China-linked hackers breach US internet providers | Sweden blames Iran for cyber-attack after Quran burnings | UN: AI’s rapid evolution demands more cooperative international policy ecosystem
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Hackers linked to the Chinese government have broken into a handful of US internet-service providers in recent months in pursuit of sensitive information, according to people familiar with the matter. The hacking campaign, called Salt Typhoon by investigators, hasn’t previously been publicly disclosed. The Australian
Sweden's security service Sapo has accused Iranian intelligence of hacking into a text messaging service to send 15,000 messages to Swedes.
Sapo said the data breach in summer last year involved SMS messages calling for "revenge against Quran-burners", after several anti-Islam activists set fire to copies of the Islamic holy book. BBC
According to the UN secretary-general’s envoy on technology, Amandeep Singh Gill, diverse policy ecosystems have to start working together more cohesively as an enhanced global artificial intelligence governance partnership is unveiled. The Mandarin
ASPI
Critical Minerals Security Partnership may not be enough for Australia
The Strategist
John Coyne
Fourteen countries this week took what they intended to be a big step in countering China’s dominance of critical minerals supply. But it’s unclear whether the initiative will restore competitiveness of Australian production and investment in the face of massive subsidies offered by China and, in response, the United States.
Australia
Australia must be wary of Beijing’s ears and hands in consumer goods
Australian Financial Review
Alastair MacGibbon
On Monday, Washington moved to effectively ban Chinese electric vehicles from the US market in a decision that should fundamentally reshape how we view the national security risks posed by internet-connected consumer technology. New proposed rules announced by US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will restrict access to Chinese software and hardware for vehicles with in-built internet connections.
CSIRO unveils prototype nanofibre uniform to safeguard Australian troops
CSIRO
Researchers at Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, have successfully developed a next-generation uniform prototype that employs nanofibres to safeguard Australian troops from chemical and biological threats. The innovative material is a lightweight fabric that effectively filters out harmful particles while remaining light-weight and breathable, keeping the wearer comfortable in extreme temperatures.
Ransom ban likely to solve Australia’s cyber crisis, says WiseTech founder Richard White
The Australian
Joseph Lam
Ransom payments should be banned here, therefore making Australian companies less likely to be targeted by hackers. That’s the view of billionaire WiseTech founder Richard White, who has told a technology conference he believed that a ban would make it pointless to go after private companies – and that the only problems left would be state actors going after critical infrastructure.
China
China’s chip-making sees steady progress with new tools, but nothing to rival ASML
South China Morning Post
Che Pan
China’s semiconductor industry is continuing to make incremental steps in advancing its domestic lithography tools, according to specifications publicised by the central government, but analysts say the country has yet to make the big leaps it would take to catch up to Dutch firm ASML. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which oversees the country’s chip industry, earlier this month published a list of new tools with the aim of promoting their use by domestic chip makers.
Huawei laptop reveals China’s progress towards tech self-sufficiency
Financial Times
Ryan McMorrow
China’s demand that the public sector step up use of domestic semiconductors can best be seen within Huawei’s Qingyun L540 laptop. The “safe and reliable” device features a self-designed processor and a Chinese-made operating system, having stripped out foreign-made components and software as much as possible. The computer, which is being snapped up by governments and state groups across the country, has become the signature model of China’s localisation campaign known as Xinchuang, or “IT application innovation”.
USA
China-linked hackers breach U.S. internet providers in new ‘salt typhoon’ cyberattack
The Australian
Sarah Krouse and Robert Mcmillan
Hackers linked to the Chinese government have broken into a handful of US internet-service providers in recent months in pursuit of sensitive information, according to people familiar with the matter. The hacking campaign, called Salt Typhoon by investigators, hasn’t previously been publicly disclosed and is the latest in a series of incursions that US investigators have linked to China in recent years.
FBI probes whether Silicon Valley venture firm passed secrets to China
Financial Times
Tabby Kinder
The FBI is investigating whether a US venture capital fund that used Chinese money to become one of Silicon Valley’s most prolific early investors allowed Beijing to obtain the trade secrets of tech start-ups. California-based Hone Capital, which launched in 2015 with $115mn of initial capital from a Chinese private equity group, invested in 360 US tech start-ups in less than three years.
