The Readable

🏮 NEWS ON PRIVACY 🕵♀️ Iris scanning is becoming increasingly popular as a fast and accurate method of biometric identification, commonly used to unlock smartphones and verify financial transactions. Its contactless ease of use has led to widespread adoption across various industries. However, despite its convenience, iris scanning raises significant concerns regarding data sensitivity and potential breaches. While advancements in security enhance personal identification technology, they also intensify concerns over privacy and identification theft. What is iris scanning? Iris scanning is a biometric technology that identifies individuals by analyzing the unique patterns in their irises. It offers high levels of accuracy and security, and it is generally considered more reliable than other biometric identification methods. Iris data contains 266 identifiable features, which is 6.65 times more than a fingerprint, which has 40 identifiable features. The likelihood of two individuals having the same iris pattern is only one in a billion. Furthermore, even the left and right irises of the same person have distinct patterns. Moreover, the iris pattern a person is born with, like their fingerprints, remains unchanged throughout their lifetime. This consistency allows biometric systems to reliably identify individuals over time. According to a paper by Park Kang-ryoung, a professor in the Division of Electronics and Electrical Engineering at Dongguk University, iris scanning is a more precise method of distinguishing individuals compared to other biometric technologies such as fingerprinting, facial recognition, and voice scanning. The primary reason for this is that the iris is a unique feature of the human anatomy that people are born with which, unlike other parts of the body, remains unchanged over time or under varying conditions. However, Professor Park noted that as an iris scanning system collects data from multiple individuals, the false recognition rate may increase. When the system scans a biometric, it compares the data against others stored in a database to find a match. However, as the number of biometrics in the database grows, the likelihood of similar information existing also increases, potentially causing confusion and leading to misidentification. #iris #scanning #security #identification #privacy #Worldcoin https://lnkd.in/gigF3EpF

😍 NEWS ON INNOVATION 🚀 In September 2023, Singapore launched an initiative aimed at fostering talent, innovation, and growth in the cybersecurity industry. Led by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and the National University of Singapore (NUS), the program has evolved into an international cybersecurity innovation hub, attracting startups from around the world. The CyberSG TIG Collaboration Centre, located within Singapore’s tech startup hub BLOCK71 Global, officially opened last July. The Readable visited the center during Singapore International Cyber Week, held from October 14 to 17, and observed how Singapore is advancing its vision to become a global hub for cybersecurity innovation. “As a non-commercial entity, the center is designed to enhance collaboration between the private and public sectors. It’s a unique space where innovation and regulation coexist,” said Christopher Chen, Executive Director of the CyberSG TIG Collaboration Centre. According to Chen, 14 headcounts aimed at accelerating cybersecurity innovation were fully operational at the time of the interview. The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) states that the center plays a key role in developing a comprehensive approach to the cybersecurity ecosystem by consolidating existing talent and innovation initiatives. As a national hub, it integrates and creates relevant programs for industry and talent development, fostering synergies between cybersecurity talent, innovation, and growth sectors. #CyberSG #Cybersecurity #Singapore #Innovation #Technology #Hub #Block71 https://lnkd.in/eQDeyytx

🤖 NEWS ON AI SAFETY 🚧 On October 22, Soongsil University in South Korea inaugurated its Artificial Intelligence Safety Center to conduct research aimed at addressing the risks and threats associated with the evolution of AI. The work of the center will be maintaining relationships and collaborating with various experts and organizations in the field of AI to promote the safer development and use of AI technologies. “AI is bringing significant changes to our daily lives. However, there are also growing concerns about its potential threats and abuse of the technology, and such cases have occurred in real life. We launched the AI Safety Center to address these issues, where various field experts gather to discuss and tackle these challenges through multiple approaches in AI policy and technology,” said Choi Dae-seon, director of the AI Safety Center and professor at the School of Software in the College of IT at Soongsil University. During the inauguration of the center, Director Choi announced that its 89 employees will be tasked with focusing on three main sectors of research. The first is AI risk management, which involves identifying and assessing potential risks associated with AI. The center’s staff and resident experts will conduct tests and technical research to address these issues and will also work to create guidelines for reigning in and guiding AI that align with existing legal frameworks. #AI #AI_Safety_Center #guidelines #frameworks #cybersecurity https://lnkd.in/eBJ6nMZ9

