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Wednesday, April 19, 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

U.S. Charges Four Americans as Part of Investigation into Russian Intelligence Operations in the U.S.  Federal officials charged four Americans on Tuesday as part of an ongoing FBI investigation into malign influence campaigns in the US that allegedly support Russia by spreading pro-Russian propaganda.  The latest charges expand upon a previous case that charged a Russian with operating a US-based network of illegal Russian influence agents.  The four charged on Tuesday are alleged to have worked for fringe political groups in Florida and Missouri whose goal was to promote pro-Russian views of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said in a statement that Russia’s foreign intelligence service had ‘weaponized the first amendment rights’ to divide Americans and interfere in our political elections.  The charges specifically accuse the four Americans, along with additional Russians of conspiring to use American citizens to act as “illegal, unregistered agents of the Russian government”.  The Russian embassy did not reply to a request for comment and there was no mention of any statement by the accused attorneys.  Washington Post 

Washington Prepares New Rules Reducing American Investment in China. US officials appear to be nearing an agreement on new rules limiting American investments in China and will begin briefing industry groups like the Chamber of Commerce on the broad outlines of the measures in the near future. The executive order is expected to require companies to notify the U.S. Government of new investments in Chinese tech firms and will also prohibit some deals in critical sectors. However, the scope of the executive order continues to be actively discussed, and it is unclear when it will be finalized. The news comes as the Biden administration walks a tightrope on its actions and messaging to China; during last week’s meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, US officials emphasized that they are not trying to decouple from China or trying to hinder China’s growth. Administration officials have also tried in recent weeks to reschedule Cabinet-level trips to Beijing that were postponed in February when a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over the continental U.S. Politico

Is the Ukraine War a US Proxy War Against Russia?  The Washington Post’s Karen DeYoung is out with a lengthy piece that examines the issue of the Ukraine war and asks the question; Is America in a proxy war with Russia?  The piece begins with a review of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s shifting descriptions of his goals in Ukraine from a ‘special military operation’ to rescue parts of Ukraine to his more recent descriptions of defending Russia from the West’s aggression.  On the US side she cites numerous sources that either support or are opposed to the US position of supporting Ukraine including one source who offers a perspective that there is no agreed upon definition of ‘proxy war’ but argues that by most definitions the Ukraine war does not meet the definition, given that Russia invaded Ukraine first.  The Washington Post

Lockheed Martin Shares Rise due to Worldwide Tensions, Exceeds Wall Street Estimates. US Weapons Producer Lockheed Martin’s first quarter shares exceeded Wall Street expectations as political tensions grew, resulting in increased demand from US and international customers. Shares of the company reached 3.8% at a record $508.1. Rising tensions have resulted in increased orders of the F-35 aircraft and other jets, as well as missiles and other defense equipment, resulting in quarterly net sales of $15.13 billion, more than the $15.03 billion estimate. During the quarter, Lockheed finalized deals with Australia, Canada, and the US.  Reuters

U.S., NATO to Stay on High Alert for Indications that Russia may Use Nuclear Weapons. During the opening session of the NATO arms control conference, Deputy US Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told attendees that the US and NATO allies must remain on alert for signs that Russia may use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine. This comes after Putin’s announcement in March that he is prepared to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Despite this, Putin has denied that he has intention on deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine.  Reuters 

Classified Leaks Reveal U.S. Eavesdropped on U.N. Secretary General. According to four classified reports obtained by the Washington Post, the U.S. eavesdropped on the conversations of United Nation Secretary General Antonio Guterres, including with other UN officials as well as world leaders. The documents are the latest revelations from the trove of classified documents that were leaked on Discord over the past several months and indicate that the US continues to rely on spying powers granted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to gather such communications intercepts. The U.S. government has not responded to the substance of the leaks. The National Security Agency referred questions to the Justice Department, which declined to comment. The Defense Department did not answer a request for comment. Washington Post

Airman Jack Teixeira to Appear in Court Today. Airman First Class Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman charged with taking and sharing highly classified intelligence documents on Discord over the last several months, is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston today for a detention hearing. Prosecutors are expected to argue that he should remain detained while his criminal case proceeds. Airman Teixeira has not yet entered a plea, and requests for comment from the Federal public defenders representing him went unanswered yesterday. If convicted, he could face as many as 10 years in prison for each charge. Additionally, experts believe that since Airman Teixeira was serving under federal status in his capacity at the 102nd Intelligence Wing, he could be eligible to face charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice in addition to the criminal justice system. Double jeopardy would preclude the same charges in both court systems, but the military could charge him with separate crimes. Wall Street Journal

