanitizer before and after meeting any guests, the Vatican press office said.Pope Francis also said in the interview he was recovering from his bronchitis and praying even more from his residence in the Vatican during this "time of great uncertainty."Pope Francis presides over a moment of prayer on the sagrato of St Peters Basilica on March 27.Francis also revealed he goes to confession every Tuesday to ask forgiveness for his own selfishness. "I take care of things there," he said.He also criticized the response to the outbreak, saying the homeless should be quarantined in hotels and not in parking lots."A photo appeared the other day of a parking lot in Las Vegas where they [the homeless] had been put in quarantine. And the hotels were empty. But the homeless cannot go to a hotel," the Pope said.Quarantine life is starting to feel like a real Lent"This is the moment to see the poor," he said, adding that society often treats those in need as "rescued animals."The Pope also warned against the rise of populist politicians -- who he said are giving speeches reminiscent of Hitler in 1933 -- and others who are focusing solely on the economy. He said he was worried by the "hypocrisy of certain political personalities who speak of facing up to the crisis, of the problem of hunger in the world, but who in the meantime manufacture weapons."The Pope encouraged those in a lockdown to find creative ways of being at home. "Take care of yourselves for a future that will come," Francis said.
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The Shadow Brokers, a notorious hacking group that leaked several hacking tools from the NSA, is once again making headlines for releasing another NSA exploit—but only to its "monthly dump service" subscribers.
Dubbed UNITEDRAKE, the implant is a "fully extensible remote collection system" that comes with a number of "plug-ins," enabling attackers to remotely take full control over targeted Windows computers.
In its latest post, the hacking group announced a few changes to its monthly dump service and released encrypted files from the previous months as well.
Notably, the September dump also includes an unencrypted PDF file, which is a user manual for the UNITEDRAKE (United Rake) exploit developed by the NSA.
According to the leaked user manual, UNITEDRAKE is a customizable modular malware with the ability to capture webcam and microphone output, log keystrokes, access external drives and more in order to spy on its targets.
The tool consists of five components—server (a Listening Post), the system management interface (SMI), the database (to store and manage stolen information), the plug-in modules (allow the system capabilities to be extended), and the client (the implant).
Snowden Leak Also Mentions UNITEDRAKE
UNITEDRAKE initially came to light in 2014 as a part of NSA's classified documents leaked by its former contractor Edward Snowden.
The Snowden documents suggested the agency used the tool alongside other pieces of malware, including CAPTIVATEDAUDIENCE, GUMFISH, FOGGYBOTTOM, GROK, and SALVAGERABBIT, to infect millions of computers around the world.
CAPTIVATEDAUDIENCE is for recording conversations via the infected computer's microphone
GUMFISH is for covertly taking control over a computer's webcam and snap photographs
FOGGYBOTTOM for exfiltrating Internet data like browsing histories, login details and passwords
GROK is a Keylogger Trojan for capturing keystrokes.
SALVAGERABBIT is for accessing data on removable flash drives that connect to the infected computer.
New Terms for Shadow Brokers Monthly Dump Service
The Shadow Brokers is now only accepting payments in ZCash (ZEC) from its monthly subscribers, rather than Monero since it uses clear text email for delivery, and has also raised the rates for exploits, demanding nearly $4 Million.
The group demanded 100 ZEC when it started its first monthly dump service in June, but now the hackers are demanding 16,000 ZEC (which costs $3,914,080 in total) for all NSA dumps. Zcash currently trades at $248 per unit.
Those who want to gain access only to the September dump that includes the new NSA malware files need to pay hackers 500 ZEC.
The Shadow Brokers gained popularity after leaking the SMB zero-day exploit, called Eternalblue, that powered Wannacry ransomware attack that crippled large businesses and services around the world in May.
After that, the mysterious hacking group announced a monthly data dump service for those who want to get exclusive access to the NSA arsenal, which they claim to have stolen from the agency last year.
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(CNN)The search-and-rescue ship stranded in the Mediterranean Sea since Sunday began its roughly 800-mile journey to Spain on Tuesday evening after transferring more than 500 rescued migrants to Italian Coast Guard and naval ships.According to aid organization SOS Méditerranée, 250 people were transferred to the Italian Navy's Orione and a further 274 to the Coast Guard's Dattilo ship Tuesday. The Aquarius -- which had been stranded between Malta and the Italian island of Sicily since Sunday -- now has just 106 survivors on board.The move was part of an Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) plan to transfer hundreds of the 630 migrants to two smaller vessels, in a bid to ease pressure on the overcrowded Aquarius.All three ships will now proceed to Valencia, Spain, after the Spanish government on Monday agreed to take in the migrants who were rescued over the weekend.SOS originally said 629 people had been rescued, but revised that figure to 630 on Tuesday following a recount during the transfers. Read MoreThe Aquarius, which was carrying more than 120 unaccompanied minors and six pregnant women, was left stranded in the Mediterranean after Italy's hardline interior minister and leader of the anti-immigration League party refused to allow it to dock on Sunday.Aid organizations, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and SOS Méditerranée, which operate the rescue ship Aquarius, have been critical of the Italian MRCC plan, warning that the "already exhausted" migrants would be forced to spend four more days at sea."The better option would be to disembark the rescued people in the nearest port after which they can be transferred to Spain or other safe countries for further care and legal processing," MSF said in a tweet Tuesday. 🔴UPDATE 250 people have already been transferred from the #Aquarius to one of the two Italian vessels. Once the whole transfer operation will be completed, all 3 vessels will head to #Valencia for the disembarkation of the 629 people rescued at sea on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/5WQhxscJGH— SOS MEDITERRANEE GER (@SOSMedGermany) June 12, 2018
Aloys Vimard, MSF coordinator on board the Aquarius, said in a statement that the medical situation "remains stable for now, but people are exhausted and stressed and there is a high risk of worsening medical conditions and sanitation if disembarkation is delayed further."Some of the pregnant women on board have already been transported to Lampedusa, an island in southern Italy, and from there will probably travel to Palermo in Sicily, the Italian Transport Minister's press office said in a statement. The operation comes as SeaWatch, a German aid organization also conducting rescue missions in the Mediterranean, tweeted on Tuesday afternoon that it was heading toward a shipwreck 20 miles off the coast of Libya.It said the US Navy had already rescued 41 people from the water, and reported another 12 dead people. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, an Italian Coast Guard boat carrying 937 migrants docked in Catania, Sicily.The migrants on board the Italian Coast Guard boat -- along with two people who had died -- were pulled from the sea off the coast of Libya, Coast Guard spokesman Cosimo Nicastro told CNN. Supplies sent to desperate boat Italy on Tuesday morning also sent much-needed supplies to the Aquarius, Jana Ciernioch, spokeswoman from SOS Méditerranée, told CNN. A number of people are in need of medical treatment, including 21 people who have suffered severe chemical burns after sitting in a mix of salt water and spilled fuel in the bottom of rubber boats for many hours, Vimard said.The Aquarius now has enough fuel to reach the Spanish city of Valencia, some 800 miles away, according to Ciernioch. Speaking from Berlin, she told CNN that unsettled weather in the Western Mediterranean could be an issue in the coming days.Migrants on board the stranded Aquarius rescue ship.Meanwhile, the director general of the United Nations Migration Agency (IOM), William Lacy Swing, tweeted that while he was glad that Spain had stepped forward to defuse the crisis, "I fear a major tragedy if states start refusing to accept rescued migrants as was threatened."Victory for Italy, uncertainty for migrantsAfter Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced Monday that the ship and its passengers would be welcome in Valencia, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini was quick to celebrate on social media. "VICTORY! 