Russia and Iran using AI to influence US election: DNI
ABC News
Luke Barr
Russia and Iran are using artificial intelligence to influence the American election, U.S. intelligence officials said on Monday. "Foreign actors are using AI to more quickly and convincingly tailor synthetic content," an official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said. "The IC (intelligence community) considers AI a malign influence, accelerant, not yet a revolutionary influence tool."
OpenAI pitched White House on unprecedented data centre buildout
South China Morning Post
OpenAI has pitched the Biden administration on the need for massive data centres that could each use as much power as entire cities, framing the unprecedented expansion as necessary to develop more advanced artificial intelligence models and compete with China. Following a recent meeting at the White House, which was attended by OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman and other tech leaders, the start-up shared a document with government officials outlining the economic and national security benefits of building 5 gigawatt data centres in various US states, based on an analysis the company engaged with outside experts on.
House panel moves bill that adds AI systems to National Vulnerability Database
CyberScoop
Derek B. Johnson
A bill that would push the National Institute of Standards and Technology to set up a formal process for reporting security vulnerabilities in AI systems sailed through a House committee Wednesday. The AI Incident Reporting and Security Enhancement Act, introduced by Reps. Deborah Ross, D-N.C., Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., and Don Beyer, D-Va., was approved via voice vote by the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.
CISA: Hackers target industrial systems using “unsophisticated methods”
Bleeping Computer
Sergiu Gatlan
CISA warned today of threat actors trying to breach critical infrastructure networks by targeting Internet-exposed industrial devices using "unsophisticated" methods like brute force attacks and default credentials. According to the cybersecurity agency, these ongoing attacks targeting critical infrastructure OT and ICS devices are also impacting water and wastewater systems.
Americas
Canada considering following U.S. in banning vehicle software and hardware from China, Russia
CBC
Peter Simonjic
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday she is "absolutely" considering following the U.S. move to ban vehicle hardware and software from China or Russia. "Our government has made it very clear that we take really seriously intentional Chinese overcapacity and we take very seriously the security threat from China," Freeland said in Ottawa.
Microsoft announces $1.3 billion USD investment in Cloud and AI infrastructure supporting inclusive growth through technology and skilling programs in Mexico
Microsoft
During his keynote at the Microsoft AI Tour 2024 in Mexico City, Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella announced that Microsoft Corporation is reaffirming its commitment to the country. He revealed a new investment of $1.3 billion over the next three years to enhance AI infrastructure and initiatives aimed at promoting digital and AI skills. This includes the Artificial Intelligence National Skills program, which aims to democratize access to AI skills and reach 5 million people.
North Asia
AI is fuelling a deepfake porn crisis in South Korea. What’s behind it – and how can it be fixed?
The Conversation
Sungshin (Luna) Bae
It’s difficult to talk about artificial intelligence without talking about deepfake porn – a harmful AI byproduct that has been used to target everyone from Taylor Swift to Australian school girls. But a recent report from startup Security Heroes found that out of 95,820 deepfake porn videos analysed from different sources, 53% featured South Korean singers and actresses – suggesting this group is disproportionately targeted.
KT to develop AI tech to filter spam messages
The Korea Economic Daily
Ji-Eun Jeong
South Korea's KT Corp. said on Tuesday it will work with the Korea Internet & Security Agency to launch an artificial intelligence system next month to detect malicious URLs in text messages and block spam. KT’s AI will identify phone numbers linked to spam and share the information with message relay operators in a blacklist format, the company said. KISA will verify the numbers.
NZ & Pacific Islands
Samoa's first-ever e-commerce app bridges technology gaps
ABC
When it comes to innovative solutions for the Pacific, expertise is often found from outside the region, but a family-owned enterprise in Samoa is leading the way in using technology to solve some of the region's pressing issues. From vehicle tracking and drone imaging to creating Samoa's first-ever e-commerce app The Maua, SkyEye Pacific is bridging technology gaps in the region.
Ukraine-Russia
‘Dual-use’ case: Russian attack drone maker evades Western scrutiny
Defense News
Linus Höller
A Russian startup drone manufacturer has cashed in on the exploding demand for unmanned aerial vehicles spurred by the war in Ukraine, selling over 1,000 drones while working to avoid Western sanctions, according to documents reviewed by Defense News. Integrated Robotics Technologies, located in southeastern Russia’s Bashkortostan Republic, is an example of how Russian companies have switched to a wartime economy orchestrated by Moscow to prosecute the invasion of Ukraine.
