  A new series of Earth occultation observations has been started in 2012 to
refine the determination of the cosmic X-ray background by the INTEGRAL
mission. We show here that the new detector lightcurves in the 3 to 160 keV
range differ from the ones obtained in 2006. Instead of the expected modulation
induced by the passage of the Earth through the field of view of the JEM-X,
IBIS/ISGRI and SPI instruments, we record unrelated variability on shorter
timescales. We discuss the differences obtained with the datasets of 2006 and
2012 in view of the changes in pointing direction, spacecraft orbit and solar
cycle phase. We conclude that the Earth occultation signal in 2012 is likely
blended by radioactive decay resulting from the activation of the spacecraft
when crossing the proton radiation belt at perigee passage. The observed
variability, on the other hand, results most likely from the current solar
maximum. In addition to a variable particle environment from inhomogeneities of
the solar wind, we also find evidence for hard X-ray auroral emission. While
the former can be traced by SPI/ACS counts, the latter - by enhancing
unpredictably the Earth emission - is a major disturbance for measuring the
diffuse X-ray background through occultation by the Earth.

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;Earth and Planetary Astrophysics;Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics