When Alexander Vinnik was arrested on money-laundering charges at a Greek hotel in late July, the status of his Jabber secure online messaging account was set to &quot;away&quot;.

&quot;He often takes some time to reply, so at first I didn&#39;t think anything of it,&quot; said one person who knew the&nbsp;Russian as an administrator of a digital currency exchange which US prosecutors say was used to launder criminal funds.

&quot;Then when I saw his picture on the news, I knew he would be &#39;away&#39; for a long time,&quot; said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The US Justice Department says Vinnik facilitated crimes including computer hacking, fraud, and drug trafficking by laundering at least $4 billion through BTC-e, an exchange used to trade Bitcoin and other digital currencies, since 2011.

The 37-year-old faces up to 55 years in prison if extradited to the United States. He denies the allegations against him, according to Greek media reports, and BTC-e has said he never worked for the exchange. Reuters was unable to reach BTC-e or a lawyer representing Vinnik for comment.

Vinnik is now one of seven&nbsp;Russians arrested or indicted on US cyber crime charges this year. On average, just two&nbsp;Russian cyber criminals were extradited to the United States each year between 2010 and the start of this year, according to a Reuters review of US Justice Department filings,&nbsp;Russian government statements and sources briefed on the matter.

The increase to a record level shows that although President Donald Trump is trying to improve relations with Moscow, the United States has not shied away from pursuing&nbsp;Russians suspected of a cyber crime.

The prosecutions coincide with the intensified scrutiny of&nbsp;Russian hackers since US intelligence officials determined that&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;interfered in the 2016 US. presidential election using cyber warfare methods to help Trump.

The Kremlin has denied accusations it interfered in elections in the United States or elsewhere.

But US&nbsp;opposition lawmakers have questioned whether Trump is willing to respond forcefully to Moscow over its actions in cyberspace, and the White House has avoided publicly accusing Russia&nbsp;of recent politically-motivated hacking attacks.

Alarmed by Trump&#39;s proposal to create a joint US, Russia&nbsp;cyber security unit, US lawmakers have also drawn up a draft bill that would require him to notify lawmakers before he does so.

Four US federal law enforcement officials, who discussed the recent arrests with Reuters on condition of anonymity, said there had been no centralized effort to step up action against&nbsp;Russian cyber criminals under Trump.

The increase in the number of arrests stemmed from breakthroughs made in investigations before last year&#39;s election, two of them said.

The FBI referred all questions to the US Justice Department. The Justice Department said it did not track arrests or indictments by nationality and declined further comment.

Some US&nbsp;officials, however, acknowledged that individual agents may now be more motivated to move against&nbsp;Russian cyber criminals following the election hacking scandal.

Russian hackers are active at all levels of cyber crime, from small-time thefts of online banking details, to taking down the computer networks of multi-national companies and government departments.

John Carlin, who until last October ran the national security division of the US Justice Department as assistant attorney general, said resources had already been moving towards pursuing&nbsp;Russian nationals before the 2016 election.

But he added: &quot;Their outrageous activity to undermine the integrity of our election like they did in western Europe before and have done since can only have added fuel to the fire.&quot;

According to interviews with five people who knew the men arrested this year -- all of whom declined to be named for fear of prosecution -- the arrests have shaken the&nbsp;Russian cyber crime community.

&quot;Now they are arresting even those who had a super indirect, not even direct connection to what they call influencing their election,&quot; said one who knew Vinnik by his online moniker WME.

Used to operating across borders with relative impunity,&nbsp;Russian cyber criminals are now worried the prosecutions will lead to further arrests or harm their operations.

They are cutting back on trips abroad that were once seen as a calculated risk because of the risk of arrest and extradition, but are now viewed as increasingly foolhardy.

&quot;We have monitored criminals discussing the aftermath (of the arrests) ... and it is clear they are concerned about two things,&quot; said Ilya Sachkov, head of cyber security firm Group-IB, whose Threat Intelligence unit specializes in monitoring and tracking the&nbsp;Russian-speaking cyber crime community.

&quot;First, what the arrested members potentially know about them, but second and more importantly, a disruption in their ability to make money.&quot;

One of those arrested this year was Peter Levashov, charged by US prosecutors with operating one of the world&#39;s largest botnets, or networks, of infected computers used by cyber criminals. He denies the charges.

Levashov allegedly used the botnet to pump out spam emails for a multitude of criminal schemes, such as stock fraud, online credential phishing attempts and the distribution of malware, including ransomware.

A person who knew Levashov by his online identity Severa said his arrest, in particular, had rattled underground cyber criminal circles because he was so well known.

&quot;People read the news of course and see guys they know getting busted,&quot; the person said. &quot;Once is bad, this many times is scary.&quot;

The status of Alexandre Vinnik Jabber secure online messaging account was set to "away"

When Alexander Vinnik was arrested on money-laundering charges at a Greek hotel in late July, the status of his Jabber secure online messaging account was set to "away". "He often takes some time to reply, so at first I didn't think anything of it," said one person who knew the Russian as an administrator of a digital currency exchange which US prosecutors say was used to launder criminal funds. "Then when I saw his picture on the news, I knew he would be 'away' for a long time," said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The US Justice Department says Vinnik facilitated crimes including computer hacking, fraud, and drug trafficking by laundering at least $4 billion through BTC-e, an exchange used to trade Bitcoin and other digital currencies, since 2011. The 37-year-old faces up to 55 years in prison if extradited to the United States. He denies the allegations against him, according to Greek media reports, and BTC-e has said he never worked for the exchange. Reuters was unable to reach BTC-e or a lawyer representing Vinnik for comment. Vinnik is now one of seven Russians arrested or indicted on US cyber crime charges this year. On average, just two Russian cyber criminals were extradited to the United States each year between 2010 and the start of this year, according to a Reuters review of US Justice Department filings, Russian government statements and sources briefed on the matter. The increase to a record level shows that although President Donald Trump is trying to improve relations with Moscow, the United States has not shied away from pursuing Russians suspected of a cyber crime. The prosecutions coincide with the intensified scrutiny of Russian hackers since US intelligence officials determined that Russia interfered in the 2016 US. presidential election using cyber warfare methods to help Trump. The Kremlin has denied accusations it interfered in elections in the United States or elsewhere. But US opposition lawmakers have questioned whether Trump is willing to respond forcefully to Moscow over its actions in cyberspace, and the White House has avoided publicly accusing Russia of recent politically-motivated hacking attacks. Alarmed by Trump's proposal to create a joint US, Russia cyber security unit, US lawmakers have also drawn up a draft bill that would require him to notify lawmakers before he does so. Four US federal law enforcement officials, who discussed the recent arrests with Reuters on condition of anonymity, said there had been no centralized effort to step up action against Russian cyber criminals under Trump. The increase in the number of arrests stemmed from breakthroughs made in investigations before last year's election, two of them said. The FBI referred all questions to the US Justice Department. The Justice Department said it did not track arrests or indictments by nationality and declined further comment. Some US officials, however, acknowledged that individual agents may now be more motivated to move against Russian cyber criminals following the election hacking scandal. Russian hackers are active at all levels of cyber crime, from small-time thefts of online banking details, to taking down the computer networks of multi-national companies and government departments. John Carlin, who until last October ran the national security division of the US Justice Department as assistant attorney general, said resources had already been moving towards pursuing Russian nationals before the 2016 election. But he added: "Their outrageous activity to undermine the integrity of our election like they did in western Europe before and have done since can only have added fuel to the fire." According to interviews with five people who knew the men arrested this year -- all of whom declined to be named for fear of prosecution -- the arrests have shaken the Russian cyber crime community. "Now they are arresting even those who had a super indirect, not even direct connection to what they call influencing their election," said one who knew Vinnik by his online moniker WME. Used to operating across borders with relative impunity, Russian cyber criminals are now worried the prosecutions will lead to further arrests or harm their operations. They are cutting back on trips abroad that were once seen as a calculated risk because of the risk of arrest and extradition, but are now viewed as increasingly foolhardy. "We have monitored criminals discussing the aftermath (of the arrests) ... and it is clear they are concerned about two things," said Ilya Sachkov, head of cyber security firm Group-IB, whose Threat Intelligence unit specializes in monitoring and tracking the Russian-speaking cyber crime community. "First, what the arrested members potentially know about them, but second and more importantly, a disruption in their ability to make money." One of those arrested this year was Peter Levashov, charged by US prosecutors with operating one of the world's largest botnets, or networks, of infected computers used by cyber criminals. He denies the charges. Levashov allegedly used the botnet to pump out spam emails for a multitude of criminal schemes, such as stock fraud, online credential phishing attempts and the distribution of malware, including ransomware. A person who knew Levashov by his online identity Severa said his arrest, in particular, had rattled underground cyber criminal circles because he was so well known. "People read the news of course and see guys they know getting busted," the person said. "Once is bad, this many times is scary."

