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  • Data of 500,000 Pakistanis using govt’s coronavirus app at risk

    A French security researcher, Baptiste Robert — known by his penname Elliot Alderson on Twitter –, has criticised Pakistani government’s official COVID-19 mobile application over security flaws, highlighting several privacy errors in the application developed by the National Information Technology Board (NITB).

    In a series of tweets, Robert said the “Radius Alert” app was being managed without proper security bearings, using hardcoded passwords — the practice of embedding plain text (non-encrypted) passwords in the source code.

    “To display the pins on the map, the app is downloading the exact longitude and latitude of sick people,” he said. Any hacker could find the locations of the identified patients in Pakistan.

    He further tweeted that requests being sent to the server on the app were insecure (requests made with http) and any hacker can access the username and password being used to access the server. So far, more than 500,000 people have downloaded the app.

    In response to the allegations, NITB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shabat Ali Shah said the app did not show the exact coordinates of infected people, instead, it showed a radius parameter that is fixed by def­ault at 10 metres for self-declared pati­e­nts and 300 metres at a quarantine location.

    “The self-declared patients have given their consent to reveal their coordinates for the safety of other citizens, moreover, they have accepted our app privacy policy/terms and conditions,” he maintained.

    The NITB CEO said there was always room for improvement and any critical analysis would be appreciated.

    He added the NITB was also preparing a security audit report of the app.

  • Ex-wife trolls Imran for petrol shortage in Pakistan when ‘world is running out of space to store it’

    Ex-wife trolls Imran for petrol shortage in Pakistan when ‘world is running out of space to store it’

    Former wife of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has taken a dig at him, calling him “selected” — a term used by the opposition to raise objections over Imran’s rise to power –, while highlighting the persisting petrol shortage at a time when “the entire world is running out of storage space for the same”.

    “History will remember the selected person in Pakistan who created a shortage of petrol at a time when the world was running out of places to store it,” she tweeted.

    The tweet came as a shortage of petrol and diesel at most fuel stations across the country reportedly due to the limited supply of petroleum products added to the miseries of people amid the coronavirus outbreak.

    The scarcity of petrol across the country turned severe last week, as most petrol pumps remained closed in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta. Long queues could be seen on those stations that were open.

    Sameer Najmul Hassan, chairman of All Pakistan Petroleum Retailers Association (APPRA), in a statement, said oil companies will likely run out of their oil stocks in the next three days. They have been left with the stock hardly enough to last out more than three days, he added.

    He said a new quota of petroleum products is not being purchased due to a consistent decrease in the oil companies’ quota. No company other than the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) is purchasing oil at present, the APPRA chairman said.

    “The situation seems to be going from bad to worse until Sunday,” he warned. He said 15 oil marketing companies in total, including the PSO, purchase oil in the country.

    It is pertinent to note that in an unprecedented move, Pakistan, which imports 70 per cent of its crude oil from Saudi Arabia and the remaining from the United Arab Emirates (US), had in April canceled import of gasoline, diesel and crude oil to support the domestic refining industry as energy demand sharply declined amid countrywide lockdowns. 

    The decision to halt the import of petroleum products had followed country’s economic meltdown resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to the Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC), the Energy Ministry had said that the consumption of motor gasoline had dropped significantly due to lockdown by provincial governments to control the spread of COVID-19.

    Meanwhile, the globally plunging demand for oil brought by the coronavirus pandemic combined with a savage price war had left the fossil fuel industry broken and in survival mode, according to analysts. It faced the gravest challenge in its 100-year history, they said, one that will permanently alter the industry.

    While the first few months into the pandemic saw price wars between oil giants as demand plunged, things are getting better as lockdown restrictions are gradually being eased.

  • Sale banned as Punjab govt mulls using Actemra to treat COVID-19

    Sale banned as Punjab govt mulls using Actemra to treat COVID-19

    The provincial authorities in Punjab have imposed a complete ban on the sale of Actemra injection in the open market as they mull treating critical COVID-19 patients with it.

