Category Archives: Internet Security
Chinese Programmer Ordered To Pay 1 Million Yuan For Using VPN – Slashdot
Amy Hawkins reports via The Guardian: A programmer in northern China has been ordered to pay more than 1 million yuan to the authorities for using a virtual private network (VPN), in what is thought to be the most severe individual financial penalty ever issued for circumventing China's "great firewall." The programmer, surnamed Ma, was issued with a penalty notice by the public security bureau of Chengde, a city in Hebei province, on August 18. The notice said Ma had used "unauthorised channels" to connect to international networks to work for a Turkish company. The police confiscated the 1.058m yuan ($145,092) Ma had earned as a software developer between September 2019 and November 2022, describing it as "illegal income," as well as fining him 200 yuan ($27). Charlie Smith (a pseudonym), the co-founder of GreatFire.org, a website that tracks internet censorship in China, said: "Even if this decision is overturned in court, a message has been sent and damage has been done. Is doing business outside of China now subject to penalties?"
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Chinese Programmer Ordered To Pay 1 Million Yuan For Using VPN - Slashdot
Internet Security Market Size, Share, Growth, Analysis, Industry Trends and Forecast to 2031 – Benzinga
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The latest report published by Report Ocean, titled "Internet Security Market": Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity, and Forecast 2023 to 2031," offers a comprehensive assessment of the industry, including valuable insights into market trends. The report encompasses competitor and regional analysis, as well as the latest developments in the market. It serves as an excellent resource for investors, researchers, consultants, marketing strategists, and anyone planning to enter the market in any capacity.
Internet threats have evolved as a global problem and have spread across various geographies. The main objective of Internet security solutions is to protect the systems and networks against cyber-attacks. Increasing number of advanced network threats, such as virus, spam, malware, and others, have led the Internet security solution providers to develop advanced products. Increasing usage of Internet across every sector has increased the vulnerability of virus attacks, spams and others, which could severely impact system functionality and business operations. Several sectors, such as finance, infrastructure, transportation, telecommunication, and defense and research institutes, have become the prime targets of the cyber-attacks.
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"Russia-Ukraine Impactin 2022: The market faced adverse consequences as a result of economic sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation by the United States and its allied nations.
The Russia-Ukraine War, initiated onFebruary 24,marked a pivotal moment in contemporary history, triggering a cascade of consequential policy decisions and seismic shifts within global markets. Notably, sinceFebruary 25,the Russian equity market has remained shuttered, while the Russian currency has seen a continuous decline, plunging to historic lows. Concurrently, the price of oil surged beyond the $130 per barrel (bbl) mark, a threshold not witnessed since 2008, while gas prices also skyrocketed to unprecedented levels. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is poised to cast a long shadow over global economic progress, inevitably fueling inflationary pressures.
The economic sanctions levied on the Russian Federation by the US and its partners are foreseen to exert a significant influence on the industry's growth. Furthermore, the global business landscape experienced disruptions in import and export activities due to the conflict. The dominance of Russia and Roscommon, a semi-private space agency, within the commercial space sector had detrimental effects on alternative launch service providers in regions such asIndia, Japan, Europe, and the United States.These factors collectively had an adverse impact on the market during the period of conflict."
International Business Machine (IBM) CorporationHewlett Packard (HP) CompanyMicrosoft CorporationCISCO Systems, Inc.Google IncorporationIntel Corporation (McAfee, Inc.)Symantec CorporationTrend MicroKaspersky LabDell (SonicWall, Inc.)
Internet security solutions protect computing systems to ensure flawless execution of operations and prevent damage and loss that might arise from any kind of cyber-attack. This report presents a detailed view on the world Internet security market. The market growth is driven by several factors, such as cloud-based business operations, increase in the number of online financial transactions, and growing use of Internet due to wireless availability and enhanced connectivity.
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The presence of pirated software and lack of awareness about utilizing Internet security features among the consumers, act as the key restraining factors. However, the market is expected to witness constant growth with increasing number of Internet applications, such as e-commerce and e-governance and growing awareness and for efficient security solutions. Additionally, increasing adoption of managed security solutions offered by various companies would foster the growth of Internet security market. The major companies operating in this market include IBM, Intel, Symantec, and HP among others. These top players have primarily adopted product launch, product enhancement, and acquisition strategies in order to enhance their market share in world Internet security market.
