China seeks Pacific island security cooperation | Russian hackers linked to new Brexit website leak | Twitter pays $150 million to settle privacy & security violation lawsuit
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China will seek a region-wide deal with almost a dozen Pacific island countries covering policing, security and data communication cooperation when Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosts a meeting in Fiji next week. Reuters
A new website that published leaked emails from several leading proponents of Britain's exit from the European Union is tied to Russian hackers, according to a Google cybersecurity official and the former head of UK foreign intelligence. Reuters
Twitter has settled with U.S. authorities over allegations it misrepresented the ‘security and privacy’ of user data between May 2013 and September 2019, according to court documents filed on Wednesday. Twitter will pay $150 million as part of the settlement. Reuters
ASPI ICPC
Quad countries finish mapping critical minerals vulnerabilities
InnovationAus
Denham Sadler
The Critical and Emerging Technologies Working Group, launched at the first Quad meeting in March last year, has now finished mapping collective capacity and vulnerabilities in global semiconductor supply chains... A report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute late last year found that Australia and its Quad partners need to better cooperate on critical technologies and launch a co-investment vehicle to support this and counter the dominance of China in the space.
The World
The Quad goes to sea
War on the Rocks
Zack Cooper and Gregory Poling
The biggest announcement from President Joe Biden’s trip to Asia may be the one that got the least attention. The Quad, a grouping consisting of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, has just announced a maritime domain awareness partnership that will provide a new stream of data from commercial satellites to countries across the Indo-Pacific.
Ukraine - Russia
No war for old spies: Putin, the Kremlin and intelligence
RUSI
Phillip Davies and Toby Steward
The Russian offensive against Ukraine has been dogged by a cascade of intelligence failures at every level of command. This has ranged from completely failing to assess the likelihood and shape of a unified Western response and Ukraine’s determined resistance, to inadequate preparations for Ukraine’s ‘mud season’ and a bewildering lack of any effective operational security (OPSEC) measures.
Australia
Investigation reveals tracking by EdTech of millions of Australian school students during COVID lockdowns
ABC News
Conor Duffy and John Stewart
More than 4 million Australian school students were at risk of unprecedented tracking and surveillance during remote learning as corporations exploited their access to children.
China
China seeks Pacific islands policing, security cooperation
Reuters
Kirsty Needham
China will seek a region-wide deal with almost a dozen Pacific island countries covering policing, security and data communication cooperation when Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosts a meeting in Fiji next week, documents seen by Reuters show.
China military must be able to destroy Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites if they threaten national security
South China Morning Post
Stephen Chen
Chinese military researchers say the country needs to be able to disable or destroy SpaceX’s Starlink satellites if they threaten national security.
USA
CISA assures lawmakers on protecting 5G networks from EMP
Breaking Defense
Theresa Hitchens
The Homeland Security Department’s cyber agency has assured lawmakers that it is working to understand the potential impacts of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) on 5G cellular communications, as the US government — including the Pentagon — rushes to keep pace with China.
Buffalo suspect's posts about attack plans could be seen online 30 minutes before mass shooting
CNN
Aya Elamroussi, Artemis Moshtaghian and Rob Freshe
Thirty minutes before an 18-year-old White man allegedly carried out a racist mass shooting Saturday at a supermarket in a mostly Black enclave of Buffalo, New York, he revealed his monthslong plot to some on social media.
Data on ransomware attacks is 'fragmented and incomplete' warns Senate report
ZDNet
Liam Tung
The government lacks comprehensive data on ransomware attacks and suffers from fragmented reporting, according to a new US Senate committee report.
South & Central Asia
Pakistan shuts down internet ahead of protests over ousting of prime minister
The Record by Recorded Future
Jonathan Greig
Internet service in Pakistan is being artificially limited as the government seeks to shut down protests organized by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who became the first leader in the country’s history to be removed from office in a no-confidence motion in parliament on April 10.