629 migrants on board of Aquarius ship, Spain-bound, our first goal has been reached!" he wrote on Facebook. A Maltese maritime officer distributes packs of water to the stranded ship. The move comes as the number of migrants arriving on Spanish shores continues to grow. Migrant arrivals to Spain have increased by 50% so far in 2018 compared to last year, while Italy has seen around a 75% decline, according to the International Organization for Migrants (IOM). In the first week of June alone, 561 migrants arrived in Spain by sea.During the recent federal election campaign that led to Italy's new government -- a coalition between the anti-immigrant League and anti-establishment Five Star Movement -- Salvini promoted his party with an "Italians first" slogan and pledged to deport half a million migrants.Matteo Salvini -- now Italy's Interior Minister -- walks on stage during a campaign rally in May.Salvini's rhetoric has softened slightly since he took office, but on a visit to Sicily last week, he declared that Italy "cannot be Europe's refugee camp."However, he is not without critics, and on Sunday several Italian mayors defied Salvini and suggested they would be prepared to welcome the Aquarius into their port.Anxious wait for migrants Meanwhile, the hundreds of migrants stranded at sea face an anxious wait. Annelise Borges, a Euronews and NBC journalist currently on board the Aquarius, told CNN Monday that "everyone is extremely hot and very tired."Many were also worried that they could be returned to Libya. "The fear is so present, so palpable," Borges said.Among the migrants on board are 123 unaccompanied minors and six pregnant women.There are no showers or sinks for migrants on the Aquarius, and rescue workers use a disinfectant spray on people's hands before they eat. Supplies of drinking water are unlimited as the ship has its own water-purification system, but the passengers were surviving mostly on energy biscuits, prepackaged warm rice, tea and bread.Women and children sleep below deck, watched over by a midwife, while the men sleep on the open deck, covered only with tarpaulin.The Mediterranean remains the world's deadliest migration route, despite sharp falls in the number of people trying to reach Europe by boat. That drop is partly ascribed to a deal struck between Italy and Libya last year, in which the southern European country pledged to bolster Libya's coast guard so it could spot departing migrant boats and house migrants attempting to cross.As of June 6, there had been an estimated 785 deaths on the route this year, the IOM said, with the majority of the 33,400 migrants and refugees arriving through Greece and Italy.CNN's Judith Vonberg, Stephanie Halasz, Livia Borghese and Laura Perez Maestro contributed to this report.
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SpyEye Trojan stole $3.2 million from US victims,Android users will be next target !
A Russian cybergang headed by a mysterious ringleader called 'Soldier' were able to steal $3.2 million (£2 million) from US citizens earlier this year using the SpyEye-Zeus data-stealing Trojan, security company Trend Micro has reported and Trusteer reports that an Android variant of Spitmo (SpyEye for mobile) has been discovered. The methodology sounds familiar for those familiar with ZeuS Mitmo and SpyEye Spitmo: infected computers inject a message into targeted netbanks prompting their customers to install software on their phones. Once Spitmo is installed, the SpyEye attacker is able to monitor incoming SMS and to steal MTAN authentication messages.
"His botnet was able to compromise approximately 25,394 systems between April 19, 2011 and June 29, 2011. And while nearly all of the victims were located in the US, there were a handful of victims spread across another 90 countries," it said in a blog post.
Over a six month period from January 2011, Trend found that the Soldier gang had been able to compromise a cross-section of US business, including banks, airports, research institutions and even the US military and Government, as well as ordinary citizens.A total of 25,394 systems were infected between 19 April and 29 June alone, 57 percent of which were Windows XP systems with even Windows 7 registering 4,500 victim systems.
"Compromise on such a mass scale is not that unusual for criminals using toolkits like SpyEye, but the amounts stolen and the number of large organizations potentially impacted is cause for serious concern."
Victims included:
US Government (Local, State Federal)
US Military
Educational & Research Institutions
Banks
Airports
Other Companies (Automobile, Media, Technology)
C&C Infrastructure
Banking Trojans such as SpyEye and the older Zeus (possibly now merged with SpyEye) have been one of the malware stories of the last year, and have featured in a number of high-profile online crime cases.
Zeus for Android purports to be a version of Trusteer Rapport security software. This social engineering trick is used in an attempt to convince the user that the application they are installing is legitimate.SpyEye for Android, now detected by Sophos products as Andr/Spitmo-A, uses a slightly different but similar social engineering technique.
Spitmo was initially detected by F-Secure in April when a variant was used in an attack against a European bank - the Trojan added question fields to the bank's website, asking customers to enter their mobile phone number and the device's IMEI.Sean Sullivan, security advisor at F-Secure, said: "Spitmo.A contains the malicious executable (sms.exe) and another installer, which contains an executable named SmsControl.exe. SmsControl.exe will just display the message 'Die Seriennummer des Zertifikats: Ü88689-1299F' to fool the user into thinking that the installer was indeed a certificate."The name SmsControl.exe is quite a coincidence, as a variant of ZeusMitmo used the same name for the file containing the Trojan. Faking the Trojan to be a certificate is also a trick that ZeusMitmo has used. However, the code itself looks completely different than in ZeusMitmo."
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Story highlightsNancy Reagan would support Hillary Clinton, Michael Reagan saysTrump is "trying to sell a bill of goods to get into the White House," Reagan says (CNN)Michael Reagan, the eldest son of former President Ronald Reagan, said Wednesday that Nancy Reagan, would have supported Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump for president. "Donald Trump hasn't done a whole lot for women during this campaign," Reagan told Don Lemon on "CNN Tonight." "And he's not doing anything now to bring women on board."Reagan, who has been a vocal critic of Trump took to Twitter on Monday to vent in a flurry of tweets slamming the Trump campaign."My father would not support this kind of campaign, if this is what the Republican Party wants leave us Reagans out. Nancy would vote for HRC," he tweeted.My father would not support this kind of campaign,if this is what the Republican Party wants leave us Reagans out.Nancy would vote for HRC https://t.co/jkjKBvlwHa— Michael Reagan (@ReaganWorld) October 3, 2016
Lemon asked Reagan if he would tell Republicans to vote for Clinton. Read More"No, I would tell Republicans to vote their conscience," Reagan said. "I'm trying to protect the Reagan legacy."Reagan cited Trump's latest attack on his Democratic opponent -- questioning, with no evidence, whether she is "loyal" to her husband as an example of what his parents would not support. No way do I or would my father support this garbage.Trump on Clinton: 'I don't even think she's loyal to Bill' https://t.co/zTBMcB3wUi— Michael Reagan (@ReaganWorld) October 3, 2016
"This family's name is being dropped all over the place, every single day and inferring that Ronald Reagan would support these things and I have to say no, they wouldn't."On the campaign trail, Trump has compared himself to the standard bearer for the Republican party. But Reagan said that he has written about his father's campaigns, referring to his book, "Lessons My Father Taught Me." President Reagan told him that the main issue of a campaign is whether "you are qualified to be president of the United States, not if you're qualified to be a good husband or a good wife."He told Lemon that he would love for the Republican nominee to reach out to him for insight, but "everybody instead wants to just have my name.""He's trying to sell a bill of goods to get into the White House as the president of the United States of America." He added, "If that's the direction the Republican Party is going, fine, but leave the Reagans out of it." CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misstated Michael Reagan's mother.
