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Kremlin strongly disagrees with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's accusations that Russia utilises its energy resources as a weapon, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

"This is an incorrect conclusion. To begin with, Europeans acknowledge that Russia is fully complying with all of its responsibilities on a state-by-state basis. Second, Russia is prepared to immediately consider new contracts, which are an undisputed damper on present market volatility; this is not a secret; it has been stated numerous times," Peskov said in a press conference.

The Kremlin official highlighted that Russia has never interrupted gas deliveries 'even in the most difficult periods,'because it never uses energy resources as a political pressure tool.

"The United States is the one that is continuously threatening penalties against purely commercial energy projects that could help to stabilise European energy markets significantly. In this case, the US is directly using energy issues as a tool for political and commercial blackmail. Russia has been and will continue to be a responsible country that is committed to its obligations and prepared to meet the growing energy resource needs of our European partners," Peskov further remarked.

The tussle began on October 7, when Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hinted that, depending on the demand, Russia would increase natural gas providers. Following that, US NSA, Jake Sullivan stated that Russia has a history of using energy as a weapon of coercion.

After negotiations with the European Union and NATO in Brussels, Sullivan, the US NSA, claimed that the US is concerned that supply is not keeping up with rising demand for a variety of reasons.

The price of a cubic metre of gas exceeded $1,700 at the start of the bid on Wednesday, and it continued to grow throughout the day, reaching more than $1,900. However, Europe's soaring gas prices dipped on Thursday, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested his country could sell more gas to European spot buyers through its domestic market in addition to existing long-term contracts.

The European Union has been struggling to fill its gas reserves as winter approaches, as member nations rely on imports for the majority of their gas supplies.

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Kremlin refutes US NSA Sullivan's claims of Russia using energy resources as weapon - Republic World

Everything old was new again this week as ransomware came roaring back into the headlines, hitting a crucial Iowa grain cooperative, among other targets. And WIRED sat down with DeSnake, the former number two of the dark web marketplace AlphaBay, to hear about his reemergence and relaunch of AlphaBay four years after its takedown by law enforcement. "AlphaBay name was put in bad light after the raids. I am here to make amends to that," DeSnake said.

The Groundhog Day vibes continued with the annual release of Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 15. The new OS comes with a slew of privacy features, including more granular details about what your apps are up to, a mechanism to block email trackers, and a sort of VPN-Tor Frankenstein monster called iCloud Private Relay that protects your browsing activity. Use WIRED's handy guide to get up to speed and start changing some settings.

And if you want a DIY project that isn't tied to a tech company's walled garden, we've got tips on how to set up your own network attached storage (NAS) that plugs straight into your router and gives you a place to share files between your devices or easily store backups.

And there's more! Each week we round up all the security news WIRED didnt cover in depth. Click on the headlines to read the full stories, and stay safe out there.

A letter to Congress shared with Motherboard shows that the US National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other members of the Intelligence Community use ad blockers on their networks as a security protection. "The IC has implemented network-based ad-blocking technologies and uses information from several layers, including Domain Name System information, to block unwanted and malicious advertising content, the IC chief information officer wrote in the letter.

You may use an ad blocker to make your browsing experience more pleasant, but the tools also have potential defense benefits. Attackers who try to run malicious ads on unscrupulous ad networks or taint legitimate-looking ads can steal data or sneak malware onto your device if you click, or sometimes by exploiting web vulnerabilities. The fact that the IC views ads as an unnecessary risk and even a threat speaks to long-standing problems with the industry. The NSA and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have released public guidance in recent years advising the use of ad blockers as a security protection, but the IC itself wasnt required to adopt the measure. Its members deployed ad blockers voluntarily.

The security division of Russian telecom giant Rostelecom took down a portion of a notorious botnet this week, thanks to a flaw introduced by the malicious platforms developers. The error allowed Rostelecom to sinkhole part of the system. A botnet is a zombie army of devices that have been infected with malware to centrally control coordinated operations. The platforms are often used for DDoS attacks, in which actors direct a firehose of junk traffic at a targets web systems in an attempt to overload them.

