Sunday, October 16, 2022 // (IG): BB // INTSUM // Coffee for Bob
WeChat users are begging Tencent to give their accounts back after talking about a Beijing protest
FROM THE MEDIA: “I have been in a terrible mental state due to the massive pressure from recent pandemic prevention measures. I lost my control, and sent sensitive statements in a group chat with six people,” one user wrote. “I have profoundly realized my mistake. I hope Tencent can give me a chance to start with a clean slate. I won’t let down the party and the country.” The message was posted with a special hashtag for “Tencent Customer Service.”
READ THE STORY: Technology Review
Elon Musk has a 'super app' plan for Twitter - all you need to know
FROM THE MEDIA: Elon Musk has a penchant for the letter "X." He calls his son with the singer Grimes, whose actual name is a collection of letters and symbols, "X." He named the company he created to buy Twitter "X Holdings." His rocket company is, naturally, SpaceX. Now he also apparently intends to morph Twitter into an "everything app" he calls X. For months, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has expressed interest in creating his own version of China's WeChat - a "super app" that does video chats, messaging, streaming and payments - for the rest of the world. At least, that is, once he's done buying Twitter after months of legal infighting over the $44 billion purchase agreement he signed in April.
READ THE STORY: ET
Elon Musk promises to fund Starlink in Ukraine ‘indefinitely’
FROM THE MEDIA: Elon Musk has said he will continue to fund the Starlink mobile internet system in Ukraine for free “indefinitely” following discussions with the Pentagon. The billionaire entrepreneur had complained this week that the service was costing his private space company SpaceX “approaching $20mn a month” and had written to the defense department requesting financial support. The Pentagon on Friday confirmed that it had been discussing payments with Musk’s company to ensure connectivity for Ukrainian forces, adding that it was also exploring alternatives.
READ THE STORY: FT // Washington Post // Aljazeera
Can Russian use of Iranian Shahed-136 drones pose a diplomatic dilemma with Israel
FROM THE MEDIA: The level of anxiety in Israel has risen in the wake of the widespread Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv, which resulted in 19 deaths and extensive destruction. According to reports, these are suicide drones of the type Shahad-136 (or the shorter ranged Shahed 131) that have been rebranded by altering their color and designation. According to Ukrainian military sources, the drones were able to cause damage to their troops and destroy many anti-aircraft missile systems from the West.
READ THE STORY: Frontier India
Ongoing US support to Ukraine could prompt Russian cyber escalation in midterms, experts warn
FROM THE MEDIA: With Russia continuing to face setbacks in its war against Ukraine, experts warn Russian President Vladimir Putin may escalate his cyber operations in the November midterms as retaliation for U.S. involvement in the conflict. Recent cyberattacks against U.S. state government and airport websites that Moscow-backed hackers have claimed responsibility for may have been testing grounds for such Russian efforts to interfere in the upcoming election, posits James Turgal, vice president of cyber consultancy Optiv.
READ THE STORY: The Hill
Challenges lie ahead for Pakistan as China pushes for digital silk road
FROM THE MEDIA: While China has promised to enhance its cooperation for the ambitious Digital Silk Road (DSR) project, Pakistan's low digital economy and shortage of digital talent are putting major roadblocks in the realisation of the project.
During the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) international cooperation summit forum in 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping had proposed to enhance cooperation with Pakistan in vast areas of digital economy, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and quantum computing, reported Islam Khabar.
READ THE STORY: ANI
OAIC statement on MyDeal data breach
FROM THE MEDIA: The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) confirms it has been notified by the Woolworths Group and made aware of the MyDeal data breach. Information on the breach is available on the MyDeal website here. The OAIC will engage with Woolworths to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme in accordance with our usual process. The initial focus is on ensuring that MyDeal customers are notified and have information and resources available to take steps to protect themselves from any further risk to their personal information. Following a breach, individuals need to be alert to scams and any suspicious or unexpected activity on their personal accounts or devices. Check the Scamwatch website for information.
READ THE STORY: Mirage News
How to Use Passkeys in Google Chrome and Android
FROM THE MEDIA: GOOGLE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED that passkey support is coming to both the Android operating system and the Google Chrome web browser—and if you're wondering exactly what that means, you're in the right place. Passkeys are essentially a replacement for passwords that are designed to be more secure. You use them instead of traditional passwords to get into your various digital accounts, whether that's Google, Twitter, Dropbox, or anything else. You don't get an actual key. Instead, some kind of unlocking mechanism—typically facial recognition or fingerprint recognition, or just a PIN code—is used to prove you are who you say you are for the purposes of logging in.
