Tag Archive for: told

Six Lies the Russian President Told His Defense Council

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On December 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual press conference in Moscow. Answering journalists’ questions, he depicted a peaceful Russia victimized by constant aggression from the United States and NATO. Blaming Washington for NATO’s so-called “aggression,” Putin said he cannot promise that Russia will not invade Ukraine. These were similar talking points to ones he used two days earlier in a speech to the defense ministry’s annual conference in Moscow. In that December 21 speech, he made six claims that Polygraph.info found false and misleading.

“Good day, respected tovarischi!” Putin said in greeting his audience on December 21, using the Soviet-era Russian word for “comrades.” His speech was sprinkled with a nostalgia for the Soviet Union.

Putin’s speech was also full of half-truths and falsehoods. Among them:

  • “I want to emphasize again: Russia stands for equal and indivisible security throughout Eurasia.”
  • “What is happening now, the tension that is developing in Europe, is their fault. At every step, Russia was forced to somehow respond, at every step the situation was constantly deteriorating, deteriorating, deteriorating – degrading and degrading.”

Those two claims regarding Russia’s role in maintaining European/Eurasian security are false.

Putin did not specify what period he was referring to as “now.” However, it is Russia that has been the source of security tensions in Europe over the last two decades. Russia under Vladimir Putin’s leadership has become the most aggressive country in Europe. Moscow has waged wars, annexed territory, used chemical weapons to assassinate opponents, weaponized disinformation, unleashed cyber-attacks, and even leveraged its natural gas to destabilize and blackmail entire countries. The Russian military is accused of war crimes in Syria and Africa.

Notably, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the West dealt with the new Russia in a friendly and supportive manner. With diplomatic backing from the United States, Russia was accepted into the world’s most influential groups like the G-7, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization, and…

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dot: Telecom companies told to keep call data, internet-use records for 2 years

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NEW DELHI: Department of Telecom (DoT) has extended the duration of archiving call data and internet usage records of subscribers to two years from one year due to security reasons.
The amendments in the licences were issued on December 21 and extended to other forms of telecom permits on December 22.
“The licensee shall maintain all commercial records/call detail record/exchange detail record/IP detail record with record to the communications exchanged on the network. Such records shall be archived for at least two years for scrutiny by the licensor for security reasons…,” the DoT circular said.
Telecom companies may destroy the data stored thereafter if there is no direction from the DoT thereafter. The circular said the amendment is necessary in “public interest or in the interest of the security of the state or for the proper conduct of the telegraphs”.
The amendment mandates telecom companies to maintain internet data records of subscribers, including login and logout details of all subscribers for services provided such as internet access, e-mail, internet telephony services like calls made from mobile applications or wifi calling for at least two years.
Earlier, the rules of the telecom department mandated the archival of call data and internet usage records for at least 1 year.
The order was issued because of security reasons. Earlier, the rules mandated that call data and internet-usage records be saved for a year.

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Firms told to beef up online habits, cybersecurity awareness

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CYBERSECURITY firm Trend Micro has emphasized the pressing need to elevate the online habits and cybersecurity awareness of Filipinos and business organizations amidst the rise of telecommuting and digital services in the country.

With the digital shift in workplaces, daily routines and proliferation of online-based services brought about by the pandemic, Filipinos are becoming more prone to cyber threats and information technology (IT) attacks.

According to the firm’s in-house data for February 2021, it revealed that the Philippines ranked fourth globally and second in Southeast Asia in terms of the number of attempts to access a malicious URL.

Further data show that the Philippines ranked 24th globally and fourth in the region in terms of malware detection.

The banking sector is no exception as the country ranked 14th in banking malware detections on a global scale and third at the regional level.

Email threats are also prevalent in the Philippines with the country being ninth in Southeast Asia and 75th globally. Among common email threats are phishing, emails with malicious attachments, malicious links and spam messages.

According to Trend Micro, these figures prove that Filipinos are more at risk of cybercrimes and threats now more than ever.

Ransomware attacks

Among the cyber threats that individuals and organizations alike should look out for is ransomware, said Trend Micro.

Ransomware is described as malware that locks the system’s screen or user’s files to block access. Access is only provided by the attacker when a ransom is paid.

Experts at Trend Micro warned that from a global perspective, this malware has evolved into becoming targeted ransomware attacks. Cybercriminals will now hit specific companies and industries and use ransomware to get a big payout.

In their 2020 Annual Cybersecurity Report, the firm shared that there is a trend in double-extortion attacks in the previous year. Aside from denying access to systems and files, ransomware operators threaten to expose files and sensitive information if the ransom is not paid.

“Given the risk of public exposure, victim organizations confronted the possibility of reputational damage as well as data…

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Albion Online gamers told to change passwords following forum hack

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Sandbox Interactive, the developers of the free medieval fantasy video game Albion Online, have warned players that a hacker managed to break into its systems and gain access to its user database. Read more in my article on the Hot for Security blog.
Graham Cluley