A faulty software update from cybersecurity vendor Crowdstrike crippled countless Microsoft Windows computers across the globe today, disrupting everything from airline travel and financial institutions to hospitals and businesses online. Watch in for more details!

Microsoft says CrowdStrike behind the meltdown

Paris 2024 is getting ready to face an unprecedented challenge in terms of cybersecurity, with organisers expecting a huge pressure on the Games this summer. Organised crime, activists and states will be the main threats during the July 26-Aug. 11&nbsp;Olympics&nbsp;and the Aug. 28-Sept. 8 Paralympics. Paris 2024, who have been working hand in hand with the French national agency for information security (ANSSI), and cybersecurity companies Cisco and Eviden are looking to limit the impact of cyber attacks.

"We can't prevent all the attacks, there will not be Games without attacks but we have to limit their impacts on the&nbsp;Olympics," Vincent Strubel, the director general of ANSSI, told reporters. "There are 500 sites, competition venues and local collectives, and we've tested them all."

Strubel is confident that Paris 2024, who will operate from a cybersecurity operation centre in a location that is being kept secret, will be ready. "The Games are facing an unprecedented&nbsp;level of threat, but we've also done an unprecedented amount of preparation work so I think we're a step ahead of the attackers," he said.

To make sure they are in the game, Paris 2024 have been paying "ethical hackers" to stress test their systems and have been using artificial intelligence to help them do a triage of the threats.

"AI helps us make the difference between a nuisance and a catastrophe," said Franz Regul, managing director for IT at Paris 2024. "We're expecting the number of cyber security event to be multiplied by 10 compared to Tokyo (in 2021)." "In terms of cybersecurity, four years is the equivalent of a century," Eric Greffier, head of partnerships at CISCO, explained.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-athletics-relays-indian-mens-and-womens-4x400m-relay-teams-seal-paris-olympics-berth-718385">World Athletics Relays: Indian men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams seal Paris Olympics berth</a>

In 2018, a computer virus dubbed "Olympic Destroyer" was used in an attack on the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Games.

While Moscow denied any involvement, the U.S. Justice Department in 2020 said it has indicted six Russian intelligence agency hackers for a four-year long hacking spree that included attacks against the Pyeongchang Games. "We would like to have one opponent but we're looking into everything and everyone. Naming the potential attackers is not our role, it is the role of the state," Strubel said.

Last month, French president Emmanuel Macron said he had no doubt Russia would malevolently target the Paris&nbsp;Olympics. The Games will take place amid a complex global backdrop, including Russia's war in Ukraine and Israel's conflict with Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

Paris 2024 is getting ready to face an unprecedented challenge in terms of cybersecurity, with organisers expecting a huge pressure on the Games this summer. Organised crime, activists and states will be the main threats during the July 26-Aug.

Paris 2024 is getting ready to face an unprecedented challenge in terms of cybersecurity, with organisers expecting a huge pressure on the Games this summer. Organised crime, activists and states will be the main threats during the July 26-Aug. 11 Olympics and the Aug. 28-Sept. 8 Paralympics. Paris 2024, who have been working hand in hand with the French national agency for information security (ANSSI), and cybersecurity companies Cisco and Eviden are looking to limit the impact of cyber attacks. "We can't prevent all the attacks, there will not be Games without attacks but we have to limit their impacts on the Olympics," Vincent Strubel, the director general of ANSSI, told reporters. "There are 500 sites, competition venues and local collectives, and we've tested them all." Strubel is confident that Paris 2024, who will operate from a cybersecurity operation centre in a location that is being kept secret, will be ready. "The Games are facing an unprecedented level of threat, but we've also done an unprecedented amount of preparation work so I think we're a step ahead of the attackers," he said. To make sure they are in the game, Paris 2024 have been paying "ethical hackers" to stress test their systems and have been using artificial intelligence to help them do a triage of the threats. "AI helps us make the difference between a nuisance and a catastrophe," said Franz Regul, managing director for IT at Paris 2024. "We're expecting the number of cyber security event to be multiplied by 10 compared to Tokyo (in 2021)." "In terms of cybersecurity, four years is the equivalent of a century," Eric Greffier, head of partnerships at CISCO, explained. Also read: World Athletics Relays: Indian men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams seal Paris Olympics berth In 2018, a computer virus dubbed "Olympic Destroyer" was used in an attack on the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Games. While Moscow denied any involvement, the U.S. Justice Department in 2020 said it has indicted six Russian intelligence agency hackers for a four-year long hacking spree that included attacks against the Pyeongchang Games. "We would like to have one opponent but we're looking into everything and everyone. Naming the potential attackers is not our role, it is the role of the state," Strubel said. Last month, French president Emmanuel Macron said he had no doubt Russia would malevolently target the Paris Olympics. The Games will take place amid a complex global backdrop, including Russia's war in Ukraine and Israel's conflict with Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

Olympics: Paris 2024 getting ready to face an unprecedented challenge in terms of cybersecurity

An Indian parliamentary house panel has asked the government to strengthen the cyber security of central and state government websites after it was revealed that 373 websites were hacked between January 2018 and September 2023. This data was revealed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to the parliamentary committee on communications and information technology.

“As per the information reported to and tracked by CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team), a total number of 110, 54, 59, 42, 50 and 58 website hacking incidents of Central Ministries/Departments and State Government organisations were observed during the years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (up to September), respectively,” MeitY told the committee.

Reacting to the statement, the house panel tabled a report in the parliament, titled, “Digital Payment and Online Security Measures for Data Protection,” on February 8 and asked the government to strengthen critical digital infrastructure.

The committee also pointed out that some government offices were using outdated software on laptops and computers, which made them vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Watch:&nbsp;China continues to pose cyber security threats to India: Dr Ajai Chowdhry

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“Though MeitY has come up with regular guidelines regarding ensuring cyber security of Government cyber infrastructure, the Committee would emphasise on the adherence to these guidelines and recommend the Ministry to update entire government infrastructure regarding handling of cyber threats. The Committee would like to be apprised of the actions taken in this regard,” the report said.

Earlier, a report by Microsoft in October 2023 revealed that India was amongst the world’s major targets of cyber attacks by nation-state actors.

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-jsarwt="1" data-usg="AOvVaw31AhwB6ZZbGFvoylyVqRGh" data-ved="2ahUKEwi4lf6Tj6GEAxVC1jgGHfYfCT0QxfQBKAB6BAgHEAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-warns-apple-users-of-major-cyber-attack-heres-list-of-devices-at-highest-risk-686112" jsname="YKoRaf">India warns Apple users of major cyber attack. Here's the list of devices at highest risk</a>

India accounts for 13 per cent of cyber-attacks in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, making it one of the top three most attacked countries by nation-state actors, the report said.

Microsoft also warned that Artificial Intelligence was being deployed by hackers to carry out cyber attacks. “Microsoft is already seeing AI-powered cyber-defence reversing the tide of cyberattacks; in Ukraine, for example, AI has helped defend against Russia. As transformative AI reshapes many aspects of society, we must engage in Responsible AI practices crucial for maintaining user trust and privacy, and for creating long-term benefits,” the report advised. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

An Indian parliamentary house panel has asked the government to strengthen the cyber security of central and state government websites after it was revealed that 373 websites were hacked between January 2018 and September 2023.

An Indian parliamentary house panel has asked the government to strengthen the cyber security of central and state government websites after it was revealed that 373 websites were hacked between January 2018 and September 2023. This data was revealed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to the parliamentary committee on communications and information technology. “As per the information reported to and tracked by CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team), a total number of 110, 54, 59, 42, 50 and 58 website hacking incidents of Central Ministries/Departments and State Government organisations were observed during the years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (up to September), respectively,” MeitY told the committee. Reacting to the statement, the house panel tabled a report in the parliament, titled, “Digital Payment and Online Security Measures for Data Protection,” on February 8 and asked the government to strengthen critical digital infrastructure. The committee also pointed out that some government offices were using outdated software on laptops and computers, which made them vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Watch: China continues to pose cyber security threats to India: Dr Ajai Chowdhry × “Though MeitY has come up with regular guidelines regarding ensuring cyber security of Government cyber infrastructure, the Committee would emphasise on the adherence to these guidelines and recommend the Ministry to update entire government infrastructure regarding handling of cyber threats. The Committee would like to be apprised of the actions taken in this regard,” the report said. Earlier, a report by Microsoft in October 2023 revealed that India was amongst the world’s major targets of cyber attacks by nation-state actors. Also read: India warns Apple users of major cyber attack. Here's the list of devices at highest risk India accounts for 13 per cent of cyber-attacks in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, making it one of the top three most attacked countries by nation-state actors, the report said. Microsoft also warned that Artificial Intelligence was being deployed by hackers to carry out cyber attacks. “Microsoft is already seeing AI-powered cyber-defence reversing the tide of cyberattacks; in Ukraine, for example, AI has helped defend against Russia. As transformative AI reshapes many aspects of society, we must engage in Responsible AI practices crucial for maintaining user trust and privacy, and for creating long-term benefits,” the report advised. (With inputs from agencies)

India: 373 govt websites hacked in past 5 years; house panel calls for strengthening digital infrastructure

Australia, on Tuesday (Jan 23) sanctioned a Russian man named Aleksandr Ermakov for his role in the country’s worst data breach, which impacted nearly 10 million customers of the insurer Medibank. Canberra announced first-of-its-kind sanctions which include a travel ban and financial penalties.&nbsp;

<h2>About the sanctions</h2>

In late 2022, Medibank, Australia’s largest private health insurer, disclosed that a hacker had stolen the personal information of 9.7 million current and former customers, and released the data on the dark web.&nbsp;

The files published online included sensitive information about millions of Australians, including abortion records and treatment received for mental health or addiction.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;Australia sanctions Russian hacker for role in 2022 Medibank cyberattack

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Australia has recently witnessed a spike in the number of cyber attacks, prompting the government to overhaul its cyber security rules last year and set up an agency to help coordinate responses.

This is the first time that Australia has imposed its cyber sanctions following a framework which was legislated in 2021.&nbsp;

The sanctions against Ermakov, 33, also include financial sanctions and a travel ban, said Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil during a press briefing, describing the Medibank hack as “the single most devastating cyber-attack we have experienced as a nation”.&nbsp;

“Literally millions of people having personal data about themselves, their family members, taken from them and cruelly placed online for others to see,” said O’Neil.&nbsp;

She added, “These people are cowards and they’re scumbags. They hide behind technology and today, the Australian government is saying that when we put our minds to it, we’ll unveil who you are, and we’ll make sure you are accountable.”&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/medibank-data-leak-hackers-now-release-info-related-to-abortion-533115">Medibank data leak: Australian police blame Russian hackers</a>

The sanctions imposed make it a criminal offence, punishable by up to 10 years in jail and fines, to provide Ermakov with any assets, including cryptocurrency wallets or ransomware payments.

O'Neil also said that officials are still investigating the data breach and many more may face penalties. While not much is known about Ermakov, Australian intelligence authorities say he is part of the infamous Russian cyber-crime gang REvil.&nbsp;

<h2>‘Single most devastating cyber-attack’</h2>

A report by the Australian government, in November, showed that state-sponsored cyber groups and hackers had stepped up assaults on Australia's critical infrastructure, businesses and homes.&nbsp;

In the Medibank breach, hackers stole login details which granted them access to all of the insurers’ customer data which included athletes, prominent media figures and even Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

However, Medibank, with government support, refused to pay a multi-million dollar ransom after which the hackers published the data online.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australias-biggest-health-insurer-medibank-reports-huge-data-breach-527061">Australia's biggest health insurer Medibank reports huge data breach</a>

They first released files named “good-list” and “naughty-list” which included records of treatment for mental health, addiction, drug abuse and sexually transmitted infections. These files also contained people’s names, addresses, birthdates, and government ID numbers.&nbsp;

The hacker group which is said to be behind this breach also released a file named “abortions.csv” which comprised information about some customers’ end-of-pregnancy procedures.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Australia, on Tuesday (Jan 23) sanctioned a Russian man named Aleksandr Ermakov for his role in the country’s worst data breach, which impacted nearly 10 million customers of the insurer Medibank.

Australia, on Tuesday (Jan 23) sanctioned a Russian man named Aleksandr Ermakov for his role in the country’s worst data breach, which impacted nearly 10 million customers of the insurer Medibank. Canberra announced first-of-its-kind sanctions which include a travel ban and financial penalties. About the sanctions In late 2022, Medibank, Australia’s largest private health insurer, disclosed that a hacker had stolen the personal information of 9.7 million current and former customers, and released the data on the dark web. The files published online included sensitive information about millions of Australians, including abortion records and treatment received for mental health or addiction. WATCH | Australia sanctions Russian hacker for role in 2022 Medibank cyberattack Australia has recently witnessed a spike in the number of cyber attacks, prompting the government to overhaul its cyber security rules last year and set up an agency to help coordinate responses. This is the first time that Australia has imposed its cyber sanctions following a framework which was legislated in 2021. The sanctions against Ermakov, 33, also include financial sanctions and a travel ban, said Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil during a press briefing, describing the Medibank hack as “the single most devastating cyber-attack we have experienced as a nation”. “Literally millions of people having personal data about themselves, their family members, taken from them and cruelly placed online for others to see,” said O’Neil. She added, “These people are cowards and they’re scumbags. They hide behind technology and today, the Australian government is saying that when we put our minds to it, we’ll unveil who you are, and we’ll make sure you are accountable.” ALSO READ | Medibank data leak: Australian police blame Russian hackers The sanctions imposed make it a criminal offence, punishable by up to 10 years in jail and fines, to provide Ermakov with any assets, including cryptocurrency wallets or ransomware payments. O'Neil also said that officials are still investigating the data breach and many more may face penalties. While not much is known about Ermakov, Australian intelligence authorities say he is part of the infamous Russian cyber-crime gang REvil. ‘Single most devastating cyber-attack’ A report by the Australian government, in November, showed that state-sponsored cyber groups and hackers had stepped up assaults on Australia's critical infrastructure, businesses and homes. In the Medibank breach, hackers stole login details which granted them access to all of the insurers’ customer data which included athletes, prominent media figures and even Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. However, Medibank, with government support, refused to pay a multi-million dollar ransom after which the hackers published the data online. ALSO READ | Australia's biggest health insurer Medibank reports huge data breach They first released files named “good-list” and “naughty-list” which included records of treatment for mental health, addiction, drug abuse and sexually transmitted infections. These files also contained people’s names, addresses, birthdates, and government ID numbers. The hacker group which is said to be behind this breach also released a file named “abortions.csv” which comprised information about some customers’ end-of-pregnancy procedures. (With inputs from agencies)

Medibank breach: Russian hacker sanctioned for role in Australia’s biggest data theft

Google has deleted 17 SpyLoan apps from the Play Store with millions of downloads. According to a report by Slovak software company ESET on Tuesday (Dec 5), since the beginning of this year, the company observed an alarming growth of deceptive Android loan apps, which present themselves as legitimate personal loan services, promising quick and easy access to funds.