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Paris (CNN)One woman died and another was injured after a car ran into two bus shelters in separate areas of the southern French city of Marseille, the city's police force told CNN.The driver was arrested on Charles Livon Boulevard and a police operation is ongoing. It was unclear whether the action was deliberate.Police have asked the public to avoid the area around the street in the Old Port district of the city.The driver was known to authorities for "acts of minor delinquency" and appears to have a "psychiatric history," the police told CNN.The first incident took place at 8.15 a.m. local time Monday when the driver hit a bus stop in the 13th arrondissement in the north of the city, before hitting a second bus shelter an hour later in the 11th arrondissement, several miles south.Read MoreAsked about media reports that the two incidents were an hour apart, a police spokesperson said it was less than that.Matou Diop reported from Paris. CNN's James Masters wrote from London.
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Security researchers have discovered an authentication bypass vulnerability in Western Digital's My Cloud NAS devices that potentially allows an unauthenticated attacker to gain admin-level control to the affected devices.
Western Digital's My Cloud (WD My Cloud) is one of the most popular network-attached storage (NAS) devices which is being used by businesses and individuals to host their files, as well as backup and sync them with various cloud and web-based services.
The WD My Cloud devices let users not only share files in a home network but its private cloud feature also allows them to access their data from anywhere around the world at any time.
However, security researchers at Securify have discovered an authentication bypass vulnerability on the WD My Cloud NAS boxes that could allow unauthenticated attackers with network access to the device to escalate their privileges to admin-level without needing to provide a password.
This would eventually allow attackers to run commands that would typically require administrative privileges and gain complete control of the affected NAS device, including their ability to view, copy, delete and overwrite any files that are stored on the device.
Here's How Easy it is to Hack a WD My Cloud Storage Boxes
The vulnerability, designated CVE-2018-17153, resides in the way WD My Cloud creates an admin session tied to an IP address.
By simply including the cookie username=admin to an HTTP CGI request send by an attacker to the device's web interface, the attacker can unlock admin access and gain access to all the content stored on the NAS box.
"It was found that it is possible for an unauthenticated attacker to create a valid session without requiring to authenticate," the researchers explain in a blog post detailing about the flaw published on Tuesday.
"The network_mgr.cgi CGI module contains a command called cgi_get_ipv6 that starts an admin session that is tied to the IP address of the user making the request when invoked with the parameter flag equal to 1. Subsequent invocation of commands that would normally require admin privileges are now authorized if an attacker sets the username=admin cookie."
Long story short, just tell the WD My Cloud NAS device that you are the admin user in the cookie, and you are in without ever being asked for a password.
Proof-of-Concept Exploit Code Released
Securify researchers have also published a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit showing how the vulnerability can be exploited with just a few lines of code.
Obviously, the exploit requires either a local network or internet connection to a WD My Cloud device in order to be run the command and bypasses the NAS device's usual login requirements.
The researchers successfully verified the vulnerability on a Western Digital My Cloud model WDBCTL0020HWT running firmware version 2.30.172, though they claimed that this issue is not limited to the model, as most products in the My Cloud series share the same "vulnerable" code.
Securify researchers found the issue while reverse engineering the CGI binaries to look for security bugs, and reported it to Western Digital in April 2017, but did not receive any response from the company.
After almost one-and-half years of silence from Western Digital, researchers finally publicly disclosed the vulnerability, which is still unpatched.
This is not the first time Western Digital has ignored the security of its My Cloud NAS device users.
Earlier this year, a researcher publicly disclosed several vulnerabilities in Western Digital's My Cloud NAS devices, including a hard-coded password backdoor issue in their firmware after the company did not address the issue, which was reported 180 days before making it public.
Update: Patches Coming Soon!
Western Digital has responded to our story, saying the company is aware of the vulnerabilities reported by researchers and it is in process of finalizing a scheduled firmware update to address the issue.
"We expect to post the update on our technical support site at https://support.wdc.com/ within a few weeks," the company said in a blog post.
"As a reminder, we also urge customers to ensure the firmware on their products is always up to date; enabling automatic updates is recommended."
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Double nibble URI decoding XSS Vulnerability on EC Council website
What EC Council is ?
They offers certifications in certified ethical hacker ceh, Computer Security, network security, internet security program and computer forensics and penetration testing. Information Security, Ethical Hacking, Computer Forensics, Advanced Penetration Testing, Application Security, Disaster Recovery and other critical Information Security Topics and Security Courses.
XSS POC :
Link : Click Here
Submitted By : Nulled Byte
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Apple has released iOS 9.3.5 update for iPhones and iPads to patch three zero-day vulnerabilities after a piece of spyware found targeting the iPhone used by a renowned UAE human rights defender, Ahmed Mansoor.
One of the world's most invasive software weapon distributors, called the NSO Group, has been exploiting three zero-day security vulnerabilities in order to spy on dissidents and journalists.
The NSO Group is an Israeli firm that sells spying and surveillance software that secretly tracks a target's mobile phone.
The zero-day exploits have allowed the company to develop sophisticated spyware tools that can access the device location, contacts, texts, calls logs, emails and even microphone.
Apple fixed these three vulnerabilities within ten days after being informed by two security firms, Citizen Lab and Lookout, who conducted a joint investigation.
Background Story: Malware Discovery
Mansoor, 46, 'Martin Ennals Award' winner from the United Arab Emirates, received a text message on his iPhone on August 10, from an unknown number.
Mansoor found the message suspicious and knowing that government hackers had already targeted him in the past, he forwarded that message directly to Citizen Lab researcher Bill Marczak.
Citizen Lab brought in Lookout, a San Francisco mobile security company, to help examine the message.
After analyzing the message content, the researchers found that the link led to a sophisticated piece of malware that exploited three different unknown flaws in Apple's iOS that would have allowed the attackers to get complete control of Mansoor's iPhone.
Those links, if clicked, "Mansoor's iPhone would have been turned into a sophisticated bugging device controlled by UAE security agencies," the Citizen Lab explained in a blog post.
"They would have been able to turn on his iPhone's camera and microphone to record Mansoor and anything nearby, without him being wise about it. They would have been able to log his emails and calls — even those that are encrypted end-to-end. And, of course, they would have been able to track his precise whereabouts."
According to a blog post published by Lookout, the three zero-day flaws, dubbed "Trident" by the firm, involved:
A memory corruption vulnerability in WebKit that could allow hackers to exploit a device when a user clicks on a malicious link.
Two kernel bugs (allowing device jailbreak) that an attacker secretly installs malware on victim's device to carry out surveillance.
Apple released the patch update, iOS 9.3.5, on Thursday, and labeled it "important," advising its users to install the latest version of iOS as soon as possible to protect their devices against these potential security exploits.
You can install the security update over-the-air (OTA) via your iPhone or iPad's settings.
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Microsoft on Thursday said it concluded its probe into the SolarWinds hack, finding that the attackers stole some source code but confirmed there's no evidence that they abused its internal systems to target other companies or gained access to production services or customer data.
The disclosure builds upon an earlier update on December 31, 2020, that uncovered a compromise of its own network to view source code related to its products and services.
"We detected unusual activity with a small number of internal accounts and upon review, we discovered one account had been used to view source code in a number of source code repositories," the Windows maker had previously disclosed.
"The account did not have permissions to modify any code or engineering systems and our investigation further confirmed no changes were made. These accounts were investigated and remediated.".
Now according to the company, besides viewing few individual files by searching through the repositories, some cases involved downloading component source code related to —
a small subset of Azure components (subsets of service, security, identity)
a small subset of Intune components
a small subset of Exchange components
"The search terms used by the actor indicate the expected focus on attempting to find secrets," the company said, adding a subsequent verification affirmed the fact that they did not contain any live, production credentials.
