TITLE: Upcoming South Korea’s ‘strategic command’ to oversee cyber units

CONTENT: Speaking at a security forum, Ryoo Moo-bong, deputy defense minister for defense reform, detailed key features of the command that Seoul has been seeking to launch next year to counter evolving North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

South Korea's military plans to task its envisioned "strategic command" with overseeing space and cybersecurity units, and those running F-35 stealth jets and submarines, a defense ministry official said. The command is designed to take charge of the Cyber Operations Command, units for missile, space and electromagnetic spectrum operations as well as those operating F-35 jets and submarines. Ryoo also highlighted the need to improve cyberspace and electromagnetic capabilities, which can be used to neutralize threats from hostile missiles even before their launch.

EXCERPT: South Korea's military plans to task its envisioned "strategic command" with overseeing space and cybersecurity units, and those running F-35 stealth jets and submarines, a defense ministry official said

LINK:

TOPIC: Cyberconflict and warfare

TREND: N/A

PROCESS: N/A

DATE: February 9, 2023

COUNTRY: South Korea

TITLE: The US and UK issue joint cyber sanctions against a cybercrime gang Trickbot

CONTENT: In a joint press release, the United States and United Kingdom announce “historic joint cyber sanctions against the seven individuals who are part of Russia-based cybercrime gang Trickbot”. This action represents the very first sanctions of their kind for the U.K., and result from a collaborative partnership between the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office; National Crime Agency; and His Majesty’s Treasury to disrupt Russian cybercrime and ransomware.

EXCERPT: The US and UK coordinate actions in issuing sanctions against a cybercrime gang Trickbot that are described as the first major move of a “new campaign of concerted action”

LINK:

TOPIC: Cyberconflict and warfare

TREND: N/A

PROCESS: N/A

DATE: February 9, 2023

COUNTRY: Global

TITLE: Russian telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor blocks access toCIA, FBI websites for 'spreading false information'

CONTENT: Russian telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor blocked access to the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice website on Friday, alongside the sites for the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"Roscomnadzor has restricted access to some resources that are owned by government organizations of hostile countries for dissemination of materials that are aimed at the destabilization of the social and political situation in Russia," the agency told TASS in a statement.

The agency acted based on Federal Law #149 On Information, Information Technologies and Protection of Information, it said.

The websites were found to contain materials that "contain inaccuracies in socially important information and discredit the Russian Federation’s armed forces," Roscomnadzor said.

EXCERPT:

Russian agency says it blocked access to CIA, FBI websites which were found to include materials that "contain inaccuracies in socially important information and discredit the Russian Federation’s armed forces"

LINK:

TOPIC: Cyberconflict and warfare

TREND: N/A

PROCESS: N/A

DATE: January 27, 2023

COUNTRY: Russian Federation

TITLE: The US-EU cooperation in fields of Cyber Resilience

CONTENT: US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas and European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton, released the joint statement on the cooperation between the US and the EU in the fields of Cyber Resilience.

In the context of the EU-US Cyber Dialogue, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the European Commission's Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNCT) intend to launch dedicated workstreams in the fields of:

• Information Sharing, Situational Awareness, and Cyber Crisis Response;
• Cybersecurity of Critical Infrastructure and Incident Reporting Requirements; and
• Cybersecurity of Hardware and Software.

The workstreams are expected to invite and involve as appropriate other relevant institutions and agencies working on cyber issues, including the European External Action Service, the Directorate-General for Defence, Industry, and Space, and the U.S. Department of State. In addition, a cyber fellowship led by DHS and DG CNCT is expected to be launched with a pilot that will involve an exchange of cyber experts in 2023.

The statement further quotes, “Today, we discussed the initial deliverables, which include:

• Deepening structured information exchanges on threats, threat actors, vulnerabilities, and incidents to support a collective response to defend against global threats to include crisis management and support of diplomatic responses.
• Finalizing a working arrangement between ENISA and CISA to foster cooperation and sharing of best practices.
• Collaborating on the topic of cyber incident reporting requirements for critical infrastructure, including guidelines and templates.
• Collaborating on the cybersecurity of software and hardware.
• Exploring how we can work together to better protect civilian space systems.”

The first deliverables from these workstreams are expected to be reported on at the 9th EU-US Cyber Dialogue, foreseen in the second half of 2023.

EXCERPT:

The US and EU will launch workstreams in the fields of Cyber Resilience to establish deeper cooperation and more structured cybersecurity information exchanges on threats between the US DHS and EU DG CNCT as well as other relevant agencies.

LINK: [https://www.dhs.gov/news/2023/01/26/joint-statement-united-states-secretary-mayorkas-and-european-union-commissioner]

TOPIC: Cyberconflict and warfare, Network security

TREND: N/A

PROCESS: N/A

DATE: January 26, 2023

COUNTRY: US, EU

TITLE: Brazil Justice Moraes fines Telegram for not complying with court order.

CONTENT: Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes fined messaging app Telegram for failing to comply with a court order that instructed the suspension of accounts of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro who were spreading disinformation and hate speech. Telegram will be fined 1.2 million reais ($236,527). Telegram did not immediately respond to Reuters on their request to comment.

EXCERPT: Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes fined messaging app Telegram for failing to comply with a court order that instructed the suspension of accounts spreading disinformation and hate speech.

LINK: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/brazil-justice-moraes-fines-telegram-not-suspending-pro-bolsonaro-accounts-2023-01-25/

TREND: Fake news

DATE: 31/01/2023

COUNTRY: Brazil

TITLE: Extremists use social media to lure to women and girls into (online) extremism

CONTENT: The European Commission’s Radicalisation Awareness Network Practitioners (RAN Practitioners) network published a paper which explores narratives and strategies used by right-wing and Islamist extremist actors to persuade and recruit young women and girls into violent extremism. Especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) programs struggled to maintain access to their target groups, especially in offline spaces. The document notes that digital platforms have not been used enough to reach out to girls and women in a strategic manner. On the contrary, the perpetrators took better advantage of social media in approaching and recruiting young women and girls. The paper looks into their tactics and young women and girls’s vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities the perpetrators take advantage of include, but are not limited to, discrimination young women and girls experience online and offline, desire to belong to a sisterhood-like group, and other issues related to understanding sexuality and other insecurities. While misogynist narratives are on the rise over the past several years and women are being targeted with defamatory hate speech and anti-feminist discussion online, in parallel right-wing extremism (RWE) groups, such as neo-Nazi organisations and identitarian organizations, strategically engage in producing content and using specific hashtags with the aim of persuading girls and women into online extremism. It particularly looks into online platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Telegram. The paper offers recommendations for preventing and countering extremists’ online targeting of girls and women.

EXCERPT: The European Commission’s Radicalisation Awareness Network Practitioners (RAN Practitioners) network paper explores narratives and strategies used by extremist actors to persuade and recruit young women and girls into violent extremism. Perpetrators take advantage of their insecurities and vulnerabilities to lure them into online extremism.