Trump seeks warmer ties with Russia, hackers rattled

Russian cyber criminals used malware planted on Android mobile devices to steal from domestic bank customers and were planning to target European lenders before their arrest, investigators and sources with knowledge of the case told Reuters.

Their campaign raised a relatively small sum by cyber-crime standards - more than 50 million roubles ($892,000) - but they had also obtained more sophisticated malicious software for a modest monthly fee to go after the clients of banks in France and possibly a range of other western nations.

Russia&#39;s relationship to cyber crime is under intense scrutiny after US&nbsp;intelligence officials alleged that Russian hackers had tried to help Republican Donald Trump win the U.S. presidency by hacking Democratic Party servers.

The Kremlin has repeatedly denied the allegation.

The gang members tricked the Russian banks&#39; customers into downloading malware via fake mobile banking applications, as well as via pornography and e-commerce programs, according to a report compiled by cyber security firm Group-IB which investigated the attack with the Russian Interior Ministry.

The criminals - 16 suspects were arrested by Russian law enforcement authorities in November last year - infected more than a million smartphones in Russia, on average compromising 3,500 devices a day, Group-IB said.

The hackers targeted customers of state lender Sberbank, and also stole money from accounts at Alfa Bank and online payments company Qiwi, exploiting weaknesses in the companies&#39; SMS text message transfer services, said two people with direct knowledge of the case.

Although operating only in Russia before their arrest, they had developed plans to target large European banks including French lenders Credit Agricole, BNP Paribas and Societe General, Group-IB said.

A BNP Paribas spokeswoman said the bank could not confirm this information, but added that it &quot;has a significant set of measures in place aimed at fighting cyber attacks on a daily basis&quot;. Societe General and Credit Agricole declined comment.

The gang, which was called &quot;Cron&quot; after the malware it used, did not steal any funds from customers of the three French banks. However, it exploited the bank service in Russia that allows users to transfer small sums to other accounts by sending an SMS message.

Having infected the users&#39; phones, the gang sent SMS messages from those devices instructing the banks to transfer money to the hackers&#39; own accounts.

The findings illustrate the dangers of using SMS messages for mobile banking, a method favored in emerging countries with less advanced internet infrastructure, said Lukas Stefanko, a malware researcher at cyber security firm ESET in Slovakia.

&quot;It&#39;s becoming popular among developing nations or in the countryside where access to conventional banking is difficult for people,&quot; he said. &quot;For them it is quick, easy and they don&#39;t need to visit a bank... But security always has to outweigh consumer convenience.&quot;

Cyber criminals

The Russian Interior Ministry said a number of people had been arrested, including what it described as the gang leader. This was a 30-year-old man living in Ivanovo, an industrial city 300 km (185 miles) northeast of Moscow, from where he had commanded a team of 20 people across six different regions.

Four people remain in detention while the others are under house arrest, the ministry said in a statement.

&quot;In the course of 20 searches across six regions, police seized computers, hundreds of bank cards and SIM cards registered under fake names,&quot; it said.

Group-IB said the existence of the Cron malware was first detected in mid-2015, and by the time of the arrests the hackers had been using it for under a year.

The core members of the group were detained on Nov. 22 last year in Ivanovo. Photographs of the operation released by Group-IB showed one suspect face down in the snow as police in ski masks handcuffed him.

The &quot;Cron&quot; hackers were arrested before they could mount attacks outside Russia, but plans to do that were at an advanced stage, said the investigators.

Group-IB said that in June 2016 they had rented a piece of malware designed to attack mobile banking systems, called &quot;Tiny.z&quot; for $2,000 a month. The creators of the &quot;Tiny.z&quot; malware had adapted it to attack banks in Britain, Germany, France, the United States and Turkey, among other countries.

The &quot;Cron&quot; gang developed software designed to attack lenders including the three French groups, it said, adding it had notified these and other European banks at risk.

A spokeswoman for Sberbank said she had no information about the group involved. However, she said: &quot;Several groups of cyber criminals are working against Sberbank. The number of groups and the methods they use to attack us change constantly.&quot;

&quot;It isn&#39;t clear which specific group is being referred to here because the fraudulent scheme involving Android OS (operating system) viruses is widespread in Russia and Sberbank has effectively combated it for an extensive period of time.&quot;

Alfa Bank did not provide a comment. Qiwi did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Google, the maker of Android, has taken steps in recent years to protect users from downloading malicious code and by blocking apps which are insecure, impersonate legitimate companies or engage in deceptive behaviors.

The company declined to comment for this story, saying they had not seen the Group-IB report.

Fake mobile apps

The Russian authorities, bombarded with allegations of state-sponsored hacking, are keen to show Russia too is a frequent victim of cyber crime and that they are working hard to combat it. The interior and emergencies ministries, as well as Sberbank, said they were targeted in a global cyberattack earlier this month.

Since the allegations about the US&nbsp;election hacking, further evidence has emerged of what some Western officials say is a symbiotic relationship between cyber criminals and Russian authorities, with hackers allowed to attack foreign targets with impunity in return for cooperating with the security services while Moscow clamps down on those operating at home.

