Category: Technologies

Midnight Blizzard, a hacker group linked to Russian intelligence, has launched a massive phishing campaign. The attacks target government and defense structures in more than 100 organizations using RDP files.

Since October 22, representatives of Microsoft have recorded an increase in the distribution of phishing emails from government and defense agencies, as well as scientific and non-governmental organizations by the Midnight Blizzard hacker group, which is associated with Russia. This was reported by UNN with reference to the blog of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence team .

“Based on our investigation of previous Midnight Blizzard phishing campaigns, we estimate that the purpose of this operation is likely to be to gather intelligence,” the blog post says.

According to Microsoft, the emails were sent to thousands of recipients in more than 100 organizations. In some cases, the attackers impersonated Microsoft employees and referred to other cloud service providers.

While this campaign targets many of Midnight Blizzard's usual targets, the use of a signed RDP configuration file to gain access to target devices represents a new access vector for this agent. The coincidence of activity was also reported by the Ukrainian government's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-UA) under the designation UAC-0215, as well as by Amazon.

Midnight Blizzard is a threat source from Russia that the US and UK governments have linked to and the Russian Federation's foreign intelligence service, or SVR. It is known that Midnight Blizzard (NOBELIUM) primarily targets governments, diplomatic missions, NGOs, and IT service providers in the United States and Europe.

Recall

On October 25 , the State Service for Special Communications reported that the CERT-UA team had detected a new large-scale cyberattack aimed at local governments in Ukraine.

The United States will provide Ukraine with 2,000 Humvee SUVs as part of a new aid package. The military will use them for various purposes, from transportation to mobile air defense platforms.

The United States will provide Ukraine with 2,000 Humvee off-road vehicles as part of one of its aid packages. The Armed Forces of Ukraine already have experience in using them in war. This was reported by Forbes, according to UNN.

Details

It is noted that such a number of Humvee SUVs is a very large supply of such equipment. In particular, they will help fill the gaps in Ukraine's positions at the front. And the Armed Forces will be able to advance more effectively to the positions of the Russian occupiers.

Vadania notes that these off-road vehicles look like civilian vehicles, so this alleviates the need for extensive training before they are sent to the front.

According to Forbes, Humvees fit perfectly into Ukraine's current defense strategy. After all, they can be used in urban environments where tanks and artillery are less effective than more compact and maneuverable off-road vehicles.

The Ukrainian military can also use Humvees to transport heavy weapons. Or to install machine guns and other weapons on them. In particular, some Ukrainian units have already transformed them into mobile service platforms, which allows them to repair armored vehicles on the move in the field.

In addition, the Ukrainian military used Humvees as mobile air defense platforms, installing anti-aircraft guns and anti-drone systems on them.

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The Command of the Unmanned Systems Forces has been included in the list of state customers for drones and electronic warfare equipment. This will allow us to meet the needs of the frontline and strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities faster.

The government has included the Command of the Unmanned Systems Forces in the list of state customers for drones and electronic warfare equipment purchased through the Defense Ministry and the State Special Communications Service. This was announced by the head of the Defense Ministry Rustem Umerov and noted that the SBS will be able to quickly formulate the needs of the front, reports UNN.

According to Umerov, “this will allow us to strengthen our capabilities on land, in the air and at sea faster and more efficiently. It is especially important that the SSU will be able to quickly formulate the needs of the frontline in the field of unmanned systems and countering enemy drones.

“Ukraine has repeatedly proven that it is capable of turning technological superiority into tactical success. Thanks to this decision, we have even more opportunities to achieve victory,” Umerov summarized.

Government authorizes the purchase of Ukrainian drones for the needs of the Unmanned Systems ForcesOctober 29 2024, 12:12 PM • 10058 views

Zhang Yiming, co-founder of ByteDance, increased his fortune by 43% to $49.3 billion. Despite the pressure in the US, the company's global revenue grew by 60% last year.

