September 2016

Thursday 29 September 2016

Digital Divide: Emerging Economy Cyber Alerts - September 29, 2016

Policy

their legislation today could be yours tomorrow

South Africa’s pending Films and Publications Amendment Bill—also known as the Internet Censorship Bill—would require citizens to register their names, addresses and ages and pay a fee before uploading videos to platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, in turn giving full access to this information to the CEO of the Films and Publications Board. Responded Phumzile van Damme, Democratic Alliance (DA) National Spokesperson, “The legislation currently being pushed through Parliament is unacceptable. The DA will do everything possible to ensure the bill does not pass in its current form.”

Privacy, Surveillance and Censorship

government isn't always on your side

‘Google Surveillance’ is a more appropriate moniker for the United States-based search engine’s new chat app, Allo, says Edward Snowden. Allo does not enable end-to-end encryption by default, stores conversations indefinitely and provides customized automatic responses that are generated by first monitoring user messages.

Research and Initiatives

making your world a more cybersecure place

India now has a chapter of the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) in Singapore. The organization plans to strengthen ties with government, industry and academia in order to enhance information and best practice sharing.

Cyberattacks

the threats we all face

United States-based Yahoo just discovered a 2014 data breach that compromised the names, email addresses, passwords, phone numbers and birth dates of more than 500 million accounts; financial information was not stolen. The hack is believed to have been carried out by a state-sponsored actor.

Security news blog KrebsOnSecurity was temporarily offline last week because of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. Once online again, United States-based Brian Krebs wrote, “One of the fastest-growing censorship threats on the Internet today comes not from nation-states, but from super-empowered individuals who have been quietly building extremely potent cyber weapons with transnational reach.” It is believed that the attack on Krebs’ site was a reaction to his work against vDos, a DDoS-for-hire service.

Looking Back

a new glimpse at old alerts

In June, Indonesia announced that it did not have the capacity to fund a proposed National Cyber Agency. As an alternative, the nation has sought to work more cooperatively with Russia in order to heighten digital information security and improve cyber technology. “We see an importance to deepen our discussions on the two countries’ security as well as regional security, and we will follow up the cooperation with more concrete measures,” reported Indonesian Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto.

All images credit of BOLDG/Shutterstock.com.

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Wednesday 28 September 2016

SumTips: 5 Human Rights Violations Not to Be Ignored

A Thai tourism video directed by Bandit Thongdee has fallen victim to government censors. The video included four individuals in Khon masks, including a depiction of Ramakien king Thotsakan, which the culture ministry found “inappropriate”. As a result, an edited version of the video was released this week.

A debate over the thin line between respecting a nation’s heritage and infringing upon freedom of expression has ensued, culminating in a Change.org petition that quickly reached its goal of 70,000 signatures. The petition, which challenged the decision to censor Thongdee’s work, has since been delivered to Thailand’s Ministry of Culture and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Although its results remain to be seen, the signers of the petition should celebrate the fact that their efforts were heard, a dream that does not always become a reality for Change.org petitions. Of note:

On April 7, 2016, the Institute of Technology and Society (ITS) of Rio submitted a petition titled, “Don’t let web censorship happen. We stand for the freedom of Brazilian Internet!” in response to the proposal of eight bills aimed at controlling the Internet. To date, the petition has received 90,000 of the 150,000 signatures needed for it to reach the National Parliament of Brazil.

On March 4, 2016, the Index on Censorship submitted a petition titled, “End Turkey’s crackdown on press freedom” in response to the seizure of Zaman, an independent Turkish media group. A week after the petition started, Index on Censorship announced a continued need to fight against the continued crackdown on press freedom; Zaman, the country’s most circulated newspaper, has since taken a markedly pro-government stance. To date, the petition has received 3,500 of the 5,000 signatures needed for it to reach President Recep Tayyip Edogan.

