November 2016

Thursday, 24 November 2016

Emerging Economy Cyber Alerts - November 24, 2016

Privacy, Surveillance and Censorship

government isn't always on your side

Malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan was charged under Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Act for “uploading offensive videos with the intent of annoying others.” The videos showed a news conference that asked for the resignation of Attorney General Mohamad Apandi Ali; if convicted, Gan could be jailed for as much as one year.

In response to South African cricket match fixing, the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) of the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced it may begin to look at players’ communications. ACU head Ronnie Flanagan stated, “As the world changes and as people use different means of communicating with each other through social media—WhatsApp, Snapchat, all of these things—we have to keep ahead of these things.”

Research and Initiatives

making your world a more cybersecure place

The Norton Cyber Security Insights Report revealed contradictory behaviors in India’s approach to Wi-Fi: “Most people in the survey have WiFi at home, and yet many leave their WiFi unprotected without a password. They are worried about data loss, privacy and security, and yet are okay installing an app which will give them access to, say public WiFi, which is dangerous behavior,” reported Country Manager Ritesh Chopra.

Abu Dhabi’s RSA Conference shed light on both the good and the bad of cybersecurity in the United Arab Emirates. “The UAE, in terms of security, is pretty good. There is recognition. They are willing to do more about handling the challenges. But are they evolving with the threat? They are not advancing,” reported RSA’s Azeem Aleem.

Cyberattacks

the threats we all face

Malaysian ethical hacker Fong Choong Fook recently warned that distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks will continue to be a threat for the next 3-5 years: “Any device that has an IP (Internet Protocol) address – a smart TV, Playstation and even when a user’s iPhone uses home WiFi—is vulnerable to hackers who will then use them to attack a target.”

An attack on online dating service Friend Finder Network has affected and leaked the email addresses and passwords of more than 400 million accounts. The attack follows a May 2015 hack of 3.5 million Friend Finder Network accounts. The United States-based site has users worldwide.

Looking Back

a new glimpse at past alerts

Although many voices from outside China have opposed the country’s new cyber law, two tech giants from within—Alibaba and Tencent—have only praise to give. Incidentally, Tencent has been working diligently with the state to “clean up content” and remove 80,000 videos from its website.

All images credit of BOLDG/Shutterstock.com.

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Wednesday, 23 November 2016

SumTips: How to Protect Yourself Online in Uncertain Times

[Source: Shutterstock.com]

In 2016, the digital era giveth and the digital era taketh away. Citizens everywhere—from those outraged at the Turkish government to those outraged at the results of the American presidential election—have the power to use the internet to communicate their innermost thoughts, feelings and desires, but also risk persecution if those sentiments fall into the wrong hands.

Digital rights defender Access Now has created “A First Look at Digital Security,” an easy-to-access guide to enhancing security for those who choose to challenge the status quo online:

If you are a journalist:

Protect your sources; correspondence with editors; time-sensitive research and written drafts.
Use encrypted emails, instant messenger, texts, voice apps and document sharing daily; a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when on untrusted Wi-Fi; and full-disk encryption when going through security checkpoints.

If you are an activist or blogger:

Protect your research and data; online accounts; and correspondence with other activists.
Use two-factor authentication and strong passwords; security checkups offered by social media platforms; full-disk encryption and encryption of flash drives, hard drives and all other sensitive files; expanded short urls; and anonymous chat.

If you are a civil rights defender:

Protect the financial information of donors and employees; contact information of partners and clients; integrity of your organization; and private documents.
Use the latest version of available software; strong passwords; a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when on untrusted Wi-Fi; caution with opening links and attachments; full-disk encryption when going through security checkpoints; and discretion in personal postings online.

If you are a student engaged in a movement:

Protect your personal privacy; online identity and persona(s); and access to information.
Use circumvention and anonymity tools (including VPNs); privacy enhancing browser extensions; regular clearing of chat history; anonymous chat; separate online personas; and discretion in personal postings online.

