• Kaspersky uncovered iOS vulnerabilities in ‘Operation Triangulation’, reported to Apple, but was refused bounty payment
  • Apple’s Security Bounty Program offers rewards up to $1 million for discovering vulnerabilities to prevent them from being sold on the dark web
  • Apple’s refusal to pay Kaspersky could be due to restrictions on financial transactions with companies in sanctioned countries like Russia.
  • @[email protected]
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    23821 days ago

    Apple Security Bounty awards may not be paid to you if you are in any U.S. embargoed countries or on the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals, the U.S. Department of Commerce Denied Person’s List or Entity List, or any other restricted party lists.

    Kaspersky can whine all they want. Russia is embargoed. They’re not getting their money.

    Kaspersky is a good company doing good work in the cyber security space. Unfortunately, because of the embargo, they may have to turn to the black market to sell future exploits. Or maybe not; I’m not totally sure what kind of ethical standards they have.

      • @[email protected]
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        7621 days ago

        Apple could have tried to work with them and said something like “We’ll pay when the embargo ends”, since now Kapersky has every reason to sell their next apple exploit on the black market.

        They’ve just turned a department of people successfully working to make apple more secure into a department of people working to make it less secure.

        • @[email protected]
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          6121 days ago

          Apple could have tried to work with them and said something like “We’ll pay when the embargo ends”

          …aaaaand that would most likely be trying to circumvent the sanctions by essentially receiving credit from Kaspersky on delivered services.

          Not saying the situation is optional, but the sanctions would be extremely toothless if it was that easy to circumvent.

          • @[email protected]
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            2521 days ago

            How is holding the money until (and if) the sanctions are lifted, “circumventing”?

            However unlikely it would be, if the sanctions are lifted (maybe Russia gets a new, sane Government, calls off its invasion, stops its international shenanigans), wouldn’t it be OK to pay this company then?

            • AmbiguousProps
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              2321 days ago

              It would still probably count as some sort of trade (even when delayed), which is what would violate the sanctions.

              • @[email protected]
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                320 days ago

                It could be argued that such delayed trade should be encouraged. Let Apple’s debt to Kaspersky build up, with interest, but it’ll only be paid once sanctions end which will only happen once pre-determined conditions are met. It’s basically an increasing incentive to change course in a way that will result in sanctions being lifted.

                There are probably some pretty severe downsides to this approach though.

              • @[email protected]
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                120 days ago

                If the point of the embargo is to pressure affected parties to enact change on the governments policies, offering the reward after sanctions are lifted would be an added incentive.

                It should be allowed or even encouraged to help the power of the sanctions.

            • @[email protected]
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              1421 days ago

              In many cases it’s doing business and not just the payment!/compansation that the sanctions is about.

          • @[email protected]
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            -721 days ago

            They are extremely toothless in the sense of making continuation of the war less interesting.

            Russian oil\gas\etc revenues have grown.

            What the sanctions have hurt are mostly many smaller businesses and individuals. Well, big companies too, but that just makes them more dependent on state support. Which is a win for the Russian government.

            Kaspersky is definitely an FSB-friendly company.

            But still, most people hurt by sanctions are innocent. Well, less guilty than European politicians profiting from cooperation with Russia both before and after 2022, and remember how all those “free democratic” countries claimed Russian elections were legit when having Putin in Russia seemed to have no downsides, despite mass protests.

              • AmbiguousProps
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                21 days ago

                Huge growth!

                Since many of the sanctions also apply to things that are expected to fail over time, like electronics and industrial equipment, I’m sure the losses will continue to rise. Something to look forward to.

                • @[email protected]
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                  421 days ago

                  Exactly. These sanctions take some time to be felt. Russia is also very selective in what economic numbers it publishes. They are also artificially keeping up the exchange rate of the ruble.

                  These are all things that you can only keep doing for so long and it makes the crash afterwards even worse. Basically: they can pretend everything is all-right in the short term, but they have to screw themselves over in the long term to do so.

                • @[email protected]
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                  -321 days ago

                  They will continue to rise in the areas less important for war effort. Which means that the balance of power in Russia will keep getting worse.

            • @[email protected]
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              1021 days ago

              They are extremely toothless in the sense of making continuation of the war less interesting.

              If it was “toothless”, Putin and his propaganda machinery wouldn’t bother commenting on it so often.

              • @[email protected]
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                -521 days ago

                I don’t watch TV, but I’ve gotten the impression that for the last 2 years or so they’ve been talking less and less about sanctions. Which would make your idea of how this works consistent in a wrong fucking way.

                • @[email protected]
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                  621 days ago

                  You have an impression about what they don’t talk about on TV based on that you don’t watch TV?

            • AmbiguousProps
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              21 days ago

              [many citations needed]

              Also, you seem to be putting the actions of Putin (and the consequences of allowing him to get the country to this state) on to Europe and NATO. The fact is that these sanctions would not be in place if Putin didn’t invade a neighboring country for illegal annexation (specifically, Russia violated United Nations Charter Article 2, paragraph 4).

