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Cyber-spy campaign using code from Chinese group spotted: McAfee

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Las Vegas, Oct 18 (IANS) Global cybersecurity firm McAfee on Thursday said it discovered a new cyber espionage campaign which reused source code from the hacker group APT1, or Comment Crew, a Chinese military-affiliated group accused of launching cyber-attacks on more than 141 US companies from 2006 to 2010.

The new campaign, dubbed Operation Oceansalt, is targeting South Korea, Canada and the US, McAfee said in a report released in its cybersecurity summit “MPOWER 2018” here.

The actors of this new campaign have not been identified.

However, the report suggests that the development of the Oceansalt implant would not have been possible unless the actors behind it had direct access to Comment Crew’s 2010 Seasalt source code.

“This research represents how threat actors are continuously learning from each other and building upon their peers’ greatest innovations,” Raj Samani, Chief Scientist at McAfee, said in a statement.

McAfee found that Oceansalt was launched in five attack “waves” adapted to its targets.

The first and second waves of the attack were spearfishing based and began with a malicious Korean-language Microsoft Excel document created and saved in May 2018, acting as downloaders of the implant.

A third round of malicious documents, this time in Microsoft Word, carried the same metadata and author as the Excel documents.

The Word document contained fake information related to the financials of the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund. Waves four and five identified a small number of targets outside of South Korea – including the US and Canada – as the attackers expanded their scope.

As for implications and impact, these attacks may be a precursor to a much larger attack given the control the attackers have over their infected victims, McAfee said.

Oceansalt gives the attackers full control of any system they manage to compromise and the network to which it is connected. Given the potential collaboration with other threat actors, considerably more assets are open and available to act upon, the report said.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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