ICD Brief 134.
13.05.2019.-19.05.2019.
There’s an interesting dichotomy going on globally. The effects of tribalism, ideological extremism and nationalism help us to seek partners and to integrate participants within alliances. Today’s ICD is riddled with examples.
Global
U.S. Move to Isolate Huawei Sends Ripples Through Global Supply Chain
“A Trump administration decision to restrict the sale of U.S. technology to Chinese telecommunications company Huawei will disrupt global supply chains, say analysts, ramping up pressure on U.S. allies reluctant to join in efforts to shut out Huawei from advanced 5G mobile networks. The new networks are critical to reaching data transmission speeds needed to support future “internet of things” applications, such as driverless cars. 5G’s importance to emerging industries and its reliance on a complex mixture of software and hardware have countries like the U.S. worried that adversaries could easily hack the networks to access user data and divert communication traffic to their own servers.”
Foreign Companies in China Face Cybersecurity Crackdown
“Foreign companies operating in China are coming under investigation over cyber security violations as Beijing beefs up its control over cloud computing and the internet of things, sparking fresh concern among multinationals in the world’s second-largest economy.”
GozNym Cyber-Crime Gang Which Stole Millions Busted
“An international crime gang which used malware to steal $100m (£77m) from more than 40,000 victims has been dismantled. A complex police operation conducted investigations in the US, Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The details of the operation were revealed at the headquarters of the European police agency Europol in The Hague. It said that the investigation was unprecedented, especially in terms of cross-border co-operation.”
USA
Marines Plan to Draft Civilians to Aid in Cyberwarfare
“The Marines are looking for a few good cyber warriors from the private sector to help the Corps bolster its network defenses against growing threats from Russia, China and others. Outgoing Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller ordered the creation of the “Volunteer Cyber Auxiliary” in late April as one of his last acts as the Corps’ top officer. President Trump nominated Lt. Gen. David Berger earlier this year to replace Gen. Neller as the Marine Corps service chief. The new cyber auxiliary force will include “a small cadre of highly-talented cyber experts who train, educate, advise and mentor Marines to keep pace with constantly-evolving cyber challenges,” the Marine Corps said in a statement Monday.”
US Lawmakers Blast Chinese Rail Firm Amid Cybersecurity Fears
“China’s CRRC, the world’s top passenger train maker, was slammed by U.S. lawmakers during a hearing on Thursday to limit the world’s top passenger train maker’s access to U.S. projects amid security fears.”
DHS Makes List of Risk Management Priorities for Cybersecurity, Infrastructure – Audio
“Having spent years developing policy and practices for protection of critical infrastructure, the Department of Homeland Security has a newer charge. It’s developed a long list of critical functions. Robert Kolasky, director of the National Risk Management Center, part of the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to talk about what they are and how to deal with them.”
“A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Tuesday that would require a cybersecurity expert from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) be included on the committee tasked with developing voluntary voting system guidelines as part of the effort to make U.S. elections secure.”
DHS’s “Cyber Incident Response Teams” Back on Congress’ Radar
“Congress is again moving to solidify the “cyber incident response teams” at the Department of Homeland Security that work with the private sector in recovering from cyberattacks and other events that affect the nation’s digital infrastructure.”
One IoT of Consensus: Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Cybersecurity for Internet-Connected Devices
“Members of Congress recently introduced a bipartisan proposal to enhance cybersecurity for the network of Internet-connected devices, commonly known as the Internet of Things (IoT).”
Australia
South Australia to Expand Cybersecurity Capabilities
“The recent trip of South Australia’s Premier Steven Marshal to Maryland, a state in the United States, is to explore new investment and growth opportunities for South Australia’s ng cyber sector.”
Canada
Canada introducing digital charter to combat hate speech, misinformation
“Canada intends to introduce a new digital charter to combat hate speech, misinformation and online electoral interference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a technology conference in Paris on Thursday.”
