“Weekend Briefing” is a weekly newsletter sent to subscribers of The Readable every Friday. Our journalists select important news items from the previous week on topics ranging from privacy to policy development in cybersecurity, all to help you stay abreast of the latest breaking issues. And not only is this provided free of cost to our subscribers, but the briefing contains new content exclusive to subscribers, such as our insightful industrial reports.
During my visit to Belgium about a month ago, I had the opportunity to speak with Christian-Marc Lifländer, the Head of NATO’s Cyber & Hybrid Policy Section. Lifländer emphasized in his official statement that Russia would face consequences for “shattering peace in Europe,” specifically referring to its actions in Ukraine. He underscored the necessity of international cooperation to deter Russia and reiterated the importance of prioritizing long-term security over short-term economic interests.
The Moscow-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky is facing significant repercussions amid global actions against Russia. On Thursday, the United States Commerce Department announced a ban on the use of Kaspersky software within the U.S. and by Americans worldwide. The decision cited the company’s ties to Russia and stated concerns about “undue and unacceptable risks to U.S. national security and the safety of U.S. persons.” Kaspersky, however, has denied being a security threat.
After the recent meeting between the leaders of Russia and North Korea in Pyongyang on Wednesday, global tensions have heightened. Kuksung Nam has been closely tracking a significant story involving the United Nations and its joint statement on cybersecurity. Additionally, three journalists from my team, including myself, participated in an international cybersecurity conference held in South Korea, where we reported on four stories directly from the event. Sylvie Truong’s insights on healthcare security are also featured in this week’s briefing, along with two additional articles.
This is Dain Oh reporting from South Korea, and here is your weekend briefing.
1. UN member states unite in first joint statement on cybersecurity threats
Approximately one-third of the United Nations member states announced on Thursday a joint statement emphasizing the seriousness of evolving cyber threats to international security. This marks the first affirmation of its kind in the history of the UN Security Council.
On June 21, South Korea’s foreign ministry revealed that representatives from 63 U.N. member states and the European Union issued a “Joint Statement on the Use of Information and Communications Technology in the Context of International Peace and Security” at the U.N. Security Council headquarters. South Korea’s foreign minister, Cho Tae-yul, delivered the speech as the country began its official month-long presidency term at the U.N. Security Council earlier this month. READ MORE
2. South Korea’s quantum village convenes global experts to discuss cybersecurity
Sejong, South Korea―A local cybersecurity event that emerged from humble origins three years ago in a South Korean city has grown into an international gathering, welcoming over 1,300 college students from around the world as participants.
HackTheon Sejong is an annual conference hosted by Sejong City, located two hours’ drive from central Seoul and serving as the de facto administrative capital of South Korea. The city houses 23 central administrative agencies, 22 affiliated organizations, and several dozen public institutions.
The event’s name, HackTheon, combines ‘hacker’ and ‘pantheon,’ referencing an ancient Roman temple dedicated to the gods, which aligns with the city’s vision of gathering the world’s top cybersecurity talents in Sejong. College students participate in a jeopardy-style Capture-The-Flag (CTF) competition, showcasing their skills to answer questions and achieve the highest score among the 40 teams that reach the final round. These teams gathered at the Government Complex Sejong Convention Center from eight countries, totaling 146 participants. READ MORE
3. Space systems need security solutions against quantum-based threats, expert warns
Sejong, South Korea―Quantum satellites, representing the next generation of space systems, must adopt measures to counter innovative threats, according to a quantum cryptography expert who spoke on Wednesday.
Ayesha Khalid, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Secure Information Technologies at Queen’s University Belfast, presented a security solution for satellites against quantum-based threats at the 2024 HackTheon Joint Conference in Sejong, South Korea.
The lecturer emphasized that much of the national infrastructure depends on space systems. For example, satellites become particularly crucial when the ground station network is unavailable due to natural disasters or war. READ MORE
4. Expert proposes digital watermarking as powerful solution to combat disinformation
Sejong, South Korea―Digital watermarking technology could be an effective tool for detecting disinformation, especially in an era where fabricators of misleading media are equipped with artificial intelligence technologies, suggested an expert on information hiding on Wednesday.
