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☆ Chinese firm behind ‘news’ websites pushes pro-Beijing content globally, researchers find
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Spread over websites in 30 countries, the propaganda material is interspersed with news aggregated from local news outlets and Chinese state media, according to a research report the Toronto-based group released on Wednesday. More than 100 websites disguised as local news outlets in Europe, Asia and Latin America are pushing pro-China content in a widespread influence campaign linked to a Beijing public relations firm, digital watchdog Citizen Lab has found. Spread over websites in 30 countries, the propaganda material is interspersed with news aggregated from local news outlets and Chinese state media, according to a research report the Toronto-based group released on Wednesday. Citizen Lab said the campaign began in mid-2020 and traced the network to public relations firm Shenzhen Haimaiyunxiang Media Co., Ltd., also known as Haimai. But a "press releases" button at a corner of its homepage leads to a range of Chinese state media articles on topics such as China's contribution to the global economic recovery and its push towards technological innovation.

Persons: Alberto Fittarelli, Citizen Lab, Mandiant Organizations: Citizen, Shenzhen Haimaiyunxiang Media, Roma, Times Locations: Lujiazui, Shanghai, China, Toronto, Europe, Asia, America, Beijing, United States, Shenzhen, Washington, Italian

☆ Catalan Leader Denies Spy Agency Claim He Led Separatist Protest Group
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Joan FausBARCELONA (Reuters) - Catalonia's regional leader on Friday denied allegations by Spain's spy agency CNI that he had secretly led a radical separatist protest group, which he said CNI had used as a pretext to snoop on him. Pere Aragones told reporters he had received on Thursday some heavily redacted declassified CNI documents related to the alleged espionage he had been subject to, and he called for those responsible to be held accountable. Asked about the documents, Spain's Justice Minister Felix Bolanos reiterated that the government did not know about nor authorise the alleged spying. "(The documents) make this affirmation that is obviously out of touch with any minimum sense of reality," Aragones told reporters, adding that the documents provided no explanation for such suspicions. Aragones said the documents were full of falsehoods and their aim was to destroy the legitimate political project of Catalan independence from Spain.

Persons: Joan Faus BARCELONA, Spain's, CNI, snoop, Pere Aragones, Felix Bolanos, Aragones, Paz Esteban, Esteban, Joan Faus, Andrei Khalip, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Citizen, Pegasus, Spain's Locations: Canada, Spain, Barcelona

☆ Vietnam-aligned hackers attempted to hack US lawmakers and journalists
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Hackers aligned with Vietnam tried to use social media platforms X and Facebook to install spyware on the phones of dozens of high-profile targets, including US lawmakers, United Nations officials and CNN journalists, Amnesty International said Monday. Researchers with Google’s Threat Analysis Group, which tracks state-backed hackers, told CNN the Twitter account spreading the spyware appears to be based in Vietnam. For years, cybersecurity researchers and human rights activists have documented the proliferation of spyware designed to break into mobile phones and steal their contents. “Clearly these tools are being exported from the EU to states with terrible human rights records,” Ó Cearbhaill, of Amnesty International, told CNN. “Meanwhile, if European lawmakers won’t bring consequences to reckless vendors, they need to get comfortable with being targeted,” Scott-Railton told CNN.

Persons: Democratic Sens, Gary Peters, Chris Murphy, Michael McCaul, tweeting, Cearbhaill, Ó Cearbhaill, McCaul doesn’t, Leslie Shedd, Shedd, Murphy, “, Peters, Joe Biden, ” Ó, ” John Scott, ” Scott, Railton Organizations: CNN, Facebook, United Nations, Amnesty, –, Democratic, Republican, House Foreign, Amnesty International’s, Washington Post, Google’s, State Department, NSO Group, Intellexa, US Commerce Department, Amnesty International, University of Toronto’s, Commerce Locations: Vietnam, Washington ,, Washington, Africa, North Macedonia, Europe

REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Sept 13 (Reuters) - A leading Russian journalist has had her phone compromised using Israeli spyware, researchers said Wednesday, the latest sign that phone hacking tools are being used to spy on media workers and opposition figures worldwide. A joint investigation by Canadian internet watchdog Citizen Lab and digital rights group Access Now found that the phone of Galina Timchenko had been infected using spyware built by the Israeli company NSO Group. Timchenko - the co-founder and publisher of independent Russian news outlet Meduza - was in Berlin at the time of the hack, the researchers said. Media defense groups condemned the alleged surveillance, with the Committee to Protect Journalists saying "journalists and their sources are not free and safe if they are spied on." Researchers, lawmakers and journalists have repeatedly accused NSO of helping governments spy on political opponents and undermine independent reporting.

