Two men stand next to burning cars at the scene of an explosion at a hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya. (SIMON MAINA/AFP) Gunshots rang out sporadically late into the night in the capital as police combed the hotel and outlying office buildings for survivors hiding from the gunmen, while trying to flush out the attackers. The attack at the DusitD2 compound, which includes a 101-room hotel, restaurant and office buildings housing local and international companies, began at 3.00pm (8.00pm Singapore time) with a massive explosion heard five kilometres away at the AFP bureau. The Al-Qaeda-linked Somali group Al-Shabaab, which carried out a notorious assault on a Nairobi shopping mall in 2013, claimed responsibility for the latest strike, according to the SITE Intelligence Group which monitors extremist activities. "We can now confirm that this criminal activity commenced at about three o'clock in a coordinated fashion and began at I&M Bank with an explosion that targeted three … [Read more...] about Six dead in attack on upmarket Nairobi hotel complex
Somali pirate attacks
Vietnam among hardest hit by cryptomining attacks: security bulletin
The 2018 Kaspersky Security Bulletin, published last week, ranks Vietnam the second hardest hit country by cryptomining attacks between January and October, with 13 percent of all cybersecurity attacks in this period launched by cryptominers. Kazakhstan ranked first at 16.75 percent, followed by Vietnam, then Indonesia at 12.87 percent and Ukraine at 11.9 percent. Cryptomining refers to solving complex computational math problems to produce cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. It typically requires a great deal of computational power to do so, so the work is often done by using powerful computer hardware like graphic cards. Some cryptominers infect other users’ computers to harvest their computing power and mine cryptocurrencies instead. The miners usually find their way to computers and corporate machines using adware, hacked games, and other pirated content, the report said. "The more freely unlicensed software is distributed, the more miners there are. This is confirmed by our … [Read more...] about Vietnam among hardest hit by cryptomining attacks: security bulletin
Three arrested over alleged Melbourne terror plot
Viet Nam News MELBOURNE — Three men who allegedly plotted "chilling" terror attacks in Melbourne were arrested early Tuesday, less than two weeks after a stabbing rampage inspired by the Islamic State group left two dead in Australia’s second city, police said. The trio, all Australian nationals of Turkish descent, were detained by counter-terror police in overnight raids as they escalated preparations to attack crowded areas of Melbourne, according to police. The men were "certainly inspired by ISIS", the Islamic State group, but had no known links to a specific organisation, Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said. The three, who were not named but included two brothers, had been under investigation since March but had become "more energised" since the IS-inspired stabbing attack in Melbourne on November 9, Ashton said. The men had sought to purchase semi-automatic .22 calibre rifles and police were concerned they could target upcoming Christmas season events that … [Read more...] about Three arrested over alleged Melbourne terror plot
IS-aligned groups warn of more attacks after Melbourne rampage
SYDNEY — Groups aligned with the Islamic state have warned of further attacks on Australia and other Western nations in online posters featuring the deadly lone wolf stabbing rampage in Melbourne last week. "Australia, don’t think you are away from our attacks," read one poster, which showed a photo of a vehicle the Melbourne attacker set alight during his attack last Friday. The SITE Intelligence Group which monitors jihadist threats said the graphic was issued on Wednesday by the Sunni Shield Media Foundation, which is aligned with the Islamic State. Another graphic posted online and distributed by SITE showed an image drawn from social media showing the Melbourne attacker, Hassan Khalid Shire Ali, trying to stab a policeman before he was fatally shot. A text overlay on the image says: "Melbourne today - What is the next city tomorrow??!" Shire Ali stabbed and killed one man during the incident and wounded two others before being killed by police. Australian police … [Read more...] about IS-aligned groups warn of more attacks after Melbourne rampage
Pirate PC software remains rife despite legislation
Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Seventy-four per cent of software installed on computers in Việt Nam is unlicensed. BSA – The Software Alliance released its “2018 Global Software Survey: Software Management: Security Imperative, Business Opportunity Across the Globe” in Hà Nội on Tuesday. The commercial value of unlicensed software in Việt Nam had fallen from US$598 million in 2015 to $492 million in 2017, said Sheryl Lee from BSA Asia - Pacific. “However, there is still space for improvement, given that Việt Nam has one of the highest rates among the countries surveyed in ASEAN,” noted Lee. The survey quantifies the volume and value of unlicensed software installed on personal computers in more than 110 countries and regions, and includes nearly 23,000 responses from consumers, employees, and CIOs in those areas. To reduce the risk of cyber attacks and boost their bottom line, businesses in Việt Nam should … [Read more...] about Pirate PC software remains rife despite legislation