              I’m sorry to tell you that mass protests aren’t enough. As long as the Russian people are complicit (for example, by continuing to contribute to war efforts at their oil refinery jobs) and continue to allow Putin to govern, they will suffer.

              • @[email protected]
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                221 days ago

                Also, you seem to be putting the actions of Putin (and the consequences of allowing him to get the country to this state) on to Europe and NATO.

                I’m definitely putting it on Europe and NATO to act like some protector of democracy and then confirm Putin’s “elections” while there were widespread protests ongoing, and now when that criminal unelected regime they criminally supported invades another country, to blame people who’ve done their part to prevent it.

                I’m sorry to tell you that mass protests aren’t enough. As long as the Russian people are complicit (for example, by continuing to contribute to war efforts at their oil refinery jobs) and continue to allow Putin to govern, they will suffer.

                No, victims are not complicit in crimes even if being exploited to help those. You should be sorry for being a cheat.

                Also I still expect your justification or apology for western governments which confirmed Putin’s “elections”. Until then any word of a westerner on this matter is worth less than a bowl of piss.

                • AmbiguousProps
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                  020 days ago

                  Only the Russian people can fix the elections. NATO and the EU have nothing to do with that, so I’m not sure why you’re blaming them for “confirming” it when the only people that “confirmed” it were the Russian people who rolled over for yet another false election.

                  So you are owed no apology from NATO, and I certainly don’t owe you one.

    • @[email protected]
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      3321 days ago

      It would be very very bad for world if the folks at Kaspersky turned to black hat activity

    • AwesomeLowlander
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      220 days ago

      Kaspersky also has a bunch of US-based subsidiaries or partners they’re selling their software through. Or Apple could have just escrowed their reward until the embargo was over.

  • @[email protected]
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    18021 days ago

    “Apple refuses to send money to security company inside of embargoed country, to maintain compliance with USA law.”

  • Brownian Motion
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    7121 days ago

    This is not really a story, is it.

    I worked for an Australian company, that was bought by an American company. Instantly we were required to do business as per American law, such as embargo’s. We lost many customers (businesses) that honestly had nothing to do with the actual reason for the embargos. For example Iran has an American embargo because of nuclear refinement, but we just wanted to sell “knives and forks” to them. Nope - they might use those forks in their refinement centrifuges… This is what happens (but also why embargos work).

    Kaspersky is Russian owned, so the hacks were discovered by Russian [whitehat] hackers. I’ll bet that Apple had no ability to do “business” with the company, even if it wanted to, since Russia is currently under embargo due to the Ukraine conflict.

    Now if Kaspersky spent time undermining it’s own failure of a government, and putting an end to its dictatorship, things would probably work out better for everyone in Russia.

    • @[email protected]
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      1820 days ago

      Is that the case though. You can buy a copy of Kaspersky anti virus right now if you live in the US. They have a US office. You can legally send them money.

      • @[email protected]
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        1520 days ago

        Or put the money in escrow pending resolution of the embargo … This is, I think, the easiest, most responsible solution to show good faith

        • Bakkoda
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          219 days ago

          Yeah thank you. There’s a ton of ways to “hold” the money legally so Apple can still be separated from some of its money.

    • @[email protected]
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      21 days ago

      but also why embargos work

      Ah yes Iran is falling due to lack of forks. \s

      I’m pretty sure the politicians and rich people in Iran are fine. Embargos “work” (if at all) by violently punishing the poor.

      Now if Kaspersky spent time undermining it’s own failure of a government, and putting an end to its dictatorship

      Do you ask the same of american corporations?

      • @[email protected]
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        20 days ago

        Ah yes Iran is falling due to lack of forks. \s

        They were told to fork off (I’ll see myself out).

      • @[email protected]
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        120 days ago

        Do you ask the same of american corporations?

        If goverment can be disrupted by hack, the faster that happen the better. Then they maybe learn to have better security.

      • @[email protected]
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        20 days ago

        What has trust go to do with anything. Apple cannot pay them due to sanctions. There is nothing to indicate they don’t want to pay them, they are just legally not allowed to do so.

        • @[email protected]
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          420 days ago

          So do something else. Or indicate you will pay them when it is legal to do so. Kapersky’s guy recommended Apple donate the bounty to a charity.

    • @[email protected]
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      1220 days ago

      No, Russia fucked Kaspersky on this by invading Ukraine.

      To be blunt, your spelling is atrocious even if you are not a native english speaker.

      Propaganda fueled alligator tears, cognitive dissonance, or just looney tunes bullshit?

      • @[email protected]
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        20 days ago

        This is why I shouldnt comment when angry… You will say dumb shit you will reget later. So yes, looney tunes bullshit.

      • @[email protected]
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        020 days ago

        No, Apple fucked themselves because one of the largest security firms now has much less incentive to work white hat.

        • @[email protected]
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          320 days ago

          It’s just more manufactured outrage. There’s enough reasons to take issue with Apple, this is not the example to use.

  • Hal-5700X
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    -720 days ago

    Just pay them, Apple.