A look into Corporate fraud in Australia, Stranglehold of Monopolies, Telecom's Oppression, Biased Law System, Corporate influence in politics, Industrial Relations disadvantaging workers, Outsourcing Australian Jobs, Offshore Banking, Petrochemical company domination, Invisibly Visible.
It's not what you see, it's what goes on behind the scenes. Australia, the warrantless colony.
Note: Site has more info in desktop mode or 'web version' as seen at bottom of page, when on smartphone.
The recently discovered
security flaws affect devices like laptops, PCs, smartphone and other
with Bluetooth 4.2 or newer versions.
The security flaw affects Apple AirDrop as well. (Image Source: Pixabay)
Security researchers at Eurecom have discovered new Bluetooth
security flaws that allow hackers to impersonate devices and perform
man-in-the-middle attacks.
The six new attacks – named ‘BLUFFS’ were discovered by Daniele
Antonioli and make use of 2 undiscovered exploits in the Bluetooth
architecture that can be used to decrypt the content of files when users
are sending data using the technology. Cybersecurity experts say that
the flaws are not limited to a particular hardware or software
configuration but affects Bluetooth at an architectural level.
A report by Bleeping Computer suggests that the
vulnerabilities impact all devices with Bluetooth 4.2, which was
released in late 2014 and also affects Bluetooth 5.4, which was unveiled
earlier this year. Apple’s AirDrop feature is also vulnerable since it uses Bluetooth to transfer files between devices.
This means all devices with Bluetooth including laptops, PCs,
smartphones, tablets and others are affected by the problem. The
research paper states that all Bluetooth-enabled devices are susceptible
to at least 3 out of 6 BLUFFS attacks.
What can I do to protect myself?
Since the Bluetooth exploits work at an architectural level, users
can do nothing at the moment to fix the vulnerabilities. Instead, the
solution requires device manufacturers to make changes to the security
mechanisms used by the technology and reject the low-security
authentication methods used by older devices. However, it is still
unclear if some sort of patches can be released for existing devices.
Currently,
the best way to protect yourself against the newly found Bluetooth
security flaws is to turn off Bluetooth as soon as you are done using
it, but this might be inconvenient for the majority of users. Another
precaution users can take is to prevent sharing sensitive files and
images via Bluetooth in a public place.
There is a new scam going around, not from an Indian call centre (surprise, surprise), where this time it is by one of the ‘Big Three’ Australian telecommunications carriers, that being Telstra, Optus or Vodafone
Sales staff within the telco are telling their customers that their phone is not a 4G (or LTE) one, where the customer must update it to a new one or the service will be cut off.
They are saying this to people who have a few years old flagship Samsung or other branded smartphones, even the U.S’s favourite that being Huawei.
In verbal conversations, they are convincing the user that the phone being used is not a 4G one, where they must update to a new model if they want their service to continue.
For example Samsung’s Galaxy S series smartphone is its flagship model, where in Australia 4G / LTE was rolled out in 2011/2012, coinciding with that brand’s first Galaxy 'S' model.
In the Apple ecosphere, the iPhone 5 was Apple’s first 4G capable smartphone.
To see if your smartphone or even newish flip phone has been communicating on 4G frequencies, a good resource is gsmarena.com.
If you have been ‘forced’ or lied to or enticed in order to update your existing smartphone to a ‘new’ 4G one, then legal advice should be sought, including communications with the TIO (Telecommunication Industry Ombudsman).
Exclusive: UAE’s Sultan Al Jaber says phase-out of coal, oil and gas would take world ‘back into caves’
Sultan Al Jaber: ‘There is no science out there that says that the phase-out of fossil fuel is what’s going to achieve 1.5C.’ Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
The president of Cop28,
Sultan Al Jaber, has claimed there is “no science” indicating that a
phase-out of fossil fuels is needed to restrict global heating to 1.5C,
the Guardian and the Centre for Climate Reporting can reveal.
Al
Jaber also said a phase-out of fossil fuels would not allow sustainable
development “unless you want to take the world back into caves”.
The
comments were “incredibly concerning” and “verging on climate denial”,
scientists said, and they were at odds with the position of the UN
secretary general, António Guterres.
Al Jaber
made the comments in ill-tempered responses to questions from Mary
Robinson, the chair of the Elders group and a former UN special envoy
for climate change, during a live online event on 21 November. As well
as running Cop28 in Dubai, Al Jaber is also the chief executive of the
United Arab Emirates’ state oil company, Adnoc, which many observers see
as a serious conflict of interest.
Cop28 president refuses to commit to phasing out fossil fuels – video
More than 100 countries already support a
phase-out of fossil fuels and whether the final Cop28 agreement calls
for this or uses weaker language such as “phase-down” is one of the most
fiercely fought issues at the summit and may be the key determinant of
its success. Deep and rapid cuts are needed to bring fossil fuel
emissions to zero and limit fast-worsening climate impacts.
Al Jaber spoke with Robinson at a She Changes Climate
event. Robinson said: “We’re in an absolute crisis that is hurting
women and children more than anyone … and it’s because we have not yet
committed to phasing out fossil fuel. That is the one decision that
Cop28 can take and in many ways, because you’re head of Adnoc, you could
actually take it with more credibility.”
Al
Jaber said: “I accepted to come to this meeting to have a sober and
mature conversation. I’m not in any way signing up to any discussion
that is alarmist. There is no science out there, or no scenario out
there, that says that the phase-out of fossil fuel is what’s going to
achieve 1.5C.”
