United States presents Britain with fresh intelligence on Huawei risks | Australian cyber security boss: Don't hide hacks | FBI spied on Chinese students and scientists
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The United States has presented the British government with fresh intelligence warning about the risk of giving Huawei access to its 5G network in a last-ditch attempt to stop it. The dossier of evidence included allegations Huawei’s employees double up as Chinese intelligence agents. The Telegraph
Federal government cyber security officials are trying to help business fend off an unprecedented level of digital attacks against banks, energy grids and other critical infrastructure, and imploring private firms not to cover up hacks. Amid warnings that wars of the 21st century will be fought in cyberspace against foreign countries and criminals, the government is developing new proposed powers so security agencies can better defend critical private-sector infrastructure from cyber attacks by Chinese and other hackers. Australian Financial Review
In 1967, at the height of the Cold War, the FBI began collecting information on thousands of Chinese scientists and students in cities across the U.S. The Scientist and the Spy, a book publishing in February, reveals the existence of this former program for the first time. Axios
Australia
Don't hide hacks: cyber security boss
Australian Financial Review
@Johnkehoe23
Federal government cyber security officials are trying to help business fend off an unprecedented level of digital attacks against banks, energy grids and other critical infrastructure, and imploring private firms not to cover up hacks. Amid warnings that wars of the 21st century will be fought in cyberspace against foreign countries and criminals, the government is developing new proposed powers so security agencies can better defend critical private-sector infrastructure from cyber attacks by Chinese and other hackers.
NSW govt building 'copy solution' to boost digital licence acceptance
itnews
@justinrhendry
NSW motorists will soon be able to use their digital driver’s licence as a suitable form of identification in more places, as the number of licence downloads surpasses 1 million.
China
FBI spied on Chinese students and scientists, new book reveals
Axios
@BethanyAllenEbr
In 1967, at the height of the Cold War, the FBI began collecting information on thousands of Chinese scientists and students in cities across the U.S. The Scientist and the Spy, a book publishing in February, reveals the existence of this former program for the first time.
Report: Chinese hacking group APT40 hides behind network of front companies
ZDNet
@campuscodi
A group of anonymous security analysts have tracked down 13 front companies operating in the island of Hainan through which they say the Chinese state has been recruiting hackers.
USA
US troops are still posting to TikTok despite partial ban over Chinese spy concerns, and there's not much the Defence Department can do about it
Business Insider Australia
TikTok has been deemed a potential “cyber threat” by every branch of the US military, resulting in its ban from government-issued devices, but that hasn’t stopped troops from continuing to use the Chinese-owned meme factory on their personal devices, according to a review conducted by Insider. And according to cybersecurity experts, this continues to pose many of the same security threats that were present when the app was being used on government phones.
Barr Asks Apple to Unlock Pensacola Killer’s Phones, Setting Up Clash
The New York Times
@ktbenner
The request set up a collision between law enforcement and big technology firms in the latest battle over privacy and security.
How the Police Use Facial Recognition, and Where It Falls Short
The New York Times
@jenvalentino
Records from Florida, where law enforcement has long used the controversial technology, offer an inside look at its risks and rewards.
Apple Lawsuit Against Cyber Startup Threatens ‘Dangerous’ Expansion Of Copyright Law
Forbes
@iblametom
As Apple and Corellium head towards mediation talks, the iPhone maker has been criticized for “dangerous” claims that the cybersecurity startup has broken copyright laws. Critics say the lawsuit could lead to an expansion of U.S. copyright law and legally endanger software creators and security researchers tinkering with Apple tech.
This Secretive Surveillance Company Is Selling Cops Cameras Hidden in Gravestones
Vice
@josephfcox
A surveillance vendor that works with U.S. government agencies, such as the FBI, DEA, and ICE, is marketing spying capabilities to local police departments, including cameras that are hidden inside a tombstone, a baby car seat, and a vacuum cleaner. The brochure highlights some of the capabilities on offer to law enforcement agencies, from the novel to the sometimes straight-up bizarre.
