US Vice President Harris & French President Macron announce space & cyber partnership | Google's legal wins and losses in Europe | Global hacker-for-hire operation uncovered targeting thousands
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The White House said that Harris and Macron agreed to launch a “comprehensive” bilateral dialogue on space through which U.S. and French officials will work together to address issues like climate change, expand space exploration, and expand access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. The Hill
Google has won an appeal against a class action-style data privacy litigation at the UK Supreme Court — avoiding what could have been up to £3BN in damages had it lost the case. TechCrunch
The breakthrough led to the discovery that, for the last four years, the Russian-speaking RocketHack crew has quietly infiltrated email and Telegram accounts, PCs and Android phones of as many as 3,500 individuals. The targets range from journalists, human right activists, and politicians through to telecommunication engineers and IVF doctors across a few dozen clinics. Forbes
ASPI ICPC
Australian renewable energy can power the metaverse
The Strategist
Karly Winkler @Miah_HE
Facebook’s decision to announce its rebrand to Meta last month was no doubt accelerated by its latest controversies. But, decoys and diversions aside, it also provided insight into Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for the future—one seemingly shared by much of Silicon Valley—in which we will work, study and socialise in an entirely digital environment. As more and more emerging technologies—such as artificial intelligence and virtual and augmented reality—become part of our daily lives, and with COP26 underway, it’s a good time to consider how we will actually power this new digital landscape.
World
Exclusive: A Cyber Mercenary Is Hacking The Google And Telegram Accounts Of Presidential Candidates, Journalists And Doctors
Forbes
@iblametom
An unprecedented peek inside an underground hacker-for-hire operation reveals 3,500 targets, including Belarusian presidential candidates, Uzbek human rights activists and a cryptocurrency exchange. Their primary targets? Gmail, Protonmail and Telegram accounts belonging to anyone on whom their paymasters want to spy.
Australia
Kilometres of official secrets, collecting dust and costing taxpayers
The Sydney Morning Herald
@swrighteconomy @katinacurtis
Australia’s intelligence community has conceded it is breaching laws governing how some of the nation’s most important historical documents are stored, revealing more than 10 kilometres of classified documents are gathering dust and may never be made public.
The refugees who could solve Australia’s tech skills crisis
Australian Financial Review
@jessicasier
Sarya, a software engineer who fled Syria in 2012, is one of the first refugees to secure work at an Australian tech company under a new government pilot program designed to connect skilled refugees with local companies hungry for talent amid a worsening labour crisis.
China
China Under Xi Is Tough Target for CIA Spies, Hurting Biden’s Beijing Policy
Bloomberg
@PeterMartin_PCM @JenniferJJacobs @nwadhams
A lack of top-tier intelligence on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s inner circle is frustrating senior Biden administration officials struggling to get ahead of Beijing’s next steps, according to current and former officials who have reviewed the most sensitive U.S. intelligence reports. Those officials, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive issues, say China is becoming a harder target, more opaque, just as the demand for insights into Xi’s decision-making is soaring and tensions with the U.S. are heating up over issues from Taiwan to high technology. In addition, CIA officers in China face daunting challenges posed by China’s burgeoning surveillance state, which has blanketed Chinese cities with surveillance cameras and employs sophisticated facial recognition software to track threats.
China’s Global Network of Vocational Colleges to Train the World
The Diplomat
@nivayautszyan @dvanderkley
China and Chinese companies are serious about upskilling and employing more locals on overseas projects. China is so serious that it is setting up a network of vocational colleges around the world, called Luban Workshops after Lu Ban, a mythical figure revered as an inventor. The workshops train students in dozens of countries in technical areas such as industrial sensors, control and robotics technologies, machinery equipment manufacturing, and high-speed rail technologies. This is not mere altruism. The students will be trained on Chinese technology with Chinese standards as part of a full court press to globalize Chinese tech. It is a component of a bigger effort to tighten the economic linkages between China and the Global South, which Beijing sees as key to competition with the United States.
