China's Safe Silk Road app collects data through BRI-related companies | Iranian operatives charged over Trump hack | Islamophobic cyberattacks hit UK railway services
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The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest focuses on the topics we work on, including cybersecurity, critical technologies, foreign interference & disinformation.
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China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs operates a secure digital platform that connects it directly with Chinese companies operating abroad, requiring participating companies to submit regular reports about their activities and local security conditions to the government, internal documents reveal. The Strategist
Three Iranian operatives have been charged with hacking Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as part of what the Justice Department says was a sweeping effort to undermine the former president and erode confidence in the U.S. electoral system. Associated Press
British police said on Thursday they had launched an investigation into a cyberattack after passengers at the country's major railway stations saw an Islamophobic message when they tried to use Wi-Fi services. Reuters
ASPI
Exclusive: Inside Beijing’s app collecting information from Belt and Road companies
The Strategist
Daria Impiombato, Bethany Allen and Nathan Attrill
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs operates a secure digital platform that connects it directly with Chinese companies operating abroad, requiring participating companies to submit regular reports about their activities and local security conditions to the government, internal documents reveal. The documents obtained and verified by ASPI’s China Investigations and Analysis team show how the platform, called Safe Silk Road, collects information from companies participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy initiative.
Australia
Misinformation laws put at risk the very freedoms we take for granted
The Australian
Michael Sexton
Consider the statement that federal government expenditure has contributed to inflation in Australia. Could this be misinformation or disinformation? And who decides on the answer to this question. Certainly not a panel of professional economists who could be guaranteed to disagree among themselves! This example illustrates the problem with the so-called combating misinformation and disinformation legislation that has been introduced into the federal parliament. It targets contestable political opinions on social media and is based on the patronising assumption that members of the community cannot make a judgment about those opinions but must be protected from the obvious inadequacies of their judgment.
Services Australia data breaches surge as scammers try to hack customer accounts using stolen details
The Guardian
Josh Taylor
Services Australia has seen a massive surge in data breaches by scammers harvesting information from previous hacks and using it to access customer accounts, Guardian Australia can reveal. Data obtained under freedom of information by a user, known as CR, on the transparency website Right to Know reveals that, as of 5 July, Services Australia had reported 49 data breaches as a result of social engineering – where people call an agency pretending to be someone in order to access information – in 2024.
University of New South Wales researchers make renewable energy breakthrough with radiant infrared heat sources
ABC News
Digby Werthmuller
Researchers at the University of New South Wales have made a breakthrough for renewable energy production, demonstrating for the first time the ability to produce electricity from radiant infrared heat sources. Moonlight isn't bright enough to generate power, but harvesting renewable energy through infrared light might be the key to powering your home through the night. An emerging technology which generates night-time solar energy could be powering our home appliances while we sleep within five years.
China
China’s Xi calls for conquering tech and reform challenges as People’s Republic turns 75
South China Morning Post
Dannie Peng
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for extensive efforts to push forward endeavours to build the nation to a modernised superpower. Xi made the comments when awarding national medals and honorary titles on Sunday as a part of a celebration to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1. Wang Yongzhi, a pioneer of China’s manned space programme, was awarded the Medal of the Republic, the highest honorary medal granted by the central government. Wang died in June at age 91.
USA
Iranian operatives charged in the US with hacking Donald Trump’s presidential campaign
Associated Press
Eric Tucker
Three Iranian operatives have been charged with hacking Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as part of what the Justice Department says was a sweeping effort to undermine the former president and erode confidence in the U.S. electoral system. The action, coupled with sanctions and rewards for information leading to the accused hackers’ capture, is the latest U.S. government effort to call out what’s seen as Iran’s attempts to interfere in the election by damaging Trump and sowing general chaos.
Crunchtime for election interference: October is the month of mischief
The New York Times
David E. Sanger and Julian E. Barnes
Federal officials battling foreign interference in the coming election say they are entering what may be the most perilous period of the campaign: October, when the prospect for mischief runs high and the time to react runs short. While the Russians make little attempt to hide their support for former President Donald J. Trump, the Iranians desperately want to stop him from returning to office and are busy hacking into his campaign and dumping whatever they find, as well as plotting to assassinate him.
California passes law protecting consumer brain data
The New York Times
Jonathan Moens
On Saturday, Governor Gavin Newsom of California signed a new law that aims to protect people’s brain data from being potentially misused by neurotechnology companies. A growing number of consumer technology products promise to help address cognitive issues: apps to meditate, to improve focus and to treat mental health conditions like depression. These products monitor and record brain data, which encodes virtually everything that goes on in the mind, including thoughts, feelings and intentions.
