New Australian code of practice to prevent IoT hacking | India bans PUBG game and over a hundred other Chinese apps | CISA/FBI claim no hacks on election registration databases this year
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The new code of practice will be released on Thursday, and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton will tell manufacturers to start developing the devices with in-built security, warning the poor cyber security features were exposing their customers to hacks. The Sydney Morning Herald
India has banned more than 100 additional apps with linkage to China, including popular mobile game PUBG, citing cybersecurity concerns as geopolitical tensions escalate at the two neighboring nations’ disputed border. Tech Crunch
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said today that they have not seen any cyber-attacks target US voter registration databases and voting systems this year. The two agencies issued a joint statement today after an article in Russian media had gone viral earlier this morning. The article, published by Russian news agency Kommersant, claimed that a Russian hacker had obtained voter records for more than 7.6 million Michigan voters following an intrusion into the state's database earlier this year, in March. ZDNet
ASPI ICPC
UN cyber norms
ASPI ICPC
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), in collaboration with the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has made available this collection of downloadable cyber norms resources.
Please Explain podcast: Journalist's arrest further erodes China-Australia links
Sydney Morning Herald
@_Tors
News broke on Monday night that Australian-Chinese journalist Cheng Lei had been arrested in Beijing and could be held for up to six months without charge. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute has called for a broad coalition of countries to be formed to call out the Chinese Communist Party’s increased use of coercive diplomacy.
World
New Steps to Combat Disinformation
Microsoft
Today, we’re announcing Microsoft Video Authenticator. Video Authenticator can analyze a still photo or video to provide a percentage chance, or confidence score, that the media is artificially manipulated.
Australia
Code of practice released to help stop smart devices being hacked
Sydney Morning Herald
@Gallo_Ways
The new code of practice will be released on Thursday, and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton will tell manufacturers to start developing the devices with in-built security, warning the poor cyber security features were exposing their customers to hacks.
China
USA
CISA and FBI say they have not seen cyber-attacks this year on voter registration databases
ZD Net
@campuscodi
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said today that they have not seen any cyber-attacks target US voter registration databases and voting systems this year. The two agencies issued a joint statement today after an article in Russian media had gone viral earlier this morning. The article, published by Russian news agency Kommersant, claimed that a Russian hacker had obtained voter records for more than 7.6 million Michigan voters following an intrusion into the state's database earlier this year, in March.
No, Michigan voter data wasn’t hacked by the Russians
Cyber Scoop
@snlyngaas
Michigan’s secretary of state on Tuesday refuted a news report asserting that the state’s voter registration database had been compromised in an example of how election officials are combatting misinformation weeks before the presidential election
Hackers test defenses of Trump campaign websites ahead of U.S. election, security staff warn
Reuters
@jc_stubbs
Hackers have stepped up efforts to knock Trump campaign and business websites offline ahead of the U.S. election, in what a security firm working for the campaign said could be preparation for a larger digital assault.
National Guard cyber exercise to increase focus on information operations
C4ISR
@MarkAPomerleau
“There are, specifically, actors that would like to run their influence operations and so the more that we can give our defensive cyber operations elements and our cyber protection teams the ability to see those things, the more they’re able to discern them in the real world,” said George Battistelli, Cyber Shield’s exercise director. “We are focusing on it more this year.”
NSA watchdog finds abusive behavior, grift at senior levels
Cyber Scoop
@shanvav
One senior executive “created a hostile work environment by using abusive and offensive language toward subordinate employees,” according to the NSA OIG’s semi-annual report to Congress, an unclassified version of which was published Wednesday. The same official also asked subordinates to bring in food such as donuts, to be paid for out of pocket, and urged subordinates to perform activities outside of their professional duties and complete tasks that weren’t “authorized in accordance with law or regulation,” the OIG said.
Advancing Reciprocity in U.S.- China Diplomatic Relations
US State Department
The Department of State will also take action to help ensure that all official PRC embassy and consular social media accounts are properly identified as PRC government accounts, since the U.S. Embassy is denied unfettered access to PRC social media and PRC citizens are blocked from using Twitter and Facebook, amongst other social media platforms.
South-East Asia
Is Facebook Finally Standing up for Free Speech in Southeast Asia?
The Diplomat
@davidhuttjourno
Facebook is pushing back against the Thai government’s censorship requests. Is this a new normal — or an exception to the government-friendly rule?
South and Central Asia
India bans PUBG Mobile, and over 100 other Chinese apps
Tech Crunch
@refsrc
India has banned more than 100 additional apps with linkage to China, including popular mobile game PUBG, citing cybersecurity concerns as geopolitical tensions escalate at the two neighboring nations’ disputed border.
India’s Contact Tracing App Is a Bridge Too Far
Council on Foreign Relations
@chinmayiarun
Aarogya Setu, India's coronavirus contact tracing app, raises numerous concerns around transparency, privacy, and governance.
Pakistan bans dating apps Tinder, Grindr over 'immoral' content
DW News
The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) said it issued notices to the management of Tinder, Grindr, Tagged, Skout and SayHi, seeking the removal of dating services on those platforms.
Russia
Facebook says it cracks down on Russian trolls
DW News
The social media giant Facebook has said it has removed a network of accounts linked to Russia. The Internet Research Agency, sometimes called a "troll factory," allegedly sowed discord in the US.
Misc
Amazon Drivers Are Hanging Smartphones in Trees to Get More Work
Bloomberg
@spencersoper
Someone places several devices in a tree located close to the station where deliveries originate. Drivers in on the plot then sync their own phones with the ones in the tree and wait nearby for an order pickup. The reason for the odd placement, according to experts and people with direct knowledge of Amazon’s operations, is to take advantage of the handsets’ proximity to the station, combined with software that constantly monitors Amazon’s dispatch network, to get a split-second jump on competing drivers.
Events
Sydney Kids SecuriDay 2020
Humanitix
Sydney Kids SecuriDay is defaulting to digital delivery and is on November 14th with a stack of fun security talks, workshops, competitions and games planned! We're all about introducing youth to security, and its importance in their everyday lives. This event is for children (aged 6 to 16) and their parents/guardians. We aim to reach people from all areas of the community who want to expand their knowledge, as the goal is to learn about security, be inspired by the sector, and have fun while doing it.
Research
Standardising the splinternet: how China’s technical standards could fragment the internet
Journal of Cyber Policy
China’s drive for technological dominance has resulted in a long-term, government-driven national strategy. This includes the creation of native technologies which reflect local policies and politics, micromanagement of the internet from the top down, and the use of international standards development organisations (SDOs), such as the UN agency the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), to legitimize and protect these technologies in the global marketplace.
AI Now launches "Regulating Biometrics. Global Approaches and Open Questions"
AI Now
Addressing this moment of possibility, AI Now worked with academics, advocates, and policy experts to publish a Compendium of case studies on current attempts to regulate biometric systems, and reflect on the promise, and the limits, of the law.
Jobs
Tech Policy
Clare O'Neil MP
I’m looking for a new staff member - a short term gig to help us do a big push in thinking on tech policy. It should be a really good project and I would love to hear from you if you want to be involved.