China says a foreign spy agency hacked its airlines, stole passenger records
The Record by Recorded Future
@campuscodi
Chinese officials said last week that a foreign intelligence agency hacked several of its airlines in 2020 and stole passenger travel records. The hacking campaign was disclosed last week by officials from the Ministry of State Security, China’s civilian intelligence, security, and secret police agency. The hacking campaign was discovered after one of China’s airlines reported a security breach to MSS officials in January 2020.
USA
Harris, Macron unveil new initiatives on space, cybersecurity after meeting
The Hill
@mchalfant16
Vice President Harris on Wednesday announced new initiatives with France on space and cybersecurity following a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. The White House said that Harris and Macron agreed to launch a “comprehensive” bilateral dialogue on space through which U.S. and French officials will work together to address issues like climate change, expand space exploration, and expand access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
U.S. Vows Closer Ties with France on Space, Cyber Threats
Bloomberg
@JenniferJJacobs
Vice President Kamala Harris announced U.S. efforts to work more closely with France to combat cyber threats and to cooperate on space exploration and commercial development.
Harris Meets Macron, Signaling a ‘New Era’ After Sub Snub, Both Say
The New York Times
@katierogers
Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Wednesday that the United States had joined a French-led international initiative to protect civilians against cyberattacks and discourage digital meddling in elections, three years after the Trump administration declined to sign onto the effort. The agreement, called the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, is a nonbinding declaration and is largely symbolic. But so is Ms. Harris’s presence in Paris.
FACT SHEET: Vice President Harris Announces Initiatives on Space and Cybersecurity
The White House
Following her meeting with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Vice President Kamala Harris is announcing a number of collaborative initiatives that the United States will undertake alongside France and other countries to address global issues and emerging threats. She is announcing expanded cooperation on space and support for efforts to advance international cooperation in cybersecurity.
Justice Dept. Brings New Charges in Ransomware Attacks
The New York Times
@ktbenner @nicoleperlroth
The Justice Department said on Monday that it had brought charges against a Russian national whom it accused of conducting ransomware attacks against American government entities and businesses, including one that temporarily shut down the meat supply giant JBS.
Facebook says it can’t keep pace with its own Oversight Board
Protocol
@issielapowsky
Depending on who you ask, Facebook's Oversight Board is either a massive PR stunt to deflect blame away from the company or an ambitious and thoughtful experiment in social media governance. Whatever it is, it's apparently becoming untenable for Facebook. In a report published Tuesday, Facebook said it's struggling to keep up with the pace of recommendations being dished out by the board and that it needs to come up with a better way to communicate with the board that doesn't entail writing dueling, multi-page missives.
Hackers with Chinese links breach defense, energy targets, including one in US
CyberScoop
@timstarks
Suspected spies using similar tools and tactics to a Chinese government-connected hacking group compromised nine organizations in the defense, education, energy and health care industries across the globe beginning in September, according to new research.
An incoming cash infusion could revolutionize cyber protections
The Washington Post
@Joseph_Marks_
State and local governments are preparing for a windfall of cyber funding that could fundamentally reshape their digital defenses. The $1 billion grant program – provided in the recently-passed infrastructure bill – marks by far the largest-ever federal investment in state and local cybersecurity. It comes as cities are being pummeled with ransomware attacks that have cost millions of dollars to remediate and have locked up vital services for weeks or months. The recovery from a single attack in Baltimore cost a whopping $18 million.
City OKs Google data centers amid secrecy, water worries
Associated Press
@andrewselsky
The council of a small Oregon city has approved a deal with Google that will enable the technology giant to build two more water-guzzling data centers there, though some residents worry about drought and secrecy. A single data center can churn through millions of gallons of water per day to keep hot-running equipment cool, and the placement of these facilities in drought-prone areas is an increasing concern around the globe, even as reliance on them is growing.
Twitter sets up crypto team to explore decentralised apps
Financial Times
@MsHannahMurphy
Twitter is launching a dedicated crypto team, marking the latest push by chief executive Jack Dorsey to embrace digital assets and decentralised apps and the ballooning communities around them. The social network has hired Tess Rinearson to lead the new Twitter Crypto team and “set the strategy for the future of crypto at (and on) Twitter”, the company told the Financial Times.