Canadian security agencies alarmed by gaps in parties’ networks as election approaches
“Canadian security services are sounding the alarm about what they see as a potential weakness in political parties’ cyber networks just months ahead of a federal election in October, four sources with direct knowledge of the matter say.”
China
ZTE Launches Cybersecurity Lab in China
“ZTE launched its first cyber-security lab in Nanjing, China. The company said it also plans to open cyber-security labs in Italy and Belgium as well in the near future. With the vision of ‘Security in DNA, Trust through Transparency,’ ZTE is committed to providing customers with end-to-end security products and services, and integrating security considerations and controls into every aspect of the product’s life cycle.”
EU
EU Backs Cyber Sanctions Regime, Following Dutch and UK Pressure
“Under new EU rules, individuals and groups conducting cyber-attacks from outside the bloc may be hit with potential sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes. But the measures announced on Friday will be applied only to “persons and entities” and not to national governments.”
#DigitalSingleMarket – Commission invests in Boosting EU’s Cybersecurity Resilience
“The European Commission has launched a new call for tenders to support the Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs Network), created by the Directive on security of network and information system (NIS Directive), the first EU-wide cybersecurity rules which enable national authorities and market operators to better tackle cyber threats. ”
France
Macron’s Answer to Trump’s Threat: Europe Won’t Block Huawei
“’Our perspective is not to block Huawei or any company,’ Macron said at a technology conference in Paris. ‘France and Europe are pragmatic and realistic. We do believe in cooperation and multilateralism. At the same time, we are extremely careful about access to good technology and to preserve our national security and all the safety rules.’”
Thales Strengthening Partnership with Qatar University to Boost Cybersecurity Knowledge
“Thales has further strengthened its partnership with Qatar University, to reinforce the transfer of knowledge in cybersecurity, by extending its sponsorship of a “Professional Chair” and by providing a cutting edge Cyber Range software training platform.”
India
India Setting Up Tri-Service Commands for Special Forces, Cybersecurity, and Space
“India’s military has initiated the formation of tri-service commands to manage space operations, cyber security, and special forces amid growing regional security threats.”
Israel
Why the WhatsApp Spies May Have Eyes on Iran
“Time to join some dots. The WhatsApp hack, “sabotaged” oil tankers, the push in the US to proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood and “plans” to deploy American troops to the Gulf are all strands of the same story. At its heart is the struggle between Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iran.”
Japan
Cyber-Attack Affects Over 460,000 Online Store Accounts
“The popular online stores in Japan, UNIQLO Japan and GU Japan, recently revealed that it suffered a cyber-attack that affected more than 460,000 of its customers. Fast Retailing, the parent company behind the UNIQLO Japan and GU Japan online stores, stated the unknown hackers allegedly accessed its customers’ accounts from April 23, 2019, to May 10, 2019, following a credential stuffing attack.”
Netherlands
Dutch Spy Agency Investigating Alleged Huawei “Backdoor”: Volkskrant
“Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei has a hidden “backdoor” on the network of a major Dutch telecoms firm, making it possible to access customer data, newspaper De Volkskrant said on Thursday, citing unidentified intelligence sources.”
Singapore
Red Cross Website Hacked in latest Singapore Cyber Attack
“The Singapore Red Cross said Thursday its website had been hacked and the personal data of more than 4,000 potential blood donors compromised in the latest cyber attack on the city-state.”
Singapore’s Port Authority Opens New Cybersecurity Centre
“The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has opened a new cybersecurity operations center, which will be housed and operated by private contractor ST Engineering.”
Feature
Five Questions You Can Use to Cut through AI Hype
By Karen Hao MIT Technology Review
“Two weeks ago, the United Arab Emirates hosted Ai Everything, its first major AI conference and one of the largest AI applications conferences in the world. The event was an impressive testament to the breadth of industries in which companies are now using machine learning. It also served as an important reminder of how the business world can obfuscate and oversell the technology’s abilities.”