LINK:

TOPIC: Violent extremism, Gender rights online

TREND: n/a

DATE: February 25, 2022

COUNTRY: Global

TITLE: US government launches Digital Transformation with Africa

TEXT: The US government has launched a Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) initiative dedicated to 'expand[ing] digital access and literacy and strengthen[ing] digital enabling environments across the continent'. The USA plans to dedicate over US$350 million to this initiative, which is expected to support the implementation of both the African Union's Digital Transformation Strategy and the US Strategy Towards Sub-Saharan Africa. DTA's objectives revolve around three pillars:

1. Digital economy and infrastructure: (a) expanding access to an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure internet; (b) expanding access to key enabling digital technologies, platforms, and services and scale the African technology and innovation ecosystem; (c) facilitating investment, trade, and partnerships in Africa’s digital economy.
2. Human capital development: (a) facilitating inclusive access to digital skills and literacy, particularly for youth and women; (b) fostering inclusive participation in the digital economy; (c) strengthening the capacity of public sector employees to deliver digital services.
3. Digital enabling environment: (a) strengthening the capacities of authorities and regulators to develop, implement, and enforce sound policies and regulations; (b) supporting policies and regulations that promote competition, innovation, and investment; (c) promoting governance that strengthens and sustains an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure digital ecosystem.

Date: 14 December 2022

TITLE: Pro-Kremlin media spreads false claims about President Putin's international support.

CONTENT: Pro-Kremlin comments have been frequently appearing on articles in leading European media. According to permeate public discourse, according to the Security, Crime and Intelligence Innovation Institute at Cardiff University in Wales, these comments are intended to permeate public discourse in Western media. A 2021 study by the institute analysed comments on 32 European media outlets, such as Die Welt and Der Spiegel in Germany. The study concluded accounts are using the space on reader comments in Russia-related news articles to post provocative pro-Russian/anti-Western statements. Comments often They often contradict what the public opinion on a given country really think about Russia, Ukraine, and sanctions against Moscow.

EXCERPT: Pro-Kremlin comments have been frequently appearing on articles in leading European media in order to permeate public discourse in Western media.

LINK: https://www.dw.com/en/how-russian-fake-news-paints-the-germans/a-64394917

TREND: Fake news

DATE: 24/01/2023

COUNTRY: Germany

TITLE: Report finds Big Tech companies recommend climate change denial content

CONTENT: A new report from the Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) coalition revealed that fossil fuel sector-linked entities spent approximately 4 million USD on Meta for paid advertisements to spread false and misleading claims on climate crisis, net-zero targets and necessity of fossil fuels prior to and during COP27. This would imply that not only are social media platforms not managing to crack down on content that rejects widely accepted science risks, but they are even making it worse by promoting climate change denialism. Some of these Big Tech companies were requested to comment, but journalists reporting on the topic have not received an answer yet.

EXCERPT: A new report from the Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) coalition revealed that Big Tech companies are promoting climate change denialism on their platforms.

LINK: https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/19/23562269/climate-change-denial-social-media-meta-facebook-instagram-twitter

TREND: Fake news

DATE: 20/01/2023

In the High Court of Justice in London, Getty Images has filed a lawsuit against Stability AI, for allegedly infringing the intellectual property rights of millions of images to train its AI image generator, Stable Diffusion. Reports The Verge. According to the lawsuit, Stability AI violated several of Getty Image’s Terms of Service, such as image scraping to train its AI image generator.

Getty Image is alleging that Stability AI has unlawfully copied and processed millions of images from its website without obtaining a license for their commercial exploitation, including copyright in content that belongs to or is represented by Getty Images.

TITLE: New report examines TikTok’s algorithm in recommending harmful content to vulnerable teen users

CONTENT: Researchers from the Center for Countering Digital Hate look into how TikTok's For You feed's algorithmic recommendations react to teen users who express interest in eating disorders, body image, and mental health.

By creating two brand-new accounts for users in the USA, UK, Australia, and Canada, all of whom were 13 years old, researchers looked at the algorithm behind TikTok. One of these accounts has a username that suggests a preoccupation with one's appearance. They watched and liked any videos about body image, mental health, or eating disorders for each account, and then they recorded the first 30 minutes of algorithmically suggested content on each account's "For You" feed. The resulting recordings were examined to see how frequently eating disorder, self-harm, and body image recommendations were made.

The study found that TikTok gave suicide-related information recommendations in under 2.6 minutes. Within 8 minutes, TikTok offered material on eating disorders. Every 39 seconds, teens on TikTok received recommendations for videos on body image and mental health. According to the study, self-harm videos were recommended to vulnerable accounts with the vulnerable phrase in their usernames 12 times more frequently than they were to regular accounts. The overwhelming deluge of increasingly more suggested films that appear on the feeds of young people who interact with this content is something they must endure.

EXCERPT: Researchers from the Center for Countering Digital Hate look into how TikTok's For You feed's algorithmic recommendations react to teen users who express interest in eating disorders, body image, and mental health. By creating two brand-new accounts for teen users, the report found that TikTok recommended information related to suicide within 2.6 minutes. Teens on TikTok were given recommendations for videos regarding body image and mental health every 39 seconds. The "vulnerable" accounts were recommended self-harm and suicide videos 12 times more frequently than the typical accounts.

LINK: https://counterhate.com/research/deadly-by-design/

TOPIC: Child safety online

TREND: Tik Tok, harmful content, algorithmic recommendations

DATE: December 15, 2022

COUNTRY: Global

TITLE: Meta restricts advertisers to see teen user’s gender information

CONTENT: The way that Meta's apps manage advertising and young users is changing. The new regulations limit how much individualised data advertisers on Facebook and Instagram may use to target ads at teenagers. Additionally, users under the age of 18 will now have more control over the ads they view and the reasons behind them.

Beginning the following month, Meta will discontinue the option for gender-based ad targeting of users who are teenagers. Additionally, the business will stop allowing marketers to target under-18 users with tailored advertising based on their in-app behaviour, such as which Facebook pages they like and who they follow on Instagram. After the adjustments, the only factors used to determine the relevance of tailored advertising on those applications will be a user's age and location.

EXCERPT: Starting next month, Meta will remove the option for targeting advertising to teen users based on gender. The company will also end advertisers’ ability to target personalized ads to under-18 users based on their in-app activity, including who they follow on Instagram and what Facebook pages they like.

LINK: https://about.fb.com/news/2023/01/age-appropriate-ads-for-teens/

TOPIC: Child safety online

TREND: gender, online advertising

DATE: January 10, 2023

COUNTRY: Global

TITLE: New report reveals how the U.S. adolescents engaged with or experienced pornography online

CONTENT: According to a research by Common Sense Media, 75% of teens have seen online porn by the time they are 17, with the average age of first exposure being 12 years old. The report's goals are to provide a baseline for understanding U.S. teens' pornography use and to comprehend the role that internet pornography plays in adolescent life in the United States.

The study by Common Sense was based on a poll of 1,358 Americans between the ages of 13 and 17. More than half of those surveyed admitted to seeing pornographic footage of violent crimes like rape, suffocation, or people in pain. The majority of respondents claimed that Asian, Black, and Latino stereotypes were depicted in pornography. After seeing porn, more than half of respondents claimed they felt bad or ashamed. Meanwhile, 45% of respondents felt that pornography gave them useful information about sex. Teenagers who identify as L.G.B.T.Q. in particular claimed it helped them learn more about their sexuality.

EXCERPT: According to a research by Common Sense Media, 75% of teens have seen online porn by the time they are 17, with the average age of first exposure being 12 years old. The report's goals are to provide a baseline for understanding U.S. teens' pornography use and to comprehend the role that internet pornography plays in adolescent life in the United States.

LINK: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/teens-and-pornography

TOPIC: Child safety online or Children’s rights

TREND: Child safety online; adolescents;

DATE: January 10, 2023

COUNTRY: United States

TITLE: Finish Institute for Health and Welfare withdraws from Twitter due to disinformation.

