China employs hackers and celebrities to undermine Taiwan | US DOJ indicts brothers behind Anonymous DDOS gang | Europe: Auto giants launch a flurry of cheaper electric vehicles
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As Beijing dispatched its military Monday in a show of force that encircled Taiwan, China’s coast guard posted a map showing its ships ringing the island in a heart-shaped formation, describing it as “an act of love.” Wall Street Journal
Two brothers have been indicted for their involvement in the Anonymous Sudan threat group, best known for launching distributed denial of service on major organisations and government agencies. CyberDaily
Several of Europe’s biggest carmakers unveiled low-cost electric vehicles at the Paris Motor Show this week, seeking to jump-start a demand slump and recapture some of the market share now held by Chinese brands. CNBC
The World
Cybersecurity rules saw big changes in 2024. Here's what to know
World Economic Forum
Spencer Feingold and Filipe Beato
In 2024, significant new cybersecurity rules were enacted in major economies around the world, effectively transforming the global regulatory environment. The regulations come as business leaders are increasingly open to enhanced cybersecurity rules. In fact, the World Economic Forum’s latest Global Security Outlook found that 60% of executives believe proper cyber and privacy regulations effectively reduce risk – a major increase from the 21% in 2022.
Australia
Playbook to help know what to do when ransomware strikes
The Mandarin
Melissa Coade
The government has launched an interactive resource to help everyday Australians respond to cyber threats in an increasingly interconnected, tech-reliant economy. Cyber Security Minister Tony Burke released the Ransomware Playbook this month, explaining it was developed to be a practical tool for individuals and businesses. Attacks via ransomware, which could also include cyber extortion, are capable of pressuring victims by encrypting and denying access to files.
Concerns youth screen time and AI use far exceed guidance as experts propose rethink to school bans
ABC News
Oscar Coleman
It's no secret that Australians are grappling with the rapid rise of digital technology, whether it's excessive screen times at home, the inability to tell truth from fiction online, or the intractable impact of artificial intelligence on institutions and jobs. However while official guidelines recommend children aged five to 17 limit recreational, non-school screen time to two hours per day, many parents, students and teachers who responded to an ABC call out about the education system suggested such guidelines are out of touch, and do not reflect reality.
Virtual fencing technology helps WA cattle farmers maximise productivity
ABC News
Georgia Hargreaves and Peter Bar
For Kent Rochester, virtual fencing technology has made his job farming cattle a whole lot easier. The technology allows livestock to be moved or confined without the need for physical fences or gates. After a farming accident more than 20 years ago, Mr Rochester was left quadriplegic, but it has not stopped him from running a cattle farming operation at Manypeaks, about 440 kilometres south of Perth.
China
China employs hackers and celebrities to undermine Taiwan
Wall Street Journal
Joyu Wang and Austin Ramzy
As Beijing dispatched its military Monday in a show of force that encircled Taiwan, China’s coast guard posted a map showing its ships ringing the island in a heart-shaped formation, describing it as “an act of love.” To Taiwan, the social-media message was just one piece of China’s multifaceted campaign to intimidate, isolate and influence the people and leaders of the island democracy to give up their commitment to self-rule.
Intel China responds to accusations of security issues from Chinese cyber association
Reuters
Eduardo Baptista
Intel's China unit said on Thursday it has always prioritised product safety and quality, after an influential Chinese cybersecurity association called for a security review of the U.S. chipmaker's products sold in China. "We will maintain communication with the relevant authorities, clarify any concerns, and reaffirm our commitment to product safety and quality," the company said in a statement on its official WeChat account.
China's 'entrepreneurship for everyone' era ends as state sets agenda
Nikkei Asia
Wataru Suzuki
A "digital innovation service center" in downtown Shenzhen, a sprawling tech hub in southern China, was designed to cater to the local startup scene. A poster in the office promises legal, recruitment and other help for "advanced enterprises in the digital content industry" looking to gain a foothold in the Greater Bay Area, an economic cluster encompassing Shenzhen and its neighboring cities, as well as Hong Kong and Macao.
China launches plan to lead the world in space exploration
The Register
Simon Sharwood
China yesterday revealed its space exploration plans between now and the year 2050, and one of the nation's goals is finding habitable planets beyond our solar system. The plan is the work of China's Academy of Sciences, National Space Administration, and Manned Space Engineering Office, and is the first national-level plan developed by the Middle Kingdom.
Huawei suppliers face effort by US lawmakers to block chip gear
Bloomberg
Mackenzie Hawkins
Key US lawmakers are pressing the Biden administration to block Huawei Technologies Co. suppliers from buying American chipmaking gear, escalating efforts to prevent the sanctioned Chinese telecom giant from making progress on semiconductor manufacturing. The top Republican and Democrat on the House China Select Committee outlined their concerns in a letter Wednesday to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, whose agency oversees a pivotal trade restriction list as well as broader export controls on advanced chips and manufacturing tools.
