{"id":38857,"date":"2021-03-13T07:00:42","date_gmt":"2021-03-13T05:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=38857"},"modified":"2025-08-30T06:43:41","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T03:43:41","slug":"double-standards-from-apple-biometric-data-collection-in-russia-and-other-cybersecurity-developments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/double-standards-from-apple-biometric-data-collection-in-russia-and-other-cybersecurity-developments\/","title":{"rendered":"Double standards from Apple, biometric data collection in Russia, and other cybersecurity developments"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Here are the week&#8217;s most important cybersecurity headlines.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-text-wrappers-keypoints article_keypoints\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Apple accused of collecting user data without informing users.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>White House concerned about the consequences of Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Media report that Russian authorities plan to step up biometric data collection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Europol reports breach of Sky ECC encrypted-messaging platform. Sky ECC denies.<\/h2>\n<p>Belgian, French and Dutch authorities, together with Europol, said Sky ECC, a platform for encrypted communications, was breached.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote twitter-tweet is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\ud83d\udea8<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Breaking?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Breaking<\/a><br \/>MAJOR INTERVENTIONS TO BLOCK ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATIONS OF CRIMINAL NETWORKS:<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Europol?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Europol<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Eurojust?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Eurojust<\/a> have supported \ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf1 in a major international operation, disrupting <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SkyECC?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SkyECC<\/a>, an encrypted network used by criminals. Read more: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NeWio8bICP\">https:\/\/t.co\/NeWio8bICP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Europol (@Europol) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Europol\/status\/1369700490590748672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 10, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>According to Europol, they also gained access to &#8216;hundreds of millions of messages exchanged by criminals&#8217;. This allowed authorities to obtain information &#8216;on more than a hundred planned large-scale criminal operations&#8217;.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u00abBy mid-February, authorities were tracking information flows of about 70 thousand Sky ECC users\u00bb, \u2014 Europol said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Meanwhile Sky ECC asserts that authorities hacked a counterfeit version of their platform, no authorised Sky ECC device has been compromised, and no investigative body has contacted the company.<\/p>\n<p>Sky ECC also denies any claims that it is &#8216;the platform preferred by criminals&#8217;.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u00abThe platform exists to prevent data theft and hacking, to protect privacy and to enable the secure conduct of legitimate personal and business operations\u00bb, the company said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sky ECC positions itself as &#8216;the most secure messaging platform you can buy&#8217; with end-to-end encryption. The provider offers subscriptions and Android and iOS phones, paid for in bitcoins and shipped worldwide, says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zdnet.com\/article\/sky-ecc-denies-police-have-cracked-encryption-messaging-platform\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ZDNet<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>In Catalonia, four suspects arrested in FluBot botnet<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Catalan police arrested four suspects in the FluBot botnet, which infected at least 60,000 devices.<\/p>\n<p>FluBot, also known as FedEx Banker or Cabassous, has operated since late 2020. The malware is a banking trojan for Android devices.<\/p>\n<p>To spread to new victims, the malware used SMS spam to targets among the contacts of already infected users. Catalan authorities said they identified at least 71,000 such messages.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Despite the arrests, cybersecurity experts note that FluBot remains active.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote twitter-tweet is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Looks like it isn\u2019t dead after all. Even after succesful police intervention <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Flubot?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Flubot<\/a> campaign is still going, eh? <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/B0rys_Grishenko?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@B0rys_Grishenko<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/500mk500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@500mk500<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CERT_OPL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@CERT_OPL<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PPiekutowski?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@PPiekutowski<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Piotr Kowalczyk (@pmmkowalczyk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/pmmkowalczyk\/status\/1368678430502498305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 7, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It remains unclear whether other members of the hacker group run the botnet or if the malware servers are operating \u201cby inertia\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Russia seeks to step up biometric data collection<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Russian authorities want to encourage citizens to provide biometric data. As Kommersant reports, citing participants at a Ministry of Digital Development meeting on the issue, the ministry is considering closing remote access to a number of public services without biometric data.