The world Internet security market is segmented into product & services, technology, application, and geography. Based upon product & services, the market is further segmented into hardware, software, and services. The application segment highlights the importance and usage of Internet security solutions in BFSI, retail, telecom & IT, manufacturing, and education, among others. Furthermore, Internet security market is segmented on the basis of technology, which includes authentication, access control, content filtering, and cryptography. In addition, the report segments the world Internet security market based on different regions, which include North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and LAMEA.
KEY BENEFITS
The report provides an overview of the international markets, with special reference to market trends, market structure, driving factors, scope, opportunities and the challenges in the Internet security marketPorters Five Forces model is used to analyze the potency of buyers and suppliers and the competitive structure of the marketThe segmental study of the global market provides a comprehensive overview of various security technologies along with their applications across different geographiesThe report identifies major drivers, opportunities, and restraints, which boost the market and provides an impact analysis for the forecast periodValue chain analysis provides a systematic study of the key intermediaries involved, which could assist the stakeholders in formulating appropriate strategies
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Market by Product & Service
HardwareSoftwareServices
Market by Technology
Authentication technologyAccess control technologyContent filteringCryptography
Market by Application
BFSIRetailTelecom & ITGovernmentManufacturingEducationAerospace, defense, & intelligenceOthers
Market by Geography
North AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificLAMEA (Latin America, Middle East and Africa)
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What Does the Market Research Report Cover for the Period 2020-2023 and Project for 2023-2031?
Answer: This comprehensive market research report delves into the market, offering an in-depth analysis of its historical performance from 2020 to 2023 It provides valuable insights into past trends, growth drivers, and challenges. Furthermore, it presents a detailed forecast for the market's prospects from 2023 to 2031, shedding light on potential developments and opportunities.
How Is the Market Segmented by Types and Applications?
Answer: Within this report, the market is meticulously categorized based on various types and applications, providing readers with a clear understanding of the distinct subsectors within the market. These segments encompass Cementitious Latex-Based Agents, Epoxy-Based Agents, and Applications spanning Building and Construction, Road and Infrastructure, Utility Industries, and more.
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Answer: The market forecast spanning from 2023 to 2031 is built upon a fusion of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. These approaches encompass an analysis of historical data, an assessment of market dynamics, expert opinions, and statistical modeling. This combination ensures a robust and reliable outlook for the market's future performance.
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COMTEX_440021049/2796/2023-09-12T02:32:56
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Internet Security Market Size, Share, Growth, Analysis, Industry Trends and Forecast to 2031 - Benzinga
It’s the end of the line for outdated internet encryption protocols – SiliconANGLE News
An aging core internet protocol is finally getting the ax by Microsoft Corp.
But it wasnt just last months announcement that the software vendor was ending support for versions 1.0 and 1.1 of Transport Layer Security, or TLS, but that it was actually dropping the support from the impending release of the latest beta version of Windows 11.
TLS is one of those protocols that have far-reaching influence. It provides the security for encrypting web pages designated with the s in HTTPS URLs for example. It also provides for encrypted connections used today in communications tools such as virtual private networks and secure command consoles called Secure Sockets Layer shells that operate numerous servers.
These protocol updates take time to develop, because they rely on a consensus approach with one of the internets international standards bodies. The latest version of TLS is 1.3, which was adopted in the summer of 2018, replacing version 1.2 which came out in 2008 and 1.0 which was released in 1999.
In the case of TLS 1.3, the process took five years from concept to implementation. Now most web traffic happens over HTTPS connections and we dont give this much thought. The new version speeded up network conversations by reducing overall latency version 1.2 required two round trips, while 1.3 needs only at most a single round trip and made the handshakes between two computers a lot more secure, as illustrated in the accompanying diagram.
But just reducing latency wasnt enough, and the older TLS version were vulnerable to attacks that were well-known and often used as initial exploits to penetrate networks, notoriously including 2014s Heartbleed attacks for example.
Cloudflare summarized five of these vulnerabilities in their blog post several years ago, basically identifying the progress in improving encryption keys. The latest TLS 1.3 version make it impossible for someone to enable the vulnerable aspects of TLS 1.2, as they wrote in their blog, and this is why version 1.3 removed many legacy features.
The U.S. National Security Agency warned about these vulnerabilities back in 2021 and recommended that organizations block all use of TLS 1.0 and 1.1. Most of the major web browser vendors have dropped their support for these versions for several years. Microsoft said in its announcement that we have been tracking TLS protocol usage for several years and believe TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 usage data are low enough to act.