Trump says he will seek Google's prosecution if he wins election
Reuters
Jasper Ward and Kanishka Singh
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is the Republican presidential candidate, said on Friday he will seek the prosecution of Google if he wins the Nov. 5 election, claiming that the company only displays "bad stories" about him. Trump, in his post on Truth Social, gave no evidence for his assertion about Google. "It has been determined that Google has illegally used a system of only revealing and displaying bad stories about Donald J. Trump, some made up for this purpose while, at the same time, only revealing good stories about" Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Trump said.
Americas
Brazil's top court imposes new fine before allowing X to resume service
Reuters
Brazil's Supreme Court said on Friday that social platform X still needs to pay just over $5 million in pending fines, including a new one, before it will be allowed to resume its service in the country, according to a court document. Earlier this week, the Elon Musk-owned U.S. firm told the court it had complied with orders to stop the spread of misinformation and asked it to lift a ban on the platform.
Southeast Asia
Singapore’s strategic approach to digital inclusion
OpenGov Asia
Alita Sharon
Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information, Josephine Teo, emphasised Singapore’s strategic approach to digital cooperation and inclusion at the “Unlocking Potential: Digital Cooperation for Digital Public Infrastructure” panel at the Digital Public Goods Alliance’s 50-in-5 event. Minister Teo outlined how digital inclusion extends beyond internet connectivity to ensuring access to up-to-date devices, digital skills and the confidence to use technology effectively.
South & Central Asia
India's Star Health sues Telegram after hacker uses app's chatbots to leak data
Reuters
Munsif Vengattil and Aditya Kalra
Top Indian insurer Star Health has sued Telegram and a self-styled hacker after Reuters reported that the hacker was using chatbots on the messaging app to leak personal data and medical reports of policy holders. Star has received a temporary injunction from a court in its home state of Tamil Nadu ordering Telegram and the hacker to block any chatbots or websites in India that make available the data online, according to a copy of the order.
Europe
Moldova accuses Russia of trying to rig its EU referendum
POLITICO
Gabriel Gavin
Moscow has unleashed millions in cash and an army of social media accounts in an effort to try to prevent Moldova from joining the EU, one of the country’s top officials has cautioned. Moldova’s national security adviser, Stanislav Secrieru, told POLITICO in a statement that Russia has begun an “unprecedented onslaught” of hybrid tactics against the former Soviet Republic in the run-up to next month’s nationwide vote on whether to join the bloc.
Norway is mulling building a fence on its border with Russia, following Finland’s example
Associated Press
Jari Tanner
Norway may put a fence along part or all of the 198-kilometer border it shares with Russia, a minister said, a move inspired by a similar project in its Nordic neighbor Finland. “A border fence is very interesting, not only because it can act as a deterrent but also because it contains sensors and technology that allow you to detect if people are moving close to the border,” Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said in an interview with the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK published late Saturday.
EU privacy regulator fines Meta 91 million euros over password storage
Reuters
The lead European Union privacy regulator fined social media giant Meta 91 million euros on Friday for inadvertently storing some users' passwords without protection or encryption. The inquiry was opened five years ago after Meta notified Ireland's Data Protection Commission that it had stored some passwords in 'plaintext'. Meta publicly acknowledged the incident at the time and the DPC said the passwords were not made available to external parties.
EU plans Oct. 4 vote on tariffs on electric vehicles from China
Bloomberg
Alberto Nardelli and Michael Nienaber
The European Union is planning to vote Oct. 4 on whether to impose tariffs as high as 45% on imported electric vehicles made in China. Member states have received a draft of the regulation for the proposed measures. The vote among the bloc’s member states was slightly delayed amid last-minute negotiations with Beijing to try to find a resolution that would avoid the new levies.
UK
UK police investigating Islamophobic hack of Wi-Fi at train stations
Reuters
British police said on Thursday they had launched an investigation into a cyberattack after passengers at the country's major railway stations saw an Islamophobic message when they tried to use Wi-Fi services. The Wi-Fi system, which is managed by communications group Telent, was quickly taken offline after passengers said a message was displayed which referred to terror attacks. Tensions in Britain flared over the summer with a wave of anti-Muslim riots across the country after the killing of three young girls, an attack which was initially falsely blamed on an Islamist migrant following online misinformation.
UK data watchdog confirms it’s investigating MoneyGram data breach
TechCrunch
Carly Page
The U.K.’s data protection regulator has confirmed it’s investigating MoneyGram after receiving a data breach report from the U.S.-based money transfer giant. The U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office, which requires that organizations report data breaches within 72 hours of discovering the incident, confirmed to TechCrunch on Friday that the watchdog had received a report from MoneyGram following a cybersecurity incident at the company.
Social workers in England begin using AI system to assist their work
The Guardian
Robert Booth
Hundreds of social workers in England have begun using an artificial intelligence system that records conversations, drafts letters to doctors and proposes actions that human workers might not have considered. Councils in Swindon, Barnet and Kingston are among seven now using the AI tool that sits on social workers’ phones to record and analyse face-to-face meetings. The Magic Notes AI tool writes almost instant summaries and suggests follow-up actions, including drafting letters to GPs. Two dozen more councils have or are piloting it.
