China

Environment, Science & Technology

Military & Security

Politics

NATO is preparing to label China a "systemic challenge" in its Madrid Strategic Concept during a summit June 28-30, which is far short of explicitly calling China an adversary, Bloomberg reported June 27.

China: NATO to Call China 'Systemic Challenge' in Madrid Strategic Concept

Cyber

Malaysia

India

A Malaysian hacktivist group called DragonForce Malaysia targeted several Indian government websites in response to the controversial remarks that a former spokesperson of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made about the Prophet Muhammad on May 27, The Times of India reported June 13.

India: Malaysian Hacktivists Target Indian Government Websites

Costa Rica

On the morning of May 31, a cyber attack targeted Costa Rica's hospital system, forcing the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) to shut down its digital record-keeping system, Reuters reported the same day.

Costa Rica: Cyber Attack Disrupts Hospitals, Clinics Across Country

Security

United States

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it will no longer charge security researchers with violating the ​​Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), Bleeping Computer reported May 19.

U.S.: Justice Department Will Not Prosecute 'White Hat' Hackers

Zambia

A spokesperson from Zambia's central bank said the institution refused to pay a ransom to Hive, a ransomware group behind a May 9 cybersecurity attack, Bloomberg reported May 18.

Zambia: Central Bank Says No Ransom Paid Following Hive Cyber Attack

The U.S. Biden administration and the U.S. State Department have agreed to increase the department's ability to monitor and weigh in on "third-party notifications," which occur when the U.S. government notifies a federal government that it plans to enter the other government's cyberspace to perform cyber operations, CyberScoop reported May 10.

U.S.: State Department to Be Given Larger Voice in Cyber Operations

Europe

United Kingdom

Ukraine

Russia

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The European Union, United Kingdom, and United States issued statements on May 10 that formally blame Russia for the Feb. 24 cyberattack targeting the Viasat-operated KA-SAT satellite network, which disrupted broadband satellite internet access in Ukraine and caused a few isolated disruptions elsewhere in Europe.

Russia: U.K., U.S., EU Formally Attribute Viasat Cyberattack to Russia

EU member states and the European Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on the Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to police online content by regulating digital service companies, the AP reported April 23.

Europe: EU Reaches Landmark Agreement on Policing Internet Companies, Social Media

The Fate of the Eurozone

Assessments

Heads of state pose for a group photo at the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, on June 29, 2022. 

The first update to its mission statement in 12 years reflects the Western security alliance’s shifting threat perceptions regarding Russia, China, climate change and cyberattacks.

Placing NATO’s New Strategic Concept in Context 

U.S.-China Relations

Columns

On Security

A guard stands next to a Costa Rican flag during the inauguration ceremony of the country’s new president Rodrigo Chaves in San Jose on May 8, 2022.

The ongoing situation in Costa Rica points to a future where threat actors' ability to coerce entire nation-states is just as concerning as their ability to destroy critical infrastructure.

When a Country Is Held Hostage: What to Make of Costa Rica's Ransomware Attack

The Chinese flag is seen on a display of an iPhone in Hong Kong.

China in Transition

Beijing's crackdown on social media content is further obscuring one of the last windows into Chinese society at a time of rapid policy change.

For Businesses in China, Growing Online Censorship Multiplies Uncertainty

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes calls from citizens at a studio in Moscow during a televised phone-in event. 

European states' expulsion of Russian spies won't keep the Kremlin from using the internet to both acquire and weaponize information via cyberespionage operations.

The Impact of the Ukraine War on Russian Espionage in Europe, Part II

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses Germany's Bundestag legislature in Berlin via video from the embattled city of Kyiv on March 17, 2022. 

The clip, which shows the Ukrainian president telling his citizens to stand down against Russia, exposes the risk of threat actors manipulating audiovisual content for nefarious purposes.

A Deepfake Video of Zelensky Is a Harbinger of AI-Powered Disinformation

Iran

Israel

Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi is seen in Jerusalem on Nov. 29, 2021, after Israeli Prime Minister Bennett said Iran was re-entering talks on its nuclear program to seek sanctions relief in exchange for ''almost nothing.''

While it remains remote, the risk of a major conflict breaking out between the two regional rivals is slowly growing.

Recent Attacks Bring Israel and Iran's Covert War to Light

Iran's Arc of Influence

Israel's Survival Strategy

U.S. soldiers are seen in southeastern Poland, near the border with Ukraine, on March 3, 2022. 

The longer the conflict drags on and the more Western support given to Ukrainian forces, the greater the risk of an incident that sends Russia-NATO tensions spiraling.

 How the Ukraine War Could Trigger a Broader Russia-NATO Confrontation

Guidance

Belarus

Black smoke rises from a military airport in Chuguyev near Kharkiv on Feb. 24, 2022. Russia's decision to launch a large military operation in Ukraine early Feb. 24, hitting targets across the country, including the capital Kyiv, will see Western countries impose significant sanctions on Russia.

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

Russia's apparent goal of overthrowing the Ukrainian government suggests that the military actions could last for several days and include a ground incursion to take Kyiv, which could significantly increase the number of casualties.

Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Will Cause Western Sanctions, but Not Intervention

The Ukraine Conflict

Snapshots

As the odds of a Russian invasion decline, so does the risk of cyber fallout to organizations beyond Ukraine, though Ukraine still faces a high risk of cyberattacks.

DDoS Attack, Likely Russian, Knocks Ukrainian Government and Banking Sites Offline

A Ukrainian serviceman is seen in a dugout in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine on Feb. 2, 2022. 

A Russian invasion cannot be ruled out, meaning organizations should start considering the risks they could face were such a conflict to break out.

How Russia Could Respond to Western Sanctions With Cyberattacks

The Delovoy Tsentr station of the Moscow Central Ring, a commuter rail line circling the Russian capital, on April 8, 2020. Belarusian hacktivist group Cyber Partisans claimed in a Jan. 24 tweet that it had carried out a ransomware attack against Belarusian Railway because of the railway's use in moving Russian troops and military hardware into the country for Feb. 10-20 joint exercises.

Stratfor Threat Lens

The incident highlight hacktivists' growing use of ransomware and encryption, a trend that will likely emerge in Western countries.

Belarusian Hacktivists Claim Ransomware Attack on Nation's Railways

A man in Beijing, China, uses his mobile phone to take a picture of a big screen showing Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivering a speech at the opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on March 5, 2021. 

New guidelines for China’s internet platform industry show Beijing will increasingly direct tech companies’ research, development and investment activities. 

Cyber

SITUATION REPORTS

China: NATO to Call China 'Systemic Challenge' in Madrid Strategic Concept

India: Malaysian Hacktivists Target Indian Government Websites

Costa Rica: Cyber Attack Disrupts Hospitals, Clinics Across Country

U.S.: Justice Department Will Not Prosecute 'White Hat' Hackers

Zambia: Central Bank Says No Ransom Paid Following Hive Cyber Attack

U.S.: State Department to Be Given Larger Voice in Cyber Operations

Russia: U.K., U.S., EU Formally Attribute Viasat Cyberattack to Russia

Europe: EU Reaches Landmark Agreement on Policing Internet Companies, Social Media

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