The Blockchain Association is still lobbying for crypto
Protocol
@benpimentel
Kristin Smith, executive director of the Blockchain Association, first heard of bitcoin in business school. "I did not get it," she readily admits. "It really personally took me a very long time to understand this." A steep learning curve didn't stop her, though, and for years now, Smith has been working to make people in Washington — regulators, legislators, policy wonks — understand the world of crypto and blockchain. Smith leads a trade association which includes major crypto companies like Anchorage Digital, Genesis, Ledger, Ripple and Solana. Founded in 2018, the Blockchain Association faced its most serious test in August when a proposed infrastructure bill included language that some said would require crypto miners, node operators and developers to report transactions to the IRS.
US sues Uber over 'wait time' fees for disabled passengers
Protocol
@BenBrodyDC
The U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday it filed a lawsuit against Uber, alleging the company charged disabled passengers a "wait time" fee when they were slow to enter their rides. The fees were part of a broader policy of charging passengers if their ride hadn't begun two minutes after a car arrived for a pickup, but the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act when it failed "to reasonably modify" the policy for passengers who need more time due to disabilities, the Justice Department said.
Data broker shared billions of phone location records with D.C. government as part of covid-tracking effort
The Washington Post
@drewharwell
A data broker shared billions of “highly sensitive” phone-location records with the D.C. government last year that revealed how people moved about the city, public records show. The sharing of the raw phone location data was pitched as uniquely valuable for tracking the covid pandemic, the records show. But the provision of the records for six months to the D.C. government’s Department of Health also shows the potential for abuse of such data, which is generally collected without consumers’ knowledge and then resold to both public and private buyers.
LAPD ended predictive policing programs amid public outcry. A new effort shares many of their flaws
The Guardian
@JMBooyah
The Los Angeles police department has been a pioneer in predictive policing, for years touting avant-garde programs that use historical data and software to predict future crime. But newly revealed public documents detail how PredPol and Operation Laser, the department’s flagship data-driven programs, validated existing patterns of policing and reinforced decisions to patrol certain people and neighborhoods over others, leading to the over-policing of Black and brown communities in the metropole.
Congress mandates new car technology to stop drunken driving
Associated Press
@hopeyen1 @tkrisher
Congress has created a new requirement for automakers: Find a high-tech way to keep drunken people from driving cars. It’s one of the mandates along with a burst of new spending aimed at improving auto safety amid escalating road fatalities in the $1 trillion infrastructure package that President Joe Biden is expected to sign soon.
Reddit got the best grade on a ‘misogyny report card’ for social media. It was a C.
The Washington Post
@viaCristiano
None of the major social media companies are excelling at preventing harassment and abuse against women on their sites, but some like Reddit and Twitter are faring better than others, according to a new report by an advocacy group shared exclusively with The Technology 202.
Missing Girl Is Rescued After Using Hand Signal From TikTok
The New York Times
@bydanielvictor @byEduardoMedina
A girl reported missing from Asheville, N.C., and in distress in the passenger seat of a car traveling through Kentucky appeared to be waving through the window to passing cars on Thursday. But one person in a nearby car recognized the signal from TikTok, and knew it was no ordinary wave
North-East Asia
In Hong Kong, a mandatory smartphone app draws pushback and mockery.
The New York Times
@jotted
Hong Kong’s latest “zero Covid” policy — a mandatory smartphone tracking app — is prompting online mockery and pushback. One mother complained that her 2-year-old had been turned away from a sports center for failing to produce a smartphone with the app. A 63-year-old man said that the only public facility he could visit was the cemetery because he did not own a smartphone. Shops are selling secondhand phones with the app already loaded to cater to the technologically hobbled and those suspicious of government.
Seoul is developing a metaverse government platform
Quartz
@CamilleSquires
Seoul says it will be the first major city government to enter the metaverse. On Nov. 3, the South Korean capital announced a plan to make a variety of public services and cultural events available in the metaverse, an immersive internet that relies on virtual reality. If the plan is successful, Seoul residents can visit a virtual city hall to do everything from touring a historic site to filing a civil complaint by donning virtual reality goggles.