CONTENT: The Finish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) announced that they have withdrawn from Twitter due to the high amount of disinformation and inappropriate remarks contained in replies to their posts. Marjo Loisa, the director of communications at THL, explained that although the platform has always been prone to spreading disinformation, the situation worsened during the coronavirus pandemic. Especially given that the THL tweeted about the virus and vaccines. Consequently, the institute took the decision of leaving Twitter because they consider it presently offers little benefits as a channel of official information.

EXCERPT: The Finish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) announced that they have withdrawn from Twitter due to the high amount of disinformation and inappropriate remarks contained in replies to their posts.

LINK: https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/22811-finland-s-thl-leaves-twitter-citing-volume-of-disinformation.html

TREND: Fake news

DATE: 17/01/2023

COUNTRY: Finland

TITLE: Researchers launch first video game to teach fake news detection

CONTENT: Researchers from the University of Extremadura in Spain have developed and launched a video game aimed at teaching how to detect fake news and combat online disinformation. The game is called "Forge of Destiny (FoD)” and it is the first multi platform initiative designed for this ends. The game is already available online for free use.

EXCERPT: Researchers from the University of Extremadura in Spain have developed and launched a video game aimed at teaching how to detect fake news and combat online disinformation.

LINK: https://www.antena3.com/noticias/sociedad/crean-juego-aventuras-ensenar-detectar-combatir-bulos_2023011063bde40fefc27f0001183578.html

TREND: Fake news

DATE: 11/01/2023

COUNTRY: Spain

TITLE: Covid misinformation spikes on Twitter after NFL player's on-field collapse

CONTENT: NFL player Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field after suffering a cardiac arrest during a game on Monday night. After the incident, anti-vaxxers tweets sought to link the Hamlin's condition and the coronavirus vaccine, without any evidence. These claims were posted by many relevant influencers on the platform and getting as much as 10 million views per tweet, like in the case of a tweet by Charlie Kirk. The massive spread of these claims was also explained by changes in the direction of the Twitter’s policy against covid misinformation in November when new owner Elon Musk took charge. The company has also restored the accounts of many previously suspended individuals, including multiple high-profile anti-vaxxers.

EXCERPT: Excerpt (a brief, tweet-like summary of your update); excerpts should be no longer than 300 characters

LINK: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/01/03/covid-misinfo-damar-hamlin-collapse/

TOPIC: freedom of speech

TREND: fake news

DATE: 04/01/2023

COUNTRY: United States

TITLE: Turkish court releases first journalist jailed under new 'disinformation' law

CONTENT: A Turkish court ordered the release of a journalist that was detained under the country's new disinformation law. Sinan Aygul became the first journalist to be jailed pending trial under the new law, approved by the Turkish parliament two months ago. Aygul, a journalist in the Kurdish-majority Bitlis province, had written on Twitter last week that a 14-year-old girl had allegedly been sexually abused by the police and soldiers but then apologised because the story was not confirmed with the authorities. Nevertheless, he was prosecuted and put under arrest. The government expressed ghat the disinformation law is aimed at protecting the public, but critics say it can be abused to stifle dissent.

EXCERPT: A Turkish court ordered the release of a journalist that was detained under the country's new disinformation law.

LINK: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkish-court-releases-journalist-detained-under-disinformation-law-2022-12-24/

TOPIC: Freedom of the press

TREND: Fake news

DATE: 29/12/2022

COUNTRY: Turkey

TITLE: China to introduce pioneering regulation on “deepfakes”

CONTENT: In January, China will introduce pioneering regulation on “deepfakes”, reinforcing their policies of control over internet content. Deepfakes are synthetically generated or altered images or videos built using artificial intelligence. This technology can be used to alter an existing video, for example, by creating realistic fake speech. China announced its new rules for governing “deep synthesis technologies” earlier this year, and finalized them in December. These new legislation will come into effect on Jan. 10.

EXCERPT: In January, China will introduce pioneering regulation on “deepfakes”, reinforcing their policies of control over internet content.

LINK: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/23/china-is-bringing-in-first-of-its-kind-regulation-on-deepfakes.html

TOPIC: Freedom of expression

TREND: Fake News

DATE: 23/12/2022

COUNTRY: China

TITLE: More time spent online might increase the risk of OCD for children

CONTENT: Preteens are more likely to develop the obsessive-compulsive disorder if they spend more time playing internet games or watching videos. The most extensive long-term investigation of brain development in American children, the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development research, has reached this conclusion. The preteens had a 13% higher chance of developing obsessive-compulsive disorder within two years for every additional hour they spent playing video games. Additionally, for every additional hour they spent watching internet videos, their chance of OCD increased by 11%. According to the report, schools can be vital in ensuring that adolescents form positive digital habits at a crucial juncture in their growth.

EXCERPT: Preteens are more likely to develop the obsessive-compulsive disorder if they spend more time playing on internet games or watching videos. The most extensive long-term investigation of brain development in American children, the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development research, has reached this conclusion.

LINK: https://www.edweek.org/leadership/screen-time-can-raise-childrens-chance-of-ocd-educators-can-help-prevent-that/2022/12

TOPIC: Children’s rights

TREND: online gaming, screen time, mental health

DATE: December 20, 2022

COUNTRY: the U.S.

Title: Nigeria and Rwanda sign Artemis Accords

Content: Nigeria and Rwanda signed the Artemis Accords, becoming the first two African countries to adhere to the a set of nonbinding commitments to facilitate the peaceful and safe exploration of outer space.

The Artemis Accords, signed by 23 countries up to December 2022, outlines a series of principles, guidelines, and best practices to o enhance the governance of the civil exploration and use of outer space. Intended to apply to civil space activities conducted by the civil space agencies of each signatory countries, the principles cover issues such as peaceful purposes, transparency, interoperability, emergency assistance, registration of space objects, release of scientific data, deconfliction of activities, protection of space heritage, and mitigation of orbital debris, including spacecraft disposal.

TITLE: China-USA trade dispute at WTO on the U.S. chip export control measures.

CONTENT: China initiated a trade dispute procedure against the U.S. chip export control measures arguing that these measures 'threatened the stability of the global industry supply chains."

The WTO process will start with request for consultations. But, any resolution is not likely as WTO's arbitration body has been disfunctional due to the U.S. blockage of appointing new judges. The WTO's arbitration mechanisms are not likely to be de-blocked.

Thus, China's move has more symbolic relevance in ongling 'chip war' between two countries.

TOPIC: e-commerce

LINK:

PROCESS: The WTO Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on e-commerce

||VladaR|| ||AndrijanaG|| Do we have any page on microchips?

TITLE: Gender equality in space diplomacy

CONTENT: Space negotiation should become more gender-inclusive. This article calls Australia to have leading role in space diplomacy and gender in the wider context of UN women, peace and security (WPS) agenda with the following specific proposals:

• to use of gender-neutral language such as ‘piloted’ or ‘automated’ rather than ‘manned’ or ‘unmanned’ when referring to spacecraft;
• to ensure greater participation by women diplomats and decision-makers in space security negotiations; and
• to take into account the disproportionate impact on girls and women when space-based technologies are interrupted, interfered with or attacked in grey-zone and conflict situations.

EXCERPT: Space diplomacy should become more gender inclusive from changes in language used in space negotiations to more involvement in women in space diplomacy.

TOPIC: Space diplomacy

LINK:

||sorina|| Let us also publish this on Space Diplomacy at Diplo website

TITLE: Australia and Vanuatu conclude pact on defense, including cybersecurity

CONTENT: The agreement includes cybersecurity cooperation. Australia already helped Vanuatu after November randsomwere attack that impacted emergency services, schools and hospitals.