🎙 INTERVIEW WITH UK CYBER CHIEF 💡 The United Kingdom’s national cyber authority is expanding its partnerships with more countries, as collective capabilities have become crucial in defending against security threats, according to the organization’s newly appointed head. “Cybersecurity is a global challenge as we see it in our supply chains,” said Richard Horne, CEO of GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), in an in-person interview with The Readable during Singapore International Cyber Week, held from October 14 to 17. The interview took place during Horne’s second week as CEO. “In the U.K., we are very focused on working with partners across the world, not just our closest allies,” said Horne. For example, the U.K. worked with Singapore to lead members of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative (#CRI) in signing a joint statement last November, denouncing ransomware payments to cybercriminals. Earlier this month, 39 countries endorsed new guidance, led by the U.K. and Singapore, aimed at undermining the business model of ransomware actors. “We will never deal with ransomware unless we do it globally. We must think beyond our traditional partners and work globally,” Horne stressed. #UK #GCHQ #NCSC #CyberSecurity #International #Cooperation #Ransomware #AI #Resilience https://lnkd.in/gN8tt-6M

😍 NEWS ON SICW 🔔 David Koh is the first commissioner of cybersecurity in Singapore and the first chief executive (CE) of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA). Since the establishment of CSA in 2015, he has led the agency as CE while also serving as the chief digital security and technology officer at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information. On the morning of Oct. 17, Koh sat down with journalists who had flown in to cover the Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW), a conference that has become, in less than a decade, the Asia-Pacific region’s most established cybersecurity event. Over coffee and a sandwich, the chief executive answered questions from the press and discussed some of the week’s key announcements. Regarding the Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme (CLS), where CSA signed mutual agreements with South Korea and Germany a day before the foreign media meeting, Koh explained that the initiative is a coordinated effort to shift the industry’s long-standing view of cybersecurity from one of concern over cost to one that prioritizes competitive advantage. Koh shared his personal experience with the press to illustrate how the CLS empowers both consumers and manufacturers. “A few years ago, I wanted to buy a home router for myself and went to the department store. There I thought, since I’m in charge of cyber, I should buy one that is secure. So, I stood there for half an hour looking at all the boxes, but I couldn’t figure it out. I came back to the office the next day and asked my colleague which home router I should buy. They suggested two brands. During this process, I realized that it is difficult to buy a secure product even if you want to. At the same time, my colleague came to me with an idea that we should try to make it easier for consumers to identify which one is secure.” #SICW #Singapore #DavidKoh #CSA #CLS #Cybersecurity #Labelling #Scheme https://lnkd.in/gZzRqHBE

