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world news Diahuebs 17 september 2020

US charges 5 Chinese citizens in global hacking campaign

(AP) — The Justice De- dollars worth of intellectual of software providers, modify Chinese Ministry of State Se- of choosing a different path,
partment has charged property and trade secrets the source code and conduct curity and would be protected that of making China safe for
five Chinese citizens with from companies across the further attacks on the compa- “unless something very big their own cyber criminals,
hacks targeting more than world. nies' customers. The Justice happens,” and also agreed not so long as they help with its
100 companies and in- Though those allegations Department did not directly to go after domestic targets in goals of stealing intellectual
stitutions in the United were tailored to the pandem- link the hackers to the Chi- China, said Deputy Attorney property and stifling free-
States and abroad, includ- ic, the charges announced nese government. But of- General Jeffrey Rosen. dom.”
ing social media and video Wednesday — and the range ficials said the hackers were But some of the conduct was There was no immediate
game companies as well as of victims identified — were probably serving as proxies clearly profit driven, officials response Wednesday to an
universities and telecom- significantly broader and in- for Beijing because some of said. Two of the Chinese de- email seeking comment from
munications providers, volved attacks done both for the targets, including pro- fendants, for instance, were the Chinese Embassy in
officials said Wednesday. monetary gain but also more democracy activists and stu- charged with breaking into Washington.
conventional espionage pur- dents at a Taiwan university, video game companies and The Justice Department also
The five defendants remain poses. were in line with government obtaining digital currency announced that it had seized
fugitives, but prosecutors say interests and didn't appear to that was then sold for profit hundreds of accounts, serv-
two Malaysian businessmen In unsealing three related be about scoring a profit. on the black market, offi- ers and domain names used
charged with conspiring with indictments, officials laid “A hacker for profit is not go- cials said. Rosen, the Justice by the defendants and that
the alleged hackers to profit out a wide-ranging hacking ing to hack a pro-democracy Department's No. 2 official, it had worked with Micro-
off the attacks on the billion- scheme targeting a variety group,” said acting U.S. At- criticized the Chinese gov- soft and other private sector
dollar video game industry of business sectors and aca- torney Michael Sherwin of ernment for what he said was companies to deny the hack-
were arrested in Malaysia this demia and carried out by a the District of Columbia, a failure to disrupt hacking ers continued access to tools,
week and now face extradi- China-based group known as where the cases were filed. crimes and to hold hackers accounts and hacking infra-
tion proceedings. APT41. That group has been Those targets, including accountable. “Ideally, I would structure.
The indictments are part of a tracked by the cybersecurity some that bear the “hallmark” be thanking Chinese law
broader effort by the Trump firm Mandiant Threat Intel- of conventional espionage, enforcement authorities for Also Wednesday, the depart-
administration to call out cy- ligence, which described the point to the conclusion that their cooperation in the mat- ment announced charges
bercrimes by China. In July, hackers as prolific and suc- the hackers had at least an ter and the five Chinese hack- against two Iranian nationals
prosecutors accused hackers cessful at blending criminal indirect connection with the ers would now be in custody accused of stealing hundreds
of working with the Chinese and espionage operations. government, Sherwin said. awaiting trial,” Rosen said. of terabytes of data in a hack-
government to target compa- The hackers relied on a se- “Unfortunately, the record of ing campaign targeting insti-
nies developing vaccines for ries of tactics, including at- In addition, one of the five recent years tells us that the tutions — and perceived en-
the coronavirus and of steal- tacks in which they managed defendants told a colleague Chinese Communist Party emies of Iran — in the U.S.,
ing hundreds of millions of to compromise the networks that he was very close to the has a demonstrated history Europe and the Middle East.

