Wednesday, February 15, 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 Arrests Four Over Assassination of Haiti’s Moise. US authorities arrested four more people linked to the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise. The suspects include a Venezuelan-American and a Colombian who own the Florida-based security company CTU Security. The pair are accused of hiring a squad of former Colombian soldiers to carry out the killing. The Justice Department says CTU hoped to receive “lucrative contracts” from a planned successor to Moise. The other two suspects are Americans accused of financing and providing material support for the assassination plot. The US has now detained eleven people over the killing. Associated Press BBC New York Times
Canada Announces Research Restrictions Over National Security Concerns. Canada is imposing new restrictions on research funding to mitigate national security risks. The new rules will deny funding to researchers working on sensitive subjects if they are affiliated with an organization linked to foreign governments, militaries or security agencies that are deemed a threat to Canada. Officials say the new restrictions will protect Canadian intellectual property and research amid concerns about the influence and expansion of Chinese state-owned enterprises. Reuters
Blinken Discusses China, Ukraine, Turkey-Syria. NPR held a wide-ranging interview with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken where he covered issues including China, Ukraine and the Turkey-Syria earthquake. In regards to China, Blinken rejected Beijing’s claims that the US has sent balloons into Chinese airspace. He also said that despite tensions from the downed Chinese surveillance balloon, the US wants to engage and find ways to manage relations and competition. He added that he will reschedule his trip to Beijing, which he canceled over the spy balloon incident, when China shows it wants to engage responsibly. In regards to Ukraine, Blinken noted there is a “stalemate” on the ground while reiterating US support for Kyiv. He added that a lasting peace deal cannot be reached if Ukraine gives up territory, saying that would “open a Pandora’s box.” He also said that the conflict cannot be resolved if Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to see Ukraine as “not its own country.” In regards to Turkey and Syria, Blinken highlighted the need for more border crossings to open for more aid to get into Syria. NPR
Western Europe
NATO Chief Says Better for Sweden, Finland to Join Alliance Sooner Rather than Together. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that it is more important that Sweden and Finland are admitted into the alliance sooner rather than together. His comments suggest that the alliance may admit Finland first amid Turkey’s pushback against Sweden’s application over Turkish claims that Sweden harbors members of Kurdish groups deemed terrorists by Ankara. Hungary and Turkey are the only NATO members who have yet to ratify the Nordic nations’ membership bids. Al Jazeera Associated Press Reuters
Sweden to Present NATO Accession Bill to Parliament in March. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom announced Wednesday that Sweden’s government will introduce a bill on the country’s NATO membership bid to parliament in March. Billstrom said that the bill will come despite Sweden’s application being dependent on Hungary and Turkey. Hungary is set to debate ratification later this month, and Turkey continues to resist Sweden’s accession over claims that Stockholm supports Kurdish groups that Ankara views as terrorist organizations. Reuters
German Defense Minister Backs Increased NATO Spending. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said ahead of a NATO defense minister meeting in Brussels that he backs a raise to NATO’s military spending target. Pistorius echoes calls from NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and other NATO leaders to increase defense spending. NATO members previously agreed in 2014 to increase defense spending to at least 2 percent of their GDP, but the Ukraine war has cast doubts on whether this expenditure is enough. NATO will reportedly decide on the matter at a summit in Lithuania in July. Pistorius’ comments on defense spending come as Germany announced it will boost defense spending to as much as 60 billion euros next year amid stresses and tensions from the Ukraine war. Bloomberg Deutsche Welle Reuters
Brothers of Italy Wins Regional Elections. Italy’s Brothers of Italy party led by new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni secured a landslide victory in regional elections, strengthening their right-wing coalition’s grip on power. The conservative bloc won Italy’s wealthiest regions of Lombardy, which is home to Milan, and Lazio, which is home to Rome, in recent elections, giving the coalition control of 15 of Italy’s 20 regions. France24 Reuters
Scotland’s First Minister Announces Resignation. Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on Wednesday morning her intention to resign after eight years in office. Sturgeon, who leads the Scottish National Party, said that she is reigning due to the toll of politics and because she believes she is too divisive to lead efforts for Scottish independence. The announcement follows several months of controversy over her failure to hold a second independence referendum and a row over transgender rights policies. BBC France 24 Reuters
Central and Eastern Europe
ISW: Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 14, 2023.Institute for the Study of War
Russia Claims Gains in Eastern Ukraine. Russia’s Defense Ministry claims to have broken through two fortified Ukrainian lines on the eastern front. The ministry said Ukrainian forces retreated up to 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) in an unspecified position in the Luhansk region. The ministry added that its “Southern group” is launching artillery-backed offensives in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office said the situation in the region is “difficult.” The governor of the Luhansk region said that while Russian forces are pouring into Luhansk, Ukrainian troops continue to defend positions there. Reuters RFE/RL The Guardian
