Facts in News

                             Facts in News

Red Echo and ShadowPad

• Red Echo (a trojan allegedly operated by Chinese firms like APT41, Barium, Winnti, Wicked Panda, and Wicked Spider) had targeted 10 vital nodes in India’s power distribution system and two seaports.
• The Ministry of Power has confirmed “no data breach” from the threat.
• The US firm, Recorded Future, detected this malware attack by tracking AXIOMATIC ASYMPTOTE servers being contacted by IP addresses linked to critical Indian systems.
• Domains spoofing was observed.
  • Eg. ‘ntpc-co[.]com’ domain spoofed the original ntpc[.]co[.]in.
  • AXIOMATIC ASYMPTOTE servers act as command and control centres for a malware known as ShadowPad.
• ShadowPad is a backdoor Trojan malware, which means it opens a secret path from its target system to its command and control servers.
• ShadowPad is built to target supply-chain infrastructure in sectors like transportation, telecommunication, energy and more.
  • It was first identified in 2017, when it was found hidden in a legitimate software produced by a company named NetSarang.
  • Trojanized softwares, or softwares that have dangers hidden in them, like the eponymous Trojan horse from Greek mythology, are the primary mode of delivery for ShadowPad.
• The objective of Red Echo was Potential Pre-positioning to support Chinese strategic interests.
  • Pre-positioning in cyber warfare means to have malware assets in crucial places that can be called on when an actual attack is launched.

Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary

• It is a marine wildlife sanctuary located in Odisha.
• It is the world’s largest nesting beach for Olive Ridley Turtles.
• It extends from Dhamra River mouth in the north to Brahmani river mouth in the south.
• Gahirmatha was declared a turtle sanctuary in 1997 by the Odisha after considering its ecological importance and as part of efforts to save the sea turtles.

Olive Ridley Turtles

• These get their name from the coloring of their heart-shaped shell.
  • It starts out gray but changes to olive green when the turtles turn adults.
• Most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
• Habitat: Warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
  • They migrate from pacific ocean through the coastal water of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean to the coastal water of Gahirmatha in the north.
• Mating Period: November and January
• Breeding period: from October to May (8 months).
• Arribada: Mass egg laying by turtles.
• Major Nesting Sites:
  • Rushikulya rookery coast, Ganjam district, Odisha,
  • Gahirmatha beach (Bhitarkanika National park)
  • The mouth of the Debi River.
• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
• CITES: Appendix I
• Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule – I

Red Sanders

• Red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus), known for their rich hue and therapeutic properties.
• It is high in demand across Asia, particularly in China and Japan, for use in cosmetics and medicinal products as well as for making furniture, woodcraft and musical instruments.
• Red Sanders usually grow in the rocky, degraded and fallow lands with Red Soil and a hot and dry climate.
• It is declared Near Threatened in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (I.U.C.N.) red list
• It is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
• It is among the endangered species of wood found in Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Whale Shark

• Whale shark, (Rhincodon typus), gigantic but harmless shark (family Rhincodontidae) that is the largest living fish.
• They feed on plankton and travel large distances to find enough food to sustain their huge size, and to reproduce.
• They are found in all the tropical oceans of the world.
• The largest whale shark aggregation in India is along with the Gujarat coats.
  • On the Bay of Bengal coast, the only whale shark aggregation is in Andhra Pradesh.
• Distribution: Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans
• IUCN Red List: Endangered
• CITES: Appendix II
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I

Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1)

• Equine Herpes Virus is a contagious disease that affects horses.
• Although there are nine strains of the virus, Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) and Equine HerpesVirus-4 (EHV-4) are most commonly seen.
• It is found in many parts of the world and cases and outbreaks can be seen at any time of year.
• The current outbreak in Europe is the EHV-1 strain.

Sabka Vishwas (Legacy Dispute Resolution) (SVLDR) Scheme

• It was introduced in 2019 with the objective of reducing litigation and disputes relating to legacy taxes namely, Central Excise and Service Tax so that taxpayers could focus on GST.
• The Scheme provided taxpayers relief in payment of disputed tax amounts ranging from 70% (of the tax amount) to 40%.
• It also provided for full waiver of interest and penalty.