This new Android spyware masquerades as legitimate apps
TechCrunch
@CarlyPage_
Security researchers have uncovered a new spyware campaign that’s targeting South Korean residents with Android devices in order to steal confidential data. Unlike other spyware campaigns that typically take advantage of on-device vulnerabilities, this campaign, known as PhoneSpy, hides in plain sight on victims’ devices, masquerading as legitimate Android lifestyle apps, from TV streaming to yoga instruction. In reality, however, the spyware is stealthily exfoliating data from the victim’s device, including login credentials, messages, precise granular location and images. PhoneSpy is also capable of uninstalling any apps, including mobile security apps.
UK
Google wins appeal against UK class action-style suit seeking damages for Safari tracking
TechCrunch
@riptari
Google has won an appeal against a class action-style privacy litigation at the UK Supreme Court — avoiding what could have been up to £3BN in damages had it lost the case. The long-running litigation was brought by veteran consumer rights campaigner, Richard Lloyd, who, since 2017, has been pursing a collective lawsuit, alleging Google applied a Safari workaround to override iPhone users’ privacy settings in Apple’s Safari browser between 2011 and 2012 — and seeking compensation for the breach for the estimated 4 million+ UK iPhone users affected.
Data Privacy Lawsuit Against Google Dismissed by U.K. Supreme Court
Bloomberg
@ellenmilligann
Google won its bid to dismiss a data privacy lawsuit filed on behalf of millions of iPhone users, after the U.K.’s top court said the tech giant couldn’t be served with a class action suit.
Prince Harry claims he predicted January 6 US Capitol riot
The Independent
@graemekmassie
Prince Harry has claimed he predicted the January 6 US Capitol riot but that he was ignored by Twitter boss Jack Dorsey. The royal told a “Re:Wired” panel on the danger of the Internet “lie machine” that he had emailed the entrepreneur about the role the social media platform was playing in Donald Trump’s attempt to stay in power.
Europe
Google loses battle with EU as court upholds 2017 order
CNBC
@Silvia_Amaro
The EU’s General Court ruled Wednesday that the European Commission was right in fining Google for an antirust breach — in what represents a landmark moment for EU policy which could impact the business models of major tech players. The ruling comes after the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, said in 2017 that Google had favored its own comparison shopping services and fined the company 2.42 billion euros ($2.8 billion) for breaching antitrust rules. Alphabet-unit Google contested the claims using the EU’s second-highest court.
How the EU’s Flawed Artificial Intelligence Regulation Endangers the Social Safety Net: Questions and Answers
Human Rights Watch
In April 2021, the European Commission released its 108-page proposal to regulate artificial intelligence (“AI”), describing it as an attempt to ensure a “well-functioning internal market for artificial intelligence systems” that is based on “EU values and fundamental rights.” It is the bloc’s first major attempt to comprehensively regulate such systems, and could have global repercussions.
Beyond the G20: building a Transnational Governance Approach to Cybersecurity
Firenze
@AndreaCalderaro
Digital sovereignty cannot be achieved with protectionism, but by playing an active role in international cooperation in the cyber domain. Bilateral dialogues are also not sufficient to tackle the transnational nature of cyber challenges. The moment is right for Italy to harness the momentum to become an important player in the new push for a truly transnational, inclusive and coordinated governance approach to cybersecurity.
Russia
A new group of cyber mercenaries targets businesses, journalists — including some in Russia
CyberScoop
@TonyaJoRiley
Trend Micro said on Wednesday it has discovered a new Russian-language cyber mercenary group that has been going after targets ranging from Russian businesses to journalists and politicians. Researchers discovered the group after a long-time target of Pawn Storm, a hacking group connected to Russian intelligence, also known as Fancy Bear and APT28, said in March of 2020 that hackers targeted his wife with phishing emails. Trend Micro found that the indicators didn’t match Pawn Storm, and attributed the attacks to another Russian-language group it named Void Balaur.
