Australia concluded China was behind hack on parliament, political parties | Database leaks data on most of Ecuador's citizens | Russia carried out a 'stunning' breach of FBI comms
The Daily Digest focuses on the topics we work on, including cyber, critical technologies & strategic issues like foreign interference.
Australian intelligence determined China was responsible for a cyber-attack on its national parliament and three largest political parties before the general election in May and kept it secret to protect trade. Reuters
The personal records of most of Ecuador's population, including children, has been left exposed online due to a misconfigured database. The most extensive data was the one that appears to have been gathered from the Ecuadorian government's civil registry. ZDNet
Russia carried out a 'stunning' breach of FBI communications system, escalating the spy game on U.S. soil. The operation, which targeted FBI communications, hampered the bureau’s ability to track Russian spies on U.S. soil at a time of increasing tension with Moscow, forced the FBI and CIA to cease contact with some of their Russian assets. Yahoo
ASPI ICPC
Australia's Cyber Strategy, version 2.0
ASPI ICPC
Back in 2016, Australia launched its first national cybersecurity strategy. The strategy covers a four-year period to 2020, and given the changes in the security environment, an update is now clearly warranted. To that end, the government has just launched a discussion paper to kick off the public consultation. The closing date for submissions on the discussion paper is 1 November.To complement the public submission process, ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre is initiating a public debate on what should be included in the next cybersecurity strategy. Contributions will be compiled into a report that we will deliver to the Department of Home Affairs to inform the strategy’s development.
New surveillance tech means you'll never be anonymous again
Wired
@elisethoma5
Forget facial recognition. Researchers around the world are creating new ways to monitor you. Lasers detecting your heartbeat and microbiome are already being developed.
World
UN debates cyber treaty, norms
Politico
@timstarks
In past days diplomats gathered in New York for discussions on how international law should stop all-out cyber warfare... It’s the first substantial discussion of the U.N. cyber group created at the initiative of Russia. Any country can participate in the process. China, Iran, Canada, Australia and others filed written contributions. Many others intervened in past days.
Australia
Privacy concerns as Victorian driver's licences uploaded to national face-matching database
Herald Sun
@Media_Matt
A new national facial recognition database will be used to help police crack down on identity theft and other crime but there are Victorian concerns about privacy protections.
Smart regulation must promote trust, innovation and choice for all Australians
Facebook Australia Policy
In our submission to the Australian Government on the Digital Platforms Inquiry, we have proposed constructive solutions to help work towards a smart regulatory framework for the future of the internet. Our aim is to achieve clear rules that deliver economy-wide privacy protection, data portability and a user-focused digital news distribution model, while preserving the many benefits that technology delivers to Australians.
Russian propaganda stoking 5G health fears in Australia'
SMH
@chrizap
False claims that 5G telecommunications technology causes a host of serious illnesses are "very likely" being amplified by the Kremlin's media network and being repeated by Australians, according to new analysis.
One of Baduciao's political artworks depicting Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam.
Artist receives death threats for his subversive political artworks aimed at Chinese government
News
@MrsBecFranks
Baduciao said he had received daily death threats on social media, cyber attacks, a possible home invasion, had been followed by people who he believed were agents of China and seen strange cars parked outside his home as a direct result of his artwork.
USA
TikTok’s Beijing roots fuel censorship suspicion as it builds a huge U.S. audience
Washington Post
@drewharwell @TonyRomm
Social media has been a quintessentially American journey rooted in ideas about creative expression and freedom of speech. But the rise of the Chinese video app TikTok could signal an end to Western dominance of the Internet’s megaphones — and an ideological change in what people see on the Web.
Ex-Google worker fears 'killer robots' could cause mass atrocities
The Guradian
A new generation of autonomous weapons or “killer robots” could accidentally start a war or cause mass atrocities, a former top Google software engineer has warned. Laura Nolan, who resigned from Google last year in protest at being sent to work on a project to dramatically enhance US military drone technology, has called for all AI killing machines not operated by humans to be banned.
The FBI Hunts Chinese Spies At An Elite American Children’s Hospital
Forbes
Federal agents have been fighting the theft of American military and tech secrets by the Chinese government and companies for decades, but the Zhou and Chen case offers a glimpse into the perceived depth of the problem. The scientific breakthroughs the pair are accused of stealing and taking back to China are niche to the point of being incomprehensible to the layman.
Senators Urge F.C.C. to Review Licenses of 2 Chinese Telecom Companies
NYT
@dmccabe
The Senate’s top Democrat plans on Monday to ask the Federal Communications Commission to consider whether two major Chinese telecommunications companies should be barred from operating in the United States.
Sen. Ben Sasse warns of cyber war with China
NY Post
GOP Sen. Ben Sasse warned of a doomsday scenario in which China wipes out US satellites to cripple the military’s GPS and communications systems in a cyber war that takes place in outer space. “China has envisioned a lot of game theory that has them sort of blowing up everything in the near-space early in a conflict, which would take away lots of things like GPS,” the Nebraska lawmaker told John Catsimatidis on his AM 970 radio show in an interview that aired Sunday. “It would be absolutely disastrous.”