Air Force Re-Examining Security Protocols, Temporarily Reassigned Mission of 102nd Intelligence Unit. On Tuesday, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in Congressional testimony that he has directed all members of the Air Force to reassess security procedures over the next 30 days and validate people’s “need to know”. This review is in addition to a military-wide directive issued by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday. Kendall also directed the Air Force Inspector General to investigate the 102nd Intelligence Wing, which is Airman Teixeira’s unit, and temporarily assigned its mission to other parts of the service. The 102nd Intelligence Wing usually handles collection and analysis of intelligence gathered from all over the world. Stars and Stripes Wall Street Journal

Western Europe

EU Passes Chip Act. On Tuesday, the European Union passed a 43 billion euro plan to increase production in its semiconductor industry in a bid to catch up with the US and Asia. The Chips Act, which was proposed last year by the European Commission, has the goal of doubling the EU’s share of global chip production to 20% by 2030. Since the announcement of this plan last year, the EU has attracted more than 100 billion euros in public and private investments in the industry, according to an unnamed EU official. While the original plan was only to cover cutting-edge, modern chip plants, the bill was widened to cover all types of chip production, including older versions and research facilities. The Cipher Brief looked at how efforts to bolster chip production fits into the wider global tech race here with commentary from Lt. Gen. Michael Groen, former director of the Pentagon Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, and PJ Maykish, former Director for Technology Competition at the National Security Council.  The Cipher Brief  EU Commission Reuters 

EU President Von der Leyen Warns China Against Taiwan Threats.  European Union (EU) Chief Ursula Von der Layen warned Beijing on Tuesday against taking Taiwan by force.  Her comments came in a speech to the European Parliament that analysts say was designed to downplay recent public divisions in the EU’s stance on China and Taiwan.  Her comments also follow a recent visit to China by French President Emmanuel Macron that sparked some opposition to his comments that Europe should not ‘blindly follow’ the US and risk being involved in a conflict.  Von der Layen’s speech came as the EU parliament met to develop a more unified policy on China and Taiwan and ahead of expected discussions in May and June at the European Council.   South China Morning Post

Dutch Intel Agency Report Singles Out China as Main Cyber Threat. On Monday, the Dutch national intelligence agency called China “the biggest threat to the Netherlands’ economic security”, and said that although Beijing is an important trading partner, China is actively targeting the country with digital espionage efforts, corporate takeovers, and illegal exports. The annual report from the General Intelligence and Security Service called China and Russia its biggest threats, and comes as the Netherlands announced plans to expand prior restrictions on semiconductor equipment. It follows an earlier intelligence report that said Russia has covertly mapped Dutch infrastructure in the North Sea and “undertakes activities that indicate espionage and preparatory actions for disruption and sabotage”. The agency said that Iran and North Korea are also involved in digital attacks on the Netherlands. Associated Press Bloomberg

Central and Eastern Europe

Former U.S. General Predicts Ukraine Offensive’s Success.  General (Ret.) David Petraeus, a Cipher Brief expert, former CIA Director and former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, said Tuesday that he believes Ukraine’s upcoming offensive will be successful.  He said the offensive will likely focus on trying to cut the Russian-occupied land bridge between eastern Ukraine and Crimea and damage Russian forces enough to force them to withdraw from most areas in southern Ukraine.  He noted that the offensive will be led by fresh troops trained in countries like Germany, Poland and the U.K. and that they will rely heavily on tanks to support infantry, artillery and defining operations.   Petraeus added that the offensive will take advantage of Russian mistakes, such as underestimating Ukrainian forces, communication and leadership failures, and a  demonstrated inability to adapt.  However, Petraeus also warned that Kyiv’s success continues to depend on support from its Western allies.  The Cipher Brief looked at how the clock may be ticking for Ukraine to launch this offensive here with commentary from other Cipher Brief experts like Gen. (Ret.) Philip M. Breedlove, Admiral (Ret.) James Stavridis and others.  Kyiv Post The Cipher Brief

Zelensky Visits Front Line Region.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with troops in the city of Avdiivka on Tuesday.  The visit marked Zelenskyy’s latest trip to front line areas in eastern Ukraine.  Fighting is intense in the area, especially in the nearby city of Bakhmut.  Zelenskyy’s visit to the region came at the same time as Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine’s Kherson and Luhansk regions to likewise meet Russian military commanders and soldiers.  Kyiv Post The New York Times Associated Press 

