Controversial pipeline given green light by Minnesota regulators | US & Canada News

Minnesota regulators approve final permit for Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 crude oil pipeline, but the start date is not specified. Minnesota regulators have approved the final permit for Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement across northern Minnesota, giving the company the green light to begin construction on the $2.6bn project in the United States. The Minnesota Pollution

Quick Guide — How to Troubleshoot Active Directory Account Lockouts

China’s factories crank up output, but jobs, debt remain concerns | China News

China’s factory activity expanded at the fastest pace in more than three years in November, while growth in the services sector also hit a multi-year high, as the country’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic stepped up. Upbeat data released on Monday suggest the world’s second-largest economy is on track to become the first to completely shake off the drag from widespread industry

Trump adviser Kushner and team heading to Qatar, Saudi Arabia | Qatar

Seeking to end the rift in the Gulf region, Kushner will meet Qatari emir and Saudi crown prince, according to US media reports. White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and his team will travel to Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week for talks aimed at resolving the dispute between the neighbouring Gulf countries, according to United States media reports. A senior official in the administration

Trump loses another election court challenge | US & Canada

Republican lawsuit sought to invalidate mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania, where President-elect Biden won by 81,000 votes. The US state of Pennsylvania’s supreme court has dismissed another legal challenge to the election by supporters of President Donald Trump, further reducing his already near-impossible odds of overturning the results. A Republican lawsuit sought to invalidate mail-in

Brazilians to vote in municipal runoff as COVID-19 rages | Latin America

Runoff races for Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s two most-populous cities, will be among those held on Sunday. Brazilians are preparing to head to the polls for municipal election runoffs on Sunday, as COVID-19 infections continue to surge in the South American country. Voters will cast their ballots in mayoral and city council races in 57 Brazilian municipalities, including Sao Paulo

Malaysia will hold elections after coronavirus crisis is over: PM | Malaysia

Muhyiddin Yassin promises to hold polls after he averts showdown by winning parliamentary support for his administration’s budget. Malaysia will hold a general election when the novel coronavirus pandemic is over, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on Saturday, shortly after he averted a showdown by winning parliamentary support for his administration’s budget. Parliament passed the

COVID-19 hospitalisations surge across the US, worrying officials | US & Canada

More than 90,000 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals across the United States, which continues to see rising infections. The number of COVID-19 patients being treated in hospitals across the United States reached 90,000 on Friday, Reuters News Agency reported, as people travelled to attend Thanksgiving holiday gatherings this week. The rate of hospitalisations is now at the highest since the

Digitally Signed Bandook Malware Once Again Targets Multiple Sectors

A cyberespionage group with suspected ties to the Kazakh and Lebanese governments has unleashed a new wave of attacks against a multitude of industries with a retooled version of a 13-year-old backdoor Trojan. Check Point Research called out hackers affiliated with a group named Dark Caracal in a new report published yesterday for their efforts to deploy “dozens of digitally signed variants” of

France’s Macron ‘very shocked’ by police beating of Black man | France

The alleged victim, identified as Michel, says he was jumped on by police at his music studio. French President Emmanuel Macron was “very shocked” by images purporting to show a Black music producer being beaten up and racially abused by Paris police, BFM TV reported, quoting comments given to it by the presidency. French authorities are investigating allegations that the music producer was

UN agency for Palestinians runs out of money for first time | Palestine

UNRWA received lowest level of contributions since 2012, at a time when pandemic is exacerbating the needs of refugees. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said that, for the first time in its history, it has run out of money until the end of the year. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) relies on funds from UN member states and the

Interpol Arrests 3 Nigerian BEC Scammers For Targeting Over 500,000 Entities

Three Nigerian citizens suspected of being members of an organized cybercrime group behind distributing malware, carrying out phishing campaigns, and extensive Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams have been arrested in the city of Lagos, Interpol reported yesterday. The investigation, dubbed “Operation Falcon,” was jointly undertaken by the international police organization along with

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Many of us here would love to turn hacking into a full-time career. To make that dream come true, you need to master your subject and earn some key certifications. To speed up this process, you might want to take a little guidance from the experts. Featuring 98 hours of content from top instructors, The Ultimate 2020 White Hat Hacker Certification Bundle is the ultimate launchpad for your

Turkey: Dozens given life sentences for 2016 failed coup attempt | Turkey

Court hands down dozens of life sentences for some of the nearly 500 defendants, including army commanders and pilots. A Turkish court is handing down verdicts for hundreds of people accused of plotting to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a failed coup attempt four years ago, with dozens of them handed life sentences. Nearly 500 defendants, including army commanders and pilots, are