The Meris botnet is currently the largest botnet available to cybercriminals and is thought to be made up of about 250,000 systems working collectively. It has been used against targets in Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others. The Rostelecom partial takedown is significant, because Meris attacks are powerful and challenging for targets to combat. Earlier this month, a Meris attack on the Russian tech giant Yandex broke the record for largest-ever volumetric DDoS attack. Yandex managed to defend itself against the assault.

European law enforcement in Italy and Spain have arrested 106 people on suspicion of running a massive fraud campaign over many years, with profits totaling more than $11.7 million in the last year alone. And police said this week that the individuals involved have ties to an Italian mafia group. The suspects allegedly ran phishing schemes, conducted business email compromise scams, launched SIM-swapping attacks, and generally perpetrated credit card fraud against hundreds of victims. The activity was also allegedly connected to drug trafficking and other property-related crimes. To actually extract funds from these digital scams, the suspects allegedly laundered stolen money through a system of money mules and shell companies. In addition to the arrests, law enforcement froze 118 bank accounts and seized computers, SIM cards, 224 credit cards, and an entire cannabis plantation in connection with the bust.

More Great WIRED Stories

Originally posted here:
Even the CIA and NSA Use Ad Blockers to Stay Safe Online - WIRED

Earlier this year, a report from CNET explored the current state of ad blockers. Among the data cited within was a study from the software company Blockthrough, which estimated that 40% of adults in the United States make use of some ad-blocking technology. That might not come as much of a surprise to you but another recent report at Vice offers a fascinating window into some of the people and organizations utilizing ad-blocking technology.

In the Vice article, Joseph Cox covered the way the U.S. intelligence community has begun making use of ad-blocking technology. That includes the CIA and the NSA, among a number of other agencies. Last week, Senator Ron Wyden wrote a letter to the Office of Management and Budget calling for them to protect federal networks from foreign spies and criminals who misuse online advertising for hacking and surveillance.

Wyden cited guidelines from both the NSA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recommending that ad-blocking software be used. Wyden goes on to quote the Chief Information Officer from the Intelligence Community, who stated, The IC has implemented network-based ad-blocking technologies and uses information from several layers, including Domain Name System information, to block unwanted and malicious advertising content.

A report from CrowdStrike published earlier this year warned of the dangers of malvertising which has cropped up on legitimate websites, and has been used to give control of computers and mobile devices to a third party. Thats alarming enough in its own right, so its not hard to see why people dealing with classified information would be especially worried. Will Wydens letter find a welcome response? It could be the difference between an ordinary day and a crisis waiting to happen.

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Who's Worried About the State of Online Advertising? The NSA and CIA, For Starters. - InsideHook

Each year North Star Academy (NSA) welcomes students and staff back with a theme carried throughout the school year. This year in particular, a theme of joy and laughter seems quite fitting.

Collectively, the world has seen more challenges in the past 18 months than weve faced in a long time, and with palpable exhaustion and frustration. Building on the courage and resilience theme from the previous two years, North Star Academy principal Kendra Hossfeld kicked off staff development week for the 2021/2022 school year surprising the team with motivational speaker Molly Kennedy and RISE Comedy founder Steve Wilder to jumpstart the joy and laughter theme.

Resiliency is a life-long trait that usually requires challenging experiences and psychological strength. In our household, laughter is the best medicine and sometimes the only medicine. Being able to laugh at yourself and laugh with others relieves stress and creates bonding experiences, Hossfeld said. Research reveals that little moments of joy can help our bodies recover from the physiological effects of stress, and can help us find meaning and purpose in tragic events. Rather than being a distraction, when we allow ourselves a moment of joy, it creates a respite that makes us more resilient, Hossfeld said.

