Nearly 10 million devices worldwide fell victim to data theft in 2023, claims report

By: Inter News on April 04, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

ISLAMABAD: Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence has claimed that nearly 10 million devices fell victim to data-stealing worldwide in 2023.

According to Kaspersky’s data, 443,000 websites worldwide have experienced compromised credentials in the past five years. The .com domain leads to compromised accounts; nearly 326 million logins and passwords for websites on this domain were compromised in 2023. While the compromised accounts of .pk domain in Pakistan reached 2.4 million.

According to a statement, the latest reports on data stealing show a 643 percent increase over the past three years.

“The actual number of infections is likely to be even higher than 10 million. According to Kaspersky’s assessment of info-stealer log-file dynamics, the number of infections that occurred in 2023 is projected to reach roughly 16,000,000,” it stated.

With cybercriminals pilfering an average of 50.9 login credentials per infected device, the threat posed by data-stealers is growing for both consumers and businesses. In light of this growing threat, Kaspersky has launched a dedicated web page to raise awareness of the issue and provide strategies for mitigating associated risks.

Threat actors either utilise these credentials for their own purposes, including perpetrating cyberattacks, or sell or distribute them freely on dark web forums and shadow Telegram channels.

These credentials may encompass logins for social media, online banking services, crypto wallets, and various corporate online services, such as email and internal systems.

“The dark-web value of log files with login credentials varies depending on the data’s appeal and the way it’s sold there. Credentials may be sold through a subscription service with regular uploads, a so-called ‘aggregator’ for specific requests, or via a’shop’ selling recently acquired login credentials exclusively to selected buyers.

Prices typically begin at $10 per log file in these shops. This highlights how crucial it is for both individuals and companies—especially those handling large online user communities—to stay alert.

Leaked credentials carry a major threat, enabling cybercriminals to execute various attacks such as unauthorised access for theft, social engineering, or impersonation,” says Hafeez Rahman, technical group manager at Kaspersky.

To guard against data theft, individuals have been advised to use a comprehensive security solution for any device.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2024

North Korean Ri beats Hou as world records broken

By: Inter News on April 03, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

PHUKET: China’s Olympic gold medallist Zhihui Hou broke her own snatch world record at weightlifting’s World Cup in Phuket on Monday, before North Korean Ri Song-Gum equalled it and won the women’s 49kg competition by earning a new record total.

Hou, who lifted 96kg in the snatch in July 2021 to win gold in Tokyo, lifted 97kg to take the lead at the World Cup, before Ri matched her effort.

Ri lifted 124kg in clean and jerk to earn a total of 221, a new world record in the weight category, while Hou lifted 120kg and finished second with a total of 217.

Hou qualified for this year’s Olympics as the best performing Chinese athlete.

Ri is not eligible for the Paris Games because North Korea entered the qualifying programme too late, the International Weightlifting Fed­er­­ation (IWF) said in a statement.

Ri, who also holds the current world record in clean and jerk having lifted 125kg at the Asian Championships in February, attempted unsuccessfully to lift 126kg.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2024

Russia accuses IOC chief of ‘conspiracy’ to exclude its athletes

By: Inter News on April 03, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

MOSCOW: Russia accused Inter­national Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach on Tuesday of taking part in a “conspiracy” with Ukraine to exclude its strongest athletes from this year’s Paris Games.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made the allegation after two Russian pranksters known as Vovan and Lexus published a recording of a conversation with Bach in which he was falsely led to believe he was speaking to an African sports official.

Bach said in the call that the IOC had established a special panel to monitor the media and the internet and ensure that Russian athletes who had made political statements in support of their government could not take part in the Olympics.

“We have also offered to the Ukrainian side — not only offered, but asked them — to provide us with their knowledge of the behaviour of such [Russian] athletes or officials,” Bach could be heard saying in English on the recording.

Zakharova posted on Telegram that Bach had “entered into a political-administrative and, apparently, criminal conspiracy with one specific party” — meaning Ukraine — “to exclude strong sports competitors from international competitions”.

She added: “The relationship of IOC president Bach with the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine and its officials, and the admissions of a ‘request to monitor Russian athletes’ should be the subject of a thorough investigation.”

Relations between Russia and the IOC have worsened sharply in the run-up to the Olympics, at which Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete as neutrals, without their flags and anthems, because of the war in Ukraine. They have also been banned from taking part in the opening parade.

Pre-empting the publication of the prank call, the IOC said last month that Bach had been the victim of a hoax.