This agreement is part of Australia's renewed push to strengthen its relationships with other countries in the Pacific in the context of increasing presence of China.

EXCERPT: Australia strengthens cybersecurity cooperation in the Pacific region by singing safety pact with Vanuatu.

LINK:

TOPIC: cybersecurity

TREND: n/a

PROCESS: n/a

DATE: 12 December 2022

COUNTRY: Australia, Vanuatu

TITLE: Twitter abruptly dissolves its Trust and Safety Council.

CONTENT: Twitter abruptly dissolved its Trust and Safety Council on Monday night. This happened just moments before a scheduled meeting with company representatives. The Trust and Safety Council was created to make the platform safer and more civil, after years of work towards that goal. Members of Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council received an email informing them the council was no longer “the best structure” to bring “external insights into our product and policy development work.”

EXCERPT: Twitter abruptly dissolved its Trust and Safety Council on Monday night.

LINK: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/12/musk-twitter-harass-yoel-roth/

TREND: Fake News

PROCESS: Freedom of expression

DATE: 12/12/2022

COUNTRY: United States

TITLE: Wave of layoffs in US media raises concerns about the spread of disinformation

CONTENT: A wave of layoffs in US media raises concerns about the spread of disinformation. Several major companies, including CNN, BuzzFeed and Gannett, have laid off hundreds of workers in recent weeks citing economic volatility and uncertainty. The recent staff cuts have triggered new worries over the health of the US media at a time of democratic crisis.

EXCERPT: A wave of layoffs in US media raises concerns about the spread of disinformation.

LINK: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/dec/10/media-layoffs-cnn-buzzfeed-gannett-recount-protocol

TREND: Fake news

DATE: 12/12/2022

COUNTRY: United States

TITLE: Meta partners with Nigerian organisations to combat disinformation ahead of 2023 elections

CONTENT: Meta announced they will partner with the Independent National Elections Commission (INEC), civil society groups and local radio stations to combat the spread of disinformation and protect the integrity of the Nigerian 2023 general elections. The approach has also been informed by conversations with human rights groups, NGOs, local civil society organisations, regional experts and local election authorities and consists of a series of measures to promote good practices and make it easier for audiences to distinguish trusted content from dubious claims. For instance, the official Facebook page on the 2023 elections on its platform will have a blue tick which confirms the authentic of the results posted on the INEC official website. Additionally, Meta has quadrupled the size of its global teams working on safety and security to about 40,000 people, including over 15,000 content reviewers in every major timezone. Collectively, these reviewers are able to review content in more than 70 languages- including Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa.

EXCERPT: Meta announced they will partner with the Independent National Elections Commission (INEC), civil society groups and local radio stations to combat the spread of disinformation and protect the integrity of the Nigerian 2023 general elections.

LINK: https://leadership.ng/meta-partners-inec-ngos-to-combat-2023-elections-fake-news/

TREND: Fake news

DATE: 08/12/2022

COUNTRY: Nigeria

TITLE: New evidence revealed the disparity in the internet access for children in five African countries

CONTENT: A recent UNICEF research brief estimated the level of internet access for children in Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda, and the United Republic of Tanzania, as well as the most common barriers to connecting children to the digital world and their consequences. The report classified these common barriers into three categories: infrastructure-related, resource-constrained, and adult permission-related. According to the findings, 90% of children in the five countries surveyed reported having at least one barrier to regular internet access. The most frequently mentioned barrier was the high cost of data.

The report identified three priorities for addressing the digital divide and enabling equal access to digital connectivity: investing in electricity and connectivity with a focus on marginalised communities and users; lowering the cost of connectivity and devices; and addressing cultural and social norms as barriers to address for children and adolescents.

EXCERPT: A recent UNICEF research brief revealed that 90% of children in Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda, and Tanzania experienced at least one of three common barriers to regular internet access - infrastructure-related, resource-constrained, and adult permission-related barriers. The most frequently mentioned barrier was the high cost of data.

LINK: https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/1559-estimates-of-internet-access-for-children-in-ethiopia-kenya-namibia-uganda-and-the-united-republic-of-tanzania.html

TOPIC: Children’s rights

TREND: internet access; internet connectivity; digital divide; digital inclusion.

DATE: November 2022

COUNTRY: Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda and Tanzania

TITLE: WHO report evaluates online safety and violence against children educational programmes for youth.

CONTENT: Based on a review of evaluations of online safety programmes and online VAC programmes for children and adolescents, the report, What Works to Prevent Online Violence Against Children, discovered strong evidence that prevention education for children can work, and that this is a key strategy for addressing online VAC. Educational programmes have been widely demonstrated to improve overall safety and health. These educational programmes are particularly effective in preventing one type of online VAC, cyberbullying (both victimisation and perpetration).

This report also captured a number of structural and skill components that contribute to the effectiveness of educational programmes and should be widely adopted.

• Structural components include multiple and varied learning strategies and tools; more lessons, more message exposures, more reminders, and follow-ups; using peer engagement, role-plays, and interactions; getting a supportive whole-school environment; and parental involvement.
• Skill components include problem-solving, assertiveness, empathy, self-regulation, help-seeking, bystander or defender mobilization, social norm instruction, sex education, and substance abuse education.

The report also revealed that there is a lack of evidence about the success of prevention programmes for online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The report suggests implementing school-based educational programmes with multiple sessions that encourage youth interaction and involve parents. It emphasises the need for more violence prevention programmes that integrate content about online dangers with offline violence prevention. It suggested less emphasis on stranger danger and more emphasis on acquaintance and peer perpetrators, who are responsible for the majority of online violence against children.

EXCERPT: The WHO report on what works to prevent online violence against children, based on a review of evaluations of online safety programmes for youth, found strong evidence that prevention education for children can work and can increase safety and health in general.

LINK: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/978924006206

TOPIC: Child safety online

TREND: Violence against children; online violence against children; educational program; cyberbullying; online child sexual exploitation and abuse; evidence review.

DATE: 24 November 2022

COUNTRY: Global

TITLE: UNICEF released a future-ready, child-centered digital framework to address inequalities in children's lives.

CONTENT: Given that digital exclusion mirrors and magnifies existing social, cultural, and economic inequities and pushes vulnerable children closer to the edges of marginalisation, the digitization of society has an uneven consequence on all children. In order to address the effects of the shifting digital and governance landscape, as well as emerging and embedded technologies, on children's experience with digital technologies, a future-oritened framework for an equitable digital future was proposed in this new UNICEF report. This framework drew the needs of transformation from "digital inclusion" to "digital equality". For this framework to effectively respond to new trends and technologies, a wider range of stakeholders must be engaged.

The framework can be used as a foundation for developing and evaluating digital inclusion policies, as a roadmap for structuring the involvement of pertinent stakeholders in achieving digital equality for children, and as a tool to assist in the design of policies and interventions by state authorities, civic groups, and the private sector.

EXCERPT: A new child-centered digital framework proposed by UNICEF painted an equitable digital future, highlighting the need for a shift from "digital inclusion" to "digital equality," as well as increased participation from relevant stakeholders.