READ THE STORY: Wired
CommonSpirit Hospital Chain Grappling With Ransomware Attack
FROM THE MEDIA: One of the largest hospital operators in the U.S. is wrestling with downed systems and disruptions to patient care at hospitals in several states following a ransomware attack last week. CommonSpirit Health, which operates over 140 hospitals and 2,000 other healthcare sites across 21 states, said in an update posted to its website Wednesday that it shut down electronic health records and other systems after it detected a ransomware attack disclosed on Oct. 4. The intrusion has had minimal impact on Dignity Health, part of CommonSpirit in California, and Virginia Mason Medical Center, a CommonSpirit hospital in Seattle, the parent organization said.
READ THE STORY: NEWS AZI
Iran tries to crack down on protests, even online. Here's how activists are evading those efforts
FROM THE MEDIA: Protests in Iran over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini have reached their fourth week. Mahsa, also known by her Kurdish name, Jina, died in police custody after being arrested for violating Iran's strict Islamic dress code. Dozens are estimated to have been killed so far in the fierce government crackdown. And that crackdown is being felt online, too. To try to make it harder for people on the ground to organize, authorities have rolled out high-tech tools to limit mobile phone connections, to block social media sites and cut demonstrators off from the rest of the world.
READ THE STORY: Kera News
Former Wall Street Journal reporter says a law firm used Indian hackers to sabotage his career
FROM THE MEDIA: A former Wall Street Journal reporter accuses a major US law firm of using mercenary hackers to oust him from his job and damage his reputation. in lawsuit Late Friday, Jay Solomon, the newspaper’s former chief foreign correspondent, said Philadelphia-based Deckert LLP worked with hackers from India to steal emails between him and one of his main sources, Iran Air CEO Farhad Azim. Solomon said the messages, which showed Azima floating the idea of the two getting into business together, were put on file and circulated in a successful attempt to get him fired.
READ THE STORY: ECM
Over 45,000 VMware ESXi servers just reached end-of-life
FROM THE MEDIA: Over 45,000 VMware ESXi servers inventoried by Lansweeper just reached end-of-life (EOL), with VMware no longer providing software and security updates unless companies purchase an extended support contract. Lansweeper develops asset management and discovery software that allows customers to track what hardware and software they are running on their network. As of October 15, 2022, VMware ESXi 6.5 and VMware ESXi 6.7 reached end-of-life and will only receive technical support but no security updates, putting the software at risk of vulnerabilities.
READ THE STORY: Bleeping Computer
Pirate Sites That Rip-Off Other Pirate Sites’ Branding Are About to Regret It
FROM THE MEDIA: Sites like The Pirate Bay are recognized for their unique branding but in today's pirate streaming sector, individuality can mean copying a successful site and buying the closest possible domain. Countering ISP blocking is a driving force but opportunists are also putting Coke labels on cheap, generic cola. Thanks to the High Court in London, pirating other pirates ends in site blocking. Ten years ago the High Court in London ordered all major ISPs in the country to block The Pirate Bay. The injunction couldn’t stop the site from operating but indirectly left its mark in more insidious ways.
READ THE STORY: TF
Rogue Mango Markets Trader Owns Up to $100M Exploit
FROM THE MEDIA: Digital art dealer Avraham Eisenberg posted a tweet storm Saturday revealing that he had been involved in Tuesday’s attack on the Solana DeFi protocol. In his admission, Eisenberg made the case that his team’s actions were legal and above board. “I was involved with a team that operated a highly profitable trading strategy last week,” he wrote. “I believe all of our actions were legal open market actions, using the protocol as designed, even if the development team did not fully anticipate all the consequences of setting parameters the way they are.”
READ THE STORY: Crypto Briefing
Egypt: East Med Can Meet Europe's Gas Needs if Investments Made
FROM THE MEDIA: Egypt's energy minister says gas supplies in the Mediterranean region are probably sufficient to meet Europe’s need if investments are made to exploit gas fields in the area. Egyptian TV reported Saturday that Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades thanked Egypt for its efforts to jointly coordinate the exploitation of regional undersea natural gas resources by putting together the East Mediterranean Gas Forum last June. Arab media also reported Saturday that Egypt's energy minister, Tarek el Molla, who attended the one-day conference bringing together several nations in Cyprus Friday, said that gas supplies in the East Med region will be what he called “a life-saver for Europe at a time of crisis," and "could eventually meet Europe's gas needs if the proper investments are made."
