Saturday 27 December 2014

The European Union Times

Security firm says Sony hack might have been an inside job

Posted: 26 Dec 2014 02:51 PM PST

Despite claims by the FBI that North Korea was behind the massive hack against Sony, several cybersecurity experts have come forward to raise questions about the allegation, with some suggesting that insiders at the company could be to blame.
One such expert, Kurt Stammberger from the Norse cybersecuirty firm, told CBS News that his team believes a woman identified only as “Lena” was heavily involved in the hack, not North Korea.
“We are very confident that this was not an attack master-minded by North Korea and that insiders were key to the implementation of one of the most devastating attacks in history,” he told the news outlet.
“Sony was not just hacked, this is a company that was essentially nuked from the inside,” Stammberger added.
Little is known about Lena, but Norse believes the woman is somehow linked with the hacking group behind the attack, known as the ‘Guardians of Peace.’ The firm also suspects the woman was a former employee of Sony who worked there for 10 years before leaving in May 2014.
According to Stammberger, Lena’s position in the company would have given her the access and knowledge needed to identify the servers that hackers ultimately stole troves of data from.
Stammberger didn’t completely rule out North Korea’s role in the cyber attack, but he told CBS that evidence pointing to the country could actually be a case of misdirection.
“There are certainly North Korean fingerprints on this but when we run all those leads to ground they turn out to be decoys or red herrings,” he said.
Last week, the FBI officially pinned the hack on North Korea, saying the breach involved lines of code, methods, and encryption algorithms previously developed by the country.
“Technical analysis of the data deletion malware used in this attack revealed links to other malware that the FBI knows North Korea actors previously developed,” the FBI said in its statement. “The FBI also observed significant overlap between the infrastructure used in this attack and other malicious cyber activity the US government has previously linked directly to North Korea.”
“Separately, the tools used in the SPE attack have similarities to a cyberattack in March of last year against South Korean banks and media outlets, which was carried out by North Korea.”
Still, some remain unconvinced. Cybersecurity expert Bruce Schneier wrote that the code used by the hackers seems “to point in all directions at once.” Looking at the evidence cited by the FBI, Schneier said it’s the kind that is “easy to fake, and it’s even easier to interpret it incorrectly.” He also cast doubt on the “insider threat” theory, arguing that such an individual wouldn’t need the hacking tools used to breach Sony’s servers.
Schneier noted that the FBI has not revealed all the reasons for its claim, though, and acknowledged that classified evidence could clearly point the finger at North Korea. Unless that evidence is known, it’s hard to say with any certainty.
Other possibilities include the idea that North Korea “co-opted” the initial attack after an embarrassing glut of information was made public, using that as an opportunity to strike Sony, as it was reeling and facing pressure to cancel ‘The Interview’ movie.
While Sony did cancel the premiere and release of ‘The Interview’ – a comedy which tells the story of a CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, it has since relented in the face of public criticism, which included harsh words from President Barack Obama. The movie is now available on streaming services and will be in theaters in limited release on Christmas Day.
Regarding the film’s release, a North Korean envoy to the United Nations said the country will condemn the decision but will not have any “physical reaction.” He added that the movie is an “unpardonable mockery of our sovereignty and dignity of our supreme leader.”
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Italy saves 1026 illegal immigrants in Mediterranean Sea

Posted: 26 Dec 2014 02:49 PM PST

Italy says it has recovered a total of 1,026 illegal immigrants attempting to reach Europe from Africa in the Mediterranean Sea over the last 24 hours before Christmas.
In a statement on Wednesday, Italy’s officials said the country’s navy carried out various operations in the Strait of Sicily in the last 24 hours to rescue the invaders.
The navy also found five bodies belonging to immigrants who died trying to cross the Strait of Sicily.
A Maltese merchant ship brought one of the dead migrants to Italian navy’s Etna vessel while a Cypriot motor boat transferred the other four to the Orione patrol boat.
The Italian navy said Etna saved 363 survivors from the waters, the Orione rescued 440, and another vessel, named the Driade, saved another 223 migrants, making a total of 1026 migrants, most of whom came with empty pockets, without a place where to sleep or a dime for renting a place, but with grand hopes of stealing jobs from 1026 Italians, leave them jobless and steal their salaries, lives and maybe even their women. Millions infested Europe in recent years with their presence while economically the EU is doing worse than ever because of that but they keep coming and unfortunately the EU keeps welcoming all of them.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, estimated earlier this month that 3,419 migrants had died while attempting to cross the Mediterranean since January 1, making it the deadliest sea route for migrants.
Italy is faced with a massive surge in illegal immigrants, many of them from the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, setting off on boats with hopes of reaching Europe.
Lampedusa is a primary entry point for tens of thousands of undocumented migrants sailing from Africa. The island is Italy’s southernmost territory and is located about midway between Sicily and Tunisia.
During the past 20 years, an estimated 17,000 to 20,000 migrants have perished during the dangerous crossing, as they travel on badly overcrowded fishing vessels or rubber boats.
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US tells Jews to declare their dislike of Russia