Moscow Court Sustains American Gershkovich’s Detainment. On Tuesday, a Moscow City Court judge ruled in favor of the charges against Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich.  The U.S. maintains that Gershkovich, who is being held on espionage charges, has been “wrongfully detained.”  Gershkovich is being held in Russia over charges of espionage, as part of the Kremlin’s crackdown on press freedom. Gershkovich was arrested for allegedly attempting to obtain classified information related to a Russian arms factory. He is the first American reporter to be held in Russia on spying charges since the Cold War, and the Biden administration has officially declared him “wrongfully detained,” pledging to bring him home. Al Jazeera The New York Times  Associated Press Wall Street Journal

Ukraine Says Patriot Missile Systems Have Arrived. The systems, which are designed to shoot down airplanes and missiles, have been at the top of Kyiv’s wish list throughout the Russian invasion, and are viewed as critical for Ukraine’s ability to counter Russian airstrikes. One of the systems was donated by the United States, while the other was jointly donated by Germany and the Netherlands. Ukrainian troops have been training on the systems at Fort Sill in Oklahoma in recent months, and U.S. military officials have called them “absolutely a quick study”. They also completed training in Europe alongside Dutch and German forces.  Associated Press C4ISRNET Politico

Wagner Group Head Threatens Retribution Against Fighters Who Reported War Crimes.  The head of Russia’s Wagner Group is threatening retribution against two former members of his mercenary group who claimed they had been ordered to commit war crimes in Ukraine, including the murder of children.  The two fighters, who received Russian presidential pardons last year, made the claim in a video by human rights organization Gulagu.net.  Prigozhin said the claim is a “fragrant lie” and that the Wagner Group “has never touched and does not touch” children.  CNN

China’s Defense Minister Calls Putin an Extraordinary World Leader.  A video posted to a Chinese company’s website appears to show Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu praising Russian President Vladimir Putin as an ‘extraordinary state leader’ who has delivered ‘important contributions to promoting world peace and development’ according to a report by Bloomberg.  The source of the video could not be authenticated but appeared to come during a meeting between Li and Putin in Russia.  The comments were not part of the Kremlin or Beijing’s official read out of the meeting between the two.  Bloomberg

Russia Evading Sanctions, Still Importing Western Weapons Technology. Late last month, senior U.S. and EU tax and trade officials exchanged information on millions of dollars of technology that, despite an export ban and active sanctions, is still ending up in Russian hands. The officials noted a surge in electronic components, including chips, that are being sold to Russia through Armenia, Kazakhstan, and other countries. They also discussed eight particularly sensitive categories of chips that are seen as critical to developing weapons, including Russian cruise missiles. Although the sanctions are viewed as limiting Russia’s ability to manufacture new weapons, they do not fully prohibit the country’s procurement of critical electronic components through circuitous procurement paths. Trade data suggests that Russia’s chip imports have crept back up, particularly from China; imports between October and January were “50 percent or more of median prewar levels each month”. China is not part of the sanctions regime, and is producing increasingly-sophisticated chips. The New York Times

Russian Minister and UN Secretary General to Discuss Black Sea Grain Deal in New York. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to visit the United States next week to meet with United Nations Secretary General António Guterres in New York, according to Russian state news agency TASS. The two are expected to discuss the Black Sea grain deal, which Ukraine has accused Russia of threatening the UN brokered deal. The visit was made possible after Russia’s Ambassador to the US, Antonly Antonov, worked with Washington to have a visa issued for the foreign minister and his delegation. CNN

Russian Foreign Ministry Summons U.S., U.K. and Canadian Ambassadors. The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the US, Canadian, and UK ambassadors earlier this week on accusations of interfering with Russian state activities that are not in accordance with diplomatic status, according to the state news agency RIA Novosti. According to the news agency, US Ambassador Lynne Tracy was summoned on accusations of violating the Vienna convention, and for her support for Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza. The US State Department confirmed the ambassador had visited the Foreign Ministry, but did not provide further details on the meeting. The British diplomat Deborag Bronnert was also summoned on accusations of “provocative statements” related to the arrest of Kara-Murza as well. It is unclear why the Canadian ambassador was summoned, but all were warned of expulsion if they continued the accused actions. He foreign ministry has not yet released a statement regarding the summons.  CNN

