ISIS-K revamped its online recruiting tactics | Russian spies hacked the entire nation of Georgia | British High Commission in Mauritius fears its phones hacked

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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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• Afghanistan-based terrorist group ISIS-K has revamped its online recruiting tactics as it seeks to carry out attacks against the US and other Western countries. NBC News

• Russian spies were watching Georgia’s government and major companies in a comprehensive espionage and hacking campaign over years, scooping up information and gaining powers to potentially sabotage critical infrastructure. Bloomburg

• British high commissioner hit in huge leak of purported phone conversations between high-profile Mauritian figures. Independent

World

ISIS-K threat grows as it targets disaffected Muslims with sophisticated propaganda
NBC News
Dan De Luce
The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has ramped up its recruitment efforts in the past year, rolling out a sophisticated propaganda campaign designed to persuade disaffected Muslims to carry out terrorist plots in the US and other Western countries. The recent arrest of an Afghan accused of plotting an Election Day attack in the US, as well as recent plots in France, Sweden and elsewhere. ISIS-K has used AI tools to dramatically bolster its propaganda output at low cost. After the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow, an ISIS supporter posted a video that used AI to simulate a news broadcast as part of the group’s anti-Russian propaganda.

Australia

The hundreds of millions in tax incentives for Australian start-ups that went south
The Sydney Morning Herald
David Swan
Hundreds of millions of dollars in research and development tax incentives have been wiped out by struggling Australian start-ups, a transparency report from the Australian Tax Office shows. The ATO has laid bare millions in taxpayer funding directed towards R&D activities, with the offset underpinning the performance of some of Australia’s most prominent technology companies, though for some start-ups it wasn’t enough of a life raft.

Social media inquiry calls for tech giants to be charged to operate
The Australian
James Dowling
A social media inquiry has recommended a new digital affairs portfolio be established and big tech charged to operate platforms in Australia, with some proceeds given to public-­interest journalism. Established after Meta’s withdrawal from the News Media Bargaining Code, the joint select committee on social media has reportedly recommended a ­social media levy to overhaul the bargaining process and a government relief package for struggling media groups.

China

China boosts export controls on dual use items, state media says
Reuters
Chinese Premier Li Qiang has signed a decree of the State Council to unveil regulations on export control of so-called dual use items, which will take effect on Dec. 1, 2024. The regulations aim to improve transparency and standardization of export control policies and to boost export control capabilities of items that may be used either for civilian or military purposes. The US says Beijing is supporting Russia's war effort in Ukraine by supplying dual use goods, including microelectronics, that can help it build weapons. China says it has not provided weaponry to any party, and that normal trade with Russia should not be interrupted.

TikTok owner sacks intern for sabotaging AI project
BBC
João da Silva
TikTok owner, ByteDance, says it has sacked an intern for "maliciously interfering" with the training of one of its AI models. But the firm rejected claims about the extent of the damage caused by the unnamed individual, saying they "contain some exaggerations and inaccuracies". It comes after reports about the incident spread over the weekend on social media. ByteDance denied reports that the incident caused more than $10m (£7.7m) of damage by disrupting an AI training system made up of thousands of powerful graphics processing units.

Drone maker DJI sues US over inclusion on 'Chinese military companies' list
PC Mag
Will Mccurdy
DJI has sued the US Department of Defense for designating it as a Chinese military company. DJI, which is based in Shenzhen, China, is estimated to control 90% of the consumer drone market. Its drones, such as the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, are commonly used for civilian use cases like aerial photography. They are popular in industries like film and TV and also with hobbyists. In 2022, DJI was added to that list. DJI said it "is not a military company in China, the US or anywhere else; has never designed or manufactured military-grade equipment; and has never marketed or sold its products for military use in any country."

China says developing low-cost radar that can track US F-22 stealth fighter jets
Defense Post
Joe Saballa
China is reportedly developing a cheap radar system that can detect and track America’s F-22 Raptor, one of the world’s most advanced stealth fighter aircraft. The new radar relies on a single receiving antenna, making it cheaper to produce and easier to deploy. It also utilises Beijing’s BeiDou navigation satellite system for effective tracking of hostile aerial assets. Additionally, the Chinese low-cost radar does not emit signals, minimizing the risk of revealing its own location.

