Five eyes cybersecurity authorities warn managed service providers are being targeted | Japan passes bill to protect sensitive technology | EU proposes new rules to scan users’ messages for CSAM
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Cybersecurity authorities in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada and New Zealand released a joint advisory Wednesday warning that they “expect malicious cyber actors — including state-sponsored advanced persistent threat (APT) groups — to step up their targeting” of managed service providers, and urged a renewed focus on cyber hygiene. CyberScoop
Japan's parliament on Wednesday passed an economic security bill aimed at guarding technology and reinforcing critical supply chains, while also imposing tighter oversight of Japanese firms working in sensitive sectors or in critical infrastructure. Reuters
The European Commission has proposed controversial new regulation that would require chat apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger to selectively scan users’ private messages for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and “grooming” behavior. The Verge
The World
U.S., allies warn of rising recent and future attacks on managed service providers
CyberScoop
AJ Vicens
Cybersecurity authorities in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada and New Zealand released a joint advisory Wednesday warning that they “expect malicious cyber actors — including state-sponsored advanced persistent threat (APT) groups — to step up their targeting” of managed service providers, and urged a renewed focus on cyber hygiene.
Ukraine - Russia
Ukraine war: The stolen faces used to promote Vladimir Putin
BBC
Juliana Gragnani, Medhavi Arora, and Seraj Ali
Indian influencer ER Yamini has never tweeted in her life - she prefers to cultivate her big fan bases on Instagram and YouTube. But in early March, a Twitter account using her picture tweeted: "#IStandWithPutin. True Friendship" accompanied by a video showing two men hugging - one representing India, the other, Russia.
Australia
Australia has critical minerals for electric vehicles, so isn't it time for a domestic industry?
ABC News
Hannah Jose
As governments across the country seek to capitalise on the growing demand for critical minerals and rare earths, experts warn that, without proper investment, Australia could miss out on a share of a much larger industry: electric vehicles.
China
China censors WHO Chief’s call to end Covid-19 strategy dubbed unsustainable
The Wall Street Journal
Rachel Liang
China’s censors blocked rare public criticism of its zero-Covid strategy by the World Health Organization from social media Wednesday, as officials in Shanghai insisted there would be no change to policies that have locked tens of millions of people in their homes for weeks.
China's digital challenge: Hidden in plain sight, bigger than you thought, and much harder to solve
CSIS
John Hemmings
Last week saw General Secretary Xi Jinping chair the state-level Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission in Beijing. It was an important meeting focused on the challenge of boosting economic growth under pandemic conditions, in part through a new “all-out” effort on infrastructure. It was important for another reason, perhaps a far more important one for the United States. Xi Jinping once again accelerated Digital China, Beijing’s comprehensive digital strategy designed to help it win the future.
USA
How period tracking apps and data privacy fit into a post-Roe v. Wade climate
NPR
Rina Torchinsky
In the wake of the leaked draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, privacy experts are increasingly concerned about how data collected from period-tracking apps, among other applications, could potentially be used to penalize anyone seeking or considering an abortion.
Court revives Texas social media law against banning users for views
Reuters
Brendan Pierson
A federal appeals court on Wednesday allowed a Texas law prohibiting large social media platforms from banning users based on their political views to go into effect while the state appeals a lower court order that had blocked it.
ICE uses data brokers to bypass surveillance restrictions, report finds
The Verge
Corin Faife
The report, from a group of researchers at the Georgetown Law Center on Privacy & Technology, paints a picture of an agency that is able to access the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans and does so largely without accountability through extensive deals with private data brokers.
North Asia
Japan passes economic security bill to guard sensitive technology
Reuters
Kaori Kaneko and Tim Kelly
Japan's parliament on Wednesday passed an economic security bill aimed at guarding technology and reinforcing critical supply chains, while also imposing tighter oversight of Japanese firms working in sensitive sectors or in critical infrastructure.
Southeast Asia
Marcos Jr. benefited from Facebook
Rappler
Rochel Ellen Bernido
The Marcos network painstakingly seeded disinformation and reshaped the narrative surrounding the Marcoses on Facebook over the years prior to build 'an entire fortress of Marcos supporters.'
The world should be worried about a dictator’s son's apparent win in the Philippines
Time
Jonathan Corpus Ong
After a maddening campaign season, which saw a polarized electorate disagree on everything from the methodology of opinion polls to the moral significance of showing up for public debates, voters in the Philippines have elected a new set of leaders.
UK
UK opts for slow reboot of Big Tech rules, pushes ahead on privacy ‘reforms'
TechCrunch
Natasha Lomas
The U.K. government has confirmed it will move forward on a major ex ante competition reform aimed at Big Tech, as it set out its priorities for the new parliamentary session earlier today.
Britain must upgrade cyber defences ‘or be hit by 9/11-style attack’
The Telegraph
Will Bolton
US intelligence chief warns ‘history may repeat itself’ unless governments continually adapt to changing nature of warfare.
Europe
New EU rules would require chat apps to scan private messages for child abuse
The Verge
James Vincent
The European Commission has proposed controversial new regulation that would require chat apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger to selectively scan users’ private messages for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and “grooming” behavior.
Middle East
Alleged Iranian hackers caught targeting Jordan’s foreign ministry
The Record by Recorded Future
Jonathan Greig
Cybersecurity researchers with Malwarebytes said they discovered a malicious email targeting a government official at Jordan’s foreign ministry, and it appeared to originate from a prolific threat group allegedly based in Iran.
Big Tech
Meta withdraws request for Oversight Board’s advice on Russia-Ukraine war content policy
The Verge
Alex Heath
Meta rescinded a request to have its own Oversight Board weigh in on content moderation policy related to the Russia-Ukraine war, citing “ongoing safety and security concerns.”
Misc
New ‘post-exploitation’ threat deployed on Microsoft Exchange servers is spotted by researchers
The Record by Recorded Future
Joe Warminsky
Recently discovered malware that helps attackers capture, move and delete data is aimed at organizations’ Microsoft Exchange servers and has the capability to expand into other web applications, researchers at CrowdStrike reported Wednesday.
Research
Unprompted and unwarranted: YouTube’s algorithm is putting young men at risk in Australia
Institute for Strategic Dialogue
Elise Thomas
Our study centred on ten YouTube accounts, which we created to pose as young Australian men and teenage boys. Half of the accounts were set up as adults, the other half as minors. Eight of the accounts were set to follow accounts from across the ideological spectrum, from mainstream right to far-right extremism.
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.