On February 20, 2016, the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) submitted a petition titled, “Solidarity with Ahmed Naji: Egypt Prosecutes Creativity and Freedom of Expression” in response to the novelist’s two-year prison sentence on grounds of “harming public morality”. Just this month, the petition was updated to inform supporters of ways to wish a happy birthday to the still-imprisoned Naji. To date, the petition has received 9,000 of the 10,000 signatures needed for it to reach the International Community of Scholars, Novelists and Journalists.

On December 3, 2015, the Change Vigilantes Organization submitted a petition titled, “Nigerians Say ‘NO’ To Social Media Censorship by Government” in response to a proposed social media law that would “suppress, censor and criminalize free speech”. In May of 2016, the harmful legislation was thrown out; whether it returns remains to be seen. To date, the petition has received approximately 500 of the 1,000 signatures needed for it to reach the National Assembly, Senate President Bukola Saraki, National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and President Muhammadu Buhari.

On October 3, 2015, Mohamed Najem of Lebanon submitted a petition titled, “Release my wrongfully accused friend, open-Internet advocate Bassel Khartabil (Safadi), from Syrian prison” in response to the computer engineer and internet access advocate’s arrest on grounds of “harming state security”. In March of 2016, the petition was updated with a simple question—Where is Bassel?—and a link to freebassel.org. To date, the petition has received 47,000 of the 50,000 signatures needed for it to reach the Syrian regime.

Advocate for change, surf secure and stay Rando!

Image credit of BOLDG/Shutterstock.com.

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Thursday 22 September 2016

Digital Divide: Emerging Economy Cyber Alerts - September 22, 2016

Policy

their legislation today could be yours tomorrow

At a consultative workshop, Zimbabwe's Secretary for Information Communication and Technology, Postal and Courier Services Sam Kundishora suggested that because of frequent changes in ICT, the country's Computer Crime and Cyber Security Bill should be reviewed every two years in order to make corresponding adjustments.

Privacy, Surveillance and Censorship

government isn't always on your side

India’s government is working to include Aadhaar, its biometric authentication system, on all smartphones within the country. If companies such as Google, Samsung and Microsoft do not comply, they would likely find themselves non-competitive in a country with such a rapidly growing smartphone market. The change would also send all mined smartphone data to the Indian government rather than the phone manufacturers.

Research and Initiatives

making your world a more cybersecure place

Recent research reveals cause for concern in the United Arab Emirates: “UAE workplace security research conducted by Cisco and GBM showed employee behavior is a genuine weak link in cybersecurity and becoming an increasing source of risk—more through complacency and ignorance than malice—because companies have so insulated employees from the scale of daily threats that people expect the company’s security settings to take care of everything for them. Training employees to understand that they too are liable on an individual level is of critical importance.” Today marks the 8th e-Crime Congress Abu Dhabi, which will explore the advances in and shortcomings of cybersecurity.

High Representatives from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) recently met in New Delhi to discuss issues including cybersecurity in anticipation of October’s BRICS Summit. The representatives agreed to focus on information sharing and cooperation in order to strengthen cybersecurity.

CyberSecurity Malaysia plans to produce 10,000 certified cybersecurity professionals by 2020. “It is vital to develop a strong pool of cyber security talent in order to build a dynamic cyber security eco-system that can support Malaysia’s transformation into a high income digital economy,” said Datuk Seri Panglima Madius Tangau, Malaysia’s Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) minister.

Cyberattacks

the threats we all face

Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba recently fired four employees who stole 124 boxes of mooncakes with a sales system hack. Although those fired were surprised to see such decisive action, a PR representative for Alibaba reported that “the decision was made to remind myself and every employee that everything has a bottom line.”

Russian hackers APT28 and Fancy Bears have breached the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in an attack that has made public the medical records of Olympians from countries including Argentina, Belgium, Burundi, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Spain and the United States. WADA believes the attack is an effort to destroy reputations and retaliate for investigations into doping in Russia.