The Americas
Canadian health systems recovering from breach that forced thousands of appointment cancellations
CyberScoop
@timstarks
Intruders accessed patient and employee data after infiltrating health-related IT systems in a breach that’s only now coming into focus. A security incident affecting the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, first detected Oct. 30, took down multiple health networks, leading to the cancellation of thousands of appointments, including for chemotherapy treatments. The regional Eastern Health authority, which employees 13,000 people, only Thursday announced that its email system was again functioning.
Toronto’s transit agency cyberattack exposes 25,000 employees’ data
TechCrunch
@CarlyPage_
The Toronto Transit Commission has confirmed that the personal information of tens of thousands of employees may have been compromised as a result of a ransomware attack on its systems last month.
Africa
Sudan court orders end to internet cut but services still offline
The East African
A Sudanese court ruled Tuesday that internet services cut during a military coup more than two weeks ago must be restored, a lawyer said. However, the country remained largely offline early Tuesday, despite the court's directive to internet service providers.
Misc
“A grim outlook”: How cyber surveillance is booming on a global scale
MIT Technology Review
@HowellONeill
The increasing overlap between the world’s arms trade and the secretive surveillance industry risks damaging US national security and will create the potential for even more abuse unless more accountability is introduced, according to a new study.
Surveillance Technology at the Fair: Proliferation of Cyber Capabilities in International Arms Markets
Atlantic Council
Winnona DeSombre, Lars Gjesvik, and Johann Ole Willers
We need a new global standard to curb intrusive spyware
Financial Times
@MarietjeSchaake
After more than a decade, democratic governments are finally waking up to the hazards of commercial spyware. Recent media coverage has exposed how authoritarian regimes are using NSO Group’s Pegasus software to spy on journalists and politicians. The EU has now tightened its rules on the export of surveillance technology, and the US Department of Commerce last week determined that Israel-based NSO Group and three other hacking companies were “engaging in activities that are contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States”. However, these modest steps do not go far enough: what’s needed is a global standard to reign in technologies that violate the rights to privacy, free assembly as well as free expression.
The next generation of home robots will be more capable — and perhaps more social
The Washington Post
@chrisvelazco
Wander around any big-box electronics store long enough and you may eventually stumble over a handful of domestic robots designed to tidy up after you. They’re probably somewhere near the refrigerators and the washers and dryers, waiting for you to introduce them to a mess. That’s not exactly the future that decades of speculative fiction foretold. We were promised homes full of intelligent (and sometimes sassy) robotic assistants, not just the cavalcade of glorified, rolling appliances we wound up with. But over the next few years, a new wave of domestic robots could start to do more than just clean up after us.
Events
The Sydney Dialogue
ASPI
@ASPI_ICPC
The Sydney Dialogue is a world-first summit for emerging, critical and cyber technologies. Launching virtually on 17 November, the inaugural Sydney Dialogue will have an Indo-Pacific focus, featuring keynote addresses from Australia’s Prime Minister, Scott Morrison; India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi; and former Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe - as well as a number of panel discussions with experts from around the world. You will hear from political, technology, business and civil society leaders and - as well as the world’s best strategic thinkers - as they generate new ideas, work towards common understandings and formulate possible solutions to maximise the opportunities and minimise the negative consequences of the next wave of new technologies. Head on over to our brand new website to check out the line-up of events and speakers, and register for the virtual sessions you’d like to attend.
The Sydney Dialogue - Keynote Address: Prime Minister of Australia
ASPI
@ASPI_ICPC
The Sydney Dialogue program begins on 17 Nov at 12:30-13:00 AEDT with a keynote address from The Hon Scott Morrison MP, Prime Minister of Australia.
