http://www.nbcnews.com/watch/nbc-news-web-extra/honeypot-tes...
On the phone they went to a website and ignored warnings in order to download and execute a malicious APK. On the PC they followed a link in a scammy looking phishing email to download and open a malicious Office document. On the Mac they visited a website that had an ad suggesting that they needed an "antivirus program" so they downloaded and installed it.
So the devices were hacked not because Sochi is especially dangerous, but because of pure stupidity. Nothing can help you if you deliberately ignore warnings, and deliberately install Trojan horse malware. The exact same thing would have happened in the US.
(Yes, I know there are no frozen lakes in Sochi, it's an example)
I'm sure he can find a frozen lake in Moscow to jump on.
After all, the reporter was in Moscow -- not Sochi -- for the hacking story.
Well, more they were hacked because someone smart deliberately got them hacked. I don't actually know someone inept enough to achieve all three without help. It's actually quite hard to find malware these days if you use Google and the like to find sites as they are quite good at blocking them.
If it is actually true (the anti-"Russian anti-gay laws" movement is overblown in Western media), and if you believe that it is true, then you would do better to stop posting this. You are only doing that cause a disservice by looking untrustworthy.
Everything about your posts and the thing you linked to smells of astroturf.
Been lurking on HN for half a year now, I guess this is what finally gets me to sign up.
> Since 1993 gay sex was made legal in Russia, in 12 US States gay sex is a crime.
The law is still on the books, but ever since Lawrence v. Texas[0], gay sex is legal in all 50 states (and all US territories). They're on the books simply because of inertia - there's no impetus to pass a new law repealing a law that's already been invalidated.
Others include:
> In Russia you cannot be fired from your job for being an LGBT individual, in the United States you can
This depends highly on the state. Some states even protect transgender individuals.
Also, comparing Russia's laws to the US's laws is inherently flawed. For example, I could mention that Iran conducts more sex reassignment operations than any other country in the entire world, except Thailand![1]
But before we go ahead and praise Iran for being progressive with regard to transgender rights, let's understand that they do this because they assume that homosexuality and being trans are the same thing, and the government pays for forced gender reassignment of gay people[2].
So it's very easy to make the US look bad in comparison to other countries, especially since the US is more federated than many other countries (ie, states have more leeway), and the US is larger (so it's easier to cherry-pick examples). But that doesn't mean the US is actually worse.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_v_texas
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transsexuality_in_Iran
[2] There's some subtlety to this (we could debate the exact nature of the word "forced"), but that's basically how it works.
Our western friends are more delicate this time.
On a side note, who still takes anything the big three networks push? Let alone lets not forget, Russia isn't politically correct so portraying them in a negative light is allowed if not desired.
The guys there at Sochi obviously screwed up the hospitality part. If they didn't screw up the games part, as soon as the games open, the tone would change. If they screwed up that too, the tone would stay.
People are very nice (never refuse vodka if you are offered :)). But it is really poor place. There are open manhole in the middle of road - the big one, my friend would take out battery from the car bring it up with car keys, ...
So it is not really "semi-hidden agenda" - it just that Sochi is not Moscow.
And how come the haters of that Russian law, never target any of their venom at the Russian legislators who wrote and passed that law with a large majority?
Investigative journalism is dead. Journalists are now bought and paid for by rich patrons. If you want to find a source of reliable news that you can trust, then sorry, you are out of luck. That era has long since passed.
If you say that western media is corrupt, than the Russian is absolutely corrupt. I don't believe you though, why would the west 'pick' on Russia? Just because? No, I'm russian and most things are true. Russia is one fucked up place for most people who live there. In most western counties it's luckily the other way around, the majority can live prosperous lives and pursue their dreams and wishes. I'm really tired of people defending Russia, it's people and our politics. I do agree that we get what we deserve. It will take decades or probably centuries before we even get to the level of kindness, sophistication and self respect you have in the west.
>>> Investigative journalism is dead. Journalists are now bought and paid for by rich patrons.
It must be very bleak in the world you live in. Knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing, indeed.
And yet:
"A Russian court has fined a newspaper editor for publishing an interview with a gay school teacher who was quoted as saying 'homosexuality is normal.'" http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/feb/01/russ...
The amendment stated that a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship"
That's one way of looking at it. Another way is that activists use it as an instrument of storytelling their agenda. It's even worse when it masquerades as 'quality' journalism, dressed up in broadsheet (or more to the point, Berliner format) and verbiage.
I feel that there is just too much of the wrong motivation behind 'journalism'.
Right now it's like massively enforced, even so far as going after a schoolgirl who claimed she was a lesbian (later dropping charges but only after effectively ruining child's life)
Everyone is gushing about how amazing the place is, how great the food is and the accommodations. Several people have commented on how this or that is better than it was in Vancouver. So now I'm thinking that maybe junior journalists still have some ethics in them and will do some actual investigations of stories.
As for positive reports - news usually aren't positive. It always has been so. Nobody reports positive things unless they are exceptionally positive. Fireman saves the lives of ten - news. Drunk driver plows into a tree - news. Drunk man decides not to drive but walk and safely arrives home - not news. A man comes from work, meets his wife and kisses her - not news.
Never underestimated the news media's ability to split the American public in half.
News isn't usually positive, but what do you think the tone of this coverage is compared to the coverage of the London olympics?
I personally strongly dislike the way gay people are treated in Russia and I am enjoying the drubbing they're getting from Western media.
But the parent comment is right, it's eerie to suddenly hear partisan media singing from the same hymn sheet.