The growing popularity of TikTok in the world has led to the co-founder of its parent company ByteDance, Zhang Yiming, becoming the richest man in China, UNN reports with reference to the BBC.

Details

According to the list of wealthy people compiled by the Hurun Research Institute, Zhang Yiming's fortune now reaches $49.3 billion, a 43% increase over 2023.

The 41-year-old stepped down as CEO in 2021, but is believed to own approximately 20% of the company.

Despite strong pressure in the United States, ByteDance's global profits grew by 60% last year, which increased Zhang Yiming's personal wealth.

"Zhang Yiming is the 18th new number one in China in just 26 years," said Rupert Gugewerff, CEO of Hurun.

"In the United States, for comparison, there are only four number one CEOs: Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk. This gives an idea of some of the dynamism of the Chinese economy," he said.

Zhang is not the only representative of China's vast tech sector on the list.

Pony Ma, chairman of the tech conglomerate Tencent, is third on the list.

AddendumAddendum

TikTok has become one of the most popular social media applications in the world, despite deep concerns in some countries about its ties to the Chinese state.

Although both companies insist on their independence from the Chinese government, the US intends to ban TikTok in January 2025 if ByteDance does not sell it.

The experts of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise found modified “Shahed 136” with a thermobaric warhead during the recent attacks in Ukraine. The drones are equipped with Russian Kometa units and Chinese control boards.

During recent attacks on the territory of Ukraine, Russians used attack drones with thermobaric warheads. Experts from the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise told about this in an exclusive commentary to UNN .

The specialists of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise visited the sites of the events following the Russian attacks on the territory of Ukraine on October 26-29, 2024. The investigating authorities have already handed over some of the fragments of the weapons used by Russia to experts for further study and analysis. In a number of other cases, the pre-trial investigation bodies are expected to submit the objects of investigation and the relevant decisions for the appointment of forensic examinations.

Preliminary analysis at the scene revealed parts and fragments of a Shahed 136 unmanned aerial vehicle (Russian designation: Geranium 2) with a thermobaric warhead. In particular, the following were identified: Chinese-made engine control boards, Russian-made Kometa units, engines and other parts

– said the experts of the Laboratory of Explosive Research of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise.

Experts explained that the Kometa device is the only Russian technology that the occupiers have begun to use in an attack drone.

Evidence of the installation of the Comet is present in a growing list of munitions, such as X-69 and Iskander-M missiles, planning FABs, Orlan reconnaissance drones, etc. Conclusions from the analysis of previous similar components show that the production of this Russian component is impossible without the use of foreign microelectronics

– noted in the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise.

At the same time, it is too early to talk about the effectiveness of the changes, experts say. According to them, it is obvious that Russia is currently using Shahed 136 mainly to destroy civilian infrastructure and terrorize the population. The flight missions for these drones are laid down in advance, but the accuracy of their execution is not critical for the enemy. It is enough for an attack drone to simply reach Ukrainian territory, because the aggressor's main goal is to cause any damage, cause chaos and spread panic among the population.

Israel plans to commission a new Iron Beam laser system in 2025. The system will be able to destroy missiles and drones for $5 instead of the $60,000 spent on intercepting Iron Dome.

Israel expects a new laser system that can intercept rockets, drones, and mortar fire at low cost to be put into operation next year after an accelerated production process, UNN reports citing Bloomberg.

Details

The shield, known as Iron Beam, will complement Israel's existing air defense, which has been stretched during more than a year of fighting with Iran and its proxies in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. It is designed to neutralize incoming projectiles by heating them with a high-energy laser, rather than shooting them down with missiles.

According to the state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the manufacturer of both types of weapons, the new system has an effective range of hundreds to several kilometers and will thus complement the short-range Iron Dome missile interceptor. Israeli company Elbit Systems Ltd. said that the Defense Ministry has awarded it a contract worth about $200 million to supply Iron Beam lasers.