Nevertheless, there are still some places they are being used. The NSA warned, Using obsolete encryption provides a false sense of security because it may look like sensitive data is protected, even though it really is not. That is excellent advice.
Microsoft said it will disable support of TLS 1.0 and 1.1 by default in the new Insider preview build of Windows 11 thats expected any day now and then in subsequent versions. But this doesnt mean Windows cant work with these aging protocols: Information technology administrators can turn this on with edits to the Windows Registry. That is somewhat time-consuming and painful, to be sure, and easily prone to mistakes.
Microsoft acknowledged the older protocol versions might still be used by a variety of applications, such as in ancient versions of its SQL Server and pre-2018 Intuit Turbo Tax versions. They assembled a series of suggestions to customers who may have problems with removing other dependencies in this document posted with revisions last month, and summarized the support of the various versions across its older Windows operating systems in the accompanying table.
There have been numerous tools to help IT managers find and fix outdated TLS implementations. And even though Microsoft is still supporting TLS 1.2, it is probably a good idea to update these deployments to version 1.3, because eventually Windows will move on to that protocol too.
The NSA has a collection of mitigation tools and best practice suggestions including Snort signatures to locate old TLS versions, templates for web server configurations and various network scanners. These are open source and free. One of those tools is from Qualys SSL Labs that can test both browsers and server implementations of TLS.
TLS isnt the only upgrade target for Microsofts cleanup campaign as of late. Last week, itannounced the end of supportfor legacy third-party printer device drivers, a decision that will take several years to trickle down through the various Windows products. These drivers were another source of potential vulnerabilities, as this post from Sentinel Labs wrote about in 2021.
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It's the end of the line for outdated internet encryption protocols - SiliconANGLE News
Iowa Air National Guardsman Sentenced to Federal Prison for … – Department of Justice
A Guardsman for the Iowa Air Guards 185th Refueling Wing who possessed over 1,400 images of child sexual abuse material was sentenced today, September 11, 2023, to three years in federal prison.
Kevin Swanson, age 35, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after he plead guilty in federal court on May 4, 2023, to Possession of Child Pornography.
Evidence at todays hearing established that between August 2020, and August 2021, he used an Internet-based, peer-to-peer (P2P) network to knowingly share and receive visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including depictions involving prepubescent minors who had not reached the age of 12.
Swanson was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Swanson was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment and a total of $10,000 in fines. Swanson must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term and register as a sex offender. There is no parole in the federal system.
Swanson is being held in the United States Marshals custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab resources.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit and investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Sioux City Police Department, and the Nebraska State Patrol.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-4080.
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Iowa Air National Guardsman Sentenced to Federal Prison for ... - Department of Justice
Insurance industry grapples with rising cyber crime threat, climate … – Reinsurance News
In the Insurance Banana Skins 2023 report, a joint effort by PwC and CSFI, the global insurance industrys primary concerns have been revealed, with mounting fears over cyber crime and escalating worries regarding climate change.
The insurance industry faces its foremost challenge in the form of cyber crime. This threat encompasses the potential theft of sensitive data, phishing, and ransomware attacks.
Notably, cyber crime has held its top position as the most significant global risk since the 2021 report.
Insurers are navigating an increasingly intricate digital landscape characterised by new technologies, cloud computing, and extended supply chains. This complexity amplifies their vulnerability to cyber threats.
To counter this, the report underscores the urgent need for proactive cyber security measures integrated into both business and IT architecture.
Insurers voice concerns regarding the misuse of artificial intelligence as a potent weapon for breaching security, with a specific focus on state-sponsored cyber crime.
Rising costs associated with mitigating cyber threats are causing unease among insurers. The expansion of the insurance industrys IT ecosystem, driven by the proliferation of internet-connected devices and reliance on cloud and third-party services, heightens the challenge of defending against cyber attacks.
Climate change has ascended to a prominent position, ranking among the top three concerns for insurers. This reflects the growing immediacy and impact of climate-related risks.
Governments and regulators are increasingly urging insurers to enhance risk quantification and management in alignment with broader Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) agendas.
Regulation remains the primary concern for life insurers, closely followed by cyber crime. The sector grapples with additional challenges related to interest rate risk, macroeconomic factors, and investment performance.