18-year-old Israelis and leaders of an international hacking operation, Itay Huri and Yarden Bidani, were recently arrested for knocking websites offline and compromising databases. It is believed that Huri and Bidani collected over $600,000.

All images credit of BOLDG/Shutterstock.com.

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Wednesday 21 September 2016

SumTips: 5 Countries on Censorship Watch, According to Ban Ki-moon

Yesterday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reported on the United Nation's annual progress at the 71st General Assembly meeting. Of note, he mentioned 5 countries currently impacted by failed governance and armed conflict:

In today’s world, the conflict in Syria is taking the greatest number of lives and sowing the widest instability. There is no military solution. Many groups have killed many innocents – but none more so than the Government of Syria, which continues to barrel bomb neighborhoods and systematically torture thousands of detainees. Powerful patrons that keep feeding the war machine also have blood on their hands.

One year ago, Palestine proudly raised its flag at UN Headquarters. Yet the prospects for a two-state solution are being lowered by the day. All the while, the occupation grinds into its 50th year.

On the Korean Peninsula, the fifth nuclear test by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has again threatened regional and international security. Meanwhile, the people’s suffering and plight are worsening.

In Ukraine, the violence has caused an internal upheaval, renewed tensions across Europe and rekindled geopolitical rivalries.

In South Sudan, leaders have also betrayed their people.

Secretary-General Ban continued on to highlight the fact that these countries are merely representative of a larger problem:

Indeed, in too many places, we see leaders rewriting constitutions, manipulating elections and taking other desperate steps to cling to power. Leaders must understand that holding office is a trust, granted by the people, not personal property.

His solution?

My message to all is clear: serve your people. Do not subvert democracy; do not pilfer your country’s resources; do not imprison and torture your critics.

SumRando simultaneously applauds the Secretary-General’s message and acknowledges that in countries such as Syria, Palestine, North Korea, Ukraine and South Sudan—as well as in much of the rest of the world—his words will simply go unheeded.

Surf secure and stay Rando!

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Thursday 15 September 2016

Digital Divide: Emerging Economy Cyber Alerts - September 15, 2016

Privacy, Surveillance and Censorship

government isn't always on your side

In case the blockage of several apps including WhatsApp, Skype, Google Play and FaceTime wasn't bad enough, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has now decided to prohibit access to The Huffington Post as well. Although the government has not offered a specific reason for the ban, it is assumed that a recent opinion piece titled, "Last Tango in Riyadh," may have contributed to the decision.

Research and Initiatives

making your world a more cybersecure place

United States-based Google Chrome will soon begin marking HTTP sites that ask for passwords or credit card information as “not secure;” the search engine ultimately plans to mark all insecure HTTP pages with a red triangle warning.

INTERPOL, in collaboration with the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Dominican Republic National Police and the Colombian National Police, recently hosted cybercrime training sessions throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Participants hailed from 29 countries and territories and deepened their understanding of mobile forensics, online investigations and cyber incident first-responses.

Now that the Brazil Olympics have concluded, Israeli cybersecurity companies have turned their attention to the 2020 Games in Tokyo. Israeli company KELA was responsible for monitoring and prohibiting cyberattacks during the Rio de Janeiro games; this September, companies such as KELA will meet with Japanese government and executives in preparation for the next summer Olympics.

Cyberattacks

the threats we all face

A 2012 data breach of Rambler, “Russia’s Yahoo,” was just discovered. More than 98 million usernames, email addresses and passwords from Rambler’s unencrypted database were compromised in the attack.

A recent Cyber Security Summit in Makati City provided an opportunity for Microsoft Asia’s Keshav Dhakad to comment on the state of affairs in the Philippines: “The situation is very alarming, Malware infection is rising and we at Microsoft are seeing all kinds of threats whether they be worms, Trojans, exploits, viruses, or injectors. These are high-level threats. They can steal your files, drop a ransomware, or steal your password. They can self-replicate or open backdoors which can lead to invasion of your privacy.” The Philippines’ 40% malware encounter rate is one of the highest in the world.