USA

Russian propaganda unit appears to be behind spread of false Tim Walz sexual abuse claims
WIRED
David Gilbert
A Russian-aligned propaganda network notorious for creating deepfake whistleblower videos appears to be behind a coordinated effort to promote wild and baseless claims that Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz sexually assaulted one of his former students, according to several specialists tracking the disinformation campaign.

Inside the Harris campaign’s blitz to win back Silicon Valley
The Washington Post
Cat Zakrzewski, Nitasha Tiku and Elizabeth Dwoskin
Key members of Kamala Harris’s inner circle are deploying across the country for fundraisers, private meetings and meals as part of an aggressive charm offensive to win back the support of the tech industry leaders who say they felt burned by President Joe Biden. In this election season, some Silicon Valley power players have flocked to the Republican Party as former president Donald Trump campaigns alongside the most vocal and visible of them all, Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The focus of Harris’s push is to convince top tech executives and investors that the vice president will chart her own course on regulating Big Tech and cryptocurrency.

US Offers $10 Million for Information on Russia War Blog Rybar
Bloomberg
The US government is offering a reward of as much as $10 million for information “leading to the identification or location” of the Russian military media outlet Rybar and its employees, according to a statement posted on the Rewards for Justice mission. Rybar, which has over 1.3 million subscribers on its Telegram channel focused mainly on the Kremlin’s invasion in Ukraine, aims to “bolster Russia’s military capabilities and advance pro-Russian and anti-Western narratives,” according to the statement. The outlet, which was allegedly backed early on by now-deceased Kremlin ally-turned-rebel Yevgeny Prigozhin, also manages propaganda social media channels #HOLDTHELINE and #STANDWTHTEXAS “to promote Russian government political interests” in the US.

China’s Spamouflage disinformation campaign testing techniques on Sen. Marco Rubio
The Record by Recorded Future
Dina Temple-Raston
The covert Chinese information operation known as Spamouflage has renewed its long-running disinformation campaign against Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, according to researchers at Clemson University’s Media Forensics Lab. The researchers found that in mid-September Spamouflage seemed to be targeting Rubio’s official X account to test a roster of new tactics, some not previously observed. In 2022, the group had flooded the senator’s social media accounts with posts during his re-election bid.

Biden administration proposes new rules governing data transfers to adversarial nations
The Record by Recorded Future
Suzanne Smiley
The Biden administration announced on Monday new proposed rules for regulating the transfer of certain data to adversarial countries such as China and Russia, creating specific requirements for how sensitive personal and federal information can be shared, if at all.

US to curb AI investment in China soon
Reuters
Karen Freifeld
U.S. rules that will ban certain U.S. investments in artificial intelligence in China are under final review, according to a government posting, suggesting the restrictions are coming soon. The rules, which will also require U.S. investors to notify the Treasury Department about some investments in AI and other sensitive technologies, stem from an executive order signed by President Joe Biden in August 2023 that aims to keep American investors' know-how from aiding China's military.

North Asia

Fake IT workers from North Korea have started blackmailing their victims
Computer World
Viktor Eriksson
A new report from Secureworks shows that the North Korean group Nickel Tapestry has expanded its operations from getting North Korean IT workers illegally employed by companies in other countries to allowing the workers to steal data that can be used for extortion if they’re fired. North Korean IT workers also tend to be reluctant to make video calls and often claim that their webcam is not working

Southeast Asia

How digitalisation has impacted religious organisations in Singapore
National University of Singapore
Benjamin Low
Religious communities around the world have been confronted with the advent of digital media platforms, a trend that began even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the adoption of these platforms, religious communities are no longer as bound to physical spaces as they used to be. How, then, has the adoption and usage of digital media platforms affected religious community and practice in Singapore? While the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the intensity of digitalisation among religious organisations, digitalisation is not equally distributed across religious activities and organisations.

The most popular payment app in the Philippines has a side bet: online gambling
Rest of World
Patrick Kho
GCash, with more than 90 million active users — or more than three-fourths of the population — has helped drive an increase in the number of Filipinos getting addicted to gambling, according to gambling support groups. The app features a games section, which connects users to online gambling platforms such as Bingo Plus and Casino Plus, and sports betting sites like Arena Plus. GCash also has a microloan feature, GCredit, which lends users up to 50,000 pesos ($880). The payment app’s ease of use is a factor in problem gambling, particularly among women, support groups say.

