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Analysis

  • Bearing Gifted Geeks

    The great need for qualified computer security personnel is now forcing the government to rethink rigid hiring guidelines. At the Defcon computer security convention in Las Vegas, more than a dozen federal agents told attendees that traditional requirements like college degrees and polygraph tests were no longer strictly required for government employment. They also said…

  • Air Security: Not Serious

    A top level security probe is under way after a 12-year-old boy walked on to a plane unchecked with no documents at the height of the terror scare. The boy boarded a plane at Gatwick on Monday despite airport security being on red-alert.   Want more data points that support the idea that – mechanical…

  • Lesson Not Learned

    The director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said Tuesday that the spy agency avoids racial profiling because it is “fundamentally stupid” and does not knowingly use information gleaned under torture offshore because the practice is “morally repugnant.” James Judd told a gathering of Canadian judges on Tuesday that he is “acutely aware” of complaints…

  • The New Collection / Production Management

    In my embargoed contribution to a pending book on reform, I argue that going the networked/wiki-ed/blogged route is both a nice way to cut out a lot of the overhead associated with the intel process. As it works now it is very hierarchical, with gatekeepers at every turn and operating at a pace that makes tortoises look…

  • Let the Flailing Begin

    So controversial is the forthcoming National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, say officials and observers, that even the terms of reference are likely to be the subject of intense, but highly secret, discussion and debate. Somewhere in a conference room in Northern Virginia, roughly two-dozen seniors and their backups are sitting around a table and bickering…

  • Here Comes the Judge

    The plot has also revealed the indispensability of good counterterrorism intelligence. A defense against terrorists, as against other enemies of the nation, must be multilayered to have a reasonable chance of being effective. One of the outer defenses is intelligence, designed to detect plots in advance so that they can be thwarted. One of the…

  • As they bloody well should

    The [UK] Government is discussing with airport operators plans to introduce a screening system that allows security staff to focus on those passengers who pose the greatest risk. The passenger-profiling technique involves selecting people who are behaving suspiciously, have an unusual travel pattern or, most controversially, have a certain ethnic or religious background. The system…

  • No connection . . .

    . . . execpt for the tactic. Incredible: The FBI said Monday it had no information to indicate that the three Texas men arrested in Michigan with about 1,000 cell phones in their van had any direct connection to known terrorist groups. Also, a prosecutor in a separate Ohio case said he can¹t prove a…

  • I don’t buy it

    This is what passes for CT analysis at Time. Acceptance that this is less an AQ issue than it is a terrorism issue is a nice change of pace from the class that loves to poo-poo any disrupted plot that doesn’t reveal the perps had wallets full of AQ business cards. Note however the quick…

  • The Difference Between LE and DI

    As a friend from one of the Commonwealth nations points out, “Nice job by the domestic intelligence service,” which is his subtle but well-meaning dig at both our FBI and larger intelligence apparatus. Domestic tip-off; foreign intelligence supplement; and allied intel cooperation all operationalized for the door-kickers inside of a year. Were this a US…

  • Clarity, Quick Hits & A Suggestion

    As I alluded to earlier, it is a little hard to accurately assess things if you’re not prepared to use accurate if un-PC language. US and UK media might have an aversion to mentioning the Muslim connection, but the Italian media apparently does not. Ethnic and religious descriptions are hardly immaterial in situations like this,…

  • More Terror Plot Short Takes

    Bloody day job . . . Surveillance, electronic or otherwise, works:  By late 2005, the probe had expanded to involve several hundred investigators on three continents. They kept dozens of suspects under close surveillance for months, even as some of the plotters traveled between Britain and Pakistan to raise money, find recruits and refine their…

  • Go Big Blue

    As a guy who knows a thing or two about warning systems, I watched again with dismay the misuse and abuse of the homeland security advisory system today. Granted, it isn’t really a “warning” system per se, but the general concept is the same: give people a quick way to assess the threat. The problem…

  • Curious

    This by Evan Kohlmann on the CT Blog yesterday 8/9: Participants on key Arabic-language Al-Qaida chat forums on the Internet have announced their intent to launch collective cyberterrorist attacks tomorrow, August 10, aimed at interrupting or denying service to other pro-Israeli websites–namely the “Internet Haganah” cyberterror watchdog site run by Aaron Weisburd. […] . .…

