Day: October 20, 2023

Leaders respond differently in moments of crisis. Some buckle, cringe or stay aloof and unconcerned, others abandon ship and run away while some rise up to the challenge and forge a new nation or organisation from the experience.

The ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East offer us a chance to examine the role of effective leadership in a moment of national challenge. On February 24, 2022, the Russian military invaded Ukraine, setting off the biggest attack on a European country since the Second World War. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and troops have been killed and injured, about eight million Ukrainians have been internally displaced and 8.2 million have fled the country.

The losses on both sides are mounting and there are no indications of when the fight would end. However, the leadership style of the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, in this moment of immense national disaster has captured the world’s imagination. He embodies valour and resilience, two important leadership traits required in times of turmoil.

Zelensky, 45, was a TV actor who used to play president of his country in drama skits before he was elected in 2019. When the Russian tanks rolled into his country last year, many were not sure of how he would respond. Eighteen months on, Zelensky has acquitted himself as a leader made for the moment, leading his people to confront a superpower which is waging the biggest land assault in recent history.

Zelensky has inspired thousands of his compatriots to fight for their motherland, motivated many from foreign lands into his army and forged an international campaign to bolster military and financial support. The world has come to admire Zelensky – who has since replaced his business suits with fatigue – hoping from plane to plane, visiting foreign capitals, meeting heads of states, addressing parliaments and global audiences and securing the backing of NATO, EU, G7, G20 and other organisations and countries. His speeches have succeeded in sensitising the world to the dangers of Vladimir Putin seizing his country.

He makes nightly radio address to his citizens to apprise them of developments and offer words of comfort and succor, visits troops at the frontlines and the wounded soldiers in the hospitals. Additionally, he makes regular visits to homes of people who have lost loved ones to comfort and condole. Last December, Time magazine named him ‘’Person of the Year’’ for the courage he’s shown in leading his country. That edition is one of my favourite copies in a long time. ‘’Zelensky’s success as a war time leader has relied on the fact that courage is contagious.

It spreads through Ukraine’s political leadership in the first days of the invasion, as everyone realised the President has stuck around’’, the magazine’s Simon Shuster wrote in the cover article.

In the early hours of Saturday, October 7, 2023, hundreds of Hamas terrorists breached Israel’s hi-tech intelligence systems and entered the country from the Gaza Strip to launch the most brazen and audacious attacks against the only Jewish nation. Coming exactly 50 years after the Yom Kippur war of October 1973, the assaults were meant to subdue and break Israel.

Over 1,300 Israelis lost their lives and about 150 persons of different nationalities were taken hostage. Before the attacks, Israel was in deep political turmoil over Benjamin Netanyahu’s policy on judicial reforms in which he sought to curb the powers of the Supreme Court which many viewed as a power grab and his attempt to intimidate the justices and thwart his ongoing corruption trial.

The protests against the policy were widespread and even army personnel and reservists had threatened to join. The prime minister became the most despised politician in the country. Some observers are quick to blame the political turmoil in Israel for the monumental intelligence failure that enabled the terrorists to train for months across the wall in Gaza and enter Israel undetected.

But it was a different Netanyahu that we’ve seen after the attacks. He has responded swiftly and impressively to the crisis by bringing the country together and rallying the citizens for what would definitely be a long and difficult war against the terrorists. The Prime Minister soon set up a government of emergency Israeli unity and war cabinet, bringing in opposition politicians into the government.

A polarised and divided nation soon came together, ready to go to war to achieve a common goal. By the weekend, the PM was visiting troops at the frontline, encouraging them to achieve victory and protect their country.

Providing effective leadership in times of severe challenges is one of the most important functions of a leader which is central to the success of a country or an organisation. Whether it is famine, war or outbreak of diseases, national leaders must possess the resilience, rigour, adaptability with which to rise to the occasion and steer the country through uncertainty.

Business leaders also require the same set of competencies to face whatever crisis that may arise. Indeed, the saying that real leaders are forged in crisis signifies how crucial effective leadership is in times of serve challenges. Effective crisis management entails the ability to make quick decision while inspiring trust and confidence in the team.

History is full of leaders who have excelled or failed in difficult times. In the United States, President George Bush and Rudy Giuliani are renowned for their inspiring leaderships after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt also led impressively well during the Second World War to defeat the Nazis.

A few days after the Hamas attacks, President Joe Biden spoke to families of Americans who were taken hostage. The President explained that it was important that he showed compassion and empathy. In all the 13 years since 2010 that this country has suffered brutal attacks under Boko Haram, no Nigerian President had ever bothered to meet with, or speak to families of victims. President Muhammadu Buhari was notoriously so aloof and unconcerned about the slaughter of Nigerians by Fulani militias in some parts of the country, especially in the North Central, that I suspect that he had severe Empathy Deficit Disorder (EDD).

While Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was commended for touring flooded states in 2012 to sympathise and comfort displaced people, and celebrated for rising promptly to defend the country against Ebola outbreak in 2014, his handling of the abduction of the Chibok girls that same year left a lot to be desired. It was one of the reasons he lost the 2015 election.