READ THE STORY: VOA
How Twitter Could Be Better Monetized, The Sequel
FROM THE MEDIA: Last April Elon Musk offered to acquire Twitter with the aspiration of restoring free speech to the platform. This purchase was at first met with hostility by the Twitter board and factions of the internet, but the board changed their tune by the end of April. But then Musk canceled the deal in July, objecting to the number of spam accounts. Elon says that Twitter failed to abolish these phony accounts, but Twitter sued Elon for breaking the purchase contract. Then on October 3rd, Musk offered to buy Twitter again at its original price of $54.20 a share.
READ THE STORY: Medium
Chinese investors dogged by controversy with gross human rights violations of Zimbabwean workers
FROM THE MEDIA: Chinese-run companies in Zimbabwe have been dogged by controversy with gross human rights violations and safety norms for mining workers. The recent incident of ill-treating by the Chinese mine owner has once again exposed the exploitation of locals and unethical practices adopted by Chinese employers in the African nation, reported Africa Daily. It is not only ill-treatment but the Chinese investors usually accuse local workers of stealing and verbally and physically abusing them and blatantly violating laws. The Centre for Research and Development (CRD), a Manicaland-based natural resources governance organization stated that Chinese mining operations in Odzi were blatantly violating laws that regulate health and safety issues.
READ THE STORY: The Print
Pipeline Carrying Russian Oil To Germany Repaired After Leak Detected In Poland
FROM THE MEDIA: The Polish operator of the Druzhba oil pipeline said it had fixed a leak that had caused part of the pipeline from Russia to Germany to be shut. The operator, PERN, said in a statement on October 15 its technical services "restored the full functionality of the damaged line of the pipeline, which supplies crude oil to the company's German customers." "An investigation into the cause of the leak is ongoing," it added. The leak was detected on October 11 near the village of Zurawice in central Poland. The company had said earlier that preliminary checks indicated the leak was probably accidental.
READ THE STORY: Radio Free Europe
Tesla Semi-Truck manufacturing to begin for Pepsi in December 1
FROM THE MEDIA: Elon Musk announced that Tesla is starting Tesla Semi production and that Pepsi is going to get the first electric trucks starting December 1. Tesla Semi, an all-electric class 8 truck, was unveiled back in 2017. At the time, it was supposed to come as soon as 2019. The vehicle program was delayed for years, and until recently, it wasn’t expected to go into production until 2023. However, Elon Musk surprisingly announced in August that the Tesla Semi would actually start shipping later this year.
READ THE STORY: Electrek
‘Stay away from WhatsApp, been spy tool for 13 years’: Telegram founder Pavel Durov warns users
FROM THE MEDIA: To prevent having their phone hacked, Telegram's founder advised users to use "any messaging app" instead of WhatsApp. Pavel Durov referred to a security flaw that WhatsApp found last week which made it possible for a hacker to hijack a person's phone by delivering a corrupt video to their number, Independent reported. He wrote in Telegram that "Hackers can have complete access (!) to everything on the phones of WhatsApp subscribers." Durov further stated, "Every year, we learn about a new WhatsApp bug that hinders everything on their users' smartphones... No matter how wealthy you are, if WhatsApp is installed on your phone, all of your data from every program is accessible on it.”
READ THE STORY: DNA India
Reconnaissance Satellite Market – Major Technology Giants in Buzz Again | Inmarsat, Iridium Communications, Airbus
FROM THE MEDIA: Latest Study on Industrial Growth of Reconnaissance Satellite Market 2022-2028. A detailed study accumulated to offer Latest insights about acute features of the Reconnaissance Satellite market. The report contains different market predictions related to revenue size, production, CAGR, Consumption, gross margin, price, and other substantial factors. While emphasizing the key driving and restraining forces for this market, the report also offers a complete study of the future trends and developments of the market. It also examines the role of the leading market players involved in the industry including their corporate overview, financial summary and SWOT analysis.
READ THE STORY: Digital Journal
What is Kessler Syndrome? SpaceX's Starlink satellites increase the risk of orbital chaos
FROM THE MEDIA: The space debris problem could cascade dramatically due to a phenomenon known as the Kessler Syndrome, or the Kessler Effect. There are already more than 27,000 pieces of space debris in orbit, according to NASA, and the number will only continue to rise. The space agency points out that, as space debris travels at about 15,700 mph (25,266 km/h) in low Earth orbit, an impact of "even a tiny piece of orbital debris with a spacecraft could create big problems."
