[rebelmouse-image 60323886 expand=1 dam=1 alt="OSR banner" site_id=26883708 is_animated_gif="false" original_size="1000x220" crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/60323886/origin.png%22%2C%20%22thumbnails%22%3A%20%7B%22origin%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/60323886/origin.png%22%2C%20%22700x1245%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D700%26height%3D1245%26coordinates%3D438%252C0%252C438%252C0%22%2C%20%221000x750%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D1000%26height%3D750%26coordinates%3D353%252C0%252C353%252C0%22%2C%20%221200x400%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D400%26coordinates%3D170%252C0%252C170%252C0%22%2C%20%22210x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D210%22%2C%20%221200x600%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D600%26coordinates%3D280%252C0%252C280%252C0%22%2C%20%221200x800%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D800%26coordinates%3D335%252C0%252C335%252C0%22%2C%20%22300x300%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D300%26height%3D300%26coordinates%3D390%252C0%252C390%252C0%22%2C%20%22600x300%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D600%26height%3D300%26coordinates%3D280%252C0%252C280%252C0%22%2C%20%22600x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D600%22%2C%20%22600x400%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D600%26height%3D400%26coordinates%3D335%252C0%252C335%252C0%22%2C%20%2235x35%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D35%26height%3D35%22%2C%20%22750x1000%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D750%26height%3D1000%26coordinates%3D417%252C0%252C418%252C0%22%2C%20%22600x600%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D600%26height%3D600%26coordinates%3D390%252C0%252C390%252C0%22%2C%20%22980x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D980%22%2C%20%22600x200%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D600%26height%3D200%26coordinates%3D170%252C0%252C170%252C0%22%2C%20%221245x700%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D1245%26height%3D700%26coordinates%3D304%252C0%252C304%252C0%22%2C%20%221500x2000%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D1500%26height%3D2000%26coordinates%3D417%252C0%252C418%252C0%22%2C%20%22300x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D300%22%2C%20%222000x1500%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D2000%26height%3D1500%26coordinates%3D353%252C0%252C353%252C0%22%7D%2C%20%22manual_image_crops%22%3A%20%7B%229x16%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22700x1245%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20124%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20438%7D%2C%20%22600x300%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22600x300%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20440%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20280%7D%2C%20%223x1%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221200x400%22%2C%20%22600x200%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20660%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20170%7D%2C%20%223x2%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221200x800%22%2C%20%22600x400%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20330%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20335%7D%2C%20%221x1%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22600x600%22%2C%20%22300x300%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20390%7D%2C%20%223x4%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221500x2000%22%2C%20%22750x1000%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20165%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20417%7D%2C%20%2216x9%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221245x700%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20392%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20304%7D%2C%20%224x3%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%222000x1500%22%2C%20%221000x750%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20294%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20353%7D%2C%20%222x1%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221200x600%22%2C%20%22600x300%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20440%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20280%7D%7D%7D" caption="" photo_credit="" title=""]

6:00 pM ET, Monday, August 7, 2023

The Cipher Brief curates open source information from around the world that impacts national security. Here's a look at today's headlines, broken down by region of the world:  

In the Americas

US Justice Department to Assist in War Crimes Investigations in Ukraine.  Attorney General Merrick Garland reaffirmed on Monday that the Justice Department is assisting with the war crimes investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC).  Garland says the department is not waiting for hostilities to end before seeking justice and accountability.  Last month Garland appointed a US prosecutor to serve at the Hague as part of ongoing investigations.   Associated Press 

Central and Eastern Europe

Ukraine says Jeddah talks 'huge blow' to Russia.  Ukraine’s Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak told reporters that the meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia dealt a “huge blow” to Moscow.  Yermak, speaking in Kyiv said that participants at the meeting have agreed to hold another meeting in about six weeks, and that all countries who were present support Ukrainian independence and territorial integrity.  Yermak acknowledged that some disagreement among the attendees still remained, but that all parties were working on a draft framework that would set the stage for a future summit.  Reuters

Russia Criticizes Saudi Talks after Lack of Invitation. Russia’s Foreign Ministry scolded efforts by international officials to find a peaceful settlement for the war in Ukraine in Saudi Arabia, saying the talks don’t have “the slightest added value” because Russia was not invited. The Russian Foreign Ministry repeated previous assurances that Russia is open to a diplomatic solution on its terms and is ready to respond to serious proposals. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Zelenskyy, ruled out Moscow’s latest demands that would give Russia time to dig in deeper in occupied areas within Ukraine. Ukrainian officials say that the weekend’s talks in Saudi Arabia about the war in Ukraine dealt a “huge blow” to Russia, and the participants agreed to hold another meeting in weeks. - Associated Press

Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief claims Initiative on Battlefield. Ukraine’s commander-in-chief of the armed forces General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said on Monday that Ukrainian troops have the initiative on the battlefield. Kyiv’s defensive lines are stable, repelling Russian attempts to counter-attack and distract Ukraine from other parts of the front, according to Zaluzhnyi. In a call with U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley, Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainian troops are creating the conditions to advance and that the “initiative is on our side,”. Despite recapturing several villages in the south and the territory around Bakhmut, Kyiv has yet to attempt a major breakthrough across defended Russian lines. Ukrainian officials have said that they are trying to avoid high casualties in areas strewn with landmines and well-fortified Russian lines to explain the slow progress of the counteroffensive. Reuters

Asia and Oceania

Chinese hackers target Japan’s defense networks. The Washington Post is out with a report on how Chinese military hackers breached Japan’s classified defense networks in fall of 2020.  Former U.S. and Japanese officials said the breach exposed information on military plans, capabilities, and shortcomings.  Officials say the intrusion was so conferencing that General Paul Nakasone, head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, and Matthew Pottinger, then-White House deputy national security adviser, went to Tokyo to personally brief Japan’s defense minister on the matter, who then alerted the prime minister.  Japan said at the time it would address the matter, but officials say that in early 2021 Chinese access to Japanese networks persisted.  Deputy national security advisor Anne Neuberger visited Tokyo in November 2021 to again raise concerns and also convince Japan to give greater access to the U.S. to allow for stronger American cybersecurity support.  Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was a key supporter of U.S. cyber support and stronger cybersecurity measures, making it critical in his security reform. Tokyo has since allocated significant funding and resources to bolster its cybersecurity and has taken relevant measures like launching a Cyber Command.  The U.S. has also boosted cyber cooperation with Japan with efforts to establish joint strategies and information sharing arrangements.  Washington Post 

China to Uphold Impartial Position on Ukraine.  In a phone call on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi informed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that China will continue to uphold an independent and impartial position on Ukraine. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that China would be an “objective and rational voice” and will “actively promote peace talks”. The statement comes after the ministry said earlier on Monday that international talks in Saudi Arabia had helped to “consolidate international consensus”. China has refused to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and has offered its own peace plan for the matter. Reuters

Middle East and Northern Africa

Explosion Injures 10 near Turkish Grain Silos.  An explosion rocked grain silos near the port city of Derince in western Turkey on Monday, leaving at least 10 people injured. Kocaeli Governor Seddar Yavuz stated that the explosion occurred around 2:40 pm local time and “initial evaluations show that an explosion occurred due to wheat dust compression during the transfer of wheat from a ship to the silo”. Two of the ten injured in the blast are reportedly in serious condition, but all are accounted for. The Ministry of Transportation stated that no ships were damaged during the explosion. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the explosion.  Reuters

Iranian Candidate Registration opens for Next Year Parliamentary Elections.  Iran has opened registration on Monday for candidates interested in running for parliamentary elections in March of 2024. Candidates for the 290-seat parliament will have one week to pre-register online before having to be approved by the Guardian council, a 12-member clerical body in which half are appointed by the Supreme Leader. In the 2020 elections, over 7,000 candidates were disqualified from running which was about half of those who had attempted to run. This will be the first elections since the country was rocked by violent protests sparked by the death of 22-year old Mahsa Amini. Associated Press

Iranian Foreign Minister visits Japan.  Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on Monday. The meeting with Prime Minister Kishida came after Amirabdollahian met with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and the Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare Katsunobu Kato. Prime Minister Kishida raised the issue of Iran’s alleged provision of armed drones to Russian forces and Iranian nuclear accords. In response, the Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian stated “we have not provided any drones to any side for the purpose of being used in the war in Ukraine”. As for the return to nuclear accords, Prime Minister Kishida advocated for the Iranian government to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian said on Monday that Iran will only return to the nuclear deal through dialogue facilitated by EU representatives.  Al Jazeera

Sub Saharan Africa

African Leaders to Discuss Niger in Meeting.  The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will meet on Thursday to discuss the unfolding situation in Niger. Coup leaders have defied a deadline imposed by the ECOWAS to stand down on Sunday, instead closing off Niger’s airspace. ECOWAS spokesperson Amos Lungu stated on Monday that the block will hold a summit on the matter in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. ECOWAS Defense Chiefs have agreed on Friday on a possible military action plan if detained Niger President Mohamed Bazoum, was not released and reinstated. Burkina Faso and Mali, both bloc members, are currently against military action and have promised to come to Niger’s aid if need be. The Malian army announced on social media that both countries were sending delegations to Niamey in a show of solidarity. Reuters   Al Jazeera

