#FactCheck -Viral Claim That Yogi Adityanath Urged People Not to Watch Shah Rukh Khan’s Films Is Misleading

About Global Commission on Internet Governance 

The Global Commission on Internet Governance was established in January 2014 with the goal of formulating and advancing a strategic vision for Internet governance going forward. Independent research on Internet-related issues of international public policy is carried out and supported over the two-year initiative. An official commission report with particular policy recommendations for the future of Internet governance will be made available as a result of this initiative.

There are two goals for the Global Commission on Internet Governance. First, it will encourage a broad and inclusive public discussion on how Internet governance will develop globally. Second, through its comprehensive policy-oriented report and the subsequent marketing of this final report, the Global Commission on Internet Governance will present its findings to key stakeholders at major Internet governance events.‍

‍The Internet: exploring the world wide web and the deep web

The Internet can be thought of as a vast networking infrastructure, or network of networks. By linking millions of computers worldwide, it creates a network that allows any two computers, provided they are both online, to speak with one another.

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol is the only language spoken over the Internet and is used by the Web to transfer data. Email, which depends on File Transfer Protocol, Usenet newsgroups, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, and instant messaging, is also used on the Internet—not the Web. Thus, even though it's a sizable chunk, the Web is only a part of the Internet [1]. In summary, the deep Web is the portion of the Internet that is not visible to the naked eye. It is stuff from the World Wide Web that isn't available on the main Web. Standard search engines cannot reach it. More than 500 times larger than the visible Web is this enormous subset of the Internet [1-2].

The Global Commission on Internet Governance will concentrate on four principal themes:

• Improving the legitimacy of government, including standards and methods for regulation;

• Promoting economic innovation and expansion, including the development of infrastructure, competition laws, and vital Internet resources; 

• Safeguarding online human rights, including establishing the idea of technological neutrality for rights to privacy, human rights, and freedom of expression;

• Preventing systemic risk includes setting standards for state behaviour, cooperating with law enforcement to combat cybercrime, preventing its spread, fostering confidence, and addressing disarmament-related issues.

Dark Web 

The part of the deep Web that has been purposefully concealed and is unreachable using conventional Web browsers is known as the "dark Web." Dark Web sites are a platform for Internet users who value their anonymity since they shield users from prying eyes and typically utilize encryption to thwart monitoring. The Tor network is a well-known source for content that may be discovered on the dark web. Only a unique Web browser known as the Tor browser is required to access the anonymous Tor network (Tor 2014). It was a technique for anonymous online communication that the US Naval Research Laboratory first introduced as The Onion Routing (Tor) project in 2002. Many of the functionality offered by Tor are also available on I2P, another network. On the other hand, I2P was intended to function as a network inside the Internet, with traffic contained within its boundaries. Better anonymous access to the open Internet is offered by Tor, while a more dependable and stable "network within the network" is provided by I2P [3].

Cybersecurity in the dark web

Cyber crime is not any different than crime in the real world — it is just executed in a new medium: “Virtual criminality’ is basically the same as the terrestrial crime with which we are familiar. To be sure, some of the manifestations are new. But a great deal of crime committed with or against computers differs only in terms of the medium. While the technology of implementation, and particularly its efficiency, may be without precedent, the crime is fundamentally familiar. It is less a question of something completely different than a recognizable crime committed in a completely different way [4].”

Dark web monitoring

The dark Web, in general, and the Tor network, in particular, offer a secure platform for cybercriminals to support a vast amount of illegal activities — from anonymous marketplaces to secure means of communication, to an untraceable and difficult to shut down infrastructure for deploying malware and botnets.

As such, it has become increasingly important for security agencies to track and monitor the activities in the dark Web, focusing today on Tor networks, but possibly extending to other technologies in the near future. Due to its intricate webbing and design, monitoring the dark Web will continue to pose significant challenges. Efforts to address it should be focused on the areas discussed below [5].

Hidden service directory of dark web

A domain database used by both Tor and I2P is based on a distributed system called a "distributed hash table," or DHT. In order for a DHT to function, its nodes must cooperate to store and manage a portion of the database, which takes the shape of a key-value store. Owing to the distributed character of the domain resolution process for hidden services, nodes inside the DHT can be positioned to track requests originating from a certain domain [6].

Conclusion

The deep Web, and especially dark Web networks like Tor (2004), offer bad actors a practical means of transacting in products anonymously and lawfully.

The absence of discernible activity in non-traditional dark web networks is not evidence of their nonexistence. As per the guiding philosophy of the dark web, the actions are actually harder to identify and monitor. Critical mass is one of the market's driving forces. It seems unlikely that operators on the black Web will require a great degree of stealth until the repercussions are severe enough, should they be caught. It is possible that certain websites might go down, have a short trading window, and then reappear, which would make it harder to look into them.

