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Tuesday, February 28, 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

Watchdog Blames Afghan Collapse on Abrupt Withdrawal, Lack of Planning.  The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) released a report on Monday blaming the abrupt, chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and years of planning and oversight issues regarding US aid for the swift collapse of the Western-backed Afghan government and subsequent takeover of the Taliban.  The report notes issues across US administrations dating back to George W Bush but lays particular blame on the 2020 Doha Agreement under the Trump administration where US troops and contractors agreed to leave Afghanistan for guarantees from the Taliban.  The report also says Afghan officials believe the withdrawal under the Biden administration was more abrupt than expected.  The Pentagon disputed parts of the report, including claims that it delayed or gave incomplete answers to inquiries and findings that the US abruptly left and cut assistance to Afghan allies.  Also cited in the report is a figure of $7.2 billion which is the estimated amount of military gear including aircraft, missiles, communication gear and sensitive biometric equipment that was left behind and fell into the hands of the Taliban.  The report comes 18 months after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and amid increased scrutiny over military assistance to Ukraine.  Wall Street Journal

US Requires Removal of TikTok from Government Devices in 30 Days.  The White House said Monday it has directed all federal agencies to remove TikTok from their government devices and systems within 30 days.  The Office of Management and Budget said the guidance is a “critical step forward” to mitigating risks posed by the app to “sensitive government data.”  The White House, Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State already have restrictions on the app.  The new ban covers the rest of the federal government.  The move comes amid increased scrutiny of TikTok on security grounds and as Congress considers a full nationwide ban on the app.  Associated Press CNBC Reuters 

Canada Bans TikTok from Government Devices.  Canada announced Monday it will ban TikTok from all government-issued devices over concerns about “unacceptable” risks to data privacy and national security.  The ban goes into effect on Tuesday.  TikTok initially expressed disappointment over the ban but later said it is “curious” that Canada banned the app after the EU and US imposed similar bans.  The social media platform added that Canada did not raise any specific security concerns with the app before the move.  BBC Reuters

US Marshals Service Suffers Ransomware Attack.  The US Marshals Service (USMS) announced Monday that it suffered a ransomware security breach this month.  The USMS said the breach took place on February 17 and that the impacted system was disconnected from the agency’s network.  The USMS added that the breach compromised sensitive law enforcement information and personally identifiable information of subjects, relevant parties and employees related to USMS investigations.  Agents from the US Department of Justice are investigating the incident but say that the database for the witness protection program was not compromised.  BleepingComputer Reuters The Hill

Iranian Warships Allowed to Dock in Rio de Janeiro.  Two Iranian warships arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.  Brazil’s Navy reportedly gave the ships approval to dock in Rio between February 26 and March 4.  Reuters previously reported that Brazil declined Iran’s request for the ships to dock due to US pressure before Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s visit to Washington.  However, following Lula’s trip, Brazil has now allowed the vessels to dock.  Reuters

Ecuador, Belgium Sign Anti-Crime Deal After Cocaine Bust.  Ecuador and Belgium agreed on Monday to increase bilateral cooperation on joint efforts against international organized crime.  The interior ministers of both countries signed an agreement to promote the exchange of information, methodology and technology to counter organized crime.  The agreement came a day after Ecuadorian police seized nearly 9 tons of cocaine valued at around $330 million which authorities say was bound for Belgium.  BBC Reuters

US Requests Extradition of Son of ‘El Chapo’ from Mexico.  The US has reportedly asked Mexico to extradite Ovidio Guzman, the son of jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, to face drug crimes in a US court.  The younger Guzman allegedly helped run the Sinaloa cartel, which his father headed.  Mexican authorities arrested the younger Guzman in January in the northern city of Culiacan.  He was detained for a time in 2019, but was released shortly after the Sinaloa cartel staged massive attacks in response.  Al Jazeera Deutsche Welle Reuters

Western Europe

German Minister Warns of ‘Massive Danger’ of Russian Cyberattacks.  German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser warned on Sunday that Germany faces a “massive danger” of Russian cyberattacks in the form of sabotage, disinformation and espionage.  She said that this threat from state-sponsored Russian hacking and pro-Russian hackers has increased with the Ukraine war.  However, she added that Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is working to “create new instruments” to counter and prevent cyberattacks.  The Guardian

Turkey to Resume NATO Talks with Sweden, Finland on March 9.  Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced Monday that Turkey will resume talks with Sweden and Finland on their NATO applications on March 9 at a meeting in Brussels.  Turkey canceled talks with the Nordic countries on their membership bids after a far-right protest in Stockholm which involved the burning of a copy of the Koran.  Cavusoglu noted that while Turkey will resume talks on the issue, Ankara will not support Sweden’s application since it has not fulfilled obligations under a previous deal for Turkish approval.  Deutsche Welle Reuters Washington Examiner

Central and Eastern Europe

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Visits Kyiv.  US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday.  Yellen used her trip to reiterate US support for Ukraine and announced the transfer of an initial $1.25 billion in economic aid from the latest $9.9 billion US package.  Yellen also reportedly met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other top Ukrainian officials to discuss how to make sanctions on Russia more effective, as well as progress on Kyiv’s anti-corruption campaign and good governance regarding the spending of foreign aid.  Yellen made the trip to Kyiv on her way back to the US from a G20 meeting in India, where she called for further economic aid to Ukraine from G20 countries.  Bloomberg Reuters Wall Street Journal

Fierce Fighting Continues Over Bakhmut.  Russian forces are pressing on with attempts to encircle and seize the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.  Ukrainian forces on the ground said the situation is “extremely tense” and that they have repelled over 60 Russian attacks in the area.  Reuters reports that Ukrainian fighters are maintaining defenses in Bakhmut and that reinforcements are arriving despite Russian shelling and assaults.  Deutsche Welle Reuters

Putin Urges Vigilance Against Sabotage.  Russian President Vladimir Putin directed the FSB domestic security service to stop “sabotage groups” from Ukraine from entering Russia and called for greater vigilance against increased Western intelligence operations in Russia.  Putin also instructed the FSB to increase security in four regions of Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed as part of its counter-intelligence activities.  Putin’s comments came after the Russian defense ministry announced that a drone was downed southeast of Moscow.  The ministry said the UAV was likely targeting civilian infrastructure in Russia’s Kolomna region and did not cause damage or casualties.  Barron’s Reuters

Belarus Activists Claim Responsibility for Russian Surveillance Plane Attack.  ByPol, a Belarusian anti-government activist group, claimed responsibility for a drone attack on a Russian surveillance aircraft near Minsk. Alexander Azarau, the leader of the group, told a Poland-based media channel that those who carried out the attack had fled the country and were “in good hands.” The aircraft that was reportedly destroyed had command and control capabilities and the ability to track 60 different targets at one time.  Deutsche Welle

Kremlin Lukewarm on China’s Ukraine Peace Plan.  Russia has given a lukewarm response to China’s proposal to end the Ukraine war.  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that such plans are welcomed but that “nuances are important” and that such proposals need to be studied and analyzed closely.  While not rejecting the plan, Peskov added that Russia currently does not see signs that a peaceful resolution can be achieved.  Peskov later said that Russia is open to peace negotiations but that Ukraine and the West must first accept Moscow’s annexations of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.  Reuters

Russia Demands US Listen Before Resuming START Nuclear Talks.  Peskov additionally told Russian media that Moscow will not resume participation in the START nuclear arms treaty till the US listens to Russia’s position.  Peskov said the treaty cannot be revived until there is a change in the “attitude of the collective West,” explaining that Western support of Ukraine shows the US and its allies are not working as “conditional opponents” but “enemies” to Russia.  Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia is suspending participation in the START nuclear arms control treaty last week after saying the West was directly involved in strikes against Russia’s strategic air bases.  Reuters

Wizz Air Suspends Moldova Flights Over Security Concerns.  Airline Wizz Air announced Monday it is suspending flights to Moldova’s capital of Chisinau from March 14 over concerns about airspace safety and security.  The airline said it will work to offer extra flights in the region as replacements.  Moldova’s government says it “regrets Wizz Air’s sudden decision,” adding that the country’s civil aviation authority has assessed that flights in Moldovan airspace can continue safely.  The move comes weeks after Moldova closed its airspace due to reports of a presumed air balloon.  BBC Deutsche Welle Reuters

Serbia, Kosovo Accept EU Proposal to Normalize Ties.  EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced Monday that the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo accepted a EU-backed deal to normalize relations.  Borrell said Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti agreed to the plan in Brussels.  Borrell added that another meeting is planned in March and is set to focus on how to best implement the peace proposal, which comes after months of tensions and flare ups.  Deutsche Welle Reuters