Rebel Attacks Leave 21 Dead in Democratic Republic of Congo.  Rebels groups, including one with ties to the Islamic State, have left 21 people dead after multiple attacks were carried out over the weekend in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The first attack occurred on Saturday that left 10 people dead. Human Rights Activist and coordinator for the Ituri province stated on local radio that the 10 people were killed by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group with known ties to the Islamic State. The second attack occurred in the town of Bwito in which victims were killed by members of M23, a rebel group with links to Rwanda. The attack was believed to have been carried out early Sunday morning around 3 am local time. The rebel group reportedly killed civilians, burned homes, and stole valuables. The Rwandan government has denied any involvement in the attacks. Associated Press

Cyber and Tech

More Details Emerge on North Korean Hack of Russian Missile Designer Network.  SentinelLabs, the cybersecurity firm that made the initial discovery of a North Korean hack of the Russian missile and spacecraft designer, NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPO Mash), has identified ScarCruft as the state-sponsored hacking group responsible for the breach.  Details on the exact purpose and yield from the cyberattack on NPO Mash’s IT infrastructure and email server are still unclear, but ScarCruft (APT37) is known for conducting surveillance and data theft operations as part of its cyberespionage campaigns.  SentinelLabs researchers reported that the group planted “OpenCarrot,” a Windows backdoor, to obtain remote access to the NPO Mash network.  OpenCarrot usage previously has been linked to the North Korean Lazarus threat actor.  An NPO Mash email leak containing sensitive communications about a cybersecurity incident in May 2022 triggered the SentinelLabs investigation and led to researchers’ findings that a “much more significant intrusion” had taken place than first understood by the Russian firm.  It is not clear, SentinelLabs said, if the breach was a joint Scarcruft-Lazarus operation.  SentinelLabs speculated that the involvement of both hacking groups could indicate a deliberate North Korean strategy to increase the chances of a successful breach.  Analysts are still trying to determine the intrusion method for the attack.  NPO Mash has been under U.S. Treasury Department sanction since 2014 for its role in Russia’s aggressions against Ukraine.  BleepingComputer   TheHackerNews

UN Issues Call for Expert Nominations to AI Advisory Body.  The Office of the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology has issued a public call for the nomination of experts to serve as members of the Multistakeholder Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence​.  The AI body was first proposed as part of the secretary-general’s roadmap for digital cooperation in 2020.  The announcement explains that while “enormous benefits” are expected from AI services, the technology can also “significantly compromise the safety and agency” of users around the world.  In light of this, “enhanced multi-stakeholder efforts” are necessary to bring about development and use of AI that is “trustworthy, human rights-based, safe and sustainable, and promotes peace.”  The AI body is being formed to analyze and develop recommendations for international governance of AI.  According to the announcement, nominated experts should have relevant experience in AI governance or applications, and may include those who have served in government, industry, academia, and civil organizations.  Self-nominations will be accepted and the window for nominations will close on August 31.  United Nations

White House ‘School Summit’ To Announce Digital Defense Initiatives for K-12.  The White House will host a cybersecurity summit for K-12 schools on Monday at which a range of federal and private sector initiatives to strengthen the digital defenses of schools will be announced.  First Lady Jill Biden, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona are expected to participate in the summit along with education technology providers and school administrators.  Eight significant cyberattacks on schools occurred in the past year, including four that resulted in cancellation of classes.  Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, told reporters over the weekend that the administration is determined to reinforce school digital defenses, increasing the difficulty of data thefts by hackers of sensitive student and teacher information or details that could endanger school security.  Neuberger noted that the hack experienced by Minneapolis’ public school system, which resulted in stolen data being posted on the dark web, was a “particularly vicious example” of the threats schools face.  TheRecord

Personal Data of Student Population of Colorado Public Schools 2004-2020 Breached.  Every student enrolled in Colorado public schools during the 16-year period from 2004-2020 has had personal data exposed to hackers as the result of a ransomware attack during an 8-day period in June.  Record data affected included names, Social Security numbers, student identification numbers and other information ranging from bank statements and bills to copies of government IDs, complaints and police reports.  Colorado’s higher education department made the announcement last Friday, noting that it had worked to restore systems to normal operation with the help of third-party specialists.  In addition to public school students, some higher education students as well as GED certificate and teachers’ license recipients were also impacted.  The department did not identify a threat actor and did not say if a ransom had been paid.  No ransomware gang has claimed responsibility.   Victims of the breach will be notified by mail or email and will be offered two years of identity theft protection services.  Previously, students at Colorado State University (CSU) learned that personal data was stolen during the Clop ransomware gang’s recent exploitation of the MOVEit file transfer service.  In March, Denver Public Schools announced a data breach impacting the schools’ workforce of 15,000 individuals.  That intrusion involved personal information such as bank account numbers and driver’s license numbers accessed by hackers in December and January.  TheRecord   BleepingComputer   CyberNews