Calling the SolarWinds supply chain attack a "moment of reckoning," Microsoft in January recommended organizations to adopt a "zero trust mentality" in order to achieve the least privileged access and minimize risks by enabling multi-factor authentication.
The company said the attacks have reinforced the need to embrace the Zero Trust mindset and protect privileged credentials.
It's worth noting that the entire espionage campaign leveraged the trust associated with SolarWinds software to insert malicious code that was then distributed to as many as 18,000 of its customers.
"Zero Trust is a proactive mindset," said Vasu Jakkal, corporate vice president for security, compliance, and identity at Microsoft. "When every employee at a company assumes attackers are going to land at some point, they model threats and implement mitigations to ensure that any potential exploit can't expand."
"The value of defense-in-depth is that security is built into key areas an actor might try to break, beginning at the code level and extending to all systems in an end-to-end way."
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(CNN)A zoo worker in Spain died when an elephant hit him with her trunk, throwing him against the bars of her enclosure, local officials confirmed. Joaquin Gutierrez Arnaiz, aged 44, was hit by a 4,000-kilogram (4.4-ton) female African elephant in Cabarceno Natural Park in Cantabria, northern Spain, on Wednesday. Guttierez Arnaiz was rushed to the Marques de Valdecilla University Hospital, where he died from his injuries. At the time of the accident, staff were cleaning the elephants' compound. A volunteer was attacked by a tiger at Carole Baskin's Big Cat RescueLocal police, the Civil Guard and the zoo are investigating the incident. Read MoreFrancisco Javier Lopez Marcano, Cantabria's Tourism Minister, said in a statement to Spanish media that the elephant that struck Guttierez Arnaiz had a foot infection and was probably pregnant. The keeper was in the outdoor patio area, washing down the surfaces and monitoring how the animal's foot was healing. The elephant was with her calf at the time.A Thai rescue worker gave a baby elephant CPR after it was hit by a motorcycle. It survived"We are talking about highly unpredictable animals," Lopez Marcano said, adding: "The force of the strike was tremendous, on a scale that none of us could survive." He blamed the events on a lack of caution. "From the outset it's an accident that has been caused by someone who, following their daily routine, was too trusting at a fatal moment," he said. "That is the only reason that perhaps in certain circumstances a tragedy like this can occur," Lopez Marcano added. According to Cantabria's regional government, this is the first fatal accident in the zoo's 30-year history.
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(CNN)When leaders from the European Council gathered for a group photo in Brussels last week, it was hard to miss the class newbie. Standing front and center among the neat rows of middle-aged men was Finland's new prime minister -- 34-year-old Sanna Marin.The young woman had a huge smile on her face. And why not, given her trailblazing new status as the world's youngest sitting prime minister.The former transport minister shot to worldwide fame earlier this month after the leader of her Social Democratic Party stepped down -- and Marin stepped up, becoming the country's youngest serving prime minister.She now heads Finland's governing coalition of five parties -- all of which have female leaders, and almost all under the age of 35.Family photo of the European Leaders. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin is sixth from left, front row.Read MoreIt's a remarkable line-up, given the country's leaders have traditionally been older men.Marin's youth and gender "make her stand out from her predecessors, that for the most part have been males in their 50s," said Timo Miettinen, researcher at Helsinki University's Department of Political and Economic Studies. Finland was the first country in the world to elect women to parliament, a little over a century ago. In that time, there have been just two female prime ministers before Marin, each serving for no longer than a year. Initially, many Finns were too embroiled in internal political strife (the previous prime minister resigned after nationwide industrial strikes) to make much of a fuss about Marin's record-setting age. But when the international press started weighing in, they took notice, said Miettinen."People have been saying it's the best thing to happen to the international reputation of Finland," he said."There is a sense of pride -- at least among her supporters and people who support her coalition parties." View this post on Instagram The newly elected government in Finland led by expected Prime Minister Sanna Marin, a Rage Against The Machine fan. All women, 4 out of 5 under 35. Top priority: address impending climate disaster. A post shared by Tom Morello (@tommorello) on Dec 9, 2019 at 10:43am PST
Marin and her fellow coalition leaders don't look like your average senior politicians. The new prime minister is a big Rage Against the Machine fan, and a photo of Marin and her all-female line-up was proudly shared on Instagram by the band's guitarist, Tom Morello.Rainbow family Marin's modest background doesn't read like your average world leader's either.Her parents divorced when she was a small child "because of my father's alcohol problem," Marin wrote in a 2016 blog.She grew up in a "rainbow family," her mother in a same-sex relationship, in the Pirkkala region, north of Helsinki. They lived in a rented apartment and despite not having much money, Marin wrote that they had an "abundance" of love.Estonia apologizes after minister calls Finland's new leader Sanna Marin a 'sales girl'At 15, Marin's first summer job was at a bakery, and at high school she distributed magazines to earn extra cash. After graduating, she worked as a cashier -- a role Estonia's interior minister this week mocked, calling her a "sales girl" and questioning her ability to run the country.Estonia apologized to Finland for the comments, made by the far-right EKRE party leader, Mart Helme.Marin used the comments to her political advantage, tweeting: "I'm extremely proud of Finland. Here a poor family's child can educate themselves and achieve their goals in life. A cashier can become even a Prime Minister."A divided country Marin was the first member of her family to attend university. She entered politics at 20 and quickly moved up the ranks of the center-left Social Democratic Party. At 27 she was elected Tampere City Council leader, and three years later she became an MP. Her politics sit to the left of her party -- supporting increasing refugee intakes and raising taxes to support the welfare state.With her humble background and humanitarian policies, some commentators have cast Marin as the antidote to other strongman world leaders. Many drew comparisons with New Zealand's progressive Prime Minister Jacinda Ardhern, who took office at the age of 37.Marin gives the impression "of a very principled person," said Miettinen. "She doesn't avoid tough questions and she does very well in political debates on television, which are a very big part of Finnish culture."The big challenge for Marin now, will be uniting her deeply divided Social Democratic party. The group has seen a split between its left-leaning, young, urban supporters -- and traditional trade union working class living outside the cities.JUST WATCHEDHow Finland is winning the war against fake newsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHow Finland is winning the war against fake news 03:52Marin is "clearly affiliated" with the urban base, which could alienate the party's traditional working class voters, said Miettinen.And with the rise of the nationalist Finns Party, there is a real threat that they'll attract disgruntled Social Democratic voters.In recent years, traditional Social Democratic workers from factory towns have become unemployed as businesses moved away, Miettinen said. There is now a "genuine threat" that "right-wing, populist, nationalist parties provide these people with at least a sense of being able to hold onto some kind of identity."Shortly after Marin became prime minister, the leader of the nationalist Finns Party, Jussi Halla-aho tweeted his congratulations -- with an emoji of a bucket of popcorn."It was a way of sarcastically saying good luck with the future, because you will still have all the problems that you had before," said Miettinen.Now, the world will be watching how this record-setting prime minister tackles them.
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If you're a daily computer user, you're likely aware of all the threats you face every day online in the form of viruses and malware.
CryptoLocker, a new ransomware malware, began making the rounds several months ago. This ransomware is particularly nasty because infected users are in danger of losing their personal files forever.
Ransomware is designed to extort money from computer users by holding computer files hostage until the computer user pays a ransom fee to get them back. The Cryptolocker hijacker sniffs out your personal files and wraps them with strong encryption before it demands money.
Cryptolocker is spread through malicious hyperlinks shared via social media and spam emails, like fake UPS tracking notification emails. The original demanded payments of $100 to decrypt files, but the new and improved version demanding $300 from victims.
