CNET: World Cup sees Google Translate use within Russia jump 30%. “Fans are making an effort to communicate with Russian locals in their own language during the World Cup, according to Google. Visitors have been using Google Translate to get some of the most useful phrases, and the company has seen a 30 percent increase in Translate use on mobile from within the country, the company said in a statement.”
Russia
Kansas City Star: Russian Facebook posts may have inspired militia in Kansas bombing plot, expert says
Kansas City Star: Russian Facebook posts may have inspired militia in Kansas bombing plot, expert says. “The three southwest Kansas men recently convicted in a militia plot to bomb Somali immigrants may have been motivated by Russian manipulation of U.S. social media, a terrorism expert says. Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, said the domestic terrorism attack was being planned at the same time the Russians were conducting a cybercampaign that included posting material on Facebook designed to heighten racial tension in the United States.”
TorrentFreak: Russian Govt Approves Fines For Search Engines Linking to Banned VPNs
TorrentFreak: Russian Govt Approves Fines For Search Engines Linking to Banned VPNs. “Russia’s State Duma has adopted a bill that will see search engines fined for offering links to VPNs and other anonymizers that have been banned in the country. Fines will also be handed out to search engines that fail to connect to a resource offering up-to-date information on what domains should be rendered inaccessible.”
Russia Today: Russia says Gulag records are ‘kept forever’ amid reports of secretly evaporating archives
Russia Today: Russia says Gulag records are ‘kept forever’ amid reports of secretly evaporating archives. “Gulag documents are “kept forever” in accordance with strict regulations, the Russian deputy minister of internal affairs said. The statement comes amid reports that prisoner records are being destroyed under a secret order. A Russian museum studying the history of the infamous Gulag prison camps, which existed in the Soviet Union until 1960, has learned that prisoner data is being evaporated. The story was initially reported by Kommersant on Friday, and immediately picked up by other Russian and Western media outlets. “
Ars Technica: VPNFilter malware infecting 500,000 devices is worse than we thought
Ars Technica: VPNFilter malware infecting 500,000 devices is worse than we thought. “Two weeks ago, officials in the private and public sectors warned that hackers working for the Russian government infected more than 500,000 consumer-grade routers in 54 countries with malware that could be used for a range of nefarious purposes. Now, researchers from Cisco’s Talos security team say additional analysis shows that the malware is more powerful than originally thought and runs on a much broader base of models, many from previously unaffected manufacturers.”
Miami Herald: New internet accounts are Russian ops designed to sway U.S. voters, experts say
Miami Herald: New internet accounts are Russian ops designed to sway U.S. voters, experts say. “A new Russian influence operation has surfaced that mirrors some of the activity of an internet firm that the FBI says was deeply involved in efforts to sway the 2016 U.S. elections, a cybersecurity firm says. A website called usareally.com appeared on the internet May 17 and called on Americans to rally in front of the White House June 14 to celebrate President Donald Trump’s birthday, which is also Flag Day.”
Reuters: Cyber firms warn on suspected Russian plan to attack Ukraine
Reuters: Cyber firms warn on suspected Russian plan to attack Ukraine. “Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O) on Wednesday warned that hackers have infected at least 500,000 routers and storage devices in dozens of countries with highly sophisticated malicious software, possibly in preparation for another massive cyber attack on Ukraine.”