The success of the Cron gang was facilitated by the popularity of SMS-banking services in Russia, said Dmitry Volkov, head of investigations at Group-IB.

The gang got their malware on to victims&#39; devices by setting up applications designed to mimic banks&#39; genuine apps. When users searched online, the results would suggest the fake app, which they would then download. The hackers also inserted malware into fake mobile apps for well-known pornography sites.

After infecting a customer&#39;s phone, the hackers were able to send a text message to the bank initiating a transfer of up to $120 to one of 6,000 bank accounts set up to receive the fraudulent payments.

The malware would then intercept a confirmation code sent by the bank and block the victim from receiving a message notifying them about the transaction.

&quot;Cron&#39;s success was due to two main factors,&quot; Volkov said. &quot;First, the large-scale use of partner programs to distribute the malware in different ways. Second, the automation of many (mobile) functions which allowed them to carry out the thefts without direct involvement.&quot;

(Reuters)

They had obtained sophisticated malicious software for a modest monthly fee to go after the clients of banks

Russian cyber criminals used malware planted on Android mobile devices to steal from domestic bank customers and were planning to target European lenders before their arrest, investigators and sources with knowledge of the case told Reuters. Their campaign raised a relatively small sum by cyber-crime standards - more than 50 million roubles ($892,000) - but they had also obtained more sophisticated malicious software for a modest monthly fee to go after the clients of banks in France and possibly a range of other western nations. Russia's relationship to cyber crime is under intense scrutiny after US intelligence officials alleged that Russian hackers had tried to help Republican Donald Trump win the U.S. presidency by hacking Democratic Party servers. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied the allegation. The gang members tricked the Russian banks' customers into downloading malware via fake mobile banking applications, as well as via pornography and e-commerce programs, according to a report compiled by cyber security firm Group-IB which investigated the attack with the Russian Interior Ministry. The criminals - 16 suspects were arrested by Russian law enforcement authorities in November last year - infected more than a million smartphones in Russia, on average compromising 3,500 devices a day, Group-IB said. The hackers targeted customers of state lender Sberbank, and also stole money from accounts at Alfa Bank and online payments company Qiwi, exploiting weaknesses in the companies' SMS text message transfer services, said two people with direct knowledge of the case. Although operating only in Russia before their arrest, they had developed plans to target large European banks including French lenders Credit Agricole, BNP Paribas and Societe General, Group-IB said. A BNP Paribas spokeswoman said the bank could not confirm this information, but added that it "has a significant set of measures in place aimed at fighting cyber attacks on a daily basis". Societe General and Credit Agricole declined comment. The gang, which was called "Cron" after the malware it used, did not steal any funds from customers of the three French banks. However, it exploited the bank service in Russia that allows users to transfer small sums to other accounts by sending an SMS message. Having infected the users' phones, the gang sent SMS messages from those devices instructing the banks to transfer money to the hackers' own accounts. The findings illustrate the dangers of using SMS messages for mobile banking, a method favored in emerging countries with less advanced internet infrastructure, said Lukas Stefanko, a malware researcher at cyber security firm ESET in Slovakia. "It's becoming popular among developing nations or in the countryside where access to conventional banking is difficult for people," he said. "For them it is quick, easy and they don't need to visit a bank... But security always has to outweigh consumer convenience." Cyber criminals The Russian Interior Ministry said a number of people had been arrested, including what it described as the gang leader. This was a 30-year-old man living in Ivanovo, an industrial city 300 km (185 miles) northeast of Moscow, from where he had commanded a team of 20 people across six different regions. Four people remain in detention while the others are under house arrest, the ministry said in a statement. "In the course of 20 searches across six regions, police seized computers, hundreds of bank cards and SIM cards registered under fake names," it said. Group-IB said the existence of the Cron malware was first detected in mid-2015, and by the time of the arrests the hackers had been using it for under a year. The core members of the group were detained on Nov. 22 last year in Ivanovo. Photographs of the operation released by Group-IB showed one suspect face down in the snow as police in ski masks handcuffed him. The "Cron" hackers were arrested before they could mount attacks outside Russia, but plans to do that were at an advanced stage, said the investigators. Group-IB said that in June 2016 they had rented a piece of malware designed to attack mobile banking systems, called "Tiny.z" for $2,000 a month. The creators of the "Tiny.z" malware had adapted it to attack banks in Britain, Germany, France, the United States and Turkey, among other countries. The "Cron" gang developed software designed to attack lenders including the three French groups, it said, adding it had notified these and other European banks at risk. A spokeswoman for Sberbank said she had no information about the group involved. However, she said: "Several groups of cyber criminals are working against Sberbank. The number of groups and the methods they use to attack us change constantly." "It isn't clear which specific group is being referred to here because the fraudulent scheme involving Android OS (operating system) viruses is widespread in Russia and Sberbank has effectively combated it for an extensive period of time." Alfa Bank did not provide a comment. Qiwi did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Google, the maker of Android, has taken steps in recent years to protect users from downloading malicious code and by blocking apps which are insecure, impersonate legitimate companies or engage in deceptive behaviors. The company declined to comment for this story, saying they had not seen the Group-IB report. Fake mobile apps The Russian authorities, bombarded with allegations of state-sponsored hacking, are keen to show Russia too is a frequent victim of cyber crime and that they are working hard to combat it. The interior and emergencies ministries, as well as Sberbank, said they were targeted in a global cyberattack earlier this month. Since the allegations about the US election hacking, further evidence has emerged of what some Western officials say is a symbiotic relationship between cyber criminals and Russian authorities, with hackers allowed to attack foreign targets with impunity in return for cooperating with the security services while Moscow clamps down on those operating at home. The success of the Cron gang was facilitated by the popularity of SMS-banking services in Russia, said Dmitry Volkov, head of investigations at Group-IB. The gang got their malware on to victims' devices by setting up applications designed to mimic banks' genuine apps. When users searched online, the results would suggest the fake app, which they would then download. The hackers also inserted malware into fake mobile apps for well-known pornography sites. After infecting a customer's phone, the hackers were able to send a text message to the bank initiating a transfer of up to $120 to one of 6,000 bank accounts set up to receive the fraudulent payments. The malware would then intercept a confirmation code sent by the bank and block the victim from receiving a message notifying them about the transaction. "Cron's success was due to two main factors," Volkov said. "First, the large-scale use of partner programs to distribute the malware in different ways. Second, the automation of many (mobile) functions which allowed them to carry out the thefts without direct involvement." (Reuters)

Hackers hit Russian bank customers, planned international cyber raids

The value of Bitcoin surged above $1,000 on Monday as the digital unit continues a dizzying rise that made it the best-performing currency of 2016.

Its value has more than doubled in the last year and it was trading at around $1,024 in afternoon European trading on Monday, after breaking through the $1,000 mark on Sunday.

It is now within reach of its historic high of more than $1,200 reached in 2013.