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Trend Micro: number of malware, phishing and credential theft attacks rose sharply in 2020<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Trend Micro researchers detected and blocked 16.7 million threats in email in 2020. The number rose by nearly a third compared with 2019, ForkLog said.<\/p>\n<p>Also in 2020, there was a double-digit increase in malware-based attacks, phishing attempts and credential theft.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>In France, Apple accused of collecting user data without consent<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>France Digitale, representing most French IT entrepreneurs and startups, accused Apple of violating EU data-protection laws.<\/p>\n<p>Although mobile apps request permission to collect data for targeted advertising, default settings allow Apple to run ad campaigns without user consent, France Digitale says.<\/p>\n<p>Under European law, all organisations must seek user permission to collect data via trackers or other tools.<\/p>\n<p>France Digitale also alleges that Apple\u2019s tracking feature allows it to share collected data with affiliated companies without notifying users in advance.<\/p>\n<p>Apple called the allegations false.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>White House concerns over Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The vulnerabilities in Microsoft\u2019s Exchange email product \u201ccould have far-reaching consequences,\u201d said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.<\/p>\n<p>In early March, Microsoft released out-of-band fixes for four zero-day vulnerabilities found in the Exchange code. The company noted that the flaws were being exploited by the Hafnium group, believed to be China-sponsored.<\/p>\n<p>Using them, hackers could gain administrator privileges and exfiltrate user data.<\/p>\n<p>Thousands of organisations have reportedly been affected.<\/p>\n<p>The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) urged \u201call organisations across all sectors\u201d to follow guidance to address the vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote twitter-tweet is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">CISA urges ALL organizations across ALL sectors to follow guidance to address the widespread domestic and international exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server product vulnerabilities; see CISA\u2019s newly released web page for details. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VwYqAKKUt6\">https:\/\/t.co\/VwYqAKKUt6<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Cyber?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Cyber<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/InfoSec?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#InfoSec<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 US-CERT (@USCERT_gov) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USCERT_gov\/status\/1369097815901827081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 9, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Ryuk ransomware attacked Spain\u2019s government systems<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Spain\u2019s public employment service (SEPE) systems were taken offline following a Ryuk ransomware attack, affecting more than 700 SEPE offices across the country.<\/p>\n<p>SEPE chief Gerado Guit\u00e9rrez stressed that confidential data remained safe and the attack would not affect payroll or unemployment benefits.<\/p>\n<p>Also on ForkLog:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Roskomnadzor began <a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/roskomnadzor-began-throttling-twitter-in-russia-and-threatened-to-block-it\">slowing Twitter in Russia<\/a> and threatened to block it.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hackers <a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/hackers-gain-access-to-150000-surveillance-cameras-at-tesla-factories-jails-and-hospitals\">gained access to 150,000 cameras<\/a> at Tesla factories, prisons and hospitals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Media reports that the US will carry out <a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/us-to-launch-a-series-of-retaliatory-cyberattacks-against-russia-reports-say\">a series of cyberattacks against Russia<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Telegram began <a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/telegram-began-removing-bots-that-scrape-users-data-following-a-roskomnadzor-order\">removing bots for data probing<\/a> at Roskomnadzor&#8217;s request.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Russia identified <a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/thousands-of-publicly-accessible-surveillance-cameras-identified-in-russia\">several thousand publicly available cameras<\/a> with public data.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Czechia extradited to the US <a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/czechia-extradites-two-ukrainian-hackers-to-the-united-states\">two members of a hacker group<\/a> from Ukraine.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What to read this weekend?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>How the personal data market on the dark web operates \u2014 how they get there, who buys it and why, read ForkLog\u2019s exclusive.<\/p>\n<p>Subscribe to ForkLog news on Telegram: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/forklogfeed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ForkLog Feed<\/a> \u2014 all the news, <a href=\"https:\/\/telegram.me\/forklog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ForkLog<\/a> \u2014 the most important news and polls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We round up the week&#8217;s most important cybersecurity news. Europol reports Sky ECC breach; Sky ECC denies. Belgian, French and Dutch authorities, with Europol, say Sky ECC was breached.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38858,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"1","news_style_id":"1","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1238,1233],"class_list":["post-38857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-cybersecurity-digest","tag-industry-digests"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"26","promo_type":"1","layout_type":"1","short_excerpt":"","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38857"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38859,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38857\/revisions\/38859"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}