More Signal. Less Noise.

V2 | Issue 210 | 10.29.20

Biometrics for borders? Big Tech's big day on Capitol Hill.

Summary

By the CyberWire staff

At a glance.

Biometric policy under review.
Big Tech on Capitol Hill.

US contemplates advancing, expanding newcomer biometric screenings.

The Wall Street Journal reports the US National Security Council is considering requiring visa hopefuls to tender fingerprints and other biometric data before they can file an application. Currently, biometric data is collected after applications are submitted. The new rule would permit additional time for background checks. As part of the plan, the Department of Homeland Security was instructed earlier this month to buy more advanced fingerprinting machines to send overseas. The Council is also considering rolling out biometric screening requirements for countries participating in visa waiver agreements. Some functionaries worry that should the proposal go through, other nations might respond with similar conditions.

Facebook, Twitter, Google testify before US Senate Commerce Committee.

In advance of yesterday’s hearing, Big Tech faced bipartisan concern that Section 230 allows “companies to abdicate their responsibility to impartially moderate content,” WNYT reports. Facebook, Twitter, and Google all testified that they do not referee political speech and maintained that the law’s provision for regulating “otherwise objectionable” content isn’t overbroad, according to Yahoo.

Twitter identified its cardinal sin as the failure to earn society’s trust, and proposed additional transparency measures as a solution. The CEO acknowledged he has no “information whatsoever” that the New York Post story concerning Hunter Biden’s emails (which the platform blocked) is Russian disinformation, or that the emails are inauthentic. In an exchange the Wall Street Journal described, Senator Ted Cruz (Republican of Texas) reprimanded the CEO for censoring journalists and deciding “what the American people are allowed to hear,” asking who elected him and accusing the company of behaving like a “Democratic super PAC.” Other senators questioned why the platform censors President Trump but not presidential candidate Biden, Holocaust denials, or incitements of violence against Israel. Twitter clarified that its misinformation policy only covers certain topics, and dismissed the notion that the company has influence over elections, as USA Today reports.

Facebook was criticized for radicalizing users, hosting extremist groups, profiting off of division, and not doing enough to stem misinformation. The New York Times observed that the company is investing billions in election security. Zuckerberg mentioned conflicting pressures to remove more or less content, arguing the mixed signals don’t mean they’re “getting this right” but do mean “real disagreement” exists. He stated he wasn’t aware the employee in charge of election integrity previously worked for Biden.

Google disclaimed any political bias “full stop,” while allowing that the tech industry leans left. Senator Amy Klobuchar (Democrat of Minnesota) raised questions about the company’s market share, saying Google controls nearly ninety percent of search engine queries and seventy percent of search engine advertising. Pichai denied monopolization but expressed openness to feedback; Klobuchar said he had his feedback in the form of the federal antitrust lawsuit.

Senator Brian Schatz (Democrat of Hawaii) called the event “nonsense” and “bullying,” and others encouraged the platforms to push back against Republican pressure. Japan Today called the hearing a “political scuffle,” noting both President Trump and candidate Biden have called for Section 230’s revocation. Appeals for change are also coming in from abroad: the EU’s Digital Services Act would in part “address liability for harmful or illegal content.” Senator Cory Gardner (Republican of Colorado) remarked that unelected government bureaucrats' moderating speech would be even worse than the current situation. (Yahoo says it’s a shame important ongoing legal questions were overshadowed by the impending election.)

Selected Reading

Russian Turla hackers breach European government organization (BleepingComputer) Russian-speaking hacking group Turla has hacked into the systems of an undisclosed European government organization according to a new Accenture Cyber Threat Intelligence (ACTI) report.

The Cybersecurity 202: Election operations are holding up so far against a wave of hacks and technical failures (Washington Post) The week before Election Day has seen a wave of digital attacks on election systems and technical foul-ups, but officials are mostly parrying the blows to keep voting going on as planned.

In campaign’s closing days, disinformation arrives via text message and email (Washington Post) A video sent to voters falsely claimed that Joe Biden wants to give “sex changes to second-graders.”

