ICD Brief 140.
24.06.2019.-30.06.2019.
This week’s Brief leads with Breaking News from the G20 and updates primarily on hacking incidents and insights and new working arrangements between nations and sectors.
Global
Trump Surprises G20 With Huawei Concession: U.S. Companies Can Sell To Huawei By David Phelan Forbes
“Earlier today [June 29] in a press conference after the G20 meeting in Tokyo, President Trump revealed an updated stance on Huawei. While it’s not a lifting of the blanket ban, it will significantly benefit the Chinese manufacturer.”
Hackers Hit Telecommunications Firms in Possible Chinese Espionage Campaign, Researchers Say CNBC
“Hackers have broken into the systems of more than a dozen global telecommunications companies and taken large amounts of personal and corporate data, researchers from a cyber security company said on Tuesday, identifying links to previous Chinese cyber-
USA
US Cyber Attack on Iran Exploited Flaw in Heavily-Guarded Network, Experts Say
By Michel Moutot Times of Israel
“Assault that crippled Revolutionary Guard missile system result of massive investment in cyber warfare by American military, likely took extensive preparation.”
Second US Town Pays Up to Ransomware Hackers BBC
“A town in Florida has paid $500,000 (£394,000) to hackers after a ransomware attack. The total paid by Florida municipalities over ransomware in the last two weeks now stands at $1.1m.”
DoD, NATO Turn to Collective Defense Against Cyber Attacks Federal News Network
“Since 2004, the Defense Department has been a part of an international Computer Emergency Response Team through NATO. Ian West, the cybersecurity chief of the NATO Communications and Information Agency, said the launch of a new encrypted workspace lets five countries test how they can share secure video, voice, chat and information gathering capabilities.”
FDA Warns Hackers Could Interfere with Medtronic Pump Insulin Dosing
Medtechdive
“FDA has warned patients about a cybersecurity weakness affecting certain Medtronic insulin pumps that could enable a hacker to control drug delivery.”
Australia
Government Signs on with Amazon in $39m Cloud Computing Deal AFR
“The Australian government has signed a $39 million contract with global cloud computing giant, Amazon Web Services, to make it easier for departments to access its services as part of a broader digital transformation push to improve online services.”
Baltics/Latvia
Latvian State Television Centre to Establish Data Centres BNN
“The government has approved Latvia’s State Radio and Television Centre’s (LSRTC) project Latvian State Data Centre (LSDC), Security Platform and LSDC Shared Use Part (2nd stage) in which costs are estimated at EUR 2 million, as reported by Transport Ministry.”
Brazil
Brazil Leads in Ransomware Attacks ZDNet
“Brazil is the world’s second most threatened country by ransomware attacks, according to a new study by security firm Trend Micro.”
China
China Hacked Eight Major Computer Services in Years-Long Attack Reuters
“Hackers working for China’s Ministry of State Security broke into networks of eight of the world’s biggest technology service providers in an effort to steal commercial secrets from their clients, according to sources familiar with the attacks.”
EU
ENISA Reinforced as EU Cybersecurity Agency to Steer New Act Infosecurity Magazine
“The EU Cybersecurity Act (CSA) comes into force from today (27 June), establishing an EU framework for cybersecurity certification under a reinforced and rebranded ENISA.”
EU to Run War Games to Prepare for Russian and Chinese Cyber-Attacks
The Guardian
“The EU is to conduct war games to prepare for Russian and Chinese cyber-attacks, in response to a series of incidents that alarmed European governments.”
France
Public-Private Cooperation Is Key to France’s Maritime Cybersecurity Strategy Marinemec
“France’s strategy for maritime cyber security seeks cooperation between industry and the state, says national maritime cyber security coordinator Bruno Bender.”
Germany
Germany and the Netherlands to Build the First Ever Joint Military Internet ZDNet
“Government officials from Germany and the Netherlands have signed an agreement this week to build the first-ever joint military internet. The accord was signed on Wednesday in Brussels, Belgium, where NATO defense ministers met this week.”
India
Indian Government Breaks Ground on Dedicated Cybersecurity Center PortSwigger
“A new cybersecurity center is being built in Mumbai – the latest of 40 set up in recent years to combat India’s rising online crime rates.”
Israel
Global Cybersecurity Experts Gather at Israel’s Cyber Week JNS
“The magnitude of Israel’s cybersecurity industry was on full show this week at the 9th Annual Cyber Week Conference at Tel Aviv University, which saw thousands of participants from all over the world gather to catch up on the latest achievements and challenges in this ever-evolving field.”
Netherlands
Dutch Emergency Line Hit by KPN Telecoms Outage BBC
“The Netherlands has been hit by its largest telecommunications outage in years, with the 112-emergency number knocked out across the country. The disruption, which lasted four hours, originated from national carrier KPN, and affected other providers linked to its network. KPN said the cause was still unclear but it did not appear to be a hack.”
Russia
Western Intelligence Hacked ‘Russia’s Google’ Yandex to Spy on Accounts Reuters
“Hackers working for Western intelligence agencies broke into Russian internet search company Yandex in late 2018, deploying a rare type of malware in an attempt to spy on user accounts, four people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.”
Singapore
Majority of Singapore Firms Can’t Keep Up With Cloud Adoption, Suspect Data Being Sold on Dark Web Reuters
“Immature security practices, overtaxed IT staff and risky end-user behaviour by employees surrounding cloud adoption are threatening cloud security at companies worldwide, according to a study by US-headquartered cyber security firm Symantec.”
UK
Cyber Crime Reporting Crucial, Say UK Police Computerweekly
“UK police are planning to introduce a bespoke cyber crime reporting facility for business to encourage businesses to contact police when they are targeted in this way.”