Police reforms in Breonna Taylor case praised, scrutinized

(AP) — A settlement be- and additional drug testing said that they knocked and cant than the unwritten atti- places where they’ve seen
tween the family of Bre- for officers. announced themselves at tudes of the superiors over- tragedies.
onna Taylor and the city Taylor’s door. The city of seeing the rank and file offi-
of Louisville could bring “I’ve worked on a lot of dif- Louisville passed a new law cers in any particular station,” In addition, fewer agencies
wide-ranging reforms to ferent cases,” said Pete Kras- earlier this year, named after Dunn, managing partner of are now imposing these rules.
how police officers live ka, a criminal justice expert Taylor, that bans the use of the Cochran Firm California, Missouri lawmakers earlier
and work, changes that and professor at Eastern Ken- no-knock warrants. wrote in an email to the AP. this month advanced a bill
would represent a rare tucky University’s School of “To a very large extent, the that would end the decades-
outcome in a police mis- Justice Studies. “I’ve not seen Under the settlement’s only directive that a police long residency requirement
conduct lawsuit. a settlement that included a guidelines, officers must get officer will truly heed, and in St. Louis, for example.
set of reforms like this one approval from a commander respect, must come from Tamika Mallory is among nu-
But some activists hoping did. I think it’s a good first of higher rank than a sergeant another sworn, superior of- merous activists in Louisville
for deep, lasting change fear step.” before asking a judge for a ficer.” who say police reforms will
reforms won’t be enough if warrant. be meaningless if the officers
not accompanied by com- But Shameka Parrish-Wright, Kraska said that he has One of the reforms Fisch- involved in Taylor’s death
munity input and criminal a community activist, had worked with police depart- er introduced on Tuesday aren’t charged.
charges against the officers hoped the reforms would ments where the number of would provide incentives for Taking the podium after
involved in Taylor’s death. include the involvement of a requests for no-knock war- officers to live in the neigh- Mayor Fischer spoke on
And a legal expert noted that citizens police review board rants dropped by 95% when borhoods they patrol. Com- Tuesday, Mallory said she
even the most wide-ranging with subpoena power. they were required to go munity activists have argued was encouraged by the settle-
of reforms won’t succeed if “You keep creating and add- through a chief or a captain. that police officers who live ment but “to not have an in-
the people entrusted with ing on top instead of uproot- Those in the higher ranks far removed from their beats dictment happen in this city
implementing them aren’t ing the problem from the are going to give the requests are not invested in the cities is to say that, no matter how
onboard. very root,” Parrish-Wright more scrutiny, he said, and where they work. much we pay, no matter how
said. “Every eye is on us all will be more likely to say, Some cities have police resi- much reform we do, we’d
Louisville Mayor Greg over the world because we’ve “‘I don’t see where you’ve dency requirements, a move- rather pay, we’d rather cover
Fischer outlined what he got a chance to make reforms made the case that you need ment that took root in the it than deal with the issue.”
described as “significant” re- that matter.” One of the key to bring a 32-person SWAT 1970s to diversify police de-
forms on Tuesday as part of factors cited in Taylor’s death team to the door of this partments. In 2017, the city
an announcement that the on March 13 was the type of home.’” of Sacramento, California,
city would pay $12 million warrant officers had — and began offering a $5,000 in-
to Taylor’s mother, Tamika how they got it approved — Brian Dunn, a Los Ange- centive to encourage officers
Palmer. The measures in- before they burst into her les attorney who specializes to purchase a home in the
clude giving officers housing apartment and ultimately fa- in police misconduct, said city.
credits to live in the neigh- tally shot her after returning whatever reforms are ap- But some officers take issue
borhoods they police; requir- fire from her boyfriend. proved will only succeed with living in the commu-
ing that only high-ranking The officers obtained a no- if the officers’ direct com- nity where they work, saying
commanders approve search knock warrant that would manders are onboard. it forces them to come into
warrant requests; involving have allowed them to enter “What is written on paper, contact with people they’ve
social workers to help resolve without announcing them- and what is trained in the arrested when they’re off-
situations when necessary; selves, though police have academy are far less signifi- duty or to routinely revisit