South & Central Asia

Fears British High Commission phones were hacked during Chagos Islands talks
Independent
Millie Cooke and David Maddox
Leaked recordings have sparked fears the British High Commission in Mauritius had its phones hacked around the time the UK opened negotiations for the handover of the Chagos Islands. Police in Mauritius are investigating after audio of apparent discussions between the British high commissioner Charlotte Pierre and other political figures were featured on the Mauritian Facebook page Missie Moustass. The Chagos issue is sensitive due to the secretive joint UK-US air base on Diego Garcia. The deal struck by the government allows the UK to retain the facility for the next 100 years, but there are concerns the agreement will open up the islands to Chinese interference.

Is Sri Lanka a cybercrime hub? Foreign Minister warns of impact on fragile economy
Tamil Guardian
Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Vijitha Herath acknowledged the growing problem of the island becoming a hub for international cybercrimes, warning that its shaky economic recovery might be impacted. "We have to see if Sri Lanka is a cyber crimes hub,” Herath told reporters, “and whether our financial system is being affected by this.”

NZ & The Pacific Islands

Pensioner loses $224k after being tricked by AI deepfake Christopher Luxon cryptocurrency investment scam
NZ Herald
A Taranaki grandmother lost $224,000 to an AI deepfake scam featuring Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. The scammers manipulated her into investing in cryptocurrency, claiming to be legitimate financial advisers. Her bank, TSB, has declined liability, saying the victim enabled the scam by granting remote access to her device and accounts.

Ukraine-Russia

How Russia’s spies hacked the entire nation of Georgia
Bloomberg
Alberto Nardelli and Ryan Gallagher
Russian spies were watching Georgia’s government and major companies in a comprehensive espionage and hacking campaign over years, scooping up information and gaining powers to potentially sabotage critical infrastructure. The Foreign Ministry, Finance Ministry, central bank and key energy and telecommunications providers were penetrated, according to documents and technical reports seen by Bloomberg News. A vital gateway for energy and trade routes linking Europe and Asia, Georgia has been central to the East-West geopolitical struggle for at least two decades. The country will conduct election on Saturday, 26 Oct.

World War I was the crucible of air power. Ukraine looks the same for drones
The Strategist
Bill Sweetman
Signs are emerging of a technological arms race in drone warfare, in which unmanned systems respond to anti-drone technologies by becoming more diverse and resilient and by sensing at greater range. Israel Aerospace Industries showed a concept for a system named Ariel, based on an automated mission manager that tasks individual anti-drone equipment automatically. Human controllers, seated at terminals in an armoured vehicle and communicating with the robotic systems via an airborne data relay, approve the mission plan.

Europe

Cyprus thwarted a digital attack against the government’s main online portal
Associated Press
Cyprus said Sunday that it has successfully thwarted a digital attack aimed at blocking access to the government’s central online portal, the latest in a string of similar attacks over a three-day period against state-run utilities and the Cypriot subsidiary of a Greek energy company. Cyprus’ Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy said in a statement that “a quick and coordinated response” by authorities foiled the attack, whose purpose was exclusively to prevent access to specific government websites.

Spate of ransomware attacks on German-speaking schools hits another in Switzerland
The Record by Recorded Future
Alexander Martin
The growing menace of cyberattacks impacting German-speaking educational institutions in Europe has hit a vocational school in Switzerland whose specialisms include nursing and construction. The ransomware attack on the BBZ follows another on the University of Zurich, Switzerland’s largest university, last year that was described as “part of a current accumulation of attacks on educational and health institutions.”

EU props up €90B investors club to plug tech funding gap
POLITICO
Pieter Haeck
Brussels has launched a club of investors in a bid to lure more money to high-risk tech ventures. The investors could be tapped to coinvest alongside a fund the European Commission launched in 2021. The fund focuses on companies working on unproven, research-heavy technologies, which often struggle to attract the necessary funding to bring their products to the market. The "trusted investors" network was launched in Athens on Monday by outgoing European innovation chief Iliana Ivanova.