Manchester opens doors to $2.3 billion science and tech innovation district
Reuters
The northern English city of Manchester on Friday opened the first phase of a 1.7-billion-pound hub for science and technology companies, part of a large-scale project driven by university and private sector investors. The 'Sister' innovation district on the University of Manchester's former city centre North Campus envisages 2 million square feet (186,000 square metres) of commercial space and 1,500 new homes and aims to boost the city's status as a science and technology centre.
Middle East
Israel escalates pressure on Iran with Hezbollah boss Hassan Nasrallah’s killing
South China Morning Post
“Tehran’s vaunted missile force was shown in April to be ineffective against US and Israeli technology,” said Michael Morell, the former acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency, in an interview. “Now Iran’s second pillar of deterrence – Hezbollah – is being destroyed in front of its eyes. What does that leave them? Where does Iran find deterrence? Perhaps they will seek it in the acquisition of nuclear weapons.”
Gender & Women in Cyber
Digitalizing peacebuilding in the Europe and Central Asia region: Women, Peace and Security national action plans
United Nations Women
United Nations Women
While digital tools have empowered women peacebuilders to mobilize, advocate, and raise awareness, they also pose challenges such as online harassment and data breaches. The publication suggests that digital tools can prevent online violence, support women’s participation in peace processes, and improve access to information.
Chelsea Clinton, Ashley Graham, Arianna Huffington Set to Speak at Women in AI Summit
The Hollywood Reporter
Hilary Lewis
Chelsea Clinton, Ashley Graham and Arianna Huffington are among the high-profile figures set to speak at the inaugural Women in AI Summit, presented by ATTN: and The Female Quotient in New York. Leading AI experts Allie K. Miller and Dr. Joy Buolamwini and New York’s first chief technology officer Minerva Tantoco will also participate in the half-day event that aims to bring together influential voices in AI, marketing, media and entertainment to discuss the future of the technology and its impact on women.
Big Tech
OpenAI execs aim to reassure staff after big departures
Axios
Ina Fried
OpenAI's chief financial officer told workers that investor interest in the company's massive funding round was "incredibly high" as part of an effort to reassure them after a wave of high-profile departures, a source familiar with the situation told Axios. Staffers were caught off guard at the exit of CTO Mira Murati followed by a news cycle driven by the company's potential push to become a for-profit business.
Why does my iPhone keep asking me to check in with my ex?
The New York Times
Jessica Roy
An iPhone feature has some users baffled as they are asked to share their location with work acquaintances, dead relatives and people on other continents. How exactly the Check In feature works is a secret Apple guards very closely. According to a company news release from June 2023, Check In was designed as a feature “for when a user wants to notify a family member or friend that they have made it to their destination safely.”
Artificial Intelligence
The far right is using AI to sell Hitler to a new generation
The Washington Post
Pranshu Verma and Will Oremus
Extremists are using artificial intelligence to reanimate Adolf Hitler online for a new generation, recasting the Nazi German leader who orchestrated the Holocaust as a “misunderstood” figure whose antisemitic and anti-immigrant messages are freshly resonant in politics today. In audio and video clips that have reached millions of viewers over the past month on TikTok, X, Instagram and YouTube, the führer’s AI-cloned voice quavers and crescendos as he delivers English-language versions of some of his most notorious addresses, including his 1939 Reichstag speech predicting the end of Jewish people in Europe.
OpenAI might raise the price of ChatGPT to $44 by 2029
TechCrunch
Kyle Wiggers
ChatGPT could get more expensive to use in coming years. OpenAI is planning to raise the price of individual ChatGPT subscriptions from $20 per month to $22 per month by the end of the year. A steeper increase will come over the next five years; by 2029, OpenAI expects it’ll charge $44 per month for ChatGPT Plus. The aggressive moves reflect pressure on OpenAI from investors to narrow its losses.
Artificial intelligence is policing the US-Mexico border - and it's big business
ABC News
David Marr
As the US election looms, Donald Trump is pushing his message around stopping what he calls the "migration invasion" of America across the Mexican border. In the Arizona desert, robot dogs, mobile surveillance towers and drones with tasers already make the crossing a living nightmare. Now artificial intelligence is being combined with the collection of people's photographs and biometric data to make what lawyers and human rights experts say are arbitrary and often unchallengeable decisions about a person's right to asylum.
Events & Podcasts
The Tech Council of Australia's National Tech Summit
Tech Council Australia
Tech Council Australia
From November 11th to 13th, 2024, the National Tech Summit will present an inclusive and exciting vision for Australia's tech future. The summit will focus on identifying critical policy areas for future-enabled tech ecosystems and outlining pathways to enhance capability and attract investment in evolving and emerging industries.
The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest is brought to you by the Cyber, Technology & Security team at ASPI.