05 March 2022

CYBER HUBS EXPERTISE:

Intro:
Conti ransomware

The Week in Ransomware - March 4th 2022 - The Conti Leaks

This week's biggest story is the massive data leak from the Conti ransomware operation, including over 160,000 internal messages between members and source code for the ransomware and TrickBot operation.

 
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Russia blocks access to Facebook, Twitter, foreign news outlets

Facebook

  • March 4, 2022
  • 02:10 PM

"Russia has blocked access to the Facebook social network after Meta, Facebook's parent company, deactivated or restricted access to accounts belonging pr-Kremlin media outlets and news agencies, including RIA Novosti, Sputnik, and Russia Today.

After this article was published, Roskomnadzor told Interfax that Russia has now also blocked access to Twitter (twitter.com) following a demand made by the Prosecutor General's Office on February 24.

Twitter said on February 26 that the platform was "being restricted for some people in Russia" and that they're working to keep the "service safe and accessible."

Russia bans Facebook

On Thursday, Roskomnadzor asked Meta to immediately lift all restrictions on Russian media outlets members of the RT Media Group.

Russian Internet watchdog Roskomnadzor said Friday that the decision was motivated by Facebook discriminating against Russian media and information resources starting with October 2020.

"On March 4, 2022, a decision was made to block access to the Facebook network (owned by Meta Platforms, Inc.) in the Russian Federation," Roskomnadzor stated.

"In recent days, the social network has restricted access to accounts: the Zvezda TV channel, the RIA Novosti news agency, Sputnik, Russia Today, the Lenta.ru and Gazeta.ru information resources."

The Russian telecom watchdog added that the decision was taken to prevent blocking the free flow of information and obstructing the access of Russian users to Russian media across foreign social platforms.

"Soon millions of ordinary Russians will find themselves cut off from reliable information, deprived of their everyday ways of connecting with family and friends and silenced from speaking out," Meta's President for Global Affairs said in response to Facebook getting blocked in Russia.

"We will continue to do everything we can to restore our services so they remain available to people to safely and securely express themselves and organize for action."

Foreign news outlets blocked in Russia

Today, Roskomnadzor has also blocked access to multiple foreign news outlets, some of them designated as foreign agents, including Voice of America, BBC, DW, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Russia justified the media outlets' ban saying that they spread fake news regarding the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the methods used by its military against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure, and the number of casualties suffered by the Russian army. . .

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First one new development - and note the pairing between military and humanitarian aid.
"U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken revealed during a Friday press availability in Brussels that "every NATO ally is providing either military or humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Most are providing both."

Ukraine to join NATO intel-sharing cyberdefense hub

NATO CCDCOE Ukraine

"While Ukraine is yet to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the country has been accepted as a contributing participant to the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE).

CCDCOE is a NATO-accredited cyberdefense hub that member nations use for research, training, and exercises covering several areas, including technology, strategy, operations, and law.

Although this does not make Ukraine a NATO member, it will likely tighten collaboration and allow it to gain access to NATO member nations' cyber-expertise and share its own.

"Ukraine's presence in the Centre will enhance the exchange of cyber expertise, between Ukraine and CCDCOE member nations," said Colonel Jaak Tarien, Director of NATO CCDCOE.

"Ukraine could bring valuable first-hand knowledge of several adversaries within the cyber domain to be used for research, exercises and training,"

Minister of Defence of Estonia Kalle Laanet added that Ukraine "has valuable experience from previous cyber-attacks to provide significant value to the NATO CCDCOE."

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