Key Russian influencers sanctioned by US Treasury department
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has sanctioned two individuals and their companies for their role in malign influence operations and impersonating media outlets. The two individuals were sanctioned overnight for their roles in a 2022 campaign that impersonated a raft of media outlets. “The United States, along with our allies and partners, remains steadfast in defending our democratic principles and the credibility of our elections.”
Joining the battle for the narrative: the case for AUKUS public diplomacy
The AUKUS partnership is facing challenges due to public scepticism ranging from strategic alignment concerns to anti-nuclear sentiments, with support waning among Australians and controversies surrounding its implications for US defense capabilities and relations with China. Amidst attempts by China to negatively frame AUKUS, the proposed AUKUS Public Diplomacy Service would aim to clarify the partnership's purpose, counteract negative narratives, and foster trust through coordinated communication strategies, emphasizing the importance of sustaining support for this significant trilateral effort in a landscape shaped by disinformation and geopolitical tensions.
IntelBrief: Implications of China-Russia Cooperation on Censorship and Disinformation
The alignment between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Russian Federation has increased under Xi Jinping’s and Vladimir Putin’s leadership. Russia’s Internet censorship and regulation methods and tactics have evolved over the past decade to simulate aspects of China’s notorious more closely “Great Fire Wall.” As AI-powered disinformation campaigns become more widespread, their scale and sophistication not only threaten democratic elections but can also have significant implications for shaping narratives in either Beijing or Moscow’s favour in conflict zones or key areas of interest for the United States and its allies.
How to think about AI policy
Poland, the 'Insension' project harnesses AI for helping children with severe disabilities, a stark contrast to its use for surveillance in Beijing. The European AI Act navigates this duality by focusing not on the technology itself but how it's used, setting strict rules for developers based on risk and outright banning harmful applications. Amidst the rise of convincing AI-generated deepfakes, the act mandates clear labelling of AI content, introducing hefty fines and market bans for non-compliance. This regulation is a careful dance between innovation and ethics, aiming to foster trust and safety in AI's sprawling potential.
Australia and Five Eyes allies issue new Volt Typhoon advisory
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has released a new advisory on behalf of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, warning of the “urgent risk” posed by the state-backed Chinese hacking group Volt Typhoon. The alliance warned in February that the hacking group was pre-positioning itself on major critical infrastructure networks, a contingency in case of increased geopolitical or military conflict between China and the US.
Malicious Use Cases for AI
The potential for artificial intelligence to be used maliciously, particularly through targeted deepfakes, influence operations, malware development, and reconnaissance is increasingly high. Testing four specific use cases—ranging from deepfake impersonation and disinformation campaigns to self-augmenting malware and reconnaissance of industrial control systems—this study showcases the capabilities and limitations of current AI technology, stressing the blend of AI and human intervention necessary for the effective deployment of these threats.
Report: Just one per cent of users are responsible for 88 per cent of data loss events
Proofpoint's "Data Loss Landscape" report reveals that the main cause of data loss in Australian companies is not hackers, but the internal users themselves, particularly a small number of privileged ones. The study, involving 600 security professionals across 12 countries, found that globally, 1% of users account for 88% of data loss events, with careless actions like falling for phishing scams, email misdirections, and unauthorized software installations being key contributors.