Some analysts believe the rise in Bitcoin is due to some investors treating it as a safe-haven, like gold, at a time of global uncertainty.&nbsp;

Others believe buying is being driven by speculative demand, with investors anticipating future rises and creating an unsustainable bubble.

Bitcoin was launched in 2009 as a bit of encrypted software written by someone using the Japanese-sounding name Satoshi Nakamoto.

Earlier this year secretive Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright said that he was the creator, but some have raised doubts over his claim.

Supply of Bitcoin is limited and it trades in cyberspace. As well as being an investment for some, it is also used for illicit transactions beyond the reach of law enforcement for drugs or arms on the internet.

Its value has fluctuated wildly since its creation, with news of a major Bitcoin theft by hackers in August sending its price plummeting by more than 20 percent.&nbsp;

Unlike traditional currencies such as the dollar or the euro, which require the sponsorship of a central bank, Bitcoin is decentralised.

Encrypted digital coins are created by supercomputers and then traded online or exchanged for goods and services by a network of users.&nbsp;

(AFP)

Supply of Bitcoin is limited and it trades in cyberspace

The value of Bitcoin surged above $1,000 on Monday as the digital unit continues a dizzying rise that made it the best-performing currency of 2016. Its value has more than doubled in the last year and it was trading at around $1,024 in afternoon European trading on Monday, after breaking through the $1,000 mark on Sunday. It is now within reach of its historic high of more than $1,200 reached in 2013. Some analysts believe the rise in Bitcoin is due to some investors treating it as a safe-haven, like gold, at a time of global uncertainty. Others believe buying is being driven by speculative demand, with investors anticipating future rises and creating an unsustainable bubble. Bitcoin was launched in 2009 as a bit of encrypted software written by someone using the Japanese-sounding name Satoshi Nakamoto. Earlier this year secretive Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright said that he was the creator, but some have raised doubts over his claim. Supply of Bitcoin is limited and it trades in cyberspace. As well as being an investment for some, it is also used for illicit transactions beyond the reach of law enforcement for drugs or arms on the internet. Its value has fluctuated wildly since its creation, with news of a major Bitcoin theft by hackers in August sending its price plummeting by more than 20 percent. Unlike traditional currencies such as the dollar or the euro, which require the sponsorship of a central bank, Bitcoin is decentralised. Encrypted digital coins are created by supercomputers and then traded online or exchanged for goods and services by a network of users. (AFP)

Bitcoin becomes the best-performing currency of 2016

Islamabad Capital Territory Pakistan today approved a controversial cybercrime bill the government says will safeguard citizens against harassment and criminalise online child pornography, but which activists say curbs free speech. 
 
The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill 2016 has been the focus of heated debate over provisions that critics say the bill gives government the power to conduct mass surveillance and criminalise satire. 
 
Farieha Aziz, director of the Bolo Bhi digital rights group, said a section intended to tackle cyber-stalking was drafted in sweeping language that would allow public officials criticised on social media to claim they were being harassed 
 
It was of particular concern, she said, that the Pakistan telecommunications authority would be allowed to ban speech considered &quot;against the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan&quot;. 
 
&quot;This should not be the task of an executive body, this is a matter for the courts,&quot; she added. 
 
Gul Bukhari, an activist with the campaign group Bytes for All, said: &quot;It authorises the state to exchange the private information of citizens with foreign governments or agencies without recourse to any judicial framework.&quot; 
 
Defending the bill, IT minister Anusha Rahman told AFP: &quot;We have built in safeguards against misuse. It is not as sweeping as it has been made out to be -- for most offences, the government will still need to go to court to get a warrant against offenders,&quot; adding the only exceptions were child pornography and cyber-terrorism. 
 
She added that &quot;dishonest intent&quot; was also a requirement for an offender to be punished. 
 
Free speech campaigners in Pakistan have long complained of creeping censorship in the name of protecting religion or preventing obscenity. 
 
In November 2011, the telecommunications authority tried to ban nearly 1,700 &quot;obscene&quot; words from text messages, which included innocuous terms such as &quot;lotion&quot;, &quot;athlete`s foot&quot; and &quot;idiot&quot;. 
 
YouTube was banned from 2012 to January this year following the upload of a US-made film that depicted Prophet Mohammed as a thuggish deviant and triggered protests across the Muslim world. 
 
In 2010, Pakistan shut down Facebook for nearly two weeks over its hosting of allegedly blasphemous pages. It continues to restrict thousands of online links. 
 
(AFP)

Critics say the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill 2016 gives government the power to conduct mass surveillance and criminalise satire.

Islamabad Capital Territory Pakistan today approved a controversial cybercrime bill the government says will safeguard citizens against harassment and criminalise online child pornography, but which activists say curbs free speech. The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill 2016 has been the focus of heated debate over provisions that critics say the bill gives government the power to conduct mass surveillance and criminalise satire. Farieha Aziz, director of the Bolo Bhi digital rights group, said a section intended to tackle cyber-stalking was drafted in sweeping language that would allow public officials criticised on social media to claim they were being harassed It was of particular concern, she said, that the Pakistan telecommunications authority would be allowed to ban speech considered "against the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan". "This should not be the task of an executive body, this is a matter for the courts," she added. Gul Bukhari, an activist with the campaign group Bytes for All, said: "It authorises the state to exchange the private information of citizens with foreign governments or agencies without recourse to any judicial framework." Defending the bill, IT minister Anusha Rahman told AFP: "We have built in safeguards against misuse. It is not as sweeping as it has been made out to be -- for most offences, the government will still need to go to court to get a warrant against offenders," adding the only exceptions were child pornography and cyber-terrorism. She added that "dishonest intent" was also a requirement for an offender to be punished. Free speech campaigners in Pakistan have long complained of creeping censorship in the name of protecting religion or preventing obscenity. In November 2011, the telecommunications authority tried to ban nearly 1,700 "obscene" words from text messages, which included innocuous terms such as "lotion", "athlete`s foot" and "idiot". YouTube was banned from 2012 to January this year following the upload of a US-made film that depicted Prophet Mohammed as a thuggish deviant and triggered protests across the Muslim world. In 2010, Pakistan shut down Facebook for nearly two weeks over its hosting of allegedly blasphemous pages. It continues to restrict thousands of online links. (AFP)

Criticism notwithstanding, Pakistan passes controversial cybercrime law

Officials from the Bangladesh central bank are visiting Manila this week to pressure the authorities in the Philippines to find ways to return the $63 million that is still missing out of the funds stolen from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York earlier this year, two people close to Bangladesh Bank said. 
 
Unknown cyber criminals tried to steal nearly $1 billion from the Bangladesh Bank account between Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, and succeeded in transferring $81 million to four accounts at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) in Manila. Only about $18 million has been recovered. 
 
The&nbsp;Bangladeshi&nbsp;officials&nbsp;are alleging that the&nbsp;money&nbsp;was allowed to disappear into the casino industry in the Philippines, where investigators say it was laundered, because of systemic failures at RCBC, the two sources said. 
 