References

1. Ciancaglini, Vincenzo, Marco Balduzzi, Max Goncharov and Robert McArdle. 2013. “Deepweb and Cybercrime: It’s Not All About TOR.” Trend Micro Research Paper. October. 
2. Coughlin, Con. 2014. “How Social Media Is Helping Islamic State to Spread Its Poison.” The Telegraph, November 5. 
3. Dahl, Julia. 2014. “Identity Theft Ensnares Millions while the Law Plays Catch Up.” CBS News, July 14. 
4. Dean, Matt. 2014. “Digital Currencies Fueling Crime on the Dark Side of the Internet.” Fox Business, December 18.
5. Falconer, Joel. 2012. “A Journey into the Dark Corners of the Deep Web.” The Next Web, October 8. 
6. Gehl, Robert W. 2014. “Power/Freedom on the Dark Web: A Digital Ethnography of the Dark Web Social Network.” New Media & Society, October 15. http://nms.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/ 10/16/1461444814554900.full#ref-38.

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Overview:

It is worth stating that millions of Windows users around the world are facing the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) problem that makes systems shutdown or restart. This has been attributed to a CrowdStrike update that was released recently and has impacted many organizations, financial institutions, and government agencies across the globe. Indian airlines have also reported disruptions on X (formerly Twitter), informing passengers about the issue.

Understanding Blue Screen of Death:

Blue Screen errors, also known as black screen errors or STOP code errors, can occur due to critical issues forcing Windows to shut down or restart. You may encounter messages like "Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer." These errors can be caused by hardware or software problems.

Impact on Industries

Some of the large U. S. airlines such as American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines had to issue ground stops because of communication problems. Also, several airports on Friday suffered a massive technical issue in check-in kiosks for IndiGo, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, and Air India Express.

The Widespread Issue

The issue seems widespread and is causing disruption across the board as Windows PCs are deployed at workplaces and other public entities like airlines, banks, and even media companies. It has been pointed out that Windows PCs use a special cybersecurity solution from a company called CrowdStrike that seems to be the culprit for this outage, affecting most Windows PC users out there.

Microsoft's Response

The issue was acknowledged by Microsoft and the mitigations are underway. The company in its verified X handle Microsoft 365 status has shared a series information on the latest outage and they are looking into the matter. The issue is under investigation.

In one of the posts from Microsoft Azure, it is mentioned that they have become aware of an issue affecting Virtual Machines (VMs) running Windows Client and Windows Server with the CrowdStrike Falcon agent installed. These VMs may encounter a bug check (BSOD) and become stuck in a restarting state. Their analysis indicates that this issue started approximately at 19:00 UTC on July 18th. They have provided recommendations as follows:

Restore from Backup:   In case customers have available backups prior to 19:00 UTC on July 18th, they should recover VM data from the backups. If the customer is using Azure Backup, they can get exact steps on how to restore VM data in the Azure portal. here.

Offline OS Disk Repair: Alternatively, customers can attempt offline repair of the OS disk by attaching an unmanaged disk to the affected VM. Encrypted disks may require additional steps to unlock before repair. Once attached, delete the following file:

Windows/System/System32/Drivers/CrowdStrike/C00000291*.sys 

After deletion, reattach the disk to the original VM.

Microsoft Azure is actively investigating additional mitigation options for affected customers. We will provide updates as we gather more information.

Resolving Blue Screen Errors in Windows

Windows 11 & Windows 10:

Blue Screen errors can stem from both hardware and software issues. If new hardware was added before the error, try removing it and restarting your PC. If restarting is difficult, start your PC in Safe Mode.

To Start in Safe Mode:

From Settings:

Open Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.

Under "Advanced startup," select Restart now.

After your PC restarts to the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.

After your PC restarts, you'll see a list of options. Select 4 or press F4 to start in Safe Mode. If you need to use the internet, select 5 or press F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.

From the Sign-in Screen:

Restart your PC. When you get to the sign-in screen, hold the Shift key down while you select Power > Restart.

After your PC restarts, follow the steps above.

From a Black or Blank Screen:

Press the power button to turn off your device, then turn it back on. Repeat this two more times.

After the third time, your device will start in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).

From the Choose an option screen, follow the steps to enter Safe Mode.

Additional Help:

Windows Update: Ensure your system has the latest patches.

Blue Screen Troubleshooter: In Windows, open Get Help, type Troubleshoot BSOD error, and follow the guided walkthrough.

Online Troubleshooting: Visit Microsoft's support page and follow the recommendations under "Recommended Help."

If none of those steps help to resolve your Blue Screen error, please try the Blue Screen Troubleshooter in the Get Help app:

• In Windows, open Get Help.
• In the Get Help app, type Troubleshoot BSOD error.
• Follow the guided walkthrough in the Get Help app.

[Note: If you're not on a Windows device, you can run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter on your browser by going to Contact Microsoft Support and typing Troubleshoot BSOD error. Then follow the guided walkthrough under "Recommended Help."]

For detailed steps and further assistance, please refer to the Microsoft support portal or contact their support team.

CrowdStrike’s Response:

In the statement given by CrowdStrike, they have clearly mentioned it is not any cyberattack and their resources are working to fix the issue on Windows. Further, they have identified the deployment issue and fixed the same. Crowdstrike mentions about their problematic versions as follows:

• “Channel file "C-00000291*.sys" with timestamp of 0527 UTC or later is the reverted (good) version.
• Channel file "C-00000291*.sys" with timestamp of 0409 UTC is the problematic version.