Google removes 17 'SpyLoan' apps. Delete these right away

Australia is breathing a sigh of relief after three days of heightened tensions. Several of its top ports have restarted operation after a major cyber security incident. That's good news for the country. these ports handle nearly 40% of the total trade.

Australia's ports restart operations | World Business Watch

A cybersecurity researcher has exposed&nbsp;a major vulnerability in the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) official X account. The flaw in the social media platform formerly known as Twitter allowed the ethical hacker to infiltrate a recruitment channel used by the CIA to connect with potential informants.&nbsp;

The CIA, which specialises in gathering covert intelligence, often relies on an extensive network of spies and tipsters worldwide. Many of them are recruited through the internet.

To maintain its presence and encourage people to contribute to US&nbsp;national security, the CIA operates its official X account, which boasts nearly 3.5 million followers. This platform serves as a promotional tool and an avenue for engaging with potential recruits.

Sometime after September 27, 2023, the CIA's X account included a link to a Telegram channel&nbsp;intended for people&nbsp;interested in contacting the agency via the dark net and other discreet methods.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/x-introduces-1-annual-subscription-for-basic-features-in-trial-648195">Also read |&nbsp;X introduces $1 annual subscription for basic features in trial</a>

<h2>Exploiting the glitch</h2>

However, an unforeseen glitch in how X&nbsp;displayed certain links led to the truncation of the web address.

Instead of directing users to the intended Telegram channel, the link appeared as https://t.me/securelycont, inadvertently creating an available Telegram username. Seizing this opportunity, cybersecurity researcher Kevin McSheehan&nbsp;registered the username.

McSheehan redirected users clicking on the truncated link to his own Telegram channel, where he issued a warning against sharing confidential or sensitive information.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-releases-footage-of-incidents-of-chinese-jets-performing-coercive-and-risky-maneuvers-648201">Also read |&nbsp;US releases footage of incidents of Chinese jets performing 'coercive and risky' manoeuvres</a>

His actions were motivated by a concern for security and creating awareness about&nbsp;the recurring glitch that he had previously observed on X&nbsp;platform. The CIA appeared to have been oblivious to this vulnerability, a lapse that McSheehan found astonishing.

Within an hour of the inquiry, the error was rectified, and the link was corrected.&nbsp;

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A cybersecurity researcher has exposed a major vulnerability in the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) official X account. The flaw in the social media platform formerly known as Twitter allowed the ethical hacker to infiltrate a recruitment channel used by the CIA to connect with potential informants.

A cybersecurity researcher has exposed a major vulnerability in the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) official X account. The flaw in the social media platform formerly known as Twitter allowed the ethical hacker to infiltrate a recruitment channel used by the CIA to connect with potential informants. The CIA, which specialises in gathering covert intelligence, often relies on an extensive network of spies and tipsters worldwide. Many of them are recruited through the internet. To maintain its presence and encourage people to contribute to US national security, the CIA operates its official X account, which boasts nearly 3.5 million followers. This platform serves as a promotional tool and an avenue for engaging with potential recruits. Sometime after September 27, 2023, the CIA's X account included a link to a Telegram channel intended for people interested in contacting the agency via the dark net and other discreet methods. Also read | X introduces $1 annual subscription for basic features in trial Exploiting the glitch However, an unforeseen glitch in how X displayed certain links led to the truncation of the web address. Instead of directing users to the intended Telegram channel, the link appeared as https://t.me/securelycont, inadvertently creating an available Telegram username. Seizing this opportunity, cybersecurity researcher Kevin McSheehan registered the username. McSheehan redirected users clicking on the truncated link to his own Telegram channel, where he issued a warning against sharing confidential or sensitive information. Also read | US releases footage of incidents of Chinese jets performing 'coercive and risky' manoeuvres His actions were motivated by a concern for security and creating awareness about the recurring glitch that he had previously observed on X platform. The CIA appeared to have been oblivious to this vulnerability, a lapse that McSheehan found astonishing. Within an hour of the inquiry, the error was rectified, and the link was corrected. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

This glitch in X enabled the hijacking of CIA informant channel. Here's how

In today's digital age, where cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, organisations face the daunting task of protecting their sensitive information and infrastructure from malicious actors. As the cyber landscape evolves, so must our defence strategies. 
 
One promising technology that has emerged as a game-changer in the field of cybersecurity is Artificial Intelligence (AI). With its ability to analyse vast amounts of data and learn from patterns, AI offers innovative solutions to bolster our defences. In this article, we delve into the fascinating world of AI, exploring its creative use cases and the challenges it faces in the realm of cybersecurity.

Creative AI use cases in cybersecurity

Malware detection and prevention: One of the most pressing challenges in cybersecurity is the rapid evolution of malware. AI algorithms can analyse large volumes of data, such as network traffic and system logs, to identify patterns and anomalies that may indicate the presence of malicious software. By continuously learning from new threats and attack techniques, AI systems can swiftly detect and prevent malware from infiltrating networks, saving organisations from significant damage and loss.

User behaviour analytics: Organisations often struggle to detect insider threats and unauthorised activities within their networks. AI can play a crucial role in monitoring and analysing user behaviour to identify unusual activities. By establishing baseline behaviours and comparing them with real-time data, AI algorithms can flag suspicious actions, such as unauthorised access attempts or data exfiltration. This proactive approach allows organisations to detect potential threats early and respond swiftly.

Threat intelligence and prediction: The cyber threat landscape is constantly evolving, making it challenging for organisations to keep up. AI systems can aggregate and analyse vast amounts of threat intelligence data from various sources, including forums, dark web, and cybersecurity feeds. By identifying patterns and correlations in this data, AI can generate valuable insights, helping security teams proactively respond to emerging threats and fortify their defenses.

Phishing and fraud detection: Phishing attacks continue to be a prevalent threat, targeting individuals and organisations alike. AI algorithms can analyse email content, URLs, and user behaviour to identify phishing attempts accurately. By leveraging machine learning techniques, AI systems can adapt and improve their detection capabilities as attackers evolve their tactics. This enables organisations to better protect their employees and systems from falling victim to phishing scams.

Incident response and automation: When a security incident occurs, rapid response is critical to minimising damage and reducing downtime. AI-powered systems can expedite incident response processes by automating routine tasks, such as gathering information, analysing logs, and identifying potential indicators of compromise. By rapidly triaging and categorising incidents, AI can enhance the efficiency of cybersecurity teams, allowing them to focus on more complex and critical tasks.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/ai-robots-make-bold-claim-at-un-conference-theyre-ready-to-run-the-world-613199">ALSO READ|&nbsp;AI robots make bold claim at UN conference: They're ready to 'run the world'</a> 
 
Challenges in harnessing AI for cybersecurity

Adversarial attacks: While AI can significantly enhance cybersecurity defenses, sophisticated adversaries can develop techniques to evade AI-powered security systems. Adversarial attacks involve manipulating input data to deceive AI models, leading to misclassifications or false negatives. Developing robust defenses against such attacks remains a significant challenge for researchers and practitioners in the field.

Data privacy and bias: To train AI models effectively, large datasets are required. However, ensuring the privacy and integrity of sensitive data poses ethical concerns. Organisations must find the right balance between using data to improve AI algorithms and protecting individuals' privacy. Moreover, biases in the training data can lead to biased AI algorithms, potentially impacting the fairness and effectiveness of cybersecurity solutions.

Explainability and trust: AI algorithms often operate as black boxes, making it difficult to understand their decision-making processes. This lack of transparency can hinder trust and limit adoption in critical cybersecurity domains where explainability is crucial for human decision-making and regulatory compliance. Efforts are underway to develop explainable AI models that can provide insights into their decision-making processes, allowing cybersecurity professionals to understand and validate their outputs.

Skill gap and workforce readiness: The rapid evolution of AI technology demands a skilled workforce capable of developing, implementing, and managing AI systems for cybersecurity. Bridging the skill gap and equipping cybersecurity professionals with the necessary knowledge and expertise in AI is essential. Organisations must invest in training programs and initiatives to ensure their workforce is ready to harness the power of AI in the fight against cyber threats.

Artificial Intelligence has emerged as a powerful ally in the ongoing battle against cyber threats. Its creative use cases, from malware detection to incident response automation, provide organisations with advanced capabilities to safeguard their digital assets. However, challenges such as adversarial attacks, data privacy concerns, and explainability limitations must be addressed to fully leverage the potential of AI in cybersecurity.&nbsp;

By embracing AI's benefits while mitigating its risks, we can build a resilient defence ecosystem that adapts to the evolving threat landscape and ensures the security of our digital future. With continued research, collaboration, and investment, AI has the potential to revolutionise the field of cybersecurity and help us stay one step ahead of cybercriminals. 
 
(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer) 
 
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In today's digital age, where cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, organisations face the daunting task of protecting their sensitive information and infrastructure from malicious actors.

In today's digital age, where cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, organisations face the daunting task of protecting their sensitive information and infrastructure from malicious actors. As the cyber landscape evolves, so must our defence strategies. One promising technology that has emerged as a game-changer in the field of cybersecurity is Artificial Intelligence (AI). With its ability to analyse vast amounts of data and learn from patterns, AI offers innovative solutions to bolster our defences. In this article, we delve into the fascinating world of AI, exploring its creative use cases and the challenges it faces in the realm of cybersecurity. Creative AI use cases in cybersecurity Malware detection and prevention: One of the most pressing challenges in cybersecurity is the rapid evolution of malware. AI algorithms can analyse large volumes of data, such as network traffic and system logs, to identify patterns and anomalies that may indicate the presence of malicious software. By continuously learning from new threats and attack techniques, AI systems can swiftly detect and prevent malware from infiltrating networks, saving organisations from significant damage and loss. User behaviour analytics: Organisations often struggle to detect insider threats and unauthorised activities within their networks. AI can play a crucial role in monitoring and analysing user behaviour to identify unusual activities. By establishing baseline behaviours and comparing them with real-time data, AI algorithms can flag suspicious actions, such as unauthorised access attempts or data exfiltration. This proactive approach allows organisations to detect potential threats early and respond swiftly. Threat intelligence and prediction: The cyber threat landscape is constantly evolving, making it challenging for organisations to keep up. AI systems can aggregate and analyse vast amounts of threat intelligence data from various sources, including forums, dark web, and cybersecurity feeds. By identifying patterns and correlations in this data, AI can generate valuable insights, helping security teams proactively respond to emerging threats and fortify their defenses. Phishing and fraud detection: Phishing attacks continue to be a prevalent threat, targeting individuals and organisations alike. AI algorithms can analyse email content, URLs, and user behaviour to identify phishing attempts accurately. By leveraging machine learning techniques, AI systems can adapt and improve their detection capabilities as attackers evolve their tactics. This enables organisations to better protect their employees and systems from falling victim to phishing scams. Incident response and automation: When a security incident occurs, rapid response is critical to minimising damage and reducing downtime. AI-powered systems can expedite incident response processes by automating routine tasks, such as gathering information, analysing logs, and identifying potential indicators of compromise. By rapidly triaging and categorising incidents, AI can enhance the efficiency of cybersecurity teams, allowing them to focus on more complex and critical tasks. ALSO READ| AI robots make bold claim at UN conference: They're ready to 'run the world' Challenges in harnessing AI for cybersecurity Adversarial attacks: While AI can significantly enhance cybersecurity defenses, sophisticated adversaries can develop techniques to evade AI-powered security systems. Adversarial attacks involve manipulating input data to deceive AI models, leading to misclassifications or false negatives. Developing robust defenses against such attacks remains a significant challenge for researchers and practitioners in the field. Data privacy and bias: To train AI models effectively, large datasets are required. However, ensuring the privacy and integrity of sensitive data poses ethical concerns. Organisations must find the right balance between using data to improve AI algorithms and protecting individuals' privacy. Moreover, biases in the training data can lead to biased AI algorithms, potentially impacting the fairness and effectiveness of cybersecurity solutions. Explainability and trust: AI algorithms often operate as black boxes, making it difficult to understand their decision-making processes. This lack of transparency can hinder trust and limit adoption in critical cybersecurity domains where explainability is crucial for human decision-making and regulatory compliance. Efforts are underway to develop explainable AI models that can provide insights into their decision-making processes, allowing cybersecurity professionals to understand and validate their outputs. Skill gap and workforce readiness: The rapid evolution of AI technology demands a skilled workforce capable of developing, implementing, and managing AI systems for cybersecurity. Bridging the skill gap and equipping cybersecurity professionals with the necessary knowledge and expertise in AI is essential. Organisations must invest in training programs and initiatives to ensure their workforce is ready to harness the power of AI in the fight against cyber threats. Artificial Intelligence has emerged as a powerful ally in the ongoing battle against cyber threats. Its creative use cases, from malware detection to incident response automation, provide organisations with advanced capabilities to safeguard their digital assets. However, challenges such as adversarial attacks, data privacy concerns, and explainability limitations must be addressed to fully leverage the potential of AI in cybersecurity. By embracing AI's benefits while mitigating its risks, we can build a resilient defence ecosystem that adapts to the evolving threat landscape and ensures the security of our digital future. With continued research, collaboration, and investment, AI has the potential to revolutionise the field of cybersecurity and help us stay one step ahead of cybercriminals. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Artificial Intelligence: Confronting challenges in cybersecurity

India's National Security Board is conducting cyber defense exercises in the wake of threats from China and other adversaries mounting by the day. The agencies including India's TRAI services are participating in the week-long exercise to test the resilience of India's civilian and Military infrastructure. The cyber security exercises are being held under the ages of India's defense cyber agency with participants aiming to test the firewalls guarding India's critical infrastructure.

India gears up to deal with cyber threats

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning people to not use public phone charging stations or USB ports to avoid exposing their devices to malicious software. The Denver branch in a tweet said, "Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centres. Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices. Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead." The organisation told CBS News that there is no specific incident that caused the public announcement, rather was meant as a "field warning." While these charging stations are useful to many when devices are running low on battery, cyber experts have been raising security&nbsp;concerns for years.

