Friday 9 September 2016

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


Privacy, Surveillance and Censorship 
government isn't always on your side

Turkish flag and map


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

Rwandan flag and mapAt 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. 
Indian flag and map 

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.” 



Mauritian flag and mapMauritius 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

Saudi flag and map


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. 

Brazilian flag and map

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

Thai flag and map


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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