If you are you:

You just might find that everything above applies.

Right now, the election of Donald Trump to the American presidency has much of the United States wondering what exactly is the status quo and what online sentiments will be respected and protected, a state of uncertainty not unlike what individuals worldwide face daily. Check out the guide and if you need more support, the Access Now Helpline is there for you: help@accessnow.org.

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Thursday, 17 November 2016

Emerging Economy Cyber Alerts - November 17, 2016

Research and Initiatives

making the world a more cybersecure place

Android 7 users: beware of brute-force unlocking. American developer Ethan “Dees Troy” Yonker found a security-compromising encryption password file that is saved on the device.

The East African Community—Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda—is looking to build a cyber and forensics intelligence center in order to confront cross-border cybercrime. “We need to promote and strengthen cooperation and innovation,” said Rwanda’s inspector general of police, Emmanuel Gasana.

A memorandum of agreement has been signed by Cybersecurity Malaysia and Korea’s Internet & Security Agency (KISA). The two agencies agree to collaborate on and share knowledge of cybersecurity incidents.

Cyberattacks

the threats we all face

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks have hit Russia's Sberbank and Alfa Bank. "The attacks were organized using botnets spread over tens of thousands of computers located in a number of different countries," reported Sberbank; the source of the attacks remains unknown.

Looking Back

a new glimpse at past alerts

Despite Chinese claims otherwise, the international community continues to express concerns regarding the country’s new cybersecurity bill. “If online speech and privacy are a bellwether of Beijing’s attitude toward peaceful criticism, everyone—including netizens in China and major international corporations—is now at risk,” continued Sophie Richardson of Human Rights Watch.

Liberia’s information minister, Eugene Nagbe, clarified that a recent cyberattack had disrupted 60% of the country’s internet infrastructure, markedly less than previous reports of 100%, but nonetheless in need of attention and action: “The scale of the attack tells us that this is a matter of grave concern, not just to Liberia but to the global community that is connected to the internet. We are actively pursuing the option of seeking assistance from friendly countries like the US and Great Britain.”

All images credit of BOLDG/Shutterstock.com.

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Wednesday, 16 November 2016

SumTips: 12 Reasons "Freedom on the Net 2016" Matters

Freedom on the Net 2016's representation of internet freedom worldwide.

[Source: Freedom on the Net 2016]

Watchdog organization Freedom House has released its Freedom on the Net 2016 report. Its title—“Silencing the Messenger: Communication Apps Under Pressure”—leaves little to the imagination regarding the state of internet freedom worldwide. Below are 12 of the report’s findings not to be missed:

1.    Internet freedom worldwide has declined for the sixth consecutive year.

2.    67% of all internet users live in countries that censor criticism of the government, military or ruling family. Punishable behavior this year has included derogatory statements towards a pet dog belonging to Thailand’s king.

3.    In 38 countries, social media users have been arrested for their posts. In some countries, “liking” a Facebook post has led to arrest.

4.    Arrests based on social media activity have increased more than 50% since 2013.

5.    Only 24% of the internet population assessed is considered “free”.

6.    Uganda, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ecuador and Libya top the list for most internet freedom lost since 2015. In all, 34 countries have shown a decline in internet freedom.

7.    China earned the title of “year’s worst abuser of internet freedom”. Criticizing the government (“spreading rumors”) on social media can be met with a seven-year prison sentence; other punishable offenses include watching videos reflective of the religious minority.

8.    15 countries experienced temporary government shutdowns of internet or mobile phone network access.

9.    Messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook Messenger, are increasingly targeted and blocked by governments. Of significance, global internet users are more heavily reliant on app-based mobile messaging than on SMS texting.

10.    13 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Turkey, blocked content intended for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community because of “morality”.

11.    In the past year, digital activism was censored in 20 countries…

12.    …Regardless, “In over two-thirds of the countries in this study, internet-based activism has led to some sort of tangible outcome, from the defeat of a restrictive legislative proposal to the exposure of corruption through citizen journalism.”