While technological change is a shared concern, the risk from artificial intelligence ranks lower, and climate change is of lesser concern compared to non-life and reinsurance sectors.
Property and casualty insurers in the non-life sector are primarily concerned about climate change, followed by operational risks stemming from cyber crime. High-level concerns include technology, artificial intelligence, and regulation.
Change management challenges take higher precedence in this sector compared to the life insurance sector, although macroeconomic risk is of lesser concern.
Following the record-breaking global heatwave in July 2023, climate change has risen as a significant risk for reinsurers. They share concerns about cyber crime, technology, and artificial intelligence with other sectors.
Recruitment issues are common, and reinsurers are unique in placing de-globalisation among their top ten risks, reflecting the global nature of their business and concerns about protectionism.
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Insurance industry grapples with rising cyber crime threat, climate ... - Reinsurance News
FBI Identifies Lazarus Group Cyber Actors as Responsible for Theft … – Federal Bureau of Investigation
The FBI is issuing this release to warn the public regarding the theft of approximately $41 million in virtual currency from Stake.com, an online casino and betting platform. The FBI has confirmed that this theft took place on or about September 4, 2023, and attributes it to the Lazarus Group (also known as APT38) which is comprised of DPRK cyber actors.The FBI investigation has revealed that DPRK cyber actors moved stolen funds associated with the Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain (BSC), and Polygon networks from Stake.com into the following virtual currency addresses:
These sameDPRK actors are also responsible for several other high-profile international virtual currency heists. In 2023 alone, DPRK cyber actors have stolen more than $200 million. This amount includes, but is not limited to, approximately $60 million of virtual currency from Alphapo and CoinsPaid on or about July 22, 2023, and approximately $100 million of virtual currency from Atomic Wallet onor about June 2, 2023.
The FBI previously provided information to the public regarding the DPRKs attacks againstHarmonys Horizon bridgeandSky Mavis Ronin Bridge and put out acybersecurity advisory on TraderTraitor.In addition, the U.S. Department of Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control(OFAC) sanctionedthe Lazarus Group in 2019.
Private sector entities are encouraged to review the previously released Cyber Security Advisory on TraderTraitor and examine the blockchain data associated with the above-referenced virtual currency addresses and be vigilant in guarding against transactions directly with, or derived from, those addresses.
The FBI will continue to expose and combat the DPRKs use of illicit activities to generate revenue for the regime, including cybercrime and virtual currency theft. If you have any information to provide, please contactyour local FBI field officeor the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center atic3.gov.
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FBI Identifies Lazarus Group Cyber Actors as Responsible for Theft ... - Federal Bureau of Investigation
Cyber Security Group: Operations Targeting Iranian Government … – EU Reporter
A prominent cyber security group has investigated operations against government websites in Iran and concluded that due to the structure of Iran's Internet and its separation from the global Internet, operations against government websites, including those belonging to state Radio and Television on January 27, 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 7, 2023, and the office of the president on May 29, 2023 were conducted by infiltration andcould not have been the result of penetration from outside Iran.
In recent years, the Treadstone71 cyber security group has published several reports on the Iranian government and its cyber-attacks and has evolved as an authority in this field.
The Treadstone71 report underscores that major attacks on the Iranian government sites were most likely carried out by penetrations from inside Iran, in particular by insiders who had access to these systems.
Scores of the Iranian governments most important websites, as well as online systems of the Tehran Municipality and national radio and television networks, have been subjected to massive attacks since January 2022.
The group Gyamsarnegouni ("Uprising till Overthrow") has taken responsibility for the main attacks and has disclosed extensive internal government documents of the Iranian government on its Telegram account. The group has defaced the home pages of a number of websites, posting crossed-out images of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and placing the pictures of Iranian opposition leaders.
In 2022, Albania's government internet structures and services were targeted by a massive cyberattack, which caused many problems. Extensive investigation by Microsoft and others pointed the finger at Tehran.
According to Treadstone71s assessment, "Iran has a longstanding history of engaging in cybersecurity attacks, and according to some statistics, ranks fifth among nations known for targeting their adversaries through cyber warfare.
"As a safety precaution," Treadstone71 notes in its report, Iran decided to shift its government websites from European hosting servers to domestic hosting companies, as part of its National Internet," and as a result, All government and state-controlled websites were relocated from European and American hosting servers to domestic hosts, and access to select government and state-controlled websites was restricted to the National Internet, making them inaccessible via the global internet.