Asia

US Firm that Sent Military Blueprints to China to Pay $27 Million.  South Carolina-based 3D Systems Corp has agreed to pay up to $27 million to settle with the US government for illegally emailing military design documents, blueprints and technical specifications to China.  The Commerce Department said 3D sent the emails to Quickparts.com, Inc, the company’s then subsidiary’s office in China for price quotes.  3D also reportedly illegally sent some documents to Germany, where it had a server for employee emails without proper licensing.  US officials said this sending of export-controlled blueprints related to aerospace and military electronics raised serious threats to US national security.  South China Morning Post

Japan to Buy 400 US Tomahawk Missiles.  Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Monday that Japan will buy 400 US Tomahawk missiles as part of Japan’s new defense buildup. The missiles, which are currently only in the arsenals of the US and the UK, are expected to cost Japan around $1.55 billion.  Japan plans to spend around $37 billion over the next five years on its military expansion to address issues like China’s aggression towards Taiwan and North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.  Defense Post Deutsche Welle Nikkei Asia The Cipher Brief

Thailand, US Launch Annual ‘Cobra Gold’ Military Drills.  Thailand and the US kicked off their annual “Cobra Gold” military drills on Tuesday.  The drills will include over 7,000 troops from 30 countries, including nearly 6,000 US troops.  “Cobra Gold” is one of the longest running multilateral military exercises in the world and the biggest in Southeast Asia. This year, it will include a component focused on space exercises for the first time.  Reuters

BAE Systems Australia Launches Homegrown Military Drone.  BAE Systems Australia on Monday unveiled a new military drone.  The STRIX uncrewed air system will be able to conduct air to ground strikes, surveillance and reconnaissance in “high-risk environments” and be fully designed and manufactured in Australia.  BAE officials say at least two unnamed international customers are already interested in the Australian military drone.  Reuters

Middle East and Northern Africa

Israeli-American Killed in West Bank.  Suspected Palestinian gunmen shot dead an Israeli American in his car in the occupied West Bank.  Israeli officials said the attack was part of a series of drive-by shootings carried out by the gunmen near Jericho.  No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, which came after separate shootings of Israeli settlers that triggered a rampage by other settlers where a Palestinian was killed and Palestinian homes were torched.  The escalating West Bank violence comes weeks ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Jewish Passover festival.  BBC Reuters

Netanyahu Rejects Freeze in West Bank Settlement.  Despite the violence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected an Israeli commitment to freeze further construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.  The pledge was part of an agreement reached by Israeli and Palestinian officials in Jordan in an attempt to de-escalate tensions.  Netanyahu’s refusal to adhere to the promise, which was also refused by other ministers in Israel’s right-wing government, largely ends hopes that the recent Jordan meeting will succeed in reducing recent violence.  Al Jazeera

Turkish Drone Strike Kills Three in Iraq.  Turkey conducted a drone strike in northern Iraq on Monday that killed three fighters from the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a militia affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).  Iraqi Kurdistan’s counterterrorism service said the strike killed a local commander and two fighters of YBS.  Turkey has long carried out air strikes and military operations in Iraq and Syria against PKK and the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara views as terrorist groups.  Reuters

Sub Saharan Africa

Macron Signals New French Strategy and Approach for Africa Ahead of Visit. French President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech ahead of his planned visit to Africa this week where he said he won’t let France become a scapegoat for Africa’s ongoing conflicts with Islamic militants.  His comments were in apparent response to criticism from some African countries towards France for failing to do enough to staunch the rise of militant groups and ongoing conflicts across the continent.  Macron also leveled criticism at Russia’s Wagner Group, which has increased its activity in Africa recently.   Macron called the group “life insurance for failing regimes” in Africa and says that eventually the group will be seen for only sowing chaos wherever they go.  Reuters Reuters Politico Associated Press

Cyber & Tech

CISA Chief Calls for Tech Company Responsibility for Cybersecurity.  CISA Director Jen Easterly on Monday called on technology companies to take greater responsibility for the cybersecurity of their products, especially ones that society is significantly dependent on.  Easterly said that shifting the blame and responsibility to tech producers for security breaches and known vulnerabilities rather than small companies that suffer cyber attacks will be better for overall cybersecurity.  She also signaled that cyber threats will continue to be important as geopolitical tensions rise, warning that attacks on US critical infrastructure could be coupled with a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.  CyberScoop