LINK: https://www.unicef.org/globalinsight/reports/towards-child-centred-digital-equality-framework

TOPIC: Children’s rights

TREND: digital equity; child-centred; inequality

DATE: October 2022

COUNTRY: Global

TITLE: WHO report recommends to strengthen the evidence base to monitor the digital health transformation

CONTENT: Digital health refers to the use of information and communication technologies for delivering health care and service, managing health systems and facilities. Despite the positive role that digital health has played to improve health care access, safety, and quality, this WHO report pointed out that digital health programmes and interventions are often not monitored or evaluated. It found that existing metrics for measurement and evaluation tend to be left behind by the rapid evolution of digital health. This report made the case for the necessity of incorporating health data measurement and governance into health care systems. Making available information more accessible at the national and international levels, addressing the variability in digital health monitoring, paying closer attention to monitoring digital health inequalities, and addressing the potential risk of exacerbating inequalities among the most vulnerable, including young children, are all necessary steps to improve monitoring activities.

EXCERPT: A WHO report noted that monitoring of digital health programmes is frequently lacking. It advised focusing attention on enhancing current measurement measures, reducing the variability in digital health monitoring, and addressing the disparities in digital health among the most vulnerable, especially young children.

LINK: https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/WHO-EURO-2022-5985-45750-65816

TOPIC: Children’s rights

TREND: digital health; monitoring and evaluation.

DATE: 22 November 2022

COUNTRY: Global

TITLE: Taiwanese Foreign Minister attests decreased Chinese interference in upcoming elections

CONTENT: Taiwan has repeatedly accused China of attempts to meddle in their elections with online disinformation campaigns. China, which claims the democratically governed island as its own territory, has always played a role in Taiwanese politics. However, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said to the press ahead of the elections that this time around it seemed like there has been less interference from the Chinese government. Still, more recent news reports do find evidence of Chinese disinformation operations in Taiwan. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to requests for comment by Reuters.

EXCERPT: Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said to the press ahead of the elections that this time around it seemed like there has been less interference from the Chinese government.

LINK: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-says-it-sees-less-chinese-interference-ahead-elections-2022-11-23/

TREND: Fake news

DATE: 27/11/2022

COUNTRY: Taiwan

TITLE: Macron accuses Russia of financing disinformation projects in Africa

CONTENT: In an interview with TV5 Monde, Emmanuel Macron has accused Russia of spreading disinformation to further its “predatory project” in Africa. He explained that there are several different actors with the intention to spread disinformation in the continent in order to hurt France after its military setback in the Region. In particular, there is concern regarding the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group that built connections with Mali’s military after France pulled its troops out of the country. Russia has rejected the accusations and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the businessman believed by the EU to be behind the Wagner Group called the reports “fakes, outright lies and … falsification”.

EXCERPT: In an interview with TV5 Monde, Emmanuel Macron has accused Russia of spreading disinformation to further its “predatory project” in Africa.

LINK: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/20/emmanuel-macron-accuses-russia-of-feeding-disinformation-in-africa

TREND: Fake news

DATE: 21/11/2022

COUNTRY: Russia, France, Mali

TITLE: Activists express concerns about climate disinformation on Twitter after Musk's takeover

CONTENT: Activists have been expressing their concerns about climate disinformation on Twitter after Musk's takeover. Although there has not been an explicit policy change in Twitter’s approach to tackling climate disinformation on the platform, Musk fired Twitter’s sustainability team within a wider cull of staff two days before the start of COP27. Jennie King, head of civic action and education at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) explained that Twitter was supposed to be the voice of COP27, according to a campaign planned in advance alongside climate advocates. However, she expressed that all the intermediaries on the company were laid off and since then there has been a spike in outright climate denial on the platform,

EXCERPT: Activists have been expressing their concerns about climate disinformation on Twitter after Musk's takeover. Although there has not been an explicit policy change in Twitter’s approach to tackling climate disinformation on the platform, Musk fired Twitter’s sustainability team within a wider cull of staff two days before the start of COP27.

LINK: https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/11/17/how-climate-disinformation-is-spreading-after-elon-musks-twitter-takeover

TREND: Fake news

DATE: 18/11/2022

TITLE: Moscow claims that reports of their hospitalised foreign minister at G20 are 'fake news'

CONTENT: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Bali to represent Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit. Lavrov was taken to the hospital shortly after arriving in Bali and the Associated Press reported on Monday that Lavrov was being treated for a heart condition, citing several sources. Nevertheless, Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson claimed that the report was baseless and dismissed the situation by calling it "fake news".

EXCERPT: Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson claims that reports of their hospitalised foreign minister at G20 are 'fake news'

LINK: https://www.reuters.com/world/russian-foreign-minister-taken-hospital-after-arriving-g20-summit-ap-2022-11-14/

TREND: fake news

DATE: 14/11/2022

COUNTRY: Russia

A California federal judge dismissed blockchain platform Dfinity's trademark suit over the infinity-symbol logo against Meta Platforms Inc. The judge ruled that the two logos were not similar enough to sustain the lawsuit.

In a trademark infringement lawsuit, Swiss blockchain group Dfinity Foundation alleged that Mets copied its infinity-symbol logo, which was similar to the one used by the Swiss company.

The court found that Meta's logo was not likely to cause consumer confusion with Dfinity's logo as Dfinity's rainbow infinity logo is not similar in shape or colour to Meta's log. Given the targeted audience, it is unlikely to create any confusion, the court concluded.

Is globalisation going back to localisation and centralisation?

The US government announced the Chips and Science Act of 2022 to strengthen the chips supply chain and provide more STEM job opportunities to Americans.

The UK Digital Strategy sets semiconductors and advanced computing as critical supply chains and builds partnerships with the US government.

The European Commission proposed the Chips Act in Feb. 2022 to enhance productivity and technology leadership. Then, the Commission approved the Italian measure to improve the semiconductor supply chain. To achieve the goals of digital and green transition.

Some advanced economies try to deindustrialization, keep the research and development in these developed countries and set manufacturing processes in less economically developed countries before 2022. The economic activity is called the "global division of labour."

But these national and regional strategies or bills seem to make the whole manufacturing process in the local country or the region and try to decouple with some controversial countries.

Title: Misinformation experts express concern about manipulated content on TikTok

Content: Experts who study misinformation are expressing concerns about manipulated video and photo content on TikTok. Manipulated media is a key feature on the platform and is mostly used as an entertainment or humorous resource. However, fake news stories and deepfake images of politicians are starting to become a pervasive reality on the popular video platform. These techniques are being applied to posts that sow political division, advance conspiracy theories and threaten the core tenets of democracy ahead of the midterm elections. Henry Ajder, an expert on manipulated and synthetic media stated: “When this volume of content can be created so quickly and at such scale, it completely changes the landscape.” Experts also said it is especially difficult to detect and moderate this kind of content on TikTok, where an estimated 1.6 billion active users put their own stamp on someone else’s content, and where objective facts, satire and outright deceit sometimes blend together in the fast-moving feed. Regardless of single posts, the largest concern is about how these apps where manipulated media is a feature blurs the users ability to tell the difference between truth and fake.

Excerpt: Experts who study misinformation are expressing concerns about manipulated video and photo content on TikTok. The largest concern is about how these apps where manipulated media is a key feature blurrs the users ability to tell the difference between truth and fake.

Link: (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/04/technology/tiktok-deepfakes-disinformation.html)

Trend: Fake news

Date: November 4th

TITLE: INTERPOL launches first INTERPOL Global Crime Trend Report 2022 (IGCTR)

CONTENT: With a view to improving law enforcement's access to timely and accurate criminal intelligence analysis, INTERPOL has produced the first INTERPOL Global Crime Trend Report 2022 (IGCTR), which also includes a summary of key findings on global crime trends. The IGCTR is INTERPOL's first assessment to greatly rely upon the Organisation's data holdings and contributions from its global network of 195 member countries as well as private sector partners

Among the top five global trends ranks cybercrimes, for which ransomware, phishing, online scams and computer intrusion are perceived as 'high' or 'very high' threats by INTERPOL member countries. Also among the top ten crime trends was Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA), for which 62% of member countries expected these crimes to "increase" or "significantly increase" in the future.

