Ukrainian telecom company's internet service disrupted by cyberattack | US, Australia boost space, cyber co-operation to counter China | DPRK hackers target employees of news outlets through Chrome
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Ukraine's state-owned telecommunications company Ukrtelecom experienced a disruption in internet service on Monday after a "powerful" cyberattack, according to Ukrainian government officials and company representatives. Reuters
The US and Australia are boosting security co-operation in space and the cyber domain as the Indo-Pacific allies strengthen efforts to counter China, which is investing heavily in space and weapons such as hypersonic missiles. Financial Times
Google has released a report identifying two North Korean government hacking campaigns that exploited a Google Chrome 0-day. The Record by Recorded Future
ASPI ICPC
Ukraine - Russia
Ukrainian telecom company's internet service disrupted by 'powerful' cyberattack
Reuters
Christopher Bing
Ukraine's state-owned telecommunications company Ukrtelecom experienced a disruption in internet service on Monday after a "powerful" cyberattack, according to Ukrainian government officials and company representatives.
Kremlin censors Zelensky's interview with Russian journalists
Axios
Rebecca Falconer
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Kremlin censored his interview with Russian journalists Sunday because it's "frightened" about the truth of the invasion of Ukraine being reported in Russia.
‘Tip of the iceberg’: rise in Russian spying activity alarms European capitals
Financial Times
Sam Jones and John Paul Rathbone
Eight serving European intelligence officials and diplomats interviewed by the Financial Times said Russia’s covert operations in Europe had been expanding at a rate that counter-espionage efforts have struggled to match. Several countries still rely on US and UK intelligence gathering because of restrictions on domestic surveillance and a lack of resources.
Secret world of Pro-Russia hacking group exposed in leak
The Wall Street Journal
Robert McMillan, Kevin Poulsen and Dustin Volz
A wide-open view of the inner workings of what is perhaps the world’s biggest and most dangerous organized cybercrime group is a surprising consequence of the war in Ukraine. An anonymous researcher who had infiltrated the group’s servers, and who identified himself as Ukrainian, posted the data on Twitter on Feb. 27. “Ukraine will Rise!” he then wrote in a March 2 tweet.
Google ordered Russian translators not to call war in Ukraine a war
The Intercept
Sam Biddle and Tatiana Dias
In early March, contractors working for Google to translate company text for the Russian market received an update from their client: Effectively immediately, the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine could no longer be referred to as a war but rather only vaguely as “extraordinary circumstances.”
Crypto for Ukraine provides a flow of war-related assistance
Associated Press
Thalia Beaty
Ukraine, which has waged a staunch defense against Russian invasion, says it has pioneered a new source of financial support: People around the world who have donated millions of dollars directly to its war effort via cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.
When Nokia pulled out of Russia, a vast surveillance system remained
The New York Times
Adam Satariano, Paul Mozur and Aaron Krolik
Nokia said this month that it would stop its sales in Russia and denounced the invasion of Ukraine. But the Finnish company didn’t mention what it was leaving behind: equipment and software connecting the government’s most powerful tool for digital surveillance to the nation’s largest telecommunications network.
TikTok’s black box obscures its role in Russia’s war
WIRED
Tom Simonite
Ten days into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, TikTok announced it had suspended new posts from Russian accounts due to the country’s new “fake news” law. But the company was quieter about a second policy shift—one that blocked TikTok users in Russia from seeing any content posted by accounts located outside the country.
Australia
US and Australia boost space and cyber co-operation to counter China
The Financial Times
Demetri Sevastopulo
The US and Australia are boosting security co-operation in space and the cyber domain as the Indo-Pacific allies strengthen efforts to counter China, which is investing heavily in space and weapons such as hypersonic missiles.
Joe Biden acclaims ‘essential’ ANZUS
The Australian
Ben Packham
Scott Morrison marks the 70th anniversary of ANZUS by announcing a cyber and critical technology centre within the peak intelligence assessment agency.
Facebook fails to show its face for Andrew Forrest’s criminal case
The Australian
Paul Garvey
Facebook has failed to appear at the first court hearing in the criminal case brought against it by mining magnate Andrew Forrest.
China
Big Tech companies in Guangzhou heat up China’s metaverse race through new local government-backed industry alliance
South China Morning Post
Ann Cao
A group of technology companies in Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong province, has formed a new industry association focused on metaverse-related developments, as the frenzy continues over what some consider the next stage of the internet weeks after the concept emerged as an unlikely topic in China’s “two sessions”.
China’s plan for digital dominance
War on the Rocks
David Dorman
Digital transformation is all the craze in China. Even the venerable Kweichow Moutai distillery now talks of the new digital processes necessary to brew a smarter liquor. But all of this only reflects the popularization of a long-running Communist Party initiative of far greater strategic significance. Over the past two decades, General Secretary Xi Jinping has been at the center of party efforts to create a comprehensive digital strategy of immense proportions, known as Building Digital China.
