Tag Archive for: Projects

Russian Ransomware Projects Rebranded to Avoid Western Sanctions: Report

/in


Blockchain intelligence company TRM Labs revealed that some major Russian-linked ransomware syndicates rebranded their activities in 2022 to avoid sanctions from Western countries.

According to a new report published recently, the rebranding and other significant activities showed notable changes in the cybercrime space and darknet markets (DNMs) after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Ransomware Operators Rebranded to Evade Sanctions

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, several Western law enforcement agencies imposed tighter sanctions on Russian ransomware platforms.

Similarly, sanctions imposed by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on the popular darknet platform Hydra took a toll on ransomware projects as they struggled to gain market dominance while avoiding law enforcement agencies.

To strengthen their anonymity through alterations in on-chain behavior, two major ransomware syndicates, LockBit and Conti, restructured their activities.

Through TRM’s on-chain analysis, open source reporting, and proprietary information, the intelligence firm discovered that Conti ceased its original operation and restructured into three smaller groups named Black Basta, BlackByte, and Karakut. Before the diversification, Karakut was a side project run by Conti operators.

LockBit, on the other hand, rebranded its operations since Ukraine’s invasion last February. Four months later, the syndicate launched LockBit 3.0, which it projected as apolitical and focused on monetary gain.

“LockBit’s claim that it had no intention to purposely attack Western countries may have been motivated by the possibility of Western sanctions against Russian entities. Moreover, LockBit stated that it had prohibited attacks against entities related to critical infrastructure, probably to minimize the risk of law enforcement attention and potential sanctions,” TRM said.

Western Sanctions had Little Impact on DNMs

Furthermore, TRM’s analysis also found significant growth in the usage of Russian-speaking darknet markets. Due to sanctions imposed on DNMs, criminals fled to Russian-related platforms to evade Western law enforcement.

Collectively, Russian-speaking…

Source…

Shaheen Announces More Than $89M for Key NH Projects & Priorities in New Government Funding Proposal

/in


August 01, 2022

**A senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen worked to include federal support for a myriad of NH projects in the proposal released by Senate Democrats, including expanding access to health care, updating water infrastructure, increasing affordable housing and more.** 

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that a government funding proposal for fiscal year (FY) 2023 released last week by Senate Democrats includes $89,126,000 for 95 New Hampshire projects, which she helped secure. The robust federal dollars, appropriated through the Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) process, invest in a range of Granite State priorities throughout the state, including water infrastructure, health care facility investments, educational training, resources to combat homelessness and food insecurity, support for substance use disorder programs and much more. 

In addition to the CDS listed below, Shaheen announced last week numerous Granite State priorities she fought to include in the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) funding legislation released, which Shaheen spearheads as Chair of the subcommittee. She also announced 23 of the 95 New Hampshire projects that she secured funding for through the CJS subcommittee. 

“The Congressionally Directed Spending process is a crucial opportunity to ensure small states like New Hampshire aren’t shortchanged the resources we deserve, particularly as we continue to grapple with the fallout from the pandemic. I’m thrilled to announce that I successfully secured over $89 million for New Hampshire in the Senate Democrats’ government funding proposal announced last week. This funding supports 95 projects that respond to a variety of needs across our state – from expanding access to health care in underserved areas to investing in workforce development, expanding access to affordable housing and shelter services, supporting victims of violence, updating aging infrastructure and much more,” said Senator Shaheen. “This bill is an important first step in the appropriations…

Source…

Gov. Ivey to announce $41 million in GOMESA projects in Mobile and Baldwin counties Friday

/in


SPANISH FORT, Ala. (WKRG) — Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday will participate in an event to announce more than $41 million in GOMESA projects in Mobile and Baldwin counties. 

The Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) was enacted by Congress in 2006 and provides revenue-sharing funds from Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas leasing activities in the Gulf of Mexico. More than $41 million will be awarded to 17 projects among Mobile and Baldwin counties. These projects focus on sewer infrastructure, water quality improvements, land acquisition, research and recreational access improvements, which are included in the authorized uses of GOMESA funds.

The announcement will be made at 2 p.m. at Five Rivers Delta Center in Spanish Fort. Joining the governor will be Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship, Rep. Matt Stimpson, Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier, Spanish Fort Mayor Mike McMillian, among others.

Source…

Amazon Invests in Nine New Renewable Energy Projects in Canada, the U.S., Spain, Sweden, and the UK and Becomes Europe’s Largest Corporate Buyer of Renewable Energy

/in


Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced nine new utility-scale wind and solar energy projects in the U.S., Canada, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. The company now has 206 renewable energy projects globally, including 71 utility-scale wind and solar projects and 135 solar rooftops on facilities and stores worldwide, which will generate 8.5 GW of electricity production capacity globally. With this latest announcement, Amazon is now the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in Europe, with more than 2.5 GW of renewable energy capacity, enough to power more than two million European homes a year.

These projects supply renewable energy to Amazon’s corporate offices, fulfillment centers, Whole Foods Market stores, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers, which power Amazon and millions of AWS customers globally. The renewable energy from these projects also helps Amazon meet its [url=”]commitment[/url] to produce the clean energy equivalent to the electricity used by all consumer Echo devices. All of these projects put Amazon on a path to power 100% of its activities with renewable energy by 2025—five years ahead of the original target of 2030. Investing in renewable energy is one of the many actions Amazon is taking as part of The Climate Pledge, a commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.

“Amazon continues to scale up its investments in renewable energy as part of its effort to meet The Climate Pledge, our commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. “With these nine new wind and solar projects, we have announced 206 renewable wind and solar projects worldwide, and we are now the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in Europe and globally. Many parts of our business are already operating on renewable energy, and we expect to power all of Amazon with renewable energy by 2025—five years ahead of our original target of 2030.”

The nine new wind and solar projects announced today in the U.S., Canada, Spain, Sweden, and the UK include:

  • Our first solar project paired with energy storage: Based in California’s Imperial Valley, Amazon’s first solar project paired with energy storage…

Source…