In a joint release last week, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and other federal agencies issued a chilling Advisory about the ongoing attacks by Volt Typhoon on U.S. critical infrastructure. Volt Typhoon is a People’s Republic of China (PRC) sponsored group that uses slow and persistent techniques to gain entry into U.S.-based critical
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Privacy Tip #384 – Montana Appeals Order Blocking Ban of TikTok
Montana’s legislature last year passed legislation, signed by the Governor, to ban the use of TikTok within the borders of the state, seeking to protect Montana consumers’ personal information and limit spying by the Chinese government through TikTok.
Some Montana users sued Montana to block the ban. A federal judge in Montana issued a preliminary…
Privacy Tip #377 – China’s Threat to US: Watch 60 Minutes with the Five Eyes
If you didn’t get to watch “60 Minutes” on Sunday and see the “Five Eyes” warn us all about China, put it on your list to watch soon.
The Five Eyes are the intelligence leaders of five allied countries: U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, and New Zealand. I have never seen all five together before and…
High Alert: China Linked BlackTech Hides in Router Firmware
Not only is the People’s Republic of China (PRC) a threat with its use of TikTok, but it also supports threat actors that have for years attacked U.S. based companies as well as the governments of the U.S. and Japan. According to a Joint Advisory published on September 27, 2023, by the National Security Agency…
Privacy Tip #361 – Beware of ChatGPT-Themed Scams
Researchers at Meta, the owner of Facebook, released a report this week which indicated that since March 2023, Meta “has blocked and shared with our industry peers more than 1,000 malicious links from being shared across our technologies” of unique ChatGPT-themed web addresses designed to deliver malicious software to users’ devices.
According to Meta’s report…
Growing Calls to Ban Chinese Owned TikTok App and Other Software Apps Considered to be National Security Threats
Chinese company ByteDance faces growing concerns from governments and regulators that user data from its popular short video-sharing app TikTok could be handed over to the Chinese government. The concern is based on China’s national security laws, which give its government the power to compel Chinese-based companies to hand over any user data. More than…
University of Texas at Austin Permanently Blocks TikTok on Network
On Tuesday, January 17, 2023, the University of Texas at Austin announced that it has blocked TikTok access across the university’s networks. According to the announcement to its users, “You are no longer able to access TikTok on any device if you are connected to the university via its wired or WIFI networks.” The measure…
Nineteen States Have Banned TikTok on Government-Issued Devices
Governors of numerous states have issued Executive Orders in the past several weeks banning TikTok from government-issued devices and many have already implemented a ban, with others considering similar measures. There is also bi-partisan support of a ban in the Senate, which unanimously approved a bill last week that would ban the app from devices…
FCC Bans Import of Chinese Technology
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will categorically ban devices over national security concerns for the first time in history. Per a new order, the FCC will prohibit the import and sale of devices produced by Huawei and ZTE, and restrict the use of several other Chinese-produced devices for government and critical infrastructure purposes. Huawei…
South Dakota Governor Bans State Workers from Using TikTok
It is estimated that some 80 million Americans and more than one billion people use TikTok. It is well known that TikTok has a direct connection to the Chinese Communist Party, which is a foreign adversary of the U.S. This week, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem signed an executive order banning all state workers or…