😘 NEWS ON SICW 📬 The recent movie Young Woman and the Sea, which parallels Ernest Hemingway’s classic novel The Old Man and the Sea, tells the true story of Trudy Ederle, who made history by becoming the first woman to swim the English Channel on August 6, 1926. The film concludes with the assertion that her achievement extended beyond swimming, as it permanently changed the landscape for women in sports. Women pioneers are also making their mark in the cyber domain. The Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW), which attracted about 12,000 delegates from more than 80 countries this year, invited women leaders in cybersecurity to share their insights with female students and working professionals aspiring to pursue careers in the field. “Despite growing numbers, women working in cybersecurity continue to be a minority. It is an important part of our work to promote the advancement of women,” said Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State for the Ministry of Digital Development and the Ministry of Health of Singapore, during her opening address at SICW’s Women in Cyber session. “This is not just about improving statistics. Creating and sustaining trust in our digital world calls for comprehensive, ecosystem-wide collaboration. As cybersecurity threats become more sophisticated and impact our communities, tapping into the unique perspectives and talents across society is essential to strengthen our collective defenses,” asserted the minister. Sandra Joyce, vice president of Google Threat Intelligence, elaborated on the importance of diversity in this field, noting the risks of cognitive and mirror biases that can lead to intelligence failures. “If we don’t have more perspectives in the room and rely solely on our own decision-making, staying comfortable, we will be just as dangerous to ourselves as the threats around us,” said Joyce. “Diversity isn’t just a good thing or a polite thing. Without it, you’re going to lose your internal security.” Jeannie L., associate professor and director of programs at the Singapore Institute of Technology, presented several figures, including one that revealed the proportion of female ICT graduates in Singapore fell from 36% in 2010 to 34% in 2020. Globally, only 12% of undergraduate cybersecurity graduates are female, while 23% are female at the postgraduate level. To improve this situation, Lee suggested promoting educational and industry initiatives that include increased mentorship from role models. “It is important to have mentors and visible female role models to encourage women to pursue careers in computing and cybersecurity,” urged Lee. ⏬ READ MORE ⏬ https://lnkd.in/eFMyruhs #SICW #WomenInCyber #Cybersecurity #Profession #Career #Diversity Barbara Kluge Tara Wisniewski Liesyl Franz Cheri L.

😍 NEWS ON SICW 🏷 The Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme (#CLS), launched by Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency (#CSA) as a voluntary program to rate commercial products based on their cybersecurity standards, has gained international momentum with South Korea joining its proactive efforts to protect the digital ecosystem. By signing a mutual recognition arrangement (#MRA) with Singapore on October 16, South Korea became the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to join the ambitious cybersecurity scheme. On the same day, Germany also updated its existing CLS agreement with Singapore. The MRAs with South Korea and Germany were signed during the International Internet of Things (#IoT) Security Roundtable, part of Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW). Lee Sang-joong, President of Korea Internet & Security Agency (#KISA), and Barbara Kluge, Deputy Head of the Directorate-General Cyber and Information Security at Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (#BMI), representing the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), appeared on stage with David Koh, Commissioner of Cybersecurity & Chief Executive at CSA. The MRAs will cover smart devices intended for consumer use, including smart home assistants, home automation and alarm systems, and IoT gateways and hubs that connect multiple devices. The MRA between South Korea and Singapore will take effect on January 1, 2025. Under the agreement, smart consumer products certified with KISA’s Certification of IoT Cybersecurity (CIC) and Singapore’s Cybersecurity Label will be mutually recognized in both countries. South Korea’s CIC scheme has three levels: Lite, Basic, and Standard, all requiring third-party laboratory testing. CSA will accept products with CIC Basic Level and above as meeting CLS for IoT Level 3 standards. Similarly, KISA will recognize products labeled with CLS for IoT Level 3 and above as fulfilling CIC Basic Level requirements. ⏬ READ MORE ⏬ #SICW #Cybersecurity #Labelling #Scheme #IoT #Consumers #Manafacturers #SouthKorea #Germany #SmartDevices https://lnkd.in/eMXv2_Ga

💘 NEWS ON SICW 🌐 Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean said Monday that the benefits of the digital world, such as societal progress and innovation, can only be achieved when digital technology is fundamentally trusted by the public. The senior minister made the statement to an audience at Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW), the Asia-Pacific region’s most established cybersecurity conference. This year’s event, held under the theme “Trust and Security in the Digital Era,” focused on discussions and partnerships in cybersecurity. “Last year, I spoke about how trust in the digital domain is under considerable pressure. Unfortunately, this remains so, perhaps even more so,” Teo said, citing grim figures of cyberattacks. According to blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis, ransomware payments exceeded $1 billion in 2023, a record high. Additionally, the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) found that just over a quarter of the nearly 50,000 people surveyed from 43 countries had lost money to scams or identity theft over a 12-month period. Disinformation is another factor worsening the situation. A study commissioned by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in September last year found that 85% of those surveyed were concerned about the impact of disinformation in their countries, while 87% believed it had already affected their country’s politics. “This is especially troubling in a year where half the world’s population is holding or has held elections,” the official said. #SICW #Trust #Cybersecurity #Digital #Ecosystem #TeoCheeHean ⏬ READ MORE ⏬ https://lnkd.in/eHWWirha

