Claims of the U.S. government using social networks to spy on its citizens have emerged in recent times while an Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) freedom of information request uncovered a memo encouraging agents to try to befriend people on a variety of social networks. EFF says that the government is spying on Twitter, MySpace, Craigslist and Wikipedia.

It is said that the move is aiming at the prevention of Narcissistic tendencies among the people. Through these networking sites users share the link to their pages and many of these people accept cyber-friends that they don’t even know.

Once they have been accepted, these agents take advantage of the user’s readiness to share, and to also spy on them. According to EFF, this memo suggests there’s nothing to prevent an exaggerated, harmless or even out-of-date off-hand comment in a status update from quickly becoming the subject of a full citizenship investigation.

…An operation Aurora looting intellectual property from Google, Adobe and Microsoft.

…$1,109,790 stolen from many firms at UK.

…Zeus Trojan packs for personalized malware available at $700 online.

92 percent of MNCs experiencing a malicious security breach at some time according to Pricewaterhouse Coopers and the question – are enterprises prepared for new gen cyber attacks?

Gone are those days when cyber attacks were an issue of unease only to the government and military. Increased use of internet-enabled devices in the workplace has paved way for big time cyber attacks in enterprises by a better resourced and sophisticated breed of cyber criminals.

One of the main reasons why businesses have become more vulnerable is the proliferation of new technologies and the growing dependence on IT. A research carried out by Accenture showed that 73 percent of organizations believe they have adequate policies in place to protect sensitive information, yet more than half have lost sensitive data within the past two years.

Alarms started off in mid-December, when Google detected a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on their corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property. Much to their woes, it was not constrained to China but went on to access Gmail accounts based in U.S. and Europe. Infiltration happened through accounts of human activists in China but was identified to have aimed not just Google but twenty other large companies from a wide range of businesses–including the Internet, finance, technology, media and chemical sectors.

It was followed by a recent hacking of Ford Motor Credit Co.’s computer database that illustrates the potential loss and devastation present in cyber-risk. Entering through a database operated by credit-reporting agency Experian, hackers downloaded the Social Security numbers and addresses of 13,000 customers.

To add to the story, Cyber attacks are on a rampage with applications like Adobe Flash, PDF or Internet Explorer frequently targeted by attackers. Adobe, which had to face the music this time, saw a top web-based attack from April to June, related to malicious PDF activity, which accounted for 42 percent of total attacks.

Over the past four months, an average of 130 instances of malware were found every day simply by searching for content on popular, “trending” topics via Twitter, Google, Yahoo! and Bing.

According to the Security Tracking Study carried out by the Ponemon Institute in August this year, 83 percent of multinational companies believe they have been the target of a cyber attack over the past 12 months. A Cyber security survey by Narus says more than 71 percent of respondents are concerned that their company is not equipped to protect itself from cyber attacks; approximately 88 percent think the government is not equipped to protect itself.

The survey by Narus proposes a ‘cyber security ecosystem’ to tackle this issue. Realizing that one company cannot possibly offer technology and services to cover the vast needs among organizations, cyber security vendors must cooperate with each and form a “cyber security ecosystem” and to offer more value to their customers.

Improvement of areas like security training, awareness and comprehension of threats by executive management and security audits can also tackle cyber terrorism to an extent.

Washington: Another Mumbai type terrorist attack on an Indian city may provoke a full blown India-Pakistan war, a panel of top U.S. counter experts has warned on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

“One of the more predictable foreign policy challenges of the next years is a ‘Mumbai II’, a large-scale attack on a major Indian city by a Pakistani militant group that kills hundreds,” said a 42-page analysis report produced by the non-partisan National Security Preparedness Group,Headed by former Democratic Representative Lee Hamilton, and former Republican New Jersey Governor Tom Kean, who also headed the 9/11 commission, the panel noted that the Indian government showed considerable restraint in its reaction to the provocation of the Mumbai attacks in 2008.

“Another such attack, however, would likely produce considerable political pressure on the Indian government to ‘do something,”‘ the panel warned.

“That something would likely involve incursions over the border to eliminate the training camps of Pakistani militant groups with histories of attacking India,” it said. “That could lead in turn to a full-blown war for the fourth time since 1947 between India and Pakistan.”

“Such a war involves the possibility of a nuclear exchange and the certainty that Pakistan would move substantial resources to its eastern border and away from fighting the Taliban on its western border, so relieving pressure on all the militant groups based there, including Al Qaeda,” the panel said. The reconnaissance efforts of Pakistani-American David Headley, who had changed his name from Daood Sayed Gilani, “on behalf of Lashkar-e-Taiba were pivotal to the attacks in Mumbai,” the panel noted.

“Last year he also planned an operation to kill those responsible for the 2005 publication in a Danish newspaper of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, which many Muslims had deemed to be offensive,” it recalled.

