Microsoft to crack down cyber crime in Kuwait, Algeria |
- Microsoft to crack down cyber crime in Kuwait, Algeria
- Iraq receives Russian fighters to beef up assault on ISIL rebels (VIDEO)
- MLS-bound Kaka arrives in Orlando
- GM recalls 8.45 million more vehicles for ignition, electrical defects
- Next Media Video: Iraq receives Russian fighters to bolster assault on ISIL rebels
- Inquiry panel says tougher enforcement against public drunkenness needed
| Microsoft to crack down cyber crime in Kuwait, Algeria Posted: 30 Jun 2014 05:55 PM PDT
The operation, which began yesterday under an order issued by a federal court in Nevada, targeted traffic involving malicious software known as Bladabindi and Jenxcus, which Microsoft said work in similar ways and were written and distributed by developers in Kuwait and Algeria. It is the first high-profile case involving malware written by developers outside of Eastern Europe, according to Richard Domingues Boscovich, assistant general counsel of Microsoft's cybercrime-fighting Digital Crimes Unit. "We have never seen malware coded outside Eastern Europe that is as big as this. This really demonstrates the globalisation of cybercrime," said Boscovich, whose team at Microsoft has disrupted nine other cybercrime operations over the past five years, all of which it believes originated in Eastern Europe. He said it would take days to determine how many machines were infected, but noted that the number could be very large because Microsoft's anti-virus software alone has detected some 7.4 million infections over the past year and is installed on less than 30 per cent of the world's PCs. The malware has dashboards with point-and-click menus to execute functions such as viewing a computer screen in real time, recording keystrokes, stealing passwords and listening to conversations, according to documents filed in US District Court in Nevada on June 19 and unsealed yesterday. The malware was purchased by at least 500 customers. Boscovich said the developers marketed their malware over social media, including videos on YouTube and a Facebook page. They posted videos with techniques for infecting PCs, he said. Yesterday's operation The court order allowed Microsoft to disrupt communications between infected machines and Reno, Nevada-based Vitalwerks Internet Solutions. Boscovich said about 94 per cent of all machines infected with the two viruses communicate with hackers through Vitalwerks servers. Criminals use Vitalwerks as an intermediary to make it more difficult for law enforcement to track, he said. The court ordered the registries that direct Internet communications to send suspected malicious traffic to Microsoft servers in Redmond, Washington, instead of to Vitalwerks. In an operation that begins Monday, Boscovich said, Microsoft will filter out communications from PCs infected with another 194 types of malware also being filtered through Vitalwerks. Vitalwerks said Microsoft's actions have disrupted service for millions of Internet users. "Vitalwerks and (operational subsidiary) No-IP have a very strict abuse policy. Our abuse team is constantly working to keep the No-IP system domains free of spam and malicious activity," spokeswoman Natalie Goguen said in a statement. Microsoft has not accused Vitalwerks of involvement in any cybercrime, though it alleges the company failed to take proper steps to prevent its system from being abused. "We just want them to clean up their act, to be more proactive in monitoring their service," Boscovich said in an interview. ― Reuters  |
| Iraq receives Russian fighters to beef up assault on ISIL rebels (VIDEO) Posted: 30 Jun 2014 05:34 PM PDT BAGHDAD, July 1 — The Iraqi government has received the first delivery of Russian fighter planes it hopes will help turn the tide against a Sunni jihadist group that has seized large parts of the north of the country. Iraq took delivery of 5 Su-25 warplanes from Russia late last week and hopes to have them operational within days. Seven more planes will take the total to 12 by early this week. The Iraqi government turned to Russia after becoming frustrated over delays with delivery of 36 F-16 jets purchased from the US. The first two F-16s are expected in September. The US has also expedited shipments of hellfire missiles to Iraq, sending another 200 to the 300 it has already delivered this year. Iraq currently has only two planes capable of launching the missiles. The Russian jets are expected to help in the fight against ISIS militants. Iraqi army commandos, backed by tanks and helicopter gunships began an assault on rebel forces currently in control of Tikrit late last week. — Reuters
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| MLS-bound Kaka arrives in Orlando Posted: 30 Jun 2014 05:33 PM PDT
