More than 30,000 U.S. organizations have been affected by unusually aggressive Chinese hacking attacks, according to a report. The USA blamed the Chinese hacker group "Hafnium". The attackers had exploited a security hole in the Microsoft Group's e-mail service, stolen mails and infected end devices with malware to gain remote access to client devices. However, it is mainly companies that are affected, not private users.

The White House spokeswoman, Jennifer Psaki, spoke of a "current threat". A large number of casualties are feared, she said. At least 30,000 organizations in the United States, including city governments and regional governments, have been attacked in recent days. The German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) last Friday rated the potential threat at the highest threat level one.

As "Der Standard" summarizes with reference to "Die Zeit", the BSI has so far contacted 9,000 companies and urgently advised them to update. In addition, there were indications that individual federal authorities were also affected.

The National Cyber Security Center in Switzerland (NCSC) writes on its website that it is also currently receiving reports of successful attacks and advises Exchange administrators to published updates of March 2, 2021 urgently.

Source: Der Standard

Compared to the previous year, the growth had been at least 30 percent, according to Swissolar, the professional association of solar energy, communicates. The official figures will not be available until July. According to the association, the shorter waiting period for the one-time payment is mainly responsible for the increase. Added to this is the climate crisis, which will become more central in 2019, as well as more time and free capital for construction projects in 2020 due to the pandemic, and a greater desire for self-sufficiency.

However, in order to promote Switzerland's climate and energy policy goals, the expansion must be increased by a factor of 4 in the next few years, according to Swissolar. Political measures are therefore needed. Among other things, the solar energy association is calling for greater promotion of systems without self-consumption, for example on the roofs of barns or warehouses. Obstacles to the construction of ground-mounted systems should also be removed.

Source: LID

The Federal Council wants to accompany gradual openings with a massive expansion of testing while too few vaccines are still available. To improve prevention and early detection of Corona outbreaks, businesses and schools will be allowed to test repeatedly. Companies that test frequently can thus be exempted from the quarantine requirement for contact persons. In addition, the Federal Council wants to give each person five self-tests per month free of charge. To ensure that everyone can be tested immediately, tests at pharmacies or test centers will also be free of charge for people without symptoms. The cost of the massive expansion of testing scenarios is estimated by the federal government at over one billion francs. The Federal Council argues: Because the more contagious virus variants are spreading more and more, prevention and early detection of local outbreaks must be stepped up, it says.

No substitute for PCR tests

Free testing is scheduled to begin March 15. The population will be tested repeatedly using saliva samples. In the testing form in schools and companies, however, the tests are not carried out individually, but in a single collective sample, in order to reduce material and time expenditure. However, the repeated testing is not intended as a substitute for protection concepts, but as additional protection, as the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) further writes.

However, saliva tests are significantly less reliable than PCR tests, the FOPH notes. Negative tests should not lead to false security or unreasonable behavior. It is still important to wear a mask and to take care to maintain distances, it said. It is still open, however, whether a negative test result may also be considered a prerequisite for participation in certain events.

Source: BAG

At the end of February, a registered user reported a gap in the Swiss Armed Forces' Learning Management System (LMS) to the federal data protection office. The learning platform is available to members of the armed forces and federal employees for training, courses and virtual meetings.

The vulnerability made it possible, for example, to view mail addresses or personnel numbers of people registered in the LMS. According to the federal government, the operator has since initiated "immediate measures" together with the manufacturer to eliminate the vulnerability. The vulnerability was identified in the area of an interface between the old, still active learning platform and a new version of the user interface.

However, according to the federal government, the user was "only" able to detect the security leak due to his "functional knowledge". An evaluation of the accesses by the manufacturer has now shown that no unauthorized users had access to the data of other users. In order to better secure the LMS in the future, security tests will be carried out on an ongoing basis, the statement concludes.

Source: Media release of the Defense Group

The fight against crime in Switzerland and the EU is to be strengthened within the framework of the so-called "Prüm Agreement" and with "Eurodac Protocol," according to a statement by the federal government. Often in the past, searches in ATM burglary cases led to arrests in neighboring countries. Valuable information such as DNA profiles, fingerprints or vehicle owner data is usually stored in national databases. However, the DNA traces found at a crime scene are usually first matched via the national database - only afterwards can the DNA traces also be matched with databases of other countries.

