Wednesday, March 8, 2017

CLG: Vault 7: CIA Hacking Tools Revealed



 News Updates from CLG
08 March 2017
 
Previous editions: Trump to Seek $54 Billion Increase in Military Spending
 
Vault 7: CIA Hacking Tools Revealed --CIA[ciopaths'] malware targets Windows, OSx, Linux, routers | 07 March 2017 | Today, Tuesday 7 March 2017, WikiLeaks begins its new series of leaks on the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Code-named "Vault 7" by WikiLeaks, it is the largest ever publication of confidential documents on the agency. The first full part of the series, "Year Zero", comprises 8,761 documents and files from an isolated, high-security network situated inside the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence in Langley, Virginia. It follows an introductory disclosure last month of CIA targeting French political parties and candidates in the lead up to the 2012 presidential election. Recently, the CIA lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal including malware, viruses, tr-jans, weaponized "zero day" exploits, malware remote control systems and associated documentation...The CIA also runs a very substantial effort to infect and control Microsoft Windows users with its malware...Attacks against Internet infrastructure and webservers are developed by the CIA's Network Devices Branch (NDB).
 
WikiLeaks posts huge CIA hacking trove | 08 March 2017 | The CIA has suffered what appears to be a massive security breach with WikiLeaks dumping thousands of confidential documents detailing the spy agency's global hacking abilities. The CIA documents published by WikiLeaks show how the CIA has managed to read popular encrypted apps, signal and telegram by breaking into phones to intercept messages before the encryption is applied. WikiLeaks, headed by Australian Julian Assange, claimed that its leaked data includes hundreds of millions of line of code that includes the CIA's "entire hacking capability."
 
White House calls for investigation into claims Obama ordered 'wiretap' on Trump | 05 March 2017 |The White House has called for the US Congress to investigate President Donald Trump's claim Barack Obama ordered Trump Tower to be "wiretapped" during the US election. In a series of tweets, White House press secretary Sean Spicer called Mr Trump's allegation, for which he has provided no evidence, "very troubling". He said Mr Trump is requesting Congress examine whether "executive investigative powers were abused" during the 2016 election campaign, as part of an ongoing congressional probe into Russia's influence on the election.
 
Trump ratchets up Obama attack with wiretapping allegation | 04 March 2017 | President Trump ratcheted up his attacks on his predecessor Saturday, with his allegation that former President Obama ordered surveillance of the real estate mogul before the November election sparking confusion and backlash ... At least two Republicans, Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) and Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.), called on Trump to provide more information about his allegation. Sasse noted any such wiretap would have taken place with authorization from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and "an application for surveillance exists that the court found credible."
 
Paper says Comey asks DOJ to reject Trump claim | 05 March 2017 | The New York Times is reporting that the director of the FBI has asked the Justice Department to publicly reject President Donald Trump's assertion that Barack Obama as president ordered the tapping of Trump's phones during the presidential campaign.
 
Trump Inherits a Secret Cyberwar Against North Korea | 04 March 2017 | Three years ago, President Barack Obama ordered Pentagon officials to step up their cyber and electronic strikes against North Korea's missile program in hopes of sabotaging test launches in their opening seconds. Soon a large number of the North's military rockets began to explode, veer off course, disintegrate in midair and plunge into the sea. But [some] experts have grown increasingly skeptical of the new approach, arguing that manufacturing errors, disgruntled insiders and sheer incompetence can also send missiles awry.
 
North Korea fires four ballistic missiles into sea near Japan | 06 March 2017 | North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast early on Monday, South Korean and Japanese officials said, days after the reclusive state promised retaliation over U.S.-South Korea military drills it sees as a preparation for war. South Korea's military said the missiles were unlikely to have been intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) which could reach the United States, but flew on average 1,000 km (600 miles) and reached a height of 260 km (160 miles).
 
Intel report: 121 former Guantanamo prisoners returned to terrorism | 07 March 2017 | The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released updated figures on former Guantanamo Bay prisoners suspected or confirmed of re-engaging with terrorism Tuesday, showing a small shift in the figures since September. According to the updated data released Tuesday, the intelligence community has confirmed that a total of 121 former detainees have re-engaged in terrorism. That number is a one-person drop since the previous report, released in September, which listed 122 prisoners as confirmed terrorists.
 
Germany arrests 2 Syrian migrants; one suspected of killing 36 with terror group | 02 March 2017 | German police arrested two Syrian migrants linked to the [John McCain-backed] Syrian terror group al-Nusra Front, which morphed into Fatah al-Sham Front in 2013. A 35-year-old man identified as Abdalfatah H.A. was arrested Wednesday in Düsseldorf, and a 26-year-old identified as Abdulrahman A.A. was arrested Thursday in Giessen. The former is suspected of killing 36 people prior to arriving in Germany, Deutsche Welle reportedThursday.
 