    The Corona Experts Advisory Group has issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) with regard to the use of the Actemra injection.

    According to the SOPs, Actemra injection will be used on trial basis at some hospitals, initially for 500 critically ill patients admitted in ICUs.

    The experts advisory group will approve the hospitals that will treat patients with Actemra injection. The group will witness the trial of the injection in government hospitals.

    The Punjab Healthcare Commission will monitor the use of the injection at private hospitals and a committee of the hospital will approve the use of Actemra injection.

    A private company will issue this injection after approval of a specific profarma, sources said. The needy patients will be issued this injection 24 hours. The hospital and the company will keep the record of the use of injection.

    The data of recoveries and deaths after use of Actemra injection will also be compiled, sources said.

    The Punjab Healthcare Commission will be competent authority to audit the company and the hospital over usage of the injection. And this record will be submitted to the experts advisory group.

    The Punjab government has recently approved the use of Actemra, a life-saving drug, for treating critically ill Covid-19 patients in the wake of a sudden rise in the death rate reported by state-run hospitals across the province.

    The 400mg injectable drug — an interleukin-6 inhibitor which goes by the generic name of tocilizumab — will be prescribed to patients who develop lung complications and an abnormal level of IL-6 in the blood. The IL-6 is an endogenous chemical which causes inflammation.

    Actemra injections had reportedly given encouraging results in highly critical coronavirus patients.

  • University student expelled for protesting against online classes

    University student expelled for protesting against online classes

    Students in Islamabad gathered outside the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to protest against online classes conducted by the universities. Later, one student from the Capital University of Science and Technology, Usman Mehmood, got expelled for raising his voice on social media platforms.

    Mehmood voiced the concerns of many university students. The Capital University of Science and Technology student had been sharing the demands of students on social media.

    Usman received the letter from his university, deeming him ‘in violation of university discipline.’  

    Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, who chairs the Senate Committee on Human Rights, responded to Usman’s tweet saying he was within his constitutional rights while protesting peacefully and said that the VC of the university will be called to the committee to explain why a student was expelled for exercising his rights.

    In an earlier post, Mustafa Nawaz had addressed the issue of students getting expelled for raising their voices.

  • Register your VPN with PTA by June 30 or face legal action besides disconnection of services

    Register your VPN with PTA by June 30 or face legal action besides disconnection of services

    In a bid to promote legal information and communications technology (ICT) services in Pakistan and for the safety of telecom users, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is continuing with the long-pending process of registration of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), the use of which has significantly increased across the country over the past few years.

    A VPN extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. It is programming that creates a safe, encrypted connection over a less secure network, using tunneling protocols to encrypt data at the sending end and decrypt it at the receiving end.

    Through a public notice, the PTA has declared the use of any mode of communication such as VPN, by means of which communication becomes hidden or encrypted, a violation of its regulations.

    “Users, which are required to use VPN for their legitimate purposes, must register their VPN with [the] PTA through their respective internet service providers [ISPs] till 30-06-2020,” read the notice.

    On top of interruption of services, legal action may also be initiated against those found in illegal use of unregistered VPNs, it added.

    “The step is being taken to eliminate all grey traffic [the use of illegal telephone exchanges for making international calls bypassing the legal routes and exchanges] from Pakistan. It is the case with many companies running call centre services in the country using VPN or unregistered Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to make international calls appearing as if they’re located somewhere, in most cases, the United States (US),” sources told The Current.

    The authority wants to eliminate grey traffic after registration of VPNs and has already started to blacklist internet protocol (IP) addresses of corporate clients of several ISPs, they said.

    ‘NOT THE FIRST TIME’:

    “It isn’t the first time that the PTA has directed registering VPNs as the process was long-pending,” an official told The Current on the condition of anonymity.

    “Through a similar public notice in 2014, the authority had announced that all unregistered VPNs will be blocked in its continuous efforts against grey traffic. All such users were required to apply to PTA for registration of their VPN connections through their respective service providers latest by May,” they said, adding that not much had, however, followed the announcement back then.

