Tag Archives: dubai
Syrian hackers get bitter over Twitter
Syrian hackers get bitter over Twitter Sarah Young / 29 August 2013 UAE Twitter users were frustrated when the popular social networking site went down this morning, in what is thought to be the result of an attack by supporters of the Syrian government. A hacking attack by the Syrian Electronic Army, a group which supports the regime of President Bashar Al Assad, is believed to have been behind the crashing of Western websites, including Twitter, Huffington Post , and the New York Times . The Twitter profile SyrianElectronicArmy (@Official_SEA16) wrote: “Twitter.ae is going down” at about 3am Wednesday morning, and users reported problems from about 8am yesterday morning. The PC interface for Twitter was still experiencing problems displaying on Wednesday afternoon, but users were able to use the site from mobile applications. McCollins Media director Meghna Kothari said hacks such as these were a “huge risk” for agencies managing the reputation of global and multinational clients, as often offensive messages were sent out to followers of clients by the hackers. “That has a huge affect on your business.” However, there were preventative measures that could be taken to protect your accounts, she said. “A lot of people don’t give a lot of importance to changing their passwords frequently, or if they do, they don’t make sure they’re case sensitive or strong enough.” Anyone who was managing Twitter accounts for clients should ensure they had their notifications on at all times, so they could track Tweets constantly and take immediate action if there were any problems. Clients, colleagues and followers should also be notified immediately if you had been hacked, she added. UAE resident Ali Ahmed Saeed said he experienced problems just after midnight, on Wednesday morning. “I was watching a football match and as I usually do I check my timeline every second to get any update about the match.” He realised his friend’s tweets were taking longer than normal to reach his timeline, and when a friend asked the Twitter community if anyone else was experiencing problems, it became clear it “was an international problem”, he added. He said it was frustrating as he used the site to get sports news and keep up to date about what was happening in the field. On Wednesday night, it “look(ed) like it was putting all my timeline tweets in a bowl, mixing it up and then returning to my timeline”, he added. The SyrianElectronicArmy account continued to claim its successes, and retweeted a tweet from Matthew Keys who tweeted that the group had confirmed they compromised Melbourne IT, an Australian company the companies affected registered their domains with, giving them access to NYTimes, Twitter (and) others, as well as posting a picture of blank black screen to show “How Twitter looks like when the twing.com (one of the domains Twitter uses for image serving) was down”. British national newspaper The Independent reported on Wednesday that this was the latest in a series of attacks against organisations believed to be sympathetic to Syrian rebels, but was “far more serious and sophisticated”. A statement from Twitter said that one of the domains it uses for image serving, twimg.com, was targeted, and that while “viewing of images and photos was sporadically impacted”, the original site was restored in under two hours, the Independent reported. The Associated Press also reported that an SEA activist confirmed its involvement with an email, saying: “I can’t say how, but yes we did hit Melbourne IT.” The NYTimes website was also reported to be down for a number of hours. sarah@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Etisalat’s downtime to affect Internet speeds in UAE
Etisalat’s downtime to affect Internet speeds in UAE Staff Reporter / 27 August 2013 Internet users on etisalat’s eLife plan will face a slight drop in internet speeds, with the telecom provider issuing a statement citing ‘routine maintenance’ work as the reason. A spokesperson from etisalat said: “A few etisalat eLife Internet customers may notice a slight change in internet performance due to routine and necessary maintenance work on etisalat’s international Internet links. Etisalat subscribers have been informed about this routine maintenance. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and also would want to reiterate that our teams are working around the clock to complete the work ahead of time.” The etisalat Facebook page was also filled with queries as people enquired about the downtime. A post from etisalat said: “Our engineering team carries out maintenance works as and when required to ensure our network is in good condition and in turn deliver best experience to you as a customer on the Internet.” The maintenance work is expected to be complete by August 29, but could be completed earlier. — news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
US ready for action on Syria
US ready for action on Syria Allan Jacob / 27 August 2013 The United States on Monday said its forces in the region were ready for any military action on Syria if ordered by President Obama as UN chemical weapons experts got to work in the stricken country, interviewing and taking blood samples from victims of an alleged gas attack last week. “I can confirm that the US Navy has assets in the region prepared to support any decision by the president,” said Commander Bill Speaks from the Office of the Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, in response to questions by Khaleej Times . Khaleej Times can also confirm that the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group arrived in the region last week after transiting through the Suez Canal. US 5th Fleet spokesperson Lt. Marissa Myatt said it was a routine deployment and the Group would replace another nuclear-powered carrier, the USS Nimitz . What is significant is that it will be the first time in a year when two carriers operate in the region. UN chemical weapons experts visit a hospital where wounded people affected by an apparent gas attack are being treated, in the southwestern Damascus suburb of Mouadamiya on Monday. -Reuters ‘‘We’ve trained hard and we’re ready to operate alongside our coalition partners to conduct maritime security operations to ensure stability and build trust and confidence throughout the region,” said Rear Adm. Kevin Sweeney, commander of the Group. The USS Harry S. Truman Strike Group is accompanied by guided-missile cruisers USS San Jacinto and USS Gettysburg ; guided-missile destroyers USS Bulkeley and USS Mason ; a strike fighter squadron; an airborne early earning squadron; an electronic attack squadron; a helicopter sea combat squadron and a helicopter maritime strike squadron. This development comes in the wake of talks between military leaders from the United States, Europe and the Middle East in Jordan for what could be a council of war should they decide to punish Syria for the worst reported chemical weapons attack in 25 years, agencies reported. Last week, hundreds of people died in Damascus suburbs in what appears to have been the worst chemical weapons attack since Saddam Hussein gassed thousands of Kurds to death in 1988. Meanwhile, UN investigators crossed the frontline from the centre of the capital, which remains under Assad’s control, to inspect the Mouadamiya suburb, one of at least four neighbourhoods hit by poison gas last Wednesday before dawn, Reuters reported. The UN said one vehicle in its convoy was crippled by shooting by “unidentified snipers”, but mentioned no injuries. They continued on after turning back for a replacement car. “I am with the team now,” a doctor who uses the name Abu Karam told Reuters by telephone from Mouadamiya. “We are in the Rawda mosque and they are meeting with the wounded. Our medics and the inspectors are talking to the patients and taking samples from the victims now.” Wassim Al Ahmad, an opposition activist, said members of the Free Syrian Army umbrella rebel organisation and the opposition’s Mouadamiya Local Council were accompanying the inspectors on their tour of the suburb. “The inspectors are now examining victims being treated at a makeshift hospital in Mouadamiya and are taking blood samples from them,” Ahmad said. Video filmed at the site showed inspectors in black and blue body armour and blue UN helmets walking through a street as curious onlookers came up to watch. They shook hands with men who appeared to be rebels wearing camouflage vests, and were accompanied by doctors and local residents. The group descended into the basement of a building where they were told injured survivors were being treated below ground to protect them from more shelling. Another video showed an inspector interviewing a patient and taking notes. Activists say at least 80 people were killed in Mouadamiya when the district was hit with poison gas. Hundreds of people were also killed in three other rebel-held districts – Irbin, Ain Tarma and Jobar. An opposition activist said a large crowd of people gathered to air their grievances to the UN team. There was also a plan for the experts to take samples from corpses. (With inputs from agencies) allan@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