“The Mumbai attacks of 2008 showed that Al Qaeda’s ideas about attacking Western and Jewish targets had also spread to Pakistani militant groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, which had previously focused only on Indian targets,” it said. Over a three-day period in late November 2008, LeT carried out multiple attacks in Mumbai targeting five-star hotels housing Westerners, as well as a Jewish-American community centre, it noted.

Holding balloons and flowers, employees pledged on Thursday to re-dedicate themselves to Mumbai’s Taj Mahal hotel when it reopens at the weekend (on 15th August 2010) after the 2008 militant attacks in which guests and staff members died.

The hotel, which suffered extensive damage from a siege laid by four heavily armed gunmen, was one of several Mumbai landmarks attacked by Pakistan-based militants. The November strikes, which lasted over 60 hours, killed 166 people.

Standing on the grand cantilever stairway, staff members cheered and tossed rose petals in the air after chairman Ratan Tata garlanded a bust of the founder of the Tata Group, India’s oldest conglomerate, which also owns the luxury Taj hotels.

“This flagship property, this venerable Old Lady, is going to reopen in the same glory, the same splendour of more than 100 years,” Tata said, his voice cracking, ahead of the hotel’s scheduled reopening on Sunday, also India’s Independence Day.

Tata had vowed to “rebuild every inch” of the iconic hotel, founded in 1903, and which has played host to maharajas, heads of state, chief executives, movie stars and entertainers alike.

Architects, designers and restoration experts from India and around the world spent more than 21 months assessing the damage, then restoring the hotel, said Raymond Bickson, managing director of Taj Hotels, a unit of Indian Hotels Co Ltd. (IHTL.BO).

“It was a cast of thousands that undertook the extensive restoration and sensitive restoration of the hotel, staying true to the original design and spirit,” he said.

Founder Jamsetji Tata had originally shopped for the hotel in London, Dusseldorf, Berlin and Paris, ordering 10 spun iron pillars that he saw at the Eiffel Tower opening exhibition for the hotel’s large ballroom, now redone in tonnes of gold.

The hotel, which combines Oriental, Florentine and Moorish architectural styles in its vaulted alabaster ceilings, graceful archways and marble floors, houses fine examples of modern and contemporary Indian art, and now, modern security systems, too.

The palace wing, built on reclaimed land overlooking the Arabian Sea, is a prime example of Indo-Sarcenic architecture, with cupolas and a dominant dome, which during the 60-hour siege was engulfed in flames and thick smoke from grenades.

The company spent some 1.8 billion rupees ($38 million) on repair and restoration, Bickson said, and lost more than that in the time that the hotel was shut for business.

But it has received several inquiries, including from guests who were present during the attack, he said.

The luxury Oberoi Hotel a few hundred metres away, which was also attacked, reopened earlier this year.

While the Taj has retained its priceless Belgian chandeliers, antique chests and sacred icons, it has completely refurbished its luxurious suites, including the Ravi Shankar suite, where maestro Shankar taught Beatle George Harrison to play the sitar.

Darfur rebels and U.N. to sign deal to protect children

GENEVA (Reuters) – Rebels in Sudan’s Darfur region and the United Nations will sign a deal this week to protect children, an independent mediation group said on Monday, in a move that appears aimed at stopping the use of child soldiers.

The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue said Darfur’s Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF would sign the agreement in Geneva on Wednesday.

U.N. officials have cited evidence that the JEM and other rebels and pro-government groups recruited child soldiers in the conflict that flared in 2003 when mostly non-Arab insurgents revolted against the Khartoum government, seeking more autonomy.

‘This is a very important and positive step. It is the result of more than a year’s worth of dialogue between the U.N. agencies and JEM, sponsored by the HD Centre,’ the centre’s humanitarian adviser, Dennis McNamara, said in a statement.

The statement made no reference to recruitment of child soldiers but officials who asked not to be identified said one of the points of the deal was to stop this scourge in Darfur.

Under the accord, UNICEF will have unimpeded access to all JEM locations to verify compliance and UNICEF will work with all sides to help protect children from the conflict.

The deal is a rare piece of good news in the seven-year-old conflict in which U.N. officials say as many as 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million have been driven from their homes.

Darfur Rebels

Fighting is continuing amid faltering peace talks.

The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue is an independent and neutral mediation group based in Geneva that tries to end armed conflict. Besides Sudan, it is active in the Philippines, Myanmar, Kenya and Somalia, among other conflicts.

Lyon: Interpol, the international police agency, believes that internet users can be helpful in tracking down many criminals who are wanted for serious crimes like murder, rape, child sexual abuse and others.

Interpol has launched a round-up operation on May 3 to trap 450 people, who are either convicted or suspected of serious offences. The operation is spread over 29 countries. The agency also stated that more than 100 fugitives have been arrested or located worldwide.
Some of the high profile arrests include former Colombian model Angie Sanclemente Valencia, who was wanted for drug trafficking. She was caught in Argentina in May. Mouamba Munanga, wanted for counterfeit currency and money-laundering by France and Bahrain was caught in South Africa on June 16.

