The UK to allow limited role by Huawei in 5G | New York Times reporter targetted by Saudi-linked spyware hacking | A cyber decade in review
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Huawei will be given access to “non-core” parts of the United Kingdom’s 5G network but will be banned from “sensitive locations” such as military or nuclear sites. It also may be designated a "high-risk vendor" with a capped market share. The Telegraph
New York Times journalist Ben Hubbard was targeted with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware via a June 2018 SMS message promising details about “Ben Hubbard and the story of the Saudi Royal Family.” The SMS contained a hyperlink to a website used by a Pegasus operator that we call KINGDOM. We have linked KINGDOM to Saudi Arabia. Citizen Lab
The past ten years have witnessed the most-costly cyberattack on record, the discovery of a computer worm capable of wreaking physical destruction, and USCYBERCOM’s elevation to unified combatant command status. The Atlantic Council recaps the most significant, overblown, and emergent cyber incidents of the decade. The Atlantic Council
ASPI ICPC
The Strategist Hottest 10.0
The Strategist
Posts by researchers at ASPI's ICPC were the website's two most popular blog posts over 2019. These posts examined the inaccurate firing of missiles from India into Pakistan.
The World
The 2010s: A cyber decade in review
The Atlantic Council
@SimonPHandler
The past ten years have, among other things, witnessed the most-costly cyberattack on record, the discovery of a computer worm capable of wreaking physical destruction, and USCYBERCOM’s elevation to unified combatant command status. As we turn the page to 2020, we’re looking back to recap the most significant, overblown, and emergent cyber incidents of the decade.
Australia
Search for next Australian Cyber Security Centre chief begins
itnews
The Australian Signals Directorate has begun searching for a new chief to take charge of the country’s peak technical cyber security authority, the Australian Cyber Security Centre. The national cyber spy agency put out the call on Thursday in preparation for the departure of outgoing head Rachel Noble, who will become ASD’s new director-general next month.
Aussie cyber experts to set national security agenda in Perth
Defence Connect
Edith Cowan University will welcome Australia’s top cyber security experts to Perth next week to discuss how to protect Australians from cyber threats..The Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, Michael Pezzullo, will deliver the forum’s keynote address. “The magnitude of the digital threats faced by Australians has increased. They will become more acute as our society and economy become increasingly connected. As the threat evolves, so too must our response,” said Secretary Pezzullo.
China
The Truth About Dramatic Action
China Media Project
China is a society closely monitored by the government, and the shadow of Big Brother is everywhere. Social media in particular are subject to very close surveillance. So when the authorities detected chatter about the re-emergence of SARS, or of a similar unknown outbreak, they took two major steps initially. First, they tried to ensure that this new outbreak remained a secret; second, they put the stability preservation system into effect.
Finally, a technology angle on the coronavirus outbreak: Semiconductor biz stocks slip amid China supply chain fears
The Register
Stocks in a bunch of semiconductor companies dipped by four to five per cent on Monday – after China banned travel in and out of the manufacturing hub of Wuhan to isolate the new coronavirus that has already killed more than eighty people.
USA
United States charges prominent Harvard chemist with failing to disclose China ties
Science
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston announced today it has charged Charles Lieber, the chair of Harvard University’s department of chemistry and chemical biology and a prominent nanoscience researcher, with making a false statement to federal investigators about his financial ties to a university and foreign talent recruitment program in China.
Clearview AI Once Told Cops To “Run Wild” With Its Facial Recognition Tool. It's Now Facing Legal Challenges.
Buzzfeed News
@RMac18 @carolineha_ @_loganmcdonald
Clearview AI, the facial recognition company that claims to have amassed a database of more than 3 billion photos scraped from Facebook, YouTube, and millions of other websites, is scrambling to deal with calls for bans from advocacy groups and legal threats.
40 groups have called for a US moratorium on facial recognition technology
Technology Review
@chengela
US government use of facial recognition technology should be banned “pending further review,” according to 40 organizations that signed a letter calling for a recommendation to be made to the president.
US universities reject campus facial recognition systems
Times Higher Education
@pbasken
Facial recognition systems are hitting a wall of opposition on US university campuses. Such seemingly solid resistance, however, does not comfort opponents of facial recognition systems, who fear that the tide eventually will turn.
UK
Huawei will be allowed to build parts of Britain’s 5G network
The Telegraph
@AVMikhailova
Huawei will be given access to “non-core” parts of the network but will be banned from “sensitive locations” such as military or nuclear sites. It also may be designated a "high-risk vendor" with a capped market share.
A twitter thread by The Times’ deputy political editor following London’s anouncement into 5G decisions.
Britain, resisting U.S. pressure, to allow some Huawei equipment in 5G networks
The Washington Post
The British government announced Tuesday that it plans to allow the Chinese telecom giant Huawei to build "non-core" infrastructure for the country's coming super-fast 5G network, although the company may be designated a "high-risk vendor" with a capped market share. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been under tremendous pressure from the U.S. government to ban Huawei outright from Britain’s 5G communications network.