In the last four years, the threats designed to propagate over USB or exploit USB for infection rose to 52 per cent, the 2022 USB Threat report by Honeywell Forge said. &nbsp;

In 2011, they introduced the term "juice jacking" to describe the problem.&nbsp;

<h3>What is juice jacking?</h3>

A term coined in 2011, still remains a concern. It means a security vulnerability in which a tampered or infected USB charging station is used to compromise linked devices.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials warned malware installed through corrupted USB ports can lock a device or even export personal data including passwords directly to criminals.&nbsp;

Drew Paik, a former employee of security firm Authentic8 told news agency CNN that plugging your phone into a (compromised) charger infects your device and data. If the port is compromised, then&nbsp;there is no limit to what extent a hacker could access the information. The hacker can even lock your device.

Experts have advised never to use a charger that isn't yours or someone you know.

The FCC in its recent blog post said, "In some cases, criminals may have intentionally left cables plugged in at charging stations.&nbsp;There have even been reports of infected cables being given away as promotional gifts."

<h3>Steps to avoid juice jacking?</h3>

Like the FBI, FCC recommends public to avoid using public USB charging stations and use a power outlet instead. In case you're travelling, always carry a portable charger or an external battery.&nbsp;

If you don't have any of these and are compelled to use a public station, thoroughly inspect it and if it appears to have been tampered with in any way, don't use it.&nbsp;

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning people to not use public phone charging stations or USB ports to avoid exposing their devices to malicious software.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning people to not use public phone charging stations or USB ports to avoid exposing their devices to malicious software. The Denver branch in a tweet said, "Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centres. Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices. Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead." The organisation told CBS News that there is no specific incident that caused the public announcement, rather was meant as a "field warning." While these charging stations are useful to many when devices are running low on battery, cyber experts have been raising security concerns for years. In the last four years, the threats designed to propagate over USB or exploit USB for infection rose to 52 per cent, the 2022 USB Threat report by Honeywell Forge said. In 2011, they introduced the term "juice jacking" to describe the problem. What is juice jacking? A term coined in 2011, still remains a concern. It means a security vulnerability in which a tampered or infected USB charging station is used to compromise linked devices. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials warned malware installed through corrupted USB ports can lock a device or even export personal data including passwords directly to criminals. Drew Paik, a former employee of security firm Authentic8 told news agency CNN that plugging your phone into a (compromised) charger infects your device and data. If the port is compromised, then there is no limit to what extent a hacker could access the information. The hacker can even lock your device. Experts have advised never to use a charger that isn't yours or someone you know. The FCC in its recent blog post said, "In some cases, criminals may have intentionally left cables plugged in at charging stations. There have even been reports of infected cables being given away as promotional gifts." Steps to avoid juice jacking? Like the FBI, FCC recommends public to avoid using public USB charging stations and use a power outlet instead. In case you're travelling, always carry a portable charger or an external battery. If you don't have any of these and are compelled to use a public station, thoroughly inspect it and if it appears to have been tampered with in any way, don't use it.

Beware of juice jacking: FBI warns against using public USB charging points over security concerns

A global law enforcement effort has resulted in the closure of one of the largest online black markets in the world wherein internet fraudsters could purchase other people's credentials.

The "digital fingerprints" of victims, including login information, IP addresses, and other data, were sold by Genesis Market, as reported by the BBC.&nbsp;

The private information, which frequently costs less than $1, allowed thieves to access bank and shopping accounts.

The coordinated raids involved law enforcement organisations from all over the world, including the UK.

24 people who are alleged site users were detained by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) during a series of raids. They include two men, aged 34 and 36, who are being detained in Grimsby, Lincolnshire on suspicion of fraud and misuse of computers.&nbsp;

The raids, which got underway at dawn on Tuesday, included law enforcement agencies from 17 different nations. Together with the NCA in the UK, the Australian Federal Police, and nations throughout Europe, the FBI in the US and the Dutch National Police oversaw the operation.

120 individuals were detained, and 200 searches were carried out globally. Anyone visiting the Genesis website on Wednesday would have seen a notice that said, "Operation Cookie Monster. This website has been seized."

The NCA referred to Genesis Market as "an enormous enabler of fraud" since it was offering for sale 80 million sets of credentials and digital fingerprints.

"For too long criminals have stolen credentials from innocent members of the public," Robert Jones, director general of the National Economic Crime Centre at the NCA, said

"We now want criminals to be afraid that we have their credentials, and they should be," he added.

Set up in 2017, Genesis market&nbsp;was notable for its user-friendly, English-language interface.

For login information, it served as a one-stop shop, facilitating online fraud. Users had the option of purchasing login details, such as passwords, as well as other components of a victim's "digital fingerprint," such as their IP address, location, IP history, cookies, and autofill form data.

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A global law enforcement effort has resulted in the closure of one of the largest online black markets in the world wherein internet fraudsters could purchase other people's credentials.

A global law enforcement effort has resulted in the closure of one of the largest online black markets in the world wherein internet fraudsters could purchase other people's credentials. The "digital fingerprints" of victims, including login information, IP addresses, and other data, were sold by Genesis Market, as reported by the BBC. The private information, which frequently costs less than $1, allowed thieves to access bank and shopping accounts. The coordinated raids involved law enforcement organisations from all over the world, including the UK. 24 people who are alleged site users were detained by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) during a series of raids. They include two men, aged 34 and 36, who are being detained in Grimsby, Lincolnshire on suspicion of fraud and misuse of computers. The raids, which got underway at dawn on Tuesday, included law enforcement agencies from 17 different nations. Together with the NCA in the UK, the Australian Federal Police, and nations throughout Europe, the FBI in the US and the Dutch National Police oversaw the operation. 120 individuals were detained, and 200 searches were carried out globally. Anyone visiting the Genesis website on Wednesday would have seen a notice that said, "Operation Cookie Monster. This website has been seized." The NCA referred to Genesis Market as "an enormous enabler of fraud" since it was offering for sale 80 million sets of credentials and digital fingerprints. "For too long criminals have stolen credentials from innocent members of the public," Robert Jones, director general of the National Economic Crime Centre at the NCA, said "We now want criminals to be afraid that we have their credentials, and they should be," he added. Set up in 2017, Genesis market was notable for its user-friendly, English-language interface. For login information, it served as a one-stop shop, facilitating online fraud. Users had the option of purchasing login details, such as passwords, as well as other components of a victim's "digital fingerprint," such as their IP address, location, IP history, cookies, and autofill form data. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Genesis Market: Notorious cybercrime website shut in global law enforcement crackdown

Cyber crimes are rampant across the world, this is now what has come to the light. Two of Asia's biggest data centres have been hit by a cyber-security attack.

Data Centres hit by cyber attack

QR codes have become an important part of our daily lives. They are almost everywhere malls, restaurants, grocery stores, trains, business, and even museums. The list is endless.

Tech Talk | QR Code: A cybersecurity threat

This year has been extremely turbulent for Twitter.

Peiter "Mudge" Zatko, a former Twitter security chief, said in a whistleblower complaint that he discovered "severe, egregious inadequacies" in Twitter's policies on user privacy, security, and content moderation. This was made public on Tuesday by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2022/twitter-whistleblower-sec-spam/?itid=hp-top-table-main">The Washington Post</a>.&nbsp;

The Federal Trade Commission and users were given "false and misleading" information by Twitter, according to Zatko, who was removed from the business in January. This allegedly violates federal law.

"Zatko&nbsp;spent 14 months pushing for improvements from the inside, and was terminated for his efforts," the complaint states.

He&nbsp;is being defended by a nonprofit law firm called Whistleblower Aid, which also assured the Washington Post that the accusation is legitimate. In July, Zatko sent the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice, and FTC an 84-page complaint.

The accusations are made at a trying time for Twitter. As a result of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musks-ex-girlfriend-auctions-off-never-seen-before-pics-of-the-couple-509641">Elon Musk</a>, the billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX, trying to back out of a $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, the powerful social media giant is engaged in a public court spat with him. A five-day trial is set for October after the tech platform filed a lawsuit against Musk to close the purchase.

In addition to raising important concerns about whether Twitter is doing enough to protect user privacy and security, the complaint may also have an influence on Musk's ability to acquire the social media giant.&nbsp;

Here's everything you need to know.

Who is the whistleblower on Twitter?

Before joining Twitter in 2020, Zatko, a well-known hacker and veteran security expert, worked at <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/tech-talk-googles-ai-bans-father-over-medical-photos-of-his-child-509529">Google </a>and DARPA, the research and development arm of the US Department of Defense.

He developed the password strength testing software that is still in use today. Additionally, he was a member of well-known hacker organisations like L0pht, which in the 1990s testified before Congress on security-related topics.

After adolescents hacked the prominent Twitter accounts of Musk, Kim Kardashian, and even Joe Biden, who was then the presumed Democratic nominee for US president, Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter, hired Zatko to work for the firm.

The suit makes what claims?

A number of charges are made against Twitter in the lengthy lawsuit, including that the business gave daily user growth priority above the stability and integrity of the network.

According to the complaint, executives tried to cover up problems rather than try to remedy them, either because they were financially rewarded for helping Twitter increase daily users, didn't know any better, or had contributed to the creation of the "broken systems."

According to Zatko, he discovered numerous security and privacy issues at the business in 2021 and alerted leadership to them. The organisation appeared to have a high number of security issues, some employees had blocked security and software updates on their devices, and personnel had excessive access to sensitive information.

"Mudge identified there were several exposures and vulnerabilities at the scale of the 2020 incident waiting to be discovered, and reasonably feared Twitter could suffer an Equifax-level hack," the complaint reads.&nbsp;

The credit reporting agency Equifax disclosed a significant data breach in 2017 that affected 148 million Americans.

Zatko claims that instead of receiving support to address these concerns, he instead encountered "strong resistance," particularly from Parag Agrawal, who is now the CEO of Twitter.

Agrawal was Twitter's Chief Technology Officer before he got promoted and the complaint notes that "Twitter's problems had developed under Agrawal's watch."

Twitter is charged with violating an 11-year-old deal with the FTC by making misleading claims that it had an extensive security programme, according to the lawsuit. According to Zatko, the corporation had never complied with the FTC order and wasn't on course to do so, and his results were worse than what Dorsey had anticipated.

According to CNET, the complaint claims that Twitter misled the FTC about properly erasing the data of users who leave the site and lied to Musk about the quantity of spam bots on its network. Threats to national security and democracy are also listed by Zatko. According to the complaint, some of these dangers include Twitter becoming more reliant on revenue from Chinese companies and the Indian government pressuring the firm to hire government agents.

Twitter's response?&nbsp;

According to Twitter, Zatko was sacked because of his "poor performance and weak leadership," and the firm places a high priority on security and privacy.

"What we've seen so far is a false narrative about Twitter and our privacy and data security practices that is riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies and lacks important context," Twitter spokeswoman Rebecca Hahn told The Post. "Mr. Zatko's allegations and opportunistic timing appear designed to capture attention and inflict harm on Twitter, its customers and its shareholders."

How are American legislators and regulators reacting?

US lawmakers are already looking into the complaint. Democratic senator from Connecticut Richard Blumenthal encouraged FTC Chair Lina Khan to look into Twitter.

In a letter to Khan, Blumenthal stated that "these disturbing revelations paint a picture of a company that has consistently and repeatedly prioritised profits over the safety of its users and its responsibility to the public." Twitter executives, Blumenthal claimed, "appeared to ignore or hinder efforts to address threats to user security and privacy."

Will the complaint have a bearing on the Musk-Twitter tiff?

It is feasible. According to the complaint, Zatko began compiling Twitter fraud evidence in January, before Musk made an acquisition approach.

According to The Washington Post, which cited unidentified people with knowledge of the situation and legal professionals, Musk's legal team is anticipated to use the complaint to make the case for "wider discovery into Twitter's internal operations and data." This could support Musk's claim that he was given false information by the business, which caused him to overpay for Twitter.

Before media outlets covered the whistleblower lawsuit, Musk's attorneys reportedly apparently planned a deposition with Zatko, and his attorney Alex Spiro informed CNN that the legal team had already subpoenaed Zatko.

Twitter has come under fire from Musk for allegedly exaggerating the number of phoney or spam accounts using its platforms.

According to the complaint, Musk is right when he claims that Twitter executives have little to no personal interest to effectively detect or monitor spam bots because they are worried about how it will affect the company's reputation and price.

Musk tweeted a meme with the message "Give a little&nbsp;whistle" on Tuesday.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/KsWiazActx">pic.twitter.com/KsWiazActx</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1562105413977493504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Indian angle in this saga

According to the explosive whistleblower complaint, the Indian government pressured the social media company to hire a person who was a "government agent" and probably had access to private user information as part of their duties.

<img alt="indian angle" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="74dbd441-c7ea-4776-aa9b-fd0a98c4d7f1" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Screenshot-2022-08-23-at-5.19.41-PM-1.png" />

An excerpt from the whistleblower complaint filed with the SEC. Photo credits: The Washington Post

The former Twitter security head claims that the Indian government tried "with different success" to get Twitter to hire local full-time workers who "might be used as leverage" in another part titled "Squeezing Local Staff".

“The threat of harm to Twitter employees was sufficient to cause Twitter to seriously consider complying with foreign government requests that Twitter would otherwise fundamentally oppose,” the complaint reads.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Also WATCH | India: Are electric vehicles safe? | Tech It Out

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This year has been extremely turbulent for Twitter. Peiter "Mudge" Zatko, a former Twitter security chief, said in a whistleblower complaint that he discovered "severe, egregious inadequacies" in Twitter's policies on user privacy, security, and content moderation.