Apparently, the encryption is created using a unique RSA-2048 public key. The decryption key is located on a secret server somewhere on the Internet and then there is a countdown on the infected machine which will let you know how long you have until this key will no longer be available.
Ransomware is not a new threat, but in the last year, it has become more effective and more popular with criminals. Researchers from a number of antivirus vendors are working on a way to undo the damage, but it's not going to be easy.
To prevent Ransomware from infecting your computer, please ensure that your computer has a properly configured firewall, updating each computer on a regular basis with the latest patches and updates from their vendor such as Microsoft, and restricting access solely to the administrator or person who operates the network or computer.
Update: Another Screenshot of the latest variant CryptoLocker illustrates that Ransomware accepts payment in Bitcoins also.
Once you send the payment of BTC2 (two Bitcoins, currently about $280), you will be shown a screen stating that your payment is being verified and the program will decrypt the files that it encrypted.
However, CryptoLocker is the first widely-reported instances where a ransomware program will actually go as far as permanently encrypting files on a host computer. Unfortunately at this time there is no way to retrieve the private key that can be used to decrypt your files.
This infection is typically spread through emails sent to company email addresses that pretend to be customer support related issues from Fedex, UPS, DHS, etc. These emails would contain a zip attachment that when opened would infect the computer. These zip files contain executable that are disguised as PDF files as they have a PDF icon and are typically named something like FORM_101513.exe or FORM_101513.pdf.exe. Since Microsoft does not show extensions by default, they look like normal PDF files and people open them.
If you do not have System Restore enabled on your computer or reliable backups, then you will need to pay the ransom in order to get your files back.
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London (CNN)Gay and bisexual British veterans who were stripped of their medals because of their sexuality will now be able to reclaim them, the UK government has said, as it admitted the pre-2000 policy was an "historical wrong."Only heterosexual people were allowed to serve in the British Armed Forces until the turn of the century, and troops whose sexuality was discovered often saw their honors removed before they were discharged.They can now apply to have them reinstated. It comes after a legal campaign by Falklands War veteran Joe Ousalice, who was forced from the Royal Navy in 1993 for being bisexual, and who lived through poverty on his return to the country. He previously told the BBC that, when his superiors discovered his sexuality, "they cut (the medal) off my chest with a big pair of scissors."Read MoreUK Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote in a tweet Tuesday: "Those who serve in our Armed Forces deserve every recognition for their service.Thousands of gay men in UK to be pardoned for now-abolished sex offenses"It was a very great injustice that this was denied to some members simply because of their sexuality. I hugely welcome the fact we can now address this historic wrong."LGBTQ groups have welcomed the move, but urged the government to go further and address other consequences facing people who were discharged over their sexuality."It is deeply regrettable that because of their sexuality some members of the Armed Forces were in the past treated in a way that would not be acceptable today," Defence Minister Annabel Goldie said in a statement."As a result of disciplinary action and their dismissal from service, some personnel forfeited medals that they had earned, and others were denied the opportunity of continued service that could have resulted in the restoration of medals that were forfeited for different reasons."The Ministry of Defence said it was "committed to addressing this historical wrong" and encouraged veterans to apply. Relatives can apply on behalf of a former troop who has died.LGBTQ campaigners have urged ministers to also address claims for compensation, lost pension rights, the mental health of veterans, and other issues facing people who fell victim to the pre-2000 legislation."This is the first step in acknowledging wider ranging reparations," LGBTQ service group Fighting With Pride said. "Our aim is to ensure that the impact of all historical wrongdoing is acknowledged and appropriately addressed, not just the return of medals."In recent years the British government has reckoned with the consequences of a number of historic homophobic laws. In 2016, the UK government announced that thousands of gay and bisexual men who were convicted under now-abolished sexual offense laws would be posthumously pardoned. The proposal was dubbed the "Turing Law" -- named after World War II codebreaker Alan Turing, who killed himself in 1954 after being subjected to chemical castration as punishment for homosexual activity.
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More than 4.5 million DSL modems have been compromised as part of a sustained hacking campaign in Brazil, with the devices spreading malware and malicious web address redirects.
According to the malware analyst at Kaspersky Lab in Brazil, Fabio Assolini. The vulnerability exploited by attackers allowed the use of a script to steal passwords and remotely access the configuration of modems. The attacks was described as "One firmware vulnerability, two malicious scripts, three hardware manufacturers, 35 malicious DNS servers, thousands of compromised ADSL modems, millions of victims."
According to Kaspersky, the Brazilian attackers sought to steal users' banking credentials by redirecting users to false versions of popular sites like Facebook or Google and prompting them to install malware. Some 40 DNS servers were set up outside Brazil too in order to serve forged requests for domain names belonging to Brazilian banks.
Nakedsecurity writes,-- The first thing users may have noticed is that they would visit legitimate websites such as Google, Facebook and Orkut (a Google social network which is particularly popular in Brazil) and would be prompted to install software. In the example below, visitors to Google.com.br were invited to install a program called "Google Defence" in order to access the "new Google".
It remains unclear which modem manufacturers and models are susceptible to the attacks. Assolini said a vulnerability disclosed in early 2011 appears to be caused by a chipset driver included with modems that use hardware from communications chip provider Broadcom. It allows a CSRF attack to take control of the administration panel and capture the password set on vulnerable devices.
After manufacturers issued firmware updates to plug the security hole, the number of compromised modems reduced. However, some 300,000 modems are still thought to be controlled by attackers.