US markets retreat from record closings after sobering jobs news | US & Canada News

The S&P 500 index and the Dow walked back from record closing highs, pulled lower by cyclicals and small caps that drove the rally earlier in the week. The S&P 500 index closed lower on Wednesday as mounting United States layoffs in the wake of new mandated lockdowns to contain surging COVID-19 infections dampened investors’ appetite for risk. The index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average

Baidu’s Android Apps Caught Collecting and Leaking Sensitive User Data

Two popular Android apps from Chinese tech giant Baidu have been removed from the Google Play Store in October after they were caught collecting sensitive user details. The two apps in question—Baidu Maps and Baidu Search Box—were found to collect device identifiers, such as the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number or MAC address, without users’ knowledge, thus making them

2-Factor Authentication Bypass Flaw Reported in cPanel and WHM Software

cPanel, a provider of popular administrative tools to manage web hosting, has patched a security vulnerability that could have allowed remote attackers with access to valid credentials to bypass two-factor authentication (2FA) protection on an account. The issue, tracked as “SEC-575” and discovered by researchers from Digital Defense, has been remedied by the company in versions 11.92.0.2,

Lebanon judge asks Parliament to probe ministers over port blast | Middle East

Judicial investigator asks MPs to probe current and ex-ministers dating back to 2013, when 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate arrived at Beirut port. Beirut, Lebanon – Lebanon’s top investigator has asked Parliament to investigate 10 former ministers he suspects are responsible for the conditions that led to the devastating August 4 explosion that killed nearly 200 people, according to a

New Trump rule could require up to $15,000 bond for travel to US | US & Canada

The outgoing administration of US President Donald Trump issued a new temporary rule that could require tourist and business travellers from two dozen countries – most in Africa – to pay a bond of as much as $15,000 to visit the United States. The US State Department on Monday said the temporary final rule, which takes effect December 24 and runs through June 24, targets countries whose

Stantinko Botnet Now Targeting Linux Servers to Hide Behind Proxies

An adware and coin-miner botnet targeting Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan at least since 2012 has now set its sights on Linux servers to fly under the radar. According to a new analysis published by Intezer today and shared with The Hacker News, the trojan masquerades as HTTPd, a commonly used program on Linux servers, and is a new version of the malware belonging to a threat actor

Critical Unpatched VMware Flaw Affects Multiple Corporates Products

VMware has released temporary workarounds to address a critical vulnerability in its products that could be exploited by an attacker to take control of an affected system. “A malicious actor with network access to the administrative configurator on port 8443 and a valid password for the configurator admin account can execute commands with unrestricted privileges on the underlying operating

Russian COVID-19 vaccine to cost less than $20, free for citizens | Russia

Sputnik V vaccine is 95 percent effective according to second interim analysis of clinical trial data, developers say. Russia’s two-shot Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine will cost less than $20 per person on international markets and will be free of charge for Russian citizens, according to a statement on the official Sputnik V Twitter account. Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s RDIF sovereign wealth

US nurses’ union warns of hospital stresses amid COVID-19 surge | US & Canada

Nurses from the profession’s largest union in the United States have warned of dire stresses on the healthcare system as the country sees a new surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations. In a news conference on Monday, members of the National Nurses United, which represents 170,000 registered nurses across the US, detailed harrowing accounts of hospital understaffing, a lack of personal

Why Replace Traditional Web Application Firewall (WAF) With New Age WAF?

At present, web applications have become the top targets for attackers because of potential monetization opportunities. Security breaches on the web application can cost millions. Strikingly, DNS (Domain Name System) related outage and Distributed denial of service (DDoS) lead a negative impact on businesses. Among the wide range of countermeasures, a web application firewall is the first line

India’s top court slams states for COVID surge | India

Supreme Court warns the situation could worsen further as it seeks status reports from Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Assam states. India’s Supreme Court has excoriated regional governments, including Delhi’s, over the surge in COVID-19 cases and warned the situation could worsen further if authorities did not effectively deal with the pandemic. The court, which took up the issue on its own,

IACHR slams ‘excessive force’ in Guatemala protests | Latin America

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has condemned what it called an “excessive use of force” by police in Guatemala against demonstrators opposed to a new budget that slashes social spending, while the government called fires set by protesters at congress “terrorist acts”. Protesters broke into the building of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala and set one office afire

