U.S., UK and Estonia accuse Russia of cyber attack on Georgia
The United States, United Kingdom and Estonia accused Russia’s military intelligence March 5 of conducting cyber attacks against the Georgian government and media websites in an attempt “to sow discord and disrupt the lives of ordinary Georgians.”
The three countries raised the issue at the Security Council after Georgia’s ambassador wrote to the U.N.’s most powerful body in February about the large-scale attack in October.
Estonian Ambassador Sven Jurgenson read a statement afterward, flanked by UK Ambassador Karen Pierce and acting U.S. deputy ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet, saying the cyber attacks “are part of Russia’s long-running campaign of hostile and destabilizing activity against Georgia and are part of a wider pattern of malign activity.”
The three Western countries said the attacks demonstrate “a continuing pattern of reckless … cyber operations against a number of countries” by Russia’s GRU military intelligence.
“These actions clearly contradict Russia’s attempts to claim it is a responsible actor in cyberspace,” they said, adding that “irresponsibility in cyberspace is detrimental to all of us.”
Georgia’s Foreign Ministry said the Oct. 28 cyber attack was “targeted at Georgia’s national security and intended to harm Georgian citizens and government structures by disrupting and paralyzing the functionality of various organizations, causing anxiety among the general public.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has rejected the accusations as “unfounded and politically driven,” saying there was no evidence of Russian involvement. It added that the accusations reflect Georgia’s efforts at “demonization” of Russia and would further cloud ties. AP
China rejects report it fired laser at US Navy plane
China’s Defense Ministry says a report one of its navy ships fired a laser last month at a U.S. Navy surveillance plane circling overhead does not “accord with reality.”
The report last month was the latest accusation that Chinese forces have used lasers to harass and potentially damage U.S. and other nations’ military aircraft and personnel.
However, ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang was quoted as saying March 6 that the ministry “refuted” the report and said a Chinese squadron was conducting routine exercises in international waters on Feb. 17 when the incident allegedly happened.
In China’s first public comments on the alleged incident, Ren accused an American P-8A Poseidon of carrying out “long-period circling reconnaissance at low-altitude despite repeated warnings from the Chinese side.”
“The American aircraft’s behavior was unfriendly in intention and unprofessional by operation, which severely threatened the safety of the vessels, aircraft and crew of both sides,” he said.
The U.S. Navy waited more than a week before accusing the Chinese ship of firing a laser at a U.S. surveillance aircraft flying over the Philippine Sea west of Guam, an act the U.S. deemed unsafe and a violation of international codes and agreements. The statement from U.S. Pacific Fleet said the laser was detected by sensors on the aircraft, but was not visible to the naked eye.
The Philippine Sea lies far to the north and west of the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety despite countering claims by others.
The U.S. has sought to avoid such incidents with the signing of agreements with China on handling unexpected incidents at sea and in the air, but Beijing has apparently not followed those protocols consistently. AP
FAA seeks $19.7 million penalty against Boeing over sensors
Federal regulators want to fine Boeing $19.68 million for installing sensors that the agency says might not have been compatible with a system pilots use to see instrument readings.
The sensors make it possible for pilots to use “heads-up” systems that display altitude, airspeed and other information on a glass screen in front of them so they don’t have to look down, away from the windshield.
The Federal Aviation Administration notified Boeing of the proposed fine on Friday and gave the company 30 days to pay or respond to the allegations. The sensors at issue were installed on nearly 800 planes.
Boeing said it has cooperated with the FAA. It said the matter involves documentation of parts and is not a safety issue.
The FAA said the sensors were installed in heads-up display systems on 618 Boeing 737 NG planes between June 2015 and April 2019 and on 173 Boeing 737 Max jets from July 2017 until March 2019.
The heads-up systems involved are made by Rockwell Collins. Boeing failed to verify that the sensors were listed as interchangeable, according to Friday’s letter from a lawyer in FAA’s enforcement division near Seattle to Lynne Hopper, Boeing’s vice president of engineering for commercial airplanes.
The FAA said the sensors had not been tested or approved as being compatible with the Rockwell Collins guidance systems, and that Boeing had apparently violated federal regulations and its own policies.
The FAA has come under intense criticism from Congress for what some lawmaker see as lax oversight of Boeing. Earlier Friday, the House Transportation Committee said in a scathing report that the FAA “failed in its oversight responsibilities to ensure the safety of the traveling public” when it approved the 737 Max, which was later grounded after two crashes killed 346 people.
Since December, the FAA has proposed more than $9 million in fines against Boeing for installing nonconforming parts on the wings of Max and NG jets. New FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson has also pushed back against what he viewed as improper pressure on his agency to let the Max return to flying soon.
The latest FAA action could expose Boeing to additional fines. In December 2015, the company settled about a dozen FAA allegations by paying a $12 million fine. It agreed to pay up to an additional $24 million if it committed other violations of FAA regulations in the following five years.
The fines are among the biggest that the FAA has levied. However, they are insignificant in comparison with Boeing’s financial losses related to the Max crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. In January, Boeing said costs related to fixing the Max and compensating airlines and passengers’ families would top $18 billion. AP
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