Rocket Lab, a leading player in the small satellite launch industry, announced that its CEO Peter Beck’s account on X (formerly Twitter) was compromised on Wednesday. The company, which has a market valuation of $6.5 B and manufactures the Electron rocket, confirmed that they are working closely with X to secure Beck’s account.
The breach came to light after a suspicious post from Beck’s account promoted a new Ethereum-based token supposedly aimed at funding space-themed projects. Rocket Lab quickly issued a statement clarifying that this post was not official, and their team is collaborating with X to restore account control.
Rocket Lab is actively addressing the issue, emphasising their commitment to safeguarding their leadership’s social media presence against further cybersecurity breaches.
The Canadian government has ordered TikTok’s Canadian business to shut down, citing national security concerns over the app’s Chinese ownership. The decision, announced Wednesday, affects the operations of TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, but does not block Canadians from accessing the app or creating content on it. According to Canadian Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, the shutdown aims to address specific security risks posed by ByteDance’s activities in Canada.
This action comes after Canada’s year-long review of TikTok’s investment plans in the country. Canadian law allows the government to scrutinise foreign investments for potential risks, though details of these assessments are confidential. In response, TikTok has announced plans to contest the order in court, citing concerns about job losses for local employees impacted by the decision.
While Canada has already banned TikTok on government-issued devices, the shutdown of ByteDance’s Canadian operations reflects mounting pressure on TikTok in North America. The United States has set a January deadline for ByteDance to divest its US TikTok assets or face a ban. Both countries point to national security risks associated with TikTok’s ownership and data practices as key reasons for these measures
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has charged Sitejabber, an online review platform, for violating its new rules on fake reviews. This marks one of the agency’s first enforcement actions under updated regulations designed to curb deceptive practices. The FTC alleges that Sitejabber misled consumers by using point-of-sale reviews—feedback collected before customers had received any products or services—to falsely inflate businesses’ review scores.
The company allowed its clients to publish these premature reviews, giving a false impression that they reflected actual customer experiences. The FTC has now ordered Sitejabber to stop this practice and prohibited it from assisting other businesses in misrepresenting reviews. The new rules, which took effect last month, aim to tackle deceptive online review practices, including those involving AI-generated reviews and fake review websites masquerading as independent.
The FTC’s crackdown is part of a broader effort to address the rising problem of fake reviews on e-commerce platforms like Amazon. With the new regulations in place, the agency intends to prevent misleading online content that could deceive consumers into making purchasing decisions based on false information.
A South Korean detective has helped bring down a Bitcoin mining scam operation after accidentally becoming one of its targets. The scammers, who operated an illegal call centre, contacted the detective in April, unaware of his position. Realising it was a scam, the detective pretended to fall for the “high-yield” Bitcoin investment scheme, providing his details as if he was interested in investing. This move allowed police to trace the call and investigate further.
Following the detective’s lead, officers were able to track down the scam’s headquarters in Incheon, arresting 81 individuals involved. Among them were those suspected of buying leaked personal data and using fake SIM cards to contact potential victims. Nine key members, including the suspected ringleader, have been detained, while others face charges related to economic crimes and data privacy violations.
Police revealed the group had been running the scheme since October last year, defrauding at least 50 victims. They allegedly lured investors by offering small “dividends” during a free trial period, then asking for larger sums. Altogether, the group is thought to have raised over $1.6 million, promising easy profits through Bitcoin mining. Authorities have urged the public to be cautious of schemes that promise high returns with minimal effort, warning these are often fraudulent.
The Australian government has announced plans to introduce a ban on social media access for children under 16, with legislation expected to pass by late next year. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the move as part of a world-leading initiative to combat the harms social media inflicts on children, particularly the negative impact on their mental and physical health. He highlighted concerns over the influence of harmful body image content for girls and misogynistic material directed at boys.
Australia is also testing age-verification systems, such as biometrics and government ID, to ensure that children cannot access social media platforms. The new legislation will not allow exemptions, including for children with parental consent or those with pre-existing accounts. Social media platforms will be held responsible for preventing access to minors, rather than placing the burden on parents or children.
The proposed ban includes major platforms such as Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter). While some digital industry representatives, like the Digital Industry Group, have criticised the plan, arguing it could push young people toward unregulated parts of the internet, Australian officials stand by the measure, emphasising the need for strong protections against online harm.
