Suspected Chinese hackers break into US government computers | Jeff Bezos to Step Down as Amazon CEO | South Sudanese government obtained surveillance capabilities from an Israeli company

Feb 2, 2021

Follow us on Twitter. The Daily Cyber Digest focuses on the topics we work on, including cyber, critical technologies & strategic issues like foreign interference.

Suspected Chinese hackers exploited a flaw in software made by SolarWinds Corp to help break into U.S. government computers last year, five people familiar with the matter told Reuters, marking a new twist in a sprawling cybersecurity breach that U.S. lawmakers have labeled a national security emergency. Reuters
Amazon announced on Tuesday that AWS CEO Andy Jassy will replace Jeff Bezos as CEO during the third quarter of this year. Bezos will transition to executive chair of Amazon's board. CNBC
The South Sudanese government obtained surveillance capabilities from an Israeli company between at least 2015 and 2017 in order to wiretap citizens’ phones. The reports of South Sudan’s National Security Service’s (NSS) intrusive surveillance meld into a pattern of dangerous human rights abuses in South Sudan, including prolonged detention, extrajudicial killings and the silencing of government critics, human rights activists and journalists, according to Amnesty. CyberScoop

ASPI ICPC

Forging a path for Indigenous Australians in cybersecurity and defence
The Strategist
@HuonCurtis @DarkiesDesign Meg Thompson
More than a decade ago, researcher Aaron Corn coined the term ‘Indigital revolution’ to describe the rapid take-up of technology across Indigenous Australia. Despite continued access issues, Indigenous Australians are highly technologically literate and reportedly use some social media platforms at higher rates than non-Indigenous Australians. Despite that, there remains significant under-representation of Indigenous Australians in technology and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers. Dion Devow, ASPI’s Indigenous engagement specialist, sat down with Major General Marcus Thompson (Ret’d) and Meg Thompson, ASPI’s first Indigenous research intern, to focus on solutions that highlight the unique perspectives and abilities of First Australians, and that see diversity as a strategic asset.

Macquarie University report finds gaps in Government websites cyber security
ABC
@mariochristo
Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s, Fergus Hanson, speaks with Professor Dali Kaafar from Macquarie University and Alastair MacGibbon from CyberCX about a report uncovering numerous examples of poorly implemented cyber security measures on government websites.

Ariel Bogle @arielbogle

Hello! I had a chat with ⁦@r_jones_r⁩ and the good people at ⁦@7ampodcast⁩ about GameStop $$, Reddit irony and Wall Street schadenfreude. Truly a story with something for everyone. HomeA daily news podcast from the publisher of The Monthly and Saturday Paper. Listen free wherever you get your audio. Subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts or Spotify.7ampodcast.com.au

Australia

The QAnon threat to Australia’s vaccine rollout
The Strategist
@sam_will98
The ever-evolving nature of the QAnon conspiracy theories and the amalgamation of the movement with antivaxx activists will no doubt result in the spreading of misinformation about vaccination, and the Australian government must be ready to counter that not with rhetoric but with facts and clarity.

Australia eyes new trade deal with Israel, focusing on cyber security, innovation
The Sydney Morning Herald
Australia will turn its attention towards clinching a trade agreement with Israel in a deal that would boost innovation, cyber security and defence.

Australian Cyber Security Centre @CyberGovAU

Tackling cybercrime is a joint effort from governments. That’s why ACSC is a member of the #PaCSON community. We work with our partners in the Pacific Nations to improve cyber security capabilities and readiness. Visit the new PaCSON website pacson.org

USA

Suspected Chinese hackers used SolarWinds bug to spy on U.S. payroll agency - sources
Reuters
@Bing_Chris @jc_stubbs @razhael @josephmenn
Suspected Chinese hackers exploited a flaw in software made by SolarWinds Corp to help break into U.S. government computers last year, five people familiar with the matter told Reuters, marking a new twist in a sprawling cybersecurity breach that U.S. lawmakers have labeled a national security emergency.

Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy to take over in Q3
CNBC
@robotodd
Amazon announced on Tuesday that AWS CEO Andy Jassy will replace Jeff Bezos as CEO during the third quarter of this year. Bezos will transition to executive chair of Amazon's board.

Jeff Bezos to Step Down as Amazon C.E.O.
The New York Times
@kyweise
Andy Jassy, the chief of Amazon’s cloud computing division, will become chief executive, while Mr. Bezos, the company’s founder, will become executive chairman.