  • UK Airline Terror Plot

    What a day to sleep in. Some quick hits before I descend into the seventh level of teleconference hell: In the words of Secretary Chertoff this latest plot is “suggestive” of al-Qaida because it is essentially a dusting off of the plans for Operation Bojinka; funded by al-Qaida and put together by two guys whose…

Briefs

  • Crypto Murder Drives Urgent Need for Regulations in South Korea

    A murder case in South Korea arising from a crypto dispute is forcing authorities to speed up the implementation of crypto regulations. South Korea has embraced blockchain technology and has been positively working towards regulations. The country is also building a public metaverse in Seoul and Seongnam. But a rise in a new sector also gives rise…

  • Trends and Predictions of Growing Cryptocurrency Cyberattacks

    Cryptocurrencies will almost certainly continue adoption and further adaptation despite the large 2022 downturn. Growth of the ecosystem and changes underway in 2023 carry important implications for cyberattack risk to both end users and organizations bridging into cryptocurrency throughout the next two years as blockchain-based financial technology further matures. Recent activity and changes to cryptocurrency…

  • Can blockchain really improve trust in AI?

    When Austrian-born physicists Lise Meitner and Otto Frisch first split the atom in the late 1930s, they probably didn’t anticipate their discovery would lead a few years later to the atomic bomb. The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is arguably no different. AI algorithms have been around for decades. The first artificial neural network, the perceptron, was…

  • Why Most Cryptocurrency Fraud Cases Take Place in China and the US

    Crypto crime has become a major concern to regulatory authorities. There have been sharp increases in crypto crime, especially hacks related to fraud, in recent years as Web3 becomes an integral part of daily life. But the spread is not even and there are many emerging trends and patterns to crypto crime, which can be…

  • Cryptocurrency trading in UK should be regulated as form of gambling, say MPs

    UK authorities should regulate cryptocurrency trading as a form of gambling rather than a financial service, parliament’s Treasury committee has said after a fresh inquiry into the industry. The government must avoid wasting more taxpayer funds promoting tech innovations such as digital tokens, without demonstrating the clear benefits to the public, MPs said in a…

  • Ukraine and China Will Dominate G7 Summit, but a New Threat Lurks: A.I.

    At the Group of 7 summit President Biden is prepared for discussion with his closest allies on two crucial issues: how to better arm Ukraine as it enters its counteroffensive against the Russian invaders, and how to slow, or halt, the downward spiral in relations with China. At some point during the three days of…

  • Ukraine’s Foreign Minister and Visiting Chinese Envoy Discuss Peace, but Next Steps Unclear

    Ukraine’s foreign minister met with a visiting Chinese mediator to discuss how to end Russia’s war. However, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba held his government’s position that Ukraine would not accept any proposal involving the loss of its territories or “freezing of the conflict.” Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government says it’s neutral and wants to serve…

  • Japan, UK Renew Security Ties, Aircraft Carrier to Deploy in 2025

    The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, will sign a new agreement to deepen security ties, called “Hiroshima Accord”. This agreement included a UK commitment to deploy an aircraft carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific in 2025. It will also cover trade and investment, collaboration on science and technology,…

  • The Latest Flash Point Among Ukraine’s Allies Is Whether to Send F-16s

    Britain and the Netherlands are pushing to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter planes, however the United States is reluctant to do so. Several European allies are prepared to give their F-16s to Ukraine, but the U.S. remains unconvinced that Ukraine needs the expensive jets. Kyiv’s pilots are currently not even allowed to train on the…

  • PaperCut vulnerability abused by several threat actors could impact 70,000 organizations

    The article highlights a critical vulnerability called “PaperCut” that affects print management software commonly used by organizations. The vulnerability could potentially allow threat actors to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, compromising the security and integrity of the affected systems. The flaw exists in the way the software handles printer job submission, which could be…

  • Microsoft Teams Features Amp Up Orgs’ Cyberattack Exposure

    Certain features of Microsoft Teams, a popular collaboration platform, can increase organizations’ exposure to cyberattacks. One potential vulnerability lies in the ability for external participants to join Teams meetings without needing to be authenticated, which can lead to unauthorized access and data breaches. Additionally, the integration of third-party apps and plugins within Teams introduces potential…

  • 4 Countries Join NATO Cyber Defense Center

    It has been announced that four countries, namely Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and Poland, have joined the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Estonia. The CCDCOE is a multinational hub for research, training, and exercises in the field of cybersecurity. The addition of these countries expands the collaboration within NATO and strengthens its…

  • Millions of Smartphones Distributed Worldwide With Preinstalled ‘Guerrilla’ Malware

    A discovery of a massive campaign involving millions of smartphones worldwide that were distributed with preinstalled malware known as “Guerrilla” has been made; The group behind the campaign is tracked by the cybersecurity firm as Lemon Group. The malware was found on a wide range of devices, including popular brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo,…

  • Can you recover stolen Bitcoin from crypto scams?

