CyberSecurity
May 2020 headlines
A broad collection of cybersecurity, data security and cybercrime news reported across May 2020, focusing where applicable on the broad Asia-Pacific region, and referring to points of reference in the wider world where useful or relevant for context and further information.
- Across 2019, Google blocked and removed 2.7BN fraudulent ads, more than 5000 per minute, terminating over 1.2M accounts and pulling ads from over 21M pages
- ICYMI: Keeping Huawei out of the UK’s core 5G network declared ‘feasible and plausible’, cyber intelligence consultancy CEO tells Defence Committee
- Download: The Emerging Risk of Virtual Societal Warfare – Social Manipulation in a Changing Information Environment
- ICYMI: Estonia parliament approves new Electronics Communications Act to ensure security reviews for telecom gear, dubbed the ‘Huawei law’
- ICYMI: Google Messages is preparing to add end-to-end encryption for RCS messages, successor to SMS and MMS and open competitor to Apple iMessage
- The Risks of Digital Authoritarianism, available to download: “…digital censorship, propaganda, and surveillance, and use these same tools to manipulate foreign societies”
- Australian transportation and logistics company, Toll Group, suffers 2nd cyber-attack in 4 months, shuts down IT systems and key customer portal as precaution
- COVID-19 & cybercrime: Overseas criminals found registering for US unemployment benefits using stolen Social Security numbers and personally identifiable information
- Australia: Labor Party floats UK-style Active Cyber Defence program and Civilian Cyber Corps, focusing beyond critical infrastructure and ‘big-ticket capabilities’
- Australia: GovPitch 2020 set for August 28th, allowing SMEs in cybersecurity firms to pitch directly to decision-makers in the federal government
- Australia: RMIT Online launches postgrad cybersecurity and blockchain courses, partnering IBM, Palo Alto Networks and Stone & Chalk
- IVMS101 anti-money laundering messaging standard unveiled to impose uniform data model to be exchanged by virtual asset service providers alongside crypto transactions
- ICYMI: Google Chrome will now block bad ads that drain your device resources and battery life
- Voting online or via an app has even been tested in small elections…but election security experts…say there’s a laundry list of reasons why this technology isn’t ready for prime time.
- Thailand: AIS, country’s largest cell network, takes unsecured database offline following leak of estimated 8BN real-time ‘net records on millions of internet users
- ICYMI: Temenos software major with 3K bank clients partners Microsoft to open AI-driven solution to help banks tackle coronavirus-induced surge in cybercrime
- Israel reportedly likely to join ranks of countries rejecting bids from China for role in 5G network infrastructure due to security concerns
- China: Tencent tech giant announces plan to invest $70BN over 5 years in tech infrastructure including cloud computing, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity
- ICYMI: British Telecom signs US supplier to help limit reliance on China’s Huawei in construction of nationwide fiber-optic system
- China: A look at Huawei’s moves with HiCar, Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything, 5G and more, aiming for central presence across vehicle movement, charging and built environment
- Singapore: Dathena secures $12M Series A with AI-backed data security and privacy tools to classify and manage confidential data, aiming to grow US presence
- China: City of Hangzhou announces plans for code-and-scoring system to monitor citizen health status at all times – regardless of whether there is a public health emergency
- Australian universities soon to run exams online to comply with Covid-19 requirements – using facial recognition and machine-learning surveillance tech
- Face mask selfies prove to be new data source for facial recognition companies to refine surveillance and identification algorithms
- China: TikTok’s mainland version, Douyin, now testing Connections, function enabling users to video call strangers to play games
- ICYMI: World Economic Forum unveils Presidio Principles, a ‘blockchain bill of rights’ with signatories from Gov’t of Colombia, Deloitte, UN World Food Program and others
- ICYMI: US gov’t imposes new restrictions on China’s Huawei, severely limiting ability to use American tech in semiconductor design and manufactured overseas
- MIT Tech Review launches Covid Tracing Tracker project in light of citizens of different countries seeing radically different levels of surveillance and transparency
- An overview of how well algorithms can recognize face when masked
- Face mask selfies prove to be new data source for facial recognition companies to refine surveillance and identification algorithms
Asia’s tech news, daily
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