Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Malware malice: On the Apple cyberattack alert

Malware malice: On the Apple cyberattack alert

The repeated allegations (आरोप) of spyware use requires a thorough (सम्पूर्ण, अच्छी तरह), independent (स्वतंत्र) investigation

In a thriving (संपन्न) democracy, the Opposition and the press are vital components of a structure (संरचना) controlled by a ruling establishment (प्रतिष्ठान, स्थापना) that requires accountability (जवाबदेही, उत्तरदायित्व) for it to be effective. That over a dozen Opposition leaders and journalists received email alerts from Apple that their devices were targeted by “state-sponsored (राज्य प्रायोजित) attackers” suggests that this could be a repeat of what these members of the first and fourth estate (it refers to the watchdog role of the press/media in a democratic society; the media, the newspapers, the news media, journalism, press) went through in the Pegasus (spyware, that can hack any iOS or Android device and steal a variety of data from the infected device, developed by the Israeli cyber-arms firm, NSO Group) episode (incident) recently. In early 2022, an article in The New York Times detailed how Pegasus, a spyware developed by the Israel-based NSO Group, was used as a tool to advance (help, aid, assist, facilitate, support, strengthen, progress) Israeli interests (common concerns (in politics/business)), as Tel Aviv (a city on Israel’s Mediterranean coast. (Jerusalem is the capital city of both Israel and Palestine, under their laws. Most other countries disagree. Most countries have their embassies with Israel in Tel Aviv)) offered it to other countries which used it against Opposition leaders, journalists and dissidents (असहमत, मतभेद करनेवाला). In July 2021, a reporters’ consortium (संघ), the Pegasus Project, found that at least 40 journalists, cabinet Ministers and other officials in India were possibly (संभवत:) subject to (का विषय है) surveillance (निगरानी) using Pegasus software. A Supreme Court of India panel (committee, council, commission, advisory body), however, found no conclusive (निर्णयात्मक) evidence of the spyware on the 29 phones that it had examined; but the apex court also noted, tellingly (significantly, importantly, pointedly, evidentially), that the Union government was not cooperating with the panel. Unlike the Indian government’s lackadaisical (lax, neglectful, careless, negligent, lazy, inefficient, incompetent, inattentive, offhand, casual, disorderly, disorganized) and dismissive (scornful, disdainful, disparaging, unenthusiastic; casual, indifferent, uninterested, unconcerned (about serious/important matter)) approach towards the NSO group and its products — which The NYT reported as allegedly (apparently, supposedly, evidently, seemingly, reportedly, presumably, ostensibly) bought by the Indian government from Israel as part of a $2 billion package including sophisticated (modern, advanced, highly developed, the latest, futuristic) weapons and intelligence ((military/political) information, facts, details, particulars) gear (equipment, apparatus, tools, instruments, gadgets, resources, hardware) in 2017 — other governments in the West (The Western world/civilization consisting of the majority of Europe & the North America) implemented stringent (strict, severe, extreme, tough, rigorous) steps following the disclosures (revelation, news, report, leak) on spyware use.

Apple’s iPhones are used by nearly 20% of smartphone users worldwide, and by nearly 7% of such users in India, largely (mostly, mainly, generally) for their diverse (varying, differing, different, varied) facilities and robust (strong, powerfully built, sturdy, powerful) security provisions (facilities, services, arrangements, benefits, solutions). Researchers had found that spyware software such as Pegasus had targeted iPhones and the operating system iOS as early as 2016, and Apple had come up with (produce, propose, present, put forward, suggest) updates to fix Pegasus exploits (a software tool that takes advantage of a vulnerability in a computer system for malicious purposes such as installing malware), besides (in addition, furthermore, moreover, further) going on to sue NSO. The company clarified that the alerts sent now did not accuse a “specific state actor (a state actor is a person who is acting on behalf of a governmental body)”; it also said that it would not be able to disclose (reveal, tell, publish, expose, lay bare, make known) how the targets were discovered, but reiterated (say something again; say again, repeat, retell, restate, iterate, recapitulate) that the alerts had to be taken seriously. Yet, with the specific targets being Opposition leaders and journalists, the question whether it is the ruling establishment that is subjecting them to surveillance is important. This can only be verified by an independent and empowered (authorized, qualified; independent, autonomous, self-governing, enfranchised) investigation, involving the apex court again, which should, this time around (it means a situation or action that has happened before, and is now happening, or about to happen again), compel the Union government to cooperate. More immediately, the government must come clean (tell the truth, be completely honest, tell all, to make a disclosure, confess everything) on its dealings with NSO and its use of software provided by such agencies and also emulate (follow, take as a model, imitate, mimic, replicate, copy) steps taken by other governments in proscribing (ban, prohibit, forbid (by law)) such entities.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.cyberattack (noun)

Hindi Meaning - साइबर हमला
English Meaning - a malicious and deliberate attempt by an individual or organization to breach the information system (computer network) of another individual or organization. An attack on an information or computer network as an “attempt to destroy, expose, alter, disable, steal or gain unauthorized access to or make unauthorized use of anything that has value to the individual/organization.

2.allegation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आरोप
English Meaning - accusation, charge, indictment.

3.thorough (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सम्पूर्ण, अच्छी तरह
English Meaning - detailed, in-depth, attentive, diligent, meticulous, methodical, careful, complete, comprehensive.

4.independent (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - स्वतंत्र
English Meaning - autonomous, self-determining, self-governing, free.

5.thriving (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संपन्न
English Meaning - flourishing, successful, healthy, prosperous, fast-growing, developing, burgeoning, prospering, buoyant.

