This breach, confirmed in a recent statement by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is a serious escalation in cyber espionage threats linked to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The FBI and CISA have outlined that PRC-affiliated hackers infiltrated networks across numerous telecommunications companies in the United States, though the specific names of these providers remain undisclosed. 

However, sources such as The Wall Street Journal have noted that companies, including AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies, may have been impacted by the intrusion. 

The breach allowed attackers to persist within these networks for an extended period, granting them access to large amounts of internet traffic involving millions of Americans and numerous businesses.

This sophisticated hacking operation, reportedly led by a China-backed group called “Salt Typhoon,” enabled attackers to intercept call records and also compromise private communications belonging to specific individuals. 

The targeted individuals primarily include those engaged in political or governmental activities, though U.S. agencies have refrained from identifying these targets. 

Reports reveal that PRC-linked actors previously targeted high-profile figures, such as Donald Trump and his running mate Senator JD Vance, pointing to the high stakes of this cyber campaign.

The breach also enabled the attackers to duplicate sensitive information subject to U.S. law enforcement requests. In compromising systems integral to fulfilling court-ordered surveillance, these hackers gained access to highly classified data, potentially undermining U.S. national security efforts. 

This is the first confirmed instance of foreign hackers successfully breaching wiretap systems within U.S. telecommunication networks.

In response, the FBI and CISA have strengthened their tactics to support the affected providers, offering technical guidance and rapidly disseminating information to strengthen cybersecurity measures across the sector. 

The agencies have urged any organisation suspecting an intrusion to contact their local FBI office or CISA for immediate assistance, stressing the need for strong defences as growing cyber threats from state-backed actors increase.

The investigation aims to clarify the full scope of the breach, with authorities anticipating further developments. 

This incident reveals the risks posed by state-sponsored cyber campaigns, particularly from PRC-affiliated entities, as the U.S. government works to secure its telecommunications infrastructure against future attacks.

Paradigm Initiative (PIN) in partnership with Open Society Foundation (OSF) and Unwanted Witness hosted the convening on Countering Surveillance and Digital Repression in Africa.

The convening which took place on 5th and 6th of November, 2023, in Mauritius was a consultative meeting that sought to engage activists, academics, tech companies, civil society, regional human rights mechanisms, as well as political actors within the continent.

Speaking at the event, Mr. ‘Gbenga Sesan, PIN’s Executive Director urged stakeholders to commit themselves to bring to life the findings of the convening.

His sentiments were echoed by Allan Sempala Kigozi from Unwanted Witness who said the convening is an avenue to influence policy, as well as mould gatekeepers who will in turn ensure that state surveillance does not impede on the human rights of the people.

The gathering also sought to build strategies to counter fundamental human rights violations arising from the pervasive surveillance and digital repression on the African continent.

Participants had the opportunity to engage in insightful discussions with industry leaders and experts, network with like-minded professionals and potential collaborators, gain valuable knowledge and insights on deploying surveillance and protecting citizens’ privacy in Africa, and contribute to shaping the African digital future.

The forum took place ahead of the Privacy Symposium Africa 2023 which starts on 7th and ends on 9th of November, in Port Louis, Mauritius under the theme “Navigating Privacy in the Age of Digital Transformation.”

The symposium will bring together academics, researchers, policymakers, and industry practitioners to discuss the latest trends and challenges related to data privacy and data protection. Key areas of focus will include healthcare, finance, education, and media.

[Featured Image Credit]

Surveillance has become something that affects an organisation’s physical security measures as well as the areas of IT and risk management.

“With the addition of intelligence, the humble camera has essentially become the ‘eye’ in IoT, and there is suddenly so much more value to be gained from an asset that is already deployed,” explains Stephanie Rosenmayer, Business Unit Manager at Datacentrix, a hybrid IT systems integrator and managed services provider. “If captured correctly it is here, at the source of the data, that we can bring actionable intelligence into the business.”

Technology driving surveillance

According to Rosenmayer, there are several trends driving the evolution of surveillance. “We know that artificial intelligence (AI) and surveillance are moving to the cloud and it’s a fact that surveillance is now an integral part of the enterprise architecture.

Furthermore, we understand that this has a massive impact on bandwidth requirement, and it’s now a conversation that must include the IT department. We’ve also seen analytics move to the edge, which includes the incorporation of analytics into new smart camera technology.

“There has been an AI explosion,” she continues. “Consider the Open Security & Safety Alliance (OSSA), a non-profit corporation created to establish a common standardised platform for security and safety solutions that is accessible for everyone. These standards pertain to operating systems, the actual infrastructure, privacy, and data. The aim is to reach a point where we can apply or select any AI application and deploy it on any camera, regardless of brand, that is specifically required within that business environment.”

A good example of this for the mining environment would be if there is a need for an application that deals with crushers solely. “OSSA’s latest drive will remove the barrier to entry of great AI development skills to enter the surveillance market, that was traditionally limited to OEM manufacturers. This means that you would be able to find the right crusher app for your needs and deploy it on any camera.

“This is not a pipe dream, and we will see it coming to the fore over the next year or two, as the larger camera manufacturers are starting to join the OSSA and are beginning to add processing capabilities to the cameras themselves.”

Cameras playing key role in both safety and efficiency gains

Says Rosenmayer: “Ultimately the source of our data is sensors – cameras, environmental sensors or power distribution systems – and all of this information needs to be collected in a place where it can be used for two things. Firstly, it can be used for an emergency alert, where the right person can be dispatched to deal with an issue, and secondly, to take unstructured content and organise it into output that can be useful and actionable for the organisation, adding value in terms of the bottom line.”

For instance, typical safety challenges that may be tracked and addressed using surveillance within this context could include personnel violations (like employees not wearing the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) or field workers walking across a track), sudden changes in the operational environment, poor risk foresight, and challenges related to the supervision of underground staff.

Surveillance could also meet the need for efficiency, or yield, improvements, due to poor performance of production equipment, or a lack of dynamic balance between production, transport, and storage.

A good example here would be system belt performance challenges, Rosenmayer explains. “For a coal mine using an underground conveyor belt in the process of coal transmission, a lack of real-time monitoring and poor communication could mean that the organisation is unaware that the conveyor belt, which covers a long distance, is at certain times carrying a zero load, which could even stretch to hours.

“The belt conveyer is a significant consumer of a mine’s overall electric energy use, expending up to 40 percent of the operational cost. This means that at times where there is no load, the mine is consuming power – and paying for it – at a time that it is completely unnecessary.”

There may also be occasions where foreign objects falling on the conveyor belt, or oversized ore, cause blockages or even belt damage, which often leads to larger transport economic losses. Perhaps there has there been an abnormal shutdown of the conveyor, people approaching it when they shouldn’t be, or there may be conveyor deviations.

“These are all challenges that a real-time view of the critical parts of your facility and the overall status of the underground environment could help to solve.”

In fact, according to Rosenmayer, case studies from international mines using AI technologies have shown a proven reduction of conveyor belt downtime from three days per month to one. No-load power consumption has also been reduced from $650,000 per year, to $280,000 per annum.

“In addition, these mines have seen several benefits for enhancing management, such as the ability to anticipate major risks, identify personnel violations and contain major accidents. They have been able to avoid mine shutdown due to severe accidents. They also now have access to intuitive measures for mining operation supervision; reliable evidence for accidents retrospection; and can provide statistical reporting on abnormal mining operations to support scientific decision making.

“From a mining perspective, the key question to ask when it comes to surveillance today is: how valuable is it to your organisation to have this information in real time, instead of finding out how it affected production at the end of the day?” she asks.