The Sydney Dialogue - Social Reset: A New Compact Between Technology and Government
ASPI
@ASPI_ICPC
The information environment everywhere has come under strain and is being exacerbated by geopolitical tensions. State and non-state actors are actively distorting and manipulating the public square in a way that is both inauthentic and degrading to democratic systems. This disruption has created a rift between social media companies and governments. What is now at stake is the integrity of our information environment and ultimately the stability of societies. But the evolving dynamic of antagonism between governments and social media platforms is inhibiting the type of collaboration needed to overcome this challenge. There is an opportunity for technology platforms and legislators to reset their relationships and build online ecosystems that support free societies. This session on 18 Nov at 12:30-13:30 AEDT will propose new ideas for governments and technology companies to ‘reset’ their relationship and work more collaboratively to restore truth in the public sphere.
The Sydney Dialogue - Keynote Address: Prime Minister of India
ASPI
@ASPI_ICPC
A landmark address from Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlining India’s technology evolution and revolution. Prime Minister Modi will discuss how India’s tech industry is solving global problems and how his government is unleashing the next entrepreneurial and innovation class. The keynote address will be available to all delegates online and publicly broadcast. The facilitated Q&A will be conducted off record. The Prime Minister will be introduced by The Hon Scott Morrison MP, Prime Minister of Australia. This event will be held on 18 Nov at 14:30-15:00 AEDT
The Sydney Dialogue - Contested Space: Collaborating in the New Golden Age of Space
ASPI
@ASPI_ICPC
This session will convene on 19 Nov at 12:00-13:00 AEDT with space leaders from the US, Japan, India, and Australia. It will consider challenges and opportunities in a contested, congested, and competitive space domain. It will explore how the Quad states can work together towards achieving the next giant leap in space exploration - specifically the return of humans to the lunar surface to achieve the ability to undertake crewed missions to Mars. Finally, the panel will consider how a high visibility collaborative project between Quad members in space can deliver a key advance in space globally.
The Sydney Dialogue - Democracies and Global Technology Governance
ASPI
@ASPI_ICPC
There is rising awareness that how technologies are designed, where they come from, and how they are deployed, matters. To preserve human rights and free societies, democracies are coming to realise they need to play a more active role, as a group, shaping global tech governance. Be it standard setting, design principles, ethical frameworks or law enforcement access to digital content, there is a pressing need to ensure the interests of citizens are kept central. This panel on 19 Nov at 13:00-14:00 AEDT will look at how states can best advance global technology governance to preserve freedoms and the important role for the Indo-Pacific.
The Sydney Dialogue - Keynote Address: Former Prime Minister of Japan
ASPI
@ASPI_ICPC
Day 3 will finish with a keynote address from Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, with introductory remarks from the former Australian Prime Minister, John Howard OM AC. 19 Nov 14:00-14:30 AEDT
The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence 11-12 November 2021 Paris
GPAI
Leading international AI experts from civil society, academia, industry and governments, including ministerial-level delegates from GPAI’s Membership, will come together for GPAI’s annual event.This important occasion offers GPAI experts and Member governments the opportunity to showcase recent developments from GPAI working groups in order to discuss how their collective efforts can be best harnessed to advance the responsible development and utilization of this technology. Aiming to engage external partnerships as well, this public-facing event will include reporting on the ten Working Groups’ study topics, from the 2021 Work Plan (https://gpai.ai/projects), as well as additional reflection sessions facilitated by France as the host country.
Tech for Democracy - Days of Action & Virtual Conference November 2021
Tech For Democracy
More than ever, technology is changing the world, transforming how we communicate, inform ourselves and make decisions. Digital solutions can promote human rights, bring people closer to the decisions that influence their lives and make democratic institutions stronger and more responsive. Yet online, expectations and aspirations for democracy have not fully been met. Digital technologies pose a severe threat to democracies globally and our democratic practices. This calls for joint action. In November 2021, we will kick-off a multi-stakeholder dialogue and lay the ground for a year of action with our Days of Action and a big, virtual conference on 18 November.
