Chinese diplomat threatened Faroese leader over Huawei | Pensacola hit by cyberattack following shooting at military base | ‘Spymaster’ linked to Australian defector has ties to Chinese defence
Follow us on Twitter. The Daily Cyber Digest focuses on the topics we work on, including cyber, critical technologies & strategic issues like foreign interference.
China's ambassador to Denmark, Mr. Feng Tie, made overt threats to prominent members of the Faroese government in order to secure a strategically important contract for the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, by indicating that the Chinese government would drop a free trade agreement with the Faroe Islands if the company did not get the contract. Berlingske
Pensacola Hit by Cyber-attack Days After Shooting at Military Base. Florida city's emails, phone lines and 311 customer services have been affected. The Wall Street Journal
Chinese defector Wang Liqiang’s former employer has extensive links to the People’s Liberation Army’s defence technology arm, which has been implicated in the theft of military secrets and political interference. The Australian
ICPC
Analysing Wang Liqiang’s claims about China’s military networks
The Strategist
@alexjoske
Open-source research reveals a web of links to COSTIND, a defence technology agency implicated in political interference and espionage. Much commentary has focused on casting doubt on Wang's claims without carrying out research to test them. What we can find is that Xiang Xin has no fewer than 9 business partners or colleagues who worked in COSTIND.
Alex’s new research has been featured in:
The Australian: Defector Wang Liqiang’s ex-boss has big defence technology links
Fairfax: 'Spymaster' linked to Australian defector has deep links to defence industry
Read the Twitter thread outlining Xiang Xin’s ties to the PLA defence technology agency implicated in political interference and espionage
Responsible State behaviour in Cyberspace
ASPI
In 2015, the 193 member states of the United Nations unanimously agreed to a framework for responsible behaviour of States in cyberspace. This framework includes a set of 11 norms, rules and principles. In collaboration with some of our partners, ASPI's International Cyber Policy Centre produced two animated video clips that describe and explain the full framework and the of 11 specific norms.
Russia is Beijing’s best ally in the disinformation war against Hong Kong
Quartz
@Jane_Li911
Moscow is helping to spread Beijing's message that Hong Kong's democracy protests are foreign-influenced—a line Russia also takes about democracy protests at home. Meanwhile, Hong Kong Leaks, a doxxing website used to reveal personal details of some Hong Kong pro-democracy figures, was at one time hosted by a Russian service, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank.
Cybersecurity: how are we doing?
The Strategist
@lesleyseebeck
Cybersecurity—at its core—is cloaked in both technical and operational obscurantism. Operationally, an important chunk of what we might think of as cybersecurity’s bandwidth is about countering subversion, espionage and sabotage—all activities where the defender must be just as adept as the attacker in the black arts of disinformation, hiding and diversion. Trying to measure whose artistry is blacker, when both sides are doing all they can to conceal their true capabilities, is a fool’s errand.
Australia
Encryption can't put tech giants beyond the reach of the law, Minister says
The Sydney Morning Herald
@fergushunter
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has declared tech companies cannot be above the law, challenging Facebook's plans to encrypt all its messaging services despite the objections of law enforcement agencies globally.
China
Banned recording reveals China ambassador threatened Faroese leader at secret meeting
Berlingske
@crusoes @lenewinther
China's ambassador to Denmark, Mr. Feng Tie, made overt threats to prominent members of the Faroese government in order to secure a strategically important contract for the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, by indicating that the Chinese government would drop a free trade agreement with the Faroe Islands if the company did not get the contract. This appears from an audio recording which was subsequently banned from publication, Berlingske can now reveal. The recording marks the first instance where the Chinese government has linked access to China's huge market to Huawei being awarded contracts for 5G networks in Europe. Huawei has publicly stated that it is a private company with no ties to the Chinese state.
‘Fangirls’ Defend China From Hong Kong Protesters and the World
Bloomberg
@pingroma
Ever since anti-government demonstrations in Hong Kong turned violent this summer, China’s celebrity-obsessed young generation have patrolled Facebook, Twitter and Weibo, ready to pounce on perceived slights and defend their motherland. Nicknamed “fangirls” because they exhibit the same fervor most often reserved for pop-culture icons, these women and men flood social media with slogans and memes shaming brands -- sometimes with far-reaching consequences.
North America
Pensacola Hit by Cyberattack Days After Shooting at Military Base
The Wall Street Journal
@TalalNAnsari
Pensacola Hit by Cyberattack Days After Shooting at Military Base. Florida city's emails, phone lines and 311 customer services have been affected.
Canadian opposition parties vote to create China committee, handing Liberals first defeat of minority Parliament
The Globe and Mail
@RobertFife
Parliament will set up a special committee to review all aspects of Canada’s strained relationship with China amid a prolonged diplomatic and trade dispute with its second-largest trading partner.. But Mr. O’Toole said a special committee gives MPs the opportunity and time to explore complex consular cases, such as the arrests of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, as well as efforts by Chinese telecom giant Huawei to sell its next generation 5G mobile technology in Canada.
China tried to get World Bank to fund surveillance in Xinjiang
Axios
@BethanyAllenEbr
Chinese recipients of World Bank loans tried to secure funding for the purchase of facial recognition technology for use in China’s northwest region of Xinjiang, according to documents obtained by Axios. Why it matters: The World Bank's loan program in Xinjiang demonstrates the extreme moral hazard that is now facing any organization with operations in the region, where China has constructed a surveillance state and detained more than a million ethnic minorities.
DHS’s Jeanette Manfra to join Google's cloud division
CyberScoop
@snlyngaas
One of the U.S. government’s most influential cybersecurity officials is heading to Google.
Southeast Asia
Vietnam’s Internet Control: Following in China’s Footsteps?
The Diplomat
@jshermcyber
Vietnam’s new cybersecurity law suggests that the government is attempting to follow China’s model of internet control.
Misc
TikTok Owner Is Testing Music App in Bid for Next Global Hit
Bloomberg
@pingroma @Lucas_Shaw
TikTok owner ByteDance Inc. is testing a new music app in emerging markets as it tries to pull off another global sensation akin to its viral video-sharing service.
How Hackers Are Breaking Into Ring Cameras
VICE
@josephfcox @samleecole
After a hacker broke into a Ring camera in Tennessee and spoke to a child, Motherboard found hackers have made dedicated software for gaining access.