Persons: Galina Timchenko, Tatyana Makeyeva, Timchenko, Meduza, Raphael Satter, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Canadian, Lab, NSO Group, Media, Protect Journalists, U.S, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, Berlin, Latvia, Ukraine

☆ You should update your iPhone. Apple just fixed some iOS security vulnerabilities that had researchers worried.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Apple announced its new iOS update after researchers discovered vulnerabilities. Experts say iPhone and iPad owners should update their devices to iOS 16.6.1 as soon as possible. To install the update, open Settings on your iPhone, then select "General" followed by "Software Update." You should see the iOS 16.6.1 software update there; tap to begin the installation. Advertisement Advertisement Watch: Why Apple is having so many problems right nowIf you don't see the update, go back to the General page, then tap "About" to check your iOS version number.

Organizations: Apple, Service, University of Toronto's, Pegasus, NSO, Lab Locations: Wall, Silicon

REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 7 - Researchers at digital watchdog group Citizen Lab said on Thursday they found spyware they linked to Israeli firm NSO that exploited a newly discovered flaw in Apple (AAPL.O) devices. Citizen Lab did not provide further details on the affected individual or the organization. Apple issued new updates on its devices after investigating the flaws reported by Citizen Lab. An Apple spokesperson said it had no further comment, while Citizen Lab urged consumers to update their devices. A NSO spokesperson said it did not have any immediate comment on the Citizen Lab research.

Persons: Mike Segar, Citizen Lab, John Scott, Railton, Apple, Zeba Siddiqui, Christopher Bing, Jamie Freed Organizations: Apple Inc, Apple, REUTERS, Citizen, NSO, Citizen Lab, University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs, U.S, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York, U.S, Washington

Apple released a significant security update for iPhones and iPads Thursday to patch newly discovered security vulnerabilities in the devices’ system software. Still, Citizen Lab recommends that all users should “immediately" update their devices. To install the update, open Settings on your iPhone, then select “General” followed by “Software Update.” You should see the iOS 16.6.1 software update there; tap to begin the installation. If you don't see the update, go back to the General page, then tap “About” to check your iOS version number. If that doesn't make the update appear, double-check your internet connection and then wait a bit before trying again.

Persons: ” Organizations: Apple, University of Toronto’s, Pegasus, NSO, Lab, “

What’s the difference between Russia’s internet before and after the invasion of Ukraine? That was the finding of a report published on Wednesday by Citizen Lab, a group from the University of Toronto that studies online censorship in authoritarian countries. The new report was one of the first attempts to quantify the extent of Russian internet censorship since the war began in February 2022. Before the war, Russia’s government issued internet takedown orders to Vkontakte, known as VK, once every 50 days on average. The government also used keyword blocking to censor lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer terms on the site, the report said.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Citizen Lab, University of Toronto, Lab, Vkontakte, VK Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Vkontakte

☆ U.S. blacklists two firms that built Meta, iOS and Android spyware
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Commerce Department blacklisted two European cyber firms that build spyware software, the Commerce Department announced Tuesday, including technology hawked by both firms that was used to surveil Meta users and reportedly at least one Meta employee. The software exploited vulnerabilities in Android and iOS software and deployed hundreds of spoof Meta accounts to surveil activists, politicians and journalists around the world. Meta in December 2021 warned thousands of Facebook users that they'd been targeted by spyware-for-hire software, including Predator. The New York Times reported extensively on Intellexa's Predator product, and the company's efforts to sell it to a Ukrainian intelligence agency. Intellexa's Predator was also used by Greek intelligence to spy on a Meta trust and safety employee, the Times reported.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, —, Cytrox —, they'd, Tal Dilian, Intellexa, Biden, Trump Organizations: Commerce, The Commerce Department, Commerce Department, Industry, Security, Citizen Lab, Export, Meta, Facebook, Israel Defense Forces, The New York Times, Times, Huawei Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Greece, Ireland, Hungary, North Macedonia, Ukrainian

The expanding program — formally known as the System for Operative Investigative Activities, or SORM — was an imperfect means of surveillance. Russia’s telecom providers often incompletely installed and updated the technologies, meaning the system did not always work properly. At first, the technology was used against political rivals like supporters of Aleksei A. Navalny, the jailed opposition leader. Russian authorities turned to local tech companies that built the old surveillance systems and asked for more. The new technologies give Russia’s security services a granular view of the internet.

Persons: —, Aleksei A, Anton Cherepennikov, ”, Ksenia Ermoshina Organizations: Citadel, U.S . State Department, United, “, Citizen, University of Toronto, MFI Locations: Ukraine, United States, Russian, Russia

☆ Analysis: There is now some public evidence that China viewed TikTok data
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Multiple security experts told CNN that this appears to be the first reported instance of the CCP accessing actual TikTok user data. TikTok announced its withdrawal from Hong Kong in 2020 after China imposed a national security law there. There have been isolated reports of improper access to TikTok data in the past. The improper access, company officials have said, was a misguided attempt at identifying the source of leaks to the press. TikTok has also said it is implementing a plan to store US user data on third-party US-based servers, with access to that data controlled by US employees.