Research
Walking on APT31 infrastructure footprints
SEKOIA.IO
APT31 (aka Zirconium or Judgment Panda) is an Advanced Persistent Threat group whose mission is likely to gather intelligence on behalf of the Chinese government. Similar to other nation-state actors, the group is focusing on data of interest to the PRC (People’s Republic of China) and its strategic and geopolitical ambitions, rather than on specific verticals. The Chinese adversaries are considered some of the most prolific state-sponsored cyber actors on the planet. According to Microsoft’s observations, from July 2020 to June 2021, China-based threat actors displayed the strongest interest in targeting critical infrastructure among all the other nation-state threats.
Internet Impact Briefs: Assess How Policies May Affect the Internet
Internet Society
@ndunleavy @carlgahnberg
Last year we launched the Internet Impact Assessment Toolkit (IIAT) to empower people worldwide to promote better decisions about the Internet. This set of tools has enabled Internet Society chapters, members, partners, funders and supporters worldwide to engage in conversations about the impact legislation and business decisions would have on the Internet – and to advocate for the Internet we want
Civitas: Institute for the Study of Civil Society Discussion paper: The acquisition of Newport Wafer Fab by China’s Wingtech in the context of China’s semiconductor strategy
Civitas: Institute for the Study of Civil Society
Radomir Tylecote Henri Rossano
The purchase of the Newport Wafer Fab (NWF) by Dutch company Nexperia – a subsidiary of Chinese firm Wingtech – is currently under review by the UK Government on public interest grounds, and may still be reversed. This discussion paper by Dr Radomir Tylecote and Henri Rossano suggests this ‘acquisition exists within the context of a Chinese state strategy to increase China’s control of semiconductor supply chains, which has potentially serious implications for national security.’
Making the Concept of Violence Central to the Study of Offensive Cyber Operations
Offensive Cyber Working Group
Dr Florian J Egloff and Dr James Shires
Cyberspace is everywhere. It is so prevalent that the concept has started to lose its functional utility – and, as the recent Facebook rebrand demonstrates, big tech companies still want to make cyber interactions even more seamless and attractive. For the majority of the world’s population with access to the internet, life offline is increasingly difficult to imagine; and for those without, this lack is increasingly understood as detrimental to their fundamental human rights.
Who are latest targets of cyber group Lyceum?
Accenture
Accenture’s Cyber Threat Intelligence (ACTI) group and Prevailion’s Adversarial Counterintelligence Team (PACT) dug into recently publicized campaigns of the cyber espionage threat group Lyceum (aka HEXANE, Spirlin) to further analyze the operational infrastructure and victimology of this actor. The team’s findings corroborate and reinforce previous ClearSky and Kaspersky research indicating a primary focus on computer network intrusion events aimed at telecommunications providers in the Middle East.
Cybersecurity in Southeast Asia: a vision for Vietnam. Interview with Dr Nguyen Viet Lam
Journal of Cyber Policy
Esther Naylor, Research Analyst, International Security Programme, and a member of the Journal of Cyber Policy’s editorial team, spoke with Dr Nguyen Viet Lam, First Secretary, United Nations Security Council, Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations, to discuss cybersecurity in Southeast Asia, and how Vietnam’s goals of greater national cybersecurity can support regional cooperation on cyber.
Jobs
ICPC Analyst & Project Manager - Coercive diplomacy
ASPI ICPC
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre (ICPC) has a unique opportunity for an Analyst and Project Manager to manage, and help lead, a project on coercive diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific region... This new role will focus on analysis, workshops and stakeholder engagement centred around coercive diplomacy, including how countries in the Indo-Pacific can work together to tackle this complicated policy challenge.
ICPC Senior Analyst or Analyst - China
ASPI ICPC
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre (ICPC) has a unique opportunity for exceptional and experienced China-focused senior analysts or analysts to join its centre. This role will focus on original research and analysis centred around the (growing) range of topics which our ICPC China team work on. Our China team produces some of the most impactful and well-read policy-relevant research in the world, with our experts often being called upon by politicians, governments, corporates and civil society actors to provide briefings and advice. Analysts usually have at least 5 years, often 7-10 years’ of work experience. Senior analysts usually have a minimum of 15 years relevant work experience and, in addition to research, they take on a leadership role in the centre and tend to be involved in staff and project management, fundraising and stakeholder engagement.
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