    The process of recovering stolen Bitcoin from cryptocurrency scams is difficult and complex. The prevalence of cryptocurrencies has led to an increase in scams and other fraudulent practices that prey on the gullible. Numerous people have suffered significant financial losses as a result of falling for different crypto scams, such as phishing, rug pulls and…

  • Russian Hacker Charged in $200M Crypto Ransomware Scheme Against US Infrastructure

    The United States Department of Justice has charged a Russian national with two indictments. The individuals executed attacks against U.S. infrastructure. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged a Russian national with a crypto-ransomware scheme targeting the United States infrastructure. In a press release released on May 16, the Justice Department said it…

  • What is Worldcoin, the iris-scanning cryptocurrency backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

    Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, is reportedly close to securing $100 million for Worldcoin, a unique cryptocurrency that involves scanning people’s irises. Co-founded by Altman and Alex Blania in 2019, Worldcoin has an ambitious vision: to give a share of a new digital token to every human being on Earth. But what is Worldcoin…

  • Airdrops are great, but be aware of the risks

    Airdrops have emerged as a powerful tool for token distribution, user acquisition and community building as the blockchain industry has grown. They provide a unique opportunity for projects to distinguish themselves, incentivize desired behaviors and foster long-term relationships with their user base. But the question remains: Do airdrops work? Based on my prior research in the…

  • Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Breaks Down Crypto Runs of 2022

    The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (Chicago Fed) has released a letter combining the major crypto runs that happened in 2022. The bank pointed out the interesting background, data, and when these firms filed for bankruptcy. The letter takes users through Celsius, Voyager Digital, BlockFi, Genesis, and FTX. The Chicago Fed mentioned that due to…

  • Gains Near Bakhmut Raise Ukraine’s Hopes of a Turning Tide

    Russian forces spent a year fighting their way to surround the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. By March it seemed they were close to succeeding. However, now Ukrainian forces have taken back territory north and south of the city in just a few days. Ukraine’s recent gains around the city are not huge, and…

  • Attackers Target macOS With ‘Geacon’ Cobalt Strike Tool

    Attackers have been observed employing a new variant of Geacon as a substitute for Cobalt Strike on macOS systems, highlighting the evolving tactics of threat actors. Geacon, originally a Windows-based tool, is a command-and-control framework that enables remote access and control of compromised machines. By utilizing Geacon on macOS, attackers can gain a foothold in…

  • Scammers exploit AI trend with fake ChatGPT apps on Google Play, Apple App Store

    Fake ChatGPT apps have been discovered on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, posing a significant threat to user privacy and security. These apps mimic the popular ChatGPT language model but aim to deceive users into sharing sensitive information or downloading harmful content. Users are advised to be cautious and only download apps…

  • US Offering $10M Reward for Russian Man Charged With Ransomware Attacks

    The United States government has announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a Russian man accused of carrying out ransomware attacks. The individual in question, Evgeniy Bogachev, is believed to be the mastermind behind the notorious Zeus banking Trojan and Cryptolocker ransomware. Bogachev’s activities have caused substantial financial…

  • Kim Jong Un Inspects North Korea’s First Military Spy Satellite

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has inspected the country’s first military spy satellite, giving the go-ahead for what state media described as a “future action plan”. A military reconnaissance satellite was one of the key defense projects Kim outlined in a 2021 plan to modernize and advance the country’s military prowess.  The United States…

  • Critical Infrastructure Organizations Warned of BianLian Ransomware Attacks

    Critical infrastructure organizations have been warned about the emergence of BianLian ransomware, a highly sophisticated threat that specifically targets sectors crucial to national infrastructure such as energy, transportation, and healthcare. BianLian utilizes advanced evasion techniques to bypass traditional security measures, making it extremely difficult to detect and mitigate. The attackers behind BianLian demonstrate a deep…

