China’s Secrecy, Spying, and Tech
A new warning from Britain’s domestic spy agency, MI5, cautions members of Parliament that they are targets for Chinese, Russian, and Iranian spies in an attempt to undermine the country’s democracy. Tactics used by spies include blackmail, phishing, and cultivating deep, long-term relationships to influence politicians’ decisions. The warning follows a failed trial of two British men accused of spying for China, which was abandoned because the government didn’t provide evidence that China poses a national security threat.
In other news, China is also taking its own security more seriously. The country’s secrecy authorities have warned propaganda staff and classified units to be more careful with confidential information, citing instances of leaks to news media. The article, from a social media account affiliated with the National Administration of State Secrets Protection, said that some propaganda and news workers “blindly pursu[ed] novelty” and prioritized publicity over confidentiality.
The Dutch government is also taking action against a Chinese-owned semiconductor company, Nexperia, placing it under special administrative measures due to security concerns. The government warned that a loss of “crucial technological knowledge and capabilities” would jeopardize European economic security. Nexperia is owned by China’s Wingtech Technology, which has called the move “politically motivated” and driven by “geopolitical bias”.
Cyber Threats and Tech Scandals
Cybersecurity researchers have identified a new campaign distributing the Astaroth banking trojan. This malware is notable because it uses GitHub repositories to host its configuration files, making it more resilient to takedowns by law enforcement or security researchers. The primary targets of this campaign are in Brazil, though the malware is known to affect countries across Latin America. The Astaroth trojan is designed to monitor for visits to banking and cryptocurrency websites, stealing credentials via keylogging.
In a major data breach, Harvard University is investigating an incident after the Clop ransomware gang listed the school on its data leak site. The breach is believed to have exploited a newly discovered “zero-day” vulnerability in Oracle’s E-Business Suite servers. According to a Harvard spokesperson, the incident affected a limited number of parties and was not specific to the university, as many other Oracle customers were also impacted. The Clop gang has a history of exploiting zero-day flaws for large-scale data theft.
A large-scale botnet, comprised of over 100,000 IP addresses from more than 100 countries, is currently targeting Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) services in the United States. The attacks, which began on October 8, are being launched from compromised devices worldwide, with a notable traffic spike initially detected from Brazil. The botnet uses two types of timing attacks to enumerate user accounts.
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has found that people can be identified solely through Wi-Fi signals, even if they aren’t carrying a device. This is done by observing the propagation of radio waves from other devices in the person’s surroundings, creating a radio-based “image”. The researchers warn that this technology turns every router into a potential surveillance tool and poses a significant risk to privacy.
Finally, in a win for digital privacy, the Austrian Data Protection Authority has ruled that Microsoft “illegally” tracked students through its 365 Education platform. The ruling found that Microsoft failed to provide complete information about the data it processed and tried to shift responsibility for access requests to local schools. The decision could have broader implications for how Microsoft handles user data for its 365 users across Europe.
Technology and Business
OpenAI is partnering with Broadcom to produce its own AI computer chips to power its data centers. The partnership is part of a growing trend among major tech companies to reduce reliance on Nvidia’s chips and bolster their supply lines. OpenAI has already secured deals with Nvidia and AMD, and this latest agreement will enable it to develop and deploy “10 gigawatts of custom AI accelerators”. The company believes designing its own chips will allow it to “embed what it’s learned from developing frontier models” directly into the hardware.
Slack is transforming its traditional Slackbot into a “personalized AI companion”. The new AI-powered chatbot is purpose-built to help with work tasks, such as creating project plans, flagging daily priorities, and analyzing reports using natural language. It integrates with other tools like Google Drive and Salesforce and is designed to give every employee “AI superpowers” to “drive productivity at AI speed”.
General Motors announced that it will end its HYDROTEC brand’s work on hydrogen fuel cell development for consumer vehicles. The company will now focus its research and development on batteries, charging technologies, and electric vehicles, citing the high costs and limited infrastructure for hydrogen. A similar shift was made by Toyota in February. GM will continue its joint venture with Honda to create cells for industrial applications like data centers and power generation.
The UK’s largest mobile and internet provider, Vodafone, experienced a widespread outage affecting more than 130,000 customers on Monday. The problems were reported on both broadband and mobile networks across the country, with many customers also unable to access the company’s website or app.
Trade unions and online safety experts are urging UK MPs to investigate TikTok’s plan to cut 439 content moderator jobs in London. An open letter signed by groups including the Trades Union Congress and the Communication Workers Union warns that the redundancies could expose children to harmful content. The letter alleges that TikTok is replacing the moderators with AI systems and workers in countries with lower wages, and that the decision is an act of “union-busting”.
Politics and Global Affairs
German intelligence chiefs issued a public warning to the Bundestag that the threats from Russia and the Palestinian militant group Hamas should not be underestimated. The head of the domestic spy agency, Sinan Selen, stated that Hamas has “infrastructure” in Germany and that his office estimates 32,500 people in the country can be classified as foreign extremists. Meanwhile, Martin Jäger, the chief of the foreign intelligence service, warned that the current “icy peace” with Russia could become a “hot confrontation” at any moment.
In the UK, Greenpeace is threatening to sue the Crown Estate, accusing the King’s property management company of “monopoly profiteering”. The environmental group alleges that the Crown Estate has exploited its ownership of the seabed to drive up costs for offshore wind developers through “aggressive” auctions. Greenpeace argues that this practice could harm the development of offshore wind power and that the profits are being used to boost the royal household’s income.
A flu outbreak in Malaysia has forced schools to close ahead of a crucial national exam, the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM). Nearly 100 clusters of influenza A and B infections were reported across the country, leading to the closure of schools and keeping around 6,000 students home for up to a week.
The number of babies born to foreign parents in Japan reached a record high in 2024, accounting for more than 3% of all newborns. The increase, which saw over 20,000 children born to non-Japanese couples, is helping to offset the continuing decline in births among Japanese parents. This demographic shift has brought immigration to the forefront of political debate in the country.
The UK is spearheading polar climate change research with its new flagship vessel, the RRS Sir David Attenborough, as the U.S. draws back from scientific exploration in the region. The ship, operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), will be used for research on topics such as glacier melt, whale populations, and “underwater tsunamis”. According to a BAS oceanographer, the U.S.’s withdrawal is a “shame,” but other countries are stepping up to fill the gap.
In Berlin, a fire at a social housing block injured at least 46 people, with 15 taken to local hospitals. The fire, which started after a suspected explosion on the ground floor, quickly spread before emergency services could contain it. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the blaze.