U.S. Cautions Russia Not to Interfere with Sensitive American Nuclear Tech at Ukrainian Power Plant.  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sent a letter to Russia’s state nuclear firm Rosatom last month warning Moscow not to touch “US-origin nuclear technical data” at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.  The letter says that the data and technology is subject to U.S. export controls and that it is “unlawful” for any Russian citizen or entities to handle them.  While Ukrainian staff still operate the plant, Rosatom manages it. It is unclear if Rosatom has responded to the letter.  DOE has not said what the U.S. technology at the plant is, but it did say in 2021 that it lent support to Ukraine to implement new maintenance procedures and operations at the plant.  CNN

Asia

Beijing Developing Supersonic Drone Unit. According to the trove of recently leaked intelligence documents, the Chinese military has developed a supersonic, high-altitude drone unit that could be used to target U.S. ships throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The document appears to show two WZ-8 rocket-propelled reconnaissance drones at an air base in eastern China. The assessment also included possible flight paths for the drone and the twin-engine H6-M Badger bomber that would launch it. Experts do not expect the drone would be used against Taiwan itself, but instead would target the U.S. and its military bases in the Pacific. Its ability to fly at three times the speed of sound would almost certainly hinder U.S. countermeasures. The Defense Department declined to comment. China’s Ministry of National Defense did not respond to a faxed request for comment. The Washington Post  

Beijing Reacts Sharply Against G7 Statement on Taiwan.  The Chinese Foreign Ministry reacted sharply to the Group of Seven (G7) statement on Taiwan, calling it ‘arrogant’ and ‘prejudiced’.  A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a briefing that Taiwan is an ‘inalienable’ part of China and again warned external forces against interfering in China’s internal affairs.  South China Morning Post

China Hastens Development of Fifth Antarctic Station, Denies Espionage.  China has reportedly resumed construction of its fifth station in Antarctica for the first time since 2018.  Satellite imagery from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) shows the new station, which is on Inexpressible Island near the Ross Sea, is being built out, and experts from the think tank say they expect it to include an observatory and satellite ground station by 2024.  CSIS said the new station will expand tracking and communications for China’s polar scientific satellite network, but could also potentially bolster China’s ability to intercept satellite communications of other nations, especially Australia and New Zealand.  China denies its rapidly growing Antarctic installations are being used for espionage.  Reuters 

South Korea Could Arm Ukraine in Event of Mass Civilian Attack.  South Korean President Yoon Sun-yeol on Tuesday suggested that Seoul could expand its economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine to include weapons if it suffers a large-scale civilian attack.  It is the first time South Korea, which is a major producer of artillery ammunition, has shown openness to arming Ukraine, which it said it would not do last year to maintain relations with Russia. In response to Yoon’s comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that if South Korea provides lethal aid to Ukraine, it will become a party to the conflict.  Reuters 

North Korea Says Will Launch First Military Spy Satellite Soon.  North Korea has allegedly completed its first spy satellite and the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un has ordered the satellite to launch as scheduled.  North Korean state media showed Kim visiting the country’s National Aerospace Development Administration to see the satellite on Wednesday, where he said the expansion of Pyongyang’s reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering capabilities is essential to counter “threats” from the U.S. and South Korea.  It is unclear when North Korea will try to launch the new alleged spy satellite, which will likely be sent into orbit with a long-range ballistic missile.  Associated Press Al Jazeera  

UN to Leave Afghanistan Unless Taliban Allows Women Workers. The head of the United Nations Development Program announced that they are prepared to make the decision to pull out of Afghanistan by May if the Taliban does not let local Afghan women work for the organization. The UN is currently in negotiations with the Afghan government, with the hopes that they can agree to make an exception to the announcement made earlier this month preventing local women from working with the UN. According to UN spokespeople, the UN remains committed to serving Afghanistan, despite this decision.  Associated Press 

Middle East and Northern Africa

Syrian President Meets Saudi FM in Damascus, Closing a Decade of Diplomatic Silence. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan in Damascus on Tuesday. This is the first visit to the Syrian capital by a Saudi official since 2011, when the civil war began.  Damascus has attempted to re-engage former allies in the region as the war slows down, with Iran and Syria agreeing to resume ties earlier this month. Last week, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visited Saudi Arabia, also marking a first type visit since the conflict began. Additionally, last week leaders from nine Arab countries met in Saudi Arabia to discuss potentially bringing Syria back in to the Arab League. France 24 Al Jazeera

Qatar and UAE to Reestablish Diplomatic Relationship. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to restore diplomatic ties and reopen embassies, according to a statement from officials. This decision comes more than two years after the ending of a boycott by the Arab states on Doha. According to a Gulf official, the embassies are expected to reopen with new ambassadors by mid-June, with full diplomatic relations being restored in just a couple of weeks. Reuters