Central matching between EU countries

Until now, this check has been costly and, according to the federal government, "lengthy" because the request is first sent to the individual countries via Interpol. Under the Prüm Convention, for which a message was adopted on March 5, an automated comparison of the databases of all participating countries will now be possible.

As a result, Switzerland's law enforcement authorities receive a report on a fingerprint in another country's database more quickly and can request further information more efficiently. The Prüm agreement is a Schengen development in which Switzerland can participate voluntarily. However, all European countries already exchange DNA profiles, fingerprints and vehicle data via Prüm.

The implementation of the Prüm Convention is also a prerequisite for the entry into force of the Eurodac Protocol. This provides for law enforcement authorities to have direct access to the database in which fingerprints of individuals are stored. However, access to this database is only permitted in serious suspicion cases or in cases where a terrorist plot is suspected.

Source: Confederation

The number of illegally imported medicines is only slightly healthy compared to the previous year, according to Swissmedic. In 2020, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, together with the Federal Customs Administration, seized 6733 illegal imports of medicines. In the previous year, the confiscated medicines were 7781 items. Erectile stimulants still lead the ranking. In terms of countries of origin, Singapore is ahead of India for the first time, followed by European countries acting as intermediate points.

Preparations with undeclared chemical agents

Since a simplified 2020 procedure for illegal drug imports, significantly more preparations such as illegal erection enhancers or psychotropic drugs can be seized. Herbal preparations with undeclared chemical active ingredients are classified as particularly dangerous. Swissmedic also analyzed herbal teas, capsules or natural liquid concentrates for weight loss or potency enhancement containing undeclared pharmacologically active substances. In addition, two different honey preparations with undeclared potency-enhancing active ingredients were also seized.

The change in distribution channels of criminal drug traffickers is striking, he said. In 2020, most illegal drugs were shipped from Singapore (1310 shipments), followed by India (1304 shipments). Illegal suppliers using Singapore as a delivery center to ship the illicit products contributed to this, he said.

Source: Swissmedic

The tracking app "Where is" from Apple works encrypted via Bluetooth to track Apple devices. Nevertheless, a four-person research team from the Secure Mobile Networking Lab at TU Darmstadt has discovered gaps in the macOS operating system and has publishedthat can be exploited in the tracking app. With the help of malware, it would theoretically be possible to secretly view past and current location data of all Apple devices. With this knowledge, it would be possible, for example, to track a house or a workplace as frequently visited locations. The research team has already reported the massive vulnerability to Apple and it was fixed with a software update in macOS version 10.15.17 in September 2020.

Nevertheless, the research team still pleads for more transparent open-source solutions. The difficulty in tracing the exact functioning of the app had led to Apple users being potentially vulnerable for more than a year.

"Systems that work with highly sensitive information should be freely accessible or at least fully documented to enable timely independent analysis," security forensics experts were quoted as saying in a statement.

Publication: https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.02282

Source: TU Darmstadt

The distribution path of a Mac malware called "Silver Sparrow" has not been documented in detail so far. Now Eset suspects that the Trojan is simply adware and not, as previously assumed, malware from state organizations. Eset had already detected the Trojan a few times last September, and had according to Heise observed in 50 instances. Silver Sparrow apparently contacts a control server after installation, but nothing is reloaded.

We have received a lot of questions about the Silver Sparrow malware for macOS after a publication by @redcanary. #ESETresearch has investigated and found that, far from speculations about nation-state malware, it is likely related to adware and pay-per-install schemes. 1/10 pic.twitter.com/gZ29y5kMsk

- ESET Research (@ESETresearch) March 2, 2021

According to Eset's analysis, other adware campaigns have used similar scripts. What is special about Silver Sparrrow is that it deletes itself from the system and covers most of its traces. So far, it has been assumed that the malware, like other adware, offers itself for download via manipulated search results. In addition, the malware was signed with an Apple certificate, which Apple has since withdrawn.

Source: Heise/Eset

According to survey results from the Swiss Rheumatism League, one third of 200 respondents are unaware of what triggers gout disease and can aggravate health problems. Many mistakenly believe that gout is caused by normal aging processes. Twenty-four percent of respondents believe it is advisable to replace meat with fish and seafood. The recommendation to consume more vegetables and dairy products is known by 73 percent. However, the majority (87 percent) can name the "classic trigger" of gout diseases: in most cases, too much meat and alcohol are involved, which has a long-term negative effect on health, especially at night during a sumptuous dinner.