Bangladesh Bank is relying on internal RCBC documents to buttress its assertion that the Filipino bank&rsquo;s Jupiter Street branch in Manila ignored suspicions raised by some RCBC officials when the money was first remitted to the accounts on Feb. 5, and then delayed acting on requests from RCBC&rsquo;s head office to freeze the funds on Feb. 9, said one of the sources in Dhaka. 
 
RCBC did not respond to requests for comment, but its then president Lorenzo Tan told a Senate hearing in March that the incident was &quot;some judgment error from the people on the ground&quot;. 
 
&quot;I think what happened here is we had the IT controls, the human controls. But unfortunately, it failed in the end, in the execution,&quot; said Tan, who subsequently resigned. &quot;Yes, we are sorry this happened, but you know, it is human error, human judgment or intentional.&quot; 
 
The Bangladeshi delegation consists of Debaprosad Debnath and Abdul Rab from Bangladesh Bank&#39;s financial intelligence unit, Bangladesh Bank lawyer Ajmalul Hossain, and Bangladesh&#39;s ambassador to the Philippines, John Gomes. 
 
They plan to meet with officials from the anti-money-laundering council in Manila, the Philippines&#39; department of justice, the central bank of the Philippines and from RCBC over the next four days, said the sources. 
 
Bangladesh Bank spokesman Subhankar Saha declined to say if the bank had plans to sue RCBC, but added it was trying to recover the money with the help of the Philippines&#39; central bank. 
 
RCBS blamed its own employees 
 
RCBC has previously blamed its own employees for the ease with which the money left the bank, including the manager of the branch in question. But the Dhaka source said the Bangladesh Bank believes the failures extend beyond individual officers and that RCBC allowed itself to be used as a conduit for the illegal transfer of stolen money. 
 
Bangladesh Bank claims the documents show that RCBC should be accountable for the losses. The documents, which have been reviewed by Reuters, include emails between RCBC managers at the time of the heist in February as well as memos and emails to various RCBC officials during a subsequent internal investigation. 
 
They show that RCBC had frozen the accounts concerned at its Jupiter Street branch in Manila for about an hour on Friday Feb. 5 because of questions from some bank officials about where the money had come from, where it was going, and whether the transfers were legitimate. 
 
At 6.27 pm on that day, a temporary hold was placed on the accounts at the branch, pending further investigation into the &quot;validity of the remittances and nature of the funds&quot;, according to one memo that was sent on March 21 by the head of RCBC&rsquo;s human resources group, Rowena F. Subido, to Ismael S. Reyes, its national sales director for retail banking. 
 
Some officials at RCBC&#39;s headquarters, also in Manila, had questioned the transfers after about $22.7 million of the money was withdrawn from one of the accounts in cash at 3.16 pm that day only to be then deposited to another account that was opened at around 3 pm that day at the same branch, according to the notice sent to Reyes. 
 
However, the hold on the accounts was shortlived. By around 7.30 pm it was lifted after then Jupiter Branch Business Manager Maia Deguito&#39;s &quot;representation to her superiors&quot; that the transactions were legitimate, according to another memo sent to Reyes. Deguito was fired by the bank earlier this year and is under investigation by the Philippines&#39; anti-money laundering council. 
 
Ferdinand Topacio, lawyer for Deguito, said that RCBC could not escape blame by singling out employees for mistakes. &quot;If she had any fault, she was negligent and she was naive,&quot; Topacio said. He said RCBC did not act urgently on the stop payment requests from the Bangladesh central bank. 
 
The documents show that when the bank reopened on Tuesday, Feb. 9 after the Chinese New Year holiday, RCBC&#39;s settlements department received messages as early as 9.15 am from Bangladesh Bank, alerting it about the fraud. It sent four emails, between 10.59 am and 11.30 am, to its Jupiter Street branch, asking it to recall or freeze the remaining funds, the documents show. The reasons for the delay in sending those emails could not be ascertained. 
 
The branch processed withdrawals, totalling $58.15 million, between 10.24 am and 11.35 am, the documents show. According to former Senator Sergio Osmena, who led a Philippines&#39; Senate probe into the events, only $15.2 million of this was withdrawn before 11.19 a.m. 
 
&quot;RCBC did not perform its role properly,&quot; Bangladesh Bank&rsquo;s Saha said. &quot;RCBC is similarly liable as those parties who took money in their accounts.&quot; 
 
(Reuters) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

Unknown cyber criminals transferred $81 million from Bangladesh Bank to RSBC in Manila in February. Only $18 million has been recovered

Officials from the Bangladesh central bank are visiting Manila this week to pressure the authorities in the Philippines to find ways to return the $63 million that is still missing out of the funds stolen from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York earlier this year, two people close to Bangladesh Bank said. Unknown cyber criminals tried to steal nearly $1 billion from the Bangladesh Bank account between Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, and succeeded in transferring $81 million to four accounts at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) in Manila. Only about $18 million has been recovered. The Bangladeshi officials are alleging that the money was allowed to disappear into the casino industry in the Philippines, where investigators say it was laundered, because of systemic failures at RCBC, the two sources said. Bangladesh Bank is relying on internal RCBC documents to buttress its assertion that the Filipino bank’s Jupiter Street branch in Manila ignored suspicions raised by some RCBC officials when the money was first remitted to the accounts on Feb. 5, and then delayed acting on requests from RCBC’s head office to freeze the funds on Feb. 9, said one of the sources in Dhaka. RCBC did not respond to requests for comment, but its then president Lorenzo Tan told a Senate hearing in March that the incident was "some judgment error from the people on the ground". "I think what happened here is we had the IT controls, the human controls. But unfortunately, it failed in the end, in the execution," said Tan, who subsequently resigned. "Yes, we are sorry this happened, but you know, it is human error, human judgment or intentional." The Bangladeshi delegation consists of Debaprosad Debnath and Abdul Rab from Bangladesh Bank's financial intelligence unit, Bangladesh Bank lawyer Ajmalul Hossain, and Bangladesh's ambassador to the Philippines, John Gomes. They plan to meet with officials from the anti-money-laundering council in Manila, the Philippines' department of justice, the central bank of the Philippines and from RCBC over the next four days, said the sources. Bangladesh Bank spokesman Subhankar Saha declined to say if the bank had plans to sue RCBC, but added it was trying to recover the money with the help of the Philippines' central bank. RCBS blamed its own employees RCBC has previously blamed its own employees for the ease with which the money left the bank, including the manager of the branch in question. But the Dhaka source said the Bangladesh Bank believes the failures extend beyond individual officers and that RCBC allowed itself to be used as a conduit for the illegal transfer of stolen money. Bangladesh Bank claims the documents show that RCBC should be accountable for the losses. The documents, which have been reviewed by Reuters, include emails between RCBC managers at the time of the heist in February as well as memos and emails to various RCBC officials during a subsequent internal investigation. They show that RCBC had frozen the accounts concerned at its Jupiter Street branch in Manila for about an hour on Friday Feb. 5 because of questions from some bank officials about where the money had come from, where it was going, and whether the transfers were legitimate. At 6.27 pm on that day, a temporary hold was placed on the accounts at the branch, pending further investigation into the "validity of the remittances and nature of the funds", according to one memo that was sent on March 21 by the head of RCBC’s human resources group, Rowena F. Subido, to Ismael S. Reyes, its national sales director for retail banking. Some officials at RCBC's headquarters, also in Manila, had questioned the transfers after about $22.7 million of the money was withdrawn from one of the accounts in cash at 3.16 pm that day only to be then deposited to another account that was opened at around 3 pm that day at the same branch, according to the notice sent to Reyes. However, the hold on the accounts was shortlived. By around 7.30 pm it was lifted after then Jupiter Branch Business Manager Maia Deguito's "representation to her superiors" that the transactions were legitimate, according to another memo sent to Reyes. Deguito was fired by the bank earlier this year and is under investigation by the Philippines' anti-money laundering council. Ferdinand Topacio, lawyer for Deguito, said that RCBC could not escape blame by singling out employees for mistakes. "If she had any fault, she was negligent and she was naive," Topacio said. He said RCBC did not act urgently on the stop payment requests from the Bangladesh central bank. The documents show that when the bank reopened on Tuesday, Feb. 9 after the Chinese New Year holiday, RCBC's settlements department received messages as early as 9.15 am from Bangladesh Bank, alerting it about the fraud. It sent four emails, between 10.59 am and 11.30 am, to its Jupiter Street branch, asking it to recall or freeze the remaining funds, the documents show. The reasons for the delay in sending those emails could not be ascertained. The branch processed withdrawals, totalling $58.15 million, between 10.24 am and 11.35 am, the documents show. According to former Senator Sergio Osmena, who led a Philippines' Senate probe into the events, only $15.2 million of this was withdrawn before 11.19 a.m. "RCBC did not perform its role properly," Bangladesh Bank’s Saha said. "RCBC is similarly liable as those parties who took money in their accounts." (Reuters)

