Operation Red October: The top-secret global espionage campaign that's been running for five years

A rogue group is covertly collecting top-secret data with an infrastructure rivaling Flame and Stuxnet

Russian antivirus firm Kaspersky Labs has uncovered a high-level cyber-espionage campaign that has been targeting government agencies, research institutions, and diplomats for the past five years to gather "classified information and geopolitical intelligence," per a report published on Monday. Here's what we know about operation "Red October," which has some hallmarks of government-sponsored C++ computer viruses Flame and Stuxnet?that came before it:?

What's going on exactly?
A sophisticated digital infrastructure that's utilizing a chain of more than 60 command-and-control servers is silently gathering data from high-profile targets around the world, and avoiding detection. Whoever is behind the operation has been compiling troves of top-secret documents and files from computers, smartphones, and external storage hardware like USB sticks since 2007.?Kasperksy says the campaign is still active, with a complexity that rivals the Flame virus?allegedly used by the U.S. and Israel to spy on Iran's nuclear efforts.

Who's being targeted?
Most of the targets are in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, but more than 60 countries have been hit; accounts have been compromised in the U.S., Australia, Ireland, Switzerland, Japan, Spain, and more. Kaspersky declined to disclose the identities of the targets, but Kim Zetter at Wired notes that the agencies and institutions involved relate to "nuclear and energy research and companies in the oil and gas and aerospace industries."?

How does the attack work?
The Red October worm first infiltrates computers using email attachments ? things like Word and Excel files. Once a computer is infected, that data is beamed back to a still-invisible command server mothership, which assigns each victim's computer a 20-hex digit code to identify it. This foothold, more alarmingly, can spread to mobile devices like smartphones, or even entire enterprise networks like Cisco to steal account information and passwords from databases. They also help hackers reinfect machines in case the malware is removed by antivirus scanners. The techniques and code likely have Chinese origins, and have been used in previous attacks targeting?Tibetan activists and military in Asia. (Click here for a detailed walkthrough of how the attack works.)

Who's behind it?
Unlike Flame and Stuxnet, Red October probably isn't a government-sponsored enterprise. Rather, Kasperspy says the cybercriminals behind this worm are most likely based in Russia, and are looking to sell their intelligence for a premium on the black market to governments and others willing to pay.?

What kind of information are they gathering?
They're taking everything: .pdf files, Excel spreadsheets, and documents with .acid extensions, which are run through Acid Cryptofiler, an encryption program used by the French military and NATO. The virus "can also scrub enterprise network equipment and removable disk drives, copy entire email databases from Outlook storage and POP/IMAP servers, and it can even take deleted files off USB sticks using its own recovery mechanism," says Eric Limer at Gizmodo. "Red October doesn't mess around."

What's being done to stop it?
The investigation is still ongoing. Per the report published Monday:?"Kaspersky Lab, in collaboration with international organizations, Law Enforcement, Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) and other IT security companies is continuing its investigation of Operation Red October by providing technical expertise and resources for remediation and mitigation procedures."

SEE MORE: Obama's war on hackers: 5 things you need to know

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/operation-red-october-top-secret-global-espionage-campaign-080000204.html

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HMV administration announcement puts Hatfield jobs at risk

HMV

By Dave Burke, News Editor Monday, January 14, 2013
10:37 PM

STAFF in Hatfield face a nervous wait over their jobs after music retailer HMV announced it intends to call in administrators.

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The store in The Galleria is one of 239 outlets under threat, and more than 4,300 jobs are at risk.

A statement issued this evening (Monday) said the administrators, when appointed, intend to carry on trading while they seek a purchaser for the business.

Trading in company shares has been suspended on the London Stock Market.

Nick Edwards, Neville Kahn and Rob Harding, partners of Deloitte LLP, are set to be appointed as administrators in a bid to save the firm, which was founded in 1921.

A temporary HMV Pop-Up store, which opened in Welwyn Garden City last month, was already due to close today before this evening?s announcement.

Source: http://www.herts24.co.uk/hmv_administration_announcement_puts_hatfield_jobs_at_risk_1_1792690

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Oil up in Asia on completion of new US pipeline

Singapore, Jan 14:?