TOPIC: cybercrime

Title: The German Chancellor will visit Beijing to push human rights and an open market

The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, will visit Beijing on Nov 4. The trip aims to discuss human rights and push an open market. The Chancellor will probably focus on establishing a mutually beneficial business relationship between Germany and China, especially for all European and enterprises. (link)

The German government allowed the Chinese shipping company to set up a terminal in Hamburg. The government is still assessing a Sweden company's acquisition of a small-scale, German-based semiconductor company with €85 million. The Sweden company is owned by one of the Chinese microchip manufacturers. (link)

The U.S. Government published the rule to restrict chips in advanced technology export to Chinese entities in Oct. To prevent the Chinese government uses advanced chips in military applications. Chinese enterprises begin to search for any opportunity to own the chip technology to prosper their technical development, i.e., supercomputer, artificial intelligence, autonomy technology and aerospace technology. Many related companies have stopped providing services or materials to Chinese companies.

TITLE: The White House to host the second Counter Ransomware Initiative Summit

CONTENT: This week, the White House will host the Counter Ransowmare Initiative Summit with representatives from 13 international firms and representatives from 36 countries and the European Union to discuss the growing threat posed by ransomware and other cybercrime on critical infrastructure and individuals. The goal of the Summit is to “institute a set of cyber norms and rules of the road that are recognized across the globe to counter criminal ransomware threats and hold malicious actors accountable”. A joint statement by participants is expected at the end of the Summit.

EXCERPT: The White House will host the second Counter Ransowmare Initiative Summit with representatives from 36 countries and the EU as well as private sector actors to discuss the threats posed by ransomware and other cybercrime on critical infrastructure.

LINK: https://www.reuters.com/technology/cyber-officials-37-countries-13-companies-meet-ransomware-washington-2022-10-31/?&web_view=true

TOPIC: Critical Infrastructure, Cybersecurity

TREND: Protection of Critical Infrastructure

PROCESS: -

DATE: 31October 2022

COUNTRY: United States

TITLE: Australia releases a practical framework for cyber governance principles

CONTENT: The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CSCRC) have published the Cybersecurity Governance Principles, a set of governance principles and a “practical framework” for organizations to strengthen their cyber resilience. The principles cover five main areas: roles and responsibilities, cyber strategy, cyber risk management, cyber resilient culture, and cyber incident planning.

These guidelines build on the recently published Cybersecurity Performance Goals for Critical Infrastructure by the US Department of Homeland Security as an example of best practice and are being considered by the Australian government as it reviews its cyber laws following a spate of recent high-profile hacks.

EXCERPT: The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CSCRC) have published the Cybersecurity Governance Principles, a set of governance principles and a “practical framework” for organizations to strengthen their cyber resilience.

LINK: https://www.continuitycentral.com/index.php/news/technology/7847-new-cyber-security-governance-principles-for-australian-organizations

TOPIC: Critical Infrastructure, Cybersecurity

TREND: Protection of Critical Infrastructure

PROCESS: -

DATE: 27 October 2022

COUNTRY: Australia

TITLE: The US Department of Homeland Security releases New Cybersecurity Performance Goals for Critical Infrastructure (CPGs)

CONTENT: On 27 October 2022, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released new Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPGs). CPGs are voluntary and non-comprehensive “prioritized subset of IT and operational technology (OT) cybersecurity practices)” that identify the highest priorities and measures owners of critical infrastructures and supply chains should follow to protect against cyber attacks.

As part of the White House efforts and new investments in cybersecurity, the CPGs were developed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in collaboration with governmental and private sector actors. These procedures are meant to be implemented in the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), covering the following issues: account security, device security, data security, governance and training, vulnerability management, supply chain and third parties security, and finally recovery and response.

EXCERPT: The United States Department of Homeland Security released new New Cybersecurity Performance Goals for Critical Infrastructure (CPGs) to identify priorities and measures owners of critical infrastructures and supply chains should follow to protect against cyber attacks.

LINK: https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-news/dhs-releases-new-cybersecurity-performance-goals-for-critical-infrastructure-facilities/

TOPIC: Critical Infrastructure, Cybersecurity

TREND: Protection of Critical Infrastructure

PROCESS: -

DATE: 27 October 2022

COUNTRY: United States

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Dutch corporations have unknowingly supplied Russia with high tech.

Dutch high-tech companies have unknowingly sold technology to firms founded by the Russian military intelligence service, the head of the Dutch military (MIVD) secret service revealed in an interview with Financieele Dagblad.

As explained by MIVD head, Jan Swillens, the Russian secret service created dozens of businesses functioning in the Netherlands as 'front companies' to purchase technology in the Netherlands and smuggle it to Russia, thus evading sanctions. The products range from microchips to rubber for the tires of military vehicles.

Such practices have existed since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, 'but with the war in Ukraine, it is increasing significantly', Swillens said.

Duch official has called on high-tech companies to conduct more thorough research into their customers and inquire about their products' actual end users and has informed defense minister Kajsa Ollongren about the smuggling routes.

A Russian diplomat warned that commercial satellites used by the US and its allies to help Ukraine in the war could become legitimate targets for attacks.

Speaking at the first special session of the UN General Assembly on Disarmament, Konstantin Vorontsov, deputy director of the Russian foreign ministry's department for non-proliferation and arms control, said that:

'Quasi-civilian infrastructure may be a legitimate target for a retaliatory strike,' and noted that helping through civilian satellites constitutes indirect participation in military conflicts, calling it 'an extremely dangerous trend'.

A senior official from the American administration quickly responded in reaction to threats made by a Russian diplomat.

John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, said at a news conference that 'any attack on US infrastructure will be met with a response and that will be met with a response appropriate to the threat that's posed to our infrastructure.'

Likewise, Kirby promised that the US would continue supporting Ukrainian war efforts.

Title: The U.S. BIS announced new Export Administration Regulations for national security and foreign policy concerned https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/10/13/2022-21658/implementation-of-additional-export-controls-certain-advanced-computing-and-semiconductor

The US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is concerned about its national security and foreign policy. The BIS made critical changes to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

Based on the published document, advanced integrated circuits (ICs) used in supercomputing, semiconductor manufacturing in ICs, software, and technology in new advanced computing and military defense usage are in the EAR. They need to apply for export permission. The document also listed twenty-eight entities in China which were identified for the national security and foreign policy concerned.

The US BIS knows the new rule will impact to the supply chain, they also set two changes to minimize the short term impact on the supply chains. The new rule gives some companies a one-year waiver to produce their products in China .

Madan Oberoi, Interpol's executive director for technology and innovation warned about the potential of cybercrime in the metaverse and said the agency is preparing for dangers posed by the virtual world(s).

Metaverse could potentially amplify the cybercrime challenges already present online while also introducing a host of new ones. Cybercrime might operate differently when augmented reality and virtual reality are involved. Oberoi cautioned

"Some of the crimes may be new to this medium, some of the existing crimes will be enabled by the medium and taken to a new level," Oberoi said.

He underlined other serious concerns, such as child safety and the possibility that virtual reality can make crime in the real world easier.