Bangladesh officials visit Manila to seek recovery of bank heist money

Pakistan&#39;s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said the country is committed to jointly working with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries for fighting terrorism, corruption and organised crimes. 
 
Addressing the inaugural session of the SAARC home ministers&#39; conference, Sharif cited Pakistan&#39;s anti-terror operations in restive tribal areas and National Action Plan to emphasise &quot;the government&#39;s determination to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from our soil for good&quot;. 
 
He said the SAARC region is blessed with tremendous human and natural resources. &quot;So, SAARC can and should provide a platform to optimally harness the regional potential for peace and prosperity of our people.&quot; 
 
Sharif said such an approach is in sync with his government&#39;s vision of &quot;peace for development and peaceful neighbourhood&quot;. &quot;Pakistan has always been supportive of initiatives taken by SAARC to advance its ideals and objectives as enshrined in its charter,&quot; he said. 
 
He said Pakistan has also been a&nbsp;strong advocate of stepping up regional efforts to ensure energy security through sharing of indigenous sources. 
 
The Prime Minister said Pakistan shares the perception that connectivity is critical to the progress and prosperity of the region and supports, in principle, road, air, rail and water connectivity within the region. 
 
&quot;Realisation of the goals and objectives envisaged in SAARC charter is our collective responsibility,&quot; he said. 
 
Addressing the inaugural session, SAARC secretary general Arjun Bahadur Thapa said there is a need to take effective measures to tackle the menace of terrorism, narcotics, cyber crimes and other transnational crimes. 
 
The day-long 7th meeting of the eight-member grouping is being held to review the progress on decisions taken in previous meetings. SAARC comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. 
 
(PTI)

'Realisation of the goals and objectives envisaged in SAARC charter is our collective responsibility,' Nawaz Sharif said

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said the country is committed to jointly working with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries for fighting terrorism, corruption and organised crimes. Addressing the inaugural session of the SAARC home ministers' conference, Sharif cited Pakistan's anti-terror operations in restive tribal areas and National Action Plan to emphasise "the government's determination to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from our soil for good". He said the SAARC region is blessed with tremendous human and natural resources. "So, SAARC can and should provide a platform to optimally harness the regional potential for peace and prosperity of our people." Sharif said such an approach is in sync with his government's vision of "peace for development and peaceful neighbourhood". "Pakistan has always been supportive of initiatives taken by SAARC to advance its ideals and objectives as enshrined in its charter," he said. He said Pakistan has also been a strong advocate of stepping up regional efforts to ensure energy security through sharing of indigenous sources. The Prime Minister said Pakistan shares the perception that connectivity is critical to the progress and prosperity of the region and supports, in principle, road, air, rail and water connectivity within the region. "Realisation of the goals and objectives envisaged in SAARC charter is our collective responsibility," he said. Addressing the inaugural session, SAARC secretary general Arjun Bahadur Thapa said there is a need to take effective measures to tackle the menace of terrorism, narcotics, cyber crimes and other transnational crimes. The day-long 7th meeting of the eight-member grouping is being held to review the progress on decisions taken in previous meetings. SAARC comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. (PTI)

Pak PM: We are committed to working with SAARC to combat terror

More than four months after one of the world&rsquo;s biggest cyber heists ever, Bangladesh&#39;s central bank is unlikely to extend the contract of US cyber security firm FireEye to investigate the electronic theft. Sources at the bank have cited high costs as one of the factors for the decision.&nbsp; 
 
The move comes as law enforcement in Bangladesh and the United States have reported little progress in identifying the criminals after the bank was robbed of $81 million of its money.&nbsp; 
 
FireEye&#39;s Mandiant forensics division was hired by Bangladesh Bank weeks after the cyber heist in early February. It said in an interim report that hackers took control of the bank&#39;s network, stole credentials for sending messages on the SWIFT transactions system and used &quot;sophisticated&quot; malicious software to attack the computers the bank uses to process and authorise transactions. 
 
While Mandiant has said it needs 570 hours of more work to complete its investigations, the bank has already paid about $280,000 to the company at an hourly rate of $400, he and other officials said on condition of anonymity. 
 
Another official familiar with the computer security systems at the bank said it did not want to extend Mandiant`s contract because board members were not sure what tangible results could come from further investigation.&nbsp; 
 
Further, FireEye said in a statement that it would seek to help with the investigation even after completing its assignment for Bangladesh Bank. 
 
&quot;We have uncovered and provided Bangladesh Bank and the global financial community extensive data about this unprecedented financial attack and how to prepare for the future, and will continue to support law enforcement and the industry past the close of our engagement,&quot; the statement said. 
 
 
&lsquo;Purpose of hiring Mandiant has been achieved&rsquo;&nbsp; 
 
Notably, the bank director has said that Bangladesh Bank planned to seek external help in the investigation, but only after drawing up new terms of reference on the basis of its own internal investigation, a police inquiry and a government-appointed probe.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
Cost was a factor in the Mandiant decision, the director said. &quot;Its charges are so high,&quot; the director said, adding a formal meeting of the board on Thursday was scheduled to formally end the contract.&nbsp; 
 
FireEye, however, said that the $400 per hour figure cited by the Bangladesh Bank officials was not a standard rate for its services. &quot;The pricing and duration of our investigative work is unique to every incident,&quot; the statement said. 
 
