Sanctioned North Korean animators working on hit shows | ABC journalist denied visa after Indian government blocked reporting | TikTok to fight divestment or ban in US courts
Good morning. It's Tuesday 23rd April.
The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest focuses on the topics we work on, including cybersecurity, critical technologies, foreign interference & disinformation.
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A misconfigured North Korean Internet cloud server has provided a fascinating glance into the world of North Korean animation outsourcing and how foreign companies might be inadvertently employing North Korean companies on IT projects. Over the month we observed this traffic, the apparent identity of some of the projects became clear. They included HBO Max and the BBC. 38 North
ABC News South Asia bureau chief Avani Dias was told a routine visa extension would be denied by the Indian government, days after it blocked her reporting on YouTube in the country. Dias was informed of the decision via a phone call from an official at the Ministry of External Affairs, who said her most recent Foreign Correspondent episode "crossed a line". ABC News
TikTok has said it will fight any ban or forced sale of the app’s US operation in the courts, after the House of Representatives passed legislation targeting the video platform. The TikTok bill will go to the Senate, where it could be voted through this week. Joe Biden has previously said he would back the legislation. The Guardian
ASPI
The tech industry is the new defense industrial base
The National Interest
Bronte Munro
ASPI discussions at SXSW highlighted that the United States and its allied governments need to go further upstream to where innovation in emerging technologies is happening and bolster public-private collaboration early in the process. This places the United States and its allied governments in a better position to identify and support national security-relevant tech start-ups early on, ensure their journey to commercialization is free of adversarial capital, and meet defense needs.
Australia
ABC journalist Avani Dias told routine visa extension would be denied, days after India targeted her work on YouTube
ABC News
ABC News South Asia bureau chief Avani Dias was told a routine visa extension would be denied by the Indian government, days after it blocked her reporting on YouTube in the country. Dias was informed of the decision via a phone call from an official at the Ministry of External Affairs, who said her most recent Foreign Correspondent episode "crossed a line".
Australian court orders Elon Musk’s X to hide Sydney church stabbing posts from users globally
The Guardian
Josh Taylor and Josh Butler
In a hearing late on Monday afternoon, barrister for eSafety, Christopher Tran, told Justice Geoffrey Kennett that X had geo-blocked the posts containing the video, meaning Australians could not access them. However, the posts were still accessible globally, and to Australians who used a virtual private network (VPN) connection that made their IP address appear outside Australia.
Elon Musk hits back at Australian court order against X images of stabbing
The Guardian
Martin Farrer
Some hours later the court ruling, the American billionaire posted on his personal X account a cartoon showing the platform as a Wizard of Oz-style path to “freedom” and “truth” with a darker, alternative path to “censorship” and “propaganda”. Above the cartoon Musk has written the message: “Don’t take my word for it, just ask the Australian PM!”
Alarm sounded on ‘deep fake’ health misinformation
The Mandarin
Rachael Ward
Former Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton believes it’s only going to get harder to stamp out falsehoods as technology evolves, pushing for a “step up” in regulation and a wider discussion about trusting sources of information. “We’re going to see the world transform in a matter of a few years and we don’t want to be sitting on our heels,” Sutton said.
Hacked Facebook accounts leave businesses out of pocket as ombudsman records spike in Meta complaints
ABC News
Michael Atkin
Small businesses that have had their social media accounts hacked are facing a lengthy response process from parent company Meta. Catherine Wilson's business has lost tens of thousands of dollars to hackers locking her out of her accounts.
China
Chinese team makes quantum leap in chip design with new light source
South China Morning Post
Ling Xin
Researchers in China say the semiconductor gallium nitride offers remarkable potential in photonic quantum chips. The material hosts a much wider range of wavelengths and can be used to build other components, they say.
The Chinese site that rewired online shopping
The New York Times
Daisuke Wakabayashi and Claire Fu
Pinduoduo has successfully capitalized on one of China’s biggest economic challenges: sluggish consumer spending and falling prices for food and other items. As the country’s growth has slowed, consumers are embracing a lifestyle of so-called downgraded spending centered on Pinduoduo purchases.
Apple says it was ordered to pull WhatsApp from China App Store
The New York Times
Tripp Mickle and Mike Isaac
Chinese users had been able to download WhatsApp and use it with the assistance of a virtual private network, or VPN, which are used to set up secure web connections and view prohibited content inside China.
USA
TikTok says it will fight US ban or forced sale after bill passes
The Guardian
Dan Milmo
TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, Michael Beckerman, told staff in a memo after the vote that the bill was unconstitutional and TikTok would fight it in the courts.
Raimondo says Huawei’s chip breakthrough is years behind US tech
Bloomberg
Mackenzie Hawkins and Alicia Diaz
In an interview with CBS News’ 60 Minutes, Raimondo downplayed the company’s claims of a breakthrough and said the technology gap shows the Biden administration’s success in imposing export controls on China.
UnitedHealth paid ransom to bad actors, says patient data was compromised in Change Healthcare cyberattack
CNBC
Ashley Capoot
UnitedHealth Group on Monday said it paid a ransom to cyber threat actors to try and protect patient data, following the February cyberattack on its subsidiary Change Healthcare. The company also confirmed that files containing personal information were compromised in the breach.
North Asia
What we learned inside a North Korean internet server: how well do you know your partners?
38 North
A misconfigured North Korean Internet cloud server has provided a fascinating glance into the world of North Korean animation outsourcing and how foreign companies might be inadvertently employing North Korean companies on IT projects. Over the month we observed this traffic, the apparent identity of some of the projects became clear. They included HBO Max and the BBC.