David Megias, a professor in the Faculty of Computer Science, Multimedia, and Telecommunications at the Open University of Catalonia, introduced various adaptations of data-hiding technologies to counter malicious cyber activities. He delivered his presentation to an international audience attending the Hacktheon Joint Conference, part of the Hacktheon Sejong Cyber Security Week event, held at the Government Complex Sejong Convention Center.
During his keynote speech, Megias, who is also a member of the Center for Cybersecurity Research of Catalonia (CYBERCAT), broke down information-hiding technologies into two branches: digital watermarking and steganography. Steganography, a term derived from the Greek words “Steganos” (meaning covert) and “Graphos” (meaning writing), describes a technique used to disguise information within ordinary messages, making it difficult for unsuspecting observers to notice and identify a text’s true meaning. READ MORE
5. Adversarial prompting: Backdoor attacks on AI become major concern in technology
Sejong, South Korea―While the trustworthiness of artificial intelligence models is being rigorously tested by technology researchers, backdoor attacks on large language models (LLMs) present one of the most challenging security concerns for AI, according to an expert on Thursday.
Key to generative AI, an LLM refers to a deep learning algorithm trained on extensive datasets. The neural networks underlying an LLM provide generative AI with self-attention capabilities.
Choi Dae-seon, a professor in the Department of Software at Soongsil University, presented the latest security landscape related to generative AI at HackTheon Sejong. His research laboratory is involved in several national AI projects in South Korea, and the AI Safety Research Center is set to launch this August within the campus. READ MORE
6. Expert emphasizes securing the weakest link in cybersecurity: IoT consumer products
Internet-connected devices are reshaping people’s lives, yet they remain among the most highly vulnerable of consumer products, emphasized a global expert on cybersecurity testing and certification on Tuesday, underscoring the critical need for protective measures to be enacted on all such devices worldwide.
In an interview with The Readable, Jerome Hamel, the head of Cybersecurity Technical Governance at Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services (CPS), emphasized the importance of protecting consumer internet of things (IoT) products. He noted that these products not only endanger the personal data of users but also serve as intermediaries enabling attackers to target critical assets.
Hamel remarked, “Consumer IoT is the weakest link in cybersecurity. While there are often robust security measures in the cloud and on the network itself, the devices connected to the network are very often inadequately protected.” READ MORE
7. [Perspective] When our cyber defenses bleed and supply chains fail
I remember the blood drives organized at our school. As students, many of us were excited to donate blood for the free sugary snacks we would receive afterward—and, of course, missing 3rd period history class. Back then, our biggest technological concerns were whether our flip phones had enough battery to last the day and if we had enough minutes left to call our friends.
Fast forward to today, and the contrast is stark and alarming. Hospitals in London are now urgently appealing for blood donations following a critical cyberattack. One hospital even circulated an internal memo asking staff with type O blood to donate. London, one of the most advanced cities in the world, is now appealing to its own hospital staff for blood donations due to the severity of a cyberattack. This underscores the heightened dependence on technology defining modern life. READ MORE
8. Commentary: Vietnam to expand cybersecurity cooperation with US
On June 13th, Vietnamese President To Lam met with United States Ambassador Marc E. Knapper and proposed to enhance the national cooperation in anti-terrorism, transnational crime, and cybersecurity.
Two days earlier, on June 11th, President To Lam met with Chinese Ambassador Xiong Bo. The President urged China to “respect each other’s legitimate rights” at sea. This appeal followed the presence of a Chinese navy survey ship in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for nearly a month. At times, the survey ship was accompanied by at least a dozen other vessels. Despite Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanding the immediate removal of these ships in May, China did not comply until June.
The proposal for expanded security cooperation with the U.S. aligns with Vietnam’s Bamboo Diplomacy, which seeks to balance relations with major powers while safeguarding sovereignty, akin to bamboo bending with the wind but not breaking. Notably, Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit Vietnam on June 19th and 20th. These diplomatic engagements highlight broader geopolitical dynamics. READ MORE
More stories this week…
9. [Reuters] In China, AI transformed Ukrainian YouTuber into a Russian
10. [U.S. Department of Justice] Federal Indictment Alleges Alliance Between Sinaloa Cartel and Money Launderers Linked to Chinese Underground Banking
11. [Krebs On Security] KrebsOnSecurity Threatened with Defamation Lawsuit Over Fake Radaris CEO