This move positions Australia as a leader in regulating children’s access to social media, with no other country implementing such stringent age-verification methods. The new rules will be introduced into parliament this year and are set to take effect 12 months after ratification.
A top Republican lawmaker has criticised the Biden administration for not taking stronger action against China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), accusing the company of aiding China’s chip industry and military complex. Michael McCaul, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called on the US Commerce Department to investigate whether SMIC is violating export controls by producing chips for the sanctioned telecommunications giant Huawei.
In a letter to the Commerce Department, McCaul highlighted concerns over SMIC’s recent advancements, including the production of advanced chips used in Huawei smartphones and plans to supply AI processors for Huawei. He described these developments as a ‘smoking gun’ that could enable China to surpass the US in AI. McCaul has urged the department to halt SMIC’s licenses unless the company undergoes a full audit.
While the US Commerce Department acknowledged McCaul’s letter, it emphasised that it has been tough on China in its enforcement of export controls. SMIC was added to the US restricted trade list in 2020, and Huawei, facing similar sanctions since 2019, have both denied any wrongdoing. The Chinese embassy in Washington has dismissed US criticism, calling it an overreach of national security concerns.
The UK government has ordered China-registered Future Technology Devices International Holding Ltd to sell the majority stake—80.2%—in Scottish chipmaker FTDI, citing national security concerns. The government voiced concerns that UK-developed semiconductor technology and intellectual property could be misused if controlled by foreign interests that have been considered potentially harmful.
This directive requires FTDI’s Chinese parent company to follow a set procedure and timeline to complete the sale. The move highlights the UK’s efforts to protect sensitive technology sectors and its vigilance over foreign investments that may impact national security.
Increasingly, governments worldwide are scrutinising tech-related investments, especially in semiconductor industries, due to the strategic importance of chip technologies in national defence, infrastructure, and critical sectors.
Italy’s data protection authority has criticised Intesa Sanpaolo for underestimating the severity of a data breach that affected thousands of customers, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The breach, which involved an Intesa employee accessing the data of around 3,500 clients, was initially reported with a higher number of affected individuals. However, the bank later clarified that the number was lower than what had been reported in the media.
The data watchdog instructed Intesa to notify all impacted customers within 20 days and noted that the bank had not adequately communicated the full scope of the breach. The authority emphasised that the breach posed a significant risk to the affected individuals’ rights and freedoms, including potential harm to their financial status and reputation. Intesa had already dismissed the employee involved and informed both the data protection authority and prosecutors.
The authority is now reviewing the bank’s security measures and has asked Intesa to provide an update within 30 days. In response, the bank assured that it had prioritised customer data security and had taken steps to enhance its systems and control procedures. Intesa also stated there was no evidence that the data had been shared outside the bank.
A Chinese state-sponsored hacking group, Volt Typhoon, reportedly breached Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) in June as part of a broader cyber campaign targeting telecom companies and critical infrastructure globally.
SingTel confirmed that malware was detected during the breach but assured there was no data exfiltrated or service disruption. The company took immediate action, reporting the incident to authorities, though it could not confirm if the breach was the same event mentioned in media reports.
Chinese officials have denied involvement in the attack, with a spokesperson asserting that China opposes all forms of cyberattacks. Volt Typhoon, previously linked to cyberattacks on critical US infrastructure, is believed to have used this incident as a test for potential future attacks on US telecom firms. The breach highlights the growing concerns over Chinese cyber activities targeting global critical infrastructure.
The head of US cybersecurity, Jen Easterly, announced Monday that, despite an increase in disinformation targeting the 2024 presidential election, there has been no evidence of interference capable of affecting the election outcome. Easterly noted the unprecedented levels of false information spreading across online platforms, much of which has been attributed to foreign actors aiming to sow division among voters.
US authorities have pointed to Russia as one of the primary sources of election-related disinformation, including a widely circulated fake video in Georgia showing an immigrant falsely claiming to have voted multiple times. Officials say that similar tactics are expected to continue beyond Election Day, targeting trust in the electoral process through to January.
Easterly assured voters that election security is stronger than ever, thanks to enhanced protective measures and improved preparedness across voting jurisdictions. Her message emphasised the government’s ongoing commitment to maintaining safe, secure, and reliable elections for all Americans.