Ukraine Defense Minister Confident on Western Jet Transfers. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Wednesday he is “absolutely” confident that Western countries will transfer fighter jets to Kyiv. In a Reuters interview, Reznikov said fighter jets are essential to bolster Ukrainian air defenses. He added that his confidence on jet transfers came from the fact that Western allies eventually gave weapons that Ukraine requested even after initially saying such shipments were not possible. Speaking in Brussels after a NATO defense minister meeting, Reznikov said the alliance had decided the US F-16 jets and Swedish Gripen are currently the best options for Ukraine. The US and other Western countries have said they will not send jets to Ukraine. Britain is providing training for Ukrainian pilots, and countries like Poland say they are open to the jet transfers if there is broader Western support. Reuters
US Report Accuses Russia of Holding 6,000 Ukrainian Children for ‘Re-Education.’ A report from the US State Department-backed Conflict Observatory at the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab accuses Russia of operating a network of camps where over 6,000 Ukrainian children were taken into custody for “political reeducation.” The report identified 43 facilities in the network in places ranging from Russian-occupied Crimea to Siberia to Russia’s eastern Pacific coast. The report says these facilities systematically expose Ukrainian children to Russia-centric education. At least two facilities were found to specifically provide training in use of firearms and military vehicles, though there is no evidence the children there are being sent to the Ukraine war. Some children have reportedly been held for months at these camps, while others are deemed “orphans” and adopted by Russian families. The US State Department said this forced relocation, reeducation of adoption of Ukrainian children is part of Moscow’s efforts to destroy the Ukrainian identity and constitutes a war crime. The Russian Embassy in Washington called the claims “absurd” and said Russia is caring for Ukrainian children forced to flee fighting in Ukraine. CNN New York Times Reuters
Moldova Sports Disrupted Over Russian Plot Fears. Moldova has blocked some foreign nationals from sports events over fears of a Russian-led plot to overthrow the Moldovan government. The Moldovan Football Federation first barred fans from attending a match between a Moldovan and Serbian team. Border authorities add that around a dozen Serbians were denied entry into Moldova ahead of the match, though none of them were detained. Separately, boxers from Montenegro were barred from entering Moldova for a boxing tournament. The disruptions come after Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Russia of planning a plot against her pro-Western government with support from nationals from Montenegro, Belarus and Serbia. The alleged coup plan was intercepted by Ukrainian intelligence. Deutsche Welle The Independent Reuters
EU Sues Poland Over EU Law Violations. The European Commission sued Poland on Wednesday over violations of EU law by the Polish Constitutional Tribunal. The Commission’s move came due to the Constitutional Tribunal’s rulings in 2021 that some EU Treaties provisions were incompatible with the Polish constitution, thus challenging the primacy of EU law over national law. Warsaw rejected the Commission’s arguments against the ruling in September. The lawsuit is part of wider tensions between the EU and the eurosceptic, nationalist Polish government. Bloomberg Reuters
Asia
China Says US Balloons Flew Over Xinjiang, Tibet. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused the US of flying high altitude balloons over China’s Xinjiang and Tibet regions. The spokesperson made the accusation as he reiterated China’s claim that the US flew balloons over its airspace at least 10 times since May 2022. The claims come after the US shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off the South Carolina coast and sanctioned Chinese entities linked to Beijing’s suspected surveillance balloon program. The spokesperson said China will take appropriate countermeasures, including by targeting relevant US entities that challenge Chinese sovereignty and security. Bloomberg Reuters
Philippines, US to Hold Biggest Joint Military Drills in Years. THe Philippines’ army chief Romeo Brawner announced Wednesday that the Philippines and the US will hold their largest war games since 2015 in April. Brawner said this year’s annual “Balikatan” exercises will involve more than last year’s 8,900 troops. The drills will come amid heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing over China’s military presence in contested waters of the South China Sea. Reuters
North Korea Potentially Forms ICBM Military Unit. Footage from North Korea’s recent military parade suggests that Pyongyang may have created a new military unit to operate new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The footage shows unknown flags attached to ICBMs showcased at the parade, indicating the possible new unit. Speculation over a new ICBM unit comes after North Korea announced a military restructuring aimed at strengthening its forces. Analysts say a new ICBM unit could signal that the North is preparing a solid-fuel weapon test. Reuters
China to Resume Issuing Visas to South Koreans. The Chinese embassy in Seoul announced Wednesday that China will resume issuing short-term visas to South Koreans on Saturday. The move will end Beijing’s retaliatory travel restrictions against Seoul in response to the South imposing Covid restrictions on Chinese travelers following the spike in Covid cases in China after the abrupt end of its “zero-Covid” policy. Reuters South China Morning Post
