Hacker News with Generative AI: Espionage

An inside look at NSA tactics, techniques and procedures from China's lens (inversecos.com)
Since I reside in a Five Eyes country (Australia) and have publicly presented four cases I led on China’s APT41 attacking organisations in ASEAN, particularly concerning China’s cyber and political strategies, I was curious to explore what China publishes about Five Eyes operations.
Cybersecurity, Espionage, Intelligence Agencies, International Relations, China
227 points by davikr 2 days ago | 70 comments
A Signal Update Fends Off a Phishing Technique Used in Russian Espionage (wired.com)
Google warns that hackers tied to Russia are tricking Ukrainian soldiers with fake QR codes for Signal group invites that let spies steal their messages. Signal has pushed out new safeguards.
Cybersecurity, Espionage, Russia, Signal, Ukraine
11 points by 01-_- 2 days ago | 2 comments
Multiple Russia-aligned threat actors actively targeting Signal Messenger (cloud.google.com)
Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) has observed increasing efforts from several Russia state-aligned threat actors to compromise Signal Messenger accounts used by individuals of interest to Russia's intelligence services.
Cybersecurity, Russia, Messaging Apps, Espionage, Threat Intelligence
817 points by karel-3d 2 days ago | 286 comments
More victims of China's Salt Typhoon crew emerge: Telcos now hit via Cisco bugs (theregister.com)
China's Salt Typhoon spy crew exploited vulnerabilities in Cisco devices to compromise at least seven devices linked to global telecom providers and other orgs, in addition to its previous victim count.
Cybersecurity, China, Cisco, Telecom, Espionage
9 points by rntn 8 days ago | 1 comments
Australian spies tracked down Russian cyber-gang responsible for data leak (9news.com.au)
Exclusive: Siberian nightlife has its opportunities. Just ask Australian cyber-spies, who used a vodka-soaked night in a seedy bar to smash a multi-million-dollar business run by dodgy Russians warehousing stolen data.
Cybersecurity, Russia, Espionage, Australia
6 points by deverton 9 days ago | 0 comments
Crimelords and spies for rogue states are working together, says Google (theregister.com)
Google says the the world's lawmakers must take action against the increasing links between criminal and state-sponsored cyber activity.
Cybersecurity, Espionage, Crime, Government, International Relations
4 points by beardyw 9 days ago | 0 comments
Exclusive – Chinese Spy Balloon Was Packed with American Tech (newsweek.com)
A Chinese spy balloon that crossed over the United States in 2023 was packed with American technology that could have enabled it to spy on Americans, according to two sources with direct knowledge of a technical analysis conducted by the U.S. military.
Espionage, China, Technology, Military, Security
7 points by cwwc 11 days ago | 0 comments
The 'Mosaic' Method and the Value of CIA Names to U.S. Adversaries (lawfaremedia.org)
CIA, Intelligence, Espionage, National Security, Methodology
19 points by hn_acker 11 days ago | 3 comments
Former Google engineer indicted for spying for Communist China (justice.gov)
A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment today charging Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, 38, with seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets in connection with an alleged plan to steal from Google LLC (Google) proprietary information related to AI technology.
Artificial Intelligence, Espionage, China, Law, Google
13 points by 737min 15 days ago | 2 comments
Chinese National Charged with Plan to Steal AI Technology from Google (justice.gov)
A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment today charging Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, 38, with seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets in connection with an alleged plan to steal from Google LLC (Google) proprietary information related to AI technology.
Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Crime, Espionage, China
6 points by impish9208 16 days ago | 0 comments
Ex Federal Reserve advisor charged with economic espionage to benefit China (cnbc.com)
Espionage, China, Economics, Politics, Law Enforcement
15 points by belter 21 days ago | 3 comments
Taking a $15 Casio F91W 5km underwater (watchesofespionage.com)
While the stories we tell typically explore the world of intelligence in the terrestrial sense, espionage and the deep sea have been closely linked for decades.
Watches, Underwater Exploration, Espionage
359 points by nnnnico 21 days ago | 95 comments
Britain Says Russian Spy Ship Returned to U.K. Waters in Sign of Kremlin Threat (nytimes.com)
Britain on Wednesday warned that it faced a growing threat of aggression from Russia, asserting that a Russian spy ship had passed by the English coast for the second time in three months, in the latest incident that seemed designed to test British military capabilities.
Russia, International Relations, Military, Security, Espionage
8 points by jbegley 30 days ago | 1 comments
Book and Dagger: How scholars and librarians became spies during World War II (newrepublic.com)
About a year after I completed my Ph.D. in modern literature, during which time I’d had no luck landing employment, I approached a well-known literary scholar for his counsel. “Greg,” he said conspiratorially, “have you ever thought about working for the company?” “Dr. ___, I don’t really want to go into private industry.” “No, Greg; I mean the company. I can get you in.” Gobsmacked, I thought to myself, This guy doesn’t know his audience. Neither our politics nor my skills.
History, Academia, Espionage, Literature
61 points by samclemens 35 days ago | 50 comments
MI5 files suggest queen not briefed on spy Blunt in royal household for 9 years (theguardian.com)
The late Queen Elizabeth II was not told for almost 10 years that Anthony Blunt, a surveyor of the queen’s pictures and a member of the royal household, had confessed to being a Soviet double agent, previously secret security files suggest.
