Tag Archive for: GOVT.

Federal Gov’t Suspends Mining Activities At OAU, Environs 

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The federal government has suspended further mining activities within Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals (OAUTH) complex in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

The minister of solid minerals development, Dr. Dele Alake, who declared the indefinite suspension, said the order will be in place pending the conclusion of investigations into suspected illegal mining around the university, its teaching hospital, and environs.

In a statement by the special assistant to the mnister, Segun Tomori, Dr Alake said the action followed reports in certain sections of the media about activities of illegal miners within the precincts of the university, adding that

the ministry had immediately swung into action to ascertain the veracity of the allegations.

“Following the outcry generated by reports of illegal mining or suspicion of nefarious activities by mining operators within OAU, we immediately deployed officials of the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) and Mines Inspectorate for on-the-spot assessment. Preliminary reports that reached me indicated that there were indeed some activities around the premises. The ministry then stopped all activities, whether legal or illegal, for further investigations,” the Minister asserted.

 

Speaking further, Alake revealed that upon summoning some operators discovered to be carrying out illegal activities, they presented some licences and letters of consent which necessitated further investigations to ascertain its authenticity, hence the imperative of inviting the university authorities for a parley.

“We have a had a very fruitful meeting, and a lot of facts have come out of it. Based on the outcome of the meeting, I announce the indefinite suspension, with immediate effect, all mining activities within the premises of the University, the University teaching hospital and in fact around the area and boundaries of the university, until the conclusion of thorough investigations,” the Minister added.

 

In his response, OAU vice chancellor, Prof Adebayo Bamire, expressed gratitude to the Minister for the audience, highlighting the capacity of the university to play an active role in exploration, research, and…

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Indian Govt Reveals ‘High-Risk’ Vulnerabilities Affecting Android Users: Check Details

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If you are using an Android device, it’s crucial to be aware that the Indian government’s Computer Emergency Response Team has issued a warning regarding ‘high’ security risk vulnerabilities in Android. The team emphasises that these exploits have the potential to allow attackers to gain sensitive information and execute arbitrary code on your phone.

Which Android Versions Are Affected?

These vulnerabilities are found in Android versions 11, 12, 13, and 14. This implies that even if you have the latest Android version, you are not exempt from these risks.

CERT-In highlights that multiple vulnerabilities exist within the framework, system, arm components, and MediaTek components, Unisoc components, Qualcomm components, and Qualcomm close-sourced components.

How To Protect Yourself?

To safeguard your device, you will need to have Android “Security patch levels of 2024-02-05 or later to address all of these issues.” So, when the OEM of your device releases the said update, simply download the latest available update.

Considering the ‘high’ severity rating, it’s advisable to focus on additional security-enhancing features. Enable two-factor authentication, use a robust passcode, and maintain good digital hygiene practices.

These Are The Vulnerabilities Affecting the Aforementioned Android versions

CVE-2023-32841, CVE-2023-32842, CVE-2023-32843, CVE-2023-33046, CVE-2023-33049, CVE-2023-33057, CVE-2023-33058, CVE-2023-33060, CVE-2023-33072, CVE-2023-33076, CVE-2023-40093, CVE-2023-40122, CVE-2023-43513, CVE-2023-43516, CVE-2023-43518, CVE-2023-43519, CVE-2023-43520, CVE-2023-43522, CVE-2023-43523,CVE-2023-43533, CVE-2023-43534, CVE-2023-43536, CVE-2023-49667, CVE-2023-49668, CVE-2023-5091, CVE-2023-5249, CVE-2023-5643, CVE-2024-0014, CVE-2024-0029, CVE-2024-0030, CVE-2024-0031, CVE-2024-0032, CVE-2024-0033, CVE-2024-0034, CVE-2024-0035, CVE-2024-0036, CVE-2024-0037, CVE-2024-0038, CVE-2024-0040, CVE-2024-0041, CVE-2024-20003, CVE-2024-20006, CVE-2024-20007, CVE-2024-20009, CVE-2024-20010, CVE-2024-20011.

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    Govt help needed to fight cyber war

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    PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. yesterday urged the government to oversee the country’s cybersecurity master plan against rising threats and attacks to secure critical assets.

    This after PLDT saw cyberattacks spike nearly 9,000 percent to 16 billion in 2023 from 182 million in 2022.

    On a monthly basis, the PLDT Group was blocking more than a billion hits in all but three months of 2023. November and December registered the highest attacks with more than three billion assaults each, PLDT said.

    “Cyber-attacks surge during holidays because that’s when people are distracted by the festivities. But for us, that’s when we are at the highest alert level. We’re not only protecting the company, but the entire Filipino people who rely on our services, especially in an increasingly digital landscape,” said Angel Redoble, PLDT, Smart and ePLDT chief information security officer.

    Cyberattacks are not limited to private companies. A few government websites also experienced major cybersecurity incidents in 2023. One attack is believed to have been state-sponsored and might have been motivated by geopolitical tensions.

    Redoble said the government needs to take the reins in steering the country’s cybersecurity strategy as cyberattacks have become matters of national security.

    “We are in the middle of a cyber war. We need to secure our country’s vital infrastructures like energy, telecoms, and financial services. If we talk about cyber resiliency, stakeholders – both private entities and government units – must collaborate. And we need the government to orchestrate our efforts,” said Redoble.

    The PLDT Group said it continues to engage external partners to further boost its cybersecurity capabilities.

    Recently, the PLDT Group’s Cyber Security Incident Response Team has joined the global Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams, giving the telco group access to data and tools that will further beef up its playbook against cyber threats and attacks.

    PLDT and Smart said their efforts to fortify their digital assets are rooted in their customer-centric culture where they aim to elevate the quality of customer experience…

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    Volt Typhoon-Linked SOHO Botnet Infects Multiple US Gov’t Entities

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    Researchers have discovered an Internet of Things (IoT) botnet linked with attacks against multiple US government and communications organizations.

    The “KV-Botnet,” revealed in a report from Lumen’s Black Lotus Labs, is designed to infect small-office home-office (SOHO) network devices developed by at least four different vendors. It comes built with a series of stealth mechanisms and the ability to spread further into local area networks (LANs).

    One notable subscriber is the Volt Typhoon advanced persistent threat (aka Bronze Silhouette), the headline-grabbing Chinese state-aligned threat actor known for attacks against US critical infrastructure. The platform appears to have been involved in previously reported Volt Typhoon campaigns against two telecommunications firms, an Internet service provider (ISP), and a US government organization based in Guam. It only represents a portion of Volt Typhoon’s infrastructure, though, and there are almost certainly other threat actors also using it.

    Inside the KV-Botnet

    Since at least February 2022, KV-Botnet has primarily infected SOHO routers including the Cisco RV320, DrayTek Vigor, and Netgear ProSafe product lines. As of mid-November, it expanded to exploit IP cameras developed by Axis Communications.

    Administered from IP addresses located in China, the botnet can be broadly split into two groups: the “KY” cluster, involving manual attacks against high-value targets, and the “JDY” cluster, involving broader targeting and less sophisticated techniques.

    Most KV-Botnet infections so far appear to fall into the latter cluster. With that said, the botnet has brushed up against a number of previously undisclosed high-profile organizations, including a judicial institution, a satellite network provider, and military entities from the US, as well as a renewable energy company based in Europe.

    The program is perhaps most notable for its advanced, layered stealth. It resides completely in memory (although, on the flip side, this means it can be booted with a simple device restart). It checks for and terminates a series of processes and security tools running on the infected device, runs under the name of a random file already on the device, and…

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