WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
On June 20, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced a Final Determination prohibiting Kaspersky Lab, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of a Russia-based anti-virus software and cybersecurity company, from directly or indirectly providing anti-virus software and cybersecurity products or services in the United States or to U.S. persons. The prohibition also applies to Kaspersky Lab, Inc.’s affiliates, subsidiaries and parent companies (together with Kaspersky Lab, Inc., “Kaspersky”).
This action is the first of its kind and is the first Final Determination issued by BIS’s Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services (OICTS), whose mission is to investigate whether certain information and communications technology or services transactions in the United States pose an undue or unacceptable national security risk. Kaspersky will generally no longer be able to, among other activities, sell its software within the United States or provide updates to software already in use. The full list of prohibited transactions can be found at oicts.bis.gov/kaspersky.
In addition to this action, BIS added three entities – AO Kaspersky Lab and OOO Kaspersky Group (Russia), and Kaspersky Labs Limited (United Kingdom) – to the Entity List for their cooperation with Russian military and intelligence authorities in support of the Russian Government’s cyber intelligence objectives.
The Final Determination and Entity Listing are the result of a lengthy and thorough investigation, which found that the company’s continued operations in the United States presented a national security risk – due to the Russian Government’s offensive cyber capabilities and capacity to influence or direct Kaspersky’s operations – that could not be addressed through mitigation measures short of a total prohibition.
Individuals and businesses that utilize Kaspersky software are strongly encouraged to expeditiously transition to new vendors to limit exposure of personal or other sensitive data to malign actors due to a potential lack of cybersecurity coverage. Individuals and businesses that continue to use existing Kaspersky products and services will not face legal penalties under the Final Determination. However, any individual or business that continues to use Kaspersky products and services assumes all the cybersecurity and associated risks of doing so.
In order to minimize disruption to U.S. consumers and businesses and to give them time to find suitable alternatives, the Department’s determination will allow Kaspersky to continue certain operations in the United States – including providing anti-virus signature updates and codebase updates – until 12:00AM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on September 29, 2024.
BIS has determined that Kaspersky poses an undue or unacceptable risk to national security for the following reasons:
- Jurisdiction, control, or direction of the Russian Government: Kaspersky is subject to the jurisdiction of the Russian Government and must comply with requests for information that could lead to the exploitation of access to sensitive information present on electronic devices using Kaspersky’s anti-virus software.
- Access to sensitive U.S. customer information through administrative privileges: Kaspersky has broad access to, and administrative privileges over, customer information through the provision of cybersecurity and anti-virus software. Kaspersky employees could potentially transfer U.S. customer data to Russia, where it would be accessible to the Russian Government under Russian law.
- Capability or opportunity to install malicious software and withhold critical updates: Kaspersky has the ability to use its products to install malicious software on U.S. customers’ computers or to selectively deny updates, leaving U.S. persons and critical infrastructure vulnerable to malware and exploitation.
- Third-party integration of Kaspersky products: Kaspersky software is integrated into third-party products and services through resale of its software, integration of its cybersecurity or anti-virus software into other products and services, or licensing of Kaspersky cybersecurity or anti-virus software for purposes of resale or integration into other products or services. Third-party transactions such as these create circumstances where the source code for the software is unknown. This increases the likelihood that Kaspersky software could unwittingly be introduced into devices or networks containing highly sensitive U.S. persons data.
The Department is working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) to inform U.S. customers, including State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) government agencies, non-government customers at the SLTT level, and critical infrastructure operators, about ways to easily remove the software. In addition, the Department is working with federal departments and agencies to inform users about this action and ensure a smooth transition for customers.
MASS SHOOTING UPDATE
Information recent as of 6-25-2024 at 12 p.m.