Note: It is normal for multiple "C-00000291*.sys files to be present in the CrowdStrike directory - as long as one of the files in the folder has a timestamp of 0527 UTC or later, that will be the active content.”

The CrowdStrike will be providing latest updates on the same and advises their customers and organizations to contact their officials officially to get latest updates and accurate information. It is encouraged to refer to customer’s support portal for further help.

Stay safe and ensure regular backups to mitigate the impact of such issues.

References:

https://status.cloud.microsoft/

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/resolving-blue-screen-errors-in-windows-60b01860-58f2-be66-7516-5c45a66ae3c6

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/start-your-pc-in-safe-mode-in-windows-92c27cff-db89-8644-1ce4-b3e5e56fe234

https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/statement-on-falcon-content-update-for-windows-hosts/ 

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Introduction:

Digital Forensics, as the term goes, “It is the process of collecting, preserving, identifying, analyzing, and presenting digital evidence in a way that the evidence is legally admitted.”

It is like a detective work in the digital realm, where investigators use various specific methods to find deleted files and to reveal destroyed messages.

The reason why Digital Forensics is an important field is because with the  advancement of technology and the use of digital devices, the role of Digital Forensics in preserving the evidence and protecting our data from cybercrime is becoming more and more crucial.

Digital Forensics is used in various situations such as:

• Criminal Investigations: Digital Forensics enables investigators to trace back cyber threat actors and further identify victims of the crime to  gather evidence needed to punish criminals.

• Legal issues: Digital Forensics might aid in legal  matters involving intellectual property infringement and data breaches etc.

Types of Digital Data in Digital Forensics:

1.Persistent (Non-volatile) Data :-

• This type of Data Remains Intact When The Computer Is Turned Off.
• ex. Hard-disk, Flash-drives

2.  Volatile Data :-

• These types of Data Would Be Lost When The Computer Is Turned Off.
• ex. Temp. Files, Unsaved OpenFiles, etc.

The Digital Forensics Process

The process is as follows

• Evidence Acquisition: This process involves making an exact copy (forensic image) of the storage devices such as hard drives, SSD or mobile devices. The goal is to preserve the original data without changing it.

• Data Recovery: After acquiring the forensic image, the analysts use  tools to recover deleted, hidden or the  encrypted data inside the device . 

• Timeline Analysis: Analysts use timestamp information from files, and system logs to reconstruct the timeline of activities on a device. This helps in understanding how an incident spanned out and who was involved in it.

• Malware Analysis: In cases involving  security breaches, analysts analyze malware samples to understand their behavior, impact, and origins. various reverse engineering techniques are used to analyze the malicious code.

Types of tools:

• Faraday Bags: Faraday bags are generally the first step in digital evidence capture. These bags are generally made of conductive materials, which are used to shield our electronic devices from external waves such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and mobile cellular signals, which in turn protects the digital evidence from external tampering.

• Data recovery : These types of software are generally used for the recovery of deleted files and their associated data.  Ex. Magnet Forensics, Access data, X-Ways

• Disk imaging and analysis :These types of softwares are Generally used to replicate the data storage devices and then perform further analysis on it ex. FTKImager, Autopsy, and, Sleuth Kit

• File carving tools: They are generally used to extract information from the embedded files in the image made. Ex.Foremost, Binwalk, Scalpel

Some common tools:

• EnCase: It is a tool for acquiring, analyzing, and reporting digital evidence.

• Autopsy: It is an open-source platform generally used for analyzing hard drives and smartphones.

• Volatility: It is a framework used generally for memory forensics to analyze volatile memory dumps and extract info.

• Sleuth Kit: It is a package of CLI tools for investigating disk images and its associated file systems.

• Cellebrite UFED: It is a tool generally used for mobile forensics.

Challenges in the Field:

• Encryption: Encryption plays a major challenge as the encrypted data requires specialized techniques and tools for decryption.

• Anti-Forensic Techniques: Anti-Forensics techniques play a major challenge as the criminals often use anti-forensic methods to cover their tracks, making it challenging to get the digital evidence.

• Data Volume and Complexity: The large volume of digital data and the diversity of various devices create challenges in evidence collection and analysis.

The Future of Digital Forensics: A Perspective

‍With the  growth of technology and the vast presence of digital data, the challenges and opportunities in Digital Forensics keep on updating themselves. Due to the onset of new technology and the ever growing  necessity of cloud storage, mobile devices, and the IoT (Internet of Things), investigators will have to develop new strategies and should be ready to adapt and learn from the new shaping of the tech world.

Conclusion:

‍Digital Forensics is an essential field in the recent era for ensuring fairness in the digital era. By collecting, inspecting, and analyzing the digital data, the Digital Forensics investigators can arrive lawfully at  the prosecution of criminals and the settlement of civil disputes. Nowadays with technology on one hand progressing continuously, the discipline of Digital Forensics will certainly become even more pivotal in the case of investigations in the years to come.