Treadstone71 report underscored, we also witnessed a different kind of attack, separate from those infiltrating governmental websites on vulnerable Iranian hosting services; those made by Gyamsarnegouni ("Uprising till Overthrow"). Attacks carried out by this group were among the deepest infiltrations against the Iranian government's networks.
The report notes:
These attacks stood out due to three key characteristics:
1. The extent of infiltration into the most secure government networks, comparable only to the Stuxnet attack (which used a flash drive).
2. The volume of exfiltrated documents.
3. The widespread access to servers and computers.
The Treadstone71 report underscores that state radio and television networks, particularly in undemocratic countries like Iran, are among the most isolated and most protected networks. It further says: Iran's internal broadcasting network is not connected to the Internet and is severely air gapped; meaning it is physically isolated from the internet and can only be accessed from withinThe only way for an outsider to gain access to the network would be through physical infiltration
In January 2022, the Iranian news media pointed out that government institutions believe this attack was carried out by individuals who had inside information about Iranian state radio and TV systems.
The attack on the websites of Tehran Municipality on June 2, 2022 included breaking into 5,000 cameras employed for traffic control and face recognition. According to Treadstone71, the hackers would have known that the cameras were not connected to the Internet and that they would need to gain physical access to the cameras to hack them.
But Treadstone71s most startling findings are related to the two high-profile and attention-grabbing attacks by Gyamsarnegouni in May 2023.
During the attack on the website of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hackers gained access to 50 terabytes of data from the Ministry 's archives. Treadstone71s assessment is that this required "penetration into the inner-most layers of this governmental body. The nature of the leaked documents indicates that such documents would be inaccessible from the internet, further supporting suspicions of insider involvement.
Treadstone71s expert assessment concluded that the transfer of 50 TB data would not be possible remotely and on a filtered network such as that of Iran, and added that the sheer size of the hack is also revealing about how it was carried out.
The normal Internet download speed of Iranian is 11.8 megabits per second. To download 50 terabytes of data from the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Iran at this speed would take over 392 days or over a year of uninterrupted download time, and Irans Internet frequently drops, is throttled by the government, and experiences regular government-induced blackouts, the report stated.
Based on these numbers, such an attack highly likely occurred from direct access to the data.
In relation to the attack on the website of the presidential office, the hackers breached the most secure communication systems of the government and obtained tens of thousands of documents that were no more than a few months old.
According to an Iranian expert, this site used a dedicated IP address that was impenetrable."
"The fact that the hackers gained access to tens of thousands of documents not more than a few months old also suggests that insiders conducted the attack. These documents would have been stored on computers with limited access to the Internet, and it would have been difficult for an outsider to access them," Treadstone71 stated.
The report concluded by saying: The Iranian government initially attributed blame to foreign adversaries. However, cybersecurity experts and mounting evidence suggests insider involvement.
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Cyber Security Group: Operations Targeting Iranian Government ... - EU Reporter
Iranians hit by internet curbs in year since protests – FRANCE 24 English
Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, died on September 16, 2022 after her arrest in Tehran for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women.
Her death triggered months of nationwide protests in which hundreds of people were killed, including dozens of security personnel, before authorities moved to quell what they branded "riots", including restrictions on the use of social media.
Alma Samimi, who makes a living by selling leather bags online, said her business had suffered since the blackout came into force.
"The damage has been irreversible," she said, with profits linked to her Instagram account -- which had amassed thousands of followers -- nosediving 80 percent.
"Online interactions have dramatically dropped since last year," she said.
The restrictions, which affected online activity including on Instagram and WhatsApp, come as millions of Iranians struggle to make ends meet, grappling with an economic crisis marked by soaring inflation and the Iranian rial's sharp decline.
Iran's economic woes were significantly compounded by Washington's 2018 decision to reimpose sanctions on Tehran after then-president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from a landmark nuclear deal.
"We cannot plan for the future anymore," Samimi lamented.
Some 1,200 business owners have since called on Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi to lift the restrictions, according to local media.
To keep her business afloat, Samimi resorted to using virtual private networks and anti-filter tools to bypass the censorship.
Daily demand on VPN services in Iran rocketed to "3,082 percent higher than before the protests" last year, according to Top10VPN, a British-based digital security advocacy group.
Mohammad Rahim Pouya, a psychologist who offers online therapy sessions, said he lost more than 50 percent of his clients in the early days of the blackout.