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Ed Morales (@SpanglishKid) is a journalist and lecturer at Columbia University's Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. He's the author of the book "Fantasy Island: Colonialism, Exploitation and the Betrayal of Puerto Rico." The views expressed are his own. View more opinion articles on CNN. (CNN)Last month, an email obtained by Axios revealed that Joe Biden's administration is encouraging the elimination of the use of the term "alien" or "illegal alien" in favor of "undocumented individual" or "undocumented noncitizen" in all official documents, outreach efforts and other communications, to describe those in the US who are not citizens. It's a significant development that is welcomed by advocates of the undocumented, since the long-standing use of "alien" is a not-so-subtle dog whistle that has been effectively used to dehumanize not only the undocumented, but actual American citizens. Ed MoralesAnd it's also a reflection of the difficult task the Biden administration faces: appearing to be serious on protecting the border while at the same time restoring some humanity to immigration enforcement policy, a challenge Barack Obama's administration struggled with. Dispensing with the use of the terms "alien" and "illegal" could go a long way to lessening harm to those who are judged as "not American" because of their racial appearance. But there is little question that it will be an uphill battle in this America. Read MoreWhile some triumphant Democrats argue that this signals a reversal of the relentless demonization of Mexican and Central American immigrants that Donald Trump so effectively channeled and advanced, that would be wishful thinking: the hostile stance assumed by the former president was not new in this country. The roots of his "Build the Wall" rhetoric and constituency can be traced back to recent events that preceded his tenure -- measures like California's Proposition 187 in 1994, for example, which made undocumented immigrants ("illegal aliens" in the language of the ballot measure) ineligible for public benefits. In Arizona, propositions 100, 102 and 300, adopted in 2006, had varying effects: prohibiting "alien" bias in some cases, preventing them from filing civil suits, and denying them access to higher education, respectively. The state's SB 1070 (the "papers please law"), passed in 2010, criminalized being an undocumented noncitizen and gave the green light to police officers to ask for proof of legal status for anyone they believed was in the country illegally. And other statutes, like the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act passed in 1996, and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security following 9/11, hardened immigration laws and their enforcement.This dad is desperate to save his kids, but he can't do it alone The term alien, as applied to migrants and others has a long history that dates back to English common law. Derived from the Latin alienus, meaning "belonging to another," alien was used in England to describe someone "born outside the kings' dominion's," an apparently neutral usage. But the use of the word in the US has evolved over time in the US to reflect different stages of the nation's history -- almost always reflecting racist discrimination. In the fledgling United States, the 1790 Naturalization Act limited naturalization to an "alien" who is a "free white person." Some historians point out that slaves brought to the US from outside the country after the international slave trade was banned in 1808 were the first "illegal immigrants." The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first legal restriction of immigration that targeted nonwhites, in this case Asians who were scapegoated during a period of economic crisis. Historian Mae Ngai argues in her book Impossible Subjects that the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924 was "the nation's first comprehensive restriction law," establishing "for the first-time numerical limits on immigration and a global racial and national hierarchy that favored some immigrants over others." By the mid-20th century, in popular culture, the caricature "alien" soared to new heights as part of the science-fiction genre, where the invocation of a cold, mysterious nonhuman "other" served as a metaphor for fear of menacing outsiders while the country was in the grips of 50s and 60s Cold War paranoia. While occasionally films like Steven Spielberg's ET and Close Encounters of the Third Kind attempted to dispel the characterization, (aliens, in those films, were the good guys; officials were the bad guys) the aliens remained decidedly not human. It was Ridley Scott's Alien series that maintained the metaphor, representing aliens as stomach-exploding reptilian slime-things in deep space, where no one could hear you scream. With the menacing "alien" firmly implanted in America's subconscious, it's not that much of a stretch to the idea of an "illegal alien" threatening its neighborhoods. Anti-immigrant sentiment began to grow after Mexican immigrants went from the fourth largest to the largest immigrant group in the US between 1970 and 1980, according to US Census Bureau data. "Illegal alien" took on a particularly dangerous, derisive meaning (one that became a building block in our present-day explosion of racial intolerance). The terrorist attacks in September 2001 placed many brown people in the US, Latinos among them, under suspicion -- about their citizenship status, their loyalty to the nation, and even their place in the country. This reinforced the way many Latinos in America had effectively become "alien citizens," which Ngai describes as "an American citizen by virtue of her birth in the United States but whose citizenship is suspect, if not denied."What's happening in Texas and Mississippi has to stop The elimination of the US Immigration and Naturalization Service in 2003, which previously operated under the Department of Justice, and its replacement with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (or "ICE") agency, operating within the newly created Department of Homeland Security, had effects like conflating immigration offenses with anti-terrorism and crime control, according to a Boston College legal journal. According to "The Criminalization of Immigration," a 2015 report by the American Immigration Council (AIC) "the government has been redefining what it means to be a 'criminal alien,' using increasingly stringent definitions of 'criminality that do not apply to US citizens.'" A year before Trump was elected, AIC asserted that deportation efforts, stepped up during the Obama administration, cast "a widening dragnet over the nation's foreign-born population in search of anyone who might be deportable." Latinos had come under suspicion because of the way DHS lumped together enforcement against potential terrorists with that against those who violated immigration laws. Many in the Republican Party, such as former Texas Gov. Rick Perry in 2014, began to use rhetoric that implied terrorists were slipping into the US through the border with Mexico. "Criminal aliens," he called them. It's clear that the use of stereotyping phrases like "illegal alien" does more harm than just hurt feelings. And we've seen it played out on the media. The recently cancelled Fox News' Lou Dobbs, for instance, as far back as 2005, falsely claimed that immigrants crossing the border were spreading leprosy. And last month, when talking about the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in her state, Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko said: "I worked with people that are Hispanic. I mean they're very good workers... We're compassionate people, but for goodness sakes, we have to take care of American citizens, or people that are here legally, first." Statements like these continue to smear Latinos as less than deserving. (Lesko later said that her remarks could be misinterpreted and that she meant that senior citizens should receive the vaccine before "illegal immigrants.")Pediatrician: The pandemic is taking an alarming toll on childrenEven Latino US citizens face harm because of implicit bias in the criminal justice system that consistently leads to disproportionate arrest and sentencing. From Puerto Ricans -- American citizens -- born on their native island or in the 50 states to 5th generation Mexican American citizens to 3rd generation Salvadoran American citizens and on and on, many Americans are harmed by negative stereotypes when caught up in the system; some are even profiled by ICE as immigration law violators. That the Biden administration has shown concern about this is admirable -- the very intention of naming an immigrant from Cuba, Alejandro Mayorkas, as Secretary of Homeland Security, the first Latino at the helm of the agency, seems proof of that. While many Cubans in the first wave of exiles had an easier path to citizenship, and most are still favored by the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act, the Krome Detention Center in Miami, a major ICE facility, was originally used to detain Cubans who came to the US in the 1980 Mariel Boatlift. Many of them were perceived as less desirable. And Obama ended the policy that allowed Cubans who arrived without a visa a direct path to permanent residency just before leaving office in 2017. More recently, Cubans have faced increased deportations and many who decided to enter through Mexico are still trapped waiting at the border. Biden's newly announced US Citizenship Act of 2021 creates an eight-year path to citizenship and a new 5-year temporary status, as well as a quicker path for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, known as Dreamers, for Temporary Protected Status immigrants, and a path to green-card status for farm workers is also promising. But a recently-released memo on interim guidance for civil immigration enforcement and removal priorities has raised concerns from immigration advocates. The document apparently intended to reduce immigration arrests and deportations by requiring higher levels of approval from senior managers. The American Civil Liberties Union issued a statement calling the memo a "disappointing step backward," because, they say, the Biden administration "has chosen to continue giving ICE officers significant discretion to conduct operations that harm our communities and tear families apart." Get our free weekly newsletterSign up for CNN Opinion's new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook The Arizona-based political organizing group Mijente called it "a step in the right direction," but one that "excludes too many members of our communities... We have a long way to go." Since taking office, the Biden administration has halted construction on the border wall and moved to bring back immigrants who were forced to "remain in Mexico," under a Trump administration policy. Yet thousands of unaccompanied migrant children continue being detained in government shelters. While in theory the Biden approach has a more humane vision, it needs to make sure its priorities and its actions match its language of compassion.