USA
US DoJ indicts Sudanese brothers behind Anonymous Sudan DDoS gang
CyberDaily
Daniel Croft
Two brothers have been indicted for their involvement in the Anonymous Sudan threat group, best known for launching distributed denial of service on major organisations and government agencies. Anonymous Sudan has claimed DDoS attacks on the likes of Microsoft, Ao3, PayPal, Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), Wells Fargo, Cloudflare, ChatGPT and OpenAI, League of Legends, Cambridge University, Meta, French government agencies and more.
Alabama man arrested for role in SEC Twitter account hijacking
CyberScoop
Derek B. Johnson
A 25-year-old Alabama man has been arrested and charged with hacking into the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Twitter/X account earlier this year and making fake regulatory posts that artificially inflated the price of Bitcoin by more than $1,000 per unit. Eric Council Jr., a resident of Athens, Ala., was arrested Thursday morning and charged with aggravated identity theft and access device fraud in connection with the January 2024 incident.
Americas
Aclara advances rare earth separation technology
Mining.com
Aclara Resources said on Wednesday it has completed a conceptual engineering study focused on producing high-purity rare earth elements. According to the company, its patented circular mineral harvesting technology, designed to extract heavy rare earths from ionic clays, boasts several environmentally friendly features. With this technology, Aclara aims to produce high-purity mixed rare earth concentrate from its Penco module in Chile and the Carina project in Brazil.
National Public Data hacker US DoD arrested in Brazil
CyberDaily
Daniel Croft
Yesterday (16 October), Brazil’s Polícia Federal announced the arrest of Luan BG, better known online as USDoD, after it was suspected that he had breached PF systems. “The Federal Police launched Operation Data Breach on Wednesday, with the aim of investigating invasions of the systems of the Federal Police and other international institutions,” said the PF.
North Asia
Firm hacked after accidentally hiring North Korean cyber criminal
BBC
Joe Tidy
A company has been hacked after accidentally hiring a North Korean cyber criminal as a remote IT worker. The unidentified firm hired the technician after he faked his employment history and personal details. Once given access to the company’s computer network, the hacker downloaded sensitive company data and sent a ransom demand.
TSMC says 'insane' AI demand is 'real' and a boon for chip giant
Nikkei Asia
Cheng Ting-Fang and Lauly Li
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. on Thursday said "extremely robust" AI demand is set to continue for years and deliver another record-breaking quarter for the world's largest contract chipmaker. TSMC said demand for high-performing computing chips for servers, for example, will more than triple in 2024 compared to last year.
Southeast Asia
PM courts China on 6G launch base
Bangkok Post
Mongkol Bangprapa
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has invited China to build a satellite launch base for providing 6G technology in Thailand as part of discussions aimed at strengthening economic cooperation, as both countries prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year. China, meanwhile, will send a new pair of giant pandas as goodwill ambassadors to celebrate the anniversary.
Europe
Auto giants launch a flurry of cheaper electric vehicles — taking the fight to China
CNBC
Sam Meredith
Several of Europe’s biggest carmakers unveiled low-cost electric vehicles at the Paris Motor Show this week, seeking to jump-start a demand slump and recapture some of the market share now held by Chinese brands. It is thought that the biennial industry showcase, which opened in Paris on Monday and runs through to Sunday, could prove to be a turning point for Europe’s auto industry.
Moscow roils a country on the edge of Europe and Russia
The New York Times
Andrew Higgins and Steven Lee Myers
Moldova’s police chief, appointed by a government committed to joining the European Union and leaving Russia’s orbit, was alarmed to find his country’s capital suddenly plastered with posters bearing a blunt message: “No EU.” The posters — written in Russian and Romanian, Moldova’s main language — appeared overnight on bus stops across Chisinau last month, ostensibly part of an advertising campaign for a concert by a popular Russian-speaking singer from Ukraine.
Fact check: Image of France’s Macron greeting Iran’s Khamenei is AI-generated
Reuters
An image of French President Emmanuel Macron and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shaking hands was shared alongside a picture of France’s Marshal Phillipe Petain greeting Adolf Hitler with the caption, “France: Surrendering to evil since 1940.” However, the image of Macron greeting Khamenei is AI-generated. The photo collage shared online, shows an authentic image of Petain, who led the French government established in Vichy, during Germany’s occupation of much of the country in World War Two, shaking hands with Hitler. Below it, is the synthetic image of Macron with Khamenei.
UK
Nationally significant' cyberattacks are surging, warns the UK's new cyber chief
The Record by Recorded Future
Alexander Martin
The United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre has “already responded to 50% more nationally significant incidents compared to last year,” its new chief executive announced on Wednesday. Making his first international address during Singapore International Cyber Week, Richard Horne — who replaced Lindy Cameron earlier this year — warned of a widening gap between cyber threats and the world’s collective ability to defend against them.