While it costs about $60,000 to shoot down a projectile with Iron Dome, the price of Iron Beam will be only $5, according to an industry source. The laser system will also eliminate the risk of debris damage to the interceptor.

The Iron Beam is being manufactured at an accelerated pace and "should enter service in a year," Defense Ministry Director General Eyal Zamir said Monday, announcing a NIS 2 billion ($536 million) investment in the system's production. This "heralds the beginning of a new era on the battlefield – the laser era," he said.

Israel expects $5.2 billion in emergency funding from the United States, some of which will be used for Iron Beam, Zamir said on October 21.

Addendum

Israel's air defense has largely been developed in conjunction with key ally the United States, which recently deployed one of its own THAAD interceptors to help repel potential ballistic missile attacks from Iran.

NASA has identified nine potential regions for the Artemis III mission to land near the Moon's South Pole. This will be the first human landing in this region, which may contain important resources, including water.

NASA is preparing for the first lunar landing in more than five decades. Currently, nine potential landing regions near the Moon's South Pole are being considered.

Writes UNN with a link to the website of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

NASA is continuing to develop the Artemis III mission to bring the first human crew to the Moon's South Pole. The agency recently selected nine regions near this unexplored area as possible landing sites. The areas will be analyzed in detail in scientific and engineering studies with the possibility of including new areas in future missions.

The regions of Artemis III's landing on the Moon have been clarified without priority:

The peak near Cabeus B

Haworth

Malapert array

Mons Mouton Plateau

Mons Mouton

Nobile Rim 1

Nobile Rim 2

de Gerlache Rom 2

Slater Plain

These regions have diverse geological characteristics and offer flexibility for mission accessibility. The lunar south pole has never been explored by a crewed mission and contains permanently shaded areas that may hold resources, particularly water.

The lunar south pole is a very different environment from where we landed during the Apollo missions. It offers access to some of the oldest landscapes on the Moon, as well as cold, shadowed regions that may contain water and other compounds

– said Sarah Noble, Artemis Lunar Exploration Manager at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.

To select these landing regions, a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers analyzed the lunar South Pole region. The selection process took into account scientific potential, the availability of a launch window, terrain suitability, communication capabilities with Earth, and lighting conditions.

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It was also necessary to investigate the combined trajectory capabilities of NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, Orion spacecraft, and Starship HLS (Human Landing System) to ensure safe and accessible landing sites.

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“Artemis III will be the first time that astronauts will land in the lunar south polar region. They will fly a new lander to an area unique from our past Apollo experience. Finding the right places for this historic moment starts with identifying safe locations for this first landing, and then trying to combine that with opportunities for science from this new location on the Moon,” said Jacob Bleacher, NASA's chief scientist.

Prada and Axiom Space presented a spacesuit for a mission to the MoonOctober 17 2024, 07:27 AM • 13604 views

A study of 84 brains showed the death of somatostatin-inhibiting nerve cells at an early stage of Alzheimer's disease. This discovery may help to develop new methods for early detection and treatment of the disease.

It is important to detect Alzheimer's disease as early as possible. Current research by US scientists is making an important contribution to this.

Пиши , пиши , пиши за погодженням з , пиши у фокусі, пиши Національного інституту охорони здоров'я (NIH).

After examining the brains of 84 deceased people (51 women, 33 men; the average age was 88 years), Seattle experts found out what happens to victims who have not yet experienced typical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in everyday life.

Scientists have found that at an early stage of the disease, the so-called somatostatin-inhibitory nerve cells that send signals signaling the disease die.

These cells usually send signals that slow down the activity of other cells. The authors of the study suspect that the death of the above cell types may trigger further changes in the brain. This ultimately leads to the noticeable symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Early stages of Alzheimer's disease

According to the National Institutes of Health, the results of the study indicate "the very first changes" that occur slowly and quietly, "before any symptoms appear.

Tax changes include slow plaque buildup; damage to the cellular insulation that helps neurons send signals; and then the death of so – called somatostatin-inhibiting nerve cells.