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Story highlightsItalian, German, U.K. and Irish ships also involved in the massive migrant rescue operationU.N. spokesman: Weather is good and no accidents or deaths have been reportedAid worker says some boats had about 560 people packed in them (CNN)European naval ships rushed Saturday across the Mediterranean toward Libya to try to help thousands of migrants stranded at sea, the latest evidence of Europe's alarming immigration crisis.About a dozen ships from several countries, along with at least one private ship, were involved in rescue operations at four locales, said an Italian coast guard officer. They moved into action after the first distress calls came in early Saturday, U.N. Refugee Agency spokesman William Spindler said.As of 11 p.m. (5 p.m. ET), an estimated 3,480 people had been rescued, according to the Italian Coast Guard officer, though that didn't mean many more people weren't still stuck and in danger."Weather and sea conditions are relatively good, and so far there have been no reports of accidents or of people dead or missing at sea," Spindler said.Over 500 people packed on a boatRead MoreVessels from Italy, Great Britain, Germany and Ireland were involved in the rescues, officials said.Ian Ruggier, a member of the humanitarian group Migrant Offshore Aid Station, was on one of the rescue boats. He reported about 2,400 people being rescued off five boats -- four with about 560 migrants each, plus one smaller boat -- roughly 28 nautical miles (32 miles) off the coast of Libya.Some rescue ships turned up with rescued migrants already on board, according to Ruggier. That's what happened with one German naval vessel that picked up 301 migrants from an unreported vessel as the German ship was on the way to the larger rescue scene, a spokesman for Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command said.The German ships went to the main site and found seven packed boats -- far more than they expected -- according to the spokesman for the command, which is part of Germany's military.Why migrants head to MediterraneanThe Italian Interior Ministry reported that several of its own ships were involved, including from its coast guard and navy. The Italian rescue vessels are expected to arrive during the night at the island of Lampedusa.The British Navy dispatched one of its own ships, the HMS Bulwark, to the area, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.The HMS Bulwark had two helicopters onboard moved toward the migrants at a top speed of 17 knots (20 mph), according to the ministry. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon had been on the Royal Navy vessel at some point recently, though it was unclear if he was still there Saturday.One Irish naval vessel was involved in the efforts, Spinder and Ruggier said.Risking death at sea over death at homeEurope dealing with immigration crisisThe prospect of migrants being in jeopardy in the Mediterranean is serious but hardly surprising. People from impoverished and wartorn countries such as Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea have been taking to the sea to reach Europe in especially large numbers of late, often putting their fates in the hands of smugglers. Many times they haven't made it. Hundreds of migrants died in April when their crammed 66-foot (20-meter) boat capsized roughly 70 miles (113 kilometers) north of Libya. That got a lot of news coverage, but it didn't stop the carnage -- including dozens feared drowned after falling into the Mediterranean Sea last month as a rescue vessel approached, according to the aid organization Save the Children. Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the Mediterranean Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the MediterraneanCNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour was onboard an Italian Navy vessel Wednesday as it rescued hundreds of desperate African refugees and migrants trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean SeaHide Caption 1 of 14 Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the MediterraneanA sigh of relief: Women and children sleep on the deck of the Sfinge, an Italian Minerva-class warship -- "sfinge" is Italian for "sphinx" -- after being rescued.Producer Dominique van Heerden took these photos after the CNN team helicoptered in from the Italian island of Lampedusa.Hide Caption 2 of 14 Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the MediterraneanEveryone who participated rescue had to suit up in full protective gear in case any of the refugees and migrants were carrying diseases -- that rule was no different for Amanpour.Hide Caption 3 of 14 Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the MediterraneanAmanpour speaks with migrants, almost all from Eritrea, onboard the Sfinge.Tens of thousands of migrants have attempted the perilous journey across the Mediterranean this year, and at least 1,826 have died, according to the International Organization for Migration, many times more than had perished during the same period last year.Hide Caption 4 of 14 Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the MediterraneanThere were some 290 people onboard the rescued boat, including 35 children, Amanpour reported.One man was dead by the time the Navy got to the boat, and three were so ill that they were helicoptered to Lampedusa for urgent care.Hide Caption 5 of 14 Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the MediterraneanA woman shields her five-year-old child from the intense Mediterranean sun onboard the Sfinge.Hide Caption 6 of 14 Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the MediterraneanThe Italian Navy spotted the medium-sized wooden boat that carried the refugees and migrants some 85 miles from Lampedusa.Hide Caption 7 of 14 Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the MediterraneanThe rescuers know that beautiful weather on the Mediterranean means it will be a busy day, as hundreds of people set off from the North African coast -- mainly Libya -- bound for European shores.Hide Caption 8 of 14 Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the MediterraneanSurrounded by water with nothing to drink: Dehydration can be a serious problem for those who attempt the sea crossing. Here, a man drinks after being brought onboard by the Italian Navy.Hide Caption 9 of 14 Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the MediterraneanRescuing the migrants is an "extraordinarily complex process," Amanpour reported."It takes quite a long time to rescue boat of 300 people. They have to check, they have to make sure that there's nothing hostile on board.""Then all the naval personnel suit up in white hazardous material suits with masks and gloves -- we all had to do the same thing -- in order to make sure that you don't get contaminated by any potential disease."Hide Caption 10 of 14 Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the MediterraneanThe only way to communicate with the outside world from the middle of the sea is satellite phone. Here, Amanpour stands on the bridge of the frigate Virginio Fasan while she speaks with CNN's Hala Gorani.Hide Caption 11 of 14 Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the MediterraneanAmanpour speaks with Rear Admiral Pierpaolo Ribuffo, Deputy Commander of Italian Navy and commander in charge of the Taskforce Operation Mare Sicuro, onboard the Italian frigate Virginio Fasan.Hide Caption 12 of 14 Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the MediterraneanAmanpour speaks with Marco Bagni, commanding officer of the Italian frigate Virginio Fasan.Hide Caption 13 of 14 Photos: Amanpour joins migrant rescue operation in the MediterraneanThe sun sets over the Sfinge rescue ship.Hide Caption 14 of 14The United Nations estimates that, as of the end of May, almost 90,000 refugees and migrants had crossed the Mediterranean into Europe so far this year. Just over half of them landed in Italy with roughly 42,000 in Greece and the rest recorded in places like Spain and Malta. Spindler, the U.N. spokesman, added that about 1,850 had died or went missing at sea.Italian authorities noted that it's too early to tell if Saturday's efforts will break any records for the number of rescued migrants."We recently had around 5,000 rescued migrants in a day," said the Italian Coast Guard officer. "Today ... figures might be much higher."68 migrants found locked in containers at UK port
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This was excerpted from the April 26 edition of CNN's Meanwhile in America, the daily email about US politics for global readers. Click here to read past editions and subscribe.Washington (CNN)Among its deadly properties, Covid-19 appears perfectly engineered to destroy the houses of sand built by populist leaders.Back in January, Narendra Modi poured scorn on experts and scientists who warned his country faced a "tsunami" of infection. Now the Indian Prime Minister is being harshly criticized for premature triumphalism amid a terrible surge that has people dying in the streets.Modi is only the latest populist crusader to come unstuck. Former US President Donald Trump's denialism appears to have cost tens of thousands of lives. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro fueled a disaster by rejecting Covid-19 countermeasures in favor of crank cures. UK PM Boris Johnson paid a heavy personal and political price for ignoring the threat of the pandemic early on, though he has since become more cautious.As India breaks another global Covid-19 record and hospitals run out of oxygen, countries pledge assistance and aidCovid-19 doesn't have political preferences. Even some leaders praised for their scientific approach have seen their standing consumed by the virus. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's final months in power for instance are being tarnished by a wave of infections worsened by Europe's slow vaccine rollout.But the pandemic is guaranteed to expose leaders who undermine truth, create alternative realities, ostracize experts and scientists and refuse to take precautions to keep the public safe. Earlier this month for instance, Modi boasted of huge rally crowds ahead of elections in West Bengal. His hubris in the face of the virus recalls Trump's refusal to give up rallies last year at which he boasted the virus was being driven out -- even as his crowds contributed to a building wave of lethal infections that winter.Read MoreHaving their negligence exposed may not deter the truth-twisting populist leaders inspired by Trump (who is already spoiling for a comeback). Populism will find fertile soil in the economic and social detritus left in the pandemic's wake. But when leaders prioritize their political image over public health, millions of people suffer.
