The 8th of September, Cyber News
Ukraine
The SSU Neutralized 35 Bot Farms and Initiates Increased Responsibility for Their Creation
«Since the beginning of the year, we have stopped the operation of 35 bot farms. In other words, the cyber security department is systematically countering the informational aggression of the russian federation, preventing the social and political situation in our country from being shaken,” emphasized the head of the Cyber Security Department of the Security Service of Ukraine, Ilya Vityuk, on the air of the national telethon.
In particular, just in the last few days, bot farms were exposed in Kyiv Oblast, Odesa Oblast, and the capital, which, among other things, discredited Ukrainian defenders, spread panic and spread russian narratives.
According to Ilya Vityuk, bot farms are usually created as a fraudulent tool for scaling informational influence on certain audiences.
«Our specialists are developing relevant initiatives and changes to the legislation. We believe that it is necessary to separate the question of the qualification of actions – in particular, the creation and operation of boat and troll farms – into a separate crime in view of its public danger, especially in wartime,» said Ilya Vityuk. 1
World
Albania Cuts Diplomatic Ties with Iran after Cyber Attack
Prime Minister Edi Rama has announced that Albania is severing diplomatic ties with Iran following a cyber attack on the national portal of public services.
«This decision was stated in an official note to the Iranian embassy. Within 24 hours, all diplomats and administrative personnel, including security guards, must leave the territory of Albania,» Rama said.
According to him, such a decision was undesirable, but fully corresponds to the seriousness and danger of the cyber attack, which threatened to “put down” public services, remove systems and steal data. Rama noted that the cyber attack on the national portal of public services, which took place on July 15, was financed by Iran.
«The cyber attack failed, and the damage can be considered insignificant. The cooperation of various institutions proved that the cyber attack was financed by Iran,» added the head of government. 2
In China, Cyber Security Week Has Started in Military Barracks
On Monday in China, the campaigning and propaganda Week of Cyber Security began in military barracks.
The event is aimed at promoting Internet civilization, increasing the cyber literacy of military personnel, strengthening cyber security in the armed forces, and creating a favorable environment for preparations for the 20th CPC Congress related to military activities in cyberspace.
The opening ceremony of the event was held in the airborne troops of the Air Force of the People’s Liberation Army of China. According to officials, all military units will organize activities for all personnel to learn about cybersecurity and privacy, acquire relevant knowledge and skills, improve their cybersecurity emergency response plans, and strengthen their capabilities to counter cyberattacks and sabotage. 3
Hotel Giant IHG Blames Cyberattack for Booking Systems Outage
InterContinental Hotels Group, also known as IHG Hotels & Resorts, has confirmed it was hit by a cyberattack that downed its booking systems and mobile apps.
U.K.-headquartered IHG operates some of the world’s largest hotel chains, including the Holiday Inn, Crown Plaza and Regent hotels. The company runs more than 6,000 hotels in more than 100 countries, including over 3,000 in the United States and serves more than 150 million guests each year.
In a Tuesday filing with the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday, the company confirmed that «parts of the company’s technology systems have been subject to unauthorized activity».
IHG declined to confirm the nature of the incident when asked by TechCrunch but noted in the filing that «it’s working on restoring impacted systems,» suggesting a possible ransomware attack — a theory backed by some cybersecurity experts.
It’s unclear who was behind the cyberattack, or if or what data was stolen. IHG said in its filing that the cyberattack «significantly disrupted» its booking channels and mobile apps, which has been unusable since Monday. The hotel chain added that it’s cooperating with third-party cybersecurity experts. 4
