Travis Hawley

06/11/2024

🚨 BREAKING: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has spoken with reelected President Trump. Many Jews and Israelis alike have a sense of optimism for the future.

02/11/2024

Many experts assess that normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is simply inevitable and the attack by the Islamic Republic of Iran through its proxy Hamas on October 7 was largely designed to thwart this normalization. But likely all it did is lead to the fall of all its prized proxies Hamas and Hezbollah and delayed the inevitable that will now be seen as even more important of a deal to make happen.

30/10/2024

This is a great piece by NYT. Russia, China and Iran are pumping out dis/misinformation at break neck speeds across social media that the Western world is gobbling up as fact because it usually supports their pre-existing beliefs or bias and triggers a negative emotion.

Full report here: https://archive.ph/reDly

29/10/2024

There’s an important distinction between misinformation and disinformation. This distinction is related to the intent. Misinformation is false information that is spread unintentionally whereas disinformation is false information that is spread intentionally.

22/10/2024

Our foreign adversaries are carrying out influence operations to seed social media with an abundance of misinformation and disinformation to destroy our trust in our election process, as well as to further divide us along partisan lines. Now, of course this isn’t new, but this is expanding at breakneck speeds.

21/10/2024

"Following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, a pro-Kremlin ad network likely associated with the Doppelganger campaign began targeting audiences in France and Germany on Facebook utilising narratives around the conflict. These ads compare the Israel-Hamas war with the Russia-Ukraine war and spread pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives by criticising military support and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, criticising the US’s role in the conflict, and using the Israel-Hamas war to exacerbate divisions around polarising topics in France and Germany."

Full report: https://www.isdglobal.org/digital_dispatches/how-a-pro-kremlin-ad-campaign-used-the-israel-hamas-conflict-to-spread-propaganda-in-france-and-germany/

21/10/2024

"OpenAI has disrupted over 20 malicious cyber operations abusing its AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT, for debugging and developing malware, spreading misinformation, evading detection, and conducting spear-phishing attacks. The report, which focuses on operations since the beginning of the year, constitutes the first official confirmation that generative mainstream AI tools are used to enhance offensive cyber operations."

Full report: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/openai-confirms-threat-actors-use-chatgpt-to-write-malware/

16/10/2024

I am curious at what point we will look back at these times and realize that social media wasn't the cigarette of our time but rather the cigarette + casino + alcohol + "carnival mirror"... Thoughts?

15/10/2024

"Archive.org, one of the only entities to attempt to preserve the entire history of the World Wide Web and much of the broader Internet, was recently compromised in a hack that revealed data on roughly 31 million users."

Full report here: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/10/archive-org-a-repository-storing-the-entire-history-of-the-internet-has-been-hacked/

14/10/2024

What is happening on college and university campuses is a tragedy of morality and ignorance. has shown non-stop moral clarity since October 7th.

14/10/2024

Tensions are heightened on the Korean peninsula following North Korea ordering its artillery core to be prepared to shoot against any potential South Korean targets.

13/10/2024

"Congressional staffers whose personal details have been exposed on the dark web could be at increased risk of blackmail and other targeted cyberattacks, cybersecurity experts have warned.

Almost 20 percent of U.S. congressional staffers' email addresses have been compromised in various data breaches, research conducted by privacy-focused tech company Proton, in partnership with Constella Intelligence, found."

"The potential consequences of compromised accounts could be severe," according to Proton's account security head Eamonn Maguire.

09/10/2024

If we are honest with ourselves, all social media apps are harmful to our mental health when not done within serious boundaries which is also rare. The gamification features and algorithms are literally designed to addict us and enrage us. But the network effects have us locked in as the FOMO from content, news and our digital communities makes us feel as if we cannot signifantly reduce use or cease it all together.

I think we need a serious intervention that includes cessation, policies, regulation and education. Does anyone else have potential and realistic solutions to this mental health crisis and dis/misinformation crisis largely influenced by the various social media platforms?

