Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Friday 19 January 2018
Report links hacking campaign to Lebanese security agency

By RAPHAEL SATTER operators. ample where researchers
AP Cybersecurity Writer Notably, their report drew were able to pin state-
LONDON (AP) — A major on data generated by sus- backed hackers to a spe-
hacking operation tied to pected test devices — a cific building.
one of the most powerful set of similarly configured The 49-page document
security and intelligence phones that appear to lays out how spies used a
agencies in Lebanon has have been used to try out network of bogus websites
been exposed after care- the spy software — to po- and malicious smartphone
less spies left hundreds of tentially pinpoint the hack- apps — such as What-
gigabytes of intercepted ers' exact address. sApp, Telegram, Threema
data exposed to the open The report said the suspect- and Signal — to steal pass-
internet, according to a re- ed test devices all seemed words or pry into commu-
port published Thursday. to have connected to a nications, eavesdropping
Mobile security firm Look- WiFi network active at the on conversations and
out, Inc. and the Electronic intersection of Beirut's Pierre capturing at least 486,000
Frontier Foundation, a digi- Gemayel and Damascus text messages. Some vic-
tal rights group, said the Streets, the location of the tims were tricked into visit-
haul, which includes nearly bulky, sandstone-colored ing the websites or down-
half a million intercepted high-rise that houses Leba- loading the rogue apps by
text messages, had simply non's General Directorate booby trapped messages
been left online by hackers of General Security. The sent over WhatsApp, the
linked to Lebanon's Gen- Associated Press was able report said. Others may
eral Directorate of General to at least partially verify have had malicious pro-
Security. that finding, sending a re- grams installed physically
"It's almost like thieves porter to the area around when they were away from
robbed the bank and for- the heavily guarded, an- their phones. Still more may
got to lock the door where tennae-crowned building have been lured into com-
they stashed the money," Wednesday to confirm promising their devices by
said Mike Murray, Lookout's that the same WiFi net- a set of apparently fake
head of intelligence. Look- work was still broadcast- Facebook profiles set up to
out security researcher Mi- ing there. Other data also look like attractive young
chael Flossman said the points to the intelligence Lebanese women.
trove ran the gamut, from agency: the report said EFF and Lookout said the
Syrian battlefield photos to the internet protocol ad- spying stretched over 21
private phone conversa- A smartphone screenshot taken Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017 dresses of the spyware's different countries, includ-
tions, passwords and pic- shows the WiFi networks active at the corner of Pierre Gemayel control panels mapped to ing the United States and
tures of children's birthday and Damascus Streets in Beirut. an area just south of the several European nations,
parties. Associated Press GDGS building. but they declined to identi-
"It was everything. Literally Electronic Frontier Foun- fy any of the victims except
everything," Flossman said. tries in the Middle East and ers. But Lookout and EFF's dation Director of Cyber- in general terms, saying
Discoveries of state-spon- Asia scramble to match report is unusual for the security Eva Galperin said that there were thousands
sored cyberespionage the digital prowess of the amount of data uncov- the find was remarkable, of them and that in many
campaigns have become United States, China, Rus- ered about the spying explaining that she could cases it wasn't always obvi-
commonplace as coun- sia and other major pow- campaign's victims and its think of only one other ex- ous who they were.q
Tap and donate: Paris church

now takes contactless cards

Molitor, a church located their donations. translates as "The Collec-
in an upscale and conser- According to the diocese, tion," has been introduced
vative Paris neighborhood. donations amount to 79 across 28 French dioceses
The diocese explained percent of its resources. and more than 2,000 par-
Thursday that five con- "Mass collection repre- ishes.
nected collection baskets sents 14 percent of that About 4,000 donations
with a traditional design contribution," it said in a have been made over 14
will be handed out to mass statement. "That's about months in the eight Paris
attenders during the ser- 98 euros on average, per parishes that have been
vice. They will choose on year and per faithful." It testing the app, with the
a screen the amount they explained that the move average amount spent
Father Didier Duverne holds a tablet in a collection basket, want to donate — from 2 is meant "to anticipate the coming in at 4.71 euros.
allowing contactless card payments and smartphone appli- to 10 euros ($2.4 to $12.2) gradual disappearance of "The dematerialization of
cation allowing the same operation at the Saint Francois de
Molitor church in Paris, Thursday, Jan.18, 2018. — and their payment will cash money," the means of payment is
Associated Press be processed in "one sec- This is not the French Cath- also part of the challenges
ond." olic church's first attempt the Church has to take up.
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN The city's diocese will in- The diocese insisted "this to keep up with new tech- Whether through a con-
Associated Press troduce a system allow- new gesture remains ex- nologies. nected basket, with con-
PARIS (AP) — The Catholic ing contactless card pay- tremely close to the usual" Since 2016, a smartphone tactless payment, or
church is going digital in ments during Sunday's one, yet parishioners will app for making donations through a smartphone
Paris. mass at Saint Francois de still be able to use cash for called "La Quete," which app."q