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Showing posts from December 4, 2016

Government cybersecurity readiness declining, according to survey

The government sector is unprepared in aggregating risk intelligence and performing risk assessments, according to the 2017 Global Cybersecurity Assurance Report Card compiled by Tenable Network Security and research partner CyberEdge Group.  Surveying 700 security practitioners across seven industry verticals and nine countries, Tenable measured the abilities of IT professionals to assess cybersecurity risks and mitigate threats. The government “industry” (which provided 37, or 5.3 percent, of responses) dropped three points from its assessment in 2016, scoring a 63 percent (D) and ranking at the bottom – below education – thanks to a 59 percent ranking in risk assessment and a 67 percent score in security assurance.  Risk assessment grades the ability to assess cybersecurity risks across 11 enterprise IT infrastructure components, while security assurance looks at the ability to mitigate threats by investing in security infrastructure fueled by executive and board-level commitment.

Syria to terrorism sponsors: Bloody game over

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Syria has denounced a United Nations General Assembly resolution that calls for an "immediate" cessation of combat against militants in the Arab country. Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar Ja’afari adopted the highly critical stance on Friday after the world body voted 122 to 13 in favor of the Canadian-drafted resolution that demands a halt to the government's fight against Takfiri terrorists, humanitarian aid access throughout the country, and an end to all sieges, including in Aleppo, which government forces are poised to fully liberate after making significant gains in recent days. Iran, Russia, and China were among those who voted against the resolution. Ja’afari criticized the Canadian delegation and its partners for violating the sovereignty of Syria by calling for holding the session without consulting the Syria delegation, adding that the non-binding resolution was politicized and violated the UN Charter. “Before calling for holding this meeti

US, China hold third dialogue on jointly battling cybercrime

Officials from the United States and China have held the third in a series of high-level dialogues to enhance bilateral cooperation in dealing with cybercrime, network protection and other related issues.  The event — co-chaired by Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, and Chinese State Councilor and head of the Ministry of Public Security Guo Shengkun — was hosted Wednesday in Washington, D.C.  The dialogue mechanism, established by President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2015, has provided both the U.S. and China a platform for requesting information and assistance in combating cyber-enabled crime and terrorism.  Both countries recommitted to working together to avoid conflict and counter hacking, cyber-enabled fraud and theft of intellectual property, as well as online distribution of child pornography and dark web marketplaces’ illicit sale of synthetic drugs and firearms.  Along with case cooperation, the two

India, China don’t cooperate effectively despite terror threats: Jaishankar

Calling for respecting each other’s legitimate aspirations, India said on Friday that China should not give a political colour to its efforts to access civilian nuclear technology, a reference to Beijing’s opposition to its NSG bid. In his address to India China Think-Tanks Forum, foreign secretary S Jaishankar also pitched for bilateral cooperation in dealing with “fundamentalist terrorism”, expressing dismay over the two countries not being able to come together on the issue at critical international forums. “As diverse and pluralistic societies, we both face threats from fundamentalist terrorism. Yet, we do not seem to be able to cooperate as effectively we should in some critical international forums dealing with this subject,” Jaishankar said. His remarks are seen as a reference to China opposing India’s move to get Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar designated as a global terrorist by the United Nations Jaishankar also said, “At a time of change, we should obviously pa

Pakistan as victim & perpetrator: Different takes on terrorism in Asia

The different takes on terrorism heard during the two-day Heart of Asia (HoA) conference, held in Amritsar on December 3 and 4, are a reminder that there is a long way to go before Asian countries agree on not only terrorism, but the conditions that give rise to it. Whereas India and Afghanistan were on the same page—at least when it came to Pakistan— Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif struck a surprisingly different note. Speaking in Delhi on his way to Amritsar, Zarif attributed terrorism and radicalisation to “the failure of nations of our region to address fundamental needs of the people”. He said this failure is “deep-rooted in our region”, where demagogues exploit it for inciting the younger generation to violence. He cited “the logic of occupation”—the US interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan—as the other main cause of extremism in the region. Except for this departure, the HoA conference played to script. “We recognise that terrorism is the biggest threat to peace, stab

Islamist Extremism And Western Extremism

Airbrushed out of the government’s talk of ‘countering terror’ is any mention of Britain’s long and bloody history of imperialism, writes JOHN ELLISON OUR government’s Prevent Strategy document, launched in June 2011 and run by police and security officials, aims to “stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.” The majority of its resources are “devoted to preventing people from joining or supporting al-Qaida, its affiliates or related groups.” It targets people — before any criminality — suspected of being vulnerable by “referring” them to police, and it has been reported that four-fifths of such referrals (over 8,000 in the year to last April) are not followed up. Many Muslim people regard the strategy as inherently demonising, and also as a spy operation. It is a respectable-looking document, running to more than 100 pages. But in addition to its other defects its “don’t-mention-imperialism” dishonesty needs adding. It is as fit for purpose as an offici

What Happened at Sri Lanka’s Maritime Security Conference This Year?