This year has been extremely turbulent for Twitter. Peiter "Mudge" Zatko, a former Twitter security chief, said in a whistleblower complaint that he discovered "severe, egregious inadequacies" in Twitter's policies on user privacy, security, and content moderation. This was made public on Tuesday by The Washington Post. The Federal Trade Commission and users were given "false and misleading" information by Twitter, according to Zatko, who was removed from the business in January. This allegedly violates federal law. "Zatko spent 14 months pushing for improvements from the inside, and was terminated for his efforts," the complaint states. He is being defended by a nonprofit law firm called Whistleblower Aid, which also assured the Washington Post that the accusation is legitimate. In July, Zatko sent the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice, and FTC an 84-page complaint. The accusations are made at a trying time for Twitter. As a result of Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX, trying to back out of a $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, the powerful social media giant is engaged in a public court spat with him. A five-day trial is set for October after the tech platform filed a lawsuit against Musk to close the purchase. In addition to raising important concerns about whether Twitter is doing enough to protect user privacy and security, the complaint may also have an influence on Musk's ability to acquire the social media giant. Here's everything you need to know. Who is the whistleblower on Twitter? Before joining Twitter in 2020, Zatko, a well-known hacker and veteran security expert, worked at Google and DARPA, the research and development arm of the US Department of Defense. He developed the password strength testing software that is still in use today. Additionally, he was a member of well-known hacker organisations like L0pht, which in the 1990s testified before Congress on security-related topics. After adolescents hacked the prominent Twitter accounts of Musk, Kim Kardashian, and even Joe Biden, who was then the presumed Democratic nominee for US president, Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter, hired Zatko to work for the firm. The suit makes what claims? A number of charges are made against Twitter in the lengthy lawsuit, including that the business gave daily user growth priority above the stability and integrity of the network. According to the complaint, executives tried to cover up problems rather than try to remedy them, either because they were financially rewarded for helping Twitter increase daily users, didn't know any better, or had contributed to the creation of the "broken systems." According to Zatko, he discovered numerous security and privacy issues at the business in 2021 and alerted leadership to them. The organisation appeared to have a high number of security issues, some employees had blocked security and software updates on their devices, and personnel had excessive access to sensitive information. "Mudge identified there were several exposures and vulnerabilities at the scale of the 2020 incident waiting to be discovered, and reasonably feared Twitter could suffer an Equifax-level hack," the complaint reads. The credit reporting agency Equifax disclosed a significant data breach in 2017 that affected 148 million Americans. Zatko claims that instead of receiving support to address these concerns, he instead encountered "strong resistance," particularly from Parag Agrawal, who is now the CEO of Twitter. Agrawal was Twitter's Chief Technology Officer before he got promoted and the complaint notes that "Twitter's problems had developed under Agrawal's watch." Twitter is charged with violating an 11-year-old deal with the FTC by making misleading claims that it had an extensive security programme, according to the lawsuit. According to Zatko, the corporation had never complied with the FTC order and wasn't on course to do so, and his results were worse than what Dorsey had anticipated. According to CNET, the complaint claims that Twitter misled the FTC about properly erasing the data of users who leave the site and lied to Musk about the quantity of spam bots on its network. Threats to national security and democracy are also listed by Zatko. According to the complaint, some of these dangers include Twitter becoming more reliant on revenue from Chinese companies and the Indian government pressuring the firm to hire government agents. Twitter's response? According to Twitter, Zatko was sacked because of his "poor performance and weak leadership," and the firm places a high priority on security and privacy. "What we've seen so far is a false narrative about Twitter and our privacy and data security practices that is riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies and lacks important context," Twitter spokeswoman Rebecca Hahn told The Post. "Mr. Zatko's allegations and opportunistic timing appear designed to capture attention and inflict harm on Twitter, its customers and its shareholders." How are American legislators and regulators reacting? US lawmakers are already looking into the complaint. Democratic senator from Connecticut Richard Blumenthal encouraged FTC Chair Lina Khan to look into Twitter. In a letter to Khan, Blumenthal stated that "these disturbing revelations paint a picture of a company that has consistently and repeatedly prioritised profits over the safety of its users and its responsibility to the public." Twitter executives, Blumenthal claimed, "appeared to ignore or hinder efforts to address threats to user security and privacy." Will the complaint have a bearing on the Musk-Twitter tiff? It is feasible. According to the complaint, Zatko began compiling Twitter fraud evidence in January, before Musk made an acquisition approach. According to The Washington Post, which cited unidentified people with knowledge of the situation and legal professionals, Musk's legal team is anticipated to use the complaint to make the case for "wider discovery into Twitter's internal operations and data." This could support Musk's claim that he was given false information by the business, which caused him to overpay for Twitter. Before media outlets covered the whistleblower lawsuit, Musk's attorneys reportedly apparently planned a deposition with Zatko, and his attorney Alex Spiro informed CNN that the legal team had already subpoenaed Zatko. Twitter has come under fire from Musk for allegedly exaggerating the number of phoney or spam accounts using its platforms. According to the complaint, Musk is right when he claims that Twitter executives have little to no personal interest to effectively detect or monitor spam bots because they are worried about how it will affect the company's reputation and price. Musk tweeted a meme with the message "Give a little whistle" on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/KsWiazActx — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 23, 2022 × Indian angle in this saga According to the explosive whistleblower complaint, the Indian government pressured the social media company to hire a person who was a "government agent" and probably had access to private user information as part of their duties. An excerpt from the whistleblower complaint filed with the SEC. Photo credits: The Washington Post The former Twitter security head claims that the Indian government tried "with different success" to get Twitter to hire local full-time workers who "might be used as leverage" in another part titled "Squeezing Local Staff". “The threat of harm to Twitter employees was sufficient to cause Twitter to seriously consider complying with foreign government requests that Twitter would otherwise fundamentally oppose,” the complaint reads. (With inputs from agencies) Also WATCH | India: Are electric vehicles safe? | Tech It Out

Twitter accused of neglecting security problems: Everything you need to know

A look now at some cyber security threats that are impacting the digital landscape. Hackers are using sophisticated techniques to dupe people on popular apps like Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, we now get you three of the most common scams on these applications.

Tech Talk | Watch out for scams on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook

India has reported more than 670,000 cyber security cases until June of this year, Union minister of state, home affairs, Ajay Kumar Mishra said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday (July 19). Sharing additional details, Mishra said that from 2019 until last month, India has reported more than three million such cases. The information was reported to and monitored by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in), he added.

In a written reply to a query in the Lok Sabha, Mishra said “...a total of 394,499, 1,158,208, 1,402,809 and 674,021 cyber security incidents were observed in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 (up to June), respectively,” Hindustan Times reported.

According to Mishra, the government has taken numerous steps to strengthen cyber security and prevent cyber attacks, including regularly issuing several alerts and advisories regarding the recent ongoing cyber threats and security flaws and providing security measures to safeguard computers and networks.

Alsoread |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/commerce-ministry-permits-maximum-one-year-work-from-home-in-sezs-499045">Commerce Ministry permits maximum one year work from home in SEZs</a>

<o:p></o:p>

In order to proactively gather, analyse and share tailored alerts with organisations across different sectors for them to take proactive threat mitigation activities, Mishra said that the government operates an automated cyber threat exchange platform. 
Mishra further said that the government has established guidelines for Chief Information Security Officers detailing their primary tasks and responsibilities for safeguarding apps and infrastructure.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/sidhu-moose-wala-murder-case-encounter-breaks-out-between-punjab-police-and-shooters-499118">Also read | Sidhu Moose Wala murder case: Encounter breaks out between Punjab Police and shooters</a>

Prior to hosting, all government websites and applications are evaluated for cyber security; and continuous audits are carried out on the websites after their hosting, PTI reported. 
 
Mishra said 97 security auditing organisations have been appointed by the government to support and check the applications for information and best security practices.

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India has reported more than 670,000 cyber security cases until June of this year, Union minister of state, home affairs, Ajay Kumar Mishra said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday (July 19).

India has reported more than 670,000 cyber security cases until June of this year, Union minister of state, home affairs, Ajay Kumar Mishra said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday (July 19). Sharing additional details, Mishra said that from 2019 until last month, India has reported more than three million such cases. The information was reported to and monitored by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in), he added. In a written reply to a query in the Lok Sabha, Mishra said “...a total of 394,499, 1,158,208, 1,402,809 and 674,021 cyber security incidents were observed in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 (up to June), respectively,” Hindustan Times reported. According to Mishra, the government has taken numerous steps to strengthen cyber security and prevent cyber attacks, including regularly issuing several alerts and advisories regarding the recent ongoing cyber threats and security flaws and providing security measures to safeguard computers and networks. Alsoread | Commerce Ministry permits maximum one year work from home in SEZs In order to proactively gather, analyse and share tailored alerts with organisations across different sectors for them to take proactive threat mitigation activities, Mishra said that the government operates an automated cyber threat exchange platform. Mishra further said that the government has established guidelines for Chief Information Security Officers detailing their primary tasks and responsibilities for safeguarding apps and infrastructure. Also read | Sidhu Moose Wala murder case: Encounter breaks out between Punjab Police and shooters Prior to hosting, all government websites and applications are evaluated for cyber security; and continuous audits are carried out on the websites after their hosting, PTI reported. Mishra said 97 security auditing organisations have been appointed by the government to support and check the applications for information and best security practices. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

India reports more than 670K cyber security cases until June

As Russian missiles rain on Ukraine, there’s another battle brewing — in the cybersphere. Destructive malware has flooded hundreds of Ukrainian websites and computers since Vladimir Putin announced his invasion. It would be a mistake to assume such attacks will remain limited to Ukrainian targets.

Last week President Biden warned Mr. Putin against Russian cyberattacks on United States critical infrastructure. But American businesses aren’t ready for a war in cyberspace. Although Mr. Biden designated the Department of Homeland Security to lead what he vowed would be a forceful response to any such aggression, this isn’t enough. The D.H.S. doesn’t have the legal authority to order the private sector to follow its lead. More broadly, the federal government, even if warned by companies like Microsoft of incoming cyberattacks, doesn’t have the necessary infrastructure in place to protect American businesses from many of these attacks.

That the United States has to resort to threats of retaliation is itself a problem. America should already be cyberattack-proof, but coordinating these efforts across the country has been an uphill battle.

As the former general counsel of the National Security Agency, I witnessed daily the scope and sophistication of such maliciousness from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. All of them leverage the various sectors of power at their disposal — including commercial and state-owned enterprises as well as spy agencies — to come out against US&nbsp;businesses and citizens in full force.

Yet the United States lacks an organized response. The weekly reports of ransomware attacks and data breaches make it clear that we’re losing this battle. That’s why America’s leaders must rethink the current cyberdefense system and rally around a centralized regulator to defend both citizens and the private sector against current and future attacks.

The decentralized nature of the American government does not lend itself to fighting foreign cyberthreats. Government agencies handle cyberregulation and threats in the sectors they oversee — an inefficient and ineffective way to address an issue that cuts across our entire economy. In just the past few months, the D.H.S.’s Transportation Security Agency announced new cybersecurity requirements for pipelines and railroads; the Federal Communications Commission put out its own proposal for telecommunication companies; the Securities and Exchange Commission voted on rules for investment advisers and funds; and the Federal Trade Commission threatened to legally pursue companies that fail to fix a newly detected software vulnerability found in many business applications. And on Capitol Hill, there are approximately 80 committees and subcommittees that claim jurisdiction over various aspects of cyberregulation.

These scattered efforts are unlikely to reduce, let alone stop, cybercrime.

Echoing a number of expert studies, our first national cyber director says that the United States needs a fresh approach that “meaningfully alters the relationship between public and private sectors.” But social and bureaucratic inertia, industry resistance and partisan divisions have stood in the way of centralizing cyberdefense efforts and regulations. At a recent congressional hearing, several industry representatives and Republican members of Congress objected to stricter requirements for notification of breaches. It’s time to move past partisanship and standard objections to regulation.

From a private-sector perspective, the case for a centralized effort makes sense as well. Almost every industry runs its computers on one of three operating systems: Windows, macOS and Linux. In many cases, they also use the same business software — a defense contractor’s payroll system isn’t much different from a pharmacy’s. That means vulnerabilities are similar across industries, and will therefore require similar solutions. A centralized government response center, then, makes sense. Getting information about hacks and vulnerabilities flowing quickly and effectively between the government and the private sector — as a central agency would — is essential to stopping cyberattacks before they spread too far. And such an agency would help standardize security products and services, which in turn would reduce the overall burden on businesses by lowering costs.

The overarching goal for a central cyberregulator would be to have standards uniformly applied, yet specifically tailored where necessary to the needs of a particular sector. I’m not envisioning a rigid one-size-fits-all policy, but it should be possible to design cross-industry regulation effective enough to safeguard the public without crimping innovation.

A number of other industrialized democracies are already adopting a centralized approach: With its recent Network and Information Security Directive, the European Union is now proposing uniform cybersecurity standards across industries and its 27 member nations. True, Americans tend to be more wary of regulation than Europeans are. But some of America’s closest allies — Britain, Canada and Australia — have also moved to consolidate their cybersecurity functions into one agency that works with the private sector, while retaining specialized functions for intelligence collection and law enforcement.

These moves shouldn’t be dismissed. While it is too early to fully assess the success of these new consolidating measures, the United States is clearly behind the curve: Britain has just adopted its second multiyear national cyberstrategy, while the United States struggles to come up with its first.

Blueprints already exist that could guide the creation of a central cyberregulator. The S.E.C. worked with investment banks and stock exchanges in its early years to fashion an entirely new disclosure framework for public companies in every industry. As a result, a public company’s prompt disclosure of market-moving news (good or bad) is now taken for granted — just as insider trading and covering up corporate developments were routine practices in the days before the securities laws.

Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency and its federal partners urged the nation’s 52,000 private and municipal water supply systems to bolster defenses against a potential Russian cyberattack that could disrupt or contaminate our drinking water. A central regulator would greatly simplify this process. It could ensure that the managers of each water system were fully aware of the critical details of a possible Russian attack. It could immediately disseminate critical information regarding the attack. And it could educate potential victims on how to minimize the spread of the attack.

None of this will be easy or put in place quickly. The Cyberspace Solarium Commission, established in 2019 to develop a bipartisan consensus on a strategic approach to defending the United States in cyberspace, recently reported that even some of its less extensive recommendations might require a “future emergency” to “create the political impetus needed to overcome existing barriers.”

Russia’s war on Ukraine might be that “future emergency.” If we don’t want to have to worry about Russian hackers contaminating our drinking water every time we turn on the faucet, now is the time to rethink our approach.

As Russian missiles rain on Ukraine, there’s another battle brewing — in the cybersphere. Destructive malware has flooded hundreds of Ukrainian websites and computers since Vladimir Putin announced his invasion.