🍁 WEEKEND BRIEFING 🍁 New findings reveal that North Korea-backed hackers are using increasingly sophisticated code to execute fake recruitment schemes aimed at secretly stealing sensitive data from targets’ computers. This week’s briefing, as covered by David DiMolfetta, features a section on North Korea’s hacking tactics. Additionally, I have included recent exclusive stories by DiMolfetta that provide insights into the security landscape in the United States and around the world. South Korea’s National Assembly has begun its annual government inspection. During this audit, Assembly members review the security posture of government agencies, often uncovering vulnerabilities. Several stories in this briefing highlight the findings from this yearly effort. The Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW), the largest cybersecurity conference in the Asia-Pacific region, will take place in Singapore next week. I will be on-site, interviewing key players in cybersecurity throughout the conference. Don’t miss our original reporting from SICW next week. This is Dain Oh reporting from South Korea, and here is your weekend briefing. 1. New malware allows North Korea to deploy fake recruitment schemes, research says 2. Chinese CCTVs disguised as domestic products and installed in key national facilities across Korea 3. South Korea launches investigation into TikTok over privacy violations 4. South Korea’s Unification Ministry ranks low in cybersecurity amid increasing North Korean cyber attacks 5. Cyber attacks on SMEs rise as government funding and resources dwindle 6. US moves to seize $2.7 million from Lazarus hacks traced through Tornado Cash, other mixers 7. The Internet Archive is under attack, with a breach revealing info for 31 million accounts 8. U.S. Wiretap Systems Targeted in China-Linked Hack 9. Hackers targeted Android users by exploiting zero-day bug in Qualcomm chips 10. Google’s New Android Triple Lock Update Leak—3x The Security Surprise 11. Finnish utility Fortum reports pick up in cyberattacks and surveillance #cybersecurity #NorthKorea #DPRK #Lazarus #TornadoCash #hacking #threats #China #CCTV #TikTok #SouthKorea #vulnerabilities #security_budget #leak #Android https://lnkd.in/gxce9bfB

🔖 NEWS ON NORTH KOREA 🚨 Programming interviews for software development roles are a common practice in the tech industry. However, it is rare for these interviews to involve code designed to secretly steal sensitive data from job candidates’ computers. “He wanted me to open up a full stack application and explain the code. I did, but I ran it in a [virtual machine] (because you should NEVER run random code that you do not understand from a suspicious party), and he was not happy,” said Richard Chang, a software engineer, posting on LinkedIn, sharing his experience with what turned out to be a fake recruiter. “He kept giving excuses about how it needed to be run in an actual machine because of Windows … issues. The code however is malicious (yes, Javascript code can be evil),” Chang added. The “surprisingly sophisticated” code was actually designed to surreptitiously scan for logs and passwords stored on the computer, he explained. The phony recruiter, Onder Kayabasi, has since been removed from LinkedIn. However, this is not the first time that that entity has targeted job seekers for digital theft. Kayabasi’s case was not an isolated incident. In fact, Chang’s experience bore similarities to tactics used by North Korea-backed hackers who impersonate legitimate job recruiters seeking to install information-stealing malware on candidates’ devices. These schemes, including Kayabasi’s, are detailed in new findings from Unit 42, the cyber threat intelligence division at Palo Alto Networks. READ MORE #NorthKorea #DPRK #ITworker #programmer #fake #job #recruitment #malware Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 David DiMolfetta https://lnkd.in/gnMBQcaR