US regulators seek to break up Google | Elon Musk's Neuralink receives Canadian approval for brain chip trial | Dozens of Central Asian targets hit in recent Russia-linked cyber-espionage campaign
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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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U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade. Associated Press
Elon Musk's Neuralink said it has received approval to launch its first clinical trial in Canada for a device designed to give paralysed individuals the ability to use digital devices simply by thinking. Reuters
Researchers have identified an ongoing Russia-linked cyber-espionage campaign targeting human rights groups, private security companies, and state and educational institutions in Central Asia, East Asia, and Europe using custom malware. The Record by Recorded Future
ASPI
Like biosecurity, cybersecurity is essential for rural industries
The Strategist
Dean Frye
When you enter Australia, you meet some of the strictest biosecurity screening in the world. Even domestically, if you travel to South Australia with any kind of fruit in your bag, you could be facing a $375 fine. These protocols may seem frustrating. But they’re crucial in keeping our unique environment and rural industries—such as food and agriculture—safe from biosecurity threats.
Australia
Labor has unveiled its proposed social media ban for under-16s. Here’s what we know – and what we don’t
The Guardian
Josh Butler
The federal government’s proposed social media ban for under-16s has been unveiled in the parliament, with $50m in fines for big tech companies which don’t comply – and an admission from Labor the new rules may require all Australians to hand over more of their personal data. But while the government has promised “robust” privacy protections for that extra information, and bans on social media giants using that data for other purposes, we still don’t know exactly what kind of data people will have to hand over. The government instead is kicking that can to the big tech firms themselves, essentially asking Facebook, Snapchat and X to come up with their own systems instead.
YouTube exemption backed by group behind push for under-16 social media ban
ABC News
Evelyn Manfield
An advocacy group that pushed for children and teens under 16 to be banned from social media has supported YouTube being given an exemption, but warns there is still a risk of kids being able to create accounts on the video site.Emails reveal how Labor engineered event to support its own teen social media ban
Crikey
Cam Wilson
Far from being a frank discussion of the ban’s benefits and drawbacks or a wide canvassing of possible ways to address concerns about social media, internal emails from Malinauskas’ office and interviews with attendees suggest the event was carefully stage-managed with the explicit purpose of creating “momentum” for the social media ban.Digital ID policy fails you, your kids, and the country
The Mandarin
Zoë Rose
Radically secure digital identity infrastructure is up and running in Europe right now. But not here, in Australia. That is the first thing you need to know about the under-16s social media ban. It is impossible. It cannot be implemented. It can’t be done.
We don't want to regulate': RBA's Bullock urges industry consensus on payments reform
Capital Brief
Jennifer Duke
Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock has provided a rare insight into the central bank's philosophy on regulating Australia's rapidly evolving payments industry and how it views innovation in the broader fintech sector. Speaking at the Women in Payments Conference in Sydney on Thursday evening, filled with fintech, payments and financial services professionals, Bullock said the central bank prefers a light touch approach to regulation.
CommBank AI research investment ‘paid for itself’ in three weeks
InnovationAus
Justin Hendry
A $6 million investment in Australia’s largest university-based machine learning research group by the Commonwealth Bank earlier this year paid for itself just three weeks into the five-year partnership.That’s according to the bank’s chief information officer for technology Brendan Hopper, who has explained the thinking behind the recent investment in the Australian Institute for Machine Learning.
China
China’s surveillance state is selling citizen data as a side hustle
WIRED
China has long been a billion-plus-person experiment in total state surveillance, with virtually no legal checks on the government's ability to physically and digitally monitor its citizens. When so much control of citizens' private data amasses within a few government agencies, however, it doesn't stay there. Instead, that bounty of private info has also leaked onto a lively black market—one where insiders sell off their own access to any scammer or stalker willing to pay.
Chinese satellite company to challenge Elon Musk’s Starlink in Brazil
Financial Times
Michael Pooler, Joe Leahy and Eleanor Olcott
A Chinese state-backed company plans to launch a satellite service to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink in Brazil, in a challenge for the US as Beijing expands its influence in Latin America.
China surpasses Germany and Japan in industrial robotics adoption density: report
South China Morning Post
Ann Cao
China has surpassed Germany and Japan in the adoption of industrial robotics, according to the latest report by the International Federation of Robotics, reflecting the country’s efforts in pushing forward the use of automation technologies in manufacturing.
USA
US regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment
Associated Press
Michael Liedtke
U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade.
US ahead in AI innovation, easily surpassing China in Stanford’s new ranking
Associated Press
Matt O'Brien
The U.S. leads the world in developing artificial intelligence technology, surpassing China in research and other important measures of AI innovation, according to a newly released Stanford University index. There’s no surefire way to rank global AI leadership but Stanford researchers have made an attempt by measuring the “vibrancy” of the AI industry across various dimensions, from how much research and investment is happening to how responsibly the technology is being pursued to prevent harm.
Palo Alto Networks warns hackers are breaking into its customers’ firewalls — again
TechCrunch
Carly Page
Malicious hackers have compromised potentially thousands of organizations by exploiting two new zero-day vulnerabilities found in widely used software made by cybersecurity giant Palo Alto Networks.
Silicon Valley veteran Nikesh Arora on tech’s role in government, and the future of AI
Semafor
Reed Albergotti
While Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora and his firm are more under the radar than Silicon Valley’s consumer companies, his experience has turned him into a valuable voice on the industry, including the AI revolution.
The technology the Trump administration could use to hack your phone
The New Yorker
Ronan Farrow
In September, the Department of Homeland Security signed a two-million-dollar contract with Paragon, an Israeli firm whose spyware product Graphite focusses on breaching encrypted-messaging applications such as Telegram and Signal. Wired first reported that the technology was acquired by Immigration and Customs Enforcement —an agency within D.H.S. that will soon be involved in executing the Trump Administration’s promises of mass deportations and crackdowns on border crossings.
US watchdog issues final rule to supervise Big Tech payments, digital wallets
Reuters
Douglas Gillison
Silicon Valley tech giants and others who together process more than 13 billion financial transactions annually through digital wallets and payment apps will be subject to government supervision, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said. The new rule finalized on Thursday will bring a burgeoning consumer service under the same scrutiny faced by banks while helping protect the privacy of vast amounts of consumer data and preventing fraud and the illegal closure of their accounts, the agency said.
PopeyeTools' marketplace for stolen credit cards disrupted by feds
The Record by Recorded Future
Jonathan Greig
A platform used to sell stolen credit card numbers and other tools for cybercrime was shut down by the Department of Justice on Wednesday after criminal charges against three of the site’s alleged administrators were unsealed.
Americas
Elon Musk's Neuralink receives Canadian approval for brain chip trial
Reuters
Elon Musk's Neuralink said on Wednesday it has received approval to launch its first clinical trial in Canada for a device designed to give paralysed individuals the ability to use digital devices simply by thinking. The brain chip startup said the Canadian study aims to assess the safety and initial functionality of its implant which enables people with quadriplegia, or paralysis of all four limbs, to control external devices with their thoughts.
Southeast Asia
Pakistan appears to block social media platform Bluesky amid user surge
The Record by Recorded Future
Daryna Antoniuk
Pakistani authorities appear to have blocked access to the social media platform Bluesky as its popularity surges worldwide. Data from the internet watchdog NetBlocks confirmed reports earlier this week that users in Pakistan couldn’t access the service without using a virtual private network. Pakistan has increasingly restricted social media over the past year, sometimes publicly announcing the decisions.
Taiwan to invest $3bn to secure 'AI sovereignty,' tech czar says
Nikkei Asia
Thompson Chau
Taiwan's government plans to spend about $3 billion on artificial intelligence data centers and other upgrades over the next three years, while aiming to strengthen cooperation with the U.S. under President-elect Donald Trump, Taipei's top tech official told Nikkei Asia.
New data shows the number of new mobile internet users is stalling
Rest of World
Khadija Alam and Russell Brandom
When Facebook hit 1 billion users in 2012, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that when it comes to getting another billion users, “The big thing is obviously going to be mobile.” But the rate of new users has also slowed in countries including Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Pakistan — where only 37%, 34%, and 24% of the population currently use mobile internet.
Thai court dismisses activist’s closely watched lawsuit against spyware maker
The Record by Recorded Future
Suzanne Smalley
A Thai civil court on Thursday dismissed a high-profile lawsuit filed by a prominent Thai activist who was allegedly targeted with powerful spyware manufactured by the NSO Group. The activist, Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, sued the surveillance technology company for allegedly “failing to prevent him” from being targeted with spyware, according to an Amnesty International press release.
