Gunmen kill at least 20 people in an attack in central Nigeria
The attack took place in the early hours of Tuesday in Tahoss, in the Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, state assembly member Dewan Gabriel said in a statement.
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Fast Company
an hour ago
- Fast Company
Microsoft SharePoint hack: An active cybersecurity incident could impact tens of thousands of servers
On July 19, Microsoft alerted users that it was experiencing an active cyberattack on its SharePoint servers, which allow organizations to share and manage documents. According to The Washington Post, the attack—which is still ongoing—has likely put 'tens of thousands' of servers at risk, including several hosted by federal agencies, universities, and energy companies, which have reportedly already been breached. According to a blog posted by Microsoft, the hack only impacts SharePoint servers housed within an organization, and not those in the cloud through SharePoint Online in Microsoft 365. For Microsoft, this latest breach comes after a series of other security concerns in recent years. Last January, the tech giant reported that hackers backed by Russia had successfully stolen some of the company's source code, and, the following April, a federal review board found that Microsoft was at fault for security flaws that led to a Chinese hack of U.S. government officials' emails. Here's what to know about this latest hack: What's happened? The Netherlands-based research company Eye Security was the first to identify what it called 'large-scale exploitation of a new SharePoint remote-code execution (RCE) vulnerability chain in the wild' on the evening of July 18. The hack was what's known as a 'zero-day attack,' meaning it took advantage of a previously unknown hole in Microsoft's security system, leaving the company without any immediate way to patch the problem. Eye Security's report found 'dozens of systems actively compromised' between two waves of attack on July 18 and July 19. Per the firm's findings, the bug allows hackers to take private digital keys from SharePoint without any login credentials, enter an organization's servers, remotely plant malware, and gain access to the available files and data. Further, Eye Security warned, because SharePoint connects with other apps like Outlook and Teams, 'a breach can quickly lead to data theft, password harvesting, and lateral movement across the network.' Both the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have confirmed that they're actively working to assess the hack. The party (or parties) responsible is still unknown. Who has been impacted so far? According to a blog post from CISA on July 20, the scope of the hack is unclear so far. However, several private researchers informed The Washington Post that the impact could be widespread. Pete Renals, a senior manager with the cybersecurity research firm Unit 42, told the publication, 'We are seeing attempts to exploit thousands of SharePoint servers globally before a patch is available. We have identified dozens of compromised organizations spanning both commercial and government sectors.'' Multiple anonymous researchers claimed that at least two U.S. federal agencies have seen their servers breached. Further, Randy Rose, the vice president of the nonprofit Center for Internet Security, shared that the organization notified about 100 organizations—including public schools and universities—that they were vulnerable and potentially compromised. 'Anybody who's got a hosted SharePoint server has got a problem,' Adam Meyers, senior vice president with the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, told The Washington Post. 'It's a significant vulnerability.'' What is Microsoft doing about this? After its initial announcement of the hack on July 19, Microsoft followed up on July 20 with several updates. The company rolled out emergency patches for users of SharePoint Subscription Edition and SharePoint 2019, which can be downloaded right away. As of this writing, developers are still working to devise patches for supported versions of SharePoint 2019, as well as SharePoint 2016. What should I do if my organization hosts a SharePoint server? In an email to TechCrunch, Michael Sikorski, the head of Unit 42, advised that any organization with SharePoint on-premise 'should assume that you have been compromised at this point.' To mitigate potential attacks, Microsoft suggests the following steps: Use supported versions of on-premises SharePoint Server Apply the latest security updates, including the July 2025 Security Update Ensure the Antimalware Scan Interface (AMSI) is turned on and configured correctly, with an appropriate antivirus solution such as Defender Antivirus Deploy Microsoft Defender for Endpoint protection, or equivalent threat solutions Rotate SharePoint Server machine keys Microsoft's blog post Fast Company back to the blog.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Syrian Government Evacuates Bedouin Families After Deadly Clashes