Persons: Yintao Yu, Yu, ByteDance, —, ” Yu, ’, Yu’s, Flipagram, “, TikTok, James Lewis, John Scott, Rob Joyce, ” Joyce, ”, Shou Chew, Chew Organizations: CNN, Chinese Communist Party, Hong Kong, Wall Street, Flipagram, CCP, Center for Strategic, International Studies, University of Toronto’s, National Security Locations: TikTok’s Beijing, Hong Kong, California, Beijing, Hong, China

☆ Explainer: How Montana could enforce a TikTok ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Montana's ban is set to take effect on Jan. 1 2024. While TikTok can theoretically block IP addresses registered in Montana, app stores will have a more difficult time. "It would thus be impossible for our members to prevent the app from being downloaded specifically in the state of Montana," the TechNet representative testified. The app stores also would need to monitor more detailed location data from users' phones than they currently use, infringing on users' privacy, Stamos said. "The youth of Montana are about to become America's experts in VPNs," Railton said.

☆ China’s Search Engines Have More Than 66,000 Rules Controlling Content, Report Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Steven Lee Myers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China’s internet censorship is well known, but a report has quantified the extent of it, uncovering more than 66,000 rules controlling the content that is available to people using search engines. The most diligent censor, by at least one measure, is Microsoft’s search engine Bing, the only foreign search engine operating in the country, according to the report, which was released on Wednesday by the Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity research group at the University of Toronto. The findings suggested that China’s censorship apparatus had become not only more pervasive, but also more subtle. The search engines, including Bing, have created algorithms to “hard censor” searches deemed to be politically sensitive by providing no results or by limiting the results to selected sources, which are usually government agencies or state news organizations that follow the Communist Party’s line. “You’re getting results only from certain pre-authorized websites.”

Britain's National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC), part of its GCHQ eavesdropping spy agency, said in a report published on Wednesday that the mercenary hacking market was offering products that were on par with government hacking groups. On Tuesday, Canadian internet watchdog group Citizen Lab published a report which said that NSO had been caught using newly-discovered hacking tools to break into iPhones belonging to Mexican human rights defenders in 2022. At least some in the spyware industry see regulation coming down the pipe and are taking steps to try to shape it. NSO has long touted its human rights policy despite repeated allegations that its software has been used abusively, including to spy on victims of human rights violations. NSO did not immediately return an email seeking comment on the Citizen Lab report or its communications with the American Bar Association.

☆ Mexican president accuses Pentagon of spying; vows to restrict military information
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, April 18 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday accused the Pentagon of spying on his government following leaks in U.S. media, and said he would begin classifying information from the armed forces to protect national security. His comments came several days after the Washington Post reported on apparent tensions between Mexico's Navy and the Army, citing a U.S. military briefing revealed in online leaks of secret U.S. military records. "We're now going to safeguard information from the Navy and the Defense Ministry, because we're being a target of spying by the Pentagon," Lopez Obrador told his daily news conference. The Washington Post story said there was no indication the cited document came from intercepted communications of Mexican officials. Lopez Obrador has come under pressure to hold the military accountable for years of alleged abuses, including reported disappearances and killings.

WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - America's cybersecurity watchdog has no confidence that the cellular network used by American first responders and the military is secure against digital intrusions, U.S. The letter from the Oregon Democrat, a member of the intelligence committee, was addressed to the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). It concerns FirstNet, a dedicated mobile network for public safety officials such as emergency workers, firefighters and law enforcement. "These security flaws are also a national security issue, particularly if foreign governments can exploit these flaws to target U.S. government personnel," his letter said. Wyden called on FirstNet to share any security audits with the NSA and CISA or - alternatively - for the government to commission audits of its own.

In its report published at the same time, Microsoft said it believed with "high confidence" that the spyware was "strongly linked to QuaDream." Israeli lawyer Vibeke Dank, whose email was listed on QuaDream's corporate registration form, did not return a message seeking comment. NSO did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Neither Citizen Lab nor Microsoft identified the targets of QuaDream's software, but the allegation could still be damaging for the firm. The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

☆ Asian Americans are anxious about hate crimes. TikTok ban rhetoric isn’t helping
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

And the Chinese government’s authoritarian approach to numerous other issues clashes with important American values, said many Asian Americans interviewed for this article. Concerns about China have gone mainstream as US national security officials and lawmakers have publicly grappled with state-backed ransomware attacks and other hacking attempts. People rallied during a "Stop Asian Hate" march to protest against anti-Asian hate crimes on Foley Square in New York, on April 4, 2021. But to Chu, the incident was an example of the way politics surrounding China, technology and national security have fueled anti-Asian sentiment. “Asian American issues are American issues, and all Americans deserve to be treated with respect.