Oil was up in Asian trade today as a completed US pipeline expansion project reduced oversupplied US inventory stocks, giving oil futures a positive nudge, analysts said.

New York?s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in February, rose 60 cents to $94.16 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for February delivery gained 34 cents to $110.98.

The Seaway Pipeline expansion completed on Friday means 400,000 barrels of crude oil can now be brought each day from the oversupplied mid-continent market around Cushing, Oklahoma, to refiners on the Gulf Coast.

Previously, only 150,000 barrels could be transported to refiners, leading to a build-up in stocks.

?Crude prices have been going up because the pipeline started up with expanded capacity, reducing the crude inventory in Cushing,? said Victor Shum, Managing Director of IHS Purvin and Gertz in Singapore.

A fall in inventory stocks usually indicates an increased demand for oil that supports prices.

The demand for oil in the US, which is the world?s largest oil consumer, has the ability to affect global oil prices.

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Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/markets/commodities/oil-up-in-asia-on-completion-of-new-us-pipeline/article4306570.ece

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Heavy fighting between tribes over gold mine in Sudan's Darfur

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Heavy fighting has broken out between two tribes over a gold mine in Sudan's Darfur region, killing several people and forcing authorities to close the mine, tribal leaders and state media said on Wednesday.

Law and order has collapsed in most parts of Darfur, an arid region in Sudan's west, since mainly non-Arab tribes took up arms in 2003 against the government in Khartoum, which they accuse of oppressive policies.

Fighting has ebbed from its peak in 2004 but continuing conflict and divisions among rebels have scuppered several rounds of peace talks.

Half a million artisan miners have joined a gold rush across Sudan, according to the government, which estimates it made $2.5 billion from gold exports last year.

Fighting between the Rizeigat and Bani Hussein, two Arab tribes, broke out on Saturday over who should be allowed to use a mine near Kabkabiya in North Darfur.

"A row between some individuals has turned into battles ... Fighting is still ongoing," Omar Ali Ahad, a leader of the Bani Hussein tribe, told Reuters.

"It's a tragedy. I don't have numbers yet but I can say a large number of people have been killed and wounded so far."

Rizeigat tribesmen were attacking with weapons including rocket-propelled grenades. "We only have Kalashnikov (automatic rifles) to fight back," Ahad said.

Mohammed Aissa Aliu, a Rizeigat leader, said elders of his tribe were trying to stop the fighting. "We have sent a delegation to mediate," he said.

"The situation is unacceptable."

Sudan's state radio said authorities closed the mine on Wednesday.

Human rights groups have accused Sudan's government of arming Arab tribes such as the Rizeigat when it moved to quell the Darfur rebellion in 2003.

Rizeigat tribesmen also fought alongside the army during decades of civil war between Khartoum and the South, which seceded in 2011 after a peace deal in 2005.

Diplomats said Sudan had failed to disarm allied tribes as required under an agreement between Sudan and small rebel groups in 2011. The large rebel groups have refused to join the deal.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and other Sudanese officials for masterminding war crimes in Darfur. They deny the charges and refuse to recognize the court.

Human rights groups and the United Nations estimate that hundreds of thousands of people have died in Darfur's conflict, although exact tolls are controversial. The government says around 10,000 people have died.

(Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Andrew Roche)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/heavy-fighting-between-tribes-over-gold-mine-sudans-175333750.html

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Suicide bombers kill 5 at Afghan district compound

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) ? Two suicide bombers penetrated a government compound in the country's south Sunday, killing five people, Afghan officials said. There were no reports of foreign troops or civilians at the site.

The attack was in the district of Spin Boldak in Kandahar province. The district is a major infiltration corridor for Taliban fighters from Pakistan as well as a smuggling route for weapons and narcotics and Kandahar is one of Afghanistan's most violent provinces.

District chief of Spin Boldak said the two militants were targeting a meeting of local officials at a compound in a district of Kandahar province near the Pakistani border. Mohammad Hashim said the two attackers arrived in a car, killed a guard and entered the facility firing weapons before blowing themselves up along with their vehicle. The compound houses offices of the district chief and district council as well as other government buildings.

The head of the provincial council, Hafiz Abdul Haleem, said five people died including one policeman and four civilians. Fifteen were wounded.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suicide-bombers-kill-5-afghan-district-compound-095609242.html

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