International ops traced $55m digital piracy sites | Chinese spy, Philippines ex-mayor sentenced for scam centre | Australian take months to detect cyber breaches
Plus Iran-linked hackers mapped ship AIS data
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A Europol-led initiative has targeted 69 illegal streaming sites, identified and traced cryptocurrency revenues valued at around $55 million. The operation used cryptocurrency to buy access to pirated materials in order to gain a window into their financial infrastructure. The Record by Recorded Future
Alice Guo, a Chinese citizen who entered Philippines’ politics and won the position as mayor of Bamban town north of Manila, was found guilty of overseeing a Chinese-operated online gambling centre where hundreds of people were forced to run scams or risk torture. The Guardian
New figures obtained under Freedom of Information laws show 187 data breaches across Australia’s mining and manufacturing sectors have exposed the personal information of up to 3.6 million people since 2018. ABC News
ASPI
Australia–South Korea critical-minerals cooperation gets results beyond frameworks
The Strategist
Alice Wai
While many international critical-minerals partnerships remain at the level of frameworks and dialogues, Australia and South Korea have advanced to tangible action. The partnership’s strength is the volume of minerals processed, refined and integrated into global supply chains. This coordinated industrial engagement reflects a shared effort to reduce dependence on China for critical minerals. The partnership offers a model of supply-chain integration, public finance alignment and advanced manufacturing—moving beyond raw extraction to strengthen long-term resilience across the battery and semiconductor sectors.
We’re updating ASPI’s Critical Technology Tracker. This expansion incorporates 2025 data, adds 10 new technologies—from generative AI to brain-computer interfaces to geoengineering—and features a new at-a-glance overview of performance across all the technologies we track. Be the first to get early-access invites and launch updates: https://techtracker.aspi.org.au/
World
International operation traces $55 million crypto trail of digital piracy sites
The Record by Recorded Future
James Reddick
Thirty investigators from 15 countries took part in the five-day crackdown earlier this month targeting 69 digital piracy sites, including 25 illegal streaming services whose information was referred to cryptocurrency platforms for disruption. Thirty investigators from 15 countries took part in the five-day crackdown earlier this month targeting 69 digital piracy sites, including 25 illegal streaming services whose information was referred to cryptocurrency platforms for disruption. Both Coinbase and Binance were involved in the operation and took actions based on the gleaned intelligence.
Australia
FOI data shows Australian mining and manufacturing sectors take months to detect cyber breaches
ABC News
Rhiana Whitson
Australia’s mining and manufacturing sectors are taking up to two years to notice and report cyber breaches to authorities, prompting concerns about the cybersecurity of industries critical to the nation’s economy. New figures obtained under Freedom of Information laws show 187 data breaches across the two sectors have exposed the personal information of up to 3.6 million people since 2018. However, the data has been de-identified, making it impossible to know which companies have reported breaches. The analysis, compiled by industrial cybersecurity firm Secolve, shows some companies took more than a year to detect a breach and almost two years to alert the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
End of Telegram penalty appeal is welcomed by Australia’s online-safety enforcer
MLex
The eSafety Commissioner welcomed the end of the appeal in the Federal Court of Australia but didn’t reveal the reasons for the tech company’s decision to discontinue the appeal. The eSafety Commissioner welcomed the end of the appeal in the Federal Court of Australia but didn’t reveal the reasons for the tech company’s decision to discontinue the appeal. The eSafety Commissioner welcomed the end of the appeal in the Federal Court of Australia but didn’t reveal the reasons for the tech company’s decision to discontinue the appeal.
Telegram discontinues its Federal Court challenge to eSafety reporting notice eSafety Commissioner
NSW agencies conceal automated tech use from public, watchdog finds
InnovationAus
Joseph Brookes
New South Wales government agencies have been told to update public disclosures with information on their use of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making, after a review found almost none are. The handful of agencies that do reference the technologies in public facing documents do not explain the use, in a potential breach of accountability obligations under state laws. The review by the NSW privacy and information watchdog comes after an audit last month unearthed a similar dearth of internal AI policies.
