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Category: security – Page 98

Several countries have been targeted by a long-term campaign operated by financially motivated threat actors who used a backdoor and a remote access Trojan (RAT) malicious combo to take control of infected computers.

The two malicious payloads dubbed BalkanDoor and BalkanRAT by the ESET researchers who spotted them have been previously detected in the wild by the Croatian CERT in 2017 and, even earlier, by a Serbian security outfit in 2016.

However, ESET was the first to make the connection between them, after observing several quite significant overlaps in the entities targeted by their operators, as well as Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) similarities.

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The Defense Department is looking to build tools that can quickly detect deepfakes and other manipulated media amid the growing threat of “large-scale, automated disinformation attacks.”

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on Tuesday announced it would host a proposers day for an upcoming initiative focused on curbing the spread of malicious deepfakes, shockingly realistic but forged images, audio and videos generated by artificial intelligence. Under the Semantic Forensics program, or SemaFor, researchers aim to help computers use common sense and logical reasoning to detect manipulated media.

As global adversaries enhance their technological capabilities, deepfakes and other advanced disinformation tactics are becoming a top concern for the national security community. Russia already showed the potential of fake media to sway public opinion during the 2016 election, and as deepfake tools become more advanced and readily available, experts worry bad actors will use the tech to fuel increasingly powerful influence campaigns.

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As mentioned by H. Girard in the article at the link http://www.i-sis.org.uk/BW.php&h=AT2S6vfN4BKfFUss7oiAPJJ…w2jb-y0arw, in 1960, the CIA approved a proposal for a very sophisticated electroencephalography instrument that could be used to interpret brain activity, decipher thought content and obtain information whether a person would wish to disclose it or not. They also added to this a bibliography search with five objectives, the fifth termed €œTechniques for Activating the Human Organism by Remote Electronic Means €. This study became known later as MKULTRA subproject 119, with MKULTRA being the CIA €™s mind control program.

Documents that are related to MKULTRA were obtained by a FOIA request by John Marks who conducted research for his book “The Search For The Manchurian Candidate — The CIA and Mind Control, The Secret History of the Behavioral Sciences” (1979) published by W. Norton — paperback 1991, ISBN 0−393−30794−8. The author donated the documents to the National Security Archive of the George Washington University (http//www.seas.gwu.edu/nsarchive.html).

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How dictators work in the 21st century.

The new president of Kazakhstan is now proving that he will keep the old, oppressive systems alive for the 21st century, using advanced technical tools.

The man in the middle: Beginning last week, Kazakhstan’s government is intercepting all HTTPS traffic inside the country, ZDNet reports. HTTPS is a protocol meant to offer encryption, security, and privacy to users, but now the nation’s internet service providers are forcing all users to install certificates that enable pervasive interception and surveillance.

On Wednesday, Kazakh internet users were redirected to web pages instructing them to install the government’s root certificate in their web browser, which enables what’s called “man in the middle” interception of internet traffic, decryption, and surveillance.

Continue reading “How an authoritarian regime will intercept all internet traffic inside its country” | >

You OWN your DNA data Let’s keep it that way.

EDNA Members monetize their genetic data by selling access to their data direct to researchers. With an average selling price of $350.00 and an average expectancy of up to 200 deals, this can translate to as much as $70,000.00 per person. Intended use and licensing of this data is controlled by smart contract and may include posted bonds provided by researchers to insure confidentiality and security of the data. Don’t give away this highly-valuable property. Claim it for yourself. Opt-In only when YOU decide. It’s your property and you should be in control.

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The procedures implement national-level and DOD policies to protect information from foreign intelligence collection. It requires that the application of TEMPEST countermeasures be proportional and appropriate to the threat and potential damage to national security. It explains the selection, training, utilization, and operational requirements for appointment of an Army certified TEMPEST Technical Authority (CTTA) and provides Army protected distribution policy.

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TEMPEST is a U.S. National Security Agency specification and a NATO certification referring to spying on information systems through leaking emanations, including unintentional radio or electrical signals, sounds, and vibrations.

The traditional approach for TEMPEST product approval provides for government supervision of evaluations to include testing oversight and technical reviews of both the TEMPEST test plans and test reports produced by a nation’s TEMPEST evaluation personnel.

NATO agreed on a scheme in 1981 to have vendors offer approved TEMPEST products for sale to NATO and NATO member nations.

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Early this morning, I was asked this question at Quora. It’s a pretty basic request of network administrators, including parents, schools and anyone who administers a public, sensitive or legally exposed WiFi hot spot.

Is there a quick and easy way to view, log, or otherwise monitor the web sites visited by people on your home or office network?

Yes. It’s free and and it is pretty easy to do.

Continue reading “Can I Check Web Sites Visited by my Kids/Staff?” | >

While more people and places are switching to energy-saving LED light bulbs, a California company has found a way to turn them into smart networks that can collect and feed data. However, the new technological opportunities are also raising privacy concerns, reports CBS News’ Bill Whitaker.

For example, should you find yourself in terminal “B” at Newark airport, look up. Those aren’t just new lights. They’re smart lights — a sophisticated array of LED fixtures with built-in sensors and cameras connected over a wireless network. They monitor security and the flow of foot traffic.

“Newark’s primarily interested in energy saving,” said Hugh Martin, president of Sensity, the Silicon Valley company that developed the smart lights at Newark and also a parking garage in San Jose.

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