The future of telecoms in the UK
National Cyber Security Centre of the UK
NCSC Technical Director Dr Ian Levy explains how the security analysis behind the DCMS supply chain review will ensure the UK’s telecoms networks are secure – regardless of the vendors used.
Huawei’s statement following the decision by the United Kingdom to alow it a limited role in the UK’s 5G networks.
Dear Britain, trusting Huawei is a terrible mistake
The Telegraph
@klonkitchen
Friends, the decision taken today to allow the Chinese – particularly the Huawei telecommmunications company – to build your 5G wireless networks is a terrible mistake. That may sound a bit melodramatic – but it is not.
Tom Tugendhat’s twitter thread highlighting areas of concern and difficulties with the UK’s decision.
Boris Johnson gets final warning with Huawei 5G verdict imminent
The Guardian
@Kate_M_Proctor
Former ministers have sounded their final warnings to Boris Johnson about the Chinese telecoms firm Huawei ahead of his expected decision on whether it will play a part in the UK’s 5G network.
Congress warns Britain to stay away from Huawei
The Washington Post
@joshrogin
On Friday, three GOP senators wrote to the members of the British National Security Council to urge them to bar Huawei from playing a role in their next-generation telecom networks.
Europe
A twitter thread by journalist Noah Barkin on the broader European decisions into Huawei and 3G.
South Asia
India most attacked in the online sphere: National Cyber Security Coordinator Lt Gen Rajesh Pant
The New Indian Express
India is the most attacked country in the cyber sphere, the National Cyber Security Coordinator Lt Gen Rajesh Pant said on Tuesday. Pant was present at the inauguration of the Cybersecrity Centre of Excellence (CCoE) of Telangana on Tuesday. "We have 600 million internet users. India is the most attacked in the cyber sphere not because we don’t have good cyber hygience, it is the sheer number of users," he told reporters.
Middle East
New York Times Journalist Targeted by Saudi-linked Pegasus Spyware Operator
Citizen Lab
New York Times journalist Ben Hubbard was targeted with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware via a June 2018 SMS message promising details about “Ben Hubbard and the story of the Saudi Royal Family.” The SMS contained a hyperlink to a website used by a Pegasus operator that we call KINGDOM. We have linked KINGDOM to Saudi Arabia.
New York Times reporter Ben Hubbard writing on Saudi-linked attempts to hack his phone.
Misc
Grindr and OKCupid Sell Your Data, but Twitter’s MoPub Is the Real Problem
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Twitter’s suspension of Grindr is hypocritical: Grindr was using Twitter’s ad tools almost exactly as intended. Moreover, Grindr is just one of over 55,000 apps using MoPub to collect and share data.
Jobs & Opportunities
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre has an outstanding opportunity for a talented and passionate technically-focused analyst to join its growing centre. We are looking for a creative and passionate individual who can contribute unique technical skills to work across a range of projects in the centre. This individual may possess skills and experience in one or more of the following areas including malware analysis, reverse-engineering, data analysis and web scraping (for work on online disinformation for example) and/or a deep technical knowledge of critical technologies. The successful candidate will be offered a remuneration package at a level aligned with their demonstrated skills and expertise. This is a contract position for an initial 1 year term with the option of extension. At any one time ASPI has multiple people working at the institute who are on secondments or unpaid leave from the Australian Public Service (APS). Similar arrangements - including secondments - can be negotiated in this instance pending approval from the APS department/agency.
Researcher – Cyber, Technology, Asia-Pacific
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre has an outstanding opportunity for an emerging researcher to join its growing centre and work directly with the ICPC Director. Staff in the centre have diverse backgrounds and are usually involved in several projects at once. We are looking for a team member with a flexible, entrepreneurial approach, who is a self-starter, has the ability to deliver to deadlines and enjoys working in a collaborative team environment. Foreign languages (particularly Asian languages) and social media analysis skills are desirable but not essential. We are looking for a creative and passionate individual who can work collaboratively in a team environment to support the centre’s program of work. This will include working with a variety of centre staff to conduct research on a range of priority projects, on project coordination and administration, working to facilitate international fellowships, supporting public and private events and engaging with key stakeholders.
ASD is seeking two highly motivated, outcome-driven senior executives.
Policy Advisor (Electorate Officer)
Tim Watts MP
I'm now accepting applications for a Policy Advisor based in my Footscray electorate office (6kms from the Melbourne CBD).
Open Grants Process – Cyber Cooperation Program
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is pleased to invite project proposals for Australia's Cyber Cooperation Program. The Cyber Cooperation Program provides the framework to partner with countries in the Indo-Pacific region so they are equipped to respond to the opportunities and challenges presented by the growth of the global Internet and digital technologies.
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