The club, which confirmed earlier this month they were in "advanced discussions" to sign the 32-year-old star, had teased fans with "KomingSoon" Twitter postings today in advance of his arrival in the central Florida city. Photos posted on the club's Twitter feed showed Kaka arriving, greeted by a throng of supporters and media. The Orlando Sentinel reported that the club, which is slated to begin MLS play in 2015, would hold a press conference tomorrow to formally announce his signing and introduce him to fans at the club's official watch party of the United States' World Cup match against Belgium. The 32-year-old had his contract with Italian club AC Milan terminated by mutual consent, activating a release clause after Milan failed to qualify for European play. The 2007 Ballon d'Or winner, who was part of the Brazil squad that won the 2002 World Cup, told AC Milan's television channel that he had long been keen to play in the United States. Kaka joined AC Milan from Sao Paulo in 2003, winning a Serie A title and the Champions League there before departing for Real Madrid in 2009. He returned to AC Milan this season, scored seven goals in 30 Serie A appearances, and wasn't selected for the Brazil squad for the World Cup now under way in his home country. Until he is due to report for MLS duty in January of 2015, Kaka is expected to play on loan to Sao Paulo, the club that developed him as a youth and where he played first as a professional. Orlando City and New York City FC—who have recruited Spain's David Villa—will become the 20th and 21st teams competing in MLS in 2015. — AFP |
| GM recalls 8.45 million more vehicles for ignition, electrical defects Posted: 30 Jun 2014 05:30 PM PDT
Most of them, 8.23 million including Chevrolet Malibus from 1997 to 2005 and Cadillac CTS cars from the 2003 to 2014 model years, are being recalled for unintended ignition-key rotation. Among the vehicles recalled today, GM said it's aware are of seven crashes, eight injuries and three fatalities. The fatal crashes occurred in older full-size sedans being recalled for the ignition flaw. It isn't clear whether the faulty ignition caused those crashes GM said. Shares, which had been temporarily halted, fell 0.9 per cent to US$36.30 (RM116.40) at the close in New York. They had traded at more than the June 27 closing price for most of the day after Kenneth Feinberg explained how the company will compensate victims of an earlier ignition recall of 2.59 million small cars. "It's unprecedented," Karl Brauer, a senior analyst with Kelley Blue Book, said yesterday in a telephone interview. "People are now wondering where's this going to end, how long is it going to take, how much is it going to cost?" GM said it expects to take a charge of as much as US$1.2 billion for recall-related repairs announced in the second quarter. It took a US$1.3 billion charge in the first quarter for recalls. 'Industry standard' The biggest US automaker is stepping up the pace of recalls as it faces multiple investigations for its slowness in calling back the small cars, including the Chevrolet Cobalt, with ignition issues linked to at least 13 deaths. Since that action began in February, the company has recalled other cars for similar issues, accounting for about 9 million of the fixes before today. "We undertook what I believe is the most comprehensive safety review in the history of our company because nothing is more important than the safety of our customers," said Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra. "Our customers deserve more than we delivered in these vehicles. That has hardened my resolve to set a new industry standard for vehicle safety, quality and excellence." Ignition engineer Some of today's recalled ignitions were worked on by Ray DeGiorgio, the former GM engineer responsible for the faulty ignition switch at the heart of GM's crisis, Alan Adler, a company spokesman, said in a telephone interview. He wouldn't identify which of the new recalled vehicles involved DeGiorgio, who was one of 15 people ousted by the company after an internal investigation released this month found a lack of urgency in the engineering and legal departments led to GM taking more than a decade for the flawed Cobalts and other vehicles to be recalled. Those vehicles have a defective ignition switch that could be jarred into the "accessory" position, disabling power steering and preventing air bags from deploying. "This all comes from our review that began after the Cobalt," Adler said. "We looked at every ignition switch across the company, some of them he was involved with and some of them he wasn't." Missed connections One of the issues found by GM's internal investigation into the faulty ignition switches was that company engineers didn't connect the dots on the danger created by vehicles stalling while in motion. Because they didn't realise it cut power to the air bags, they didn't consider it a safety problem. GM's decision today to recall millions more cars for "ignition-key rotation," may mean the automaker has changed its mind on whether stalling by itself is a safety defect, said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Centre for Auto Safety. The huge numbers in yesterday's