Cape CEO John Doyle and CrowdStrike Co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch sat down with Jordan Schnedier on his ChinaTalk Podcast to discuss the critical issues surrounding telecommunications security, how foreign adversaries target our networks, and what can be done to protect this vital infrastructure.
- Read the Transcript: https://www.chinatalk.media/p/the-future-of-secure-telecom
Other Security News
- US Telecom Regulatory Rollback: The FCC voted 2-1 to rescind rules that previously mandated minimum cybersecurity standards for U.S. telecom carriers. The decision rolls back safeguards that had been put in place following the widespread China-backed "Salt Typhoon" hacking campaign that compromised several U.S. carriers. FCC leadership argued the rules were ineffective and overly burdensome, favoring collaboration with the private sector instead.
- Lawmakers Demand Release of Telecom Security Report: Democratic Senators Ron Wyden and Mark Warner renewed their call for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to publicly release a long-delayed 2022 report on vulnerabilities in the U.S. telecommunications industry. The lawmakers argue that withholding the unclassified document hinders public discussion and action needed to secure the sector, especially given the recent security breaches and the FCC's decision to eliminate mandatory cybersecurity rules.
- WhatsApp Introduces Usernames: WhatsApp is rolling out a significant new privacy feature that allows users to connect and chat using unique usernames instead of requiring them to share their personal phone numbers. This move gives users greater control over their identity and reduces the exposure of personal contact information, especially in large group chats or when communicating with new contacts.
- EU Officials' Location Data Sold: An investigation revealed that data brokers are selling massive, supposedly anonymized datasets of mobile phone location data collected in Brussels. Journalists were able to successfully use this data—which included location pings from inside major EU and NATO headquarters—to re-identify at least five high-ranking EU officials. The report underscores the profound national security and espionage risks posed by the largely unregulated commercial data trade, even under the protection of the GDPR.
- Google Fi Data Breach Enabled SIM Swap Attacks: Google Fi customers received notifications regarding a data breach in a third-party customer service system (linked to their primary network provider) that exposed limited customer data, including phone numbers and SIM card serial numbers. Hackers used this information to execute SIM swap attacks against some users. By taking over the user's phone number, attackers were able to bypass SMS-based multi-factor authentication and gain access to sensitive personal accounts, including email and financial platforms.
- Google Fi Data Breach Enabled SIM Swap Attacks: Google Fi customers received notifications regarding a data breach in a third-party customer service system (linked to their primary network provider) that exposed limited customer data, including phone numbers and SIM card serial numbers. Hackers used this information to execute SIM swap attacks against some users. By taking over the user's phone number, attackers were able to bypass SMS-based multi-factor authentication and gain access to sensitive personal accounts, including email and financial platforms.