  • US Debt Ceiling: Biden and Republicans Hopeful of a Deal

    President Joe Biden and Republican leaders have expressed optimism that a deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling is within reach, however the Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, told reporters the two sides are still far apart. Without a deal, the U.S. could enter a calamitous default on its $31.4 trillion debt as soon…

  • Ukraine Says It Shot Down Hypersonic Russian Missiles Over Kyiv

    Ukraine’s air defense shot down six of Russia’s hypersonic Kinzhal missiles during a barrage of missiles and drones aimed at Kyiv, the capital. Russia’s Defense Ministry said at least one Kinzhal had hit an American-made Patriot system, the most advanced U.S. ground-based air-defense system.  Up until recently Ukraine had lacked the capability to intercept Kinzhals…

  • Libra-related Sui blockchain fixes critical bug that put ‘billions’ at risk

    The Sui blockchain network quietly fixed a bug that could have put “billions of dollars” at risk, according to a May 16 announcement from Zellic, the security firm hired to audit the network’s security. The bug was in a dependency of the bytecode verifier, which ensures that the human-readable Move language used to write smart contracts…

  • Research from College of Business explores impact of celebrity endorsement of cryptocurrency

    Share to Facebook Share to Twitter New research from the University of Nevada, Reno College of Business and Vanderbilt University explores how celebrity endorsement affects an initial coin offering’s (ICO) success. Similar to initial public offerings (IPO) in stock, ICOs raise funds to develop things like a platform or business by issuing a new cryptocurrency…

  • Do Kwon Failed to Reveal $1 Billion Deal With Jump Trading, Says SEC

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleges that Jump Trading earned $1.2 billion from a deal to boost Terra’s liquidity before it collapsed. The agency filed court papers Friday naming Jump as the anonymous beneficiary mentioned in its civil suit against Kwon in December. Jump allegedly bought “tens of millions” of dollars in the…

  • Building a secure crypto ecosystem: Best practices for investors and crypto exchanges

    The crypto industry has witnessed a meteoric rise in popularity over the past decade, with millions worldwide investing in this asset class. Global crypto transactions will total to around $43 billion in 2023, up 24% from $34.30 billion the previous year. However, with this rise in popularity, there has also been a corresponding surge in…

  • EU Countries OK World’s First Comprehensive Crypto Rules

    European Union members have given final approval to the world’s first comprehensive cryptocurrency regulations. EU finance ministers met in Brussels Tuesday (May 16) to approve the regulations, which were accepted by the European Parliament in April, Reuters reported, noting that regulating the industry has gained new urgency following last year’s collapse of FTX. “Recent events have confirmed…

  • At least 16 killed as Pakistan tribes clash over coal mine

    A clash between two tribes over the ownership of a coal mine in northwest Pakistan has killed at least 16 people and injured over 10. Officials said the incident occurred late on Monday and was a part of a decades-old tribal rivalry. The mine is in Darra Adam Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering…

  • Kyiv hit by ‘exceptional’ number of missiles

    Kyiv has been targeted by further Russian air attacks with an attack of 18 missiles. Ukraine said all 18 missiles were shot down and footage showed air defenses destroying targets over the city. Russia’s attack used drones and missiles and Russia reported that its attack had hit all its targets. Moscow intensified its air campaign…

  • Companies Have to Figure Out the Skills They Need to Reap AI Benefits

    Organizations need to determine how they can benefit from artificial intelligence (AI) so that they can build new skill sets that use AI to receive these benefits. As many as 97% of workers believe companies should prioritize AI skills in their employee development journey, according to a survey released by Salesforce.com which polled working adults…

  • Toyota Discloses Decade-Long Data Leak Exposing 2.15M Customers’ Data

    Toyota has disclosed that for more than 10 years, a misconfigured cloud bucket left more than 2.15 million customer records exposed to the open internet. According to the disclosure, the sensitive data from Toyota’s cloud-based Connected services was open to unauthorized access from November 2013 to this April.  However, the breach was only said to…

  • PharMerica Breach Hits Over 5.8 Million Customers

    Nearly six million customers of a popular nationwide pharmacy services provider, PharMerica, have had their personal, health insurance, and medical data exposed in a March cyber-attack. PharMerica provides services from over 70,000 backup and local pharmacies. In March it revealed that the Louisville headquarter firm suffered a serious data breach. The breach had lasted two…

