Facebook's bad patch became, yesterday, even more horrible. The company acknowledged that it may have exposed 87 million users to Cambridge Analytica. Worse yet, various apps over recent years appear to have scraped data about 2 billion users, as close to everybody as makes little difference. Facebook says it disabled a feature apps exploited for data scraping, a search function that enabled users to look for people by entering their email address or phone number.
As the US and China squabble over tariffs, China charging protectionism and the US calling out China for IP theft and unfair practices, US officials brace for a round of renewed Chinese cyber espionage.
Russia's attempt to have its charges of provocation by Novichok validated by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has failed, voted down 15 to 6, with 17 abstentions. (Lining up with Moscow's bid to demand the UK conduct a "joint investigation" of the Sailsbury nerve agent attack were China, Azerbaijan, Sudan, Algeria and Iran.) Tensions remain high with strong expectations that they'll find expression in cyberspace.
The US is said to be preparing sanctions against at least six Russian billionaire oligarchs. Outgoing US National Security Advisor McMaster's valediction was an unusually direct and forceful condemnation of Russian behavior and a call to impose costs on that country's government. More significantly, Director of National Intelligence Coats yesterday said that the US Government was seriously considering beginning a cyber offensive against Russia. Previous policy statements had concentrated, publicly, on defensive measures.