The 32-year-old said he could maintain communication lines with clients in Iran but it was more challenging with those abroad.
For him, the use of anti-censorship tools was "an added cost and probably has security flaws".
"But what are the options?"
Finding ways around internet curbs has become commonplace in Iran where authorities have repeatedly blocked access over the years at times of unrest.
In 2009, access to social media networks was blocked during mass protests -- which became known as the Green Movement -- following a contentious presidential election that saw the populist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad take office.
Popular social media networks including Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter, have since been blocked.
A decade later, harsher curbs were imposed after protesters took to the streets over a government decision to raise fuel prices by 200 percent.
In March, Iran's telecommunications minister Issa Zarepour urged foreign companies to introduce representative offices in Iran, saying "no one wants to limit the internet and we can have international platforms".
Meta, the American giant that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has said it has no intention of setting up offices in the Islamic republic, which remains under crippling US sanctions.
The internet curbs have been costly.
The government spent $773 million in 2022 alone to impose them, making it the second biggest spender on restrictions after Russia, according to Statista, a Germany-based data collection website.
In February, Iran's reformist Shargh daily reported that the country's internet service providers suffered 40 percent losses because of the restrictions.
With the bans on Western apps in place, Iranians have been left with little choice but to rely on state-backed apps.
But the homegrown alternatives for social networks and messaging apps -- like Bale, Ita, Rubika and Soroush -- have failed to garner significant popularity compared with their international alternatives.
Samimi says she has yet to "find any alternatives" to her now-dwindling online business on Instagram.
Likewise, Pouya insists on using international platforms through anti-censorship tools but he fears a total blackout.
"I wouldn't know what to do if they shut down (the internet) completely."
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Iranians hit by internet curbs in year since protests - FRANCE 24 English
UK sanctions members of Russian cybercrime gang – GOV.UK
Members of a Russiancybercriminalgang behind the Trickbot/Contiransomware attacks, which included the hacking of critical infrastructure and hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic,face new sanctions today (7 September).
Eleven cybercriminals, whose gang also threatened those who oppose the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine, have beentargetedwith asset freezes and travel bans in a coordinated effort by UK and US authoritiesto counter the threat of ransomware bothin the UK andabroad. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is concurrently unsealing indictments against seven of the individuals designated today.
The National Crime Agency (NCA), who conducted a complex investigation into these individuals, assesses that the group was responsible for extorting at least $180 million from victims globally, and at least 27 million from 149 UK victims. The attackers sought to target UK hospitals, schools, local authorities and businesses.
The individuals being designatedin the UK are:
This action was taken in coordination with the US, where these key cybercriminals have also been sanctioned,and is a continuation of joint efforts by the UK and US to disrupt and impose costs on high harm cyber criminals. It is assessed that sanctions have hampered the ability of cyber threat actors to monetise their cyber criminalactivities.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:
These cybercriminals thrive off anonymity, moving in the shadows of the internet to cause maximum damage and extort money from their victims.
Our sanctions show they cannot act with impunity. We know who they are and what they are doing.
By exposing their identities, we are disruptingtheir business models andmaking it harder for them to target our people, our businesses and our institutions.
The individuals, all Russian nationals, operatedout of the reach of traditional law enforcement and hid behind online pseudonyms and monikers many of which are revealed today. Removing their anonymity undermines the integrity of these individuals and their criminal businesses that threaten UK security.
Several of those facing sanctions today held significant roles within thegroup. Those targeted includehigh-level managers and administrators, as well astwoindividuals, Maksim Khaliullinand Mikhail Tsarev, who focused on recruiting and inducting new members.
Thegroup was also one of the first to offer support for Russias invasion of Ukraine, maintaininglinks and receiving tasking from the Russian Intelligence Services.
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office Oliver Dowden said:
By targeting these malicious cyber actors, who have been known to work with some of the most damaging ransomware strains, we are seeking out and exposing those who threaten the UKs national security.We will alwaystake decisive action with international partners to protect the UK, its peopleand businesses.
Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said:
These sanctions demonstratethat the UK will crackdown on those trying to hold UK businesses and infrastructureto ransom. We will use our law enforcement agencies to go after the perpetrators and punish their crimes.
We have the skills and resources to find and unmask criminals who attemptto steal from British businesses, schoolsand hospitals.