What was interesting was I repeated this story and later found this site and others and started looking back at what was said and no feel bad that I was "hacked" by the news guy in believing something that wasn't true. I wonder if their hotel story is just as bogus. I had forgotten briefly that you can never trust your news organizations when you live in an authoritarian state :-(
However, one thing that everyone should keep in mind is that Russians do not "shit where they eat". It is not very common for any Russian group to specifically target people within their own borders as that would bring upon a lot of attention.
It is 100% likely that their connections are being monitored and 100% likely that a dossier is being built on reporters and officials visiting the country, but it is 100% for sure that they're not being specifically targeted with malware. If they are, the person initiating the attack is going to find themselves in a lot of heat.
Engel's Wikipedia article is quite fluffy on that note:
This is, of course, assuming all of this is being perpetrated by regular civilians, not the Russian government. Seems that a "dossier built on reporters and officials" would be more interesting to a government rather than a hacker group, don't you think? Is the Russian government being accused of/watched for this kind of shit?
It all came back to me as I watched the American media in the last few weeks, bringing a number of negative stories on Sochi and Russia -- much more so than in the European media I monitor.
But actually, one of his closing remarks is unintentionally helpful: "The best way to protect yourself ... if you don't really need a device, don't bring it" [lest it get stolen by US customs as you're returning home].
This is all over the news wire, every outlet is reporting on it, the Obama administration has intervened, and it needs to be on top page of HN like now.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/06/nyregion/russia-blocking-a...
(*sarcasm)
Is there any story about Russia right now that's not actively searching to criticize something?
Sounds like freedom hating.
What a wasted opportunity for a "strained yogurt" pun.
"Personal Privacy Note: Travelers should be aware that Russian Federal law permits the monitoring, retention and analysis of all data that traverses Russian communication networks, including internet browsing, e-mail messages, telephone calls, and fax transmissions." [1]
"Additionally, cyber criminals may use the games as a lure in spam, phishing or drive-by-download campaigns to gain personally identifiable information or harvest credentials for financial gain. Lastly, those physically attending the games should be cognizant that their communications will likely be monitored." [2]
Basically, while at Sochi, you will have very little digital privacy and if you visit Olympic game related websites, they may attempt to (broadly speaking) "hack" your computer.
[1] http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/go/Sochi.h...
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/02/06/tsa-bans-carry-on...
And in the same show a native born black American girl who did not even speak Russian, made it into the knockout rounds. Her name is Karmen Moxie.
I wasn't even aware that sports competition begins today, until today.
In the end, it is the general public that ends up with these ridiculous misconceptions, while only a handful of people (e.g. the readers of HN) actually see through these ridiculous stories.
Also I'd really like to know exactly how they hacked Mac OS X. Because if he downloaded something and then gave it his administrator password, that doesn't count as being hacked.
'The claims made on the blog are completely without merit,' according to a representative from NBC News."
But wait ... no need to be afraid:
"So what can you do?"
"Purchase ... antivirus software ... before you leave the country"
LOL
I can't wait coming to the US. Then I finally can connect to a US WiFi and go to these famous websites named facebook.com and google.com.
Politicians and journalists should lose their job / title FOREVER when they are caught lying.
adjective 1. obtained, done by, or involving deception, especially criminal deception.
I think you mean "inaccurate".
I've seen a lot of sensationalized bullshit via the corporate mass media before, but this took the cake. I wondered if it was "just me", but now I'm seeing many others online and offline also noting how ridiculous it was with more than obvious, dishonest fear mongering at play.
It got me thinking about how much Comcast must serve others in order to maintain its corrupt, despised, anti-competitive oligopoly. Considering the fact that multiple polls show that Comcast is one of the most despised corporations in America, I don't think it would be too difficult to get many Americans behind breaking up their oligopoly if the issue was pushed.
But, the government never pushes it. Comcast owes a great... no, massive debt to the government for its very existence, incredible anti-competitive growth and ability to continue to plunder Americans by becoming an increasingly gargantuan oligopoly and near monopoly (when it comes to higher speed Internet access in many areas).
I also don't think anyone who's been paying attention doubts that war profiteers have taken over our government from the outside (via lobbying) and the inside via their own politicians with Washington’s revolving door – legislators and their staff members becoming lobbyists, and vice versa.
That said...
Russia deserves a lot of criticism to say the least, but the anti-Russian propaganda from the mass media coming from the USA, etc. is getting pretty thick, heavy and over the top. It's almost palpable at this point and it's obviously stressing our relations with Russia. Between that and some interesting issues with the Ukraine I'm starting to think the war profiteers would very much like to push for and ramp up a new, profitable Cold War between Russia and the USA again.
The war on terror thing is getting old and harder to justify with limitless money and wars. With the Internet and average citizens utilizing it to spread info to each other, it's becoming increasingly difficult to start deceptive, profitable (open) wars or even just air strikes on places like Syria, for example.
I'm not saying any of this is true and I sure hope it's not true, but the propaganda is really getting laid on thick lately and I'm not sure what the end-game is here. Even though many of the criticisms are certainly true against Russia, it seems like it's really getting "poured on" in the last few years and it's increasing tension with Russia on a scale I haven't seen since our last Cold War with them.
I know it seems like I'm wearing a tinfoil hat and I'll understand if anyone thinks I'm sounding looney... but, I think the risk is something to watch for even if it is remote.
I mean, for all I know this is simply a bunch of geopolitical pushing around that has nothing to do with any long term war profiteer agenda. I sincerely hope that's true. But, if there's something else going on, I hope we've all got our eyes wide open here and make sure we're not being led (yet again) into something that sucks away lives and treasure for the benefit of the very few. It's happened before (see Iraq) and I see no reason why the war profiteers won't keep trying and trying again.
We should remember that... around the time of the next election.