‘If terror group wants to attack a physical space they may use this space to plan and simulate and launch their exercises before attacking,’ he said.

Law agencies are increasingly interested in the metaverse, with Interpol developing its own virtual environment that will allow police forces around the world to communicate with one another and even participate in immersive training courses. At the same time, Europol recently published its second report about the metaverse named ‘Policing in the metaverse: what law enforcement needs to know’.

Apple Inc lost an appeal in a London court over key technology patents that are used in Apple's devices. The Court of Appeal confirmed the lower court’s previous decision that Optis Cellular Technology LLC can restrict Apple from using the crucial patents for 3G and 4G telecommunications unless Apple commits to fair and reasonable terms of use.

Judge Richard Arnold stated that Apple merely needed to agree to accept a global license over the standard essential patents on terms that a court considered to be fair and reasonable to avoid an injunction on using the patents in England and Wales.

The ruling is the latest in a dispute that has been ongoing since 2019 when Optis accused Apple of infringing eight of its patents on key telecommunications technology through the sale of products, including iPhone and iPad. In contrast, Apple claimed that Optis has been abusing its dominant position.

The legal battle between Apple viruses Optis has already prompted six separate trials and three appellate hearings in Uk alone, with two further Court of Appeal hearings due next year.

Also, the mentioned companies led a legal dispute before a court in the US, where a judge fined Apple $300 million for infringing on Optis' patent rights related to wireless standards. Apple attempted to appeal the decision, but an East Texas court denied its bid for a third trial in May.

UK's telecom regulator chief (Ofcom)said Meta and Microsoft will not be allowed to self-regulate their metaverses in the UK and will be subject to the country's proposed Online Safety Bill. Breach of the online safety legislation, which is yet to be approved, may result in heavy fines of up to 10% of annual global revenues. Furthermore, senior executives of those companies could even face criminal charges in case of extreme violations.

Melanie Dawes, CEO of Ofcom, stated that businesses in the metaverse wouldn't be allowed to self-regulate their virtual worlds and would instead need to comply with the Online Safety Bill in the UK.

The Online Safety Bill is a proposed legislation drafted to prevent the online sharing of harmful content. The law, which is yet to be approved, would require companies to create a set of strict measures to address harmful content. The legislation focuses particularly on protecting children.

The Hive ransomware group has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack against India's largest power company Tata Power. As reported by bleepingcomputer, the threat actor began leaking data allegedly stolen from Tata Power on their leak site after failed ransom negotiations.

According to details shared by security researcher Rakesh Krishnan, the leak contains personally identifiable information (PII), including Aadhaar identity numbers, permanent account numbers (PAN), drivers' license, salary specifics, and engineering drawings.

The incident is said to have occurred on 3 October 2022 and was confirmed by Tata Power; however, the company refused to provide any additional details (about the incident).

Apple filed a lawsuit against medical tech company Masimo Corp in federal court in Delaware, accusing the company of 'copying' its Apple Watch. According to the case, Masimo Corp, W1 smartwatches infringed several Apple Watch patents.

An Apple spokesperson said in a statement that it hoped the suit would 'protect the innovations we advance on behalf of our customers.'

On the other hand, Masimo spokesperson said Apple's suit was an effort to 'divert attention from the litigations brought by Masimo,' and accused Apple of intellectual property theft "instead of competing fairly."

Previously, Masimo, which specializes in health-monitoring devices for medical patients, sued Apple in California federal court in 2020. The company claimed that Apple had stolen its trade secrets and infringed its patents, including measuring heart rate and blood-oxygen levels. Last year, it also asked the US government to halt imports of Apple Watches that violate its patents.

The Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine (CERT-UA) reported the spread of phishing emails that target critical infrastructure with Cuba Ransomware.

As explained by CERT-UA Team, phishing emails impersonated the Press Service of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, enticing recipients to click a link. The victims are lured to a third-party website to update the PDF Reader software to read the embedded document. Upon clicking the 'DOWNLOAD' button, victims are infected with malware known as 'ROMCOM RAT.' The operations are linked to the threat actor 'Tropical Scorpius'.

....

TITLE: Iran’s nuclear energy agency’s email got hacked from a foreign country

CONTENT: Iran's atomic energy organization announced on Sunday that an e-mail server belonging to one of its subsidiaries had been hacked from a foreign country and material had been published online.

Black Reward, an Iranian hacker collective, claimed in a statement posted on Twitter that it has made leaked information about Iranian nuclear programs, calling the move a gesture of support for Iranian protesters.

According to Black Reward, the documents released included atomic development contracts and agreements with domestic and foreign partners, management and operational schedules of different parts of the Bushehr power plant, and passports and visas of Iranian and Russian specialists working there.

In a statement made on October 21, Black Reward threatened to reveal hacked data within 24 hours if the government did not free political prisoners and those detained during the uprising.

EXCERPT: An e-mail server belonging to Iran's atomic energy organization was hacked from a foreign country. Black Reward, an Iranian hacker collective, claims it has made leaked information about Iran's nuclear programs public. Documents include atomic development contracts, management and operational schedules of different parts of Bushehr power plant.

TOPIC: Cybercrime, Cyberconflict and warfare

DATE: 23.10.

LINK: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-atomic-energy-organization-says-e-mail-was-hacked-state-media-says-2022-10-23/

TITLE: Saudi government’s service site becomes a target of a new phishing campaign

CONTENT: Multiple phishing domains imitating Absher, the Saudi government service site, have been set up to supply citizens with fake services and steal their passwords.

CloudSEK cybersecurity researchers made the finding and published an advisory about the threat on Thursday.

Government services in the Saudi region have reportedly recently been a top target for cybercriminals looking to steal user credentials and exploit them in other cyberattacks, according to CloudSEK.

In order to lessen the effects of these assaults, CloudSEK urged government agencies to keep an eye on phishing attempts that target citizens and warn and educate them about the risks, such as by advising them not to click on questionable links.

EXCERPT: Saudi citizens are being targeted by phishing websites that mimic Absher, the Saudi government service site. Cybercriminals are looking to steal user credentials and exploit them in other cyberattacks, researchers say. Government services in the Saudi region have reportedly been a top target for cybercriminals.

LINK: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/phishing-campaign-saudi-government/

DATE: 21.10.

TOPIC: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Cyberconflict and warfare

The Europol Innovation Lab has published its second report under its Observatory function, ‘Policing in the metaverse: what law enforcement needs to know’. The reports are intended to aid in the understanding, adaptation, and planning of law enforcement agencies for policing in the metaverse.

Based on in-depth consultations with law enforcement experts, industry and academia, the report provides a detailed overview of the potential for criminal activities within the metaverse, recommendations for tackling crime (within the metaverse) alongside the opportunities and best practices for building a police presence online.

Internet connectivity was on 19 October impacted after a major cable cut in the south of France, affecting subsea cable connectivity to Europe, Asia, the United States and potentially other parts of the world. As a result, customers may see packet loss or latency for websites and applications which cross these impacted routes. Cloud security company Zscaler reports that they made routing adjustments to reduce the impact.

According to Zscaler, three French links - from Marseille-Lyon, Marseille-Milano, and Marseille-Barcelona- were cut.

While the repair crews reached the spots quickly, they had to wait for the police to collect evidence. As of now, the issue has been resolved, and all internet connectivity should resume usually.

Coincidently, the undersea cable that connects the Shetland Islands to the Scottish mainland has reportedly also suffered damage, according to the BBC. Since cables between the Faroe Islands and Shetland were also recently damaged, this is the second incidence involving marine cables in that area in a short period.