As part of a cease-fire agreement to return calm to the southern Syrian province of Sweida, the Syrian government said it was evacuating hundreds of Bedouin tribal families from the area on Monday after more than a week of deadly clashes. Also on Monday, the government said it had deployed security forces across the province to secure the area and protect civilians. More than 1,100 people were killed in eight days of violence, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based organization. The clashes, between armed groups from Bedouin tribes and the Druse religious minority, erupted earlier this month and renewed fears of widespread sectarian violence and attacks against religious minorities. The violence also drew in neighboring Israel, which carried out multiple airstrikes on Syrian government targets in the capital, Damascus, saying it was acting to protect the Druse. On Saturday, the Syrian government announced the cease-fire deal and redeployed forces to Sweida, after briefly withdrawing from the province, to quell renewed clashes between the two sides. A cease-fire deal had been announced on Wednesday, but clashes continued. In a televised address on Saturday, President Ahmed al-Shara of Syria described the recent bloodshed as a 'dangerous turning point' for his nation. He said that 'the Israeli intervention has pushed the country into a dangerous phase that poses a threat to its stability.' The situation remained tense even as Bedouin families left the province in private vehicles and on government buses, as sporadic fighting continued on Monday, according to the Observatory. The Syrian government said the families who were being evacuated had been trapped in the provincial capital, Sweida. They were being taken to the neighboring province of Daraa. 'We affirm our full commitment to ensuring the exit of all those wishing to leave Sweida Province, and we will provide the possibility of entry to those who wish to do so,' Brig. Gen. Ahmad al-Dalati, a commander with the interior security forces in Sweida, said, according to state media. General al-Dalati said a security cordon had been imposed around Sweida to secure the area after tribal armed groups from other parts of Syria came to the province to participate in the clashes. An Interior Ministry spokesman, Noureddine Al-Baba, said that the government was forcing Bedouin families to leave for their own safety because they had become caught up in the violence between the armed groups. 'It had turned them into hostages in their own areas,' Mr. Al-Baba said. 'And it had slowed the movement of government forces on the ground.' He described the conflict between the Druse and Bedouin tribes in the area as going back decades and revolving around land rights. Dayana Iwaza contributed reporting.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
I had to defend myself, man accused of police officer assault at airport says
The brother of a man accused of assaulting three police officers at Manchester Airport has told a jury he struck out himself after he was 'put in a situation where I had to defend myself'. Muhammad Amaad, 26, and Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, are alleged to have used a 'high level of violence' against Pc Zachary Marsden, Pc Lydia Ward and Pc Ellie Cook after they tried to arrest the younger brother. The Greater Manchester Police officers entered the Terminal 2 car park paystation after reports that a male fitting Amaaz's description had headbutted a member of the public inside the airport just minutes before on July 23 last year. Giving evidence on Monday at Liverpool Crown Court, Amaad said: 'They come in and grab Fahir straight away. They started pushing him forward into the ticket machine. 'I didn't understand the need for the aggression.' He told his barrister Chloe Gardner that nothing was said by any of the officers and that he tried to 'de-escalate the situation' by saying 'easy, easy … no, no, no'. Ms Gardner said: 'Were you trying to be provocative or make things worse?' Amaad said: 'No, I was trying to help, if anything.' Ms Gardner said: 'As far as you could see, did you see any reason why they grabbed hold of him?' 'No,' said Amaad. He said he then saw a male officer, Pc Marsden, grab his younger brother's neck. Amaad said: 'I didn't know where his other hand was. I thought both his hands might be around his neck and he was choking him. 'So, I stepped around and I just placed my hand under the officer's arm.' He denied he pushed Pc Marsden or tried to grab the officer's throat. Amaad said: 'Next, all I can remember is I got a bang in the face. My eyes sort of shut and I put my hands up and thought 'what was that?' 'Then I just remember 'bang, bang, bang'. It caught me by surprise, I was stunned. 'We just sort of fell over on to a chair and I am feeling punches, holding and grabbing, and I had to defend myself during that time.' Pc Marsden went on to fire his Taser at him, the court heard, and he later sat down with his hands on his head after he saw the officer's firearm. Amaad told the court: 'I just felt to myself 'I'm not dying today'. I have been punched, I have been tasered, I am not going to die today.' Ms Gardner said: 'Why did you strike Pc Marsden at the seated area?' Amaad said: 'Because it was at that point I was trying to make him stop and defend myself. I was put in a situation where I had to defend myself'. Earlier, a total of 20 character references for Amaaz were read out by his barrister Imran Khan KC including many citing the defendant's charity work in the local community. Among the testimonials were one from his elder brother, Mohammed Abid, 28, a serving officer with Greater Manchester Police since 2020. He said his youngest brother, 'the baby of the family', looked up to him as a role model and that Fahir had never previously had any interactions with the police or the criminal justice system. He said: 'He lives a clean, honest lifestyle. His dedication to his academic goals and personal development is something I deeply admire. 'Our family has strong moral values instilled in us by our parents at an early age. 'Mohammed Fahir Amaaz is a kind, respectful, upstanding young man with a bright future ahead.' Amaaz is alleged to have assaulted Pc Marsden and Pc Ward, causing them actual bodily harm. He is also accused of the assault of emergency worker Pc Cook, and the earlier assault of a member of the public, Abdulkareem Ismaeil, at a Starbucks cafe in T2 arrivals. Amaad, a former assistant manager at KFC, is alleged to have assaulted Pc Marsden, causing actual bodily harm. Both men, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, deny the allegations.