North Asia
TSMC Hires Ex-Intel Lobbyist to Deal With U.S.-China Tensions
Bloomberg
@debbywuintaipei
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., a major chipmaker to Apple Inc. and Huawei Technologies Co., has recruited rival Intel Corp.’s former top lobbyist Peter Cleveland to spearhead an unprecedented effort in Washington to mitigate impact from U.S.-Chinese trade tensions. The world’s biggest contract chipmaker joins a growing number of companies with Chinese business interests that are stepping up U.S. lobbying, aiming to gauge and lessen the fallout from Washington’s ongoing dispute with Beijing.
South Asia
US vs. Iran: what India can do to shield its interests in the hybrid war
ET Prime
@SandhyaETprime
For India, which has substantial interests in West Asia, ensuring that it doesn’t become a collateral casualty in the US-Iran hybrid war is the top priority. Can India successfully protect its assets in the IT and energy sectors? More important, how bad can it really get in the event of an escalation?
UK
United States presents Britain with fresh intelligence on Huawei risks in last-ditch attempt to block deal
The Telegraph
@AVMikhailova
The dossier of evidence included allegations Huawei’s employees double up as Chinese intelligence agents. A senior US administration official last night said it would be “nothing less than madness to allow Huawei to get into next generation telecoms networks.” The American delegation of six officials included Matthew Pottinger, the Deputy National Security Advisor, Robert Blair, special representative on international telecommunications policy, and Dr Christopher Ford, Assistant Secretary of State. They met senior British ministers, with discussions focusing on 5G.
Bob Seely: Why the Government should listen to our allies and say: no way, Huawei
Conservative Home
@IoWBobSeely
I am delighted that this Government is both unashamedly patriotic and positive about Britain’s future and our alliances. Yet Huawei presents a threat to those alliances, as is being reported this weekend. Huawei involvement in the roll-out of UK’s 5G network is an extraordinarily important issue. Sadly, there has been little public or Parliamentary scrutiny. US officials are in town this week in a last-ditch attempt to win UK support for their position on Huawei. They want us to say no to it.
MI5 chief sees tech as biggest challenge and opportunity
Financial Times
Machine learning next step in gleaning information, says Andrew Parker as he leaves Security Service. But the biggest challenge, he said, is technology and how it is transforming how the UK Security Service operates. This will require a top-to-bottom examination of MI5’s structures, its relationship with the private sector and a shift to targeted monitoring of terror suspects “in real time”.
Europe
Russia
Russia’s ‘Data Localization’ Efforts May Guide Other Governments
Defense One
@jshermcyber
Moscow’s efforts to keep data on home soil are of interest to other authoritarian states — and even some liberal democracies.
Read ASPI ICPC’s report on authoritarian innovation in an era of great-power rivalry: A new Sino-Russian high-tech partnership.
Misc.
What Are The Key Frameworks For Safeguarding Sensitive Data?
Aim
@connorperrett
hen stepping on the digital transformation journey, organizations should keep in mind that this includes a security transformation as well.
Google’s Censorship Of Cryptocurrencies Goes Way Beyond YouTube
Forbes
@Rogerh1991
The censorship of cryptocurrencies by Google isn’t a one-off event and doesn’t seem very much like an “accident”. It’s a “cold” war at best between two very different visions of the Internet.
The Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns in 2019
top10vpn.com
@Samuel_Woodhams
Our report analyzes every major internet shutdown around the world in 2019 and reveals this growing trend cost the global economy over $8BN last year.
Cryptic Rumblings Ahead of First 2020 Patch Tuesday
Krebsonsecurity
Sources tell KrebsOnSecurity that Microsoft Corp. is slated to release a software update on Tuesday to fix an extraordinarily serious security vulnerability in a core cryptographic component present in all versions of Windows. Those sources say Microsoft has quietly shipped a patch for the bug to branches of the U.S. military and to other high-value customers/targets that manage key Internet infrastructure, and that those organizations have been asked to sign agreements preventing them from disclosing details of the flaw prior to Jan. 14, the first Patch Tuesday of 2020.