The complete Freedom on the Net 2016 report, along with 65 individual country reports, are available online. Be an informed advocate, surf secure and stay Rando!

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Thursday, 10 November 2016

Emerging Economy Cyber Alerts - November 10, 2016

Policy

their legislation today could be yours tomorrow

At Egypt’s 5th Regional Cybersecurity Summit Yasser ElKady, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, shared government plans to initiate an electronic signature and informatics crime law, a cybersecurity law and a decree to form a supreme council of cybersecurity. “Cyberattacks pose as grave a threat as terrorism,” explained ElKady.

China has a new cybersecurity law that will restrict the role of foreign technology companies and further censor the country’s internet. Responded Human Rights Watch’s Sophie Richardson, “Despite widespread international concern from corporations and rights advocates for more than a year, Chinese authorities pressed ahead with this restrictive law without making meaningful changes.”

Privacy, Surveillance and Censorship

government isn't always on your side

Turkey has taken censorship to a whole new level. Last week the country blocked Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites—and then prevented access to circumvention tools such as Tor and several Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as well.

India is in the process of purchasing technology that will enable it to unlock hard-to-crack iPhone encryption. India’s Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) predicts it will become a resource for foreign governments in search of decryption support.

Cyberattacks

the threats we all face

In what is thought to be practice for a larger upcoming attack, a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack sent all of Liberia’s internet offline last week, marking the first time a DDoS attack has disrupted an entire country’s internet.

All images credit of BOLDG/Shutterstock.com.

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Wednesday, 9 November 2016

SumTips: 140 Characters Stifled by More Than Space

140 characters is not just a tweet limit.

Human Rights Watch’s latest report, 140 Characters, shares the stories of 140 well-known Bahrani, Kuwaiti, Omani, Qatari, Saudi and Emirati social and political rights activists and dissidents—and the retaliation they have encountered for making their perspectives heard. The report asks their governments to cease their acts of intimidation and harassment against activists and dissidents and to review their laws to comply with international human rights standards.

The 140 stories of inhumane treatment towards activists and dissidents include:

Bahrain
Co-founders of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) Nabeel Rajab and Abdulhadi al-Khawaja have been imprisoned for their human rights activism. Most recently, Rajab was put on trial for “spreading false news,” “offending a foreign country,” and “offending national institutions.” Al-Khawaja is currently serving a life sentence for contributing to anti-government protests in 2011. The report includes 29 additional Bahrainis.

Kuwait
Kuwaiti teachers Huda al-Ajmi and Sara al-Drees were arrested on separate occasions for charges including insulting the emir. In 2013, al-Ajmi was sentenced to 11 years in prison for charges she denies; later that year, al-Drees received a prison sentence of 20 months. The report includes 42 additional Kuwaitis.

Oman
Former Omani parliamentarian Talib al-Maamari recently received a royal pardon from a four-year prison sentence for participating in an environmental pollution protest. Al-Maamari was convicted of “illegal gathering” and “blocking traffic.” The report includes 15 additional Omanis.

Qatar
Qatari poet Muhammad ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami’s 15-year prison sentence was pardoned in March of this year. In 2011, Al-Ajami had been found guilty of “inciting the overthrow of the ruling regime” when poetry that was critical of the ruling family was discovered online.

Saudi Arabia
Activists Manal al-Sharif and Samar Badawi have suffered the consequences of advocating for women’s rights. Al-Sharif’s “Women2Drive” campaign fought for women’s independence behind the wheel, and then led to her own imprisonment. Further activism cost al-Sharif her job as an internet security consultant. Badawi ran away from an abusive father, only to be imprisoned for seven months under the charge of “parental disobedience.” The report includes 24 additional Saudis.

United Arab Emirates
Social media activists Obaid Yousef al-Zaabi and Waleed Al-Shehhi were arrested for their tweets. Al-Zaabi’s punished crimes included the “founding and maintenance of an electronic page on Twitter…disseminating his thought and stories that stir hate and disturb public order.” Al-Shehhi received a two-year prison sentence for tweets critical of government conduct in the UAE 94 mass trial. The report includes 15 additional Emiratis.