Middle East and Northern Africa
Jordan Foreign Minister Visits Syria. Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi is in Damascus to show solidarity and offer support following the Turkey-Syria earthquake. Jordan and the government of Syrian President Bashar al Assad have been at odds over Jordan’s backing of rebel groups and Jordan’s criticism of Syria’s failure to be open to political settlements with opposition groups and deal with Gulf drug smuggling. Safadi’s visit marks the first trip by a top Jordanian official to Syria since the start of the Syrian conflict and demonstrates Assad’s efforts to benefit politically and diplomatically from earthquake aid outreach. Al Jazeera Reuters
Sub Saharan Africa
Equatorial Guinea Confirms First Marburg Virus Outbreak. Equatorial Guinea confirmed its first outbreak of the Marburg Virus on Wednesday. The Central African country reports that at least nine people died of the virus. The cases have been preliminarily linked to a funeral ceremony on Friday. Equatorial Guinea has quarantined around 200 people and restricted movement in its Kie-Ntem province over the outbreak. Neighboring Cameroon also restricted border movement as a precaution. The WHO says it is working to support health authorities in contact tracing and isolating and treating suspected cases. Al Jazeera Washington Post
Cyber and Tech
Russian-Linked Malware Endangered US Electric, Gas Facilities Last Year. The CEO of cyber incident response firm Dragos, Robert M. Lee said Tuesday that Russia-linked hackers sought to bring down around a dozen US electric and gas facilities last year at the start of the Ukraine war. Lee said that the Chernovite hacker group tried using the new PIPEDREAM malware to target the victims, describing the attacks as the “closest we’ve ever been” to having US infrastructure go offline. He added that a coalition of US cyber authorities and cyber industry groups stopped the attacks. Dragos says that PIPEDREAM is the “first ever” malware that can target different systems, rather than only being able to disrupt a specific system. Politico
Manufacturers Led Industries Hit by Ransomware Attacks in 2022. Dragos also reported on Tuesday that ransomware attacks against industrial organizations increased by 87 percent in 2022 from the previous year. The increase in attacks mostly targeted the manufacturing sector. Bloomberg
Pepsi Suffers Data Breach from Malware Attack. Pepsi Bottling Ventures, the largest US bottler of Pepsi-Cola beverages, announced on Wednesday that it suffered a data breach from a malware attack. Pepsi said attackers installed malware on the company’s IT systems around December 23, 2022. The intrusion was not detected until January 10, and the last known unauthorized access to the system was January 19. Pepsi says the hack exposed personally identifying information and sensitive financial and health information. Pepsi says it is securing its systems and will offer free identity monitoring services to victims. It is still unclear if the victims include customers or employees. BleepingComputer Cybernews
Airline SAS Hit by Cyberattack. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) said it suffered a cyberattack on Tuesday evening. The airline said the attack took its website offline and leaked customer data from its app. SAS says it is working to address the attack and is urging customers to not use its app. Cybernews Reuters
Netherlands Hosts First Summit on 'Responsible' Military Use of AI. The Netherlands and co-host South Korea are holding the first summit on the “responsible” use of artificial intelligence in the military in The Hague. The US and China will be among 50 nations attending the summit, which comes amid heightened interest in AI following the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT generative AI app. Russia was not invited due to the Ukraine war, which will also be a primary topic at the conference. It is unclear if the attendees will agree to any common statement, but there is hope that the summit will be a first step towards a future international arms treaty on AI. Reuters
Sanctioned Cryptocurrency Tool Reemerges as “Sinbad.” Cryptocurrency monitoring firm Elliptic reports that North Korean hackers have relaunched an US-sanctioned crypto fraud tool under a new name. The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned a cryptocurrency mixer called Blender last year. Now, it has been relaunched under the name “Sinbad.” Elliptic says that the North Korean hacking group Lazarus Group has already used Sinbad to launder over $100 million. The relaunch of the tool shows the difficulties in sanctions enforcement and how cryptocurrency mixers can still be a threat despite sanctions. Washington Post
EU Systemic Risk Agency Calls on Members to Enhance Hacking Defenses. The European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) on Tuesday warned EU member states to bolster cyber defenses to protect their financial institutions, telecommunications networks and energy infrastructure. The watchdog specifically encouraged EU countries to start conducting stress tests and impact analyses using ESRB tools and standards to identify vulnerabilities and measure resilience in their networks. The ESRB said it made the warning amid tensions from the Ukraine war and escalating threats in cyberspace. Reuters
Cloudflare Blocks Record-Breaking Wave of DDoS Attacks. Cloudflare reports that it blocked the most distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against its customers to date this weekend. The company said it mitigated dozens of attacks, with the majority reaching 50-70 million requests per second (rps) and the largest exceeding 71 million rps. Cloudflare says the previous highest reported attack hit 46 million rps in June 2022. The attacks were launched using over 30,000 IP addresses from various cloud providers against a range of targets. BleepingComputer
Read deeply-experienced, expert-driven national security news, analysis and opinion inThe Cipher Brief