READ THE STORY: Interesting Engineering
Indian Air Force announces creation of Weapon System Branch
FROM THE MEDIA: New Delhi: Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Saturday announced the creation of the new weapon systems branch to handle all types of latest weapon systems in the force which would also result in saving of Rs 3400 crore due to reduced expenditure on flying training. The move will essentially be for manning four specialized streams of Surface-to-Surface missiles, Surface-to-Air Missiles, Remotely Piloted Aircraft and Weapon System Operators in twin and multi-crew aircraft. Weapon System Branch – Taking a leap towards technology advancement will induct specialized cadre officers for handling the latest weapon systems.
READ THE STORY: SN
SpaceX spacecraft fragments to be collected from NSW Snowy Mountains farms to be stored, sent overseas
FROM THE MEDIA: The collection of SpaceX debris from sheep and cattle farms NSW Snowy Mountains has begun, although space experts are asking why it hasn't happened sooner. Pieces of the SpaceX Dragon capsule have been discovered in the region since July 9, after residents heard a loud bang believed to be from the spacecraft re-entering the Earth's atmosphere. Four separate fragments were found on farms near Dalgety, Jindabyne and Tumbarumba, which are now being secured by the Australian Space Agency.
READ THE STORY: ABC
India's largest power producer confirms cyberattack on its IT infrastructure
FROM THE MEDIA: The company has taken suitable measures to retrieve and restore the systems. As of now, all the critical operations are functioning properly. As per the reports of Tech Crunch, the company said, "All critical operational systems are functioning; however, as a measure of abundant precaution, restricted access and preventive checks have been put in place for employee and customer-facing portals and touchpoints." The company has not revealed any more details regarding the issue.
Is Alex Jones verdict the death of disinformation? Unlikely
FROM THE MEDIA: A Connecticut jury's ruling this week ordering Alex Jones to pay $965 million to parents of Sandy Hook shooting victims he maligned was heartening for people disgusted by the muck of disinformation. Just don't expect it to make conspiracy theories go away. The appetite for such hokum and narrowness of the judgments against Jones, who falsely claimed that the 2012 elementary school shootings were a hoax and that grieving parents were actors, virtually ensure a ready supply, experts say. "It's easy to revel in Alex Jones being punished," said Rebecca Adelman, a communications professor at the University of Maryland. "But there's a certain shortsightedness in that celebration."
READ THE STORY: ST. Louis Post-Dispatch
Items of interest
Psychoanalyzing autocrats: How the West tries to understand its enemies
FROM THE MEDIA: With President Joe Biden admitting that nuclear war is more likely than at any time since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, what will be the next move of his opposite number in the Kremlin? What avenues of opportunity are open to Vladimir Putin in order to decisively alter the calculus of the conflict in Ukraine? Is he “thinking the unthinkable” by considering the employment of weapons of mass destruction? Will he attempt to escalate the conflict beyond the borders of Ukraine itself? Will he order a general withdrawal of Russian forces to defensive lines? Or will he finally see sense and sit at the negotiating table?
These are just some of the questions which have exercised the minds of the media in the last few months regarding the future trajectory of the war in Ukraine. Unsurprisingly, the imponderables of Putin’s mindset, his personal dynamic with key subordinates, and future politico-military intentions, will also have stretched the minds of Western intelligence services. After all, “intelligence”, as the late Sir Maurice Oldfield, former Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service and inspiration for John le Carré’s fictional character, George Smiley, once reflected, “is about people and the study of people”.
READ THE STORY: The Critic
Le Roux: criminal mastermind | The Big Boss: A 21st Century Criminal (Video)
FROM THE MEDIA: From drug trafficking to gold smuggling to dealing in battlefield weapons, there was no criminal venture that Paul LeRoux would not embark on. We reveal for the first time how one man ran a criminal empire spanning the globe from his penthouse in the Philippines, and became the world’s most prolific yet least known crime boss.
Could SATOSHI Be African Criminal PAUL LE ROUX(Video)
FROM THE MEDIA: Could Satoshi be African? Zimbabwean cybercriminal Paul le Roux is currently in prison sentenced for narcotrafficking and seven murders. Paul le Roux had ties with multiple African dictatorships and could be considered one of the greatest African criminals of the 21st century. His background of C++ programming, publishing open-source cryptography software (E4M), and many other unlikely coincidences raise valid suspicions on whether he could be Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. Evan Ratliff, the author of "The Mastermind", shares his reasoning with us.
These open source products are reviewed from analysts at InfoDom Securities and provide possible context about current media trends in regard to the realm of cyber security. The stories selected cover a broad array of cyber threats and are intended to aid readers in framing key publicly discussed threats and overall situational awareness. InfoDom Securities does not specifically endorse any third-party claims made in their original material or related links on their sites, and the opinions expressed by third parties are theirs alone. Contact InfoDom Securities at dominanceinformation@gmail.com