China
China’s AI university beats out Harvard, MIT in race for patents
Bloomberg
Saritha Rai
Tsinghua University has educated the country’s top science and engineering students for decades. Now, it’s at the forefront of the AI revolution. What’s different now is the alchemical opportunity to turn intellectual accomplishment into gold and glory. Xi Jinping and the Communist Party have called on the private sector to help develop critical technologies — especially artificial intelligence — and they’ve backed that up with tax breaks, subsidies and supportive policies. Not only can founders like DeepSeek’s Liang Wenfeng raise millions in venture capital and build businesses, their photos are splashed across state media alongside Xi’s where they’re hailed as national heroes. Indeed, China’s president is a graduate of the school too.
Robot threat to drivers’ jobs in China heralds wider shift
Financial Times
Edward White
The pace of commercial driverless car development in China is a boost for the country as it battles the US for global supremacy in technologies of the future. But it is also bringing into focus a thorny problem of labour dislocation as human jobs are lost to robots, potentially forever. Both HSBC and Goldman Sachs are forecasting the rapid and irreversible ascent of autonomous vehicles, a scenario that could threaten the jobs of more than 7.5mn drivers working for ride-hailing services — mostly DiDi, China’s version of Uber — as well as millions more driving scooters, vans and trucks as part of the country’s massive ecommerce and logistics sector.
Chief scientist at China’s top naval research institute detained over ‘faked’ credentials
South China Morning Post
Dannie Peng
The chief scientist at a university that plays a major role in developing China’s navy has been detained as part of an investigation into alleged academic misconduct and misuse of state research funds, according to local media reports. Jiangsu University of Science and Technology confirmed that Guo Wei’s case was under investigation and said his academic contract had been terminated over the accusations. The university was founded in 1953 in response to Mao Zedong’s call for the development of a powerful navy and was the first technical institution specialising in shipbuilding in the People’s Republic of China.
USA
Here’s the Trump executive order that would ban state AI laws
The Verge
Tina Nguyen
President Donald Trump is considering signing an executive order as soon as Friday that would give the federal government unilateral power over regulating artificial intelligence, including the creation of an “AI Litigation Task Force” overseen by the attorney general, “whose sole responsibility shall be to challenge State AI laws.” According to the draft of the order, the Task Force would be able to sue states whose laws are deemed to obstruct the growth of the AI industry, citing California’s recent laws on AI safety as “catastrophic risk” and Colorado law that prevents “algorithmic discrimination“.
The Pentagon can’t trust GPS anymore. Is quantum physics the answer?
The Wall Street Journal
Mike Cherney
For the U.S. and its allies, finding new ways to navigate is crucial. In the Ukraine war, Russia is jamming and spoofing—blocking and faking signals—so frequently that satellite navigation isn’t dependable. Other potential adversaries, including China and North Korea, possess similar capabilities. GPS spoofing by militaries has become a civilian hazard as well, presenting a risk to commercial aircraft. The problem with GPS is the signals are typically weak, making them easy to block. The U.S. has been rolling out a new, more powerful GPS signal for the military called M-code that is more resilient to jamming, but there has been a holdup in getting funding for the receivers needed to use it.
NSO seeks to overturn WhatsApp case, saying it is ‘catastrophic’ for the spyware maker
The Record by Recorded Future
Suzanne Smalley
The NSO Group filed an appeal aimed at overturning a judge’s ruling that it must stop targeting the WhatsApp platform with its spyware. On October 17, Northern California federal judge Phyllis Hamilton issued the order, determining that NSO improperly leveraged WhatsApp infrastructure to target 1,400 of the Meta-owned messaging platform’s users with its zero-click Pegasus spyware. In a court filing ahead of the ruling, NSO told the judge that blocking it from targeting WhatsApp infrastructure to implant its spyware could “put NSO’s entire enterprise at risk” and “force NSO out of business.”
The Charlie Kirk purge: How 600 Americans were punished in a pro-Trump crackdown
Reuters
Raphael Satter and A.J. Vicens
Two months after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, a government-backed campaign has led to firings, suspensions, investigations and other action against more than 600 people. Republican officials have endorsed the punishments, saying that those who glorify violence should be removed from positions of trust. The punishments have often been driven by social media campaigns that circulate screenshots of the offending remarks, along with the names and phone numbers of employers, and appeals such as, “Internet, do your thing.”
North Asia
Japanese group seeks to harness AI dubbing to benefit anime voice actors
Nikkei Asia
Anime is unavailable in local languages in many regions, such as parts of Asia as well as Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. This has led to the circulation of pirated videos with unauthorized subtitles. Japan has no laws that directly safeguard the rights to one’s voice. Groups such as the Japan Actors Union, which also represent voice actors, have been calling for action. Members of Japan’s entertainment industry have formed a group to dub anime into multiple languages using AI clones of voice actors while safeguarding the rights of the performers.