The IOC has publicly announced the establishment of a review panel to evaluate the eligibility of every Russian or Belarusian athlete who qualifies for Paris. In order to be cleared to compete, athletes must not have actively supported the war in Ukraine and must not be contracted to any military or security agency.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2024

Pakistan canvasses interest in purchase of stake in PIA

By: Inter News on April 02, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

As part of reforms urged by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Privatisation Commission said on Tuesday that it was putting on the block a stake ranging from 51 per cent to 100pc of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

The disposal of the flag carrier is a step past elected governments have steered away from as likely to be highly unpopular, but progress on the privatisation will help pursue further funding talks with the IMF.

In a newspaper advertisement, the panel set a deadline of May 3 to receive statements of interest in PIA, which has piled up arrears of hundreds of billions of rupees, and it appointed EY Consulting as the financial adviser for the deal.

“The restructured PIA is being offered to potential investors in its ‘debt-lite’ new structure for a 51pc-plus stake,” the Privatisation Commission said in a website presentation.

The panel aimed to sign a share price deal by June 24, after completing all steps in the transaction, it added. “The restructured PIA provides an opportunity to invest in a a full-service airline.”

PIA’s 23pc share of Pakistan’s aviation market is the biggest, and the airline could grow further to exceed historic levels of 30pc, the panel said.

With a fleet of 34 aircraft comprising 17 Airbus A320s, 12 Boeing B777s and 5 ATRs, the airline loses traffic to Middle Eastern carriers, who have a market share of 60pc, because of an absence of direct flights to destinations.

The carrier has air service pacts with 87 countries, and landing slots at key destinations such as London Heathrow.

Restructuring

The re-organisation of the business will separate the aviation-related aspects from non-core components, so freeing the operating subsidiary of a large portion of legacy debt.

The restructuring will move out 603 billion rupees ($2.2 billion) of liabilities, leaving 203 billion ($730 million) on the balance sheet for the acquired business.

The presentation added that PIA broke even at earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortisation, and restructuring or rent costs (EBITDAR) level in 2023, which the panel projected to continue in 2024.

Besides the losses and debt, however, global aviation regulators have questioned PIA’s governance and safety standards for some years.

In 2020, after a PIA plane crash in Karachi killed nearly 100, followed by a fake pilot license scandal, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) banned the airline from its most lucrative routes in Europe and Britain.

The ban continues, costing the airline annual revenue of nearly Rs40 billion.

“PIA plans to restore its network, starting routes into the United Kingdom, Western Europe and the United States,” read the investment presentation.

Privatisation and the IMF

The offer of the stake, which carries management control, follows the agreement to implement fiscal discipline plans with the IMF, from which it secured a $3-billion bailout in June.

The government is now looking to start talks with the lender for a medium-term programme key to shoring up an economy bedevilled by high inflation, low reserves of foreign exchange and high external financing needs.

The IMF wants reforms to state-owned enterprises (SOEs) that more clearly define ownership and government roles.

Shares of the airline dropped 7.5pc in intraday trade to hit the lower limit, after soaring more than 403pc in the last six months.

12-year-old opens fire in Finnish school, injuring three: police

By: Inter News on April 02, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

A 12-year-old opened fire on Tuesday at a school outside the Finnish capital Helsinki injuring three other children, police said, adding that the attacker was in custody.

The school in Vantaa has around 800 pupils and 90 staff. Children in grades one to nine, or aged seven to 15, attend the school.

“There are people injured in the shooting incident”, police said shortly after 10am (7am GMT).

Police were alerted to the scene at 9:08am and later specified that the suspect and the injured were all 12 years old.

The city of Vantaa’s crisis group was activated following the shooting, local media reported. Images from the scene showed a large number of police at the school.

In an update around 11:30am, police said the suspect, who was carrying a gun at the time, had been arrested in an area of Helsinki in a “calm manner”. Parents of pupils attending the school told the media that the shooting had occurred in a classroom.

Police urged the public to stay away from the area and remain indoors. “Do not open the door to strangers,” they said in a statement.

Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said in a post on X that the day had started in a “shocking way”.

“I can only imagine the pain and worry that many families are experiencing at the moment,” she said.

9 children killed by landmine blast in Afghanistan

By: Inter News on April 01, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

Nine children were killed in a blast in southeastern Afghanistan caused by a landmine, laid during the country’s decades of conflict, a provincial official said on Monday.

The mine went off as a group of young boys and girls were playing with it in the Geru district of Ghazni province on Sunday, said the provincial head of the information and culture department, Hamidullah Nisar.