‘Perception Hacks’ and Other Potential Threats to the Election (New York Times) In the final days of voting, election officials and cybersecurity experts are keeping a close eye on a range of possible ways foreign governments and other hackers could interfere.

Election Risks and Other Worries for Local Governments (Digitalware) The coming election, with all of its complexities and potential controversies, is at the forefront of every American’s mind. Our vote on November 3 will determine not only the next President of the United States, but also the balance of power in the US Senate and a host of other federal, state, and

Operation Earth Kitsune A Dance of Two New Backdoors (Trend Micro) We uncovered two new espionage backdoors associated with Operation Earth Kitsune: agfSpy and dneSpy. This post provides details about these malware types, including the relationship between them and their command and control (C&C) servers

Chinese Hackers Expanding Global Footprint Exploiting Common Vulnerabilities, Report Says (International Business Times, Singapore Edition) After the NSA published a list of 25 common vulnerabilities, cybersecurity research firm Check Point found that Chinese hackers have been exploiting them to expand globally

Cyberattacks target international conference attendees (Microsoft on the Issues) Today, we’re sharing that we have detected and worked to stop a series of cyberattacks from the Iranian threat actor Phosphorous masquerading as conference organizers to target more than 100 high-profile individuals, including potential attendees of the upcoming Munich Security Conference and the T20 Summit in Saudi Arabia.

Microsoft detects cyberattacks from Iran-linked actor engaged in intelligence collection (Reuters) Microsoft Corp <MSFT.O> said on Wednesday that it detected and attempted to stop a series of cyberattacks from Phosphorus, which the company described as an 'Iranian actor', with the attacks aimed to target over 100 high-profile individuals.

Microsoft: Iranian attackers hacked security conference attendees (BleepingComputer) Microsoft disclosed today that Iranian state-sponsored hackers successfully hacked into the email accounts of multiple high-profile individuals and potential attendees at this year's Munich Security Conference and the Think 20 (T20) summit.

Microsoft warns that Iranian hackers are targeting the Munich Security Conference (SiliconANGLE) Microsoft warns that Iranian hackers are targeting the Munich Security Conference - SiliconANGLE

The West Is Surprisingly Well-Equipped for Gray-Zone Deterrence (Defense One) Authoritarian officials and oligarchs interact with Western nations in ways that give democratic governments leverage.

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India, US sign intel-sharing agreement amid tension with neighboring China (Defense News) India and the United States have signed a basic exchange and cooperation agreement for geospatial cooperation, a major defense pact for the exchange of classified geospatial intelligence between their armed forces.

Pompeo, in Indonesia, renews China attacks as US vote looms (AP NEWS) U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo renewed the Trump administration’s rhetorical onslaught against China in Indonesia on Thursday as the American presidential election...

The 2020 Election May Be the Most Secure in U.S. History (Foreign Affairs) Cyberattacks and COVID-19 Still Threaten the Vote, but States Are Prepared for Both

Google to campaign against EU push for tougher rules against big tech (Computing) Technology giants are worried about the impact of new regulations on their business models

Facebook, Google, Twitter CEOs clash with Congress in pre-election showdown (Washington Post) The Senate Commerce Committee’s hearing was set to discuss tech’s content-moderation practices, but antitrust and extremism were also debated

At Hearing, Republicans Accuse Zuckerberg and Dorsey of Censorship (New York Times) Facebook, Google and Twitter C.E.O.s defend their content moderation at a Senate hearing.

Tech CEOs Square Off With Senators in Hearing Over Online Speech (Wall Street Journal) A Senate hearing in which lawmakers tangled with leaders of the largest social-media companies reflected deep discontent with their power to shape political discourse—and equally deep divisions over how to address it.

Jack Dorsey testifies that Twitter does not have the ability to influence elections during Senate hearing (USA TODAY) The claim came during testy questioning from Sen. Ted Cruz during a hearing in which Dorsey appeared with the CEOs of Facebook and Google.