Southeast Asia
Alice Guo, Chinese national who ran huge scam centre while Philippines mayor, sentenced to life in prison
The Guardian
Guo, who served as mayor of a town north of Manila, was found guilty of overseeing a Chinese-operated online gambling centre where hundreds of people were forced to run scams or risk torture. The sprawling complex – which included office buildings, luxury villas and a large swimming pool – was raided in March 2024 after a Vietnamese worker escaped and called police. More than 700 Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysians, Taiwanese, Indonesians and Rwandans were found on site, along with documents allegedly showing that Guo was president of a company that owned the compound.
South & Central Asia
India brings new standards for cybersecurity, wind energy
Mint
Dhirendra Kumar
The government has started a major overhaul of the regulatory framework for critical infrastructure and emerging technologies, a move that follows the withdrawal and extension of several key Quality Control Orders earlier this month. The Bureau of Indian Standards has notified 12 new Indian Standards covering vital areas: cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, wind energy systems, and homoeopathic preparations. These standards are set to replace multiple outdated specifications by April 2026. This comprehensive update addresses outdated regulations, aligns India with international benchmarks.
Ukraine – Russia
Russia blacklists S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game developer, accusing it of aiding Ukraine’s war effort
The Record by Recorded Future
Daryna Antoniuk
The Prosecutor General’s Office accused the game’s developer, GSC Game World, of financing Ukraine’s armed forces — alleging it transferred about $17 million to the military in 2022 — and of distributing material that portrays Russia as an “aggressor state.” The move adds to Moscow’s growing efforts to restrict access to foreign digital content it deems politically sensitive. Under Russian law, organizations labeled “undesirable” are banned from operating, distributing materials or receiving funding in the country. Russians who cooperate with or financially support them face fines or up to five years in prison.
Europe
AI threatens to spoil Poland’s $1 trillion economic party
Bloomberg
Agnieszka Barteczko and Konrad Krasuski
Nowhere in Europe has attracted as much foreign investment as Poland in IT, finance and human resources jobs, what’s known as the Business Process Outsourcing industry. Krakow accounts for a fifth of them. Many of those roles, though, are now typical of the ones at risk of being replaced by artificial intelligence. Put that with the increase in wages, and a crack in Poland’s boom is beginning to show. Oil giant Shell Plc, beer producer Heineken NV and banks HSBC Holdings Plc and UBS Group AG are among those that say they are cutting positions.
How the EU botched its attempt to regulate AI
Financial Times
Barbara Moens and Melissa Heikkilä
The AI Act was designed to use Europe’s economic heft to force companies to create “trustworthy AI” for its 450mn consumers through a risk-based approach: banning the most harmful uses, controlling high-risk systems and lightly regulating low-risk ones. But the law’s complexity, its rushed inclusion of AI models such as ChatGPT and its chaotic implementation have turned the AI Act from a symbol of European leadership into a case study for those who say the continent puts regulation ahead of innovation. This week, the European Commission postponed a key part of its landmark AI rules — the first formal acknowledgment that Brussels is struggling with its own legislation.
Middle East
Iran-linked hackers mapped ship AIS data days before real-world missile strike attempt
HackerNews
Ravie Lakshmanan
Threat actors with ties to Iran engaged in cyber warfare as part of efforts to facilitate and enhance physical, real-world attacks, a trend that Amazon has called cyber-enabled kinetic targeting. The development is a sign that the lines between state-sponsored cyber attacks and kinetic warfare are increasingly blurring, necessitating the need for a new category of warfare, the tech giant’s threat intelligence team said in a report shared with The Hacker News. While traditional cybersecurity frameworks have treated digital and physical threats as separate domains, CJ Moses, CISO of Amazon Integrated Security, said these delineations are artificial and that nation-state threat actors are engaging in cyber reconnaissance activity to enable kinetic targeting.