Microsoft warns: North Korean hackers turn to AI-fueled cyber espionage
The Hacker News
"They are learning to use tools powered by AI large language models (LLM) to make their operations more efficient and effective," the tech giant said in its latest report on East Asia hacking groups. The company specifically highlighted a group named Emerald Sleet (aka Kimusky or TA427), which has been observed using LLMs to bolster spear-phishing efforts aimed at Korean Peninsula experts.
Hanwha Ocean to design recon UUV and mine warfare USV for ROK Navy
Naval News
Eunhyuk Cha
On April 21, 2024, South Korea's Hanwha Ocean announced its selection as preferred bidder for the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy’s conceptual design of Reconnaissance Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) and Mine Warfare Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV).
South & Central Asia
Deepfakes of Bollywood stars spark worries of AI meddling in India election
Reuters
Aditya Kalra, Munsif Vengattil and Dhwani Pandya
In fake videos that have gone viral online, two of India's A-lister Bollywood actors are seen criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asking people to vote for the opposition Congress party in the country's ongoing general election. Their spread underlines the potential role such AI-generated content can play in the mammoth Indian election that started on Friday and will continue until June.
The hidden challenges of payments in Bangladesh's thriving IT sector
Dhaka Tribune
Mostafizur Rahaman Sohel
The IT industry in Bangladesh faces a hidden problem that policymakers often overlook - the absence of universally accepted online payment solutions in the country.
Ukraine - Russia
Zelenskyy restricts online casinos to curb troop gambling addictions
POLITICO
Veronika Melkozerova
The new regulations, laid out in a decree by Ukraine's State Security and Defense Council, came after prominent activist and Ukrainian army serviceman Pavlo Petrychenko launched a campaign highlighting gambling addictions among soldiers and called on Zelenskyy to impose stricter controls on online casinos. Petrychenko died in combat April 15.
Russia sentences Meta spokesman to jail in absentia for ‘terrorism’
The Moscow Times
Stone was charged with the “promotion,” “public calls for” and “justification” of terrorism after his March 2022 announcement that the Facebook and Instagram parent company would temporarily lift its ban on violent speech for comments against the “Russian invaders” of Ukraine.
Europe
Germany arrests three people suspected of giving technology to China
Reuters
Matthias Williams and Riham Alkousaa
Three Germans have been arrested on suspicion of working with the Chinese secret service to hand over technology that could be used for military purposes, potentially helping to strengthen China's navy, German officials said on Monday.
EU threatens TikTok Lite with ban over reward-to-watch feature
The Guardian
Lisa O'Carroll
The new watch-and-get-rewarded application offers users prizes such as Amazon vouchers, gift cards via PayPal or TikTok’s Coins currency for points earned through “tasks”, which include watching videos, liking content, following creators or inviting friends to join. Breton told reporters that TikTok Lite “could be as toxic and addictive as cigarettes”.
UK
UK police charge two men with spying for China
Reuters
Sarah Young
British police on Monday charged two men with spying for China, including one reported to have worked as a researcher in Britain's parliament for a prominent lawmaker in the governing Conservative Party.
Grindr facing UK data lawsuit for allegedly sharing users' HIV status
Reuters
Sam Tobin
The firm alleges users' highly sensitive information, including HIV status and the date of their latest HIV test, were provided to third parties for commercial purposes.
Sex offender banned from using AI tools in landmark UK case
The Guardian
Shanti Das
Anthony Dover, 48, was ordered by a UK court “not to use, visit or access” artificial intelligence generation tools without the prior permission of police as a condition of a sexual harm prevention order imposed in February.
Big Tech
Instagram advertises nonconsensual AI nude apps
404 Media
Emanuel Maiberg
Instagram is profiting from several ads that invite people to create nonconsensual nude images with AI image generation apps, once again showing that some of the most harmful applications of AI tools are not hidden on the dark corners of the internet, but are actively promoted to users by social media companies unable or unwilling to enforce their policies about who can buy ads on their platforms.
Research
Perspectives on Cyber Risk 2024
MinterEllison
Our cyber survey findings illustrate a marked shift in how organisations are adapting their cyber risk posture to navigate a rapidly evolving digital landscape. In this report, we explore the impact of AI on cyber security; discuss recent regulatory developments, regulator action, and impending Australian privacy and other reforms.
Events & Podcasts
The Sydney Dialogue
ASPI
The Sydney Dialogue was created to help bring together governments, businesses and civil society to discuss and progress policy options. We will forecast the technologies of the next decade that will change our societies, economies and national security, prioritising speakers and delegates who are willing to push the envelope. We will promote diverse views that stimulate real conversations about the best ways to seize opportunities and minimise risks.
JoiningFORCES
ASPI
The JoiningFORCES conference will explore ways to bridge national and international boundaries to deliver more joint, collective and effective defence. It will bring together government ministers, senior defence officials, leading industry figures, and international experts across the two-day event and formal dinner. We will also use collaborative wargaming and scenario exercise techniques to generate insights on enhancing regional deterrence. Our focus will be on strategic and operational level challenges and will consider the vital role of industry in delivering capability at the speed needed to meet the strategic threats Australia faces.
Jobs
China Analyst or Senior Analyst
ASPI
ASPI has an exciting opportunity for an analyst or senior analyst to explore China's evolving foreign and security policy, political economy and impact on the Indo-Pacific and the world. ASPI’s China analysts conduct rigorous data-driven research, publish impactful reports that shape the public policy discourse and contribute to the wide catalogue of influential China work published by ASPI. The difference between the analyst and senior analyst levels will depend on experience level and demonstration of past work. The closing date for applications is 10 May 2024– an early application is advised as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if suitable applications are received.
The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest is brought to you by the Cyber, Technology & Security team at ASPI.