Kennedy, a proponent of the growth mindset, ironman triathlete, author and motivational speaker, shared the importance of gratitude and how it leads to joy. Kennedy has visited NSA in the past, sharing a similar message with students. During her time with the staff, they discussed multiple ways teachers are already practicing gratitude in their own lives, opportunities to expand on that gratitude as well as what it may look like in their classrooms with their students.

Where your focus goes, your energy flows. If we choose to shift our focus to what is good, positive, optimistic, possible, etc, that changes what we see and feel. Operating from this space allows us to feel a bit more invigorated and energized. Thats a good thing, Kennedy said. The North Star teachers were able to easily come up with ways to incorporate gratitude on a regular basis, and some ideas sparked ideas in other teachers. It was wonderful to see!

Following on the heels of Kennedy was guest speaker Steve Wilder, a comedian and founder of RISE Comedy, who took the teachers through several engaging activities that promote joy and laughter. Wilder initiated several games designed to build on the theme.

We focused on simple improv to create fun and laughter in an environment without pressure or expectations, Wilder said. Having fun was the goal versus. trying to be funny. With so many distractions in our world today its important to be present, communicate and take risks in a safe, supportive environment. The improv games we played allowed the NSA teachers to connect in a new way by being silly, goofy and getting out of their heads.

For example, Wilder introduced the clap game, a simple game in which participants get in a circle and take turns clapping simultaneously with a nearby person. While it sounds simple, the result tends to produce an opportunity to pass energy to one another while creating a true presence. The essence of joy is the ability to allow the brain to say, Hey! Im here having fun and theres nothing else clouding my thoughts.

There was a willingness by the North Star staff to go for it and by the end of my time with them, they were having a blast and willing to look silly in front of their peers. It was so refreshing and you could feel the positivity and excitement in the room with a palpable level of support and acceptance, Wilder said.

Our joy and laughter theme seems perfect this year after what we have endured the past year and a half. The trainings were a fun way to start the school year. We certainly had a lot of laughter as we saw our colleagues step out of their comfort zone during the improv session especially, said NSA middle school social studies teacher Kerrie Derosia. The NSA staff is already having fun focusing on the theme when we want to step away from the curriculum in our classes for a minute. We can chalk any fun idea with the students up to incorporating joy and laughter. Things as small as a minute of silly dancing or as big as an additional field trip.

Morgan Schneider, NSA middle school science teacher added, It feels really good to focus on the excitement and to have some space for laughter and fun in life, work and the classroom. It was a lot of fun seeing my coworkers let loose and be silly doing improv with Steve.

Read more:
North Star Kicks off School Year with Joy and Laughter | YourHub - The Know

THE National Sheep Association (NSA) is welcoming the United States lifting its ban on imports of British lamb, saying it will help maximise trade opportunities for UK sheep farmers.

With a ban on both British lamb and beef imports to the US in place since 1989, due to concerns around BSE, NSA believes the announcement will increase demand for British sheepmeat within the US.

NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker comments: The sheep industry in the UK has clear potential to grow further but any expansion must be market and demand led. The announcement helps the supply and demand dynamics to support a strong market and potential further growth. The UK is the third largest exporter of sheepmeat globally, telling us that we are good at producing sheepmeat and that our supply chains are efficient and able to deliver.

This creates another opportunity for our industry to maximise trade opportunities and we have always seen the US as being a potentially important market. After the domestic market, which takes 60 65% of UK production, the EU is still our largest export market and is on our doorstep. However, access is more difficult than it was when we were part of the EU. Its essential to maintain EU access but is also important to work on any market that gives us future potential.

Mr Stocker notes the wider opportunities presented by the lifting of the ban: We shouldnt expect to see any sudden surge in volumes going to the US, but we do know there is strong demand for UK sheep genetics semen and embryos. Many British sheep breeds are in the US but are numerically too small to have a strong gene pool so the demand for our genetics is strong.

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NSA welcomes the lifting of a ban on British lamb imports by USA | News and Star - News & Star