Healthier diet

Further results of the survey indicate that a majority of respondents come to terms with gout disease and that gout sufferers can lead a largely normal life. More than one-third of 37 percent forgo drug therapy, even though gout can cause excruciating joint pain in some cases. Nevertheless, 40 percent of those who resort to medication find the drug therapy very effective, although almost every second person finds it difficult to take the medication regularly.

The Rheumatism League concludes that much can be brought under control with lifestyle. A majority of respondents (over half) consume more fruits and vegetables. In addition, more dairy products are consumed, so that less uric acid is formed with the low purine content. Above all, sweet drinks or frozen pizzas are avoided and only nine percent would still consume meat on a daily basis.

Source: Rheumatism League 

Numerous patients suffer from Long-term consequences of the coronavirus. Typical symptoms are usually complaints such as shortness of breath or fatigue. Many new findings about the symptoms are currently emerging, but many questions remain unanswered.

The US director Gez Medinger interviewee on its YouTube channel with around 500 people from various US Facebook self-help groups. According to the survey, around a third of respondents said that they felt slightly better since being vaccinated. Diana Berrent, founder of the Survivor Corps, a group of Long Covid sufferers, said: "They were initially very worried that vaccinations would worsen the course of their symptoms. Any indication that the symptoms could be alleviated would of course be a miracle, said the self-help organizer.

However, the nature of the surveys is not representative and, above all, limited to people from such groups, from which it cannot be concluded that a vaccine could generally - and sustainably, for example - lead to an improvement in symptoms.

Moderna, Pfizer / Biontech: Do different vaccines work differently?

How "The Verge", citing Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University, one reason for the improvement in symptoms could be that Covid-19 triggers long-lasting changes in the immune system in some people and the vaccination removes some residual fragments of the virus that continue to irritate the immune system. However, the improvement in symptoms could also be short-lived.

Although the vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer / Biontech and Johnson & Johnson are equally effective, the vaccines may differ in how well they help people with long Covid symptoms. As more studies are completed, different vaccines may be recommended to Covid patients, says Iwasaki.

Source: The Verge

The VdS Training Center in Cologne is optimistic about December 2021. It is assumed that the VdS Fire Protection Days 2021 The event will once again be complete with a trade fair, themed forums and high-level conferences.

A versatile environment for a professional exchange is promised, after the fair had to be cancelled last year. The VdS Fire Protection Days are about structural or organizational and plant fire protection to offer suppliers from the preventive fire protection a versatile exhibition platform.

The date of VdS Fire Protection Days is set for December 8 and 9, 2021. The venue is Koelnmesse. Exhibitors already have the option to book booths, according to the release. However, also due to the still uncertain Corona situation, an option is offered to cancel booths again until August 31.

More info: www.vds.de/aussteller

Source: VdS

Checkpoint has released its Security Report 2021. Among other things, the report shows which attack vectors and techniques were observed by CPR researchers last year.

Poor cloud security

Among the highlights of Check Point Research 2021 are new aspects such as cloud security. According to the report, the introduction of the cloud is hurrying ahead of IT security. Public cloud security remains a major concern for 75 percent of organizations. In addition, more than 80 percent of companies found that their existing security tools do not work at all or only to a limited extent in the cloud. The cloud therefore remains a major challenge.

Remote working and smartphones in focus

Furthermore, remote working is increasingly becoming the target of cybercriminals. Hackers are increasingly trying to steal data or infiltrate networks, using Trojans such as Emotetg and Qbot. The attacks mainly took place via RDP and VPN.

In addition, double-extortion ransomware attacks had also increased. In the third quarter of 2020, almost half of all attacks involved ransomware for data. On average, one organization worldwide falls victim to ransomware every ten seconds.

Attacks against healthcare are also growing rapidly and becoming an "epidemic," according to Checkpoint. In the fourth quarter, Checkpoint Research reported that attacks (particularly ransomware attacks) against hospitals increased by 45 percent globally.

Cell phones are also increasingly becoming "moving targets." According to the report, 46 percent of all organizations now know of at least one employee who downloaded malicious mobile applications in 2020, which in turn compromised company networks and data.

To the whole report