Latest Articles about Cyber
State Goals, Private Tools: Digital Sovereignty and Surveillance Along the Belt and Road
Executive Summary: Beijing promotes digital sovereignty in its engagements with other countries but with the caveat that it can maintain access to partner countries’ digital systems. Leaked documents from cyber contracting firm iS00N indicate a focus on One Belt One Road partner countries, targeting critical... MORE
AI Leadership Depends on What is Measured
Executive Summary: Chinese open-source Large Language Models (LLMs) perform better than Western ones, according to a recent report from an artificial intelligence evaluation organization SuperCLUE. Chinese LLMs also excel in cost-efficiency, scalability, and localized applications, with advancements in edge devices and use cases in the... MORE
PRC Adapts Meta’s Llama for Military and Security AI Applications
Executive Summary: Researchers in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have optimized Meta’s Llama model for specialized military and security purposes. ChatBIT, an adapted Llama model, appears to be successful in demonstrations in which it was used in military contexts such as intelligence, situational analysis,... MORE
Beijing’s Latest Data Security Regulations Create Framework for Broad Domestic and Extraterritorial Supervision
Executive Summary: The State Council-approved “Network Data Security Management Regulations” impose stringent compliance requirements on data processors and platform service providers to safeguard personal information, important data, and cross-border data. The “Regulations” signal continued efforts by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to assert control... MORE
Russia Legalizes Cryptocurrency Mining to Circumvent Western Sanctions
Executive Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law legalizing cryptocurrency mining in Russia and inaugurated a pilot project for using cryptocurrencies to pay for international trade as a way to circumvent Western sanctions. Russian banks and private interests have also continued to develop Digital... MORE
Airstrikes, Artificial Intelligence, and Sabotage Drive Russian Psyops
Executive Summary: The Russian Federation continues its efforts aimed at destabilizing Ukrainian society and undermining Kyiv’s defense capabilities through the use of social media and bots to spread disinformation. Russian propagandists effectively combine kinetic and non-kinetic means to increase the effects on the target audience,... MORE
Russia’s War Against Ukraine Driving Evolution of Cyber Warfare
Executive Summary: The war in Ukraine is leading both Moscow and Kyiv to engage in increased cyberattacks that are destructive to both infrastructure and civilian lives from meddling with energy networks to manipulating people into committing violent acts. Ukraine has conducted a large-scale call center... MORE
Planned Obsolescence: The Strategic Support Force In Memoriam (2015-2024)
Executive Summary: The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Strategic Support Force likely was designed principally as a transitional structure meant to provide a home for disparate space, cyber, and informatization forces until their force structure could be developed enough to stand as independent branches. The successor... MORE
CCP Cyber Sovereignty Contains Lessons For AI’s Future
Executive Summary: Xi Jinping is unequivocal that US-China AI cooperation is contingent on Western AI technology flowing into the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Broken promises from past US-China technology transfers suggest the PRC will once again use US technology to strengthen censorship and surveillance... MORE
Deepfakes with Chinese Characteristics: PRC Influence Operations in 2024
Executive Summary: The PRC’s potential to interfere in elections with deepfakes has been noted, with strategies including creating false narratives around candidates and misleading information on electoral processes. Advanced AI tools could further sophisticate these interference efforts, impacting democratic processes worldwide. Beijing appears to have... MORE