Washington, Silicon Valley Struggle to Unify on Protecting Elections
WSJ
@dnvolz @dseetharaman
A recent meeting between U.S. national-security officials and Silicon Valley executives shows how the two sides aren’t unified on how best to combat foreign election interference.
Bama tracking students to check 4-quarter stays
ESPN
@AlexS_ESPN
The University of Alabama is offering an incentive for students to stay inside Bryant-Denny Stadium for the entire game by utilizing location tracking through a new phone application. The app monitors when students enter the stadium for Crimson Tide games -- and when they leave. Students receive 100 Tide Loyalty Points for attending a home football game and 250 points per game for staying all four quarters. Those points can then be used toward priority access to student football tickets.
South Asia
A zero-day is here. India should quickly build an impenetrable firewall in the age of cyberwarfare
Prime
With the Persian Gulf becoming a hotbed of cyberwarfare and countries such as the US, China, and Russia engaging in covert and offensive digital operations, the clock is ticking on India. Though the country flagged off its proactive defence initiative with the CyberEx earlier this year, creating a comprehensive deterrence mechanism is still a long haul.
UK
Teenager arrested in UK for allegedly hacking 'world-famous' musicians
Cyber Scoop
@snlyngaas
A 19-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly hacking the websites and “cloud-based accounts” of “world-famous” musicians, stealing their unreleased work, and selling the music for cryptocurrency.
Europe
Estonia plans to restrict govt use of Huawei 5G technology
Seattle Times
Estonia, which is among Europe’s most wired and technologically advanced nations, is set to restrict the use of equipment and technology from Chinese telecom giant Huawei in its government sector, citing security concerns and recommendations by the U.S., a key NATO ally.
Russia
Russia carried out a 'stunning' breach of FBI communications system, escalating the spy game on U.S. soil
Yahoo
@zachsdorfman @JennaMC_Laugh @SeanDNaylor
The operation, which targeted FBI communications, hampered the bureau’s ability to track Russian spies on U.S. soil at a time of increasing tension with Moscow, forced the FBI and CIA to cease contact with some of their Russian assets, and prompted tighter security procedures at key U.S. national security facilities in the Washington area and elsewhere, according to former U.S. officials.
South America
Database leaks data on most of Ecuador's citizens, including 6.7 million children
ZDNet
The personal records of most of Ecuador's population, including children, has been left exposed online due to a misconfigured database, ZDNet has learned... The most extensive data was the one that appears to have been gathered from the Ecuadorian government's civil registry... We were able to find records for the country's president, and even Julian Assange, who once received political asylum from the small South American country, and was issued a national ID number.
Canada
Investigation into senior RCMP official stemmed from disruption of encrypted phone service
Global News
There are new details in the case of Cameron Ortis, the RCMP intelligence director accused of leaking secrets. The arrest of a senior RCMP official was the fruit of a 2018 international police operation that targeted the encrypted communications service Phantom Secure, sources have told Global News. An outfit that sold untraceable smartphones to criminals so they could evade police, Phantom Secure was dismantled last year by authorities in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and Thailand.
Middle East
Israeli police arrest execs from vendor of mobile surveillance tech
ZDNet
@campuscodi
Israeli police have raided the offices of a company that sells mobile communications interception tools and arrested several high-ranking executes, local media reported. The raids targeted the offices of Ability Computer & Software and Ability Security Systems, two subsidiaries of Ability Inc., an Israeli company that sells mobile hacking tools to law enforcement agencies across the globe.
State Document Reveals Details of Iran’s Cryptocurrency Mining Regulations
Bitcoin Magazine
@MotamediMaziar
Iran’s Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade is close to finalizing a document that paves the way for legitimizing cryptocurrency mining for local and foreign citizens in the foreseeable future.
Events
Recognising and Responding to China's Technology Transfer Efforts - Alex Joske
Australian Army Research Centre
@alexjoske
Examining the ecosystem the Chinese Communist Party has developed to foster overt and clandestine technology transfer from abroad. Analysing these activities in the context of China’s military-civil fusion strategy, the presentation will focus on non-traditional forms of economic espionage such as talent recruitment schemes and united front work. An understanding of these technology transfer efforts can help formulate effective responses that protect and support Australian defence industry, research and technology.
Senator Mark R. Warner on U.S.-China Competition
USIP
Date: Monday, September 23, 2019
Time: 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Venue: U.S. Institute of Peace 2301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
Join USIP as we host Sen. Warner as for remarks on the state of U.S. competition with China. Sen. Warner will discuss the importance of U.S. leadership at home, through public-private partnerships, and abroad, with partners and allies.
The Digital Revolution in the Pacific
ASPI ICPC
DATE: 3 October 2019
TIME: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
VENUE: ASPI Auditorium, Ground Level, 40 Macquarie St, Barton, Canberra 2600ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre warmly invites you to attend a panel discussion to consider how governments and businesses in the Pacific Islands are reaping the benefits and tackling the challenges stemming from increased internet and mobile connectivity. REGISTER HERE
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