ChatGPT maker OpenAI unveils new model GPT-4 | India is a science-tech leader in the making | China tightens grip on emerging tech, spooking foreign investors
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The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest focuses on the topics we work on, including cybersecurity, critical technologies, foreign interference & disinformation.
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OpenAI has released GPT-4, its latest artificial intelligence model that it claims exhibits “human-level performance” on several academic and professional benchmarks such as the US bar exam, advanced placement tests and the SAT school exams. Financial Times
Critical and emerging technologies are reshaping the future. This message was repeated in New Delhi recently as India hosted the G20 and Quad foreign ministers’ meetings, and the well-known geopolitical conference, The Raisina Dialogue. The foreign delegations were in India to deepen collaboration with the country on foreign policy, trade, defence, national security and education. Hindustan Times
China seeks to extend the growing state influence over its technology sector into new manufacturing fields amid the threat of U.S. sanctions, leaving foreign investors spooked about government involvement in areas expected to drive the country's economy. Nikkei Asia
ASPI
India is a science-tech leader in the making
Hindustan Times
Danielle Cave, Jamie Gaida and Baani Grewal
Critical and emerging technologies are reshaping the future. This message was repeated in New Delhi recently as India hosted the G20 and Quad foreign ministers’ meetings, and the well-known geopolitical conference, The Raisina Dialogue. The foreign delegations were in India to deepen collaboration with the country on foreign policy, trade, defence, national security and education.
What is the AUKUS pact?
The Economist
A recent report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a think-tank, showed that China has a global lead in 37 of 44 key technologies, measured by “high-impact” research papers. The idea is that by pooling talent and resources, whether on submarine construction or AI, America and its allies can compete more effectively and close that gap.
US sanctions boost China’s R&D investment and output in some hi-tech fields: Chinese study
South China Morning Post
Stephen Chen
US sanctions against China’s hi-tech sectors increased the country’s research and development investment in these sectors by 52.9 per cent, according to a new study by Chinese researchers. China leads the world in all 12 technological sectors related to advanced materials and manufacturing, according to a recent report – the “Critical Technology Tracker” – by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
World
Medusa ransomware gang picks up steam as it targets companies worldwide
Bleeping Computer
Lawrence Abrams
A ransomware operation known as Medusa has begun to pick up steam in 2023, targeting corporate victims worldwide with million-dollar ransom demands.
Australia
With digital ID top of mind, have government biometrics finally beaten fraud?
The Mandarin
Joshua Gliddon
NSW leads Australia with its imminent digital ID program, but the federal government would like to think it’s closing in fast. It’s set to collaborate with NSW on a national digital ID program designed to be portable, safe and secure.
Read our report; ‘The future of digital identity in Australia’
NSW government considers banning TikTok on all public sector devices
The Guardian
Tamsin Rose and Josh Taylor
The New South Wales government is considering banning public sector employees from using TikTok on work devices, engaging federal cybersecurity agencies for advice amid concerns over the social video app’s links to China.
NSW Labor says it would consider trying to introduce phone jammers in schools amid mobile ban
9 News
Savannah Meacham
The NSW Labor party is considering introducing mobile phone jammers in schools to crack down on smartphone misuse during class hours.
China
China tightens grip on emerging tech, spooking foreign investors
Nikkei Asia
Noriyuki Doi
China seeks to extend the growing state influence over its technology sector into new manufacturing fields amid the threat of U.S. sanctions, leaving foreign investors spooked about government involvement in areas expected to drive the country's economy.
China’s internet watchdog ramps up campaign against social media misinformation, silences Shanghai talk show star after post on Russia
South China Morning Post
Lilian Zhang
China’s internet regulator has kicked off a two-month campaign targeting misinformation and “illegal profit-making” across all domestic social media platforms, as Beijing continues to reinforce its control over the country’s closed cyberspace.
China exerts control over internet cable projects in South China Sea
Financial Times
Anna Gross, Alexandra Heal, Demetri Sevastopulo, Kathrin Hille and Mercedes Ruehl
China has begun to impede projects to lay and maintain subsea internet cables through the South China Sea, as Beijing seeks to exert more control over the infrastructure transmitting the world’s data.