  • Senate Bill Looks to Train AI-Ready Workforce, Focus on Risk Mitigation

    New legislation is responding to the federal workforce’s knowledge gap concerning advancing artificial intelligence (AI) systems. This legislation aims to create a new training program specifically for leaders at government agencies. As AI continues to rapidly evolve, the ultimate goal of the bill is to improve the federal workforce’s skills and acumen regarding AI applications.…

  • Why DeFi Cybersecurity Can Never Sleep

    Having a bug bounty program to pay white hat hackers for reporting vulnerabilities is one thing. But staffing an always-on security desk to respond to those reports can be really expensive, said Immunefi founder and CEO Michell Amador. “Lots of people don’t want to wake up on Sunday at 4 a.m. in the morning to…

  • How This Scammer Stole Over $15M Worth of Crypto

    A hacker has stolen over $15 million from crypto wallets by imitating the website of the HitBTC exchange. The hackers cloned the exchange’s user interface to lure victims into connecting their wallets by clicking “Approve.” According to the crypto tracking platform MistTrack, hackers created a fake website, “hitb2c[.]lol,” to impersonate the original website, “hitbtc[.]com.” After a user connects…

  • US Justice Department on the hunt for DeFi hackers and thieves

    The United States Department of Justice’s (DOJ) crypto tsar is cracking down on Decentralized Finance (DeFi) hackers and exploiters amid a four-year rise in illicit crypto activity. In a Financial Times report published on May 15, Eun Young Choi, director of the Justice Department’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), stated that the department is focusing on…

  • North Korean crypto thefts target Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong

    North Korea is using cyberattacks to target Japanese cryptocurrency assets. Hacker groups affiliated with North Korea have stolen $721 million from Japan since 2017, according to a study by a U.K.-based compliance specialist. That is equal to 30% of the total of such losses worldwide. Pyongyang is believed to have targeted the crypto assets of other…

  • South Korean authorities raid Upbit, Bithumb crypto exchanges after political scandal

    Prosecutors in South Korea raided the offices of two local cryptocurrency exchanges due to investigations surrounding the digital assets of lawmaker Kim Nam-kuk. According to a report from the South Korean news agency Yonhap, a team of prosecutors from the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office raided cryptocurrency exchanges Upbit and Bithumb for transaction records and…

  • Erdogan leads as Turkey heads for election run-off

    Turkey’s presidential election appears almost certain to go to a run-off with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan set for a four-point lead in the first round. After 20 years in power, he said he was convinced he would win five more from the balcony of his party headquarters. Opposition challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu also claims to have…

  • Thailand voters deliver stunning blow to army-backed rule

    Thai voters have voted in favor of an opposition party that is calling for radical reform of the country’s institutions. Early results show Move Forward winning 151 of the 500 seats int he lower house. This is now ten seats ahead of the previous frontrunner, Pheu Thai, led by the daughter of ex-prime minister Thaksin…

  • Capita Cyberattack Hits UK Pension Funds

    A cyberattack targeted Capita, a UK-based outsourcing firm, potentially affecting multiple pension funds that utilize their services. The attack aimed to compromise personal data, including names, addresses, and financial information of pension scheme members. While the extent of the breach is still being investigated, Capita has taken immediate action to mitigate the incident and enhance…

  • Executive Fired From TikTok’s Chinese Owner Says Beijing Had Access to App Data in Termination Suit

    In a termination lawsuit, a former executive of TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, alleges that Beijing had access to app data, including user information and content censorship capabilities. The executive claims that these arrangements were made as part of compliance with Chinese laws, which raised concerns about user privacy and potential surveillance. The lawsuit adds to…

  • Advantech’s industrial serial device servers open to attack

    Researchers from Claroty have uncovered vulnerabilities in Advantech’s serial device servers, which could pose significant risks to critical infrastructure systems. The flaws include weak authentication measures and the absence of encryption, making the servers susceptible to unauthorized access and manipulation. As these servers are widely used in industries like energy and transportation, Advantech is working…

  • SquareX’s vision: A future where internet security is a non-issue

    Vivek Ramachandran, a seasoned professional in the field, has introduced SquareX, a new cybersecurity company. SquareX has been established to meet the escalating demand for robust cybersecurity solutions in our increasingly interconnected world. With the rapid proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, SquareX aims to address the unique security challenges posed by these connected…