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Friday, 4 November 2016

Emerging Economy Cyber Alerts - November 4, 2016

Policy

their legislation today could be yours tomorrow

Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim recently provided some insight into the country’s upcoming Cybersecurity Act. Ibrahim reported the act will establish standards for incident reporting, audits and risk assessment; allow for cybersecurity information sharing; and complement the current Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act. A recent increase in cybercrime in Singapore includes last week’s distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on telecommunications provider Starhub.

Cyberattacks

the threats we all face

A Cyber Security Summit hosted by Microsoft and the Information Security Society of Africa Nigeria (ISAAN) brought attention to the growing threat of cyberattacks: “Cyber attackers have devised new ways to successfully attack individuals and organizations. Statistics [show] that Nigeria loses N128bn annually to cybercrime while about $500bn is lost globally.” A Ventures article attributes Nigeria’s internet insecurity to its abundance of internet services, lack of education and lack of digital guidelines.

Vectra Networks has identified multiple samples of cyberespionage malware used by hacking group Moonlight against targets in the Middle East. The attacks are like those of the Gaza Hacker Team, a group aligned with the Palestinian Sunni-Islamic organization, Hamas.

Looking Back

a new glimpse at old alerts

India’s recent run in with ATM network malware has cyber experts calling for change. “This incident is a wake-up call for the Indian banking ecosystem to pause and realise that adopting extra-layered, state-of-the-art encryption security to minimize consumer financial data breach has become essential,” argued cyber law expert Pavan Duggal. Currently, India’s cyber laws do not address bank fraud.

The recent distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack against United States-based Dyn has been traced in part to Hangzhou Xiongmai Technology. Vulnerabilities in Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as the Chinese company’s webcam and digital video recorder products, provided the access point needed to disrupt services such as Twitter, Spotify and Amazon.

All images credit of BOLDG/Shutterstock.com.

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Wednesday, 2 November 2016

SumTips: 5 Current Limitations on African Internet Freedom

Internet censorship has been going strong in Africa since the continent’s first official act of online censorship took place in 1996 (Zambia decided to remove a banned newspaper from the internet).

More recently, Uganda’s Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa provided an opportunity to explore the findings of the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa’s (CIPESA’s) State of Internet Freedom in Africa 2016 report. Its results highlight 5 important trends:

1. African governments are increasingly turning to internet shutdowns as a method of limiting freedom of expression and access to information.

Uganda blocked access to social media in 2016 during its presidential elections and presidential swearing-in ceremony.
In 2015, Burundi responded to public protests against President Pierre Nkurunziza by shutting down social media networks.

2. Courts of law are used to limit freedom of expression online and to prosecute journalists and activists for their words.

In Tanzania, 10 social media users have been charged with violations such as “insulting the president” since a cybercrime law went into effect in September 2015.
Zambia searches for and prosecutes citizen journalists who are critical of the government.

3. Online surveillance, including monitoring communications, is routinely used by African governments.

In January and February 2016, 10 social media users in Kenya were arrested or questioned because of their online communications.
Rwanda actively monitors citizen communications.

4. Ongoing blockages of websites and SMS services further limit access to information and modes of communication.

Ethiopia blocks hundreds of websites and shutdown the entire internet twice in 2016.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo recently began to block websites that are critical of the government.

5. Although less common, removal of online content is also utilized by governments.

In 2013 and 2014, Zimbabwean authorities routinely pressured social media users to remove content from various platforms.

CIPESA asks that African governments respect the human rights to freedom of expression, access to information and privacy; that civil society and media advocate for internet freedom as a human right; and that telecom companies and ISPs actively work to protect the privacy of their subscribers. We couldn’t agree more.

Read more, know your rights, surf secure and stay Rando!

Image credit of BOLDG/Shutterstock.com.

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