🔥 99% Intercepted

Good Morning. Kyle Bass, a hedge fund manager from Dallas, claims that the Chinese government hacked his email as retaliation for his comments about a covert Chinese military base in Argentina.

This base allegedly guides hypersonic weapons. The breach involved sending 6,000 malware-laden emails from Bass’s account.

The U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, Marc Stanley, expressed concern over Argentina's permission for Chinese armed forces to operate this facility, highlighting its role in missile and satellite tracking in the southern hemisphere.

Looks like someone in the PLA took their "go phishing for Bass" mission extremely literally…

— 🐈‍⬛ Acoustic Kitty

THE BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT

Iran launched a massive assault on Israel early Sunday, using an arsenal of drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles in a move that escalates long-standing tensions in the Middle East. Over 300 projectiles were fired in the attack, signaling a severe escalation in the conflict between the two nations. This significant military action comes in the wake of a suspected Israeli strike in Syria, highlighting the volatile nature of regional relations.

Immediate Military Impact and Defense Response 

The Iranian offensive included 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles, and over 120 ballistic missiles, as confirmed by Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. Despite the scale of the attack, the Israeli defense systems were largely successful, intercepting 99% of the incoming projectiles primarily outside the country's borders. Several ballistic missiles managed to cause minor damage to an Israeli airbase, underlining the attack's potential threat.

International Reactions and Consequences 

The international community responded promptly and critically to the assault. President Joe Biden reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel, indicating that American assistance helped thwart the attacks and pledging to work towards a unified international response.

At the time of this report, Israel had vowed to “exact a price” on Iran for the attack but was still weighing a response. Direct strikes on Iran were being considered, with careful considerations at play to avoid the possibility of “overt conflict with Iran”, analysts were quoted by NBC News explaining.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY & DIPLOMACY

Counterterrorism

• Suspected Islamist rebels killed at least 10 civilians in an attack near Beni in eastern Congo, as reported by local authorities and a UN source to Reuters. The Allied Democratic Forces, affiliated with Islamic State, targeted people working in fields, intensifying the region's ongoing humanitarian crisis.

• A stabbing rampage at a mall outside Sydney, Australia, left at least seven people dead, including the suspect, and eight others severely injured, one of whom was a 9-month-old baby, NBC News reports. The assailant was fatally shot by a police officer.

Military & Defense

• Hundreds demonstrated in Niger's capital, Niamey, on Saturday, calling for the departure of U.S. troops and waving Nigerien flags. The protest follows the junta's decision to end a military accord with the United States and invite Russian military instructors, reminiscent of anti-French demonstrations last year.

•  Russia is advancing tactically in the Donbas region, aided by warm weather that has made the terrain more accessible to tanks, the head of Ukraine's military announced.

• The U.S. State Department condemned Iran's seizure of the MSC Aries near the Strait of Hormuz, urging the immediate release of the vessel and its international crew. The action, described as piracy by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, comes amid a spike in regional tensions following Iran’s unprecedented drone attacks on Israel over the weekend.

Cybersecurity

• A joint operation by the Australian Federal Police and the FBI resulted in the arrest of two individuals linked to the creation and distribution of the "Firebird" remote access trojan, also known as "Hive." Despite not being one of the most prominent RATs, Firebird/Hive has potentially compromised global user security.

• Since March 26, suspected state-sponsored hackers have been exploiting a zero-day vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks firewalls, identified as CVE-2024-3400, to infiltrate internal networks and steal data and credentials.

• Kevin Mandia, Mandiant cybersecurity’s CEO, warned in a recent interview that China's network attacks are now so pervasive and sophisticated that many victims may not realize they've been compromised. He also noted that China could potentially disrupt elections more effectively through misinformation than direct hacking.

Counterintelligence & Espionage

• The House voted to reauthorize a key U.S. government surveillance tool, despite controversy over its use to search Americans' data without warrants, passing the bill 273-147. Critics, including some who opposed the bill due to concerns over warrantless searches, forced changes to the legislation, which now heads to the Senate with an amendment attempt to ban such searches narrowly defeated.