As Russian missiles rain on Ukraine, there’s another battle brewing — in the cybersphere. Destructive malware has flooded hundreds of Ukrainian websites and computers since Vladimir Putin announced his invasion. It would be a mistake to assume such attacks will remain limited to Ukrainian targets. Last week President Biden warned Mr. Putin against Russian cyberattacks on United States critical infrastructure. But American businesses aren’t ready for a war in cyberspace. Although Mr. Biden designated the Department of Homeland Security to lead what he vowed would be a forceful response to any such aggression, this isn’t enough. The D.H.S. doesn’t have the legal authority to order the private sector to follow its lead. More broadly, the federal government, even if warned by companies like Microsoft of incoming cyberattacks, doesn’t have the necessary infrastructure in place to protect American businesses from many of these attacks. That the United States has to resort to threats of retaliation is itself a problem. America should already be cyberattack-proof, but coordinating these efforts across the country has been an uphill battle. As the former general counsel of the National Security Agency, I witnessed daily the scope and sophistication of such maliciousness from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. All of them leverage the various sectors of power at their disposal — including commercial and state-owned enterprises as well as spy agencies — to come out against US businesses and citizens in full force. Yet the United States lacks an organized response. The weekly reports of ransomware attacks and data breaches make it clear that we’re losing this battle. That’s why America’s leaders must rethink the current cyberdefense system and rally around a centralized regulator to defend both citizens and the private sector against current and future attacks. The decentralized nature of the American government does not lend itself to fighting foreign cyberthreats. Government agencies handle cyberregulation and threats in the sectors they oversee — an inefficient and ineffective way to address an issue that cuts across our entire economy. In just the past few months, the D.H.S.’s Transportation Security Agency announced new cybersecurity requirements for pipelines and railroads; the Federal Communications Commission put out its own proposal for telecommunication companies; the Securities and Exchange Commission voted on rules for investment advisers and funds; and the Federal Trade Commission threatened to legally pursue companies that fail to fix a newly detected software vulnerability found in many business applications. And on Capitol Hill, there are approximately 80 committees and subcommittees that claim jurisdiction over various aspects of cyberregulation. These scattered efforts are unlikely to reduce, let alone stop, cybercrime. Echoing a number of expert studies, our first national cyber director says that the United States needs a fresh approach that “meaningfully alters the relationship between public and private sectors.” But social and bureaucratic inertia, industry resistance and partisan divisions have stood in the way of centralizing cyberdefense efforts and regulations. At a recent congressional hearing, several industry representatives and Republican members of Congress objected to stricter requirements for notification of breaches. It’s time to move past partisanship and standard objections to regulation. From a private-sector perspective, the case for a centralized effort makes sense as well. Almost every industry runs its computers on one of three operating systems: Windows, macOS and Linux. In many cases, they also use the same business software — a defense contractor’s payroll system isn’t much different from a pharmacy’s. That means vulnerabilities are similar across industries, and will therefore require similar solutions. A centralized government response center, then, makes sense. Getting information about hacks and vulnerabilities flowing quickly and effectively between the government and the private sector — as a central agency would — is essential to stopping cyberattacks before they spread too far. And such an agency would help standardize security products and services, which in turn would reduce the overall burden on businesses by lowering costs. The overarching goal for a central cyberregulator would be to have standards uniformly applied, yet specifically tailored where necessary to the needs of a particular sector. I’m not envisioning a rigid one-size-fits-all policy, but it should be possible to design cross-industry regulation effective enough to safeguard the public without crimping innovation. A number of other industrialized democracies are already adopting a centralized approach: With its recent Network and Information Security Directive, the European Union is now proposing uniform cybersecurity standards across industries and its 27 member nations. True, Americans tend to be more wary of regulation than Europeans are. But some of America’s closest allies — Britain, Canada and Australia — have also moved to consolidate their cybersecurity functions into one agency that works with the private sector, while retaining specialized functions for intelligence collection and law enforcement. These moves shouldn’t be dismissed. While it is too early to fully assess the success of these new consolidating measures, the United States is clearly behind the curve: Britain has just adopted its second multiyear national cyberstrategy, while the United States struggles to come up with its first. Blueprints already exist that could guide the creation of a central cyberregulator. The S.E.C. worked with investment banks and stock exchanges in its early years to fashion an entirely new disclosure framework for public companies in every industry. As a result, a public company’s prompt disclosure of market-moving news (good or bad) is now taken for granted — just as insider trading and covering up corporate developments were routine practices in the days before the securities laws. Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency and its federal partners urged the nation’s 52,000 private and municipal water supply systems to bolster defenses against a potential Russian cyberattack that could disrupt or contaminate our drinking water. A central regulator would greatly simplify this process. It could ensure that the managers of each water system were fully aware of the critical details of a possible Russian attack. It could immediately disseminate critical information regarding the attack. And it could educate potential victims on how to minimize the spread of the attack. None of this will be easy or put in place quickly. The Cyberspace Solarium Commission, established in 2019 to develop a bipartisan consensus on a strategic approach to defending the United States in cyberspace, recently reported that even some of its less extensive recommendations might require a “future emergency” to “create the political impetus needed to overcome existing barriers.” Russia’s war on Ukraine might be that “future emergency.” If we don’t want to have to worry about Russian hackers contaminating our drinking water every time we turn on the faucet, now is the time to rethink our approach.

I’ve dealt with foreign cyberattacks. America isn’t ready for what’s coming

In a shocking reveal, a Taiwanese minister told the Taiwanese parliament that government agencies faced around five million cyber attacks a day. The minister's statement came after a report warned of increasing Chinese warfare targetting Taiwan.

Taiwanese officials have said earlier that the island faces millions cyber attacks every month. They have said that around half of these attacks are believed to have originated from China.

Speaking in parliament, cyber security department director Chien Hung-wei said Taiwan's government network faces "five million attacks and scans a day".&nbsp;

In the field of cyber security, a scan refers to an attempt to locate weakness in a server.

"We are strengthening the government's defensive measures and collecting relevant data for analysis in a bid to stop the attacks when they are initiated," Chien told lawmakers.

Taiwan accuses that China ramped up its cyber warfare against the island nation post 2016 when Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen as its president. Tsai Ing-wen views Taiwan as an independent nation.

Beijing views democratic Taiwan as part of its own territory and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if necessary.

In a report released on Tuesday, Taiwan's defence ministry warned that China has been "vigorously enhancing" its cyber warfare capabilities as part of the strategy to bring the island to heel.

The ministry's information security and protection centre detected and handled around 1.4 billion "anomalies" from 2019 to August 2021 to prevent potential hacking, according to the report.

In July, Taiwan's police launched an investigation after the Line messaging app reported abnormal account activities to the authorities.&nbsp;

Local media said the hacked accounts belonged to "high ranking officials" in various government branches.

Last year, Taiwanese authorities said Chinese hackers infiltrated at least 10 Taiwan government agencies and gained access to around 6,000 email accounts in an attempt to steal data.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

In a shocking reveal, a Taiwanese minister told the Taiwanese parliament that government agencies faced around five million cyber attacks a day. The minister's statement came after a report warned of increasing Chinese warfare targetting Taiwan.

In a shocking reveal, a Taiwanese minister told the Taiwanese parliament that government agencies faced around five million cyber attacks a day. The minister's statement came after a report warned of increasing Chinese warfare targetting Taiwan. Taiwanese officials have said earlier that the island faces millions cyber attacks every month. They have said that around half of these attacks are believed to have originated from China. Speaking in parliament, cyber security department director Chien Hung-wei said Taiwan's government network faces "five million attacks and scans a day". In the field of cyber security, a scan refers to an attempt to locate weakness in a server. "We are strengthening the government's defensive measures and collecting relevant data for analysis in a bid to stop the attacks when they are initiated," Chien told lawmakers. Taiwan accuses that China ramped up its cyber warfare against the island nation post 2016 when Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen as its president. Tsai Ing-wen views Taiwan as an independent nation. Beijing views democratic Taiwan as part of its own territory and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if necessary. In a report released on Tuesday, Taiwan's defence ministry warned that China has been "vigorously enhancing" its cyber warfare capabilities as part of the strategy to bring the island to heel. The ministry's information security and protection centre detected and handled around 1.4 billion "anomalies" from 2019 to August 2021 to prevent potential hacking, according to the report. In July, Taiwan's police launched an investigation after the Line messaging app reported abnormal account activities to the authorities. Local media said the hacked accounts belonged to "high ranking officials" in various government branches. Last year, Taiwanese authorities said Chinese hackers infiltrated at least 10 Taiwan government agencies and gained access to around 6,000 email accounts in an attempt to steal data. (With inputs from agencies)

Official says Taiwan government faces 5 million cyber attacks daily

All of us are familiar with the dangers of the digital world. So, we spoke to two leading cyber security experts, and they've given us internet safety rules that everyone can follow. Watch the video to know more details.

Cyber security: Tips on how to stay safe online

The Covid certificate of Indonesia’s President was leaked online, highlighting the poor state of cybersecurity in the country.

Owing to a poor literacy rate, classified documents have been leaked in the past too. This time, Joko Widodo’s leaked vaccine certificate, has raised alarms. His certificate was leaked online as it showed his censored ID number and the date and time when he got vaccinated.

This data was accessed by hackers through the official vaccine monitoring app called PeduliLindungi, government reported.

“Certain people have accessed the vaccine certificate of Mr. Joko Widodo by using a vaccine check feature available in Pedulilindungi,” a statement from the government read.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-can-long-covid-be-linked-to-dementia-410574">WATCH |</a>

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As the locals looked at the Communication and Information Ministry for explanation, the ministry shifted the blame to General Commission of Elections as they claimed the data was accessed via their website.

This incident has highlighted the failure of the government in keeping sensitive documents and information safe. This has happened a few days after encryption provider vpnMentor reported that data of more than 1.3 million users of government’s test-and-trace app has been hacked. This also informed personal information and Covid test results of several passengers.

"Data breaches happen more frequently in Indonesia because of the very high digital penetration in Indonesia which unfortunately is not followed by proper digital awareness from those who are managing the data," cyber-security analyst Alfons Tanujaya in Jakarta tol news agency AFP.

The Covid certificate of Indonesia’s President was leaked online, highlighting the poor state of cybersecurity in the country. Owing to a poor literacy rate, classified documents have been leaked in the past too.

The Covid certificate of Indonesia’s President was leaked online, highlighting the poor state of cybersecurity in the country. Owing to a poor literacy rate, classified documents have been leaked in the past too. This time, Joko Widodo’s leaked vaccine certificate, has raised alarms. His certificate was leaked online as it showed his censored ID number and the date and time when he got vaccinated. This data was accessed by hackers through the official vaccine monitoring app called PeduliLindungi, government reported. “Certain people have accessed the vaccine certificate of Mr. Joko Widodo by using a vaccine check feature available in Pedulilindungi,” a statement from the government read. WATCH | As the locals looked at the Communication and Information Ministry for explanation, the ministry shifted the blame to General Commission of Elections as they claimed the data was accessed via their website. This incident has highlighted the failure of the government in keeping sensitive documents and information safe. This has happened a few days after encryption provider vpnMentor reported that data of more than 1.3 million users of government’s test-and-trace app has been hacked. This also informed personal information and Covid test results of several passengers. "Data breaches happen more frequently in Indonesia because of the very high digital penetration in Indonesia which unfortunately is not followed by proper digital awareness from those who are managing the data," cyber-security analyst Alfons Tanujaya in Jakarta tol news agency AFP.

Lack of cybersecurity: Indonesian President's vaccine certificate leaked online

According to reports, the US state department was recently hit by a cyber attack, and notifications of a possible serious breach were made by the department of defence cyber command.

Report: US State Department hit by cyber attack, possible breach notified

As cyberattacks proliferated this year, Sanjay Beri, CEO of Netskope, a cloud security startup, got a phone call. Then an email. Then more messages.

All were from venture capitalists who wanted to invest in his company. Given the ransomware attacks and nation-state hacks that were making headlines, they told him, companies that made security products had a bigger market and mission than before.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/how-have-cyber-attacks-become-strategy-for-hybrid-warfare-399782">How have cyber attacks become strategy for hybrid warfare?</a>

“We weren’t looking for capital,” said Beri, who founded Netskope in 2012, but the cyberattacks “definitely increased their interest.”

After bids from seven investors, Netskope raised $300 million this month at a valuation of $7.5 billion, up from a $2.8 billion valuation last year. It was one of the year’s largest cybersecurity funding rounds, but not the maximum that Netskope could have attained.

“We could have raised $1 billion in capital,” Beri said.

Recent cyberattacks around the world have taken down operations at gasoline pipelines, hospitals and grocery chains and potentially compromised some intelligence agencies. But they have been a bonanza for one group: cybersecurity startups.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/white-house-weighs-new-cybersecurity-approach-after-failure-to-detect-hacks-370603">White House weighs new cybersecurity approach after failure to detect hacks</a>

Investors have poured more than $12.2 billion into startups that sell products and services such as cloud security, identify verification and privacy protection so far this year. That exceeds the $10.4 billion that cybersecurity companies raised in all of 2020 and is more than double the $4.8 billion raised in 2016, according to the research firm PitchBook, which tracks funding. Since 2019, the rise in cybersecurity funding has outpaced the increase in overall venture funding.

The surge follows a slew of high-profile ransomware attacks, including against Colonial Pipeline, software maker Kaseya and meat processor JBS. When President Joe Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, cyberattacks perpetrated by Russians were high on the diplomatic agenda. This month, the Biden administration and its allies also formally accused China of conducting hacks.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-allies-condemn-china-for-malicious-cyber-activity-399125/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe>

The breaches have fueled concerns among companies and governments, leading to increased spending on security products. Worldwide spending on information security and related services is expected to reach $150 billion this year, up 12 per cent from a year ago, according to the research company Gartner.

“Before we got to this point, we as security teams were having to go and fight for every penny we could get, and now it’s the exact opposite,” said John Turner, an information security manager at LendingTree, an online lending marketplace. Executives, he said, are asking: “Are we protected? What do you need?”

All of this is set to drive business for cybersecurity companies, creating a potential windfall that has excited investors. The average valuation of cybersecurity companies raising funds this year has more than doubled to $524.1 million from $221.8 million in 2020, according to PitchBook.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/biden-if-us-has-real-shooting-war-it-could-be-result-of-cyber-attacks-401055">Biden: If US has 'real shooting war' it could be result of cyber attacks</a>

“In close to two decades as a VC, I’ve never seen valuations so escalated,” said Asheem Chandna, a venture capitalist at Greylock Partners, who has invested in security companies such as Palo Alto Networks.

The money is flooding into startups that are tackling hackers in new ways. Traditionally, security systems at companies relied on the idea of securing a perimeter. That meant companies installed firewalls and other software to protect access to their corporate network.

