Cyberconflict and warfare

Japan and the United Kingdom expand cybersecurity cooperation

Japan and the United Kingdom have formalised a Strategic Cyber Partnership focused on strengthening cooperation in cybersecurity, including information sharing, defensive capabilities, and resilience of critical infrastructure. In related high-level discussions between the two leaders, Japan and the UK also agreed on the need to work with like-minded partners to address vulnerabilities in critical mineral supply chains.

The Strategic Cyber Partnership outlines three core areas of cooperation:

  • sharing cyber threat intelligence and enhancing cyber capabilities;
  • supporting whole-of-society resilience through best practices on infrastructure and supply chain protection and alignment on regulatory and standards issues;
  • collaborating on workforce development and emerging cyber technologies.

The agreement is governed through a joint Cyber Dialogue mechanism and is non-binding in nature.

Separately, at a summit meeting in Tokyo, the leaders noted the importance of strengthening supply chains for minerals identified as critical for modern industry and technology, and agreed to coordinate efforts with other partners on this issue.

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EU plans a secure military data space by 2030

Institutions in the EU have begun designing a new framework to help European armies share defence information securely, rather than relying on US technology.

A plan centred on creating a military-grade data platform, the European Defence Artificial Intelligence Data Space, is intended to support sensitive exchanges among defence authorities.

Ultimately, the approach aims to replace the current patchwork of foreign infrastructure that many member states rely on to store and transfer national security data.

The European Defence Agency is leading the effort and expects the platform to be fully operational by 2030. The concept includes two complementary elements: a sovereign military cloud for data storage and a federated system that allows countries to exchange information on a trusted basis.

Officials argue that this will improve interoperability, speed up joint decision-making, and enhance operational readiness across the bloc.

A project that aligns with broader concerns about strategic autonomy, as EU leaders increasingly question long-standing dependencies on American providers.

Several European companies have been contracted to develop the early technical foundations. The next step is persuading governments to coordinate future purchases so their systems remain compatible with the emerging framework.

Planning documents suggest that by 2029, member states should begin integrating the data space into routine military operations, including training missions and coordinated exercises. EU authorities maintain that stronger control of defence data will be essential as military AI expands across European forces.

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CERT Polska reports coordinated cyber sabotage targeting Poland’s energy infrastructure

Poland has disclosed a coordinated cyber sabotage campaign targeting more than 30 renewable energy sites in late December 2025. The incidents occurred during severe winter weather and were intended to cause operational disruption, according to CERT Polska.

Electricity generation and heat supply in Poland continued, but attackers disabled communications and remote control systems across multiple facilities. Both IT networks and industrial operational technology were targeted, marking a rare shift toward destructive cyber activity against energy infrastructure.

Investigators found attackers accessed renewable substations through exposed FortiGate devices, often without multi-factor authentication. After breaching networks, they mapped systems, damaged firmware, wiped controllers, and disabled protection relays.

Two previously unknown wiper tools, DynoWiper and LazyWiper, were used to corrupt and delete data without ransom demands. The malware spread through compromised Active Directory systems using malicious Group Policy tasks to trigger simultaneous destruction.

CERT Polska linked the infrastructure to the Russia-connected threat cluster Static Tundra, though some firms suggest Sandworm involvement. The campaign marks the first publicly confirmed destructive operation attributed to this actor, highlighting rising cyber-sabotage risks to critical energy systems.

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China gives DeepSeek conditional OK for Nvidia H200 chips

China has conditionally approved its leading AI startup DeepSeek to buy Nvidia’s H200 AI chips, with regulatory requirements still being finalised. The decision would add DeepSeek to a growing list of Chinese firms seeking access to the H200, one of Nvidia’s most powerful data-centre chips.

The reported approval follows earlier developments in which ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent were allowed to purchase more than 400,000 H200 chips in total, suggesting Beijing is moving from broad caution to selective, case-by-case permissions. Separate coverage has described the approvals as a shift after weeks of uncertainty over whether China would allow imports, even as US export licensing was moving forward.

Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang, speaking in Taipei, said the company had not received confirmation of DeepSeek’s clearance and indicated the licensing process is still being finalised, underscoring the uncertainty for suppliers and buyers. China’s industry and commerce ministries have been involved in approvals, with conditions reportedly shaped by the state planner, the National Development and Reform Commission.

The H200 has become a high-stakes flashpoint in US-China tech ties because access to top-tier chips directly affects AI capability and competitiveness. US political scrutiny is also rising: a senior US lawmaker has alleged Nvidia provided technical support that helped DeepSeek develop advanced models later used by China’s military, according to a letter published by the House Select Committee on China; Nvidia has pushed back against such claims in subsequent reporting.

DeepSeek is also preparing a next-generation model, V4, expected in mid-February, according to reporting that cited people familiar with the matter, which makes access to high-end compute especially consequential for timelines and performance.

Why does it matter?

If China’s conditional approvals translate into real shipments, they could ease a key bottleneck for Chinese AI development while extending Nvidia’s footprint in a market constrained by geopolitics. At the same time, the episode highlights how AI hardware is now regulated not only by Washington’s export controls but also by Beijing’s import approvals, with companies caught between shifting policy priorities.

EU and India deepen strategic partnership at the 16th New Delhi summit

The European Union and India have opened a new phase in their relationship at the 16th EU-India Summit in New Delhi, marked by the conclusion of a landmark Free Trade Agreement and the launch of a Security and Defence Partnership.

These agreements signal a shared ambition to deepen economic integration while strengthening cooperation in an increasingly volatile global environment.

The EU-India Free Trade Agreement ranks among the largest trade deals worldwide, significantly reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers and unlocking new opportunities for businesses of all sizes.

By improving market access and establishing clear and enforceable rules, the agreement supports more resilient supply chains, greater trade diversification and stronger joint economic security for both partners.

Alongside trade, leaders signed an EU-India Security and Defence Partnership covering maritime security, cyber and hybrid threats, counterterrorism, space and defence industrial cooperation.

Negotiations were also launched on a Security of Information Agreement, paving the way for India’s participation in EU security and defence initiatives.

The Summit further expanded cooperation on innovation, emerging technologies, climate action and people-to-people ties.

Initiatives include new EU-India Innovation Hubs, closer research collaboration, enhanced labour mobility frameworks and joint efforts on clean energy, connectivity and global development, reinforcing the partnership as a defining pillar of 21st-century geopolitics.

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Amodei warns US AI chip exports to China risk national security

Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has criticised the US decision to allow the export of advanced AI chips to China, warning it could undermine national security. Speaking at the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos, he questioned whether selling US-made hardware abroad strengthens American influence.

Amodei compared the policy to ‘selling nuclear weapons to North Korea‘, arguing that exporting cutting-edge chips risks narrowing the technological gap between the United States and China. He said Washington currently holds a multi-year lead in advanced chipmaking and AI infrastructure.

Sending powerful hardware overseas could accelerate China’s progress faster than expected, Amodei told Bloomberg. He warned that AI development may soon concentrate unprecedented intelligence within data centres controlled by individual states.

Amodei said AI should not be treated like older technologies such as telecoms equipment. While spreading US technology abroad may have made sense in the past, he argued AI carries far greater strategic consequences.

The debate follows recent rule changes allowing some advanced chips, including Nvidia’s H200 and AMD’s MI325X, to be sold to China. The US administration later announced plans for a 25% tariff on AI chip exports, adding uncertainty for US semiconductor firms.

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Browser extension malware hits millions worldwide

Millions of browser users installed popular extensions that later became spyware as part of a long-running malware operation. Researchers linked over 100 Chrome, Edge and Firefox extensions to the DarkSpectre hacker group.

Attackers kept extensions legitimate for years before quietly activating malicious behaviour. Hidden code embedded in image files helped bypass security reviews in official browser stores.

The campaign enabled large-scale surveillance by collecting real-time browsing activity and corporate meeting data. Analysts warn that such information supports phishing, impersonation and corporate espionage.