09/10/2024

Via The Hacker News: Chinese state-sponsored hackers, identified as Salt Typhoon, have infiltrated several U.S. internet service providers (ISPs) in a cyber espionage campaign aimed at accessing sensitive data and establishing persistent control over networks. The group, previously known for targeting Southeast Asian entities, uses advanced tools like the Demodex rootkit. Recent investigations revealed compromised servers and workstations linked to command-and-control servers. This breach is part of broader Chinese efforts to target critical infrastructure, following another recent disruption of a botnet controlled by a Beijing-linked group, Flax Typhoon.

Full report here: https://thehackernews.com/2024/09/chinese-hackers-infiltrate-us-internet.html?m=1

05/10/2024

Israel’s air defense system has demonstrated its remarkable capabilities, defending the nation from various threats. Since the war began on October 7, 2023, the Iron Dome has been intercepting rockets and missiles launched by Hamas and Hezbollah. Moreover, in mid-April and on October 1, 2024, Israel’s defense systems intercepted ballistic missiles and one-way drones launched from Iran, further proving the strength of its multi-layered defense.

• Iron Dome: This system is the backbone of Israel’s defense against short-range threats, intercepting and neutralizing rockets, artillery shells, and mortars. It boasts an impressive success rate of over 90%, protecting cities and civilian areas by calculating the trajectory of incoming projectiles and only engaging those that would hit populated areas.

• David’s Sling: A relatively newer addition to Israel’s arsenal, David’s Sling targets medium to long-range threats such as cruise missiles, larger drones, and heavier missiles. It bridges the gap between the Iron Dome and Arrow systems, providing flexible defense for threats beyond Iron Dome’s range.

• Arrow: Designed to intercept high-altitude, long-range ballistic missiles, the Arrow system is crucial for neutralizing the most severe threats, including those carrying nuclear or chemical warheads. With multiple variations like Arrow 2 and Arrow 3, it defends against missiles from distant countries such as Iran.

• Patriot: Initially developed to counter aircraft, the Patriot system has been upgraded to intercept ballistic missiles and sophisticated aerial threats. In addition to engaging missiles, it serves as a secondary line of defense against enemy aircraft and can handle more complex, higher-altitude threats that might bypass other systems.

05/10/2024

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China has been rapidly expanding and modernizing its military capabilities, fueled in part by technology stolen from the West, including the U.S., which has bolstered its advanced weaponry and cyber capabilities. In recent years, China has escalated its aggressive posture in the South China Sea, asserting territorial claims against nations like Japan and the Philippines, often through militarized island-building and confrontational naval patrols. Additionally, China has conducted increasingly frequent military exercises near Taiwan, signaling its intention to retake the island, which it views as a breakaway province. This growing military threat is underscored by China’s assertive rhetoric, with leadership openly stating ambitions to reunify Taiwan, raising tensions in the region and sparking concerns of a larger conflict that could draw in international powers.

04/10/2024

Via Military Times: "The website was one of nearly two dozen flagged in a recent report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a research group focusing on foreign policy and national security. The group warned that Iranian operatives were trying to pass off the sites as legitimate news outlets and use the content to cast doubt on America’s democratic process."

Full report here: https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/extremism-disinformation/2024/10/02/iran-linked-website-targets-vets-with-disinformation-think-tank-warns/

04/10/2024

Via CyberScoop: "Congressional Republicans on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence are requesting a briefing from the FBI and Securities Exchange Commission on e-commerce app Temu and its parent company, Pinduoduo, saying both pose a potential threat to national security and the personal data of Americans.

In a letter sent Tuesday to FBI Director Christopher Wray and SEC Chair Gary Gensler, Chair Michael Turner, R-Ohio, and 13 other Republicans on the committee said they were concerned about numerous news reports over the past year that have detailed concerning business practices of Temu and Pinduoduo, which is incorporated in the Cayman Islands and headquartered in Shanghai, China.

Among those concerns was Pinduoduo’s suspension from the Google Play Store last year, after researchers discovered that its Android app contained a zero-day vulnerability that was capable of elevating administrative privileges, stealing personal data from, and installing malicious software on user devices.

“Due to the above cited incidents and many others, we are concerned about the protection of Americans’ data,” the lawmakers wrote. “Analogous to Congress’ action on TikTok, the relationship between the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese national security laws, and Americans’ data must be understood.”

Full report here: https://cyberscoop.com/house-intelligence-republicans-temu-pinduoduo-zero-day/