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Story highlightsKwaku Adoboli faces four charges involving fraud and false accountingThe trader at Swiss bank UBS was arrested last week UBS says it has lost $2.3 billion in unauthorized tradingAdoboli has not yet entered a plea to the chargesA bank trader accused of fraud in connection with a $2.3 billion loss in unauthorized trading reported by Swiss giant UBS is "sorry beyond words," his lawyer said Thursday.Kwaku Adoboli was remanded in custody until October 20 by the City of London Magistrates' Court.In a statement to the court, lawyer Patrick Gibbs said his client was "sorry beyond words for what happened here."His client "went to UBS himself," the lawyer said.Adoboli faces a charge of fraud by abuse of position between January and September 2011, causing losses in excess of $1.5 billion, and two counts of false accounting.JUST WATCHEDUBS: What went wrong?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHUBS: What went wrong? 01:29JUST WATCHEDRogue trader costs UBS $2 billion ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRogue trader costs UBS $2 billion 02:02A new charge of fraud by abuse of position from October 2008 to October 2010 was also added Thursday.Adoboli's legal team has not applied for bail and he has not yet entered a plea on the charges.The 31-year-old was first charged Friday, a day after he was arrested in connection with the discovery of unauthorized deals at UBS. The Financial Services Authority, the Serious Fraud Office and the Crown Prosecution Service are also involved in investigating the case.UBS said no client positions were affected by its $2.3 billion loss.But the "unauthorized trading by a trader in its investment bank" could cause UBS to post a loss in the third quarter of this year, it said.The loss would potentially be among the largest ever to a bank in unauthorized trading.
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(Reuters) Ireland's Conor McGregor has told Dustin Poirier their third fight scheduled for July 10 is off after the pair quarreled on Twitter over a $500,000 donation to the American's charity.Former two-weight UFC champion McGregor said earlier this month that a third fight was booked with Poirier, who became the first man to knock him out in January. McGregor knocked Poirier out in a featherweight contest in 2014.But McGregor was not happy when Poirier said the Irishman had not made good on a promise to donate to his charity."A donation, not a debt. We've been awaiting the plans for the money that never came," McGregor said in a reply."500k with no plan in place," he added. "The fight is off... I'm going to fight someone else on the 10th."Read MorePoirier replied by saying McGregor's team "never responded" to emails explaining where the funds would go.
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Story highlightsBelgium cycling tournament scraps poster of podium girl's bumSparks global debate about sexism in cycling Follow us at @CNNSport and like us on Facebook (CNN)A gloved hand reaches for a scantily-clad backside.It could be an image from the hit television series "Mad Men," which documented the ribald world of advertising in 1960s America.Except this is 2015 and "Who squeezes them in Harelbeke?" is the poster strapline for the elite E3 Harelbeke competition in Belgium, accompanied by that gloved cyclist's hand poised to pinch a woman's bottom.Unlike the wind provocatively lifting up her skirt, the controversial advertisement wasn't dreamed up out of thin air.It's inspired by previous winner Slovak Peter Sagan, who pinched a podium girl's behind at the 2013 Tour de Flanders -- something he later apologized for, saying "I promise to act more respectfully in the future."Read Moremisogynist pig or post modern panache ? #sagan #rvv #the_pinch pic.twitter.com/xV689i5npO— CycleCam (@cyclecam) March 31, 2013
A week earlier, he was also pictured on the E3 Harelbeke podium, making an ass-grabbing motion towards another flower girl.E3 Harelbeke's organizers chose to celebrate his antics in their 2015 campaign, sparking a global debate about sexism in cycling that has raced far beyond the billboard."Old Boy's Club""A guy grabbing a woman's ass is very much indicative of a level of sexual assault," said Kathryn Bertine, former professional cyclist and director of "Half the Road," a documentary about female racers. "This poster makes cycling look very outdated. They're relying on a 'good old boys club' tactic to help them sell a product -- and in this case that product is racing."Judging by E3 Harelebeke's provocative standards, the poster could even appear tame compared to previous years. In 2011 organizers opted for a naked woman lying in a field, while the silhouettes of miniature riders traversed her bare backside. More baffling was last year's poster featuring a woman straddling three other females curled into the shape of a bike.NEW BANNER E3 HARELBEKE pic.twitter.com/c9ZZiklOnd— E3 Harelbeke (@E3Harelbeke) February 25, 2014
"Such provocative imagery may have been seen by some in the 1950s and 1960s as a basis for selling products, but marketing communications are a rather more sophisticated and progressive activity than they were 50 years ago," said Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sport Business Strategy and Marketing at Coventry University."I think E3 Harelbeke are rather out of kilter with the way that most people think today.""A playful nod"Cycling's world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has since requested the poster be removed, to which the E3 Harelbeke organisers have agreed -- not that they necessarily see it as offensive themselves."Personally, no I don't think it's sexist," Marc Claerhout, E3 Harelebeke manager, told CNN.Could he see why others might find it offensive? "I don't know. You have a lot of publicity where you see more than some underwear," he said. "And we didn't mean it as sexist."The organization has since withdrawn the poster, releasing an official apology to "anyone who might find it intimidating, discriminatory or sexist.""The organization launched this campaign as a playful nod to the stage incident two years ago in which a rider got ready to squeeze the buttocks of a flower girl," it added....Though #E3 Harelbeke's 2014 ad is better than this 2011 one. How's it marketing a Belgian bike race? @Sportsister pic.twitter.com/AL3Rm9GNV5— Rose Manley (@roseemanley) March 28, 2014
Removing the poster is one thing -- but the UCI missed an opportunity to make an example of a tournament which has used seemingly sexist campaigns for years, said Olympic road race champion, Nicole Cooke."Telling the race organizers to remove the posters is not much of a deterrent," added the retired cyclist whose autobiography "The Breakaway" highlighted sexism within the sport during her over decade long career."A whopping fine and canceling the race would have sent out the strong message that there is no place for sexism in cycling. Instead, the race has received huge publicity."Celebrating sexual assault?The poster also glorifies what would be seen as sexual assault in any other workplace, said Laura Bates, founder of the "Everyday Sexism Project.""It contains a direct reference to an incident of sexual assault, which shouldn't be treated as something to celebrate and joke about," she added.Similarly, Belgium's Institute for the Equality between Men and Women, said the image violated 2007 anti-discrimination legislation and "incited sexual intimidation."It's unlikely the same image would have been used in a female tournament. "Not only is the poster sexist -- this race doesn't even have a women's field," said Bertine, who has long campaigned for a women's edition of the Tour de France equal to the men's -- a race often seen as the ultimate prize in cycling."Here we are, fighting these battles to make equality happen. And posters like this are not helping to pave the way for cycling," she said.She sees the problem not with the majority of "supportive" male cyclists, but with the lack of female representation among race directors and promoters.Money talksIndeed, sponsorship is a big factor is getting a race like the Women's Tour de France off the ground, said Alex Russell, one of two females on the board of British Cycling."A lot of it comes down to whether something has a market value -- and it's not necessarily down to gender," she said.A lot of it comes down to whether something has a market valueAlex Russell, British Cycling"We've introduced a women's tour in Britain and we have got financial support for that. But you can't just jump to mass spectators and mass broadcasting because these things grow incrementally." Former World Road Race champion Cooke points to the discrepancy in prize money as another big obstacle for women within the sport. "The inspiration for the poster is the 2013 Tour de Flanders, for which male winner Fabian Cancellara received €20,000 ($22,000) for his efforts. In comparison, when I won this event, I was happy for the team to split the modest €1,000 I received amongst the other riders," she said. "The biggest change I would recommend to provide protection, security and credibility for female road riders, would be the introduction of a minimum wage, as there is in place for male riders," added Cooke. "Cycling cannot be allowed to exist outside the laws of society, like some sort of medieval anarchy."It seems that rather than a podium girl's bottom, the one being put under the spotlight at this year's event, will be the organizers themselves.
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