A third bank official further mentioned that the initial purpose of hiring Mandiant had been achieved: identifying and addressing lapses in the bank&#39;s computer security. 
 
At Thursday&rsquo;s board meeting, terms for a possible new contract for an external investigator will be finalised, the bank director said. It wasn`t clear if FireEye would be invited to bid. 
 
(Reuters)

The bank has already paid about $280,000 to FirmEye at an hourly rate of $400

More than four months after one of the world’s biggest cyber heists ever, Bangladesh's central bank is unlikely to extend the contract of US cyber security firm FireEye to investigate the electronic theft. Sources at the bank have cited high costs as one of the factors for the decision. The move comes as law enforcement in Bangladesh and the United States have reported little progress in identifying the criminals after the bank was robbed of $81 million of its money. FireEye's Mandiant forensics division was hired by Bangladesh Bank weeks after the cyber heist in early February. It said in an interim report that hackers took control of the bank's network, stole credentials for sending messages on the SWIFT transactions system and used "sophisticated" malicious software to attack the computers the bank uses to process and authorise transactions. While Mandiant has said it needs 570 hours of more work to complete its investigations, the bank has already paid about $280,000 to the company at an hourly rate of $400, he and other officials said on condition of anonymity. Another official familiar with the computer security systems at the bank said it did not want to extend Mandiant`s contract because board members were not sure what tangible results could come from further investigation. Further, FireEye said in a statement that it would seek to help with the investigation even after completing its assignment for Bangladesh Bank. "We have uncovered and provided Bangladesh Bank and the global financial community extensive data about this unprecedented financial attack and how to prepare for the future, and will continue to support law enforcement and the industry past the close of our engagement," the statement said. ‘Purpose of hiring Mandiant has been achieved’ Notably, the bank director has said that Bangladesh Bank planned to seek external help in the investigation, but only after drawing up new terms of reference on the basis of its own internal investigation, a police inquiry and a government-appointed probe. Cost was a factor in the Mandiant decision, the director said. "Its charges are so high," the director said, adding a formal meeting of the board on Thursday was scheduled to formally end the contract. FireEye, however, said that the $400 per hour figure cited by the Bangladesh Bank officials was not a standard rate for its services. "The pricing and duration of our investigative work is unique to every incident," the statement said. A third bank official further mentioned that the initial purpose of hiring Mandiant had been achieved: identifying and addressing lapses in the bank's computer security. At Thursday’s board meeting, terms for a possible new contract for an external investigator will be finalised, the bank director said. It wasn`t clear if FireEye would be invited to bid. (Reuters)

After being robbed of $81 million, Bangladesh bank likely to drop expensive US cyber security firm

At least a dozen countries are considering, or have enacted laws restricting online speech, a trend that is alarming policy-makers and others who see the internet as a valuable medium for debate and expression. 
 
Such curbs are called out as a threat to the open internet in a report on internet governance set to be released today at an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development meeting in Cancun, Mexico. 
 
The report, reviewed by Reuters, warns of dangers for the global internet, including intrusive surveillance, rising cyber-crime and fragmentation, as governments exert control of online content. 
 
It was prepared by the London-based Chatham House think-tank and the Centre for International Governance Innovation, founded by former BlackBerry Ltd co-chief Jim Balsillie. 
 
China and Iran long have restricted online speech. Now limitations are under discussion in countries that have had a more open approach to speech, including Brazil, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bolivia, Kenya and Nigeria. 
 
Advocates said some of the proposals would criminalise conversations online that otherwise would be protected under the countries&#39; constitutions. 
 
Some use broad language to outlaw online postings that &quot;disturb the public order&quot; or &quot;convey false statements&quot; - formulations that could enable crackdowns on political speech, critics said. 
 
&quot;Free expression is one of the foundational elements of the internet,&quot; said Michael Chertoff, former US secretary of Homeland Security and a co-author of the internet governance report. &quot;It shouldn&#39;t be protecting the political interests of the ruling party or something of that sort.&quot; 
 
Turkey and Thailand also have cracked down on online speech, and a number of developing world countries have unplugged social media sites altogether during elections and other sensitive moments. In the US as well, some have called for restrictions on Internet communications. 
 
Speech limitations create business and ethical conflicts for companies like Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc&#39;s Google platforms for debate and political organising. 
 
&quot;This is the next evolution of political suppression,&quot; said Richard Forno, assistant director of University of Maryland, Baltimore County Center for Cybersecurity. &quot;Technology facilitates freedom of expression, and politicians don&#39;t like that.&quot; 
 
Fighting deliquencies 
 
Tanzania and Ethiopia have passed laws restricting online speech. In other countries, including Pakistan, Brazil, Bolivia and Kenya, proposals are under discussion or under legislative consideration, according to a review of laws by Reuters and reports by Internet activist groups. 
 
In Bolivia, President Evo Morales earlier this year said that the country needs to &quot;regulate the social networks.&quot; A bill has been drafted and is ready for introduction in the legislature, said Leonardo Loza, head of one of Bolivia&#39;s coca growers&#39; unions, a supporter of the proposal. 
 
&quot;It is aimed at educating and disciplining people, particularly young Bolivians, and fighting delinquency on social networks,&quot; Loza said. &quot;Freedom of expression can&#39;t be lying to the people or insulting citizens and politicians.&quot; 
 
A bill in Pakistan would allow the government to block internet content to protect the &quot;integrity, security or defense&quot; of the state. The legislation, which has passed a vote in Pakistan&#39;s lower house of Parliament, is supposed to target terrorism, but critics said the language is broad. 
 
It comes after Pakistan blocked YouTube in 2012 when a video it deemed inflammatory sparked protests across the country and much of the Muslim world. 
 
Earlier this year, YouTube, which is owned by Google, agreed to launch a local version of its site in the country. But now, the internet report said, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority can ask the company to remove any material it finds offensive. 
 
Companies in the cross-fire 
 
US internet companies have faced mounting pressure in recent years to restrict content. Companies&#39; terms of service lay out what users can and cannot post, and they said they apply a single standard globally. They aim to comply with local laws, but often confront demands to remove even legal content. 
 
The new laws threaten to raise a whole new set of compliance and enforcement issues. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s a technical question, which is, could you comply if you wanted to, and then the bigger meta question is why would you want to cooperate with this politicised drive to suppress freedom of expression,&quot; said Andrew McLaughlin, Google&#39;s former director of global policy and now leading content organisation at Medium. 
 
Facebook, Twitter and Google declined to comment for this story. 
 