Robinson challenged him further, saying: “I read
that your company is investing in a lot more fossil fuel in the future.”
Al Jaber responded: “You’re reading your own media, which is biased and
wrong. I am telling you I am the man in charge.”
Al
Jaber then said: “Please help me, show me the roadmap for a phase-out
of fossil fuel that will allow for sustainable socioeconomic
development, unless you want to take the world back into caves.”
“I
don’t think [you] will be able to help solve the climate problem by
pointing fingers or contributing to the polarisation and the divide that
is already happening in the world. Show me the solutions. Stop the
pointing of fingers. Stop it,” Al Jaber said.
Guterres
told Cop28 delegates on Friday: “The science is clear: The 1.5C limit
is only possible if we ultimately stop burning all fossil fuels. Not
reduce, not abate. Phase out, with a clear timeframe.”
Bill
Hare, the chief executive of Climate Analytics, said: “This is an
extraordinary, revealing, worrying and belligerent exchange. ‘Sending us
back to caves’ is the oldest of fossil fuel industry tropes: it’s
verging on climate denial.”
“Al Jaber is
asking for a 1.5C roadmap – anyone who cares can find that in the
International Energy Agency’s latest net zero emissions scenario, which
says there cannot be any new fossil fuel development. The science is
absolutely clear [and] that absolutely means a phase-out by mid-century,
which will enhance the lives of all of humanity.”
Prof
Sir David King, the chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group and a
former UK chief scientific adviser, said: “It is incredibly concerning
and surprising to hear the Cop28 president defend the use of fossil
fuels. It is undeniable that to limit global warming to 1.5C we must all
rapidly reduce carbon emissions and phase-out the use of fossil fuels
by 2035 at the latest. The alternative is an unmanageable future for
humanity.”
Dr Friederike Otto, of Imperial College London, UK, said:“The
science of climate change has been clear for decades: we need to stop
burning fossil fuels. A failure to phase out fossil fuels at Cop28 will
put several millions more vulnerable people in the firing line of
climate change. This would be a terrible legacy for Cop28.”
Otto also rejected the claim that fossil fuels
were necessary for development in poorer countries, saying that the
latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change “shows
that the UN’s sustainable development goals are not achievable by
continuing the current fossil-driven high emission economies. [There
are] massive co-benefits that come with changing to a fossil-free
world”.
A spokesperson for Cop28 said: “The IEA and IPCC 1.5C scenarios clearly
state that fossil fuels will have to play a role in the future energy
system, albeit a smaller one. The Cop president was quoting the science,
and leading climate experts.
“He has clearly
said that the oil and gas industry must tackle scope 1 and 2 emissions
[from their operations], must invest in clean energy and clean
technologies to address scope 3 emissions [from burning fuels], and that
all industry must align around keeping the north star of 1.5C within
reach.
“Once again, this is clearly part of a
continued effort to undermine the Cop presidency’s tangible achievements
and a misrepresentation of our position and successes to date.”
The
spokesperson said the presidency had operationalised the loss and
damage fund with more than $700m, launched a $30bn private market
climate vehicle, and brought 51 oil companies to agree decarbonisation
targets and 119 countries to sign a pledge to triple renewable energy.
“This is just the beginning,” the spokesperson said.
Al
Jaber is also head of Masdar, the UAE’s renewable energy company, but
his appointment as Cop28 president has been controversial. Shortly
before the summit, leaked documents showed that the UAE had planned to use climate meetings with governments to promote oil and gas deals. Al Jaber denied having seen or used the talking points in the documents. Adnoc also has the largest net-zero-busting expansion plans for oil and gas, according to independent analysis.
The
issue of a phase-out or phase-down is complicated by the terms not
having agreed definitions and by the highly uncertain role of
technologies to “abate” emissions, such as carbon capture and storage.
“Keeping the Paris agreement targets alive will require a full fossil
fuel phase-out, not a vague phase-down relying on unproven
technologies,” said Otto.
More than 100 African, European, Pacific and Caribbean countries back a phase-out
of unabated fossil fuels. The US, the world’s biggest oil and gas
producer, also backs a phase-out. Others, such as Russia, Saudi Arabia
and China, reject the call. Both options are on the table at Cop28, as well as proposals to only mention coal, or to not say anything at all about fossil fuels.
In
his conversation with Robinson, Al Jaber also said: “A phase-down and a
phase-out of fossil fuel in my view is inevitable. That is essential.
But we need to be real serious and pragmatic about it.”
“Hold
on. Let me just explain,” he said. “The world will continue to need
energy sources. We [UAE] are the only ones in the world today that have
been decarbonising the oil and gas resources. We have the lowest carbon
intensity.”
This refers to the emissions from
the energy used to extract fossil fuels, not the far larger emissions
from burning the fuels. “There is no such thing as ‘low carbon’ or
‘lower carbon’ oil and gas,” said Otto.
Numerous commentators have said that negative or embarrassing revelations about Al Jaber and Adnoc increase the pressure on him to deliver a strong Cop28 deal. The Guardian reported recently that state-run UAE oil and gas fields had been flaring gas almost daily despite having committed 20 years ago to a policy of zero routine flaring.
Harjeet
Singh, at Climate Action Network, said: “Cop28 must deliver a decision
on phasing out fossil fuels in a just and equitable manner, without any
loopholes or escape routes for the industry to continue expanding and
exacerbating the climate crisis.”