Europe
Sweden blames Iran for cyber-attack after Quran burnings
BBC
Paul Kirby
Sweden's security service Sapo has accused Iranian intelligence of hacking into a text messaging service to send 15,000 messages to Swedes. Sapo said the data breach in summer last year involved SMS messages calling for "revenge against Quran-burners", after several anti-Islam activists set fire to copies of the Islamic holy book. Iran's embassy in Stockholm has rejected the accusations, calling them "baseless" and harmful to the two countries' relations.
IRGC hacked a Swedish SMS service in response to Quran burning, authorities say
CyberScoop
AJ Vicens
A hacking unit working with the Iranian government penetrated a Swedish telecommunications firm in August 2023 and pushed 15,000 text messages calling for revenge against people who burned the Quran, Swedish authorities said Tuesday. Using a persona they dubbed “Anzu Team,” hackers working with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps penetrated an unnamed Swedish company that operated a “major” SMS service and used the access to push the text messages, the Swedish Public Prosecutor’s office said in a statement, according to a machine translation.
UK
UK, US and Canada to collaborate on AI and cyber security
ComputerWeekly.com
Lis Evenstad
The UK government has signed a collaboration agreement with the US and Canada, which will see the countries work together to leverage new artificial intelligence and cyber security technologies. The Ministry of Defence’s Defence and Science Technology Laboratory will lead the work in the UK, while the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency and Defence and Research Development Canada will manage the work in their respective countries.
Middle East
Artificial intelligence is detecting new archaeological sites in the desert
CNN
Rebecca Cairns
On the northern edge of the Rub al-Khali, there are secrets buried in the sand. The vast 250,000 square miles (650,000 square kilometer) desert on the Arabian Peninsula is known as “The Empty Quarter.” And to most, aside from waves of ocher dunes, it does look empty. But not to artificial intelligence. Researchers at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi have developed a high-tech solution to searching huge, arid areas for potential archaeological sites.
Big Tech
What happens when you re-post the ‘Goodbye Meta AI’ disclaimer? The truth behind viral Instagram story
The Independent
Andrew Griffin
A post titled “Goodbye Meta AI” has become one of the most viral trends ever posted on Instagram. The message has been copied and re-posted hundreds of thousands of times. It claims to be a way of stopping Meta – the parent company of Instagram and Facebook – from using people’s data for artificial intelligence and other features. But the truth is that the post and the disclaimer contained in it will change nothing.
Artificial Intelligence
United Nations: AI’s rapid evolution demands more cooperative international policy ecosystems
The Mandarin
Melissa Coade
According to the UN secretary-general’s envoy on technology, Amandeep Singh Gill, diverse policy ecosystems have to start working together more cohesively as an enhanced global artificial intelligence governance partnership is unveiled. The under-secretary-general said the breadth and impact of how AI tech was developing called on civil services to be able to work better together and in real time.
Surging AI demand could cause the world's next chip shortage, research says
NBC News
Arjun Kharpal
A surge in demand for artificial intelligence-focused semiconductors and AI-enabled smartphones and laptops could lead to the next global chip shortage, according to a report released Wednesday by consultancy Bain & Co. The last major semiconductor shortage happened during the Covid-19 pandemic amid supply chain disruption and a rise in demand for consumer electronics as people were forced to stay and work at home.
‘A science project’: Billionaire executive unloads on Microsoft’s AI chatbot
Sydney Morning Herald
David Swan
Tech giant Microsoft’s AI efforts are glorified “science projects” that can’t be trusted in the workplace, according to the chief executive of enterprise software giant Salesforce, Marc Benioff, as the race to roll out generative AI tools into the workplace intensifies. Nearly 50,000 people descended on San Francisco last week for Salesforce’s annual summit, Dreamforce, which the company described as the world’s largest AI event.
Jobs
ASPI Research Internship
ASPI
Have you recently completed your studies (undergraduate or postgraduate) and want to develop your expertise in defence, foreign and national security policy, including in areas such as strategic competition, defence, deterrence, foreign interference, technology, and security? Do you want to inform the public and government on the critical strategic choices facing Australia and learn what it takes to be a professional analyst? If so, apply for the ASPI Research Internship Program! Please note that this is a paid internship program. Applications will close at midnight Friday 27 September 2024.
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