USA
Hacker posts more D.C. Health Link data online, exposing lawmakers’ personal information
CyberScoop
AJ Vicens, Benjamin Freed and Tonya Riley
The recent breach of D.C. Health Link, a health care insurance exchange that serves the nation’s lawmakers and Washington residents, exposed the sensitive information of 21 current members of Congress, two senior congressional aides familiar with the matter told CyberScoop on Monday.
Medical device giant says cyberattack leaked sensitive data of 1 million people
The Record by Recorded Future
Jonathan Greig
Medical device maker Zoll said a cyberattack in January exposed the sensitive information of more than 1 million people. In documents provided to Maine’s Attorney General, Zoll said the incident started on January 28 when they “detected unusual activity” on their internal network. The company added that information was accessed on February 2.
Ring won’t say if it was hacked after ransomware gang claims attack
TechCrunch
Carly Page and Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
On Monday, the ransomware group ALPHV listed the video doorbell maker Ring as a victim on its dark website. “There’s always an option to let us leak your data,” the Russia-linked group wrote alongside the listing, seen by TechCrunch. In a statement given to TechCrunch, Ring spokesperson Emma Daniels said the company currently has “no indications that Ring has experienced a ransomware event,” but would not say if the company has the technical ability, such as logs, to detect if any data was accessed or exfiltrated.
CISA unveils ransomware warning pilot for critical infrastructure
The Record by Recorded Future
Martin Matishak
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on Monday unveiled an effort that will collect data about commonly exploited vulnerabilities in ransomware attacks and alert critical infrastructure operators of the risks.
Pentagon requests science & tech research boost, but China remains ahead
Defense One
Patrick Tucker
The Pentagon is seeking $17.8 billion for science and technology research, up from last year's $16.5 billion request, which was itself up from the previous year. But China still appears to have the lead in several key areas of emerging technology.
Silicon Valley, once the underdog, is now too big to fail
The Washington Post
Will Oremus
On Sunday, the U.S. government stepped in to backstop depositors in Silicon Valley Bank when no one else would. The move came after venture capitalists panicked last week and advised their tech-startup clients to pull money out, sparking a bank run that led to the second-largest bank collapse in the country’s history. And it followed a weekend of pleading from industry leaders who warned that if the government didn’t ride to the rescue, the entire start-up ecosystem would be devastated.
North Asia
Are they for real? South Korean girl band offers glimpse into metaverse
Reuters
Hyunsu Yim
At first glance, MAVE: looks like any other idolised K-pop band - except it only exists virtually. Its four members - SIU, ZENA, TYRA and MARTY - live in the metaverse, their songs, dances, interviews and even their hairstyles created by web designers and artificial intelligence.
Taking page from Ukraine, Taiwan shows off new killer drones
The Japan Times
Gabriel Dominguez
Taiwan’s top military research unit has unveiled a series of locally made attack and surveillance drones — including a loitering munition similar in appearance to the U.S.-made AeroVironment Switchblade 300 drone deployed by Ukraine — as the self-ruled island focuses on asymmetric capabilities to defend against the much larger Chinese military.
U.K.'s Oxford Quantum Circuits set to enter Japan
Nikkei Asia
A quantum computing startup that began life at the University of Oxford in the U.K. is set to enter the Japanese market, possibly by late this year, making its service available to Japanese companies via the cloud using computers in Tokyo.
South & Central Asia
India plans new security testing for smartphones, crackdown on pre-installed apps
Reuters
Munsif Vengattil and Aditya Kalra
India plans to force smartphone makers to allow removal of pre-installed apps and mandate screening of major operating system updates under proposed new security rules, according to two people and a government document seen by Reuters.
Europe
UK
TikTok could be banned in the UK, security minister suggests
The Telegraph
Danielle Sheridan
TikTok could be banned in the UK, the security minister has suggested. Tom Tugendhat said he is awaiting a review from the National Cyber Security Centre before deciding on the “hugely important question” involving the Chinese-owned social media app.
Big Tech
TikTok accused of mishandling sexual harassment allegations
Financial Times
Cristina Criddle
TikTok has been accused of mishandling allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment against a senior manager in London, highlighting longstanding concerns about the working culture at the fast-growing social media platform.