• Polish prosecutors are investigating current and former officials for allegedly using Pegasus spyware to target opposition members, with the investigation focusing on incidents from 2017 to 2022 and potentially leading to arrests.

• Russian spies exploited a breach in Microsoft's email software to steal emails from the U.S. government, highlighting significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities. In response to this security failure, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued directives to federal agencies to enhance their email systems' security measures.

Transnational Organized Crime

• Somali pirates released a Bangladesh-flagged vessel, MV Abdullah, and its 23-member crew after allegedly receiving a $5 million ransom, amid a reported rise in piracy off Somalia's coast.

• Two senior detectives from Police Scotland's Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit have been suspended for allegedly leaking sensitive information, including identities and photos, of undercover officers to an organized crime group.

• Greek police have dismantled two criminal organizations that supported illegal immigration by providing foreigners with counterfeit documents, engaging in tax evasion, and committing insurance fraud, causing financial losses to the government. These groups also conducted illegal transactions involving abandoned properties with unclear ownership.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Military strategists from both China and the U.S. are preparing for a new era of warfare dominated by swarms of AI-equipped air and sea drones. These drones envisioned to operate in large coordinated groups like swarms of bees, could fundamentally transform battlefields by overwhelming opponents with their sheer numbers and strategic flexibility.

Emerging Drone Warfare Tactics 

Military planners in both the U.S. and China are conceptualizing battles where hundreds, or even thousands, of drones work in unison under the command of minimal human oversight.

Global Implications of Drone Proliferation 

The race to develop swarming drone technology, driven by the ease and low cost of replicating software-based systems, raises concerns about proliferation among rogue states and non-state actors. The Pentagon's development of low-cost, expendable drones aims to deter Chinese ambitions toward Taiwan, while both superpowers acknowledge the inevitability of AI-enabled weapons systems.

In other news…

🌋 Project Red, a geothermal power plant in Nevada’s desert, utilizes the Earth's heat by pumping water deep underground near volcanic areas to generate carbon-free energy for the local grid. Geothermal energy production, traditionally limited to naturally volcanic regions like Iceland, is expanding into new areas like Nevada through advanced technology, despite its challenges and past niche status.

🚀 The US Space Force has partnered with Rocket Lab and True Anomaly to launch a mission aimed at demonstrating military responses to potential threats in space. The mission, named Victus Haze, will simulate a threat scenario where a Rocket Lab-built spacecraft will pursue another satellite, constructed by True Anomaly, to test real-time threat response capabilities in orbit.

⚛️ Physicists are pioneering a new approach to understanding protons by mapping their gravitational influence, revealing unprecedented details about the particle's internal structure and pressures.

DEALS & FUNDING

API-shielding startup Noname Security nears a $500 million sale to Akamai Technologies. Founded in 2020 by Oz Golan and Shay Levi, Noname Security has quickly risen as a key player in cybersecurity, attracting substantial venture capital investment despite its recent inception. While the proposed sale price marks a significant drop from its last valuation of $1 billion in December 2021, the all-cash deal is poised to deliver returns to early investors and recoup the capital for later-stage stakeholders.

API Protection Expertise 

Noname Security has carved out a niche in the cybersecurity domain by focusing on the protection of APIs, which are crucial for the seamless interaction between different software applications.

Significance of the Fundraising and Sale 

Despite the sale price being half of its peak valuation, Noname Security's journey from a startup to a potential $500 million acquisition highlights the volatile nature of tech valuations and the strategic importance of cybersecurity investments.

In other news…

👾 Thales Alenia Space has been awarded a €522 million contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) to restart the ExoMars rover program, including the development of a module to deliver the Rosalind Franklin rover to Mars. The mission, which has faced numerous delays, is now scheduled for a 2028 launch with an expected Mars arrival in 2030.

💎Cloud security vendor Wiz has acquired the Israeli startup Gem Security, specializing in cloud detection and incident response, with the transaction reportedly valued at around $350 million. Wiz CEO Assaf Rappaport announced the acquisition as part of a strategy to compete with major industry players like Palo Alto Networks and Cisco through consolidation and enhanced cloud security capabilities.