Public pictures of 26 fugitives have been released by the Interpol to back its appeal for help from Internet users.

Martin Cox, Assistant Director of Interpol’s Fugitive Investigative Support (FIS) unit said,
“The operation has been very successful in locating and arresting a large number of these targets, but what we are now left with are the cases where we have no new information on their whereabouts, which is why we are asking for the public to help. It is more likely that someone will recognize one these fugitives from a social networking site or a chat room than spotting them walking down the street.”

Any information on the fugitives can be sent to fugitive@interpol.int or be anonymously given to National Crime Stoppers programs.

A perfect letter to our Prime Minister from an Indian (from Mumbai)
November 2008

Dear Mr. Prime Minister

I am a typical mouse from Mumbai. In the local train compartment which has capacity of 100 persons, I travel with 500 more mice.

Mouse at least squeak but we don’t even do that.

Today I heard your speech, in which you said ‘NO BODY WOULD BE SPARED‘. I would like to remind you that fourteen years has passed since the serial bomb blast in Mumbai took place. Dawood was the main conspirator. Till today he is not caught. All our bolywood actors, our builders, our Gutka king meet him but your Government can not catch him.

Reason: All your ministers are hand in glove with him. If any attempt is made to catch him everybody will be exposed.

Your statement ‘NOBODY WOULD BE SPARED’ is nothing but a cruel joke on the unfortunate people of India.

Enough is enough.

As such, after seeing the terrorist attack carried out by about a dozen young boys, I realize that the day in not far when terrorists will attack by air, destroy our nuclear reactor and there will be one more Hiroshima.

We, the people, are left with only one mantra. Womb to Bomb to Tomb. You promised Mumbaikars’ Shanghai… what you have given us is Jalianwala Baugh.

Today only your home minister resigned. What took you so long to kick out this joker? Only reason was that he was loyal to Gandhi family. Loyalty to Gandhi family is more important than blood of innocent people, isn’t it?

I am born and bought up in Mumbai for last fifty eight years. Believe me, corruption in Maharashtra is worse than that in Bihar . Look at all the politician, Sharad Pawar, Chagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane, Bal Thackray, Gopinath Munde, Raj Thackray, Vilasrao Deshmukh… all are rolling in money. Vilasrao Deshmukh is one of the worst Chief minister I have seen. His only business is to increase the FSI every other day, make money and send it to Delhi so Congress can fight next election. Now the clown has found new way and will increase FSI for fisherman so they can build concrete house right on sea shore, more so that teh next time the visiting terrorists can comfortably live in those house , enjoy the beauty of sea and then attack the Mumbai again.

Recently I had to purchase house in Mumbai. I met about two dozen builders. Everybody wanted about 30% in black. A common person like me knows this and with all your intelligent agency & CBI you and your finance minister are not aware of it. Where all the black money goes? To the underworld isn’t it? Our politicians take help of these goondas to vacate people by force. I myself was victim of it. If you have time
please come to me, I will tell you everything.

If this has been land of fools, idiots then I would not have ever cared to write you this letter. Just see the tragedy, on one side we are reaching the moon, people are so intelligent, and on other side you politicians have converted nectar into deadly poison.

I am everything…Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Schedule caste, OBC, Muslim OBC, Christian Schedule caste, Creamy Schedule caste only what I am not is INDIAN. You politician have raped every part of our mother India by your policy of divide and rule.

Take example of former president Abdul Kalam. Such a intelligent person, such a fine human being. You politician didn’t even spare him. Your party along with opposition joined the hands, because politicians feel they are supreme and there is no place for good person.

Dear Mr Prime Minister, you are one of the most intelligent person, most learned person. Just wake up, be a real SARDAR. First and foremost expose all selfish politicians. Ask Swiss bank to give name of all Indian account holders. Give an independent control to the CBI. Let them find the wolfs amongst us. There will be political upheaval but that will be better than the dance of death which has become a part of our daily life.

All we want is an ambient where we can work honestly and live without fear. Let there be a true rule of law. Everything else will automatically fall in line.

Choice is yours Mr. Prime Minister… Do you want to be leader of few or you want to lead the nation of 100 crore people?

Hi Readers

You all may be wondering as why I have not writtten on such a grave issue. Well, to tell you the truth, there has been so much coverave by the media, that I felt its no point me written here again about the same.

We all have seen the events live, and by now know the actual facts too.

I just want to mention here my deepest condolences for all the persons who have died in this very shameful massacre. I also extent my full respect to all those were actually involved in bringing this terror to an end.

Maybe I will write about my personal views on the events soon, but for now I am still gathering the news and trying to sort the truth from the friction.

Thanks.
Jit

PS.: With so much happening on terrorism, I am creating a new catagory, “Terrorism and Us”. All existing posts and future ones related to this subject will be available under this section.