Tag Archive for: called

Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on Nord Stream Pipeline Attacks Called by Russia


John Kelley
Political Minister Counselor
New York, New York
February 21, 2023

AS DELIVERED

Thank you, Mr. President, and we thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for her briefing. We listened carefully to the other briefers today. We recognize their past history and service, though we question their relevant knowledge to speak as an expert briefer on the topic at hand.

Mr. President, the United States is deeply concerned by the sabotage that took place on Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines last September.  Deliberate actions to damage critical infrastructure cannot be tolerated.

But let’s be clear why we are really here in the Council today.  Later this week, as we near the one-year anniversary, the General Assembly will debate the impact of Russia’s illegal and full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today’s meeting is a blatant attempt to distract from this. As the world unites this week to call for a just and secure peace in Ukraine consistent with the UN Charter, Russia desperately wants to change the subject.

This is not the first time that Russia has used its seat on this Council to amplify conspiracy theories from the internet. We wish it would apply the same urgency shown over the past three days instead to the myriad credible reports of human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law caused by its invading forces.

However, let me state clearly and plainly: Accusations that the United States was involved in this act of sabotage are completely false. The United States was not involved in any way.

Competent authorities in Denmark, Germany, and Sweden are investigating these incidents in a comprehensive, transparent, and impartial manner. Resources for UN investigations should be preserved for cases when states are unwilling or unable to investigate genuinely.

Let us not be fooled by Russia’s claim it only wants an “impartial” investigation. Its draft resolution clearly implicates the United States and mischaracterizes statements by U.S. officials. Russia does not seek an impartial investigation. It seeks to prejudice ongoing ones toward a predetermined conclusion of its choosing.

The expedited timeline on which the Russian delegation…

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Fake apps are spreading a new Android trojan called Octo Banking


Fake apps are a pain in the keister. Sadly, fake apps are one of the primary tools hackers use to gain access to millions of mobile devices across the globe. They have gotten good at creating fake apps that draw users in with eye candy and time waster promises. Fake apps exist on both Android and iOS, so everyone is a target.

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

This time though, Android users are the target as several fake apps that have been installed more than 50,000 times are targeting banks and financial institutions. This latest Android trojan is known as Octo Banking. Like many trojans, Octo Banking is phishing for your data and hopes you’ll fall for their methods to click on links that will eventually find your data.

The rental banking trojan, dubbed Octo, is said to be a rebrand of another Android malware called ExobotCompact, which, in turn, is a “lite” replacement for its Exobot predecessor, Dutch mobile security firm ThreatFabric said in a report shared with The Hacker News.

Exobot is also likely said to have paved the way for a separate descendant called Coper, that was initially discovered targeting Colombian users around July 2021, with newer infections targeting Android users in different European Countries.

“Coper malware apps are modular in design and include a multi-stage infection method and many defensive tactics to survive removal attempts,” Cybersecurity company Cyble noted in an analysis of the malware last month.

Like other Android banking trojans, the rogue apps are nothing more than droppers, whose primary function is to deploy the malicious payload embedded within them.

The Hacker News

The Hacker News has an excellent write-up that will provide you with much more information, so check them out for the full story.

What do you think of fake apps being used to plant the Android trojan Octo Banking? Please share your thoughts on any of the social media pages listed below. You can also comment on our MeWe page by joining the MeWe social network.

Last Updated on April 10, 2022.

Android Trojan

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Android Smartphone Users, Watch Out for This New Security Risk Called ‘Dirty Pipe’


Android smartphones are seemingly exposed to a new type of vulnerability that may give attackers full control of your device. Spotted by a researcher named Max Kellermann, the new exploit has the potential to compromise Android 12-powered smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S22 series, Google Pixel 6 series and more. Identified as ‘CVE-2022-0847’ and dubbed ‘Dirty Pipe’, Kellermann’s blog post notes that the vulnerability in the Linux kernel 5.8 allows “overwriting data in arbitrary read-only files”. Since Android is built on the Linux kernel (kernel is the core of the operating system), the vulnerability poses threats to any Android-powered devices like smartphones, smart speakers, TV, and more. However, Ars Technica’s Ron Amadeo points out that the damage potential of ‘Dirty Pipe’ is far more limited as “Linux 5.8 and above has only been an Android option for five months”.

ALSO READ: China Behind Hacking of US Govt Agencies in 6 States: Cybersecurity Firm Mandiant

How Does Dirty Pipe Exploit Work?

The Dirty Pipe is named after the Dirty Cow vulnerability that was discovered in 2016. Kellermann suggests the two are similar, but the latter is “easier to exploit”. The post explains the new exploit is a ‘privilege-escalation’ vulnerability that lets hackers obtain unauthorised access despite a security perimeter. A simple overview would be that Dirty Pipe affects ‘pipes’ within Linux that help in the transfer of data. If this “unidirectional inter-process communication” channel is compromised, hackers can change the contents of a file or gain access to the full device, as noted by 9to5Google.

The post notes that the Linux vulnerability was alerted to the Linux Kernel security team in early February, and the issue is fixed with multiple releases (5.16.11, 5.15.25, 5.10.102). Google is yet to release a patch for the ‘Dirty Pipe CVE-2022-0847’ exploit.

Dirty Pipe Protection

Since it is a fairly new vulnerability that was disclosed to the public earlier this month, many details remain unclear. For instance, it seems that the ‘Dirty Pipe CVE-2022-0847’ is still an active exploit in the wild and the scale of affected users remains unclear. Developer…

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Why is 5G called 5G?


I know you’ve probably heard a lot about 5G already.

But, did you ever actually stop for a moment to consider the simple question – why is it called 5G?

Simply put, 5G stands for the fifth generation, and we could stop there, however…

It’s interesting to note that there have been many technologies that have gone through 4 generations, such as industry going through mechanization, steam power, electricity, and electronics to reach industry 4.0. Computer hardware and programming languages, as other examples, have gone though 4 generations, as well.

But one vital technology is now actually entering its 5th generation! Namely, mobile communications, which is consistently ranked as one of mankind’s breakthrough technologies.

  • 7 billion people (about 88% of the world’s population) own at least 1 mobile phone, and over 6.4B (81%) of these are smartphones.
  • Over 55% of all Internet usage is from smartphones.
  • Annual worldwide mobile service provider revenue exceeds $1 trillion dollars (about the same revenue as that of the entire agricultural market).
  • Mobile-enabled services generate about 5% of global GDP.
  • New services enabled by 5G are predicted to generate revenue on the order of the entire economy of India.

But, how did we get here?

The following table will help clarify the chronology:

A table showing the chronology of mobile technology - from 1G to 5G

Although the evolution of mobile communications can be understood through a comparison of services, data rates, latency, and other factors, I’d like to suggest a different perspective.

In fact, it’s somewhat easier to understand each generation’s innovation in a negative way:

  • 1G mobility – it’s not about wires!
  • 2G digital – it’s not about analog signals!
  • 3G packets – it’s not about a constant flow of bits!
  • 4G Internet – it’s not about voice conversations!
  • 5G IoT – it’s not even about people!

We really have to admit that fourth generation is really really good. We’re able to receive up to one hundred megabit per second, which is a lot more than what I used to get on my home Internet connection.

4G made possible for the first time:

  • fast Internet access (on the order of DSL)
  • download and upload of high resolution video
  • always-on behavior (with batteries lasting the…

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