World Geography And Politics Daily News

Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali

Some of the emails reportedly contain sensitive information such as passwords and medical records.

Millions of US military emails have been mistakenly sent to Mali, a Russian ally, because of a minor typing error. Emails intended for the US military's ".mil" domain have, for years, been sent to the west African country which ends with the ".ml" suffix. Some of the emails reportedly contained sensitive information such as passwords, medical records and the itineraries of top officers. The Pentagon said it had taken steps to address the issue. Since 2013, he has had a contract to manage Mali's country domain and, in recent months, has reportedly collected tens of thousands of misdirected emails. None were marked as classified, but, according to the newspaper, they included medical data, maps of US military facilities, financial records and the planning documents for official trips as well as some diplomatic messages. Mr Zuurbier wrote a letter to US officials this month to raise the alarm. He said that his contract with the Mali government was due to finish soon, meaning "the risk is real and could be exploited by adversaries of the US". Mali's military government was due to take control of the domain on Monday. Mr Zuurbier has been approached for comment. US military communications that are marked "classified" and "top secret" are transmitted through separate IT systems that make it unlikely they will be accidently compromised, according to current and former US officials. But Steven Stransky, a lawyer who previously served as senior counsel to the Department of Homeland Security's Intelligence Law Division, said that even seemingly harmless information could prove useful to US adversaries, particularly if it included details of individual personnel. "Those sorts of communications would mean that a foreign actor can start building dossiers on our own military personnel, for espionage purposes, or could try to get them to disclose information in exchange for financial benefit," Mr Stransky said. "It's certainly information that a foreign government can use." Lee McKnight, a professor of information studies at Syracuse University, said he believed the US military was fortunate that the issue was brought to its attention and the emails were going to a domain used by Mali's government, rather than to cyber criminals. He added that "typo-squatting" - a type of cyber-crime that targets users who incorrectly misspell an internet domain - is common. "They're hoping that a person will make a mistake, and that they can lure you in and do stupid things," he said. When contacted by the BBC, a spokesperson said the defence department was aware of the issue and it was being taken seriously. They said the department had taken steps to ensure that ".mil" emails are not sent to incorrect domains, including blocking them before they leave and notifying senders that they must validate intended recipients. Both Mr McKnight and Mr Stransky said human errors were prime concerns for IT specialists working in government and the private sector alike. "Human error is by far the most significant security concern on a day-to-day basis," Mr Stransky said. "We just can't control every single human, every single time".

All ICC member states obliged to detain Putin and extradite him to The Hague – Ukraine's Foreign Minister

Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Minister of Ukraine, has called on all 123 member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to fulfil the requirement to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.

Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Minister of Ukraine, has called on all 123 member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to fulfil the requirement to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. Details: The head of Ukrainian diplomacy stressed that Kyiv actively cooperates with the International Criminal Court and greatly appreciates its involvement in the investigation of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by Russians. According to Kuleba, the ICC’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Putin and Lvova-Belova for the deportation of Ukrainian children was a turning point. Quote: "We insist that all 123 member states of the International Criminal Court that have ratified the Rome Statute must strictly comply with the ICC's request to arrest Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova." Kuleba called on the ICC to issue further arrest warrants for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by Russians in Ukraine. Background: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has publicly stated that he expects Vladimir Putin to attend the BRICS summit in August, despite the fact that South Africa would be obliged to arrest him and extradite him to the International Criminal Court.

US sending jets, warship to Gulf to protect ships from Iranian seizure

The Pentagon is sending the Thomas Hudner, a destroyer, and F-35 fighter jets after Iran tried to seize two oil tankers near the strait early this month.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is sending additional fighter jets and a warship to the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman to increase security in the wake of Iranian attempts to seize commercial ships there. The Pentagon said Monday that the USS Thomas Hudner, a destroyer, and a number of F-35 fighter jets will be heading to the area. The Hudner had been in the Red Sea. Defense officials last week announced the deployment of F-16s to the area over the past weekend, and there have been A-10 attack aircraft there for nearly two weeks in response to the Iranian activity. The latest deployments come after Iran tried to seize two oil tankers near the strait early this month, opening fire on one of them. The aircraft are intended to give air cover for the commercial ships moving through the waterway and increase the military’s visibility in the area, as a deterrent to Iran. The U.S. Navy said in both instances the Iranian naval vessels backed off when the USS McFaul, a guided-missile destroyer, arrived on the scene. The Navy said the McFaul remains in the Gulf region to continue protection of the shipping lanes. Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said it is not clear how long the ship and the aircraft will remain in the region. “In light of this continued threat and in coordination with our partners and allies, the department is increasing our presence and ability to monitor the strait and surrounding waters,” Singh told Pentagon reporters during a briefing. The U.S. Navy says Iran has seized at least five commercial vessels in the last two years and has harassed more than a dozen others. Many of the incidents have occurred in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all crude oil passes.

Britain rejects Russia's accusation of UK's possible involvement in Crimean bridge attack

"This is baseless speculation from Russia and we will not dignify it by commenting further," a spokesperson for Britain's foreign ministry said in emailed comments. Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said on Monday, without providing any evidence, that British intelligence services might have been involved in the attack that killed two, injured a girl, and damaged the bridge.

(Reuters) - Britain rejected accusations by Russia on Monday that British intelligence services might have been involved in an attack on Russia's bridge to Crimea. "This is baseless speculation from Russia and we will not dignify it by commenting further," a spokesperson for Britain's foreign ministry said in emailed comments. Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said on Monday, without providing any evidence, that British intelligence services might have been involved in the attack that killed two, injured a girl, and damaged the bridge. "I have not heard any condemnation of this act of terrorism from any of the Western sponsors of the Kiev regime," Polyanskiy told the United Nations Security Council. "And we have yet to figure out to what extent Western, in particular British intelligence agencies, were involved in the preparation and implementation of this terrorist attack. Too many things point to that." Early on Monday, a blast knocked out the bridge linking Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, in what Moscow called a strike by Ukrainian sea drones. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

UN Secretary-General urges Putin to salvage Black Sea grain deal

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed regret over Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, calling on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to preserve the agreement, Guterres said at a press briefing on July 17.

He clarified that he had written a letter to Putin asking him to maintain the grain agreement. "In this letter, which I consider it necessary to quote, I emphasize that, I quote, 'since the signing of the memorandum of understanding, as well as taking into account the measures taken by the Russian Federation, Russian grain trade, as well as export volumes and fertilizer markets, have been stabilizing. Russian exports are approaching full recovery, as stated by the Russian Grain Exporters Union and the Russian Fertilizer Producers Association," said Guterres. Guterres also said that the UN offered Russia an alternative to SWIFT to facilitate international payments. "We have created an individual payment mechanism for the Russian Agricultural Bank through JPMorgan, outside of SWIFT," he concluded. Since June 27, Russia has not registered any new ships under the grain agreement, effectively sabotaging the operation of the “grain corridor.” The Black Sea Grain Initiative, mediated by the UN and Turkey in July 2022, allowed for three Ukrainian ports to resume exporting agricultural produce.

Putin claims 'there will be a response' to Crimean Bridge attacks

In a meeting broadcast on July 17, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed that the Defense Ministry is preparing a response to the "acts of terrorism" which damaged the Crimean Bridge earlier in the day.