UK government group that is relocating Afghan interpreters exposed their sensitive email addresses

British government officials apologized after the U.K.’s Ministry of Defense exposed data about Afghan interpreters who worked with British troops in the Middle East, a slip that could have exposed the identities of people who are at risk of harassment and death. Email addresses belonging to more than 250 people who sought a move to the U.K. were exposed when a British defense official copied all the addresses in a single message, the BBC first reported. Email recipients could have opened the message to view the other names, and access profile pictures associated with interpreters. Afghan interpreters and their families have been the subject of intense focus for the Taliban, which has reportedly killed people who aided U.S. and British troops in the wake of the military pull out in August. The email in question was sent by the U.K.’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Program team, the group leading an […]

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Smashing Security podcast #241: Flipping dating apps, and crypto rewards for criminals

How to find your match on the Bumble dating app, convicted criminals make money out of cryptocurrency, and there are concerns about data in Afghanistan. All this and much more is discussed in the latest edition of the award-winning “Smashing Secu… Continue reading Smashing Security podcast #241: Flipping dating apps, and crypto rewards for criminals

Chinese hackers suspected of using Dropbox to snoop on Afghan officials

Hackers with ties to China have been targeting the emails of Afghan security officials with malware meant to scoop up everything on their desktop, according to a Thursday report from researchers at Check Point. In an example shared by researchers, a hacker sent a malicious file to an official at the Afghanistan National Security Council posing as someone from the administrative office of the president of Afghanistan. The email requested the recipient review an attachment that was purportedly about an upcoming press conference. Once clicked, that attachment opened the first file on the victim’s desktop while simultaneously opening a backdoor onto the computer, Check Point said. From there, hackers had access to victim’s files and executed a scanner tool popular with multiple hacking groups, including the Chinese government-linked group APT10. Based on the malware used by hackers, though, researchers believe with medium to high confidence that the attack was executed […]

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