announcement, on top of the more than 20 million recalled already in 2014, may cause consumers to wonder whether the rest of the vehicle line is any good, Ditlow said. "For GM to still be doing ignition-key recalls just calls into doubt their competence," Ditlow said. "It's about the worst thing that could happen." GM shares and sales have held up so far despite the publicity surrounding the recalls. GM in May had its best month of US auto sales since August 2008, rising 13 per cent to 284,694 vehicles. In April, it reported first-quarter net income, despite US$1.3 billion in recall-related costs. GM rose 2.9 per cent from Feb. 12, the day before the first batch of ignition-related recalls was formally announced, through June 27. Vehicle details Yesterday's ignition recalls also cover the 1998 to 2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999 to 2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1999 to 2005 Pontiac Grand Am, 2000 to 2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 2004 to 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix, and 2004 to 2006 Cadillac SRX. In addition, GM yesterday also recalled 181,984 SUVs in the US to fix a possible electrical short in the driver's door, which could disable locks and window switches and overheat, according to a company statement. The recall covers the 2005-07 Buick Rainier, Chevy Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Isuzu Ascender and Saab 9-7x, as well as the 2006 Trailblazer EXT and Envoy XL. That recall appears to expand a 2012 action limited to the same models in 21 cold-weather states. In that action, GM advised vehicle owners to park outside until their repairs were complete. Small actions Three smaller recalls were also announced for newer models. The 2007-2011 Chevy Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD with an auxiliary battery were recalled because an electrical overload could lead to melting, smoke or fire and damage wires. That action covers 12,008 vehicles in North America and 9,371 in the US. GM is recalling 20,134 2011-14 Chevy Cruze, 2012-2014 Chevy Sonic, the 2013-14 Chevy Trax, Buick Encore and Buick Verano to fix insulation on the engine block. And it's recalling 117 cars in North America to tighten a "superhold" joint fastener, including certain versions of the 2014 Chevy Camaro, Chevy Impala, Buick Regal and Cadillac XTS. — Bloomberg |
| Next Media Video: Iraq receives Russian fighters to bolster assault on ISIL rebels Posted: 30 Jun 2014 05:28 PM PDT Duration: 00:52, Published 1 Jul 2014 The Iraqi government has received the first delivery of Russian fighter planes it hopes will help turn the tide against a Sunni jihadist group that has seized large parts of the north of the country. — Reuters |
| Inquiry panel says tougher enforcement against public drunkenness needed Posted: 30 Jun 2014 05:21 PM PDT
More vigilant enforcement in hot spots would help to mitigate the effects of excessive drinking and the threat to public order, and would also deter individuals from drinking excessively to the point of causing a nuisance for others, the committee said. The COI said it understood the manpower difficulties that the police face in stepping up enforcement, and suggested using less-manpower-intensive methods. These include publicising the offence and its consequences more widely as a deterrent and using scientific criteria to define the threshold for excessive alcohol consumption. Although the COI supported restricting the hours or places in which alcohol may be consumed in hot spots, it said such restrictions should not target eateries which sell or serve alcohol nor their immediate vicinities. It recommended targeting the consumption of alcohol that occurs away from eateries and outside buildings. As the views on what should be done about the sale and consumption of alcohol in Little India and beyond "remain divided", the COI said an island-wide ban on public drinking is not warranted. Such a ban would affect a large number of people in many circumstances that may not require policing. It would also disproportionately favour businesses that own liquor licences for on-site consumption as those who wish to socialise over drinks would only be able to buy and consume alcohol in such premises. Limiting the number of liquor licences is also not the solution, "so long as those who have those licences are willing to stock and sell ever-larger quantities". Although public consultation on alcohol intoxication and public drinking began before the riot, an area in Little India became the first to fall under alcohol curbs after the Public Order (Preservation) Act was invoked following the incident. Under the Public Order (Additional Temporary Measures) Act that was passed in February, public drinking is banned in this zone and the sale of alcohol is prohibited after 8pm on weekends, public holidays and the eve of public holidays. The curbs will stay in place until March 31. — Today |
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