    Speaking to The Current, Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) founder Nighat Dad also said it wasn’t the first time such an announcement had been made by the PTA, but it was very important for the authority to clarify the notice.

    “They need to make it clear if the notice is only for financial institutions and software companies using VPNs or if it applies to individuals as well,” she said while seeking a better interpretation of the announcement.

    Dad also said the authority should be asked as to which provision was invoked for the process to continue. “There is one regulation on grey traffic from 2010 which included a provision on VPN registration, but the PTA should clarify the law and its provision under which the said notification was issued.”

    ‘VPNS ARE NOT PERMITTED’:

    When contacted, PTA Public Relations Director Khurram Mehran said that under applicable rules and regulations, appropriate registration from the authority was required for any mode of communication in which it becomes hidden or encrypted.

    “The process for registration of VPNs is not new and has been in vogue since 2010. Authorised users can register their VPNs with the authority through a swift process initiated through their service provider,” he said, adding that action would be taken only against unauthorised VPNs for terminating illegal traffic, which causes loss to the national exchequer.

    PTA remains committed to serve as per its vision in ensuring that high quality ICT services are available to telecom users in Pakistan, Mehran said.

    “VPNs are not permitted and so are blocked whenever reported or detected. Whoever wants to use one can do so after registration under regulation,” he said when asked if the announcement also applied to individuals.

  • Police arrest man for posting drunken photos on Facebook

    Police arrest man for posting drunken photos on Facebook

    A man was arrested in Mardan’s Dagai village after he uploaded pictures of himself drinking liquor on social media.

    As per reports, the police apprehended the suspect after tracing his location from social media. Three bottles of alcohol were detained.

    DPO Sajjad said the police will not tolerate any activity where people show off illegal things on social media platforms.

    Alcohol consumption has been banned for Muslims in Pakistan since 1977, the restriction was imposed by then prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

  • Coronavirus: Pakistan out of list of 100 safest countries, Switzerland on top, India 56th safest, worst-hit US 58th

    Coronavirus: Pakistan out of list of 100 safest countries, Switzerland on top, India 56th safest, worst-hit US 58th

    In a detailed study of 200 countries, Switzerland has been found to be the safest place on earth to escape the ongoing coronavirus pandemic while Pakistan is no longer among the 100 safest places, falling down to the 148th rank — amongst the riskiest group of countries.

    India ranks 56th in the COVID-19 ranking by Deep Knowledge Group. The first tier comprises a list of 20 most safe countries while those in the fourth tier are amongst the riskiest lot.

    The study focuses on nations and their safety capability against the pandemic.

    Top 10 safest countries from coronavirus:

    1) Switzerland

    2) Germany

    3) Israel

    4) Singapore

    5) Japan

    6) Austria

    7) China

    8) Australia

    9) New Zealand

    10) South Korea

    The United States (US), which has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, was ranked 58th on the list.

    By the time this report was filed, Pakistan had a total number of 113,702 COVID-19 cases with at least 2,255 deaths.

    Punjab had the most number of infections (43,460) with Sindh trailing behind at 41,303 cases. The number of infections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan and Islamabad stood at 14,527, 7,031 and 5,963, respectively. Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) had a total 974 cases while the number in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) stood at 444.

  • Amir Khan, Faryal Makhdoom set up a fund in memory of Zohra Shah

    Amir Khan, Faryal Makhdoom set up a fund in memory of Zohra Shah

    Amir Khan and Faryal Makhdoom have announced that they have set up a Child Protection Fund in memory of eight-year-old Zohra Shah, a child maid who was brutally killed by her employers. The couple said that they will be financially assisting Zohra’s family and countless other child abuse victims.

    Faryal shared that she and Amir had spoken to Zohra’s father and would be taking responsibility for ‘providing their needs’, including schooling their other children. She also said that they will ensure that Zohra will get justice.

    Later, in a series on Instagram stories, Makhdoom discussed Zohra’s case and shared the details about the fund and the help they will be offering Zohra’s family.