All images credit of BOLDG/Shutterstock.com.

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Wednesday 14 September 2016

SumTips: 4 Reasons to Beware of the Facebook Algorithm

A letter to Mark Zuckerberg from Norway's Aftenposten

[Source: Aftenposten]

Facebook has gotten its share of the spotlight this September—and the news has been far from in the social media platform’s favor. More than once the famed Facebook algorithm has produced results in need of human correction:

1.    The Terror of War: Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten posted Nick Ut’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of children fleeing a Vietnam War napalm attack, only to find the widely-received photograph removed on grounds of child nudity. The act elicited the criticism of Erna Solberg, Norway’s Prime Minister; the image has since been reposted and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg has apologized.

2.    “September 11: The footage that ‘proves bombs were planted in Twin Towers’”: A hoax article from The Daily Star topped Facebook’s trending stories as the 9/11 anniversary approached. Facebook’s algorithm had defaulted to a story that blamed bombs—not airplanes—for the falling of New York’s Twin Towers in the second such mishap since the platform did away with human curation of news in late August.

3.    Black Lives Matters activist Shaun King: When activist and New York Daily News writer Shaun King posted a racist message that had been directed at him, King was the one to be temporarily banned from Facebook. King’s response:

“I love Facebook. I was an early user and have been on here for over a decade, but I regularly have friends complain that when they post about the racism and bigotry they face, THEY end up getting suspended instead of the person who harassed them.

It’s almost like a cruel joke.

Well, it just happened to me. Earlier this morning I received a horrible email. I posted the email WITHOUT the email address of the person who sent it, then a few hours later was told that I was banned from posting for at least 24 hours because of it.

This is completely ridiculous. Facebook needs to be much more sensible and intelligent about how it does these things. I have complained to my friends who work there and will see what happens.”

King’s account was reinstated within hours, which he contributes in part to the connections he has with the company.

4. Northern Ireland revenge porn: For every image Facebook removes erroneously, there is one that it leaves up unjustly. A 14-year-old victim of revenge porn endured a naked photo of herself posted to a “shame page” from November 2014 until January 2016. Facebook and the man suspected of posting the photo are now being sued.

The next time you login to Facebook, remember that what you see may haunt you, be untrue or never be seen again. Surf secure and stay Rando!

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Friday 9 September 2016

Digital Divide: Emerging Economy Cyber Alerts - September 9, 2016

Privacy, Surveillance and Censorship

government isn't always on your side

In President Recep Erdogan’s latest move to punish those attempting to overthrow him, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Paypal were blocked in Turkey last weekend. Undeterred, many citizens were able to access these sites via VPN.

Research and Initiatives

making your world a more cybersecure place

At the 18th Annual General Meeting of the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO) and its accompanying ‘Cyber Enabled Crime Table-Top Exercise,’ Rwandan President Paul Kagame spoke about the need to balance progress and security: “Africa is getting connected to broadband at one of the fastest rates in the world. The dangers are real but we cannot afford to allow the pace of development and progress to be slowed down as a result. Close collaboration is needed to investigate these complex crimes and to secure the extradition and conviction of suspects.” EAPCCO brings together 13 African nations.

India and the United Kingdom have agreed to cybersecurity cooperation with a Memorandum of Understanding: “With this MoU, participating countries can exchange technical information on cyber attacks, [respond] to cyber security incidents and find solutions to counter the cyber attacks.”

Mauritius recently hosted a Southern African Development Community (SADC) Workshop on Cybersecurity and PKI (public key infrastructure) for participants from countries including Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation Etienne Sinatambou shared, “We must continue to build our collective capabilities to fight cyber threats, share information and work together to safeguard our cyberspace, the privacy of our people and the ideas and innovations of our countries.”