TITLE: Ivanti’s Ransomware Index Report Q2–Q3 2022: Ransomware leads to physical war

CONTENT: Since 2019, ransomware has expanded by 466%, and it is increasingly being utilized as a precursor to actual combat.

The findings came from Ivanti's Ransomware Index Report Q2-Q3 2022, which the company released earlier today to Infosecurity.

The data also suggests that ransomware groups are becoming more sophisticated and widespread, with 35 vulnerabilities becoming related with ransomware in the first three quarters of 2022 and 159 trending active exploits. Based on the report, 47.4% of ransomware vulnerabilities threaten healthcare systems, 31.6% damage energy systems, and 21.1% affect key manufacturing.

The Ivanti research claims that hostile nations are increasingly using state-sponsored threat groups to infiltrate, destabilize, and disrupt operations in their target countries. As shown in the recent Russia-Ukraine war, ransomware is being utilized as a precursor to physical warfare in many of these operations.

Ivanti executive also noted that IT and security teams need to work on employing automation technology that can not only correlate data from disparate sources, but also quantify risk, provide early warning of weaponization, predict assaults, and prioritize remedial actions.

TOPIC: Cyberconflict and warfare, Cybercrime, Critical infrastructure

DATE: 20.10.

LINK: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ransomware-precursor-to-physical/

EXCERPT: Ivanti's Ransomware Index Report Q2-Q3 2022 states that ransomware is being utilized as a precursor to physical warfare. The report shows percentage of ransomware expansion since 2019, as well as ransomware vulnerabilities that threaten some of the most critical infrastructure. It is suggested that IT and security teams work on quantifying risk, providing early warning of weaponization, predicting assaults, and prioritizing remedial actions.

Interpol unveiled the first-ever 'metaverse' designed for law enforcement worldwide at its ongoing 90th General Assembly in Delhi. The metaverse platform is envisioned to aid police forces worldwide to interact with other officers and even take 'immersive training courses in forensic investigation and other policing capabilities'. Likewise, the platform allows users to visit virtual Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France.

'The metaverse has the potential to transform every aspect of our daily lives with enormous implications for law enforcement,' Madan Oberoi, Interpol's Executive Director of Technology and Innovation, said in a statement.

'But in order for police to understand the metaverse, we need to experience it'., added Oberoi

In addition, Interpol announced the formation of a metaverse expert group to voice law enforcement's concerns worldwide and guaranteed that the new virtual world was safe by design.

The Ajman Police in Dubai has become the first law enforcement organization in the world to provide metaverse services. The Ajman Police stated that its metaverse initiative is the first of its kind for the United Arab Emirates and marks the Ajman government's entry into the metaverse.

According to the Police force, citizens will be able to interact with police officials in the metaverse by wearing Virtual Reality (VR) headsets, smartphones, tablets, laptops or desktop computers.

Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed bin Abdullah Abu Shehab, head of the Services Development Team, stated, 'the project came within Ajman Police's efforts to strengthen cooperation with its customers and involve them in the design and development of services. Metaverse comes within the framework of facilitating the meeting between customers through VR, which brings them together with police officers without the need for a personal presence at the police station.'

Russia's ministry of industry and trade recommended that industrial enterprises stop using Zoom, Skype, and WhatsApp for official purposes and choose Russian systems as an alternative.

As Kommersant reports, the ministry explained its decision 'as the requirement to comply with the government's requirements and strengthen information security measures.'

Another high-ranking Russian official had made a similar request. A 'full ban on WhatsApp use for official purposes by the Russian state and municipal employees' employees' was demanded by Anton Gorelkin, deputy chairman of the information policy committee of the Russian parliament.

The head of the EU's financial services has called US lawmakers to create new regulations to control the cryptocurrency market, stressing that if digital assets remain unregulated, it might threaten financial stability.

Mairead McGuinness, the European Commission's financial services commissioner, told the Financial Times in a recent interview that they need to look at global regulation of cryptocurrencies.

'We do need to see other players also legislating … perhaps differently, but with the same objective. … We need to look at the global regulation of crypto. There would be a lot of concern at a European level as to [what would happen] if crypto were not to be regulated.' warning digital assets could pose a threat to financial stability if left to grow unregulated. Stated McGuinness

The United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) rejected Meta's (formerly known as Facebook) appeal and ordered the company to sell the animated-images platform Giphy. CMA's decision cited that taking over Giphy was harmful to the competition.

The decision came after CMA found that Meta's purchase of Giphy could allow Meta to limit other social media platforms' access to GIFs, making those sites less attractive to users and less competitive. CMA also ruled that such a deal removed Giphy' as a potential challenger in the UK display advertising market, preventing UK businesses from benefiting from innovation in this market.'

Previously, in November, the CMA ordered Meta to sell Giphy after finding it would raise competition concerns. Meta tried to appeal the decision. However, in June, a court ruled against the company's appeal, promoting the final decision to the CMA.

The final decision by CMA ruled the deal would enable Meta to further increase its market power.

The US International Trade Commission (USITC) revealed it would open investigations into divisions of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm on allegations of patent infringement. USITC stated that it would look into allegations made by the complainant that parts and mobile devices imported into the US violated its semiconductors and integrated circuits patents.

According to the USITC's investigation, the patent infringement claims cover chips manufactured by Samsung using its 14nm and smaller process nodes and by TSMC using its 16nm and smaller process nodes. The investigation will also include the aforementioned processors as well as mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches. In contrast, Qualcomm has been named in a separate patent infringement filed by the same company.

German cybersecurity chief Arne Schönbohm was fired over alleged ties with Russian security services. According to media reports, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser sacked the head of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) due to recent media reports of his ties with Russia and due to the damaged public trust in Schönbohm's leadership.

According to reports in German media, Schönbohm was tied to Russia through his role in the Cyber Security Council of Germany. In 2012, Schönbohm co-founded the organization, which advises the private and public sectors on cybersecurity issues. However, the organization came under fire over the connection of one of its members to the Kremlin.

The layoff was initially reported by the German news publication Spiegel, and was later confirmed by a representative for the Interior Ministry.

'The background to this is not least the allegations, which are well known and widely discussed in the media, and which have permanently damaged the necessary public confidence in the neutrality and impartiality of the conduct of his office as president of Germany's most important cybersecurity authority,' the spokesperson said.

The departure of Schoenbohm will be followed by an investigation from Germany's Interior Ministry over the allegations in question.

TITLE: Hong Kong’s government org’s network compromised by hackers for a year

CONTENT: Cyberattacks on government institutions in Hong Kong by the China-linked espionage actor APT41 (also known as Winnti), which compromised them, went unnoticed for up to a year in certain cases, have been discovered by Symantec researchers.

The threat actor has been employing a piece of customized malware known as Spyder Loader that has previously been linked to the organization.

The newly detected Hong Kong activity appears to be a component of the same operation, according to Symantec's research, and the targets of Winnti are local governments in the special administrative area.

Although Symantec was unable to recover the full malware, it appears that the objective of APT41's most recent effort was to gather intelligence from significant Hong Kong institutions.

EXCERPT: Symantec has discovered a year long China-linked cyberattacks, coming from espionage actor known as Winnti. They have been compromising government institutions in Hong Kong. The full malware was not yet found, but their most recent object is local governments special administrative area.

LINK: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-compromised-hong-kong-govt-orgs-network-for-a-year/

DATE: 18.10.

TOPIC: Cybercrime, Cyberconflict and warfare