Meet the mothers in small-town Hungary leading a fight against Chinese EV battery plants
Rest of World
Yvonne Lau
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wants to make Hungary a global EV battery hub and Chinese investors have funneled billions into the sector. Locals fear environmental degradation, and previously spent years opposing South Korean battery plants. Grassroots protests, including legal challenges, have seen success in halting projects and pressuring regulators to impose fines for pollution.

Middle East

These viral images of the Hamas-Israel war aren’t real. Does it matter?
SBS
Olivia Di Iorio
Islam Nour says his work shows the reality of everyday life for those on the ground in Gaza. But they aren't photos — they were made with AI. Now, complex ethical questions are emerging. Islam Nour has been using AI to produce his art for some time. The China-based designer has over 50,000 followers across social media. Recently, much of his work has focused on the ongoing conflict in Gaza. "My goal is not to influence people as much as it is to express my feelings and shed light on the suffering in Gaza," Nour told SBS.

Gender and Women in Tech

Marissa Hummon thinks AI will help make the power grid greener
TechCrunch
Dominic-Madori Davis
As a part of TechCrunch’s ongoing Women in AI series, which seeks to give AI-focused women academics and others their well-deserved — and overdue — time in the spotlight, TechCrunch interviewed Marissa Hummon, the chief technology officer at the energy company Utilidata, where she is working to make the electric grid more sustainable. Hummon started her career at the National Renewable Energy Lab, where she focused on how to move the energy industry away from carbon-intensive solutions to more clean sources.

Big Tech

Microsoft unveils new autonomous AI agents in advance of competing Salesforce rollout
GeekWire
Todd Bishop
Microsoft announced 10 new AI agents for its Dynamics 365 line of business applications — tools that can complete tasks autonomously in areas including sales, service, finance, and supply chain operations. Over the past decade, Microsoft and Salesforce have become a classic example of tech-industry frenemies, partnering when it’s mutually convenient, but for the most part competing fiercely on a variety of fronts.

Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis on his Nobel Prize: ‘It feels like a watershed moment for AI’
Financial Times
Madhumita Murgia
In the 15 years since it was founded, Google DeepMind has grown into one of the world’s foremost artificial intelligence research and development labs. In October, its chief executive and co-founder Sir Demis Hassabis was one of three joint recipients of this year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry for unlocking a 50-year-old problem: predicting the structure of every known protein using AI software known as AlphaFold. DeepMind, which was acquired by Google in 2014.

Artificial Intelligence

China's SenseTime using 'a lot' of Huawei, other domestic AI chips
Nikkei Asia
Cissy Zhou, Cheng Ting-Fang and Lauly Li
Chinese artificial intelligence giant SenseTime Group is using "a lot" of domestic chips, including from Huawei Technologies, to train its large language models, as part of efforts to rapidly develop a homegrown AI computing ecosystem. Alvin Zou, vice president of SenseTime's Asia Pacific operations, said the company's next-generation Artificial Intelligence Data Center in Shanghai is equipped with chips from all the main domestic manufacturers, including Huawei and Biren Technology.

AI computing race too costly for most top chipmakers: Marvell CTO
Nikkei Asia
Cheng Ting-Fang
Only a few top chip developers will be able to continue investing in semiconductors for AI computing given the massive amounts of money needed to stay competitive, the chief technology officer of U.S. chipmaker Marvell said. Noam Mizrahi, Marvell's executive vice president and CTO, said the market for customized artificial intelligence chips will grow sharply, even if "not many" players can afford to stay in the game.

How AI groups are infusing their chatbots with personality
Financial Times
Cristina Criddle
Leading artificial intelligence companies that are racing to develop the cutting-edge technology are tackling a very human challenge: how to give AI models a personality. OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have developed teams focused on improving “model behaviour”, an emerging field that shapes AI systems’ responses and characteristics, impacting how their chatbots come across to users. Their differing approaches to model behaviour could prove crucial in which group dominates the burgeoning AI market.

Events & Podcasts

Australian Internet Governance Forum
auIGF
The Australian Internet Governance Forum, formerly known as NetThing, is an annual event which brings a diverse multidisciplinary community of stakeholders together and facilitates discussions on governance and public policy issues pertaining to the Internet in Australia. Modelled on the global Internet Governance Forum, auIGF supports the multi-stakeholder model and promotes an open and inclusive platform that gives voice to diverse perspectives, forms stronger cooperation and partnerships between stakeholder groups, and encourages community collaboration.

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