Is this TikTok’s Huawei moment?
Foreign Policy
Rishi Iyengar
TikTok has spent two years and $1.5 billion on Project Texas, and is also rolling out a similar initiative tailored to European data security laws known as Project Clover, according to the company. But nothing is coming up clover for TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance. The U.S. federal government, plenty of states, and U.S. allies overseas are all worried about the tech company’s ability to hoover up sensitive user data.
Twitter’s $42,000-per-month API prices out nearly everyone
WIRED
Chris Stokel-Walker
Twitter’s API is used by vast numbers of researchers. Since 2020, there have been more than 17,500 academic papers based on the platform’s data, giving strength to the argument that Twitter owner Elon Musk has long claimed, that the platform is the “de facto town square.” But new charges, included in documentation seen by WIRED, suggest that most organizations that have relied on API access to conduct research will now be priced out of using Twitter.
Meta to cut another 10,000 jobs and cancel ‘low priority projects’
TechCrunch
Manish Singh and Paul Sawers
Meta plans to cut its workforce by another 10,000 people and withdraw around 5,000 open roles that it had yet to fill, company co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday, confirming recent rumors that another round of layoffs was imminent.
Artificial Intelligence
ChatGPT maker OpenAI unveils new model GPT-4
Financial Times
Madhumita Murgia
OpenAI has released GPT-4, its latest artificial intelligence model that it claims exhibits “human-level performance” on several academic and professional benchmarks such as the US bar exam, advanced placement tests and the SAT school exams.
Google unveils 'magic wand' to draft documents as AI race tightens
Reuters
Jeffrey Dastin
Alphabet’s Google on Tuesday unveiled a flurry of artificial intelligence tools for its email, collaboration and cloud software, taking aim at Microsoft Corp days before its rival is expected to make a similar announcement.
‘Let 1,000 flowers bloom’: A.I. funding frenzy escalates
The New York Times
Erin Griffith and Cade Metz
Over the past few months, a gold rush into start-ups working on “generative” artificial intelligence has escalated into a no-holds-barred deal-making mania. The interest has mounted so rapidly that A.I. start-up valuations are soaring beyond that of 2021’s “everything bubble,” with investors trawling the rosters of companies like Google, Meta and OpenAI for A.I. experts who may have an itch to start their own company.
Media companies likely to seek compensation from AI firms
The Australian
Sophie Elsworth
Swift action is needed to ensure media outlets are paid for their content that is used by artificial intelligence firms and distributed to a mass audience, according to a leading technology expert.
How AI could write our laws
MIT Technology Review
Nathan E. Sanders and Bruce Schneier
What would happen if such legal-but-sneaky strategies for tilting the rules in favor of one group over another become more widespread and effective? We can see hints of an answer in the remarkable pace at which artificial-intelligence tools for everything from writing to graphic design are being developed and improved. And the unavoidable conclusion is that AI will make lobbying more guileful, and perhaps more successful.
Misc
Ransomware attacks have entered a ‘heinous’ new phase
WIRED
Lily May Newman
“As fewer victims pay the ransom, ransomware actors are getting more aggressive in their extortion techniques,” says Allan Liska, an analyst for the security firm Recorded Future who specializes in ransomware. “I think we’ll see more of that. It follows closely patterns in kidnapping cases, where when victims’ families refused to pay, the kidnappers might send an ear or other body part of the victim.”
How Silicon Valley Bank's collapse ripped through global tech
Reuters
Martin Coulter
While the global effects of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse are just emerging, one thing is clear: tech startups, no matter how far apart, are intertwined. Many depend on a single mid-sized bank for their day-to-day operations.
Events & Podcasts
'AI Adoption in the UK: Putting AI into Action’ report launch
techUK
The launch of techUK’s latest report titled ‘AI Adoption in the UK: Putting AI into Action’ is a celebration of how far the UK has come in implementing this technology across multiple sectors, and a deep dive into how industry and Government can widen adoption to make the country a global AI superpower. Join us for an afternoon to learn from industry leaders and policymakers leading the UK’s transition to an AI-enabled economy where you can ask your questions to them directly.
Jobs
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.
The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest is brought to you by the team at ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre.