OODA Analysis and Briefs

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Analysis

Enhancing the Effectiveness of International Criminal Justice

Domain experts have called into question the effectiveness of the International Criminal Court.
Embracing a Future of Technical and Political Churn

Two things happened last week that will ultimately have a huge impact on almost every American consumer alive today.
10 Rules For Cybersecurity Salespeople

The cybersecurity market is so congested, it can be difficult to establish a dialogue with overwhelmed CISOs.
Information – The Final Frontier of Cybersecurity

Cyber trust is not just about securing information technology systems. You must also secure business processes.
Putin’s Cyber OODA Loop is Tighter Than Yours

While hosting a delegation from France, Putin advised that to prevent cyber attacks, nations will have to establish international norms prohibiting such behavior. “This is what I can say about cyberattacks or war of words in the press and other issues. Action always causes reaction. Always. If one does not want to get a reaction…
Three Critical Factors Increasing Cyber Risk for 2019

What cyber threat do China, Russia, and Iran present for the remainder of 2018 and 2019? Matt Devost provides some insight into the geopolitical elements influencing that answer.
Cliff Stoll Keynote

Dr. Clifford Stoll, astronomer, professor, IT security pioneer and author of “The Cuckoo’s Egg,” discusses his ground-breaking work in IT security while at Berkeley, where he stumbled on an intrusion by hackers working on behalf of the KGB. Learn how cybersecurity began from the trailblazing researcher who invented some of the capabilities security professionals still…
Commanding the Trend: Social Media as Information Warfare

This article demonstrates how social media is a tool for modern information-age warfare. It builds on analysis of three distinct topics: social networking, propaganda, and news and information sharing. Two case studies are used to show how state and non-state actors use social media to employ time-tested propaganda techniques to yield far-reaching results. The spread…
What did Cybersecurity and Cyberwar look like in 1999?

Think all these news stories you are reading about cybersecurity, cyberwar, and cyberconflict are breaking new ground? It is worth taking a read through the several hundred entries meticulously compiled in Mich Kabay’s 1999 Infosec Year in Review which I recently found on an old drive while searching for other content. Some old new topics…
Trump: Accidental Nuclear Genius?

Love him or hate him, when it comes to North Korea, Trump just may be frustratingly suited for nuclear negotiations. Unpredictability, emotional outbursts, irrationality, and other descriptors that have been applied to the sitting president are likely qualities a president should not have in general. According to Cold War-era nuclear deterrence theories, however, they may…
Best Security, Business, and Technology Books of 2017

In looking at advances in technology over the past year, I’m reminded of the Lenin quote “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” It seems that to make the most sense of the top security and business trends you need to have a keen eye for advancements in AI,…
The 2017 Red Teamer’s Bookshelf

“It’s been a couple of months since we first announced that Red Team Journal, Redteams.net, and OODALoop would be compiling the latest ‘Red Teamer’s Bookshelf’ jointly. For those of you who’ve been waiting, the list is finally here. It’s larger than previous years, so we’ve organized the titles by category (and yes, some of these…
Our Science Fiction Cyber Future

“The cybersecurity industry is currently enamored with concepts of autonomous defense, including elements of machine learning, behavioral analytics, and artificial intelligence—and rightly so. Programed to be able to study all vulnerabilities in the public domain, autonomous bots (autbots)—not to be confused with bots simply conducting repetitive tasks like guessing default passwords as programmed—could take what…
Best Security, Business, and Technology Books of 2016

Dozens of times per year, I get asked to recommend my favorite books so I couldn’t say no when the OODA Loop team asked me to build on Mark Mateski’s popular Red Teaming book list by providing my top 10 books for 2016. I have very eclectic interests, so I’ve focused my list on the…
Cyberterrorism and the role of Silicon Valley

“As national security and war are being redefined for the digital age, Silicon Valley will need to be on the front line of counterterrorism. Its inventors and entrepreneurs are driving the information revolution, and they must figure out how to protect vital systems against malevolent intrusions. It lies at ground zero of the battle between government…

Briefs

Meta Just Released a Coding Version of Llama 2

When Meta released Llama 2, a powerful artificial intelligence model similar to the one behind ChatGPT, last month, it made it possible for developers, startups, and researchers to play with the kind of AI that has enthralled the world for nearly a year. Today, Meta is following up with the release of Code Llama, a…
Ukraine Picks up Momentum, Retakes Second Town in a Week

Ukrainian forces seem to have broken the hard shell of some of Russia’s front-line defenses. The advances came on the heels of the recapture of Urozhaine. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said these advances were significant because they “may allow Ukrainian forces to begin operating in less heavily mined…
The BRICS Group Announces New Members, Expanding Its Reach

The five nation BRICS club of emerging technologies that came together to tilt the international order away from the West announced its plan to expand its membership. Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia have been invited to join and start their membership in January. The group, which includes Brazil, Russia,…
U.S. Approves Potential $500m Sale of Military Equipment to Taiwan

The United States government has approved a potential $500m sale of military equipment to Taiwan. This move would increase already soaring tensions between the U.S. and China. However, the State Department said that this proposed sale of equipment would not change the military balance in the region. The sale is set to be negotiated with…
Another Spy Satellite Failure for North Korea as Rocket Crashes into Sea

North Korea has attempted to send a military spy satellite into orbit for a second time, but it has failed again. North Korea said the launch failed because of a problem with the third stage of the rocket carrying the satellite. It said it would try again in October. South Korea’s military said it detected…
Attackers Exploited WinRAR Zero-Day for Months to Steal Money from Brokers (CVE-2023-38831)

Financially motivated attacks have exploited a zero-day vulnerability in WinRaR to trick traders into installing malware. This malware allows them to steal money from broker accounts. The attackers are able to create a modified RAR or ZIP archive containing harmless and malicious files. When these files are opened malware gets installed, which allows the attackers…
Bogus OfficeNote App Delivers XLoader macOS Malware

A new macOS specific variant of XLoader malware is being delivered disguised as the “OfficeNote” app. XLoader is a malware infostealer and botnet that has been active since 2015. It first appeared as a macOS variant in 2021, written in Java. The malware was limited to targeting environments where Java has been installed. Once executed,…
More Than Half of Browser Extensions Pose Security Risks

A new study has found that many browser extensions have access to high levels of content and present risks such as data theft and compliance issues. Spin.AI recently conducted a risk assessment on about 300,000 browser extensions in use within enterprise environments. The focus was on Chromium-based browser extensions. The study showed 51% of all…
Meta to Roll Out End-to-End Encryption for Messenger by the End of 2023

Meta announced the official expansion of its end-to-end encryption (E2EE) testing for Messenger chats. The plan is to implement default E2EE as a new security measure for all Messenger users by the end of 2023. The process has taken longer than Meta planned because of certain challenges, however, the company was able to use what…
Hawaii wildfires: More than 1,000 still missing as search continues

More than 1,000 people are still missing two weeks after a wildfire swept through the Hawaiian town of Lahaina. Search teams combing through the rubble are encountering difficulties as they find only bones or fragments of bodies. The official death toll stands at 115. The blazes destroyed most of the historic Maui town on 8…
At least 17 dead in India railway bridge collapse

A railway bridge under construction has collapsed in the state of Mizoram in north-eastern India, resulting in at least 17 deaths and several people missing. The cause of the collapse is yet to be determined and an investigation is underway. Around 40 workers were reportedly at the site when part of the bridge collapsed. Accidents…
Alpine guide finds body missing on Austrian glacier since 2001

The body of a man believed to have died more than 20 years ago has been found on a rapidly melting glacier in Tyrol, Austria. Discovered at an altitude of 2,900 meters (9,500 feet), the man is thought to have had a skiing accident in 2001. His body was found alongside a rucksack containing a…
Greek fires rage after migrant tragedy near border

Wildfires in Greece have resulted in 20 deaths, with 18 of the victims believed to be refugees and migrants who recently crossed the border and were hiding in forests. The fires continue to burn out of control in the foothills near Athens and the Evros region near the Turkish border. The surge in fires has…
Cybersecurity Companies Report Surge in Ransomware Attacks

Recent reports from various cybersecurity firms have highlighted a significant surge in ransomware attacks both in terms of volume and sophistication. NCC Group saw a 153% increase in attacks compared to a year ago, with the industrial sector most affected. The rise is partially attributed to the Cl0p group’s actions, impacting numerous organizations. Emerging ransomware…
FBI Finds 1,580 Bitcoin in Crypto Wallets Linked to North Korean Hackers

The FBI has revealed details about six cryptocurrency wallets operated by North Korean hackers, suspected of containing stolen funds, including approximately 1,580 Bitcoin. These wallets are linked to recent thefts of cryptocurrency assets valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. The FBI anticipates that North Korea may attempt to cash out the stolen Bitcoin, estimated…
Smart Cities: Utopian Dream, Security Nightmare, or Political Gimmick?

The definition of a “smart city” remains ambiguous, encompassing urban areas employing technology to enhance living conditions, yet the extent of smartness required to label a city as such is unclear. Driven by political motivations and tech company interests, smart cities vary in terms of integrated services such as automated traffic control, energy distribution, and…
Thoma Bravo Merges ForgeRock with Ping Identity

Private equity firm Thoma Bravo has announced its plans to merge recently acquired ForgeRock with Ping Identity, two major players in the enterprise identity and access management market. Thoma Bravo has officially closed its $2.3 billion all-cash deal to acquire ForgeRock, and the merger aims to create a combined entity that can better serve customers…
Cybercriminals turn to AI to bypass modern email security measures

Cybercriminals employ artificial intelligence (AI) to create complex email threats like phishing and business email compromise (BEC) attacks, while modern email security systems use AI to counter these attacks, according to Perception Point and Osterman Research. The new study reveals a substantial shift in the perception of AI’s role in email security. Cybercriminals have shown rapid…
FBI warns North Korean hackers poised to cash out more than $40 million in bitcoin

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation warned crypto operators that entities connected to North Korean hackers may attempt to sell more than $40 million worth of bitcoin. The intelligence and security service issued a statement today that it had tracked crypto stolen by entities (Lazarus Group and APT38) tied to the Democratic People’s Republic of…
How India Became the First Country to Reach the Moon’s South Pole

And then there was one. Since earlier this month, there had been something of a footrace in space, with India and Russia vying to be the first country to land a spacecraft in the moon’s south polar region. On July 14, the Indian spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in southeastern India, carrying…
AI-generated art cannot receive copyrights, US court says

A work of art created by artificial intelligence without any human input cannot be copyrighted under U.S. law, a U.S. court in Washington, D.C., has ruled. Only works with human authors can receive copyrights, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said on Friday, affirming the Copyright Office’s rejection of an application filed by computer scientist Stephen…
AI will force billions of workers worldwide to master new skills as tech revolution heats up

The proliferation of artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT will likely mean 40% of the global workforce will need to reskill over the next three years as companies integrate the technology, a recent study found. The IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) published a study this month detailing how the growth of AI has created…
China, U.S. Test Intelligent-Drone Swarms in Race for Military AI Dominance

The U.S. and China are accelerating research on how to integrate artificial intelligence into their militaries as part of a global race to take advantage of the fast-developing technology. Among the priorities for both sides: weapons that can find their way to a target without human help and AI tools to identify targets from satellite…
US CISA Urges Security by Design for AI

The U.S federal government is advocating for artificial intelligence developers to embrace security as a core requirement, warning that machine learning code is particularly difficult and expensive to fix after deployment. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in a Friday blog post urged that AI be secure by design – as part of CISA’s ongoing…
Why are space agencies racing to the moon’s south pole?

India’s space agency is attempting to land a spacecraft on the moon’s south pole, a mission that could advance India’s space ambitions and expand knowledge of lunar water ice, potentially one of the moon’s most valuable resources. Here’s what’s known about the presence of frozen water on the moon – and why space agencies and…
Meta releases an AI model that can transcribe and translate close to 100 languages

In its quest to develop AI that can understand a range of different dialects, Meta has created an AI model, SeamlessM4T, that can translate and transcribe close to 100 languages across text and speech. Available in open source along with SeamlessAlign, a new translation data set, Meta claims that SeamlessM4T represents a “significant breakthrough” in the…
Overcoming Fear To Realize The Benefits Of Artificial Intelligence

After years of futuristic story plots and prognostications, artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology that appears to be catching up with its hype. Designed to perform and automate cognitive tasks that once required human brainpower, AI has been advancing rapidly of late—in fact, too rapidly for some. The sound of alarm bells has been jarring…
US State Dept OKs possible sale of Apache helicopter to Poland for $12 bln – Pentagon

Poland requested 96 Apache attack helicopters, 1,844 Hellfire missiles, and 508 stinger missiles from the United States in a recent deal. The U.S. State Department approved the sale on Monday. The Pentagon values the helicopters and accompanying weaponry at $12 billion. Poland has strategically increased its military strength in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,…
HiatusRAT Malware Resurfaces: Taiwan Firms and U.S. Military Under Attack

Lumen Black Lotus Labs recently announced that the threat actors behind HiatusRAT have resumed their targeting of Taiwanese organizations and a U.S. military procurement system. Although the exact identity of the threat actor remains unknown, Black Lotus Labs described their revamped activity as “audacious.” Taiwanese targets included government organizations, semiconductor manufacturers, and chemical companies. The…
Central America parliament expels Taiwan, makes China permanent observer

On Monday, the Central American Parliament voted to replace Taiwan with China as a permanent observer of the voting body. Taiwan previously sat as a permanent observer for more than twenty years. Beijing has made considerable efforts to expand its influence in Central America, especially at Taipei’s expense. Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and the…
US Gov Warns of Foreign Intelligence Cyberattacks Against US Space Industry

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) issued an advisory for the US space industry. The agencies warn that the US space industry’s rapid growth has made it a likely target for foreign intelligence entities (FIEs). The alert warns that…
Thailand’s Srettha wins PM bid as ally Thaksin returns after years in exile

After weeks of political uncertainty, Srettha Thavisin has secured support from Thailand’s parliament. The real estate mogul represents the populist Pheu Thai Party, which ran against a coalition of military and old-money families that controlled the Thai government for years. Pheu Thai’s figurehead, billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, also returned from a period of criminal exile that…
Tesla Data Breach Investigation Reveals Inside Job

In a filing with the Maine attorney general, Tesla stated a recent data breach was due to “insider wrongdoing.” The car manufacturer is now taking legal action against two former employees who leaked 100GB of data to German media outlet Handelsblatt on May 10. The data contained internal files from 2015 to 2022 detailing reports…
Protests rock government-held areas in southern Syria as economy crumbles

Opposition activists reported that protests erupted across government-controlled territories in southern Syria due to the ongoing economic crisis. The protests follow a decision by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to double public sector wages and pensions during a period of extreme inflation. When Syria’s civil war began in 2011, a U.S. dollar was equivalent to 47…
Researchers Uncover Real Identity of CypherRAT and CraxsRAT Malware Developer

Cyfirma researchers unveiled the identity of the developer behind the CypherRAT and CraxsRAT remote access trojans (RATs). The cybersecurity company discovered a man using the handle ‘EVLF DEV’ has sold the two RATs out of Syria for eight years. EVLF sold over 100 licenses to CraxsRAT, which remains a highly dangerous Android RAT in the…
Hacker Swept Up in Wave of Crypto Liquidations Loses $63 Million

Cryptocurrencies’ sudden tumble this week flushed out legions of speculators — and also, judging from blockchain data, the perpetrator of a giant hack. A crypto wallet linked to an almost $600 million heist of Binance Coin (BNB) last October had digital-asset collateral totaling $63 million liquidated on crypto lending platform Venus Protocol, according to Blockchain…
How Nvidia Built a Competitive Moat Around A.I. Chips

Naveen Rao, a neuroscientist turned tech entrepreneur, once tried to compete with Nvidia, the world’s leading maker of chips tailored for artificial intelligence. At a start-up that was later bought by the semiconductor giant Intel, Mr. Rao worked on chips intended to replace Nvidia’s graphics processing units, which are components adapted for A.I. tasks like machine…
Russia’s Luna-25 space craft ‘ceased to exist’ after colliding with the Moon.

Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft failed to land on the Moon, Roscosmos, Russia’s state-run space corporation, announced today. In a statement, the organization reported that the lander “ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon.” It would’ve been the country’s first Moon landing since 1976. Luna-25 entered orbit around the Moon…
Are you prepared for the rise of the artificial intelligence CISO?

It’s inevitable that AI systems will be tasked with more and more cybersecurity responsibilities. It is time to start thinking about how the roles of human CISOs and AI will evolve. If one were to solicit a list of the developments most often on the mind of CISOs, AI would certainly be near the top and…
Unveiling The Dark Side Of Artificial Intelligence In The Job Market

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the job market has brought forth a myriad of concerns and challenges that cannot be overlooked. While AI undeniably offers benefits, its dark side reveals a host of concerns and problems for businesses and individuals alike. As we delve into the darker implications of AI in the…
Japan set to decide on Fukushima water discharge on Tuesday

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said the government will decide on Tuesday when it will begin to discharge treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. Approximately 1.34 million tons of water have accumulated since the Fukushima plant was knocked out by an earthquake and tsunami that killed 18,000 people in…
Hundreds of migrants killed by Saudi border guards

Saudi border guards are accused of mass killing migrants along the Yemeni border in a new report by Human Rights Watch. The report says hundreds of people, many of them Ethiopians who crossed Yemen to reach Saudi Arabia, have been shot dead. Saudi Arabia has previously rejected allegations of systematic killings. The report contains graphic…
Ecuador votes in historic referendum on oil extraction in the Amazon

The people of Ecuador are heading to the polls to decide the fate of oil extraction in the Ecuadorian Amazon for the first time in history. The referendum will give voters a chance to decide if oil companies can drill in one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, the Yasuní National Park. This…
Beset by domestic economic woes, China’s Xi visits South Africa in just his second trip abroad this year

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is making his second trip abroad this year on Monday as he heads to South Africa. The trip is intended to bolster Beijing’s influence among emerging nations, as China’s ties with the United States remain strained and economic troubles are rising. The visit is a three-day state visit, including a summit…
Cuba Ransomware Group Steals Credentials Via Veeam Exploit

According to Blackberry, a Russian-speaking ransomware group has updated its attack tools to include a Veeam exploit to harvest logins. The discovery came from investigations into attacks by the Cuba group in a US critical national infrastructure provider and a South American IT integrator. The group is in its fourth year of operation and is…
About 2000 Citrix NetScalers Were Compromised in Massive Attack Campaigns

Automated massive attack campaigns compromised about 2,000 Citrix NetScalers after exploiting an appliance-vulnerability. The threat actors were able to get persistent access to the compromised systems through the attack. Fox-IT responded to several incidents related to the vulnerability in July and August 2023 and discovered several web shells during the investigation. Fox-IT scanned accessible NetScalers…
African Cybercrime Operations Shut Down in Law Enforcement Operation

Interpol and Afripol have participated together in a months-long operation that has resulted in 14 suspected cybercriminals being arrested and over 20,000 suspicious computer networks shut down. The law enforcement operation covered 25 African countries. Law enforcement arrested three suspects in Cameroon and took down two Cameroonian Dark Web websites, 615 Kenyan malware posters and…
Mastering The Challenges Of AI: Privacy, Security And Compliance Strategies

As a cybersecurity expert and AI advocate, I’ve witnessed AI’s transformative potential and understand the challenges of safeguarding privacy and cybersecurity. This guide offers insights into ethical guidelines, legal considerations and incident response plans for CISOs to navigate AI in a way that responsibly integrates privacy principles into development best practices. Today’s technology is confronted…
DeFi Lender Exactly Protocol Exploited For $12 Million