Disgraced journalist charged over bomb threats to U.S. Jewish groups | 03 March 2017 | A disgraced former journalist was charged on Friday with making a wave of bomb threats to Jewish organizations while posing as an ex-girlfriend in retaliation for breaking up with him. Juan Thompson, 31, was arrested in St. Louis, the first case to emerge from a federal investigation into a surge of threats against Jewish Community Centers (JCCs) and schools that has rattled American Jews...U.S. authorities are examining more than 100 threats made against JCCs by phone this year, which appear unrelated to the Thompson allegations.
 
Trump signs revised travel ban in bid to overcome legal challenges | 06 March 2017 | President Donald Trump signed a revised executive order on Monday banning citizens from six Muslim-majority nations from traveling to the United States but removing Iraq from the list, after his controversial first attempt was blocked in the courts. The new order, which takes effect on March 16, keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It applies only to new visa applicants, meaning some 60,000 people whose visas were revoked under the previous order will now be permitted to enter.
 
'Like McCarthyism': Lavrov slams US 'witch hunt-like' scrutiny of Russian ambassador's contacts | 03 March 2017 | With Russian Ambassador to the USA Sergey Kislyak's contacts with members of the Trump administration under scrutiny, Moscow won't apply a tit-for-tat approach to US Ambassador to Russia John Tefft, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov promised. Lavrov said the whole situation resembled the days of McCarthyism. [It does.] Kislyak recently found himself under the US media spotlight with reports of his communications, first with former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and then with Attorney-General Jeff Sessions.
 
US House intel panel approves scope of probe into 'Russian activities in US elections' | 02 March 2017 | The House Intelligence Committee has agreed on parameters of its investigation of alleged Russian meddling into the 2016 presidential election. Without naming President Donald Trump in its announcement, the panel said it would look into "links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns or any other U.S. Persons." House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R) and ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff (D), both of California, agreed on the terms of the investigation, according to an announcement Wednesday evening.
 
Pro-Trump, anti-Trump protesters clash in Berkeley | 04 March 2017 | Arguments heated up in Berkeley as demonstrators on both sides of the debate over President Donald Trump's policies clashed Saturday afternoon. People participating in the "March 4 Trump" demonstration to show support for President Trump were met by members of the group "By Any Means Necessary," and other protesters, which had planned a counter-demonstration. Berkeley police officers were keeping a close eye on the demonstrations, but video shared on Twitter showed shouting matches erupting and getting physical between the two groups.
 
Trump: Sessions 'did not say anything wrong' | 02 March 2017 | President Donald Trump stood by Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday, releasing a statement saying Sessions did not make any misleading statements under oath during his confirmation hearings, but that he could have been more accurate in his responses to lawmakers. "Jeff Sessions is an honest man. He did not say anything wrong. He could have stated his response more accurately, but it was clearly not intentional," Trump said.
 
Dem lawmaker apologizes for crude remark about Kellyanne Conway | 05 March 2017 | A Democratic congressman apologized Sunday for a joke he made about a controversial photo featuring Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway. Richmond, a Louisiana Democrat and chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, made the remark at the Washington Press Club Foundation's congressional dinner Wednesday evening. During his speech, Richmond referenced a controversial photo showing Conway kneeling on an Oval Office couch during a gathering.
 
Kellyanne Conway slams Democratic congressman for his demeaning joke that she looked 'familiar' on her knees on the Oval Office couch --Conway vented her disappointment in his 'sexist, unfunny' joke on Twitter | 03 March 2017 | A Democratic congressman has sparked outrage by joking that Kellyanne Conway looked 'familiar' on her knees on the Oval Office couch. Cedric Richmond, the congressman for the 2nd District of Louisiana, made the joke at a dinner in Washington DC on Wednesday. 'She really looked kind of familiar in that position there,' said Richmond, he told the Washington Press Club Foundation Dinner awkwardly as he delivered his speech. Conway took to Twitter to say she was outraged by the 'sexist and unfunny', sharing her disappointment that not more people felt the same. Richmond drew hardly any laughs as he delivered the joke on Wednesday night.
 
Polls show Trump doing well, despite media's narrative | 01 March 2017 | Recent polling numbers bode well for President Trump, despite the media's narrative. Shame of it is, you likely haven't heard or read much about them as media coverage ignores any positive news as it pertains to this president. "The default narrative is always negative, and it’s demoralizing," Sean Spicer said. "When we're right, say we're right. When we're wrong, say we're wrong. But it’s not always wrong and negative." ...Are positive stories about the Trump administration falling victim to the bias of omission?
 
Dow breaks above 21,000 as stocks hit all-time highs after Trump's speech; financials lead | 01 March 2017 | U.S. equities traded sharply higher on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones industrial average climbing above 21,000 for the first time, on the back of President Donald Trump's speech to Congress. Trump's speech, which was delivered Tuesday night, was widely praised for its positive tone but lacked specifics about tax reform and deregulation, two key components of the market's postelection rally. The Dow advanced more than 200 points with Goldman Sachs contributing the most gains. The 30-stock index first closed above 20,000 on Jan. 25.
 