6.structure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संरचना
English Meaning - framework, system, fabric.

7.establishment (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिष्ठान, स्थापना
English Meaning - the ruling class, government, the administration, the powers that be, the regime, the authorities, the state.

8.accountability (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जवाबदेही, उत्तरदायित्व
English Meaning - responsibility, liability, answerability.

9.state-sponsored (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - राज्य प्रायोजित
English Meaning - supported by the government.

10.dissident (noun)

Hindi Meaning - असहमत, मतभेद करनेवाला
English Meaning - dissenter, objector, protester, agitator, nonconformist.

11.consortium (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संघ
English Meaning - association, fraternity, group, federation, syndicate, alliance.

12.possibly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - संभवत:
English Meaning - perhaps, likely, arguably, probably, maybe.

13.subject to (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - का विषय है
English Meaning - susceptible to, liable to, prone to, vulnerable to, at risk of, in risk of.

14.surveillance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - निगरानी
English Meaning - monitoring, observation, scrutiny, inspection.

15.conclusive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - निर्णयात्मक
English Meaning - definite, definitive, undeniable, demonstrative, categorical, unequivocal.

16.malware (noun)

English Meaning - a catch-all term for any type of malicious software designed to harm or exploit any programmable device, service or network.

17.malice (noun)

English Meaning - ill will, hostility, hatred, hatefulness, bitterness, venom, evil intentions.

18.spyware (noun)

English Meaning - a category of software which aims to steal personal or organizational information.

19.first estate (noun)

English Meaning - the legislative (the three estates/pillars of Democracy are namely The Legislative, The Executive and The Judiciary).

20.fourth estate (noun)

English Meaning - it refers to the watchdog role of the press/media in a democratic society; the media, the newspapers, the news media, journalism, press.

21.go through (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - undergo, experience, be subjected to, withstand, put up with, cope with.

22.Pegasus (noun)

English Meaning - spyware, that can hack any iOS or Android device and steal a variety of data from the infected device, developed by the Israeli cyber-arms firm, NSO Group.

23.episode (noun)

English Meaning - incident.

24.advance (verb)

English Meaning - help, aid, assist, facilitate, support, strengthen, progress.

25.interest (noun)

English Meaning - common concerns (in politics/business).

26.Tel Aviv (proper noun)

English Meaning - a city on Israel’s Mediterranean coast. (Jerusalem is the capital city of both Israel and Palestine, under their laws. Most other countries disagree. Most countries have their embassies with Israel in Tel Aviv).

27.panel (noun)

English Meaning - committee, council, commission, advisory body.

28.tellingly (adverb)

English Meaning - significantly, importantly, pointedly, evidentially.

29.lackadaisical (adjective)

English Meaning - lax, neglectful, careless, negligent, lazy, inefficient, incompetent, inattentive, offhand, casual, disorderly, disorganized.

30.dismissive (adjective)

English Meaning - scornful, disdainful, disparaging, unenthusiastic; casual, indifferent, uninterested, unconcerned (about serious/important matter).

31.allegedly (adverb)

English Meaning - apparently, supposedly, evidently, seemingly, reportedly, presumably, ostensibly.

32.sophisticated (adjective)

English Meaning - modern, advanced, highly developed, the latest, futuristic.

33.intelligence (noun)

English Meaning - (military/political) information, facts, details, particulars.

34.gear (noun)

English Meaning - equipment, apparatus, tools, instruments, gadgets, resources, hardware.

35.the West (noun)

English Meaning - The Western world/civilization consisting of the majority of Europe & the North America.

36.stringent (adjective)

English Meaning - strict, severe, extreme, tough, rigorous.

37.disclosure (noun)

English Meaning - revelation, news, report, leak.

38.largely (adverb)

English Meaning - mostly, mainly, generally.

39.diverse (adjective)

English Meaning - varying, differing, different, varied.

40.robust (adjective)

English Meaning - strong, powerfully built, sturdy, powerful.

41.provision (noun)

English Meaning - facilities, services, arrangements, benefits, solutions.

42.come up with (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - produce, propose, present, put forward, suggest.

43.exploit (noun)

English Meaning - a software tool that takes advantage of a vulnerability in a computer system for malicious purposes such as installing malware.

44.besides (adverb)

English Meaning - in addition, furthermore, moreover, further.

45.go on to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - ​to do something (after finishing something else); continue, proceed, move ahead.

46.sue (verb)

English Meaning - take to court, bring to trial, take legal action against, prosecute, charge.

47.actor (noun)

English Meaning - participants (in an action).

48.state actor (noun)

English Meaning - a state actor is a person who is acting on behalf of a governmental body.

49.non-state actor (noun)

English Meaning - an individual or organization that has significant political influence

50.disclose (verb)

English Meaning - reveal, tell, publish, expose, lay bare, make known.

51.reiterate (verb)

English Meaning - say something again; say again, repeat, retell, restate, iterate, recapitulate.

52.empowered (adjective)

English Meaning - authorized, qualified; independent, autonomous, self-governing, enfranchised.

53.this time around (phrase)

English Meaning - it means a situation or action that has happened before, and is now happening, or about to happen again

54.come clean (phrase)

English Meaning - tell the truth, be completely honest, tell all, to make a disclosure, confess everything.

55.emulate (verb)

English Meaning - follow, take as a model, imitate, mimic, replicate, copy.

56.proscribe (verb)

English Meaning - ban, prohibit, forbid (by law).

57.entity (noun)

English Meaning - organization, outfit, unit, operation.