A brief look at some of the key issues explored at the seventh iteration of the Galle Dialogue last month. The Galle Dialogue is an annual international maritime conference jointly hosted by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defense and Navy. Last month, the seventh iteration of the Galle Dialogue focused on the theme of ‘Fostering Strategic Maritime Partnerships.’ With speakers ranging from top-echelon naval officers to eminent strategic analysts, it is but one of several forums enabling dialogue and exchanges on maritime security within the Indo-Pacific. Strategically located at a key midpoint for trade and as a major logistics hub for naval and coastguard visits from around the world, the potential for Sri Lanka’s role in regional maritime affairs knows no bounds. At present, the Colombo Port handles 70 percent of container transhipment in the Indian Ocean, and over the past two years, 95 foreign warships from around the world have visited the island’s ports. Moreover, its Na

Uzbek 'Extremists' Blacklisted After Prolonged Absence

Whenever Uzbek national holidays roll around these days, "Gulnora" knows they're coming. The only real mystery, she says, is whether or not they'll be in balaclavas. "Police...raid my home before every major public celebration," says the recently widowed 55-year-old resident of rural Uzbekistan. "There have been raids by masked men and by ordinary police. They embarrass me in front of the neighborhood." Gulnora, who does not want her real name disclosed, says the men raiding her home are looking for her sons, aged 31 and 36. She blames the perceived harassment, which has also included police questioning and pressure to locate her sons, for the downturn in her husband's lifestyle and health before his death in April. The young men are among a growing number of citizens thought to be living abroad and blacklisted as extremists by authorities in Uzbekistan, according to a police source who provided one such district list to RFE/RL's Uz

Kyrgyz Imams Tasked With Battling Extremism

State is focusing on new ways of dealing with the threat of radicalisation. A month ago, Kyrgyz imam Altynbek Shaidullaev took up his new position at a mosque on the outskirts of Bishkek. The mosque, built seven years ago, is right next to Dordoi, a vast market that employs up to 20,000 people. Shaidullaev is extremely busy, teaching and conducting services for up to eight hours each day. And getting the job was no easy matter, the 40-year-old told IWPR. He had to go through a series of checks and pass a certification exam set by the Spiritual Administration of Kyrgyz Muslims, also known as the muftiat. These measures are part of new efforts to counter radicalism, seen as a growing problem in the Central Asian state. According to the National Security Committee, some 600 nationals have already left to fight in Syria and Iraq. The muftiat exam focuses on assessing the imams’ depth of knowledge about their religion. Shaidullaev said that the extreme views he sometimes enc

ISIS Uses Central Asians for Suicide Missions

As ISIS comes under pressure in Mosul, Central Asian fighters find themselves trapped. Starting in mid-October Iraqi armed forces, Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and Shiite militias with air support from international coalition forces led by the United States slowly but steadily began squeezing the Islamic State (ISIS) out of Mosul. During these military operations ISIS has launched a fierce resistance to hold onto the city it has occupied since June 2014. As ISIS battles to keep the city, the group has increased its use of suicide bombers. Jihadist promotional materials distributed in November — from Al Hayat Media Center, al-Furat Press, and Amaq News Agency — encompass ISIS actively using fighters from Central Asia as so-called  shahid  bombers. It should be noted that in Islam the concept of “ shahid ” (which means “witness”) is used both in a generic sense and also in relation to believers who have died for their faith — martyrs. On November 17, 2016  Amaq News Agency  said

In Surprise Attack, IS Fights to Retake Ancient Palmyra

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Fierce clashes erupted Friday between Islamic State (IS) fighters and Syrian government troops around the ancient city of Palmyra in central Homs province, local reports and a monitoring group said. The intensification of fighting between the two sides came after IS fighters captured at least a dozen government-held positions in eastern Homs, including strategic areas around Palmyra. "IS took complete control of al-Mohur [oil] field in northwest of Palmyra," the pro-rebel Palmyra Coordination Committee said in a tweet on Friday. IS has reportedly seized a significant amount of weapons and ammunition from retreating Syrian soldiers in the area, local reports said. Syrian warplane on Friday bombarded the area in an attempt to push IS fighters back. The IS-led offensive on eastern Homs was so swift it took pro-regime forces by surprise, activists said. IS "was so quick in capturing all these areas," said Hussein al-Homsi, a pro-opposition media activist in Homs. &

Mine kills Saudi soldier near Yemen border

A Saudi soldier was killed in a landmine blast near the kingdom's border with Yemen, the interior ministry said on Friday. The explosion struck a Border Guards water tanker at 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) Thursday in Saudi Arabia's southern Jazan region, the ministry said. It said Huthi rebels from Yemen were responsible for the blast. The border guard was the latest of at least 110 Saudi soldiers and civilians to die in the country's south since the kingdom launched a coalition to battle Yemeni insurgents in March 2015. Most Saudi casualties have been from retaliatory cross-border rocket attacks or combat. But there have also been previous deadly mine blasts in Jazan. In Yemen itself, more than 7,000 people have been killed, mostly civilians, since March last year according to the United Nations. Source:  http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/251691/World/Region/Mine-kills-Saudi-soldier-near-Yemen-border.aspx