Posted: 26 Dec 2014 02:00 PM PST

The Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic has firmly opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting Prague to attend ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. According to the statement, Russia “doesn’t respect international treaties, is aggressive abroad and uses its power to occupy the territory of a neighboring state”. Does the historical memory mean nothing to Jews on the Czech Republic? Senior research scientist at the Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yuliya Scherbakova talked about it in an interview to Pravda.Ru.
“I wouldn’t talk like that about Jews in the Czech Republic, but there is a connection with the Jewish lobby from the U.S. We know that there are rather strong Jewish organizations there, and the U.S. is pursuing the policy of putting pressure on Russia from all possible directions,” Yuliya Scherbakova noted.
A Pravda.Ru correspondent asked the expert if it could be that Vladimir Putin comes to the Czech Republic but heads of other victorious powers will refuse to attend memorial events because of his presence?
“I don’t know. I cannot foresee actions of heads of other states, based on the information I have. I know that the U.S. administration is currently considering Obama’s visit to Russia to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. There is no final decision yet,” Yuliya pointed out.
The Chief Rabbi of the city of Prague and of the Czech Republic Karol Sidon said earlier that he was hopeful that the Russian President would not come. According to Sidon, he was a signatory to Charter 77, in ’80s he was prosecuted by the Czech state security authorities and was forced to leave homeland for the Federal Republic of Germany, where he converted to Judaism. The Pravda.Ru correspondent asked the expert if it was because of Sidon’s Russophobia and not the stance taken by the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic?
“Both Sidon and the Federation announced their stances. We cannot equate these two statements. Maybe he had some influence on the decision taken by the Federation. But in my opinion, the American trace is far more obvious here,” Yuliya said.
The Czech Republic voted against the UN Resolution “Glorification of Nazism: Inadmissibility of certain practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance”. The correspondent asked why was that and if there was a connection to the abovementioned statements? Can we make a conclusion that the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic has nothing to do with Jews and just executes its government’s order?
“No. I do not know what motives the Czech Republic had to vote like that, but it is inappropriate to raise such a question. In my opinion, there are not so many Jews in the Czech Republic. They are not so strong. In general, there are not so many of them left in Europe any more. Hence I would not say that they were somehow connected to the government,” Yuliya Scherbakova summarized.
Source

Kenya court charges key ivory trafficker with illegal trade

Posted: 26 Dec 2014 01:57 PM PST

A Kenya Wildlife Services ranger standing guard in front of an illegal ivory stockpile at Tsavo National Park, southeast of the capital, Nairobi.

A court in Kenya has charged an ivory trafficker with the illegal trade and smuggling of elephant tusks.
Judicial sources said Wednesday that Feisal Ali Mohamed was charged in a court in Mombasa, the country’s second-largest city.
The charges include “dealing and possession of elephant tusks” weighing more than two tons.
Lawyers say Mohamed will remain in custody until December 30 when a bail hearing is set.
He was listed as one of the nine most wanted environmental criminals by Interpol in November.
Police were searching for Mohamed since the seizure of more than 200 elephant tusks in the port city back in June.
Mohamed was arrested in the Tanzanian city of Dar-es-Salaam last week and was handed over to the Kenyan authorities.
Environmental authorities say Mohamed is probably responsible for the deaths of thousands of elephants not just in Kenya, but across Africa.
Figures show that in 2013, 302 elephants were slaughtered in Kenya by poachers. More than 11,000 elephants were killed in northeastern Gabon between 2004 and 2013, over 300 elephants were slaughtered in Cameroon in the last two months of 2012, and 86 elephants were slain in Chad in less than a week in March 2013.
In a report to the United Nations Security Council, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said last year that the illegal trade has become a major source of funding for armed groups in the volatile regions across Africa.
Both African and Asian elephants are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as CITES, which strictly controls the trade in ivory and ivory products.
Source

Russia’s new military doctrine lists NATO, US as major foreign threats

Posted: 26 Dec 2014 01:49 PM PST

The Yury Dolgoruky nuclear-powered submarine.

Russia has adopted an updated version of its military doctrine, which reflects the emergence of new threats against its national security. NATO military buildup and American Prompt Global Strike concept are listed among them.
The new doctrine was approved on Friday by President Vladimir Putin. Its core remains unchanged from the previous version. The Russian military remains a defensive tool which the country pledges to use only as a last resort.
Also unchanged are the principles of the use of nuclear weapons which Russia adheres to. Their primary goal is to deter potential enemies from attacking Russia, but it would use them to protect itself from a military attack – either nuclear or conventional – threatening its existence.
The new sections of the doctrine outline the threat Russia sees in NATO’s expansion and military buildup and the fact that the alliance is taking upon itself “global functions realized with violation of international law.”
The doctrine lists among major foreign military threats “the creation and deployment of global strategic antiballistic missile systems that undermines the established global stability and balance of power in nuclear missile capabilities, the implementation of the ‘prompt strike’ concept, intent to deploy weapons in space and deployment of strategic conventional precision weapons.”
Another new point in the doctrine is that one of the Russian military’s goals is to protect national interests in the Arctic region.
The document also points to the threat of destabilization countries bordering Russia or its allies and deployment of foreign troops such nations as a threat to national security.
Domestically, Russia faces threats of “actions aimed at violent change of the Russian constitutional order, destabilization of the political and social environment, disorganization of the functioning of governmental bodies, crucial civilian and military facilities and informational infrastructure of Russia,” the doctrine says.
Moscow sees international cooperation with countries sharing its effort to increase security, particularly members of BRICS, the OSCE, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and others as the key to preventing military conflicts, the doctrine states.
Traditional threats that Russia must deal with mentioned in the doctrine include extremism and terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and rocket technology and actions of foreign intelligence services.
The document notes that modern threats are increasingly drifting from a military nature to informational, and states that the likelihood of anyone launching a fully-fledged war against Russia is decreasing.
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