Pentagon to Gain Access to Advanced Chips Under Chips Act.  Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told The Wall Street Journal that the Pentagon will have access to advanced semiconductors produced by facilities that receive funding from the Chips Act.  Raimondo noted that the US currently sources over 90 percent of its advanced chips from Taiwan.  She said that this over-reliance on overseas chips is “a national security vulnerability that is untenable,” especially when it comes to military equipment like drones and satellites.  Raimondo said the Chips Act offers a way to resolve this risk by giving the US military access to a secure, domestic supply of advanced chips.  Her comments come as the US opens applications for funding from the Chips Act.  Wall Street Journal

Chinese Researchers Conduct AI Simulation of Hypersonic Aerial Battle.  Chinese researchers at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics claim to have conducted the first AI simulation of an aerial battle involving hypersonic aircraft.  The simulation involved a hypersonic plane flying at Mach 11, or 11 times the speed of sound, going against an enemy fighter jet traveling at Mach 1.3, which is close to the speed of an F-35 jet.  The hypersonic plane reportedly took untraditional routes to successfully hit the enemy aircraft, at times flying ahead and firing missiles back at its target and at other times allowing the enemy jet to tail the hypersonic aircraft.  The researchers said the AI allowed them to take full advantage of the hypersonic plane’s speed, firing capabilities and maneuverability.  The team said they will now research how AI can improve the aircraft’s situational awareness and perform multi-wave, multi-task attacks.  South China Morning Post 

Ukraine Cyber Chief Reviews ‘Year of Cyberwar.’  Victor Zhora, the deputy chief of Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection, spoke with CyberScoop about Ukraine’s cyber defenses in the year since Russia started its invasion.  Broadly, Zhora said Russia is using cyber to target civilians in support of kinetic operations and conventional weapons attacks.  He spoke of the importance of the private sector and overseas partners in helping Ukraine bolster its cyber defenses and upgrade infrastructure to prepare for cyberattacks.  He also touched on the role of non-state hackers, praising Ukrainians with cyber skills who volunteered to support the government.  For the future, Zhora predicted that Russian cyberattacks will shift towards cyberespionage, network persistence, and disinformation and propaganda for psychological warfare.  He also said Russia will continue to attack critical infrastructure, perhaps switching from the energy sector to other targets like water treatment as the region heads into summer.  Zhora also said that “cyberspace has no borders,” warning that Russia may conduct revenge cyberattacks on partners of Ukraine and calling for a cyber coalition to counter such cyber threats.  CyberScoop

Albania Suffering Iran-Linked Cyberattacks for Sheltering Dissidents.  The New York Times is out with a report on how Albania is suffering apparent cyberattacks from Iran.  Researchers say Albania started suffering visible impact from these cyberattacks, which target government and financial institutions, last year over the Balkan nation’s decision to shelter a secretive Iranian dissident group Mujahedeen Khalq, also known as MEK.  Microsoft researchers said it had “high confidence” that cyberattacks targeting Albania were “sponsored by the Iranian government,” likely in retaliation for cyberattacks that Tehran blamed on Israel and MEK.  As Albania is a member of NATO, the alliance is at a loss for the threshold these cyberattacks must meet for the Balkan nation to trigger Article 5.  New York Times

WSJ Examines Sanction-Evading China-to-Russia Pathways For US Microchips.  The Wall Street Journal is out with a report on how US microchips are continuing to make their way to Russia despite sanctions.  The report documents how a significant amount of semiconductors and chip components are being delivered to Russia from China, both directly and through other countries like Turkey.  The continued chip trade underscores that while the US may be successful in curbing China and Russia’s access to advanced chips, it is more difficult for sanctions to effectively clamp down on the trade of more basic semiconductors.  Wall Street Journal

Danish Hospital Network Hit by ‘Anonymous Sudan’ Cyberattacks.  The websites of nine hospitals in Denmark suffered distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on Sunday.  Copenhagen’s health authority said the websites were restored within a few hours and that the attacks did not disrupt medical care at impacted facilities.  A group called “Anonymous Sudan” claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were in response to “Koran burnings,” referring to far-right protests in Stockholm.  Swedish cybersecurity company Truesec said Anonymous Sudan is likely part of a Russian information operation aimed at complicating Sweden’s NATO membership application, though it is still unclear if the group is sponsored by the Russian government.  The Record

Australia Reforming Cybersecurity Rules.  Australia is planning to reform its cybersecurity laws following several devastating cyber attacks, including against telecommunications giant Optus and health insurer Medibank.  The reforms aim to improve the Australian government’s cybersecurity investments and coordination of cyber incident responses.  The plan includes establishing a coordinator for cybersecurity and working with the private sector to see how to better coordinate on cyber defenses.  ABC Reuters The Cipher Brief

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