BLOODY RIGHT: U.S. National Cyber Security Director Harry Coker traveled to the United Kingdom to tell a conference that Chinese military hackers have been circumventing U.S. cybersecurity defenses and targeting American interests at an “unprecedented scale.” He probably didn’t have any trouble convincing his audience of the threat since the conference came on the heels of reports that the British military payment system had been hacked, likely by the Chinese government. The Times of London reported that more than a quarter of a million military personnel and veterans may have been impacted by the breach. A British Member of Parliament, Tobias Ellwood, speculated to Sky News, that the Chinese might be hacking into the system to identify “financially vulnerable” personnel who might be open to financial inducements. The motivation is not clear at the moment – but Coker’s “unprecedented scale” call seems on target.
DISCORDANT NOTE: It is no surprise that “free speech” is not free in places like China, but now we hear that some songs are not allowed either. The Wall Street Journal reports that authorities in Hong Kong have been enforcing a government prohibition of people “broadcasting, performing, printing, publishing, selling, offering for sale, distributing, disseminating, displaying or reproducing” the song “Glory to Hong Kong.” The ditty became popular during the 2019 pro-democracy uprisings in Hong Kong. Local officials recently arrested a housewife and a delivery worker for posting the song on social media. We found a video of the English version of “Glory to Hong Kong” on X. Feel free to hum along (as long as you are not in Chinese controlled territory.)
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