President Buhari provided fantastic leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that the country prepared adequately for the disease, thus saving thousands of lives, his responses to the many militant and militia attacks in parts of the country, especially Benue, Plateau and North Western States were, at best, sloppy. So many died under his watch, yet he did little or nothing to stop the carnage, and he showed little or no concern to families of the victims.

Businesses could also face serious crisis due to cybercrimes, loss of a key staff, fire, a major fraud and regulatory infractions, etc. It is important for businesses to have a well-prepared standard manual for managing crisis. This manual typically outlines important steps to follow in case of an emergency or problems.

In 2002, a bank I worked for as Head of Corporate Communication fell into a major crisis when the CBN suspended it, and a few others, from the foreign exchange market for some months for flouting some regulatory guidelines. It was a major crisis in the industry and the panic was noticeable.

The executive management handled the crisis superbly and from it we learned many lessons in crisis management. Soon after, we developed a manual on crisis management for the institution. Effective communication is an important ingredient in managing crisis in an organisation or a country.

The jury is still out on how well the incumbent president is leading the country in this very moment of monumental economic and security difficulties. The first step is for President Tinubu to build a broad national consensus on how best to face this moment.

A United Nations commission of inquiry on Ukraine said on Friday it had found additional evidence that Russian forces had committed “indiscriminate attacks” and war crimes in Ukraine, including rape and the deportation of children to Russia.

“The Commission has found new evidence that Russian authorities have committed violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, and corresponding crimes, in areas that came under their control in Ukraine,” it said in a report submitted to the U.N. General assembly, listing attacks in the cities of Uman and Kherson, among others.

“The Commission has recently documented attacks that affected civilian objects, such as residential buildings, a railway station, shops, and a warehouse for civilian use, leading to numerous casualties.”

Russia has vigorously denied committing atrocities or targeting civilians in Ukraine.

The commission said it had documented cases of rape “with the use of force or psychological coercion”.

“Most of the incidents occurred after the perpetrators broke into the victims’ homes,” it said. “Victims reported rapes at gunpoint and threats of killing or of inflicting other serious harm to the victims or their relatives.”

The commission added that it had documented the transfer of 31 children from Ukraine to Russia in May last and “concluded that it was an unlawful deportation and a war crime”.

Moscow has repeatedly denied forcibly taking Ukrainian children, saying it moved children found in orphanages or without parental care to Russia for their own safety and placed as many of as possible with relatives there.

The Russian diplomatic mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the commission’s report.

The commission also found three cases of Ukrainian authorities have committed violations of human rights of people they have accused of collaborating with Russian authorities.

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Futures tracking Wall Street’s main stock indexes fell on Friday as U.S. Treasury yields hovered near multi-year highs following hawkish comments by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Speaking at the Economic Club of New York on Thursday, Powell said the U.S. economy’s strength and continued tight labor markets could require tougher borrowing conditions to control inflation.

“Anyone expecting to hear Fed chairman Jay Powell adopt a less hawkish tone given the recent rise in yields was in for a disappointment,” said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK.

Fed Bank of Dallas President Lorie Logan, who is a voting member of this year’s rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), said on Thursday that recent data and higher bond market borrowing costs gave the central bank space to deliberate on its next monetary policy move.

BofA Global Research said it now expects the U.S. central bank to deliver a 25-basis-point rate hike in December instead of November.

Comments from Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker and Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester will also be on investor radar during the day as Fed officials will be entering a media blackout starting Saturday ahead of their meeting on Nov 1.

The 10-year Treasury yield , which briefly crossed 5% on Thursday for the first time since July 2007, were last at 4.9392%.

Traders see a near 99% chance the Fed will keep benchmark rates unchanged in its November meet, while their bets for a pause in December stood at 77%, according to CME’s FedWatch Tool.

All three major U.S. stock indexes, which ended nearly 1% lower on Thursday on course to log weekly declines.

On the earning’s front, American Express (AXP.N) rose 1.5% in premarket trading after the credit-card giant beat third quarter profit estimates.

Oilfield services company SLB (SLB.N) beat analysts’ estimates for quarterly profit, but its shares fell 1.8%.

Investors also kept tabs on the conflict in the Middle East as Israel levelled a northern Gaza district on Friday after giving families a half-hour warning to escape, signaling it could mount a ground invasion of Gaza soon.

At 7:03 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were down 78 points, or 0.23%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 13 points, or 0.3%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 61 points, or 0.41%.

SolarEdge (SEDG.O) slumped 25.9% after it warned of significantly lower revenue in the fourth quarter.

Shares of solar firms Enphase Energy (ENPH.O) and First Solar (FSLR.O) were also down 15.6% and 5.2%, respectively.

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG.O) fell 6.6% after the medical device maker missed analysts’ estimates for quarterly sales.

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The International Criminal Court said on Friday that a cyberattack it suffered in September was a case of attempted espionage.