Ukraine-Russia
Dozens of Central Asian targets hit in recent Russia-linked cyber-espionage campaign
The Record by Recorded Future
Daryna Antoniuk
Researchers have identified an ongoing Russia-linked cyber-espionage campaign targeting human rights groups, private security companies, and state and educational institutions in Central Asia, East Asia, and Europe using custom malware.
Russia rejects claims of sabotage on undersea cables in Europe as Danish military monitors Chinese ship
ABC News
The Danish military is monitoring a Chinese ship in its waters just days after two underwater telecommunication cables were cut in a possible act of sabotage, according to local authorities. European governments accused Russia on Tuesday of escalating hybrid attacks on Ukraine's Western allies.
A startup making spy drones being used in Ukraine got a funding injection from NATO
Business Insider
Rebecca Rommen
A drone making startup whose equipment is being used by the Ukrainian military got a cash injection from NATO. Tekever, a Portuguese firm, raised $74 million from a group of investors, including NATO's Innovation Fund. The company has said its equipment is being used in Ukraine though not which of its models were sent. Though its equipment has military uses, Tekever doesn't produce weapons: the drones are for intelligence-gathering.
Europe
Hospital cyberattack exposes data on nearly a million patients
TechRadar
Sead Fadilpašić
A cyberattack against a French hospital has resulted in the theft of sensitive data on almost a million patients. A threat actor with the alias near2tlg took to the infamous hacking community BreachForums to offer access to “multiple establishments”, including Centre Luxembourg, Clinique Alleray-Labrouste, and a couple of others.
Middle East
Kuwait’s Vision 2035 advancing digital identity with global partnerships
Biometric Update
Ghulam Shabir Arain
Kuwait is struggling with an immense digital transition following its Vision 2035, which strives to diversify the economy and strengthen its position as a regional financial hub. A key component of this change is the emphasis on digital identity and biometric technology, which are critical for updating government services and enhancing national security.
Big Tech
Meta gains steam in its push to make Apple, Google verify users’ ages
The Washington Post
Cristiano Lima-Strong and Cat Zakrzewski
A campaign by social media giant Meta to force app store giants Google and Apple to verify the ages of their users is picking up momentum with legislators in Congress. Federal and state lawmakers have recently proposed a raft of measures requiring that platforms such as Meta’s Facebook and Instagram block users under a certain age from using their sites.
Meta removes millions of accounts pushing ‘pig butchering’ investment scam
The Washington Post
Naomi Nix
Meta said Thursday that it removed more than 2 million accounts this year that sought to trick internet users around the world into forking over their money in fake investment schemes, part of a rise in criminal activity across the web.
Temu owner PDD misses revenue and profit estimates as consumers struggle
Reuters
Deborah Mary Sophia and Casey Hall
Discount e-commerce player PDD Holdings fell short of market estimates for third-quarter revenue and profit on Thursday, as its low prices did not persuade cost-conscious consumers to spend as much as expected on its platforms. Higher unemployment among Chinese youth and a property sector crisis have taken a toll on consumer confidence, holding back sales at Pinduoduo.
Artificial Intelligence
Inside the booming 'AI Pimping' industry
404 Media
Manuel Maiberg and Jason Koebler
According to our review of more than 1,000 AI-generated Instagram accounts, Discord channels where the people who make this content share tips and discuss strategy, and several guides that explain how to make money by “AI pimping,” it is now trivially easy to make these accounts and monetize them using an assortment of off-the-shelf AI tools and apps.
Do we want an “IAEA for AI”?
Lawfare
A race toward superintelligent AI could lead to the creation of highly powerful and dangerous systems before scientists have developed the safeguards and technical understanding required to control them.
Events & Podcasts
Navigating digital safety: Exploring security and trust in online spaces for young Australians
ASPI
Join us from 6:00 – 8:30pm on 27 November at ASPI in Canberra for an important discussion on the challenges of privacy, internet security, and online safety. As users of online platforms, young Australians are exposed to varied and increasing risks, including risks to their personal data privacy.
Misinformation and the Alt-Right Pipeline
Young Australians in International Affairs
Join us Tue, 10 Dec, 7pm - 8pm AEDT for a discussion of how the rise of misinformation has paved the way for disinformation, especially through media outlets and politicians who fuel alt-right ideologies within the political landscape. A growing number of online figures promoting "traditional" and "disciplined" ideals are disseminating increasingly extremist and violent rhetoric.
The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest is brought to you by the Cyber, Technology & Security team at ASPI.