Meet the tech leaders bringing Syria into the digital age
Rest of World
Emily Wither, Kaya Genç, and Danny Makki
The war kept Syria largely disconnected from the digital world. Infrastructure was destroyed, digital payment options were scarce, and internet speeds remained slow. State institutions operated with minimal efficiency behind stacks of paperwork. The necessary ingredients for a startup scene — from incubators to accelerators, mentorship, training, seed funding schemes, and venture capital — were absent. Some of the 2.6 million Syrians living in Turkey as refugees have returned to Syria to help rebuild its tech sector. The educational app Quizat, the ride-hailing app YallaGo, and the grocery delivery app BeeOrder are three Syrian apps leading the charge.
Big Tech
ChatGPT launches group chats globally
TechCrunch
Aisha Malik
ChatGPT is launching group chats globally to all users on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans, OpenAI announced. The move comes a week after the company began piloting the feature in select regions, including Japan and New Zealand. The feature allows users to collaborate with each other and ChatGPT in one shared conversation. OpenAI says the launch turns ChatGPT from a one-on-one assistant into a space where friends, family, or co-workers can work together to plan, create, and make decisions. The company sees group chats in ChatGPT as a way for people to coordinate trips, co-write documents, settle debates, or work through research together, while ChatGPT helps search, summarize, and compare options.
Nvidia shares rise after strong results ease ‘AI bubble’ concerns
BBC
Danielle Kaye
Chip giant Nvidia has reported stronger-than-expected revenues, easing investor concerns about heavy AI spending that have unsettled markets. The company said revenue for the three months to October jumped 62% to $57bn, driven by demand for its chips used in AI data centres. Sales from that division rose 66% to more than $51bn. Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, makes chips that are crucial for AI data centres and is seen as a bellwether for the AI boom.
Artificial Intelligence
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia cites a neo-Nazi website 42 times, researchers say
NBC News
David Ingram
Grokipedia, cites the neo-Nazi website Stormfront as a source 42 times and relies on other websites that experts have shunned as unreliable or hate-filled, according to an analysis by two researchers at Cornell University. Grokipedia, which Musk launched last month as a competitor to what he called the “woke” Wikipedia, also cites the conspiracy theory website Infowars as a source 34 times and the white nationalist website VDare 107 times, the researchers found. Those citations make up a small percentage of Grokipedia’s overall sourcing, but they are notable because Wikipedia, by contrast, does not treat those sources as credible.
Massive leak shows erotic chatbot users turned women’s yearbook pictures into AI porn
404Media
Samantha Cole
Chatbot roleplay and image generator platform SecretDesires.ai left cloud storage containers of nearly two million of images and videos exposed, including photos and full names of women from social media, at their workplaces, graduating from universities, taking selfies on vacation, and more. The exposed data shows how many people use AI roleplay apps that allow face-swapping features: to create nonconsensual sexual imagery of everyone, from the most famous entertainers in the world to women who are not public figures in any way. The platform was storing links to images and videos in unsecured Microsoft Azure Blob containers, where anyone could access XML files containing links to the images and go through the data inside.
Misc
New Android malware can capture private messages, researchers warn
The Record by Recorded Future
Daryna Antoniuk
Security researchers have uncovered a new Android banking trojan capable of intercepting messages from apps including WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal after they have been decrypted. Dutch cybersecurity firm ThreatFabric said on Thursday it had identified the malware, dubbed Sturnus, which can steal banking credentials using highly convincing fake login screens and give attackers near-total remote control of infected devices. Once installed, Sturnus can monitor everything displayed on a phone in real time — including contacts, full message threads and the content of encrypted chats — by accessing data after it has been decrypted by legitimate apps.
Paradromics gets FDA approval to trial its brain implant in people
WIRED
Emily Mullin
Brain implant developer Paradromics has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to test its device in an early-stage human trial. The Austin-based company is aiming to give a digital voice to people who have lost the ability to speak due to severe motor impairment. The trial will assess the long-term safety of the Paradromics device, as well as its ability to enable synthesized speech and text communication. Paradromics is one of several companies working on technology to control computers and other devices using brain waves.
Events & Podcasts
The Sydney Dialogue 2025
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute is pleased to announce the Sydney Dialogue, the world’s premier policy summit for critical, emerging and cyber technologies, will return on 4-5 December. Now in its fourth year, the dialogue attracts the world’s top thinkers, innovators and policymakers, and focusses on the most pressing issues at the intersection of technology and security. TSD has become the place where new partnerships are built among governments, industry and civil society, and where existing partnerships are deepened.
The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest is brought to you by the Cyber, Technology & Security Programs team at ASPI and supported by partners.
