TechLetters #97 - standard summary on cyberwarfare events in Ukraine, critical cryptographic vulnerabilities, are undersea telecom cables safe in 202X? Software liability to come in Europe.
Security
Facebook took down a propaganda network from Russia. Targeting people in Germany, France, Italy, UK, Ukraine. An operation where "fake equivalents" of real news sites were created. Also in the report: Chinese network targeting Czechia.
Cyberwarfare in Ukraine. From UK NCSC "Both sides are using cyber capabilities to pursue their aims. Both sides understand the potential of integrating cyber and information confrontation with their military effort", “Ukrainian cyber defence teaches us a wider lesson – for military theory and beyond – it is that in cyber security, the defender has significant agency”.
Critical cryptographic vulnerabilities found in a popular end-to-end encryption library Matrix. Attacks are possible and demonstrated. This work shows that designing secure protocols is tough. It impacts important organisations, like the French government. Tchap. France has their official government-blessed "secure instant messenger" based on Matrix. Tchap. Security was audited by French National Cybersecurity Agency. Matrix library upgrade advisory is here.
After blowing up an undersea gas pipeline, what about undersea telecommunication cables? Lots of them. We use it everyday. They are vulnerable. Everything depended on trust: that nobody will be cutting it.
Technology Policy
European Union updating a 40-year-old Product Liability Directive. To adapt it to IT/tech times. Liability for software, hardware, data: "content deleted from a hard drive, should also be compensated,including the cost of recovering or restoring the data".
This winter there is a risk of losing cellular connectivity, access to telecommunication - in Europe. Such systems have protection against loss of access to electricity. They work ... until it's out (hours, to... 30 minutes ...). There is a shortage of mobile telecommunications base stations, let alone mobile power generators, that are missing.
Other
CERN to reduce electricity consumption. Here’s how "accelerator complex reduced by 20% in 2023" & "switching off the street lighting". The standard use is around 1.3 TWh per year.
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