Section 230 barely rates a mention in Senate's hasty pre-election flogging of tech CEOs (Yahoo) Today's Senate hearing on immensely important legal protections for online platforms quickly proved to be little more than an excuse for Senators to accuse the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Google of partisan interference with next week's election. The actual law being considered for revision

'Who the hell elected you?' U.S. Senate tech hearing becomes political showdown (Japan Today) A U.S. Senate hearing to reform an internet law and hold tech companies accountable for how they moderate content quickly turned into a political scuffle as lawmakers not only went after the companies but also attacked each other. Lawmakers are split on ways to hold Big Tech accountable under Section…

Social media CEOs rebuff bias claims, vow to defend election (WNYT NewsChannel 13) Under fire from President Donald Trump and his allies, the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Google rebuffed accusations of anti-conservative bias at a Senate hearing Wednesday and promised to aggressively defend their platforms from being used to sow chaos in next week's election.

Facebook, Google, Twitter CEOs clash with Congress in pre-election showdown (Washington Post) The Senate Commerce Committee’s hearing was set to discuss tech’s content-moderation practices, but antitrust and extremism were also debated

Lawmakers Urge Next Administration to Focus on Cybersecurity (Wall Street Journal) The slate of complex issues the next administration will inherit goes far beyond ongoing cyber conflicts with Russia, China and Iran, lawmakers and experts say. The federal government needs to bolster its own cyber capabilities, they say, while helping the U.S. navigate the rapid-fire digitization of the global economy.

Lawmaker wants speedier attribution for cyberattacks (C4ISRNET) Rep. Jim Langevin believes nations need to more quickly and publicly attribute malign cyber activity by other nations.

How The Election Will Affect The Federal Privacy Law Fight (Law360) Federal lawmakers have long struggled to craft privacy legislation that would dictate how companies use and share personal information, but if one party is able to control Congress and the presidency in this year's election, the prospects for a national standard are likely to increase significantly.

WSJ News Exclusive | Trump Administration Considers Early Biometric Screening for Visa Seekers (Wall Street Journal) Under the proposal, visa applicants would need to submit their fingerprints and possibly other biometric information to be entered into a new database before they are permitted to submit applications online.

FBI, DOJ announce indictment against 8 Chinese operatives (Fox News) FBI Director Christopher Wray and Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers announced an indictment of eight Chinese operatives accused of taking part in a widespread campaign to intimidate and coerce dissidents around the world that have reached U.S. soil.

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Facebook sued over Cambridge Analytica data scandal (BBC News) The company is accused of misusing almost one million users' data in England and Wales.

Dems Ask FCC If Trump Interfered In Social Media Probe (Law360) Two House Democrats have asked the Federal Communications Commission to clarify whether the White House or President Donald Trump's reelection campaign has interfered in a rulemaking that could crack down on perceived social media bias.

Update on DoD’s Cloud-Based Internet Isolation (Menlo Security) Menlo CTO Kowsik Guruswamy joins host John Gilroy and Mike Hatcher of By Light to talk about web isolation and their progress on the CBII deployment for DoD.

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Algorithmic Warfare: Air Force Meshes Info-War Capabilities (National Defense) The Air Force is working to coalesce a number of its information warfare operations as great power competitors Russia and China make investments in their own digital warfighting tools.

Is Twitter Going Full Resistance? Here’s the Woman Driving the Change. (POLITICO) The war between conservatives and Twitter is heating up, in part because of Vijaya Gadde’s unheralded influence on the iconic social-media company.

BT hands Ericsson major 5G contract as Huawei snub continues (Channel Web) Nordic vendor will help manage 50 per cent of 5G traffic going through BT and its EE provider

Part Two: Huawei Enlists Russian Talent and Technology to Ensure Future Innovation (Council on Foreign Relations) Huawei is expanding its presence in Russia to sustain its growth.

Government to spend up to £20m on ‘border flow’ contract with CIA-backed big data firm Palantir (PublicTechnology.net) The government will spend up to £20m with big data firm Palantir to deliver a “border flow service”. Newly published procurement information reveals that the Cabinet Office has awarded an initial one-year deal that will be worth £7.85m to the US firm.

Air Force awards contract for new cyberspace test facility, munitions complex at Eglin AFB (U.S. Air Force) The Air Force Civil Engineer Center is leading the construction of $107 million in state-of-the-art facilities at Eglin Air Force Base.