“An unexploded mine left over from the time of the Russian invasion went off when they were playing with it,” Nisar told AFP. “Unfortunately, it killed nine children.”

Ghazni police said the children — five girls and four boys — were aged from four to ten years old.

Swathes of Afghanistan are littered with unexploded mines, grenades and mortars from decades of conflict, spanning from the Soviet invasion in 1979, the civil war that followed, and the 20-year Taliban insurgency against foreign-backed governments.

Violence has reduced dramatically since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, ending their insurgency.

Unexploded ordnance and mines, however, still claim lives regularly, with the International Committee of the Red Cross saying children are the main victims.

Also on Sunday, another child died and five other people were wounded when unexploded ordnance went off in Herat province, local police said on social media platform X.

Erdogan concedes defeat in Turkiye local polls

By: Inter News on April 01, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conceded defeat on Sunday in the country’s local elections, saying the vote was a “turning point” for his party after two decades in power.

Partial results from across the nation of 85 million people showed major advances for the Republican People’s Party (CHP) at the expense of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Istanbul’s mayor, the opposition’s Ekrem Imamoglu, claimed re-election with nearly all ballot boxes opened, telling a euphoric crowd of supporters: “Tomorrow is a new spring day for our country.”

Final results are expected to be released on Monday (today) by the country’s electoral commission.

Erdogan, 70, had launched an all-out personal campaign to win back Istanbul, the economic powerhouse where he was once mayor. Rampant inflation and an economic crisis have, however, hit confidence in the ruling party.

Large crowds filled the square outside the opposition party’s Istanbul city headquarters waving Turkish flags and lighting torches to celebrate the result.

After casting his vote, Imamoglu emerged to applause and chants of “Everything will be fine”, the slogan he used when he first took the city hall from the AKP in 2019.

The 52-year-old is increasingly seen as the biggest rival to Erdogan’s AKP ahead of the next presidential election in 2028.

In Ankara, mayor Mansur Yavas — also of the CHP — claimed victory in front of large crowds of supporters, declaring “the elections are over, we will continue to serve Ankara”.

“Those who have been ignored have sent a clear message to those who rule this country,” he added.

Yavas led with 58.6 per cent of the vote to 33.5pc for his AKP opponent, with 46.4pc of ballot boxes opened.

Opposition supporters celebrated victory in Izmir, Turkiye’s third-largest city, as well as in the southern city of Antalya.

Some AKP stronghold towns were at risk of being lost, results indicated. “Voters have chosen to change the face of Turkiye,” said CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel as the results emerged.

“They want to open the door to a new political climate in our country.”

‘Respect the decision’

Erdogan acknowledged the electoral setback in a speech to supporters at the headquarters of his party.

“Unfortunately, we have not obtained the results that we wanted,” he told a subdued crowd.

“We will of course respect the decision of the nation. We will avoid being stubborn, acting against the national will and questioning the power of the nation,” he added.

Erdogan has been president since 2014 and won a new term in May last year.

He had called Istanbul the national “treasure” when launching his campaign to retake the city.

But while he dominated the campaign, his personal role did not help overcome the widespread concerns over the country’s economy.

“Everyone is worried about the day-to-day,” said 43-year-old Istanbul resident Guler Kaya as she voted.

“The crisis is swallowing up the middle class. We have had to change all our habits,” she said. “If Erdogan wins, it will get even worse”.

Although opposition parties had been fractured ahead of the poll, analysts predicted a stormy political future for the AKP and its allies.

Berk Esen, an academic at Sabanci University, said that the CHP had pulled off “the biggest election defeat of Erdogan’s career”.

“Despite an uneven playing field, government candidates have lost even in conservative strongholds. This is the CHP’s best results since the 1977 elections,” Esen said on his social media account.

Unrest in southeast

“Whoever wins Istanbul, wins Turkiye,” Erman Bakirci, a pollster from Konda Research and Consultancy, recalled Erdogan once saying.

The election was held with the country reeling from an inflation rate of 67pc and having seen the lira currency slide from 19 to a dollar to 32 to a dollar in one year.

Clashes were reported in Turkiye’s Kurdish-majority southeast, leaving one dead and 12 wounded, a local official told AFP.

The pro-Kurdish DEM party said it had identified irregularities “in almost all the Kurdish provinces”, in particular through suspicious cases of proxy voting. Observers from France were refused access to a polling station in the region, according to the lawyers’ association MLSA.

About 61 million people were eligible to vote for mayors across Turkiye’s 81 provinces, as well as provincial council members and other local officials.