2024 Mass Shooting Stats: (Source: Mass Shooting Tracker – https://www.massshootingtracker.site/data/?year=2024)
- Total Mass Shootings: 289
- Total Dead: 353
- Total Wounded: 1190
- Shootings Per Day: 1.63
- Days Reached in Year 2024 as of June 25: 177
EUROPE
EU DROPS NEW SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA
As part of the comprehensive fourteenth package of sanctions adopted earlier today, the Council decided to impose restrictive measures on an additional 69 individuals and 47 entities responsible for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
These new listings target several businesspersons, propagandists and public figures, members of the army and the judiciary, persons responsible for deportation of Ukrainian children, as well as members of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) involved in religious persecution in illegally annexed Crimea, and of the government.
Among the listed companies, there are some actively involved in circumventing EU sanctions through financial transactions and delivery of prohibited EU goods, and a company operating the Vostochny port that was used to ship weapons and ammunitions from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea into Russia.
The list then includes several Russian military and defense industry companies, companies providing vital dual-use technologies used in the battlefield, and companies transporting weapons and military personnel towards the war zone.
Additionally, the EU designated Volga Dnepr Group and its subsidiaries for their role in providing services to the Russia’s military-industrial complex, as well as its shareholders.
Sovcomflot, Russia’s largest shipping company specializing in the transportation of liquefied gas, crude oil, and petroleum products, is also listed, together with its CEO, and other leading companies in the energy sector.
The EU sanctioned the ‘International Children’s Center Artek’, which organizes camps for children from Ukraine, including in the illegally occupied territories, the Kadyrov Foundation carrying out re educational programs for Ukrainian children and teenagers, and the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, which is active in the deportation of Ukrainian children from the illegally occupied territories. Some of their notable representatives were also blacklisted.
Altogether, EU restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine now apply to over 2200 individuals and entities. Those designated today are subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them. Natural persons are additionally subject to a travel ban, which prevents them from entering or transiting through EU territories.
HAITI
GANG VIOLENCE FUELING DISPLACEMENT
Escalating gang violence and political instability in Haiti have forced a record 578,074 people from their homes this year, making it the country with the largest number of displacements due to crime-related violence, UN independent human rights experts said on June 20.
“Violence, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince, has reached alarming levels, with armed groups controlling large areas and complicating humanitarian access,” the experts, including the Special Rapporteur on the rights of internally displaced persons, said.
The clashes between gangs and the Haitian National Police have created a “pervasive environment of fear, restricting freedom of movement and access to basic services,” they added.
In the first quarter of 2024 alone, gang-related violence reportedly claimed the lives of or injured 2,500 Haitians, including 82 children.
Women and children have been the worst affected, amid heightened risk of sexual violence and exploitation.
Many internally displaced persons (IDPs) are living in “overcrowded and inadequate conditions without basic hygiene and sanitation, facing severe shortages of food, water, shelter, and medical care, including a lack of safe and private spaces for psychological support,” the independent experts said.
According to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), nationally, 80 per cent of IDPs are living with host families while the remaining are sheltering in sites, many in gang-controlled or high-risk areas.
Nearly half of the country’s population is suffering from severe hunger, with 18 per cent at “emergency” level of food insecurity.
Children and women have been disproportionately impacted by the effects of the violence and instability in Haiti, with more than 310,000 women and girls, and 180,000 children among the displaced.
More than half a million children are living in neighborhoods controlled by armed groups, at heightened risk of violence and child recruitment.
Furthermore, the growing number of unaccompanied displaced children makes them particularly vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and trafficking by gangs.
The violence and attacks on educational facilities have also forced the closure of nearly 900 schools, affecting almost 200,000 children, disrupting learning and putting children at increased risk.
Sexual violence against women and girls at IDP sites is also surging as gangs continue to use rape as a weapon of terror, the Human Rights Council-appointed independent experts said.
Amidst the alarming situation, the experts called for greater female leadership and participation to ensure a successful political transition in Haiti.
They also urged greater efforts to address root causes of displacement to build sustainable solutions for the future.
“Durable solutions for IDPs, such as safe return, resettlement, or local integration, require addressing the root causes of displacement, including violence, political instability, and environmental degradation,” they said.