Europe response ‘incomplete’: WHO COVID envoy fears third wave | Europe

Europe briefly enjoyed sinking infection rates that are now surging again as WHO’s David Nabarro warns of a third wave. A World Health Organization (WHO) special envoy on COVID-19 predicts a third wave of the pandemic in Europe in early 2021 if governments repeat what he said was a failure to do what was needed to prevent the second wave of infections. “They missed building up the necessary

Judge bars Trump appointee from interfering in Voice of America | US & Canada

US media agency head is accused of trying to turn the state-funded news organisation into a propaganda outlet for Donald Trump. A federal judge in the United States has effectively barred the head of the agency that runs the state-funded news organisation Voice of America (VOA) from interfering in editorial operations or making personnel decisions. The ruling against US Agency for Global Media

G20 leaders tackle coronavirus crisis, global recession | Middle East

G20 member states are set to debate how to deal with the coronavirus pandemic that has caused a global recession and how to manage the recovery once COVID-19 is under control. High on the agenda are purchases and global distribution of vaccines, drugs and tests for low-income countries that cannot afford such expenses themselves. The European Union will urge the G20 on Saturday to invest $4.5bn

Trump unveils contentious drug policies aimed at lowering costs | US & Canada News

Lawsuits are almost guaranteed for both rules, leaving their paths to implementation unclear, especially as Trump’s days in office dwindle. The Trump administration Friday released two contentious drug policies, one that could cut profit margins for pharmaceutical companies and another that would allow them to make smaller payments to their partners. Both moves culminate four years of

Facebook Messenger Bug Lets Hackers Listen to You Before You Pick Up the Call

Facebook has patched a bug in its widely installed Messenger app for Android that could have allowed a remote attacker to call unsuspecting targets and listen to them before even they picked up the audio call. The flaw was discovered and reported to Facebook by Natalie Silvanovich of Google’s Project Zero bug-hunting team last month on October 6 with a 90-day deadline, and impacts version

Hong Kong to close more schools after spike in coronavirus cases | Hong Kong

In-person classes in lower primary schools halted after the city’s top health official says the situation is ‘severe’. Hong Kong has suspended in-person classes for lower primary school students after the city’s top health official said the coronavirus situation in the city was “severe”. Classes for primary one to three students will be suspended for two weeks from Monday. The suspension came

From Banking Trojan to Malware Distributor

Emotet is one of the most dangerous and widespread malware threats active today. Ever since its discovery in 2014—when Emotet was a standard credential stealer and banking Trojan, the malware has evolved into a modular, polymorphic platform for distributing other kinds of computer viruses. Being constantly under development, Emotet updates itself regularly to improve stealthiness, persistence,

Wisconsin issues recount order sought by Trump in two counties | US & Canada

The Wisconsin Elections Commission issued an order Thursday to recount more than 800,000 ballots cast in two heavily liberal counties at President Donald Trump’s request. The order, required by law after Trump paid $3m for the recount, was agreed to after rancorous debate for more than five hours on Wednesday night that foreshadows the partisan battle ahead. “It’s just remarkable the six of us

Unpatched Bug in GO SMS Pro App Exposes Millions of Media Messages

GO SMS Pro, a popular messaging app for Android with over 100 million installs, has been found to have an unpatched security flaw that publicly exposes media transferred between users, including private voice messages, photos, and videos. “This means any sensitive media shared between users of this messenger app is at risk of being compromised by an unauthenticated attacker or curious user,”

Researchers Warn of Critical Flaw Affecting Industrial Automation Systems

A critical vulnerability uncovered in Real-Time Automation’s (RTA) 499ES EtherNet/IP (ENIP) stack could open up the industrial control systems to remote attacks by adversaries. RTA’s ENIP stack is one of the widely used industrial automation devices and is billed as the “standard for factory floor I/O applications in North America.” “Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could cause a

We all have a part to play in the war against food waste | Opinions

On September 29, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Environment Programme observed the first-ever International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. They urged everyone to take action to reduce food loss and waste across the entire agricultural value chain. This is a timely message. Today, in a world where food worth more than $1 trillion is lost or wasted every year, more

Canadian opposition: Trudeau must ‘grow a spine’, ban Huawei 5G | Canada News

A non-binding motion put forward by the Conservatives calls on Candian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to ban Huawei’s 5G within 30 days. Canada’s opposition on Wednesday called on Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to get tougher on China, including by officially banning Huawei Technologies Co Ltd’s 5G technology from being used in the country. Opposition parties passed a