Cyberattacks

the threats we all face

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has intercepted a series of cyberattacks on government agencies from overseas actors. “The attackers managed to exploit existing loopholes through email servers. The relevant authorities are taking the required preventive measures,” reported the Saudi interior ministry.

Kaspersky Lab’s annual Latin America analyst conference did not paint a pretty picture: the meeting predicted a rise in cybersecurity threats in the next year, citing Brazil as a particular cause for concern: “Brazil will become increasingly interesting as a target – there is a lot of scientific research going on there, with large companies with a global footprint like [aircraft manufacturer] Embraer, as well as oil and gas giants which could be vulnerable to potential security disasters.”

Looking Back

a new glimpse at old alerts

Previously, in Taiwan, hackers stole more than $2 million USD from ATMs. Now, Russian Rustam Shambasov and other Eastern Europeans are suspected of stealing $350,000 USD from Thai ATMs. The attack is a reminder of Thailand’s reputation as a hub for cybercrime, both domestic and foreign.

All images credit of BOLDG/Shutterstock.com.

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Thursday 8 September 2016

SumVoices: Africa Rising - West Africa's Cybersecurity Challenge

Our last installment of SumVoices featured Pakistani lawyer and activist Yassir Latif Hamdani. This month we bring you insight from Ghanaian blogger Ibrahim.

[Source: BOLDG/Shutterstock.com]

Cybersecurity remains a challenge within the West Africa sub-region. Cybersecurity is the protection of information systems from theft or damage to hardware, software, and to the information on them, as well as from disruption or misdirection of the services they provide. The upsurge in cybercrime among West African nations is no longer a mystery but a reality that has come to stay. The growing phenomenon of cyber crime is having a negative impact on socio-economic activities in a way that raises a lot of concerns for stakeholders involved in cybersecurity. As the internet, networked systems, and the use of mobile phones expand throughout sub-Saharan Africa, nations are grappling with multiplying cybercrime threats. Most cyber laws over the period sought to address issues such as mobile security, computer forensics, strengthening national laws, building emergency response teams and ensuring that comprehensive national cybersecurity plans promote internet freedom and respect for civil rights.

The Economist, the International Business Times and organizations such as the African Development Bank (AfDB) have asserted that Africa is home to some of the world’s most rapidly growing economies. This new Africa, captured by the aphorism “Africa rising”, is reflected in the continent’s expanding middle class and rapid adoption of mobile technology. According to recent estimates by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the number of mobile subscribers reached 63 percent in 2013, and more than 16 percent of the African population are now using the internet. Furthermore, it is estimated that the global value of web-based retail sales for 2013 amounted to $963 billion, while business to consumer (B2C) e-commerce sales for the same period totaled $1.3 trillion. Although the e-commerce market is dominated by developed economies, the global share of e-commerce for the Middle East and Africa is expected to rise from 1.6 percent in 2011 to 2.3 percent by 2016.

A recent study by the International Data Group Connect investigating the state of cyber threats in various regions of Africa, with particular emphasis on Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, shows that there is a strong correlation between cybersecurity and economic growth. Traditionally, West Africa has a high rate of software piracy. According to a 2011 study, the average rate of software piracy in the region is about 73 percent, with little change in recent years. In addition to the financial loss — $1.785 billion —, the high level of use of unauthorized software is likely to aggravate the region’s virus and malware woes.

The study by the International Data Group Connect estimates that annually, cybercrimes cost the South African economy $573 million, the Nigerian economy $200 million, and the Kenyan economy $36 million. It is important to understand that no one person or institution can have the requisite capacity to deal with cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is not an event but rather a process. As a result, it is not simply a matter of passing legislation, or something that belongs to lawyers only. Members of Parliament, lawyers, the judiciary, intelligence/military, civil society, media, young people and members of the public as key stakeholders should all be involved in efforts to deal with cybersecurity at the earliest available opportunity. It is important to engage all stakeholders to ensure the necessary buying and that they understand the issues and processes involved.

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