☆ Everyone in Washington is talking about a TikTok ban. But is it really a national security threat?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

However, more than two years after the Trump administration first issued a similar threat to TikTok, evidence remains unclear about whether the app is a national security threat. “Regarding privacy, we also did not see the TikTok app exhibiting any behaviors similar to malware.”TikTok has cited Lin’s research as part of its defense. He also repeatedly noted that TikTok does not collect more user data than most of its peers in the industry. TikTok later confirmed the incident and ByteDance fired several employees who had improperly accessed the TikTok data of two journalists. “And governments around the world are ignoring their duty to protect citizens’ private information, allowing big tech companies to exploit user information for gain.

☆ Facing spying claims, Mexico president says activist's phone call was recorded
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, March 23 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday confirmed for the first time that the government monitored the phone of a human rights activist, saying it was part of a probe into a suspected gang member. Lopez Obrador has repeatedly denied allegations that his government has spied on activists, journalists and opponents, while saying it does intelligence work to fight crime. On Thursday, he said the government had access to Ramos' phone because officials were investigating a suspected criminal that he said the activist had spoken to. "This citizen ... was speaking on the phone to a suspected drug trafficker," Lopez Obrador said in a regular news conference. Lopez Obrador has said the government doesn't use Pegasus.

☆ Lawmakers say TikTok is a national security threat, but evidence remains unclear
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

If there’s a risk, it’s primarily concentrated in the relationship between TikTok’s Chinese parent, ByteDance, and Beijing. TikTok has been erecting technical and organizational barriers that it says will keep US user data safe from unauthorized access. “Regarding privacy, we also did not see the TikTok app exhibiting any behaviors similar to malware.”Are there other security concerns? TikTok later confirmed the incident and ByteDance fired several employees who had improperly accessed the TikTok data of two journalists. “And governments around the world are ignoring their duty to protect citizens’ private information, allowing big tech companies to exploit user information for gain.

☆ U.S. seizes website selling malware that stole computer data
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Zeba Siddiqui | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAN FRANCISCO, March 9 (Reuters) - U.S. authorities said on Thursday they seized an internet domain that was selling malicious software criminals used to steal data from and take control of victims' computers. The site sold NetWire, a type of malware called a 'remote access trojan' (RAT), which is "a sophisticated program capable of targeting and infecting every major computer operating system," the statement said. It allows covert surveillance, creating a "'backdoor' for administrative control and unfettered and unauthorized remote access to a victim’s computer, without the victim’s knowledge or permission," according to court records filed in Los Angeles the statement cited. It was unclear how many times the malware had been bought off the seized website. The seizure comes as U.S. authorities work on improving collaborations with other countries on investigating cybercrimes, which are often cross-border.

☆ Hackers post email addresses linked to 200 million Twitter accounts, security researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Email addresses linked to more than 200 million Twitter profiles are currently circulating on underground hacker forums, security experts say. The apparent data leak could expose the real-life identities of anonymous Twitter users and make it easier for criminals to hijack Twitter accounts, the experts warned, or even victims’ accounts on other websites. The trove of leaked records also includes Twitter users’ names, account handles, follower numbers and the dates the accounts were created, according to forum listings reviewed by security researchers and shared with CNN. Troy Hunt, a security researcher, said Thursday that his analysis of the data “found 211,524,284 unique email addresses” that had been leaked. The account data could also be valuable to hackers who can use the information as part of password-reset attempts and account takeovers.

☆ El Salvador investigative journalists sue spyware maker in U.S. federal court
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Journalists from an investigative news outlet in El Salvador sued NSO Group in United States federal court Wednesday after the Israeli firm’s powerful Pegasus spyware was detected on their iPhones. In January, the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog, reported that dozens of journalists and human rights defenders in El Salvador had their cellphones repeatedly hacked with the spyware. Among them were journalists at the El Faro news site. NSO Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit. Apple and WhatsApp have pending lawsuits against NSO Group in the same U.S. court in the Northern District of California.

☆ Trolls, propaganda & fear stoke Bukele's media machine in El Salvador
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

In examining Bukele’s media operation, Reuters interviewed more than 70 people, including former media operatives and social media researchers. It showed Bukele with an 86% approval rating in El Salvador, making him the most popular leader in the region. “The threat in El Salvador used to be from the gangs, now it's from the state,” said Angelica Carcamo, the organization's president. “I found a lot more manipulation in El Salvador than in Mexico,” Escorcia said. A native of Guatemala, Torres has been critical of the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras for creating conditions that spur migration.

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