Multiple flights across India grounded after SpiceJet airline hit with ransomware
The Record by Recorded Future
Jonathan Greig
Hundreds of people are stranded at airports across India after the SpiceJet airline reported on Wednesday that it was hit with a ransomware attack.
UK
Russian hackers are linked to new Brexit leak website, Google says
Reuters
Raphael Satter, James Pearson and Christoper Bing
A new website that published leaked emails from several leading proponents of Britain's exit from the European Union is tied to Russian hackers, according to a Google cybersecurity official and the former head of UK foreign intelligence.
UK orders national security assessment of sale of microchip factory to China's Nexperia
Reuters
Kylie MacLellan
The acquisition of Britain's biggest microchip factory Newport Wafer Fab by Chinese-owned technology company Nexperia has been called in for a full national security assessment, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said on Wednesday.
Europe
European defence fund: €1 billion to boost the EU's defence capabilities and new tools for defence innovation
European Commission
Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market, said: “Today, we decided to mobilise €1 billion of the EU budget this year to develop common defence projects notably in space, cyber and various high-end capabilities.”
Italy unveils its first-ever national cybersecurity strategy
Decode39
Francesco Bechis
Mario Draghi’s government has published the final document outlining the country’s digital roadmap. Security, innovation and development are key priorities, and the implementation plan hinges on public-private partnership.
Americas
Canada's plans for a No-China 5G is a geoeconomic ricochet of rejection
ORF
Gautam Chikermane
Canada banning Chinese companies - Huawei and ZTE - from its 5G telecommunications networks comes a little late, but is in the right direction as far as the privacy of its citizens and security of communications go.
Africa
Alleged leader of Nigerian email fraud group has been captured, Interpol says
The Record by Recorded Future
Joe Warminsky
Interpol said Wednesday that it struck a major blow against a cybercrime group known for business email compromise (BEC) scams aimed at stealing money from companies around the world. The international law enforcement agency announced that the cybercrime unit of Nigeria’s national police arrested a 37-year-old Nigerian man suspected to be the leader of a BEC group known as SilverTerrier to cybersecurity researchers.
Big Tech
Twitter to pay $150 mln to settle with U.S. over privacy, security violations
Reuters
Diane Bartz
Twitter has settled with U.S. authorities over allegations it misrepresented the ‘security and privacy’ of user data between May 2013 and September 2019, according to court documents filed on Wednesday. Twitter will pay $150 million as part of the settlement, according to the documents.
DuckDuckGo browser allows Microsoft trackers due to search agreement
Bleeping Computer
Lawrence Abrams
The privacy-focused DuckDuckGo browser purposely allows Microsoft trackers on third-party sites due to an agreement in their syndicated search content contract between the two companies.
Musk to provide $6.25 billion more in equity to fund Twitter deal
Reuters
Eva Mathews and Richard Francis
Elon Musk said on Wednesday he will secure an additional $6.25 billion in equity financing to fund the $44-billion offer for Twitter, reducing the billionaire's margin loan to zero and signaling he is working to complete the deal.
Female avatar sexually assaulted in Meta VR platform, campaigners say
BBC News
Campaigners say the avatar of a 21-year-old researcher was sexually assaulted in Meta's virtual reality platform Horizon Worlds.
Twitter’s chief tries staying the course as Elon Musk upends plans
The New York Times
Mike Isaac and Kate Conger
Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s chief executive, is grappling with a takeover where nobody “would want to be in those shoes.”
Research
‘Quantum internet’ inches closer with advance in data teleportation
The New York Times
Cade Metz
Scientists have improved their ability to send quantum information across distant computers — and have taken another step toward the network of the future.
Jobs
The Sydney Dialogue - Senior Events Coordinator
ASPI ICPC
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) is currently recruiting for an experienced events professional to coordinate the planning and logistics of the second iteration of ASPI’s Sydney Dialogue - the world’s premier summit on emerging, critical and cyber technologies.
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.