But over the past several years, a shift to cloud computing has rendered the perimeter and the reliance on corporate networks obsolete. Employees now get access to applications over the internet, rather than through a data center operated by their employer. That has opened the door to startups that focus on cloud-based security and identity verification.

“Don’t build higher fences — have really good ID cards,” said Jason Crabtree, CEO of Qomplx, a risk-analytics startup that provides identity-verification software and is in the process of going public.

The funding frenzy has built for months. The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">pandemic</a> provided momentum when companies shifted to remote work, which required securing those remote-access systems, investors and executives said.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/cyber-attack-disrupts-major-south-african-port-operations-401656/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

n a Friday evening in October, Chandna introduced the CEO of Abnormal Security, an email-security company in which he had invested, to another investor, he said. That investor, Venky Ganesan of Menlo Ventures, who had been pursuing a meeting with the CEO, Evan Reiser, for months, immediately emailed Reiser to invite him to dinner that night.

Reiser drove, he said, from San Francisco to Ganesan’s home in Atherton, California, about 30 miles away. By the end of the weekend, Abnormal had signed a deal to raise $50 million at a $600 million valuation, putting its total funding at $74 million. Menlo’s $40 million check was the firm’s largest investment ever.

“As shotgun weddings go, it’s as shotgun as you can get,” Ganesan said.

Since then, the ransomware attacks have given the funding wave a further boost.

In January, Lacework, a cloud security startup in San Jose, California, garnered $525 million in funding. Investors reached out because of Lacework’s products, which use artificial intelligence to identify threats, said Andy Byron, the company’s chief resource officer. In total, Lacework has raised $625 million since it was founded in 2015.

Mike Speiser, a venture capitalist at Sutter Hill Ventures, which led Lacework’s January financing, had no problem getting other investors to participate, he said.

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I called the five people that I thought were the best investors and asked them if they were interested. They were all interested, and within 48 hours we had a deal,” Speiser said. “One hundred percent of the people I called said they wanted in. We could have raised well over $1 billion.”

Business has boomed for Lacework because of “the combination of all of these ransomware and nation-state attacks, together with people moving to the cloud so aggressively,” said David Hatfield, who joined the startup in February as CEO.

Other security startups have also benefited. Orca, a cloud-security startup, raised $210 million in March. Trulioo, a company that makes sure users are who they say they are when they join a platform, collected $394 million last month.

Security startups are also being acquired for large sums or are going public. Last month, SentinelOne went public with a market capitalization of over $10 billion, the highest-valued cybersecurity public offering. In May, Auth0, an identity-verification company, was bought by Okta, another security company, for $6.5 billion.

Netskope's Beri said that with cybersecurity threats mounting, the funding boom was likely to continue.

“Many investors are not security savvy,” he said. “But when your next-door neighbors go, ‘Hey, what’s up with this ransomware stuff,’ then you know that it’s reached public consciousness. From an investor’s perspective, when something hits the average person’s mind, they realize: ‘Wow. This is here to stay.’”

As cyberattacks proliferated this year, Sanjay Beri, CEO of Netskope, a cloud security startup, got a phone call. Then an email. Then more messages. All were from venture capitalists who wanted to invest in his company.

As cyberattacks proliferated this year, Sanjay Beri, CEO of Netskope, a cloud security startup, got a phone call. Then an email. Then more messages. All were from venture capitalists who wanted to invest in his company. Given the ransomware attacks and nation-state hacks that were making headlines, they told him, companies that made security products had a bigger market and mission than before. Also read | How have cyber attacks become strategy for hybrid warfare? “We weren’t looking for capital,” said Beri, who founded Netskope in 2012, but the cyberattacks “definitely increased their interest.” After bids from seven investors, Netskope raised $300 million this month at a valuation of $7.5 billion, up from a $2.8 billion valuation last year. It was one of the year’s largest cybersecurity funding rounds, but not the maximum that Netskope could have attained. “We could have raised $1 billion in capital,” Beri said. Recent cyberattacks around the world have taken down operations at gasoline pipelines, hospitals and grocery chains and potentially compromised some intelligence agencies. But they have been a bonanza for one group: cybersecurity startups. Also read | White House weighs new cybersecurity approach after failure to detect hacks Investors have poured more than $12.2 billion into startups that sell products and services such as cloud security, identify verification and privacy protection so far this year. That exceeds the $10.4 billion that cybersecurity companies raised in all of 2020 and is more than double the $4.8 billion raised in 2016, according to the research firm PitchBook, which tracks funding. Since 2019, the rise in cybersecurity funding has outpaced the increase in overall venture funding. The surge follows a slew of high-profile ransomware attacks, including against Colonial Pipeline, software maker Kaseya and meat processor JBS. When President Joe Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, cyberattacks perpetrated by Russians were high on the diplomatic agenda. This month, the Biden administration and its allies also formally accused China of conducting hacks. The breaches have fueled concerns among companies and governments, leading to increased spending on security products. Worldwide spending on information security and related services is expected to reach $150 billion this year, up 12 per cent from a year ago, according to the research company Gartner. “Before we got to this point, we as security teams were having to go and fight for every penny we could get, and now it’s the exact opposite,” said John Turner, an information security manager at LendingTree, an online lending marketplace. Executives, he said, are asking: “Are we protected? What do you need?” All of this is set to drive business for cybersecurity companies, creating a potential windfall that has excited investors. The average valuation of cybersecurity companies raising funds this year has more than doubled to $524.1 million from $221.8 million in 2020, according to PitchBook. Also read | Biden: If US has 'real shooting war' it could be result of cyber attacks “In close to two decades as a VC, I’ve never seen valuations so escalated,” said Asheem Chandna, a venture capitalist at Greylock Partners, who has invested in security companies such as Palo Alto Networks. The money is flooding into startups that are tackling hackers in new ways. Traditionally, security systems at companies relied on the idea of securing a perimeter. That meant companies installed firewalls and other software to protect access to their corporate network. But over the past several years, a shift to cloud computing has rendered the perimeter and the reliance on corporate networks obsolete. Employees now get access to applications over the internet, rather than through a data center operated by their employer. That has opened the door to startups that focus on cloud-based security and identity verification. “Don’t build higher fences — have really good ID cards,” said Jason Crabtree, CEO of Qomplx, a risk-analytics startup that provides identity-verification software and is in the process of going public. The funding frenzy has built for months. The pandemic provided momentum when companies shifted to remote work, which required securing those remote-access systems, investors and executives said. n a Friday evening in October, Chandna introduced the CEO of Abnormal Security, an email-security company in which he had invested, to another investor, he said. That investor, Venky Ganesan of Menlo Ventures, who had been pursuing a meeting with the CEO, Evan Reiser, for months, immediately emailed Reiser to invite him to dinner that night. Reiser drove, he said, from San Francisco to Ganesan’s home in Atherton, California, about 30 miles away. By the end of the weekend, Abnormal had signed a deal to raise $50 million at a $600 million valuation, putting its total funding at $74 million. Menlo’s $40 million check was the firm’s largest investment ever. “As shotgun weddings go, it’s as shotgun as you can get,” Ganesan said. Since then, the ransomware attacks have given the funding wave a further boost. In January, Lacework, a cloud security startup in San Jose, California, garnered $525 million in funding. Investors reached out because of Lacework’s products, which use artificial intelligence to identify threats, said Andy Byron, the company’s chief resource officer. In total, Lacework has raised $625 million since it was founded in 2015. Mike Speiser, a venture capitalist at Sutter Hill Ventures, which led Lacework’s January financing, had no problem getting other investors to participate, he said. I called the five people that I thought were the best investors and asked them if they were interested. They were all interested, and within 48 hours we had a deal,” Speiser said. “One hundred percent of the people I called said they wanted in. We could have raised well over $1 billion.” Business has boomed for Lacework because of “the combination of all of these ransomware and nation-state attacks, together with people moving to the cloud so aggressively,” said David Hatfield, who joined the startup in February as CEO. Other security startups have also benefited. Orca, a cloud-security startup, raised $210 million in March. Trulioo, a company that makes sure users are who they say they are when they join a platform, collected $394 million last month. Security startups are also being acquired for large sums or are going public. Last month, SentinelOne went public with a market capitalization of over $10 billion, the highest-valued cybersecurity public offering. In May, Auth0, an identity-verification company, was bought by Okta, another security company, for $6.5 billion. Netskope's Beri said that with cybersecurity threats mounting, the funding boom was likely to continue. “Many investors are not security savvy,” he said. “But when your next-door neighbors go, ‘Hey, what’s up with this ransomware stuff,’ then you know that it’s reached public consciousness. From an investor’s perspective, when something hits the average person’s mind, they realize: ‘Wow. This is here to stay.’”

As cyberattacks surge, security startups reap the rewards

India is planning a digital firewall against China. It has stopped short of banning Chinese telecom equipment. However, now, a new policy is in the works that would make it harder for Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE to do business in India.

India's department of telecommunications has made a few amendments and the licensing conditions have been changed. Now, Indian telecom companies will have to consider "defence and national security" before buying equipment. They will be required to source from "trusted telecom equipment sources" which can loosely be translated to suppliers India can trust.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/microsoft-email-hack-how-does-the-attack-work-what-microsoft-is-doing-369772">WATCH |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/microsoft-email-hack-how-does-the-attack-work-what-microsoft-is-doing-369772/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

This classification is the result of last year's activities in India's cabinet committee on security — the final decision-making body on national security — which had issued a new directive. It called for telecom products to be classified under two categories, namely "trusted" and "non-trusted".

Now, the new rules kick in from June 15 and once that happens, the telecom companies will not be able to use any products that are labelled "non-trusted". Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE will feel the pinch as no one will be able to use their gear if they are labelled "non-trusted".

Huawei and ZTE have been accused of installing back-doors in their technology. These are vulnerabilities that might leave doors open for hackers to exploit.

India's biggest telecom operators, including state-run telecom companies, have equipment from Chinese vendors.

Curbs on Chinese technology is now becoming a necessity, especially after it emerged that Chinese hackers tried to target critical infrastructure in India using malware last year, at the peak of the border standoff in Ladakh. Chinese hackers were linked to last year's blackout in Mumbai which had brought the entire city to a standstill.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-has-india-banned-huawei-and-zte-369805">WATCH |</a>

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-has-india-banned-huawei-and-zte-369805/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe>

Reportedly, India is now planning to strengthen its cybersecurity with a new national strategy. Under this, digitally connected government systems and India's nuclear&nbsp;power and aviation infrastructure will be secured.

Chinese hackers are becoming the next big national security threat. Just this week, we learnt about the hack at Microsoft where at least 30,000 American organisations, including local governments, were hacked.

According to a report, this is a Chinese cyber espionage campaign in which flaws within Microsoft's exchange software were exploited. A cybersecurity news website claimed that emails were stolen and computers were infected with tools that let attackers take control of systems remotely.

"We don't have rules of engagement in cyberspace. Modern nations don't have rules they're playing by, and what I just saw was china doing something they don't normally do. So that means they're expanding, they're implementing what they are thinking is permissible. So we're going to have to define rules," said Kevin Mandia, CEO and Director or FireEye. "We don't have rules of engagement in cyberspace".

India is planning a digital firewall against China. It has stopped short of banning Chinese telecom equipment. However, now, a new policy is in the works that would make it harder for Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE to do business in India.

India is planning a digital firewall against China. It has stopped short of banning Chinese telecom equipment. However, now, a new policy is in the works that would make it harder for Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE to do business in India. India's department of telecommunications has made a few amendments and the licensing conditions have been changed. Now, Indian telecom companies will have to consider "defence and national security" before buying equipment. They will be required to source from "trusted telecom equipment sources" which can loosely be translated to suppliers India can trust. WATCH | This classification is the result of last year's activities in India's cabinet committee on security — the final decision-making body on national security — which had issued a new directive. It called for telecom products to be classified under two categories, namely "trusted" and "non-trusted". Now, the new rules kick in from June 15 and once that happens, the telecom companies will not be able to use any products that are labelled "non-trusted". Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE will feel the pinch as no one will be able to use their gear if they are labelled "non-trusted". Huawei and ZTE have been accused of installing back-doors in their technology. These are vulnerabilities that might leave doors open for hackers to exploit. India's biggest telecom operators, including state-run telecom companies, have equipment from Chinese vendors. Curbs on Chinese technology is now becoming a necessity, especially after it emerged that Chinese hackers tried to target critical infrastructure in India using malware last year, at the peak of the border standoff in Ladakh. Chinese hackers were linked to last year's blackout in Mumbai which had brought the entire city to a standstill. WATCH | Reportedly, India is now planning to strengthen its cybersecurity with a new national strategy. Under this, digitally connected government systems and India's nuclear power and aviation infrastructure will be secured. Chinese hackers are becoming the next big national security threat. Just this week, we learnt about the hack at Microsoft where at least 30,000 American organisations, including local governments, were hacked. According to a report, this is a Chinese cyber espionage campaign in which flaws within Microsoft's exchange software were exploited. A cybersecurity news website claimed that emails were stolen and computers were infected with tools that let attackers take control of systems remotely. "We don't have rules of engagement in cyberspace. Modern nations don't have rules they're playing by, and what I just saw was china doing something they don't normally do. So that means they're expanding, they're implementing what they are thinking is permissible. So we're going to have to define rules," said Kevin Mandia, CEO and Director or FireEye. "We don't have rules of engagement in cyberspace".

India plans digital firewall against China as cyber threat increases alarmingly

Top tech executives reveal that the cybersecurity breach that affected about 100 US companies and 9 federal agencies last year was larger and more sophisticated than previously known.

US: Hack affected at least a 100 companies; Top tech executives grilled by Senate

The infamous SolarWinds hack that has been blamed on Russia may have used the help of a massive, disciplined and highly skilled workforce of more than 1,000 software engineers, Microsoft President Brad Smith revealed.

In a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Smith said that other than Russian intelligence, no other organisation in the world has the ability to carry out such a sophisticated hack.

Describing it as "reckless", Smith said this SolarWinds hack acted as a great threat to the world.