Middle East
How Huawei cloud is expanding in Middle East amid AI push
Technology Magazine
Marcus Law
Huawei Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Chinese technology company Huawei, has reported a tenfold increase in public cloud revenue in the Middle East and North Africa region over the past year. The company made the announcement at its Huawei Cloud Summit UAE 2024, held during the GITEX Global 2024 technology exhibition in Dubai. The summit, themed ‘Leap to Intelligence with a Better Cloud’, showcased Huawei Cloud's efforts to drive digitalisation and artificial intelligence adoption across various industries in the region.
Africa
Can AI help Africa close the development gap?
Financial Times
David Pilling
Oscar Darko-Sarfo sounds enthusiastic about his new job as a barber — a huge break for a 22-year-old who once doubted he would find work. He was born with a cleft palate, which impairs his ability to speak clearly; it’s not always easy for listeners to understand him. Darko-Sarfo is one of 20 Ghanaians testing out artificial intelligence-enabled technology developed by Google to help people with non-standard speech. After speaking in English into a smartphone trained to recognise his speech patterns, a female, American-accented voice announces: “I’m working as a barber. I like to do Afros.”
Big Tech
Alibaba opens walled garden to rival JD.com’s logistics services
South China Morning Post
Ben Jiang
Alibaba Group Holding is giving merchants on its e-commerce platforms the option to use logistics services from rival JD.com, the latest example of Chinese tech giants moving to tear down digital walls that once separated their ecosystems. A range of services offered by JD.com’s logistics arm, from warehousing to shipping, will become available to merchants on Alibaba’s Taobao and Tmall, the two largest online marketplaces in China, according to a statement from JD Logistics on Wednesday.
Uber CEO says competing with Elon Musk is 'no easy matter' — and would love to partner with Tesla on robotaxis
Business Insider
Jyoti Mann
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says going head-to-head with Elon Musk can be tough — so he's open to partnering with him. Khosrowshahi told the Financial Times that he would "love" to offer Tesla's robotaxis on Uber's ride-hailing platform when they are safe and ready to use. "Obviously, competing with Elon Musk is no easy matter, and we take nothing for granted; we really want to partner with the autonomous industry," he told the FT in an interview that aired Tuesday.
Google to buy nuclear power for AI datacentres in ‘world first’ deal
The Guardian
Alex Lawson
Google has signed a “world first” deal to buy energy from a fleet of mini nuclear reactors to generate the power needed for the rise in use of artificial intelligence. The US tech corporation has ordered six or seven small nuclear reactors from California’s Kairos Power, with the first due to be completed by 2030 and the remainder by 2035. Google hopes the deal will provide a low-carbon solution to power datacentres, which require huge volumes of electricity.
Microsoft warns of AI-driven cyber threats & ransomware rise
Security Brief Asia
Shannon Williams
An emerging landscape of cyber threats highlights the complex interactions between nation-state actors and cybercriminals, according to Microsoft's latest Digital Defense Report. The report places Australia as the sixth most targeted nation in the South Asia, East Asia, and Pacific region. One of the key findings reveals a growing trend in the collusion between nation-state actors and cybercrime gangs. This collaboration involves sharing tools and techniques for financial gain and intelligence collection.
Microsoft customers facing 600M+ cyber attacks every day
Cyber Security News
Varshini Senapathi
Cybersecurity analysts at Microsoft recently discovered that their customers face more than 600 million cyber-attacks every day. The current cyber threat landscape is increasingly complex and dynamic. It is marked by a surge in “state-sponsored” and “hacktivist” attacks. Not only that, but the rise of ransomware attacks continues to pose significant risks to “critical infrastructure.”
Artificial Intelligence
AI used to track sea turtles by scanning their unique face scales
ABC News
Jessica Lamb
Facial scanning technology for passports is now being used in the deep blue sea to give scientists better insight into the lives of sea turtles. Green Heroes, a not-for-profit organisation based on the Queensland-New South Wales border, is utilising artificial intelligence technology commonly used in airports to track and analyse the marine animals without interrupting them.
Research
Gap in cyber preparedness between Australia, UK, & US
IT Brief Australia
Shannon Williams
New research by RSM Australia reveals a significant gap in cyberattack preparedness and response capacity between Australian businesses and those in the US and UK. The report "Cyber Storm Rising: Navigating the Path to Resilience for Australian Businesses" surveyed 150 c-suite executives, revealing that only 50% of Australian business leaders are confident in their staff's ability to manage cybersecurity risks. This contrasts starkly with 84% of leaders in the UK and US who share the same confidence in their employees.
Hackers avoid Google Chrome security features in new attack, researchers warn
Forbes
Davey Winder
Hackers are becoming more crafty and sophisticated to avoid getting caught by the security protections Google puts in place across its products and services. One example is the latest social engineering tactic reported by the Sekoia threat detection and research team: bypassing web browser protections such as Google Safe Browsing by tricking victims into opening fake Google Meet conference pages that install infostealer malware. The scam, named as ClickFix, is currently targeting cryptocurrency assets and decentralized finance users.
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