Telegram Traces Massive Cyber Attack to China During Hong Kong Protests
Telegram founder Pavel Durov said a massive cyber-attack on his messaging service originated in China, raising questions about whether Beijing tried to disrupt a protest involving hundreds of thousands that erupted on the streets of Hong Kong.
The encrypted messaging app said it experienced a powerful distributed denial of service attack after "garbage requests" flooded its servers and disrupted legitimate communications. Most of those queries came from Chinese internet protocol addresses, founder Pavel Durov said in a subsequent Twitter post. "This case was not an exception," he tweeted without elaborating.
[...] Hong Kong protesters have grown increasingly concerned about legal repercussions as Beijing tightens its influence over the former British colony and the local government prosecutes demonstrators. They've relied on encrypted services to avoid detection. Telegram and Firechat -- a peer-to-peer messaging service that works with or without internet access -- are among the top trending apps in Hong Kong's Apple store.
Previously: Extradition Law Amendments Protested in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong pushes bill allowing extraditions to China despite biggest protest since handover
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam vowed on Monday to push ahead with amendments to laws allowing suspects to be extradited to mainland China a day after the city's biggest protest since its handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
Riot police ringed Hong Kong's legislature and fought back a hardcore group of several hundred protesters who stayed behind early on Monday after Sunday's peaceful march that organizers said drew more than a million people, or one in seven of the city's people.
"I don't think it is (an) appropriate decision for us now to pull out of this bill because of the very important objectives that this bill is intended to achieve," a somber Lam told reporters while flanked by security and justice chiefs.
Also at NYT.
See also: Here’s How Hong Kong’s Proposed Extradition Law Will Impact Its Competitiveness
Pavel Durov, head of the Dubai-based proprietary "app" Telegram, had been wanted by the French authorities for his lack of cooperation in monitoring and filtering the activities of the users of his "app". This is in spite of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling that any weakening of end-to-end encryption disproportionately risks undermining human rights. Multiple sites are now reporting that he has been arrested on a warrant in France during a flight layover in his private jet:
The Korea Times, Telegram chief Pavel Durov arrested at French airport: officials:
France's OFMIN, an agency tasked with preventing violence against minors, had issued an arrest warrant for Durov as the coordinating agency in a preliminary investigation into alleged offenses including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and promotion of terrorism, one of the sources close to the case said.
Durov is suspected of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform.
Voice of America, CEO of Telegram messaging app arrested in France, say French media:
Based in Dubai, Telegram was founded by Russian-born Durov. He left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, which he sold.
Durov was traveling aboard his private jet, TF1 said on its website, adding he had been targeted by an arrest warrant in France as part of a preliminary police investigation.
The Guardian, Telegram app founder Pavel Durov reportedly arrested at French airport:
The Russia-born entrepreneur lives in Dubai, where Telegram is based, and holds dual citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates.
Durov, who is estimated by Forbes to have a fortune of $15.5bn (£12bn), left Russia in 2014 after he refused to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, which he sold.
Reuters, Telegram messaging app CEO Durov arrested in France:
The encrypted Telegram, with close to one billion users, is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. It is ranked as one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Wechat.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 13 2019, @10:34PM (3 children)
It was Islamic terrorists faking Chinese IP addresses, so the US will move all the drones from Jihadistan to China.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday June 13 2019, @11:36PM (2 children)
Fat chance. We'll only send drone IP [wccftech.com] there.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by stretch611 on Friday June 14 2019, @01:09AM (1 child)
China doesn't need it...
They have already stolen all the technology that manufacturing companies didn't give them already in their quest to build the cheapest drones.
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday June 14 2019, @01:20AM
I'm sure NASA, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, etc. have some drone IPee left for them to drain.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 14 2019, @02:06AM (5 children)
Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but I haven't seen any big international support shown for the protesters in Hong Kong. They seem to be fighting a good fight, where is the support from either: other world leaders, or at least some big NGOs?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 14 2019, @05:26AM
You don't fight enemies you have no hope of beating.
(Example: Everyone let Russia take Crimea and eastern Ukraine.)
Plus MONEY, man! We do major business with this shitball country. We barely criticize them for far worse that they have done inside their borders.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by arslan on Friday June 14 2019, @05:49AM (3 children)
Support for what exactly? HK belongs to China. Sure China had some lip service stating they'll keep status quo for 50 years after the loan to the British expired in 97, but ultimately HK is part of China to begin with. Its not like politicians/governments don't break promises in other countries - so big deal if the Chinese government break their promise a bit, afterall HK did at least get 20 years out of the 50 years.
The stuff that they're protesting against have already been happening for quite awhile against non-HK and non-Chinese folks. The world leaders and big NGOs didn't do shit then, why would they do shit now when HK folks who are technically Chinese citizens are subjected by the same crap? The Hongkies really need to wake up and smell the coffee, you've got 20 years out of that 50 years - the change is starting sooner, sure, but it is inevitable. I was surprised they event got the 20 out of the 50 years. Its only gonna go downhill from here, protesting ain't gonna do squat given they are really a tiny minority in that entire nation.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 14 2019, @06:07AM (2 children)
You are correct.
I also found your phrasing very appropriate: "HK *belongs* to China."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 14 2019, @08:00AM (1 child)
America belongs to UK.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 14 2019, @08:13AM
I knew some dope wouldn't get my phrasing.
HK belongs to China as in HK is China's bitch and can do nothing about it.
(Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 14 2019, @02:29PM
i guess it sucks if you can't go to china, do whatever shenanigans you want, maybe get rich in the process and then when it's time to pay the bill "flee" back home and thumb your nose to the people on the other side of the shore?
or maybe it's really a elephant being afraid of a sand-flee?