Massive blackouts and smog have hit cities across Iran. It’s a toxic mix as the country, already under economic duress and suffocating U.S. sanctions, simultaneously battles the region’s worst coronavirus outbreak. Blackouts are not new in Iran, where an aging and subsidized electricity sector is plagued by alleged mismanagement. But this time, government officials say that bitcoin mining at cryptocurrency farms…
Tag: iranian
‘Iranian YouTube’ CEO Sentenced To 10 Years Over Video Uploaded By User
The founder and manager of Iran’s main video-sharing platform, referred to by some as Iran’s YouTube, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of “encouraging corruption” over a video posted by a user. Radio Free Europe reports: In the video posted on Aparat.com last year, children were asked whether they know how they were born, Iranian media…
Microsoft Says Iranian Hackers Are Exploiting the Zerologon Vulnerability
Microsoft said on Monday that Iranian state-sponsored hackers are currently exploiting the Zerologon vulnerability in real-world hacking campaigns. From a report: Successful attacks would allow hackers to take over servers known as domain controllers (DC) that are the centerpieces of most enterprise networks and enable intruders to gain full control over their targets. The Iranian attacks were detected by Microsoft’s Threat…
Iranian Hackers Found Way Into Encrypted Apps, Researchers Say
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: Iranian hackers, most likely employees or affiliates of the government, have been running a vast cyberespionage operation equipped with surveillance tools that can outsmart encrypted messaging systems — a capability Iran was not previously known to possess, according to two digital security reports released Friday. The operation not only targets…
DOD, FBI, DHS Release Info on Malware Used in Chinese Government-Led Hacking Campaigns
The U.S. government today publicly exposed malware used in Chinese government hacking efforts for more than a decade. From a report: The Chinese government has been using malware, referred to as Taidoor, to target government agencies, entities in the private sector, and think tanks since 2008, according to a joint announcement from the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security…
Mysterious Explosion and Fire Damage Iranian Nuclear Enrichment Facility
A fire ripped through a building at Iran’s main nuclear-fuel production site early Thursday, causing extensive damage to what appeared to be a factory where the country has boasted of producing a new generation of centrifuges. The United States has repeatedly warned that such machinery could speed Tehran’s path to building nuclear weapons. schwit1 shares a report: The Atomic Energy Agency…
Senator Ted Cruz Calls For Criminal Investigation of Twitter
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Axios: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), in a letter Friday to the Justice and Treasury departments, is calling for a criminal investigation of Twitter over allegations the company is violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. Twitter is already under fire from President Trump for adding fact checks and a warning label, respectively, to misleading and incendiary…
Google Highlights Indian ‘Hack-for-Hire’ Companies in New TAG Report
The Google Threat Analysis Group (TAG), a division inside Google’s security department that tracks nation-state and high-end cybercrime groups, has published its inaugural TAG quarterly report. In the Q1 2020 TAG Bulletin, Google analysts chose to highlight two rising trends the company saw in the first three months of 2020. The first is the rising scene of hack-for-fire companies currently operating…
Hackers Target WHO By Posing As Think Tank, Broadcaster
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: The messages began arriving in World Health Organization employees’ inboxes in early April, seemingly innocuous emails about the coronavirus from news organizations and researchers. But a close examination revealed that they contained malicious links, and some security experts have traced the emails to a hacking group in Iran believed to be sponsored by…
16-Year-Old Beat World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen to Win ‘Banter Blitz Cup’
An anonymous reader quotes CNN:
A 16-year-old Iranian chess prodigy has upended the chess world by beating World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen in the final of the Banter Blitz Cup. Alireza Firouzja defeated the Norwegian 8.5-7.5 in the final of the online quickfire knockout contest — where players must comment verbally on their moves, and their opponents, during the game — to…