China plans for the digital future – time to take note
The Wire
Rogier Creemers
Beijing is prioritizing reducing vulnerability to external pressures over optimizing value chains.
USA
Statement on Quad senior cyber group meeting
The White House
Emily Horne
Australia, India, Japan and the United States recognize the need for improving cybersecurity in an increasingly digital world with sophisticated cyber threats. Improvements are particularly important in delivering the essential services of life, health and livelihood that are provided by critical infrastructure.
A Google billionaire's fingerprints are all over Biden's science office
POLITICO
Alex Thompson
As President Joe Biden granted his science office unprecedented access and power, one outside adviser to that office has attained what staffers describe as an unusual level of influence. A foundation controlled by Eric Schmidt, the multi-billionaire former CEO of Google, has played an extraordinary, albeit private, role in shaping the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy over the past year.
Rumble, the right’s go-to video site, has much bigger ambitions
The New York Times
Jeremy W. Peters
The company, supported by Donald Trump, Peter Thiel and other prominent conservatives, wants to help build a “new internet” independent from Silicon Valley’s titans.
North Asia
Japan to revise foreign exchange law to end crypto loophole for sanctions on Russia
Reuters
Kantaro Komiya
Japan will revise its foreign exchange law to prevent Russia from evading Western financial sanctions following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine through cryptocurrency assets, top government officials said on Monday.
North Korean hackers target employees of news outlets, software vendors and more through Chrome vulnerability
The Record by Recorded Future
Jonathan Greig
Google has released a report identifying two North Korean government hacking campaigns that exploited a Google Chrome 0-day. Google Threat Analysis Group’s Adam Weidemann explained that on February 10, the company discovered two different North Korean campaigns – which they attributed to Operation Dream Job and Operation AppleJeus – exploiting CVE-2022-0609. Researchers have been aware of Operation Dream Job since at least August 2020 and Operation AppleJeus since at least 2018.
A new city, built upon data, takes shape in South Korea
The New York Times
David Belcher
Fifty-four families volunteered to share data on everything from sleeping habits to trash volume to help developers make a city from scratch in Busan.
Europe
Spyware vendor FinFisher claims insolvency amid investigation
Bloomberg
Ryan Gallagher
A German company long criticized for helping governments spy on communications has shut down operations and filed for insolvency, according to authorities.
‘I’m old, not an idiot.’ One man’s protest gets attention of Spanish banks
The New York Times
Raphael Minder
Mr. San Juan believes older adults should not pay the price for an online transition that has allowed banks and other institutions to make significant staff cuts and other savings.
Big Tech
Elon Musk says he's seriously considering creating a new social media platform
CNN
Ramishah Maruf
Elon Musk said he is giving "serious thought" to creating a new social media platform in a tweet Saturday. Musk's tweet follows criticism of Twitter, where he claimed the platform doesn't allow for free speech.
Misc
Lapsus$ found a spreadsheet of passwords as they breached Okta, documents show
TechCrunch
Zack Whittaker
The Lapsus$ hackers used compromised credentials to break into the network of customer service giant Sitel in January, days before subsequently accessing the internal systems of authentication giant Okta, according to documents seen by TechCrunch that provide new details of the cyber intrusion that have not yet been reported.
Teens arrested in hack of Microsoft and Okta but haven’t been charged
Gizmodo
Matt Novak
Police in London have arrested seven young people between the ages of 16 and 21 for allegedly hacking Microsoft and Okta under the hacker group name LAPSUS$. All seven people have been released and none have been formally charged with a crime. At least not yet.
Mainstream media have failed to notice their own disinformation issue
The Washington Post
Megan McArdle
Mainstream media has been so busy denouncing “fake news” that we failed to notice we’re developing a disinformation problem of our own — much of which has stemmed, ironically, from our efforts to fight disinformation on the right.
Quantum computing has a hype problem
MIT Technology Review
Sankar Das Sarma
Large tech companies such as Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft now have substantial research and development efforts in quantum computing. Much of this commercial activity has happened with baffling speed over the past three years. I’m disturbed by some of the quantum computing hype I see these days, particularly when it comes to claims about how it will be commercialized.
Jobs
The Sydney Dialogue - Director
ASPI ICPC
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) is currently recruiting for a Director to lead the second iteration of ASPI’s Sydney Dialogue - the world’s premier summit on emerging, critical and cyber technologies.
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.
Important disclaimer: This digest is a daily collation of material designed to provide authoritative information and commentary in relation to the subject matters covered. The views expressed in this material are those of the authors only. To provide feedback please contact: icpc@aspi.org.au