How is WeChat being used in Australia’s 2022 federal election? | Costa Rica declares state of emergency amidst Conti ransomware attacks | Spain dismisses spy chief in Pegasus phone spyware scandal
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With three million users across the country, including politicians and media, the WeChat network could play a pivotal role in determining who wins. The Guardian
Costa Rica’s government has declared a state of emergency as ransomware attacks on its public sector enter their third week. Russia-affiliated cybercrime gang Conti has publicly claimed responsibility for the campaign, leading the US State Department to offer up to $15m for information that brings down the group. Tech Monitor
The first woman to head Spain's CNI intelligence agency, Paz Esteban, has lost her job in a deepening scandal over phone-hacking software found on the phones of top politicians. BBC
Ukraine - Russia
Russian cyber operations against Ukraine: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union
Council of the European Union
Peter Stano
The European Union and its Member States, together with its international partners, strongly condemn the malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which targeted the satellite KA-SAT network, operated by Viasat.
Russian TV, online platforms hacked with antiwar message on Victory Day
The Washington Post
Mary Ilyushina and Annabelle Timsit
Russians using smart TV's reported seeeing something atypical: A message appeared instead of the usual listing of channels. "The blood of thousands of Ukrainians and hundreds of murdered children is on your hands," read the message that took over their screens.
Putin dealt hammer blow as China’s tech giants pull out of Russia: 'Fear and panic'
Express
Jacob Paul
China appears to be distancing itself from Russia amid the Ukraine war as several of its tech giants are backing out of deals over pressure from Western sanctions.
Australia
A swiss army knife app: what is WeChat and how is it being used in Australia’s 2022 federal election?
The Guardian
Anne Daviews and Wing Kuang
With three million users across the country, including politicians and media, the network could play a pivotal role in determining who wins.
The influence environment: a survey of Chinese-language media in Australia
ASPI ICPC
Alex Joske, Lin Li, Alexandra Pascoe and Dr Nathan Attrill
WeChat, a Chinese social media app created by Tencent, may be driving the most substantial and harmful changes ever observed in Australia’s Chinese-language media sector.
Nine vows to report Mark Latham to authorities after offensive tweet
The Sydney Morning Herald
Karl Quinn
Channel Nine has vowed to report NSW One Nation MP Mark Latham to authorities over an allegedly racist tweet he posted during Sunday night’s televised leaders’ debate.
‘Josh Frydenberg for PM’: Stories in Chinese circulating on WeChat are positively gushing over the treasurer
The Guardian
Anne Daviews and Wing Kuang
Placed next to the syrupy words about the treasurer on the Chinese-language WeChat channel Australia Asia Daily News are pictures of an athletic young Frydenberg, who took a gap year to play tennis at international level.
China
US-Israeli cyber firm uncovers ‘massive’ Chinese-backed industrial espionage ring
The Times of Israel
Ricky Ben-David
An Israeli-American cybersecurity firm said Monday that it uncovered a “massive” hacking operation, apparently led by a hacking group believed to be backed by China, that had engaged in intellectual property (IP) theft and industrial espionage on three continents.
China tech stocks slide as growth woes, global rout grip traders
Bloomberg
Jeanny Yu
Chinese tech stocks fell as Hong Kong markets reopened after a holiday to face renewed growth worries and persistent regulatory risks, sparking another bout of selling.
USA
White House bolsters cyber office with hires from Microsoft and CIA
CNN
Sean Lyngaas and Zachary Cohen
The Biden administration is building out a nascent White House office for strengthening federal cybersecurity policy and strategy by hiring a prominent Microsoft executive and a former CIA official, multiple people familiar with the matter told CNN.
Americas
Costa Rica declares state of emergency as Conti ransomware attack continues
Tech Monitor
Claudia Glover
Costa Rica’s government has declared a state of emergency as ransomware attacks on its public sector enter their third week. Russia-affiliated cybercrime gang Conti has publicly claimed responsibility for the campaign, leading the US State Department to offer up to $15m for information that brings down the group.
Costa Rica declares national emergency after Conti ransomware attacks
Bleeping Computer
Ax Sharma
The Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves has declared a national emergency following cyber attacks from Conti ransomware group on multiple government bodies. BleepingComputer also observed Conti published most of the 672 GB dump that appears to contain data belonging to the Costa Rican government agencies.
North Asia
South Korea has joined a NATO cyber defence centre. Should China be worried?
South China Morning Post
Jack Lau
The South Korean flag was raised for the first time at a Nato cyber defence centre in Tallinn, the Estonian capital, on Thursday, when Seoul became the first in Asia to join the group.
Southeast Asia
Philippines election: 'Politicians hire me to spread fake stories'
BBC News
Kayleen Devlin
On Monday, voters in the Philippines will pick the nation's next president - amid a tide of falsehoods and social media lies.
Influence for hire: The Asia-Pacific’s online shadow economy
ASPI ICPC
Dr Jacob Wallis, Ariel Bogle, Albert Zhang, Hillary Mansour, Tim Niven, Elena Yi-Ching Ho, Jason Liu, Dr Jonathan Corpus Ong and Dr Ross Tapsel
This report examines the influence-for-hire marketplace across the Asia–Pacific through case studies of online manipulation in the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan and Australia over five chapters and concludes with policy recommendations.
Europe
Spain dismisses spy chief in Pegasus phone spyware scandal
BBC News
Paul Kirby
The first woman to head Spain's CNI intelligence agency, Paz Esteban, has lost her job in a deepening scandal over phone-hacking software found on the phones of top politicians. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, two other ministers and 18 Catalan separatists were all targeted by Pegasus software.
Big Tech
Facebook sued in Kenya over work conditions for moderators
The Washington Post
Rodney Muhumuza and Amanda Seitz
A man who says he is "destroyed"after working as a content moderator for Facebook has filed a lawsuit accusing the company of human trafficking Africans to work in an exploitative and unsafe facility in Kenya.
Elon Musk says he would reverse Twitter's permanent Trump ban
Axios
Jacob Knutson
"It was not correct to ban Donald Trump," Musk said. "I think that was a mistake, because it alienated a large part of the country and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice."
‘Demoralizing and demeaning’: A gross TikTok trend mocking Amber Heard is going viral
Rolling Stone
EJ Dickson
TikTok has removed a handful of videos showing people reenacting Heard’s testimony that Johnny Depp slapped her, but thousands remain.
Research
The rise of Sino-Russian biotech cooperation
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Svitlana Lebedenko
China’s build-up of its innovation infrastructure is complemented by another process: an intensifying cooperation with the Russian Federation in security, trade, energy supplies, artificial intelligence, 5G, space research, and biotechnology.
Media and democracy: Unpacking America’s complex views on the digital public square
Knight Foundation
Are internet technologies doing more harm than good to our democracy? And what – if anything – should lawmakers do about it? Because these questions are critical to U.S. elections, democracy and public health, Gallup and Knight Foundation sought American views on the way forward.
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.