Optimism-based decentralized crypto lender Exactly Protocol suffered a bridge exploit as it lost as much as $12 million worth of ETH earlier today. Blockchain security firm De.Fi reported that the hacker used an exploiter contract on Ethereum that transferred deposits to Optimism before ultimately bridging stolen funds back to Ethereum. The total value locked on…
Space race 2.0: Russia, India, China and the U.S. are heading for the lunar south pole

The space race is back on, now with more countries competing. Roughly six decades after the Soviet Union and the U.S. raced each other to get to the moon, a new competition has emerged. This time around, the focus is on the lunar south pole, where scientists have detected traces of water ice. Russia last week launched…
Meta’s Next AI Attack on OpenAI: Free Code-Generating Software

Meta Platforms is preparing to launch software to help developers automatically generate programming code, a challenge to proprietary software from OpenAI, Google and others, according to two people with direct knowledge of the product. Meta’s code-generating artificial intelligence model, dubbed Code Llama, will be open-source and could launch as soon as next week, one of…
40% of Workers Will Need New Job Training Due to AI: IBM

Employees may now need to finally brush up on their AI prompting, per new research. Due to the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, a new report from IBM explains, roughly 1.4 billion people will be affected. In fact, forty percent of workers will need new job skills over the next three years, according to…
Xi Jinping to make State Visit to South Africa, Attend BRICS Summit

China’s President Xi Jinping will attend the summit of BRICS leaders in South Africa. The five BRICS countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South America will meet in Johannesburg next week to discuss how to turn a loose club of nations that account for a quarter of the global economy into a geopolitical force…
UN says N Korea Expanding Military Programs while People Suffer

North Korea has been accused of letting its people go hungry as it devotes more resources to developing its nuclear weapons program and upgrading its military. The Security Council session was the first on the issue in six years. During the hearing, the council members criticized the deterioration of living conditions and human rights in…
Eye on China, Biden Pulls Japan and South Korea Closer

The leaders of the United States, Japan, and South Korea will meet at Camp David on Friday, taking a major step toward a three-way military and economic partnership, as threats are growing in Asia. This partnership would not have been possible before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as there have been tense relationships between Japan and…
As Dead Dolphins Wash Ashore, Ukraine Builds a Case of Ecocide Against Russia

The animals are dying in droves in the Black Sea, and Ukrainian officials are hoping to prosecute Russia for the war’s ecological toll. Environmental investigators have collected data related to more than 900 cases of dead dolphins. Currently four specific acts are recognized as international crimes, which are genocide, crimes against humanity, aggression, and war…
Google Brings AI Magic to Fuzz Testing With Eye-Opening Results

Google added generative AI to its open source fuzz testing infrastructure and discovered a massive improvement in code coverage which will radically alter the bug-hunting space. Fuzz testers are used as research to pinpoint security vulnerabilities by sending random input to an application. If the program contains a vulnerability, researchers can parse the results to…
Phishers Use QR Codes to Target Companies in Various Industries

A phishing campaign using QR codes has been detected targeting various industries, with the aim to acquire Microsoft credentials. The attack begins with the victims receiving a phishing email containing a PNG or PDF attachment that prompts them to update Microsoft security settings or add 2-factor authentication to their account by scanning a QR code.…
Cyber Defenders Lead the AI Arms Race for Now

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools have yet to be meaningfully integrated into cyber attacks, while defenders have been using them to greater effect. The only threat actor consistently wielding AI today is DRAGONBRIDGE, which maintains vast social media operations in order to spread messaging aligned with the political interests of the People’s Republic of China. Cyber…
LinkedIn Suffers ‘Significant’ Wave of Account Hacks

There have been a spree of attacks on LinkedIn accounts. In some cases the attacks have demanded a small ransom from the user to regain access and threatened to permanently delete the account. Though LinkedIn has not yet commented on the attacks, it has affected people worldwide over the last few weeks. LinkedIn is no…