President Trump's Congress speech - full text | 28 Feb 2017 | PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP'S ADDRESS TO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS
Remarks as prepared for delivery. (Transcript)
 
Robots sent to clean up Fukushima nuclear site keep dying due to sky-high levels of radiation | 05 March 2017 | A Japanese company tasked with cleaning up Fukushima, the site of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, has admitted that its attempts to probe the site are failing repeatedly due to incredibly high levels of radiation...The latest attempt to harvest data on Fukushima failed after a robot designed by Toshiba to withstand high radiation levels died five times faster than expected. The robot was supposed to be able to cope with 73 sieverts of radiation, but the radiation level inside the reactor was recently recorded at 530 sieverts. A single dose of one sievert is enough to cause radiation sickness and nausea; 5 sieverts would kill half those exposed to it within a month, and a single dose of 10 sieverts would prove fatal within weeks.
 
Cuomo's decision-makers skip multi-billion dollar bailout hearing on three failing N.Y. nuclear reactors --Taxpayers to fork over several billion dollars in corporate welfare | 06 March 2017 | A state-approved bailout of three upstate nuclear power plants was the focus of a legislative hearing Monday, but New York's top energy officials declined to attend. The state Assembly held a hearing Monday on the state's "zero-emissions credit" plan, which kicks in on April 1 and will require ratepayers across the state to pay several billion dollars over 12 years to keep open the three aging plants, including the R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant near Rochester. The hearing, however, was absent the key decision-makers in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's (D) administration who were behind the initiative.
 
Bird flu found in Tennessee chicken flock on Tyson-contracted farm | 06 March 2017 | A strain of bird flu has been detected in a chicken breeder flock on a Tennessee farm contracted to U.S. food giant Tyson Foods Inc, and the 73,500 birds will be culled to stop the virus from entering the food system, government and company officials said on Sunday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said this represented the first confirmed case of highly pathogenic H7 avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial poultry in the United States this year. It is the first time HPAI has been found in Tennessee, the state government said.
 
Britain detects bird flu on premises in eastern England | 03 March 2017 | Britain said on Friday it had detected bird flu on premises in eastern England during routine checks carried out following the confirmation of the virus at a nearby farm. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said the virus had been detected on the separate premises after a confirmed case of H5N8 avian flu was found at a poultry farm near Redgrave in Suffolk. Defra said the UK's Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer had said the proactive culling of around 55,000 birds would take place to prevent the spread of the virus which has been found in wild and farmed birds in the UK since December 2016.
 
G.O.P. Repeal Bill Would Cut Funding for Poor and Taxes on Rich | 06 March 2017 | Republicans in the House have performed major surgery on the Obamacare replacement plan they circulated a few weeks ago. But compared with the Affordable Care Act, the new plan still shifts a lot of benefits from the poor to those who earn more. Legislative language for what House leaders call the American Health Care Act, released Monday evening, would substantially cut back funding to states that cover poor adults through their Medicaid program. It would cut back on financial assistance for relatively low-income insurance shoppers above the poverty line. It would offer new financial benefits for the upper-middle-class and the rich.
 
Supreme Court scraps case on transgender bathroom rights | 06 March 2017 | The Supreme Court on Monday sent a dispute over a Virginia transgender student's bathroom access back to a lower court, without reaching a decision. The court vacated the current dispute after the Trump administration withdrew support for an Obama administration order supporting transgender students. In returning the case, the justices opted not to decide whether a federal anti-discrimination law gives high school senior Gavin Grimm the right to use the boys' bathroom in his school.
 
Supreme Court scraps case on transgender bathroom rights | 06 March 2017 | The Supreme Court is handing a transgender teen's case back to a lower court without reaching a decision. The justices said Monday they have opted not to decide whether federal anti-discrimination law gives high school senior Gavin Grimm the right to use the boys' bathroom in his Virginia school.
 
Eleven U.S. states to drop suit over transgender bathroom order | 02 March 2017 | Eleven U.S. states have agreed to drop a lawsuit against an Obama administration order for transgender students to use bathrooms of their choice after the measure was revoked by President Donald Trump, a court filing showed on Thursday. In a filing in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Justice Department said the states, led by Texas, had agreed to drop the lawsuit, and it was dropping its appeal against a federal judge's August stay on the Obama directive. In their suit in May, the states said Democratic President Barack Obama's administration overstepped its authority by ordering public schools to let transgender students use bathrooms matching their gender identity, rather than their birth gender, or risk losing federal funding.
Poachers break into Paris zoo, shoot rhino dead and steal its horn --Four-year-old rhinoceros named Vince found with three bullets to head at Thoiry Zoo | 07 March 2017 | A rhinoceros at a zoo near Paris was shot three times in the head on Monday night by poachers who then cut off its horn with a chainsaw. The four-year-oldrhinoceros, named Vince, was found dead by keepers at Thoiry Zoo, to the west of the French capital. One or more poachers are believed to have broken in to the zoo and forced their way into an enclosure where three rhinos lived, reported Le Parisien. [A thousand pities it wasn't the *poachers* with the three bullets to their heads instead of the rhino.] 
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