Email from Jeff Bezos to employees Amazon

Anti-Vaccination Conspiracies: The Dangers to Vaccination Sites
Institute for Strategic Dialogue
@elisethoma5
Over the weekend of 30 January, one of the US’s largest mass vaccination sites was temporarily shut down after protesters gathered at the entrance, blocking people from entering to receive the vaccine. It was one of a growing number of physical disruptions and security incidents linked to anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.

Biden's whole-of-National Security Council strategy
Axios
@BethanyAllenEbr
Virtually every team in the National Security Council, from technology to global health to international economics, will incorporate China into their work, Axios has learned.

Reinvigorating Internet Policy by Doubling Down on Human Rights
Council on Foreign Relations
@pielemeier
A new approach to internet regulation and governance by the Biden administration should articulate a broad, coherent vision for an open internet anchored on core human rights and democratic values.

Amazon’s anti-union blitz stalks Alabama warehouse workers everywhere, even the bathroom
The Washington Post
@greene
Some workers in Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse complain that the company’s aggressive performance expectations leave them little time to take bathroom breaks. When they do get there, they face messaging from Amazon pressing its case against unionization, imploring them to vote against it when mail-in balloting begins Feb. 8.

Zach Dorfman @zachsdorfman

As @JennaMC_Laugh and I have talked about a lot, a written about some too, HUMINT is going to face such challenges in this century. The amount of data the MSS likely has on US officials is just staggering.

Lindsay P. Gorman @LindsayPGorman

Helpful advisory out today @NCSCgov on China's collection of genomic & healthcare data. Succinctly explains the value of DNA, China's goals & access to US healthcare data, the CCP's history of DNA exploitation, and the privacy, national security, & economic implications for US.

South and Central Asia

India cuts internet around New Delhi as protesting farmers clash with police
CNN
@juliaholli
Internet access remained blocked Monday in several districts of a state bordering India's capital following violent weekend clashes between police and farmers protesting controversial agricultural reforms.

Europe

Huawei official speaks out on why he resigned after The Post reported the tech giant had worked on a ‘Uighur alarm’
The Washington Post
@drewharwell
A Huawei executive who resigned following revelations of the Chinese tech giant’s work on a “Uighur alarm” system that could track minorities is speaking out for the first time, saying the company failed to take seriously matters of public surveillance and human rights..The issue, Zwicky said, highlighted a deeper tension for Huawei as it seeks to secure business in the West while retaining its roots in China, where the ruling Communist Party has pushed companies to help implement massive surveillance programs that have faced broad criticism in the West.

Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar @HeliKlaar

Delighted to be hosting the #Tallinn Winter School of Cyber Diplomacy, the latest in @MFAestonia's series of #cyber training programmes. Many colleagues and leading experts in the field will be contributing. Join #tallinncyberschool on 9-10 February: vm.ee/winterschool

Africa

South Sudan worked with Israeli surveillance company to monitor citizens, Amnesty finds
CyberScoop
@shanvav
The South Sudanese government obtained surveillance capabilities from an Israeli company between at least 2015 and 2017 in order to wiretap citizens’ phones. The reports of South Sudan’s National Security Service’s (NSS) intrusive surveillance meld into a pattern of dangerous human rights abuses in South Sudan, including prolonged detention, extrajudicial killings and the silencing of government critics, human rights activists and journalists, according to Amnesty.

Read Amnesty International's report here.

Misc

Apple’s updated App Store guidelines clarify positions on recent controversies
Ars Technica
@samuelaxon
Apple has outlined a number of new changes to its App Store Review Guidelines—including the requirement that developers request user opt-in to track users with IDFA (ID for advertisers) device identifiers.

A Pennsylvania Mother’s Path to Insurrection
The New Yorker
@RonanFarrow
How claims by Rudy Giuliani and Alex Jones spurred a parent of eight to become one of the Capitol riot’s biggest mysteries, and a fugitive from the F.B.I.

Research

Watching Androids Dream of Electric Sheep: Immersive Technology, Biometric Psychography, and the Law
Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law
@brittanheller
Virtual reality and augmented reality present exceedingly complex privacy issues because of the enhanced user experience and reality-based models. Unlike the issues presented by traditional gaming and social media, immersive technology poses inherent risks, which our legal understanding of biometrics and online harassment is simply not prepared to address.

Jobs

ICPC Senior Analyst or Analyst - China
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre (ICPC) has a unique opportunity for an exceptional and experienced China-focused senior analyst or analyst to join its centre.
Apply here.

Daily Cyber Digest