The war crimes court, which is based in the Hague in the Netherlands, said in a statement that it had not yet been able to determine who might have been behind the attack.

“The evidence available thus far indicates a targeted and sophisticated attack with the objective of espionage,” the court said in a statement reviewing the incident.

“The attack can therefore be interpreted as a serious attempt to undermine the Court’s mandate.”

The court, which holds sensitive records related to alleged war crimes it investigates around the world, did not disclose whether any data had been stolen.

“ Should evidence be found that specific data entrusted to the Court has been compromised, those affected would be contacted immediately,” it said.

Prosecutors at the court are currently conducting 17 investigations into situations in Ukraine, Uganda, Venezuela, Afghanistan and the Philippines, among others.

In March, the ICC made headlines when it issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on suspicion of illegally deporting children from Ukraine. The Kremlin rejects the accusations and the court’s jurisdiction.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday she had separated from her television journalist partner Andrea Giambruno, who has drawn criticism in recent weeks for sexist comments.

Meloni told reporters last month she should not be judged over Giambruno’s remarks and in future would not answer questions about his behaviour.

The split comes as the 46-year-old prime minister celebrates her first year in office at the head of a right-wing coalition government that has defended the traditional family as one of its policy hallmarks.

“My relationship with Andrea Giambruno, which lasted almost 10 years, ends here,” Meloni wrote on her social media accounts. “Our paths have diverged for some time, and the time has come to acknowledge it,” she added.

Meloni said she would not be distracted by difficulties in her private life, saying, “all those who hoped to weaken me by striking me at home,” would have no success.

The couple, who met in a TV studio in 2014, have a seven-year-old daughter.

Giambruno, 42, is the presenter of a news programme transmitted by Mediaset, part of the MFE (MFEB.MI) media group owned by the heirs of the late Silvio Berlusconi, a former prime minister and Meloni ally.

This week, another Mediaset satirical current affairs television show broadcast off-air video excerpts from Giambruno’s programme showing him using foul language, touching his groin and appearing to make advances to a female colleague.

“Why didn’t I meet you before?”, he asks her.

In a second audio recording aired on Thursday, Giambruno is heard talking about being in an affair and telling female colleagues they can work with him if they take part in group sex.

The TV journalist had been widely criticised in August for comments interpreted by many as victim-blaming, following a gang rape case.

Giambruno was not immediately available for comment.

Marco Furfaro of the opposition Democratic Party said Giambruno’s comments were “pure chauvinism and sexism…. uncommentable filth.”

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US CISA added the vulnerability CVE-2021-1435 in Cisco IOS XE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added the vulnerability CVE-2021-1435 in Cisco IOS XE.

The vulnerability is a command injection vulnerability in the web user interface that could allow a remote, authenticated attacker to inject commands that can be executed as the root user.

Cisco Talos researchers warned of active exploitation of this vulnerability to infect the devices.

“Leveraging existing detections, we observed the actor exploiting CVE-2021-1435, for which Cisco provided a patch in 2021, to install the implant after gaining access to the device.” reads the report published by Cisco Talos. “We have also seen devices fully patched against CVE-2021-1435 getting the implant successfully installed through an as of yet undetermined mechanism.”

According to Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01: Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, FCEB agencies have to address the identified vulnerabilities by the due date to protect their networks against attacks exploiting the flaws in the catalog.

Experts recommend also private organizations review the Catalog and address the vulnerabilities in their infrastructure.

CISA orders federal agencies to fix this flaw by November 9, 2023.

Recently another Cisco IOS XE vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-20198, made the headlines.

Cisco this week warned customers of a zero-day vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-20198 (CVSS score 10), in its IOS XE Software that is actively exploited in attacks. The IT giant found the vulnerability during the resolution of multiple Technical Assistance Center (TAC) support cases.

Threat actors have exploited the recently disclosed critical zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2023-20198) to compromise thousands of Cisco IOS XE devices, security firm VulnCheck warned.

The vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker to gain administrator privileges and take over vulnerable routers.

The advisory published by the vendor states that the exploitation of the vulnerability allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to create an account on an affected system with privilege level 15 access.

Researchers from LeakIX used the indicators of compromise (IOCs) released by Cisco Talos and found around 30k Cisco IOS XE devices (routers, switches, VPNs) that were infected by exploiting the CVE-2023-20198. Most of the infected devices were in the United States, the Philippines, Chile, and Mexico.

Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, CISA)

The post CISA adds Cisco IOS XE flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog appeared first on Security Affairs.

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FAFO time is nigh for Putin and Russia: Amir Weitmann, head of the libertarian caucus in Israel’s Likud Party went on Kremlin propaganda channel RT and said Russia will pay the price for supporting Hamas attack on Israel. Israel will now ensure Ukraine wins against Russia. https://t.co/ingaQ3wl7R pic.twitter.com/6bjYo5y2tB

— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) October 19, 2023

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China’s foreign ministry said on Friday said a U.S. Pentagon report saying China will probably have over 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030 is filled with prejudice and distorts facts.