New Research On Computer Backdoors Reveals Disturbing Long Term Risks For All Netizens

Nov 052012
 

Research by the University of Toronto Citizen Lab shows that computer back doors are a permanent security risk to users through out the world.

Their research based on events in the middle east demonstrates readily available commercial software is being used by governments to infiltrate computers used by critics and dissidents.

Bloomberg news reported the case of Ahmed Mansoor who was sitting in “his study in Dubai and made the mistake of clicking on a Microsoft Word attachment that arrived in an e-mail, labeled “very important” in Arabic, from a sender he thought he recognized.

“With that click, the pro-democracy activist unwittingly downloaded spyware that seized on a flaw in the Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) program to take over his computer and record every keystroke. The hackers infiltrated his digital life so deeply they still accessed his personal e-mail even after he changed his password.

Since then, Mansoor, 42, an electrical engineer and father of four, says he has suffered two beatings by thugs in September during his campaign for citizens’ civil rights in the Persian Gulf federation of the United Arab Emirates. While those assailants remain unknown, researchers say they’ve figured out what was behind the virtual assault.

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Stuxnet And Flame Prompt Imitators – Time To Clean Out The Files Again

Jun 252012
 

It did not take long for the Stuxnet and Flame malware to inspire imitators. A similar version of the software used by the US and Israeli authorities to attack Iran’s nuclear weapons program has turned up on computers in Peru but this time it appears to be corporate espionage not national security as the motivation.

The software called ACAD/Medre.A appears to target AutoCad computer assisted drafting files (CAD); it copies them then emails them off to the malware’s installer.

The software has not been linked to any government; it is conjectured to be an effort by contractors trying to find out what competitors are proposing for competitive bids.

While the commercial implications are serious what is even more worrying is the risks that such software poses to other groups. It will not take much to tweek the malware so that it targets the computers of activists, dissidents, opposition politicians and other deemed enemies of repressive regimes like China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia among others.

Again it is a  reminder to maintain computer security and in very sensitive situations not to keep files on a computer you do not want others to see because as has been seen with Wikileaks and the like information has a habit of getting out.

Ezine VB reported on this new malware. The article follows.

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Harvard Study On Censorship Circumvention Tools

Sep 122011
 

Harvards Berkman Center For Internet and Society has released a new study looking at internet circumvention tools and their use.

This builds on previous work they did in 2007 and brings up to date the technology and new methods in use.

This excellent document is available in PDF format here.

It is a concise and interesting summary of the how various tools work in the field, their success and their practicality. Anyone working in this area particularly in China, Vietnam, Burma and other regimes that routinely block websites and limit online access to information will find the study a worth reading because it gives a longer term look at circumvention rather than a snap shot.

The report’s introductions notes: “This evaluation also differs from our earlier work (2007 Circumvention Landscape Report; 2010 Circumvention Tool Usage) in that we cover significantly more tools and examine two classes of tools (ad-supported proxy servers and VPN services) which we did not review previously.

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“The Internet In A Suitcase” U.S. Plan To Out Flank Repressive Regimes

Jun 222011
 

 

The United States is developing ways to allow citizens under repressive regimes to maintain free accesss to the internet and mobile phones

PCMag.com reports that the State Department-led project “involves the building of independent phone networks in foreign countries and the creation of a $2-million prototype “Internet in a suitcase” by an entrepreneurial outfit operating out of a building on L Street in Washington, D.C., The New York Times reported Monday.”

“The idea is to fit innocent-looking hardware components into a package that could easily be snuck into a repressive country and quickly assembled to deliver wireless service across a wide area to maintain crucial communications between legitimately protesting citizens, according to The Times, which cited “dozens of interviews, planning documents and classified diplomatic cables” it obtained.”

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New Survey: Vietnam Location Of Leading Cyber Scammers

Feb 102011
 

Despite an authoritarian Government and a tightly controlled internet Vietnam has emerged as the top country for cyber scamming and risky online dealings.

The world wide survey “Mapping the Mal Web” commissioned by software company Mcafee found that nearly sixty percent of domains in Vietnam were risky.

This puts it at the top of the riskiest country list and pretty much level with risks from non country specific “Top Level Domains” such as .info.

Other countries in the region including Laos and China were also cited as being risky domains but well below the risks posed from .vn sites.

Over all ther report found that malware volumes continued to climb in 2010, with the first six months of 2010 being the most active half year ever for total malware production.

 

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Censorship In China And SEA: Share Your Experiences

Nov 192010
 

We would like to hear from anyone who has visited China or other countries in the region and used the internet.

Can you tell us of any problems you had accessing sites, email or ID theft. Please let us know if you managed to access websites you did not think you would be able to. And please let us know of any tips you have for other travelers to region about internet usage.

Staying Anonymous On The Internet – Tips For Avoiding Unwanted Attention

Nov 102010
 

It is almost impossible to use the internet without leaving a trail behind you. And for many netizens in Asia, particularly China and Vietnam, that can lead to trouble with the authorities.

Even in countries without formal restrictions to online sources there are other dangers associated with indiscriminate internet surfing – indentity theft, spam and invasion of privacy are just a few.

But there are some simple steps that can be taken to ensure that users remain, if not totally anonymous, at least harder to find.

The Link  newspaper provides a useful guide that even the least tech savy among us will find helpful. It is reproduced below.

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2010 Press Freedom Index Released: Rankings Highlight The Ongoing Need For RFA And Other

Oct 202010
 

The 2010 Press Freedom Index released last night by Reporters Without Borders shows the dire need for independent information among RFA’s target audiences.

In the survey, North Korea was ranked second to last at 177 (just above Eritrea on 178); Burma, 174; China, 171; Laos, 168; and Vietnam, 165 were all near the bottom.

Since the survey began, these five countries have consistently been ranked in the bottom 10 percent in all consecutive eight indices.

In a disturbing trend Cambodia, which rose to 117 in last year’s survey, fell to the 128th place this year – its lowest rank ever.

 All six countries within RFA’s broadcast region were categorized as “Not Free” in Freedom House’s Freedom of the Press survey, which was released in April.

The full Press Index is available here.

Laos and America A View Of Two Worlds

Aug 232010
 
Thousands of miles from Liberty University in the United States the author gets to experience village life in Laos

Manininh Vongvirath is the daughter of RFA Lao service broadcasters Manichanh Phimphachanh and Phairoth Vongvirath. She was born in Vientiane, Laos, in June 1990 and moved to the United States with her parents in August 1995. She now attends Liberty University. This summer she went with her mother to visit family, see the country of her birth, and reconnect with her culture. These were some of her impressions:  

Laos is a country that has kept its natural beauty despite rapid changes in other parts of the world. I was a little girl when I left 15 years ago, and it looks now the way it did then: poverty around every corner, street vendors left and right, unpaved roads, and children playing with toys made of scraps.  

Laos is a place where one can get away from the troubles of the world and relax in a serene and barely touched environment. True, Laos is not technologically up-to-date like the rest of the world, but that’s because the people of Laos are used to living the way they do.  

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Cyber Haven Set Up By “Reporters Without Borders”

Aug 162010
 

A journalism support group has set up an “anti-censorship shelter” in Paris, to give online refuge for journalists, bloggers and dissidents whose work is being threatened by censorship or cyber attack.

Reporters Sans Frontières says the shelter – billed as the first ever – will use state-of-the-art censorship-circumvention and encryption software, and connect to the digital security firm XeroBank through a high-speed anonymity network.

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