This week, an article by WIRED revealed that a group of scammers known as the Yahoo Boys are openly conducting their criminal activities on major platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok, and Telegram. These scammers are evading content moderation systems and engaging in scams and sextortion schemes.
Researchers recently published a paper detailing a new AI-based method to detect suspected money laundering activity on a blockchain. This methodology, developed by scientists from Elliptic, MIT, and IBM, collected patterns of bitcoin transactions from known scammers to an exchange where illicit cryptocurrency could be converted into cash. The researchers used this data to train an AI model to identify similar patterns.
There is growing concern among governments and industry experts about increasing attacks against GPS systems in the Baltic region since the conflict in Ukraine began. These attacks, attributed to Russia by officials in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, can disrupt GPS signals, leading to navigation issues. WIRED also explored Ukraine’s thriving drone industry, where around 200 companies are competing to develop more lethal and efficient autonomous weapons.
In other news, an Australian company that provided facial recognition kiosks to bars and clubs exposed the data of over 1 million patrons, highlighting the risks of sharing biometric information. The Biden administration is urging tech companies to sign a voluntary pledge to improve cybersecurity efforts, as well as updating its plan to safeguard critical infrastructure from cyber threats, terrorism, and natural disasters.
Additionally, a recent report unearthed a government procurement document revealing that major Israeli weapons manufacturers are required to use Google and Amazon for cloud-based services. This raises questions about Google’s claims that its technology is not used for military purposes, especially in light of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Google employees protested the joint venture with Israel, resulting in the termination of nearly 30 workers.
Furthermore, a mass surveillance tool called TraffiCatch is being used at the border to track individuals in real time by intercepting wireless signals from smartwatches, earbuds, and cars. This technology, which connects wireless signals with vehicles identified by license plate readers, is raising concerns about privacy and legal implications. The report underscores how signals intelligence technology, once exclusive to the military, is now accessible to local governments and the public.
Lastly, allegations of an assassination plot involving an officer from India’s intelligence service targeting a prominent critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have sparked international attention. The US and Canada have previously linked the Indian government to the deaths of other separatist leaders, highlighting the complexity of political tensions and international espionage.
US lawmakers have introduced a bill aimed at establishing a new wing of the National Security Agency dedicated to countering threats aimed at AI systems. The Secure Artificial Intelligence Act extends the government’s monitoring capabilities to include adversarial machine learning, which aims to sabotage AI systems using unconventional cyber warfare techniques.