Also read|&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/world/with-more-solarwinds-fallout-biden-enlists-his-cybersecurity-team-358590" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/with-more-solarwinds-fallout-biden-enlists-his-cybersecurity-team-358590&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjr2c_0j4LvAhVv7HMBHVsDBIgQFjAIegQIBhAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1-fxCxxeeUlk0_W2BjW9wQ" dir="ltr" href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/with-more-solarwinds-fallout-biden-enlists-his-cybersecurity-team-358590&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjr2c_0j4LvAhVv7HMBHVsDBIgQFjAIegQIBhAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1-fxCxxeeUlk0_W2BjW9wQ" target="_blank">With more&nbsp;SolarWinds&nbsp;fallout, Biden enlists his cybersecurity team</a>

Microsoft was one of the 100 companies that were targetted in this attack, which left 18,000 vulnerable. The tech giant analysed the effort and the kind of work it took to insert the malware into the widely used security software created by SolarWinds.

"We asked ourselves how many engineers do we believe had worked on this collective effort. And the answer we came to was... at least 1,000, very skilled, capable engineers," Smith said. "We haven't seen this kind of sophistication matched with this kind of scale."

Using the metaphor of a burglar breaking into a single apartment, Smith compared a previous Russian hack to this one. The SolarWinds hack was different as this was like a burglar who "manages to turn off the alarm system for every home and every building in the entire city."

"Everybody's safety is put at risk. And that is what we're grappling with here," he added.

Also read|<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-hackers-used-microsoft-vendors-to-breach-customers-investigators-say-352175">&nbsp;Russian hackers used Microsoft vendors to breach customers, investigators say</a>

The hack was discovered by a private security firm, FireEye, in December, after it had already affected several computers around the world. US government agencies such as the National Security Agency, the State Department, Commerce Department and the Treasury were also affected by the hack.

This statement by the Microsoft President has come after a US media house reported that the Biden administration was analysing its options to punish Russia for the cyberattack.&nbsp;

"This isn't the only case of malicious cyber activity of likely Russian origin, either for us or for our allies and partners," said Anne Neuberger, the senior White House cybersecurity advisor.

Even the FireEye chief executive Kevin Mandia had stressed the gravity of this hack in the Senate hearing claiming that it took thousands of hours for his staff to discover the bug.&nbsp;

"This was not the first place you look, this was the last place you look for an insertion," he said.

The infamous SolarWinds hack that has been blamed on Russia may have used the help of a massive, disciplined and highly skilled workforce of more than 1,000 software engineers, Microsoft President Brad Smith revealed.

The infamous SolarWinds hack that has been blamed on Russia may have used the help of a massive, disciplined and highly skilled workforce of more than 1,000 software engineers, Microsoft President Brad Smith revealed. In a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Smith said that other than Russian intelligence, no other organisation in the world has the ability to carry out such a sophisticated hack. Describing it as "reckless", Smith said this SolarWinds hack acted as a great threat to the world. Also read| With more SolarWinds fallout, Biden enlists his cybersecurity team Microsoft was one of the 100 companies that were targetted in this attack, which left 18,000 vulnerable. The tech giant analysed the effort and the kind of work it took to insert the malware into the widely used security software created by SolarWinds. "We asked ourselves how many engineers do we believe had worked on this collective effort. And the answer we came to was... at least 1,000, very skilled, capable engineers," Smith said. "We haven't seen this kind of sophistication matched with this kind of scale." Using the metaphor of a burglar breaking into a single apartment, Smith compared a previous Russian hack to this one. The SolarWinds hack was different as this was like a burglar who "manages to turn off the alarm system for every home and every building in the entire city." "Everybody's safety is put at risk. And that is what we're grappling with here," he added. Also read| Russian hackers used Microsoft vendors to breach customers, investigators say The hack was discovered by a private security firm, FireEye, in December, after it had already affected several computers around the world. US government agencies such as the National Security Agency, the State Department, Commerce Department and the Treasury were also affected by the hack. This statement by the Microsoft President has come after a US media house reported that the Biden administration was analysing its options to punish Russia for the cyberattack. "This isn't the only case of malicious cyber activity of likely Russian origin, either for us or for our allies and partners," said Anne Neuberger, the senior White House cybersecurity advisor. Even the FireEye chief executive Kevin Mandia had stressed the gravity of this hack in the Senate hearing claiming that it took thousands of hours for his staff to discover the bug. "This was not the first place you look, this was the last place you look for an insertion," he said.

SolarWinds hack was work of more than 1,000 engineers: Microsoft

The scientists working at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) need to focus on the next generation needs of the armed forces in cybersecurity, space and artificial intelligence, its Chairman G Satheesh Reddy said on Friday.

In his speech at an event to mark the 60th foundation day of the DRDO, Reddy said academic institutes, research and development (R&amp;D) organisations and the industry need to work together on advanced and futuristic technologies to make India self-reliant in the defence sector.

A press statement issued by the defence ministry said, "In his speech, he (Reddy) called upon DRDO scientists to focus on next-generation needs, including cybersecurity, space and artificial intelligence."

According to the statement, Reddy mentioned that "a number of SMEs and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises)" are being nurtured by the DRDO as these are supplying small components to subsystems for its projects.

He added that at least 30 startups should be supported every year to develop innovative products for the Indian armed forces.

Reddy declared "export" as the theme of DRDO for 2021 and mentioned that many products based on the DRDO's technologies have already been exported by the defence public sector units (DPSUs) and private companies.

He also highlighted the role of the DRDO during the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that its 40 laboratories developed over 100 products on a war footing to combat the virus.

The scientists working at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) need to focus on the next generation needs of the armed forces in cybersecurity, space and artificial intelligence, its Chairman G Satheesh Reddy said on Friday.

The scientists working at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) need to focus on the next generation needs of the armed forces in cybersecurity, space and artificial intelligence, its Chairman G Satheesh Reddy said on Friday. In his speech at an event to mark the 60th foundation day of the DRDO, Reddy said academic institutes, research and development (R&D) organisations and the industry need to work together on advanced and futuristic technologies to make India self-reliant in the defence sector. A press statement issued by the defence ministry said, "In his speech, he (Reddy) called upon DRDO scientists to focus on next-generation needs, including cybersecurity, space and artificial intelligence." According to the statement, Reddy mentioned that "a number of SMEs and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises)" are being nurtured by the DRDO as these are supplying small components to subsystems for its projects. He added that at least 30 startups should be supported every year to develop innovative products for the Indian armed forces. Reddy declared "export" as the theme of DRDO for 2021 and mentioned that many products based on the DRDO's technologies have already been exported by the defence public sector units (DPSUs) and private companies. He also highlighted the role of the DRDO during the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that its 40 laboratories developed over 100 products on a war footing to combat the virus.

DRDO chairman asks scientists to focus on cyber security, space and artificial intelligence

It is 2020, and yet we struggle to find out that perfect password that would match the extensive safety requirements and also not skip our brain. And in the end, we settle down with our birthdays, anniversaries and — believe it or not — '123456'.

New research conducted by&nbsp;NordPass, a password management company, has recently revealed that people are still using easy-to-hack passwords such as '123456' and 'password' even after so many years of warnings.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/canada-facing-cyber-security-threat-from-china-russia-state-sponsored-programs-report-343994" hreflang="en">Canada facing cyber security threat from China, Russia state-sponsored programs: Report</a>

The researchers compiled a list of most recent passwords used in 2020 and compared it to the list from 2019, and the passwords have not seen any drastic change. This poses a major threat of cyber hacking and bullying — an issue which has seen increased victims in the past few years, especially during the pandemic.

A third party, which specialises in data breach research,&nbsp;studied the users' activities and compiled a list of nearly 275,699,516 passwords. While majority passwords have not changed, the two new additions to the top 10 passwords list are 'picture1' and 'senha' which translates to 'password' in the Portuguese language.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-to-reduce-its-app-store-fees-for-small-developers-343975" hreflang="en">Apple to reduce its App Store fees for small developers</a>

The most used password is '123456', with '123456789' in the second place, followed by 'picture1' and 'password'. Interestingly, people are still using '111111' too as their passwords.

NordPass has urged people to change their passwords and avoid&nbsp;dictionary words, predictable number combinations, or strings of adjacent keyboard combinations to make sure they do not fall prey to cybercrime.

The researchers have also suggested people change their passwords every 90 days, and always have different passwords for different accounts, with a mix of the upper and lower case.

It is 2020, and yet we struggle to find out that perfect password that would match the extensive safety requirements and also not skip our brain. And in the end, we settle down with our birthdays, anniversaries and — believe it or not — '123456'.

It is 2020, and yet we struggle to find out that perfect password that would match the extensive safety requirements and also not skip our brain. And in the end, we settle down with our birthdays, anniversaries and — believe it or not — '123456'. New research conducted by NordPass, a password management company, has recently revealed that people are still using easy-to-hack passwords such as '123456' and 'password' even after so many years of warnings. Also read| Canada facing cyber security threat from China, Russia state-sponsored programs: Report The researchers compiled a list of most recent passwords used in 2020 and compared it to the list from 2019, and the passwords have not seen any drastic change. This poses a major threat of cyber hacking and bullying — an issue which has seen increased victims in the past few years, especially during the pandemic. A third party, which specialises in data breach research, studied the users' activities and compiled a list of nearly 275,699,516 passwords. While majority passwords have not changed, the two new additions to the top 10 passwords list are 'picture1' and 'senha' which translates to 'password' in the Portuguese language. Also read| Apple to reduce its App Store fees for small developers The most used password is '123456', with '123456789' in the second place, followed by 'picture1' and 'password'. Interestingly, people are still using '111111' too as their passwords. NordPass has urged people to change their passwords and avoid dictionary words, predictable number combinations, or strings of adjacent keyboard combinations to make sure they do not fall prey to cybercrime. The researchers have also suggested people change their passwords every 90 days, and always have different passwords for different accounts, with a mix of the upper and lower case.

If you are still using '123456' as your password, change it: Research

Norway has accused Russia of launching a cyberattack on the&nbsp;Norwegian parliament in August through which they had targetted the email system of the parliament.

The accusation has been made by&nbsp;the Norwegian foreign minister.&nbsp;“Based on the information available to the government, it is our assessment that Russia stood behind this activity,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Soreide said in a statement on Tuesday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/unacceptable-proposition-says-russia-over-new-nuclear-agreement-with-us-335093">Also read:&nbsp;Unacceptable proposition, says Russia over new nuclear agreement with US</a>

“The fact that we go out with an attribution is a strong signal … from Norwegian authorities,” Soreide added.

Norway had&nbsp;revealed on September 01 that they had sustained an attack on their parliamentary system in the last week of August during which email accounts&nbsp;of several members of the parliament and employees were hacked.

Whle announcing about the attack, Norway had not issued names of any suspects. However, when investigation revealed Russia's involvement, Norway could not accept such attacks on its democratic institutions and had to take the bold step of publically revealing the information.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-and-russia-to-hold-latest-nuclear-arms-talks-in-finland-332528">Also read:&nbsp;US and Russia to hold latest nuclear arms talks in Finland</a>

“We cannot accept that parliament is the subject of such attacks,” Soreide said.

These accusations have been denied by the Russian authorities, as per several reports. However, Russia has not yet officially issued a statement.

The countries share a border in the Arctic and have maintained good relations throughout the years, except for since 2014&nbsp;when the relations became a bit strained due to the&nbsp;the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

Norway has accused Russia of launching a cyberattack on the Norwegian parliament in August through which they had targetted the email system of the parliament. The accusation has been made by the Norwegian foreign minister.

Norway has accused Russia of launching a cyberattack on the Norwegian parliament in August through which they had targetted the email system of the parliament. The accusation has been made by the Norwegian foreign minister. “Based on the information available to the government, it is our assessment that Russia stood behind this activity,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Soreide said in a statement on Tuesday. Also read: Unacceptable proposition, says Russia over new nuclear agreement with US “The fact that we go out with an attribution is a strong signal … from Norwegian authorities,” Soreide added. Norway had revealed on September 01 that they had sustained an attack on their parliamentary system in the last week of August during which email accounts of several members of the parliament and employees were hacked. Whle announcing about the attack, Norway had not issued names of any suspects. However, when investigation revealed Russia's involvement, Norway could not accept such attacks on its democratic institutions and had to take the bold step of publically revealing the information. Also read: US and Russia to hold latest nuclear arms talks in Finland “We cannot accept that parliament is the subject of such attacks,” Soreide said. These accusations have been denied by the Russian authorities, as per several reports. However, Russia has not yet officially issued a statement. The countries share a border in the Arctic and have maintained good relations throughout the years, except for since 2014 when the relations became a bit strained due to the the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

Russia behind cyberattack on parliament: Norway

India and Japan have finalised text of the cybersecurity agreement that promotes cooperation in security and resilience in the areas of Critical Information Infrastructure, 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Earlier on Wednesday in Tokyo, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar met Japanese FM Motegi Toshimitsu for the 13th India-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue. EAM is on a 2 day Japan visit, and on the first day participated in the Quad--India, Japan, US, Australia FMs meet.

During the meet, the Indian read out said, both the ministers emphasized that a "free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region" must be premised on "diversified and resilient supply chains" and welcomed the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative between India, Japan, Australia agreed last month.

Both sides reaffirmed "similarities in their respective Indo-Pacific visions," that are based on "rule of law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity". The calls for respect for territorial integrity comes amid Chinese aggressiveness, in South China Sea, with India at Line of Actual control in Eastern Ladakh and with Japan in Senkaku Islands.

Japan has agreed to be the "lead partner in the connectivity pillar" of the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI). The initiative was proposed by Indian PM in November at the East Asia Summit in Bangkok.

Other key issues discussed between the 2 foreign ministers were UN Reforms, North Korea developments.

India and Japan have finalised text of the cybersecurity agreement that promotes cooperation in security and resilience in the areas of Critical Information Infrastructure, 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI).

India and Japan have finalised text of the cybersecurity agreement that promotes cooperation in security and resilience in the areas of Critical Information Infrastructure, 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI). Earlier on Wednesday in Tokyo, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar met Japanese FM Motegi Toshimitsu for the 13th India-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue. EAM is on a 2 day Japan visit, and on the first day participated in the Quad--India, Japan, US, Australia FMs meet. During the meet, the Indian read out said, both the ministers emphasized that a "free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region" must be premised on "diversified and resilient supply chains" and welcomed the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative between India, Japan, Australia agreed last month. Both sides reaffirmed "similarities in their respective Indo-Pacific visions," that are based on "rule of law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity". The calls for respect for territorial integrity comes amid Chinese aggressiveness, in South China Sea, with India at Line of Actual control in Eastern Ladakh and with Japan in Senkaku Islands. Japan has agreed to be the "lead partner in the connectivity pillar" of the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI). The initiative was proposed by Indian PM in November at the East Asia Summit in Bangkok. Other key issues discussed between the 2 foreign ministers were UN Reforms, North Korea developments.

