30/09/2024

MONDAY | SEP 30, 2024

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Nuclear sub sank in China port, claims US official

Cloudflare denies hosting sites linked to data leak BENGALURU: US software firm Cloudflare has denied any role in hosting two websites run by a hacker offering for sale stolen personal data and medical records of customers of top Indian insurer Star Health. The statement comes after the company was made party to an Indian lawsuit filed by Star Health last week, in which the insurer alleged that Cloudflare hosted the websites in question. “Cloudflare is not the host for the domains in question,” said the firm, adding that it works as a pass-through service situated between a website host and an end-user, which is why one may see a Cloudflare IP address. Star has also sued Telegram and the self styled hacker xenZen, after Reuters reported that sensitive personal data, from telephone numbers to copies of identity cards and blood reports of its customers, were publicly accessible via Telegram chatbots. The websites and Telegram bots were inaccessible yesterday. Star did not respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours in India. Earlier, Star said initial assessment showed“no widespread compromise”, adding that sensitive customer data remained secure. The company has received an injunction from a court in Tamil Nadu ordering Telegram and the hacker to block any chatbots or websites in India that make the data available online. Last week Telegram told Reuters any newly created bots attempting to share this data were probably removed in a massive sweep of its searchable content. The Star lawsuit comes as global scrutiny of Telegram grows following last month’s arrest of its founder Pavel Durov in France. – Reuters

o No information to provide, says embassy

boat to sink, or whether it carried nuclear fuel. “In addition to the obvious questions about training standards and equipment quality, the incident raises deeper questions about the PLA’s internal accountability and oversight of China’s defence industry, which has long been plagued by corruption,” the official said, using an acronym for the People’s Liberation Army, adding that it was “not surprising that the PLA navy would try to conceal” the sinking. Analysts noted changes in satellite imagery of the dock at the Shuangliu shipyard on the Yangtze River where the nuclear submarine was undergoing final checks. Images from March 10 show the boat docked at the port and being prepared for its first sea trial, but images from June 15 do not show the submarine. Naval experts said they only see floating cranes in the later images, a possible indication that attempts were being made to salvage the vessel. An image from June 15 showed the submarine either fully or partially submerged just under the river’s surface, surrounded by rescue equipment. Containment booms can be seen around the area, likely used to prevent any oil or other substances leaking from the vessel. A subsequent satellite image on Aug 25 showed a submarine back at the same dock. It is not clear if this is the same vessel. It is not known if the reported sinking caused any casualties.

The incident is likely to add to growing pressure on China’s military as the government presses ahead with a crackdown on corruption. President Xi Jinping recently removed the top leadership of the Rocket Force, the military branch responsible for managing conventional and nuclear missile operations. The Chinese Communist Party has framed the crackdown on the Rocket Force as part of an anti-corruption drive, particularly targeting officials involved in military procurement. The state-of-the-art Zhou class nuclear attack submarines have a distinctive X-shaped tail that aids manoeuvrability as well as advanced stealth technology to reduce noise and evade detection by enemy forces. In recent years, Beijing has made the modernisation of its naval fleet a top priority. The PLA navy operates six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear submarines and 48 diesel-powered attack submarines, according to a 2023 China military power report. In comparison, the US navy has 53 fast attack submarines, 14 ballistic-missile submarines and four guided-missile submarines. This force is expected to grow to 65 by next year and 80 by 2035, the US Defence Department has said. According to the Congressional Research Service, the PLA navy operates 234 warships compared to the US navy’s 219. – The Independent

LONDON: China’s most advanced nuclear submarine sank in port while undergoing final sea tests earlier this year, American officials have claimed, in a blunder Beijing rushed to cover up. The Zhou class vessel sank in May or June at the Wuchang shipyard near Wuhan, an anonymous Pentagon official told Reuters. The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that the boat was likely carrying nuclear fuel when it went down. The sinking, if confirmed, would mark a blow to the modernisation plans of the Chinese navy, already the largest in the world with over 370 ships. China is vying to overtake the US as the dominant maritime power in the world and the production of a new generation of nuclear submarines is crucial to its strategy. The US has designated China as its long term “pacing challenge”. A Chinese embassy spokesperson in Washington said they had no information to provide. “We are not familiar with the situation you mentioned and have no information to provide,” they said. The unnamed American official told Reuters that it was not clear what caused the