We will keep working with our partners, like the US, to defeat these threats.
NCA Director General of Operations Rob Jones said:
These sanctions are a continuation of our campaign against international cyber criminals.
Attacks by this ransomware group have caused significant damage to our businesses and ruined livelihoods, with victims having to deal with the prolonged impact of financial and data losses.
These criminals thought they were untouchable, but our message is clear: we know who you are and, working with our partners, we will not stop in our efforts to bring you to justice.
National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Chief Executive Officer Lindy Cameron said:
Alongside this latest round of sanctions, I strongly encourage organisations to proactively obstruct the activities of ransomware operatives by bolstering their online resilience.
Ransomware continues to be a significant threat facing the UK and attacks can have significant and far-reaching impact.
The NCSC has published free and actionable advice for organisations of all sizes on how to put robust defences in place to protect their networks.
Todays sanctions announcement reinforces the UKs commitment to cracking down on cyber criminals. They follow on from the first ever joint UK-US sanctions against ransomware actors in February this year. The total number of group members sanctioned is now 18.
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UK sanctions members of Russian cybercrime gang - GOV.UK
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise and Nokia on board for Grand Paris rail … – ComputerWeekly.com
Leading technology firms Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) and Nokia are coming together to power the Grand Paris Express, one of Europes largest metro rail projects, for which they have combined their complementary offers to provide certified and integrated end-to-end mission-critical infrastructure.
TheGrand Paris Expressis seen as enabling a key role as the French economy looks for drivers of the sustainable and virtuous growth needed to face the challenges of the 21st century, in particular driving ecological transition. The new metro is designed to change the face of the le-de-France region, andSocit du Grand Paris is the driving force behind the public transport scheme project, which is said to give planners a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redesign and reshape the city to make it more inclusive and environmentally friendly.
For the two million daily travellers in theGrand Parisarea, the new communications system promises superior levels of service, with intuitive ticketing and enhanced digital services such as greater connectivity.
Configured as a small ring and a large ring, the four new metro lines, plus the extension of an existing line, are designed to shorten the daily commutes of close to three million people. The Grand Paris Express will serve the main business districts La Dfense, La Plaine Saint-Denis; the major hubs of science and higher learning Paris-Saclay, Institut Gustave-Roussy, La Cit Descartes; three key regional airports Charles de Gaulle, Orly, Le Bourget; and three high-speed train stations Massy-Palaiseau, Versailles-Chantiers and Charles de Gaulle. In all, 130 universities and higher learning institutions, 408 healthcare centres and 656 cultural venues will be within a 10-minute walk of the future stations.
The future subway includes 200km of new rail that will create the additional services. In addition, 68 new subway stations will be built, helping to create sustainable urban centres in these locations.
The solutions developed by ALE and Nokia are designed to meet all the operation and maintenance requirements of the Grand Paris Express, such as a multi-service IP/MPLS high-speed backbone network, which includes the router portfolio.
ALE and Nokia believe communication between the centralised control centre and the automated stations, lines and depots, which are closely monitored, is key to daily operations and maintenance, and is an important component in the projects cyber security strategy.
The ruggedised LAN OmniSwitchrange by Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise is being deployed in stations and in remote industrial environments to make the management of video surveillance and air quality control via internet of things (IoT) sensors possible. It is intended to increase efficiency, enhance safety and improve the passenger experience by providing operational data in real time.
Both companies have an ongoing deployment in the project planned until 2035, as well as several other projects that will serve transportation customers around the world in years to come.
We are very proud to partner with Nokia to deliver state-of-the-art digital transformation for the Grand Paris Express smart mobility project,commented Rukmini Glanard, chief business officer at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. Together we will provide a certified mission-critical network, supporting carbon-free transportation. ALE is fully compliant with and committed to sustainable development regulations as defined by the UN Global Compact. This project is a perfect example of our Technology for Good strategy.
Nathan Stenson, Nokia vice-president for the global partner channel, added: We are thrilled to strengthen the relationship with our technology and go-to-market distribution partner Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, providing mission-critical end-to-end network architecture based on Nokia leading-edge IP/MPLS technology. This state-of-the-art technology enables a powerful multi-service IoT network that provides air quality and video monitoring in stations with 13,000 cameras and artificial intelligence to enhance safety and security throughout the Grand Paris Express.
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Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise and Nokia on board for Grand Paris rail ... - ComputerWeekly.com