India and Japan agree on cyber security agreement on 5G, AI cooperation 

By Shikhil Sharma

Cyberspace security has become the need of the hour as companies increasingly switch to digital business models. Cyber security hasbecome a common concern (and term) in the boardroom meetings. &nbsp;

With an active rise in the interest of cybersecurity and having an on ground view of the threats we face as a nation - I think the following 5 points should be included in our new cyber security policy, with a revision every 2-3 years

1. State-sponsored threat retaliation strategy

One of the biggest threats a nation faces is state-sponsored targeted threats from other nations. Quite recently, Australia became victim of a state-sponsored attack. In such attacks government infrastructure, private infrastructure and citizens are targeted at the same time in a series of cyber attacks. This Advansed Persistent Threat (APT) is something which poses a big challenge.&nbsp;

Truth be told, just having a policy to tackle state sponsored APT won’t be enough. The policy needs to define a ‘retaliation’ action plan too.&nbsp;

Important points to be noted:

<ul>
	<li>The policy should define or make a provision to define an ‘action plan’ in case of a state sponsored attack.</li>
	<li>Containing the APT won’t be enough. There needs to be a clear ‘trapping’ plan to have enough data on the origin of the APT or state sponsored threat.</li>
	<li>A retaliation plan should also be in place if need arises to fend off the enemy.</li>
	<li>These plans need to have a clear flow from policy to a government department executing it. ‘Mock drills’ for such scenarios need to be done.</li>
</ul>

2. SOS lockdown policy

When a cyber attack happens, there can be a mass disruption in services/infrastructure. There needs to be a clear nationwide lockdown policy for key infrastructure of the nation. We are talking about nuclear grids, power grids, financial institutions, satellite communication etc.&nbsp;

Whenever a nation wide security incident/attack happens, it’s often well thought out and planned for months if not years. In such cases, the bad actors know which components to target first. This makes it important to have a lockdown policy to ensure critical infrastructure is protected during such time and damage is controlled.

Important points to be noted:

<ul>
	<li>SOS lockdown policy should not be made public fully as that might give enemy the information.</li>
	<li>The lockdown policy will require cyber security specialists to be deployed or trained in each of the critical sectors.</li>
</ul>

3.&nbsp;Security framework for 5G &amp; iOT devices

With 5G setting foot, the rise of iOT devices is inevitable. This means more devices connected to the internet and each other. This also means ‘smart’ being appended to everything we can think of.&nbsp;

This calls for a security standard to be defined for all the 5G devices coming to the market. The best case would be the government defining security standards of these new internet connected devices with the help of security companies.

Also Read : <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/now-eu-imposes-cyberattack-sanctions-on-chinese-nationals-linked-to-chinese-intelligence-agency-318078">Now, EU imposes cyberattack sanctions on Chinese nationals linked to Chinese intelligence agency</a> 
&nbsp;

Important points to be noted:

<ul>
	<li>A clearly defined certification or ‘standard’ needs to be put out for iOT devices.</li>
	<li>Government or government authorized departments/companies should ensure these newly entering iOT devices meet privacy requirements and security standards ensuring private data of citizens isn’t at risk.</li>
	<li>These are the devices which will be kept at our homes, in our cars &amp; bedrooms - the privacy risks can be un-imaginable. One cannot take any risk with this one.</li>
</ul>

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&nbsp;

 
4. Nationwide cyber security training

India has the responsibility of bringing 600 million+ population to the internet ‘safely’. It should also be ensured that current population already on the internet (over 700 million) is security conscious.

Important points to be noted:

<ul>
	<li>‘We are as strong as our weakest link’, our training programs should be built with this principle in mind. When it comes to cyber security, even in most tech savvy organizations, humans have been found to be the weakest links.</li>
	<li>This nationwide training has to be done in a way that less savvy people understand at least basic do’s and don'ts of the internet&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Our banks have been largely successful in raising awareness around banking frauds. It’s always a work in progress, but in today’s world more people understand that they don’t have to give their online banking password, CVV or any other sensitive information to anyone, even if the other person claims to be a bank official. Such awareness will definitely meet a certain threshold of cyber security. Ofcourse, such models are constantly evolving.</li>
	<li>Training over SMS, IVR and emails need to be made at a mass scale, in a way the common man understands.</li>
</ul>

5. Enforcing security standards on private companies &amp; rewarding&nbsp;

The nation should have a cyber security standard defined for every private company. Every company uses emails for communication and has a website even if it is not an internet business. The government should clearly define what is expected of private companies when it comes to cyber security and what are the consequences of not meeting the expectations. Ideally, this should be not more than a 2 page checklist. Making it straightforward and easy to understand will encourage companies to follow the guidelines.&nbsp;

When a country faces a cyber security challenge, its private organizations are also on the radar of hackers. It’s important their infrastructure is also secure.

Important points to be noted:

The security standards defined for private companies should be in checklist form.

<ul>
	<li>Government should reward the organizations that follow these standards. This reward can be in the form of publicly displayable certificates which can be verified on government websites or even some tax rebates.</li>
</ul>

 
The fact that our government is talking about updating our cyber security policy and preparing it for the upcoming innovations means that we’re headed in the right direction. Considering the privacy concerns and data at stake, information security is not a luxury but a necessity. Having a strong cyber security policy means that the government is not only looking out for the data of its citizens but also inspiring confidence so that foreign companies choose India over other nations for their expansion.

I strongly believe that countries having a strong cyber security policy that can be implemented neatly will have a massive advantage on all fronts in years to come.

By Shikhil Sharma Cyberspace security has become the need of the hour as companies increasingly switch to digital business models. Cyber security hasbecome a common concern (and term) in the boardroom meetings.

By Shikhil Sharma Cyberspace security has become the need of the hour as companies increasingly switch to digital business models. Cyber security hasbecome a common concern (and term) in the boardroom meetings. With an active rise in the interest of cybersecurity and having an on ground view of the threats we face as a nation - I think the following 5 points should be included in our new cyber security policy, with a revision every 2-3 years 1. State-sponsored threat retaliation strategy One of the biggest threats a nation faces is state-sponsored targeted threats from other nations. Quite recently, Australia became victim of a state-sponsored attack. In such attacks government infrastructure, private infrastructure and citizens are targeted at the same time in a series of cyber attacks. This Advansed Persistent Threat (APT) is something which poses a big challenge. Truth be told, just having a policy to tackle state sponsored APT won’t be enough. The policy needs to define a ‘retaliation’ action plan too. Important points to be noted: The policy should define or make a provision to define an ‘action plan’ in case of a state sponsored attack. Containing the APT won’t be enough. There needs to be a clear ‘trapping’ plan to have enough data on the origin of the APT or state sponsored threat. A retaliation plan should also be in place if need arises to fend off the enemy. These plans need to have a clear flow from policy to a government department executing it. ‘Mock drills’ for such scenarios need to be done. 2. SOS lockdown policy When a cyber attack happens, there can be a mass disruption in services/infrastructure. There needs to be a clear nationwide lockdown policy for key infrastructure of the nation. We are talking about nuclear grids, power grids, financial institutions, satellite communication etc. Whenever a nation wide security incident/attack happens, it’s often well thought out and planned for months if not years. In such cases, the bad actors know which components to target first. This makes it important to have a lockdown policy to ensure critical infrastructure is protected during such time and damage is controlled. Important points to be noted: SOS lockdown policy should not be made public fully as that might give enemy the information. The lockdown policy will require cyber security specialists to be deployed or trained in each of the critical sectors. 3. Security framework for 5G & iOT devices With 5G setting foot, the rise of iOT devices is inevitable. This means more devices connected to the internet and each other. This also means ‘smart’ being appended to everything we can think of. This calls for a security standard to be defined for all the 5G devices coming to the market. The best case would be the government defining security standards of these new internet connected devices with the help of security companies. Also Read : Now, EU imposes cyberattack sanctions on Chinese nationals linked to Chinese intelligence agency Important points to be noted: A clearly defined certification or ‘standard’ needs to be put out for iOT devices. Government or government authorized departments/companies should ensure these newly entering iOT devices meet privacy requirements and security standards ensuring private data of citizens isn’t at risk. These are the devices which will be kept at our homes, in our cars & bedrooms - the privacy risks can be un-imaginable. One cannot take any risk with this one. × 4. Nationwide cyber security training India has the responsibility of bringing 600 million+ population to the internet ‘safely’. It should also be ensured that current population already on the internet (over 700 million) is security conscious. Important points to be noted: ‘We are as strong as our weakest link’, our training programs should be built with this principle in mind. When it comes to cyber security, even in most tech savvy organizations, humans have been found to be the weakest links. This nationwide training has to be done in a way that less savvy people understand at least basic do’s and don'ts of the internet Our banks have been largely successful in raising awareness around banking frauds. It’s always a work in progress, but in today’s world more people understand that they don’t have to give their online banking password, CVV or any other sensitive information to anyone, even if the other person claims to be a bank official. Such awareness will definitely meet a certain threshold of cyber security. Ofcourse, such models are constantly evolving. Training over SMS, IVR and emails need to be made at a mass scale, in a way the common man understands. 5. Enforcing security standards on private companies & rewarding The nation should have a cyber security standard defined for every private company. Every company uses emails for communication and has a website even if it is not an internet business. The government should clearly define what is expected of private companies when it comes to cyber security and what are the consequences of not meeting the expectations. Ideally, this should be not more than a 2 page checklist. Making it straightforward and easy to understand will encourage companies to follow the guidelines. When a country faces a cyber security challenge, its private organizations are also on the radar of hackers. It’s important their infrastructure is also secure. Important points to be noted: The security standards defined for private companies should be in checklist form. Government should reward the organizations that follow these standards. This reward can be in the form of publicly displayable certificates which can be verified on government websites or even some tax rebates. The fact that our government is talking about updating our cyber security policy and preparing it for the upcoming innovations means that we’re headed in the right direction. Considering the privacy concerns and data at stake, information security is not a luxury but a necessity. Having a strong cyber security policy means that the government is not only looking out for the data of its citizens but also inspiring confidence so that foreign companies choose India over other nations for their expansion. I strongly believe that countries having a strong cyber security policy that can be implemented neatly will have a massive advantage on all fronts in years to come.

5 essential points that should make it to India’s new cyber security policy

A group of hackers may be selling your data!

Recently, a group has targeted data of big companies like the online dating application Zoosk, a US newspaper Star Tribune, and a food delivery service called Chef.

All this data amounts to records of over 73 million people and is being sold on the Dark Web for $18,000.

The hack also targets companies like Chatbooks, SocialShare, Minted, online publication Chronicle of Higher Education, magazine like GGuMim and Minfdul, ZDNet reported.

Each of the database is sold separately. Almost 73.2 million users' data is at risk of being compromised.

The group in question goes by the name ShinyHunters. They were earlier responsible for hacking into the database of GitHub, which is owned by Microsoft. Over 1,200 databases were stolen.

The group had also hacked into the user data of 90 million people through Tokopedia, which is Indonesia’s largest online stores. This data was later sold.

Additionally, information of 22 million user users on Unacademy was reportedly sold by the group on the Dark Web.

Capitalising on pandemic panic

The world is currently experiencing the biggest pandemic of the last few decades: No major countries have been spared by the fury of COVID-19, which only takes a sneeze to catch on to potential carriers!

Amidst the chaos and a crumbling healthcare infrastructure, protective gear like masks and gloves are increasingly running out.

The notorious corner of the internet: what is called the “dark web”, which can be accessed only using certain browsers is famous for selling arms and drugs. The dark web hosts multiple shopping websites that deliver all these goods to your doorstep.

However, the murky side of the internet is now selling face masks in the times of a pandemic.

What’s interesting is that while the rates of masks in the physical world as well as on the safer side of the internet have shot up due to overwhelming demand, the price of the same commodities on the dark web is much lesser. This could be as alarming as comforting, for people may be selling counterfeit or ineffective products.

Additionally, you could get caught in a legal crossfire as most of these web portals sell goods that remain largely illegal. Besides drugs, exotic animals, and banned visual material like underage pornography is openly sold across the web.

Many sellers could simply be hackers looking for a way into your system. By impersonating health officials and agencies, they may attack your computer/phone and steal access to your private information without you even realising it!

A group of hackers may be selling your data! Recently, a group has targeted data of big companies like the online dating application Zoosk, a US newspaper Star Tribune, and a food delivery service called Chef.

A group of hackers may be selling your data! Recently, a group has targeted data of big companies like the online dating application Zoosk, a US newspaper Star Tribune, and a food delivery service called Chef. All this data amounts to records of over 73 million people and is being sold on the Dark Web for $18,000. The hack also targets companies like Chatbooks, SocialShare, Minted, online publication Chronicle of Higher Education, magazine like GGuMim and Minfdul, ZDNet reported. Each of the database is sold separately. Almost 73.2 million users' data is at risk of being compromised. The group in question goes by the name ShinyHunters. They were earlier responsible for hacking into the database of GitHub, which is owned by Microsoft. Over 1,200 databases were stolen. The group had also hacked into the user data of 90 million people through Tokopedia, which is Indonesia’s largest online stores. This data was later sold. Additionally, information of 22 million user users on Unacademy was reportedly sold by the group on the Dark Web. Capitalising on pandemic panic The world is currently experiencing the biggest pandemic of the last few decades: No major countries have been spared by the fury of COVID-19, which only takes a sneeze to catch on to potential carriers! Amidst the chaos and a crumbling healthcare infrastructure, protective gear like masks and gloves are increasingly running out. The notorious corner of the internet: what is called the “dark web”, which can be accessed only using certain browsers is famous for selling arms and drugs. The dark web hosts multiple shopping websites that deliver all these goods to your doorstep. However, the murky side of the internet is now selling face masks in the times of a pandemic. What’s interesting is that while the rates of masks in the physical world as well as on the safer side of the internet have shot up due to overwhelming demand, the price of the same commodities on the dark web is much lesser. This could be as alarming as comforting, for people may be selling counterfeit or ineffective products. Additionally, you could get caught in a legal crossfire as most of these web portals sell goods that remain largely illegal. Besides drugs, exotic animals, and banned visual material like underage pornography is openly sold across the web. Many sellers could simply be hackers looking for a way into your system. By impersonating health officials and agencies, they may attack your computer/phone and steal access to your private information without you even realising it!

Hackers are selling stolen user databases of over 73 million people on the dark web

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