Experts urge users to remove unused extensions and question excessive permission requests. Regular browser updates and cautious extension management remain essential cyber defences.

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Western cyber agencies issue guidance on cyber risks to industrial sectors

A group of international cybersecurity agencies has released new technical guidance addressing the security of operational technology (OT) used in industrial and critical infrastructure environments.

The guidance, led by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), provides recommendations for securely connecting industrial control systems, sensors, and other operational equipment that support essential services. The NCSC operates as part of GCHQ, one of the three UK Intelligence and Security Agencies.

Operational technology is widely used across sectors such as energy generation, water treatment, manufacturing, and transportation. While many of these systems were previously isolated from external networks, they are increasingly connected for remote monitoring, maintenance, and performance optimisation. The shift has expanded the number of network interfaces that require protection.

According to the co-authoring agencies, industrial environments are being targeted by a range of actors, including cybercriminal groups and state-linked actors. The guidance references a joint advisory issued in June 2023 on China-linked cyber activity, as well as a more recent advisory from the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) that notes opportunistic activity by pro-Russia hacktivist groups affecting critical infrastructure globally.

The document was co-authored by agencies from multiple countries, including the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, and members of the Five Eyes partnership, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, alongside UK authorities.

In an accompanying statement, NCSC Chief Technology Officer Ollie Whitehouse noted that cybersecurity measures in industrial environments should be integrated into system design and operations to support safety, availability, and service continuity.

The agencies state that the guidance is intended for OT operators, system integrators, and security professionals responsible for designing or maintaining connected industrial systems, and is applicable across sectors and jurisdictions.

The guidance outlines eight technical principles to reduce risk in connected OT environments. These include network segmentation, strong authentication mechanisms, continuous monitoring, and limiting remote access pathways. The agencies note that these measures are intended to reduce the likelihood of disruptive incidents affecting essential services.

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Nvidia H200 chip sales to China cleared by US administration

The US administration has approved the export of Nvidia’s H200 AI chips to China, reversing years of tight US restrictions on advanced AI hardware. The Nvidia H200 chips represent the company’s second-most-powerful chip series and were previously barred from sale due to national security concerns.

The US president announced the move last month, linking approval to a 25 per cent fee payable to the US government. The administration said the policy balances economic competitiveness with security interests, while critics warned it could strengthen China’s military and surveillance capabilities.

Under the new rules, Nvidia H200 chips may be shipped to China only after third-party testing verifies their performance. Chinese buyers are limited to 50 per cent of the volume sold to US customers and must provide assurances that the chips will not be used for military purposes.

Nvidia welcomed the decision, saying it would support US jobs and global competitiveness. However, analysts questioned whether the safeguards can be effectively enforced, noting that Chinese firms have previously accessed restricted technologies through intermediaries.

Chinese companies have reportedly ordered more than two million Nvidia H200 chips, far exceeding the chipmaker’s current inventory. The scale of demand has intensified debate over whether the policy will limit China’s AI ambitions or accelerate its access to advanced computing power.

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Grok to be integrated into Pentagon networks as the US expands military AI strategy

The US Department of Defence plans to integrate Elon Musk’s AI tool Grok into Pentagon networks later in January, according to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The system is expected to operate across both classified and unclassified military environments as part of a broader push to expand AI capabilities.

Hegseth also outlined an AI acceleration strategy designed to increase experimentation, reduce administrative barriers and prioritise investment across defence technology.

An approach that aims to enhance access to data across federated IT systems, aligning with official views that military AI performance relies on data availability and interoperability.

The move follows earlier decisions by the Pentagon to adopt Google’s Gemini for an internal AI platform and to award large contracts to Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and xAI for agentic AI development.

Officials describe these efforts as part of a long-term strategy to strengthen US military competitiveness in AI.

Grok’s integration comes amid ongoing controversy, including criticism over generated imagery and previous incidents involving extremist and offensive content. Several governments and regulators have already taken action against the tool, adding scrutiny to its expanded role within defence systems.

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