  • EU Crypto Tax Plans Include NFTs, Foreign Companies, Draft Text Shows

    The European Union plans to force crypto companies to give tax authorities details of their clients’ holdings, according to a draft bill released to CoinDesk under freedom of information laws. The data-sharing law, based on a model from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), is set to be agreed by finance ministers next…

  • Privacy Is the Achilles Heel of Ethereum

    In the ever-evolving cryptocurrency industry, Ethereum has emerged as a pioneering force. Its revolutionary approach to smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps) has set a precedent for other blockchain networks. Yet, amid all the groundbreaking innovations, Ethereum grapples with a serious concern that could undermine its potential: privacy. The concept of privacy in the context of…

  • Crypto Security: A Beginner’s Guide

    One of crypto investing’s biggest hurdles is convincing investors that it’s safe. Safety is especially relevant for investing in bitcoin and other crypto assets, which are by nature bearer assets with varying degrees of anonymity. There are four other complicating factors: The education curve for crypto can be steep Most investment advisors and brokerages do…

  • Memes Are Wreaking Havoc on Cryptocurrency Apparently

    Cryptocurrency has had some tough times recently, from FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s criminal charges to the crash that has caused digital currency holders to rush toward investments that are more stable. Now they’re facing a new challenge: memes. Binance, one of the biggest crypto exchanges in the world, recently suspended withdrawals after it experienced “a congestion…

  • IRS Trains Ukraine Law Enforcement to Track and Trace Russia’s Cryptocurrency Moves

    Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. and its private sector partners want to lend a hand to Ukrainian authorities looking to hinder Russian actors using cryptocurrencies to skirt sanctions—something European authorities have already tried to address. Today the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) unit and blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis kicked off…

  • How can AI know what no one told it?

    Abstract The article at the link below discusses the recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and how they are being used to develop large language models (LLMs). LLMs are trained on massive datasets of text and code, and they can generate text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, and answer your questions in…

  • Pakistan Court Orders Imran Khan’s Release on Bail, Lawyer Says

    In April 2022, Imran Khan was removed as prime minister after a parliamentary no-confidence vote. Khan was arrested on May 9 by the anti-graft agency following a land fraud case. The Pakistan Supreme Court deemed the arrest unlawful the day prior, and Khan has repeatedly stated he was illegally abducted. Khan remains the most popular…

  • Erdogan Rival Says Has Evidence of Russia’s Online Campaign Ahead of Turkey Vote

    Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), stated his party has evidence of Russian plans to release deep fakes ahead of the presidential election. Kilicdaroglu has consolidated support from multiple parties to serve as the primary challenger to President Erdogan in Sunday’s elections. Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Kilicdaroglu’s advisors were liars and…

  • New Phishing-as-a-Service Tool Used in the Wild to Target Organizations

    Cisco Talos researchers recently discovered that threat actors are targeting Microsoft 365 via the Greatness Phishing-as-a-Service (PhaaS) platform. The Greatness platform surged operations between December 2022 and March 2023, targeting Microsoft 365 users in the U.S., U.K. Canada, Australia, and South Africa. The victims primarily came from the manufacturing, healthcare, technology, and education sectors in…

  • China Completes Warship Deliveries to Pakistan as Military Alliance Grows

    China agreed to supply Pakistan with four warships in 2018. On May 11, two of these frigates were sent to Pakistan as part of expanded military cooperation. According to Chinese media, the Type 054A frigates would be deployed to guard the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). If Chinese ships are barred from the Strait of Malacca,…

  • Multiple Ransomware Groups Adapt Babuk Code to Target ESXi VMs

    Multiple ransomware groups have adapted the Babuk Locker code to target VMware ESXi virtual machines, according to researchers at security firm ESET. The Babuk Locker ransomware was first identified in January 2021 and gained notoriety for its use in high-profile attacks against organizations such as the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department. The updated versions of…

  • US Probing Cybersecurity Risks of Rockwell Automation’s China Operations: Report

    The United States is reportedly investigating the cybersecurity risks posed by the Chinese operations of industrial automation firm Rockwell Automation. The probe, which is being led by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), is focused on Rockwell’s joint venture with Chinese state-owned enterprise Xi’an Hengsheng Science & Technology, which produces industrial…