Apple Lets Some of its Big Sur macOS Apps Bypass Firewall and VPNs

Apple is facing the heat for a new feature in macOS Big Sur that allows many of its own apps to bypass firewalls and VPNs, thereby potentially allowing malware to exploit the same shortcoming to access sensitive data stored on users’ systems and transmit them to remote servers. The issue was first spotted last month by a Twitter user named Maxwell in a beta version of the operating system. “

As Pompeo visits Georgia, thousands protest over election results | Georgia

Thousands formed a live chain in Tbilisi holding a huge Georgian national flag and posters saying: ‘USA – Thanks for supporting our liberty!’ Thousands of Georgians unhappy over the way a recent parliamentary election was held took to the streets of the capital Tbilisi on Wednesday, as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks with politicians and a church leader. Georgia, a small South

US Senate blocks confirmation of Trump Fed nominee Shelton | US & Canada

Judy Shelton had advocated a return to the ‘gold standard’ and criticised the Fed’s independence in monetary policy The United States Senate blocked President Donald Trump’s controversial nomination of Judy Shelton to the board of the US Federal Reserve, making her the latest in a string of failed nominees to the central bank. Trump’s Republican Party has a 53-47 majority in the current Senate

Researcher Discloses Critical RCE Flaws In Cisco Security Manager

Cisco has published multiple security advisories concerning critical flaws in Cisco Security Manager (CSM) a week after the networking equipment maker quietly released patches with version 4.22 of the platform. The development comes after Code White researcher Florian Hauser (frycos) yesterday publicly disclosed proof-of-concept (PoC) code for as many as 12 security vulnerabilities affecting

Chinese APT Hackers Target Southeast Asian Government Institutions

Cybersecurity researchers today unveiled a complex and targeted espionage attack on potential government sector victims in South East Asia that they believe was carried out by a sophisticated Chinese APT group at least since 2018. “The attack has a complex and complete arsenal of droppers, backdoors and other tools involving Chinoxy backdoor, PcShare RAT and FunnyDream backdoor binaries, with

Global warming bigger threat than coronavirus: Red Cross | News

The world should react with the same urgency to climate change as is to the coronavirus crisis, the Red Cross says, warning that global warming poses a greater threat than COVID-19. Even as the pandemic rages, climate change is not taking a break from wreaking havoc, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said in a report. In its report on global catastrophes

Conservative ‘free speech’ app Parler sees US election surge | US & Canada

The CEOs of Facebook and Twitter are to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday about their companies’ role in the election, as a new social platform is attracting conservative followers. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey will likely face questions from Republican Senators accusing them of anti-conservative bias as their increasing emphasis on regulating

Trojanized Security Software Hits South Korea Users in Supply-Chain Attack

Cybersecurity researchers took the wraps off a novel supply chain attack in South Korea that abuses legitimate security software and stolen digital certificates to distribute remote administration tools (RATs) on target systems. Attributing the operation to the Lazarus Group, also known as Hidden Cobra, Slovak internet security company ESET said the state-sponsored threat actor leveraged the

Tsitsi Dangarembga: Life in an ‘ever-narrowing Zimbabwe’ | Zimbabwe News

Tsitsi Dangarembga’s debut novel, Nervous Conditions, released in 1988, has been described as one of the 100 books that “shaped the world”. This year, the latest book by the Zimbabwean novelist, filmmaker and activist, This Mournable Body, has been shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize. It is the third in a trilogy, following on from Nervous Conditions and The Book of Not (2006). The

In Pictures: A busy summer at Florida’s Cape Canaveral | US & Canada

A SpaceX Crew Dragon rocket is scheduled to carry four astronauts to the International Space Station on Sunday – only the second manned mission for the project – and the first United States government-certified launch by a private company. SpaceX is scheduled to fly seven Dragon missions to the space station over the next 14 months, three manned, and four cargo, as the US government space agency

‘Makes no difference’: Saudi minister slams German arms ban | Germany

After being extended multiple times, Germany’s ban on arms exports to Saudi Arabia will once again be up for discussion. Saudi Arabia has criticised Germany’s arms export ban on the Gulf kingdom as “wrong” and “illogical” and said it does not need German military equipment. Some European nations have halted weapons sales to Riyadh after it launched a military campaign in 2015 in neighbouring

Armenia says it prevented murder attempt on PM Nikol Pashinyan | Europe

National Security Service says former officials ‘planning to illegally usurp power’ were arrested. Armenia prevented an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the seizure of power by a group of former officials, the country’s National Security Service (NSS) has said. Pashinyan had come under pressure in recent days, with thousands of demonstrators protesting since Tuesday