Sub Saharan Africa

Sudanese Military Continues Urban Offensive Against Paramilitary Forces For Fifth Day. The security situation in Khartoum continues to deteriorate, and residents of the city remain trapped in their homes without power and food. Heavy gunfire resumed in the Khartoum capital region of Sudan on Tuesday night, just minutes after a 24-hour truce between warring military factions was set to take effect. Within hours of the ceasefire’s collapse, both the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) issued statements accusing the other of being responsible for its failure. On Wednesday, the Sudanese military continued its airstrikes against the RSF’s compound at Khartoum International Airport, while RSF fighters attempted to shoot down the attacking fighter jets with antiaircraft guns. Large numbers of residents are fleeing the capital, and eyewitnesses say the streets around the defense ministry and the airport are littered with bodies. The RSF has issued another call for a 24-hour ceasefire, to begin at noon eastern; there was no immediate response from the Sudanese military. New York Times Al Jazeera Associated Press Reuters BBC

Countries Struggle to Evacuate Citizens Amid Ongoing Clashes at Khartoum International Airport. Efforts by Japan and Germany to evacuate their citizens from Sudan are suspended amongst intense fighting at Khartoum International Airport. The German air force dispatched three A400M transport plans for an evacuation mission early on Wednesday, probably in anticipation of a 24-hour ceasefire, but aborted the mission due to ongoing clashes. Although the runway is believed to be intact, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries have repeatedly tried to take control of the sprawling airport complex, and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) continue to pound the airport with airstrikes to drive the RSF from the compound. On Tuesday, the US Embassy said that there are currently no plans for a government-coordinated evacuation due to the airport’s closure and urged Americans in Sudan to continue to shelter in place. The Russian Embassy in Khartoum is reportedly in contact with Russians in the city and has said it will try to evacuate them as soon as possible. New York Times Reuters

Death Toll in Sudan Reaches 270 As Ceasefire Fails to Take Hold. At least 270 people have been killed and more than 2600 injured in the ongoing fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). While RSF troops engaged the SAF on multiple fronts yesterday amid conflicting reports of an agreed 24-hour ceasefire, they also reportedly engaged in looting and used civilian areas as defense positions in the cities of Merowe, Nyala, and Bahri. Armed uniformed personnel in downtown Khartoum, reportedly from RSF, stormed the homes of people working for the United Nations and other international organizations, according to an internal UN document seen by CNN. There have also been reports of sexual assault against women. The RSF denied those reports and went on to blame the SAF for the human rights violations. CNN New York Times

UN Says 48 Million Face Food Insecurity in West Africa. The UN warned on Tuesday that hunger is soaring and spreading across West Africa as 48 million people – a 10-year-high – face food insecurity in the region. According to UN officials, for the first time, some 45,000 people in the Sahel region are on the brink of starvation, which is one step below famine; the vast majority of those people are in Burkina Faso. Efforts to deliver food and humanitarian assistance have been hindered by jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic state, which forces aid agencies to fly in food assistance when they are able to do so. Nearly 1 million people are expected to be food insecure in neighboring Benin and Togo, almost double the number from 2021.  Associated Press 

Cyber & Tech

Microsoft Says Iran Hacking Group Shifts to U.S. Infrastructure Attacks. According to a Microsoft report released on Tuesday, an Iranian government-linked hacking group is shifting its focus to targeting U.S. critical infrastructure, potentially with an aim to launch destructive cyberattacks. Microsoft currently calls the subgroup Mint Sandstorm; they previously called the group Phosphorus, and other cybersecurity groups call it Charming Kitten, APT 35, APT 42, and TA453. Security researchers have concluded that Mint Sandstorm is tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); According to Microsoft, Mint Sandstorm previously targeted dissidents and the defense industrial base but is increasingly focused on targeting U.S. critical infrastructure like seaports, energy, and transportation. Mint Sandstorm is viewed within the cybersecurity world as having “remarkable technical and operational sophistication”. Washington Post

Musk Announces New AI Chatbot, TruthGPT; Claims Chatbot will Seek to Understand “Nature of the Universe”. Elon Musk announced in an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson this week that he is launching his own generative AI product, TruthGPT, that will “seek to rein in the excesses” of other generative AI chatbots. Musk said that large-language models have been trained to be “politically correct”, but gave no detailed information to support his claims. He also reiterated his support for government regulation of AI, and said that he thinks a regulatory body should solicit input from “people in the industry and propose rules”. The interview, which was recorded earlier this month, is the latest insight into a new start-up called X.AI that Musk recently announced. Critics have called out the irony of Musk’s pursuing generative AI after signing on to a letter in March that called for a pause on the technology’s development. Mr. Musk has been recruiting researchers with the goal of creating a rival to OpenAI, which launched the chatbot ChatGPT, for several months. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Fox News Wall Street Journal Washington Post