The latter was particularly unexpected for the researchers, as science has previously suggested that Alzheimer's primarily damages nerve cells that send activation signals to other cells. Inhibitory nerve cells act exactly the opposite, they block other cells from performing their functions.

HelpHelp

Somatostatin is a so-called peptide hormone. It is produced in various parts of the body – in the brain, as well as in the pancreas and digestive tract. Somatostatin plays an important role in the absorption of nutrients and can inhibit the release of various hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and gastrin.

The study of 84 brains showed that nerve cells that inhibit the release of this peptide hormone die at an early stage of Alzheimer's disease. Based on such findings, even better Alzheimer's drugs may be developed in the future that start acting as early as possible.

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But so far, research is ongoing.

One of the challenges of diagnosing and treating Alzheimer's disease is that much of the brain damage occurs long before symptoms appear. Being able to detect these early changes means that for the first time we can see what is happening in the human brain in the early stages of the disease

– Richard J. Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging, which is part of the NIH, comments on the study.

important information:

How to significantly reduce the risk of developing the disease (14 measures):

• Reduce high LDL cholesterol
• Save your eyesight
• Recognize and compensate for hearing loss
• Continue learning throughout your life
• Avoid head injuries as much as possible
• Prevent or lower high blood pressure
• Drink less alcohol or don't drink it at all
• Reduce excess weight
• Quit smoking
• Treat stress and depression properly
• Maintain social contacts instead of living alone and isolated
• Avoid air pollution and particulate matter

It is also important to get enough exercise and remember to prevent type 2 diabetes.

Strange cases of Alzheimer's disease transmission through a medical procedure discoveredJanuary 31 2024, 02:00 AM • 30790 views

The Army+ app has added 5 new types of electronic reports for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. These include a Form 5 certificate, reports for leaving the garrison, for treatment, financial assistance, and leave after captivity.

The updated Army+ application now offers five more types of electronic reports for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was stated by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, UNN reports.

Details

We continue to digitize our processes by developing Army+ so that every serviceman receives services from the state simply, conveniently and without unnecessary hassle.

– Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said.

In particular, 5 new electronic reports are now available in the 2.0 update of the Army+ app:

• The Form 5 Certificate of Military Service is one of the most popular reports required to obtain state-guaranteed benefits or rights for military personnel and their families.
• A report on leaving the garrison, which will make it easier for our defenders to leave the garrison to solve personal issues or rest.
• To be released from duty for health reasons in case of medical treatment.
• For the payment of a one-time financial assistance after the conclusion of the first contract for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
• And an application for leave after release from captivity, if the serviceman decides to continue serving in the Armed Forces.

In addition, the app has expanded the functionality of submitting reports. Specifically, the initiator now has the ability to withdraw a submitted report, and the commander can check the previous approver of the request.

Recall

The Army+ app has launched an online learning service with verified materials on military affairs. Courses on general training, field life, and unmanned systems are available, and new areas are planned to be added.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense has codified the Safari HG-105M semi-automatic shotgun for use in the Defense Forces. The weapon can be used for close combat and FPV drone warfare.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has codified and authorized the use of the semi-automatic shotgun Safari HG-105M in the units of the Defense Forces, UNN reports with reference to the Ministry of Defense.

According to the ministry, this rifle can be used as a small arms weapon during combat in confined spaces. And when using hunting ammunition with shot, it can be used as a tool to combat enemy FPV drones.

"The Safari HG-105M is a semi-automatic shotgun with a gas-piston mechanism and a detachable magazine. It is manufactured using bullpup technology. This is a weapon layout that reduces its overall length without reducing the length of the barrel. The use of this bullpup technology allows the center of gravity to be shifted to the center of the weapon, which reduces the load on the shooter during prolonged use," the statement said.

The weapon is designed to use 12-gauge ammunition with a magazine capacity of 5 or 10 rounds. The rifle weighs just over 4 kg, the Defense Ministry added.

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