(Reuters)

A dozen countries want to enact laws that criminalise online conversations

At least a dozen countries are considering, or have enacted laws restricting online speech, a trend that is alarming policy-makers and others who see the internet as a valuable medium for debate and expression. Such curbs are called out as a threat to the open internet in a report on internet governance set to be released today at an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development meeting in Cancun, Mexico. The report, reviewed by Reuters, warns of dangers for the global internet, including intrusive surveillance, rising cyber-crime and fragmentation, as governments exert control of online content. It was prepared by the London-based Chatham House think-tank and the Centre for International Governance Innovation, founded by former BlackBerry Ltd co-chief Jim Balsillie. China and Iran long have restricted online speech. Now limitations are under discussion in countries that have had a more open approach to speech, including Brazil, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bolivia, Kenya and Nigeria. Advocates said some of the proposals would criminalise conversations online that otherwise would be protected under the countries' constitutions. Some use broad language to outlaw online postings that "disturb the public order" or "convey false statements" - formulations that could enable crackdowns on political speech, critics said. "Free expression is one of the foundational elements of the internet," said Michael Chertoff, former US secretary of Homeland Security and a co-author of the internet governance report. "It shouldn't be protecting the political interests of the ruling party or something of that sort." Turkey and Thailand also have cracked down on online speech, and a number of developing world countries have unplugged social media sites altogether during elections and other sensitive moments. In the US as well, some have called for restrictions on Internet communications. Speech limitations create business and ethical conflicts for companies like Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google platforms for debate and political organising. "This is the next evolution of political suppression," said Richard Forno, assistant director of University of Maryland, Baltimore County Center for Cybersecurity. "Technology facilitates freedom of expression, and politicians don't like that." Fighting deliquencies Tanzania and Ethiopia have passed laws restricting online speech. In other countries, including Pakistan, Brazil, Bolivia and Kenya, proposals are under discussion or under legislative consideration, according to a review of laws by Reuters and reports by Internet activist groups. In Bolivia, President Evo Morales earlier this year said that the country needs to "regulate the social networks." A bill has been drafted and is ready for introduction in the legislature, said Leonardo Loza, head of one of Bolivia's coca growers' unions, a supporter of the proposal. "It is aimed at educating and disciplining people, particularly young Bolivians, and fighting delinquency on social networks," Loza said. "Freedom of expression can't be lying to the people or insulting citizens and politicians." A bill in Pakistan would allow the government to block internet content to protect the "integrity, security or defense" of the state. The legislation, which has passed a vote in Pakistan's lower house of Parliament, is supposed to target terrorism, but critics said the language is broad. It comes after Pakistan blocked YouTube in 2012 when a video it deemed inflammatory sparked protests across the country and much of the Muslim world. Earlier this year, YouTube, which is owned by Google, agreed to launch a local version of its site in the country. But now, the internet report said, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority can ask the company to remove any material it finds offensive. Companies in the cross-fire US internet companies have faced mounting pressure in recent years to restrict content. Companies' terms of service lay out what users can and cannot post, and they said they apply a single standard globally. They aim to comply with local laws, but often confront demands to remove even legal content. The new laws threaten to raise a whole new set of compliance and enforcement issues. "There's a technical question, which is, could you comply if you wanted to, and then the bigger meta question is why would you want to cooperate with this politicised drive to suppress freedom of expression," said Andrew McLaughlin, Google's former director of global policy and now leading content organisation at Medium. Facebook, Twitter and Google declined to comment for this story. (Reuters)

Curb on online speech threat to open internet, says international report

Increased technology usage and digitisation of the economy have escalated cyberattacks in India, and nearly 70 per cent of Nifty 50 companies are vulnerable to hackers, reveals a PwC survey. 
 
According to the report, out of the 50 companies studied, 34 (or 68 per cent) had identified vulnerabilities in at least one or more of their Internet-facing properties. 
 
The PwC survey about transgressions in Indian cyberspace of these companies further said, 525 email addresses belonging to the 34 companies were compromised, meaning hackers had access to those email addresses. 
 
&quot;Cybersecurity is no more restricted to Chief Information Officers (CIOs) or Chief Security Officers (CSOs) but needs serious attention of the higher management,&quot; Sivarama Krishnan, the leader of cyber security at PwC India said. 
 
Furthermore, 200 IP addresses belonging to the 34 companies were blacklisted by various Internet Service Providers (ISPs), implying that the ISPs found these IPs to be involved in spreading malicious traffic on the Internet, sending spam emails, or acting as a botnet in large cyber attacks, the report noted. 
 
&quot;There is a perceptible shift in the way modern threats are carried out, and the types of responses needed, and the surge in cyber crimes, manifests how these attackers are extensively-equipped with resources besides having a high technical skill set,&quot; Krishnan added. 
 
Sectorwise, media &amp; entertainment, automobiles, consumer goods and energy had the highest number of vulnerabilities. 
 
&quot;Hackers today are just not the tech enthusiasts, but are more sophisticated and organised in their approach to probe their targets and companies need to, more than ever before, adopt sophisticated security analytical tools to prevent such crimes,&quot; Krishnan said. 
 
According to the report, transgressions in Indian cyberspace have more than doubled over the past year to 6,284 incidents per respondent. The average number of attacks in India is fast catching up with the global average of 6,853 incidents per respondent. 
(PTI)

Transgressions in Indian cyberspace have more than doubled over the past year, a PricewaterhouseCoopers report says

Increased technology usage and digitisation of the economy have escalated cyberattacks in India, and nearly 70 per cent of Nifty 50 companies are vulnerable to hackers, reveals a PwC survey. According to the report, out of the 50 companies studied, 34 (or 68 per cent) had identified vulnerabilities in at least one or more of their Internet-facing properties. The PwC survey about transgressions in Indian cyberspace of these companies further said, 525 email addresses belonging to the 34 companies were compromised, meaning hackers had access to those email addresses. "Cybersecurity is no more restricted to Chief Information Officers (CIOs) or Chief Security Officers (CSOs) but needs serious attention of the higher management," Sivarama Krishnan, the leader of cyber security at PwC India said. Furthermore, 200 IP addresses belonging to the 34 companies were blacklisted by various Internet Service Providers (ISPs), implying that the ISPs found these IPs to be involved in spreading malicious traffic on the Internet, sending spam emails, or acting as a botnet in large cyber attacks, the report noted. "There is a perceptible shift in the way modern threats are carried out, and the types of responses needed, and the surge in cyber crimes, manifests how these attackers are extensively-equipped with resources besides having a high technical skill set," Krishnan added. Sectorwise, media & entertainment, automobiles, consumer goods and energy had the highest number of vulnerabilities. "Hackers today are just not the tech enthusiasts, but are more sophisticated and organised in their approach to probe their targets and companies need to, more than ever before, adopt sophisticated security analytical tools to prevent such crimes," Krishnan said. According to the report, transgressions in Indian cyberspace have more than doubled over the past year to 6,284 incidents per respondent. The average number of attacks in India is fast catching up with the global average of 6,853 incidents per respondent. (PTI)

Rising cyberattacks affect majority of India's big companies

cyber-crime

Cyber Crime, News on Cyber Crime, stories on Cyber Crime, articles on Cyber Crime, Cyber Crime stories at Wion, Cyber Crime news, Cyber Crime latest news