Google CEO Pichai Warns of Need to Prepare Society for Impact of AI Acceleration. In an interview with CBS’ “60 minutes” that aired on Sunday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that society will need to adapt to prepare for new technologies, including the rapid development of Google’s latest AI projects. While previous industrial revolutions have largely impacted blue-collar workers, Pichai said that jobs that would potentially be disrupted by AI include “knowledge workers” such as writers, accountants, architects, and even software engineers. Pichai also warned of potential consequences from AI, noting that the scale of problems like disinformation and fake news will be larger and could cause real-world harm. He said that society must quickly create regulations and laws to punish abuses and maybe make treaties with other nations to make AI safe for the world. Google launched its AI chatbot Bard last month as an experimental product to the public, following competitor Microsoft’s integration of OpenAI’s GPT technology into the Bing search engine. CNBC

Researchers Reveal 3 New Ways NSO Hacked iPhones Without User Clicks. Researchers at Citizen Lab revealed on Tuesday that Israeli spyware maker NSO Group allegedly deployed at least three new “zero-click” hacks against iPhones last year. The lab shared its results with Apple, which has now fixed the flaws. The lab, which is actively working with Apple, identified the spyware after examining phones from Mexico; the Mexican government has been a major NSO customer. The hacks reportedly targeted human rights activists who were investigating the 2015 mass kidnapping of 43 student protesters in Mexico, as well as other suspected military and government abuses, according to Citizen Lab. NSO spokesman Liron Bruck declined to say whether the company was responsible for the hacks, and faulted Citizen Lab for not disclosing its underlying data. An Apple spokesman said the threats affected “a very small number of our customers” and pledged to continue to build more defenses into its products. Washington Post

Payments Company Suffers Outage After BlackCat Ransomware Attack.  U.S. software and technology consulting company NCR disclosed today that its Aloha point of sale platform suffered an outage from a ransomware attack against the company’s data centers.  NCR said the attack impacted a “limited number” of applications, but Aloha POS customers report significant disruptions.  The BlackCat/ALPHV ransom gang claimed responsibility for the attack and claimed to have stolen NCR customer credentials, which they are threatening to publish if they are not paid.  BleepingComputer

The Age of Giant AI Models is Over Says OpenAI CEO. Last week, Open AI CEO Sam Altman said that further progress in AI models will not come from simply making them bigger. GPT-4, the company’s latest product, cost over $100 million to train using trillions of words of text and many thousands of powerful processors. The statement is at odds with a bevy of would-be-competitors that have emerged in recent months; well-funded startups like Antrhopic, AI21, Cohere, and Charter.AI are throwing their resources into building ever-larger algorithms as they try to catch up with OpenAI. Altman did not say what kind of research strategies or techniques might replace the company’s previous focus on making models bigger and feeding them more data, but did nod to the physical limits that companies face when trying to build data centers to handle these types of large-language models. At MIT last week, Altman also confirmed that OpenAI is not currently developing GPT-5. Wired

TechCrunch:  Hackers Publish Employee Data Stolen From Network Infrastructure Giant. The ransomware gang Vice Society published thousands of social security numbers and bank account details of employees at CommScope. While it is unclear how many employees this attack impacted, CommScope spokesperson reported the intrusion was identified on March 27 and the company immediately launched a forensic investigation, reported the incident to law enforcement, and hired third-party experts to validate the threats. CommScope declined to comment on how the systems were compromised or if they have been in contact with Vice Society hackers. TechCrunch

Axios Probe of Hikvision Documents Reveals Surveillance Targeting Uyghurs. Audio from a recent Hikvision private meeting proves the surveillance giant has known their contracts contributed to Uyghur oppression and genocide. Despite advertising biometric surveillance technology that can track minorities, Hikvision denied accusations of willful involvement in war crimes and human rights abuses. An internal review conducted by former U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes Richard-Pierre Prosper, shows although Hikvision is not fully responsible they should have noticed concerning language in some contracts. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission responded by restricting Hikvision business and sales in the U.S. The Commerce Department added Hikvision to its Entity List in 2019, which prevents U.S. companies from selling to Hikvision. Axios

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