History, Royal Family, Espionage, Intelligence, United Kingdom
6 points by bookofjoe 38 days ago | 0 comments
DOJ confirms FBI operation that mass-deleted Chinese malware from US computers (techcrunch.com)
U.S. authorities have confirmed that they disrupted the operations of a Chinese state-backing hacking group, which infiltrated millions of computers worldwide to steal data as part of a years-long espionage campaign.
Cybersecurity, Government, China, Espionage
37 points by alp1n3_eth 38 days ago | 19 comments
Chinese cyber-spies peek over shoulder of officials probing real-estate deals (theregister.com)
Chinese cyber-spies who broke into the US Treasury Department also stole documents from officials investigating real-estate sales near American military bases, it's reported.
Cybersecurity, Government, Espionage, Real Estate, Military
6 points by LinuxBender 41 days ago | 2 comments
How Chinese Hackers Graduated from Clumsy Corporate Thieves to Military Weapons (msn.com)
Cybersecurity, China, Hacking, Military, Espionage
4 points by MilnerRoute 47 days ago | 0 comments
Chinese cyber-spies reportedly targeted sanctions Intel in US Treasury raid (theregister.com)
Chinese spies who compromised the US Treasury Department's workstations reportedly stole data belonging to a government office responsible for sanctions against organizations and individuals.
Cybersecurity, Government, China, Espionage, Intel
7 points by penda 50 days ago | 0 comments
How China turns members of its diaspora into spies (economist.com)
AMONG EXILED Chinese dissidents, Tang Yuanjun was well known. He had participated in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and landed in prison as a result. He later defected to Taiwan, swimming to one of its outlying islands from a fishing boat. America granted him asylum and he settled in New York, becoming the leader of Chinese pro-democracy groups. But in August 2024 he was arrested by the FBI.
Espionage, China, Politics, Diaspora
228 points by cwwc 54 days ago | 220 comments
Russian-Linked Oil Tanker Suspected of Sabotage Was Brimming with Spy Equipment (twz.com)
The Eagle S – a tanker ship carrying Russian oil and suspected of severing the Estlink 2 power cable running under the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia – was reportedly brimming with spy equipment.
Russia, Espionage, Maritime Security, Sabotage, International Relations
13 points by tomohawk 56 days ago | 4 comments
China turns members of its diaspora into spies (economist.com)
AMONG EXILED Chinese dissidents, Tang Yuanjun was well known. He had participated in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and landed in prison as a result. He later defected to Taiwan, swimming to one of its outlying islands from a fishing boat. America granted him asylum and he settled in New York, becoming the leader of Chinese pro-democracy groups. But in August 2024 he was arrested by the FBI.
China, Espionage, Diaspora, Politics, International Relations
13 points by walterbell 56 days ago | 1 comments
A 9th telecoms firm has been hit by a Chinese espionage campaign: WH (apnews.com)
A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday.
Cybersecurity, Espionage, China, Telecoms, US Government
16 points by ssahoo 56 days ago | 0 comments
Cable-cutting tanker seized by Finland 'was loaded with spying equipment' (lloydslist.com)
Espionage, Shipping, International Relations, Finland
590 points by nabla9 56 days ago | 561 comments
Ex-Mossad Agents Reveal How They Turned Hezbollah's Devices into Bombs (twz.com)
Key details of the Israeli intelligence service’s operation targeting members of Hezbollah with exploding pagers and walkie-talkies in September have been revealed.
Espionage, Intelligence, Hezbollah, Israel, Security
21 points by thenaturalist 57 days ago | 21 comments
Man Who Ran Secret Police Office in New York Admits He Was Chinese Agent (nytimes.com)
A man pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday to charges that he had worked as an unauthorized agent of the Chinese government, running a police outpost in Lower Manhattan as part of an effort to quash criticism of Beijing.
Espionage, China, New York, Law, Politics
11 points by ____H____ 64 days ago | 1 comments
Russia takes unusual route to hack Starlink-connected devices in Ukraine (arstechnica.com)
Russian nation-state hackers have followed an unusual path to gather intel in the country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine—appropriating the infrastructure of fellow threat actors and using it to infect electronic devices its adversary’s military personnel are using on the front line.
Cybersecurity, Ukraine, Russia, Military, Espionage
4 points by LinuxBender 72 days ago | 0 comments
China's Salt Typhoon recorded top American officials' calls, says White House (theregister.com)
Chinese cyberspies recorded "very senior" US political figures' calls, according to White House security boss Anne Neuberger.
Cybersecurity, China, US Politics, Espionage, National Security
66 points by rntn 74 days ago | 16 comments
Animals in Espionage (cia.gov)
At CIA, we find inspiration in all kinds of places, including nature. From robotic catfish to real-life spy birds, animals and their look-alikes have helped Agency officers perform a variety of critical duties, including eavesdropping, intelligence gathering, security, covert communications, and photo surveillance.
Espionage, Animals, CIA, Technology
36 points by carlos-menezes 75 days ago | 20 comments
Welrod (wikipedia.org)
The Welrod is a British bolt-action, magazine-fed pistol with an integrated silencer which was devised for covert operations during the Second World War by Major Hugh Reeves at the Inter-Services Research Bureau (later Station IX).
Weapons, History, Military, Espionage
12 points by rolph 76 days ago | 4 comments