    Faryal said that she was receiving loads of messages asking why Zohra’s parents sent their minor daughter to work. She shared that they didn’t.

    “The father has told us that he has 6 kids and he sent Zohra to Islamabad with her khala (maternal aunt) to study there. The khala then put Zohra to work where she was beaten to death.”

    Faryal also claimed that Zohra’s family was offered only six thousand rupees as settlement for Zohra’s death.

    She added that she has Zohra’s family’s word that they will not settle the matter and Zohra will get justice.

    Eight-year-old child maid Zohra Shah was allegedly beaten to death by her employers for releasing their prized parrots from a cage. According to reports, she opened the cage to feed the birds on Sunday, only for the birds to fly away. This enraged her employers who then beat her unconscious before dumping her at a nearby hospital. She died of her injuries. The couple behind the heinous crime has been arrested.

    Read more – Osman Khalid Butt is demanding a ban on child domestic labour

    Meanwhile, Amir shared a heartbreaking tweet of Zohra’s family receiving her coffin.

  • Husband accuses wife of infidelity after both test positive for COVID-19

    Husband accuses wife of infidelity after both test positive for COVID-19

    A man in Vijayapura, India accused his wife of infidelity after he tested positive for coronavirus.

    As per reports, the husband suspected that the woman in her thirties had cheated on him, as he was not away from home for at least two weeks before testing positive.

    When the woman was shifted to the same isolation ward where her husband was being treated, he started crying and shouting at her.

    Read more – Indian man spends two days in jungle after entry to quarantine centre denied

    The man claimed, “Before I got infected, I was not in contact with my wife for over two weeks. She got infected with the virus because of an illicit relationship.”

    After doctors explained to him the nature of the virus, he accepted his mistake and apologised to his wife, which resulted in a happy ending.

  • Another Etihad plane from UAE carrying medical aid lands in Israel

    Another Etihad plane from UAE carrying medical aid lands in Israel

    United Arab Emirates (UAE) flag carrier Etihad Airways sent its second flight to Israel in less than a month on Tuesday, carrying medical aid to help Palestinians tackle the coronavirus pandemic, witnesses and officials said.

    Jordan and Egypt aside, Arab countries have no official diplomatic ties with Israel, but Gulf Arab nations have had ever more publicly warm ties with Israel of late, partly over shared rivalry with Iran.

    In mid-May, the UAE flew its first publicly announced flight to Israel, also an Etihad flight carrying coronavirus aid for the Palestinians.

    But Tuesday’s aircraft bore for the first time the logo of the Arab carrier, a source with knowledge of the flight told AFP.

    It is “the first time that a plane carrying Etihad’s marking is landing in Israel”, the source said.

    Israel’s foreign affairs ministry confirmed that Tuesday’s flight was the second one to Israel from the UAE.

    “It is the second direct flight from the UAE and it has medical aid for the Palestinians,” the ministry said.

    The aid “will be given to the UN to distribute,” it said.

    Palestinian premier Mohammed Shtayyeh said the Palestinians had not been informed about the flight.

    “The Emirati plane took us by surprise, we didn’t know about it,” he told foreign journalists at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.

    He voiced appreciation for the aid but said the delivery should have been coordinated.

    “When China decides to help us, they coordinate with us, when any country in the world is extending its assistance, they tell us,” he told foreign journalists in Ramallah.

    In another sign of warming ties between Israel and Gulf Arab nations, the Jewish state Tuesday congratulated the UAE on its bid to launch the first Arab space probe.

    That and the latest flight came as Israel prepares to potentially move forward in July with annexing its West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley.

    A peace plan announced by US President Donald Trump in January gave the green light for such annexations as well as creating a reduced Palestinian state, crucially lacking a capital in east Jerusalem.

    The Palestinians have rejected the proposals and Shtayyeh said Tuesday the Palestinians had submitted a counter-proposal to the Quartet mediating in the conflict, namely the United Nations, United States, Russia and the European Union.

    Analysts say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes Arab states normalising with Israel will push the Palestinians to reach a peace deal, not the other way around.