Good Morning. 

Intelligence documents revealed Hamas fighters received detailed weapons training in Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over a "crisis of trust" amid ongoing military operations in Gaza, Serco's prison van tracking devices and panic alarms were disabled by a cyberattack that also impacted DHL operations, South Korea's ambassador to China met with a detained Korean national accused of semiconductor espionage, and Greek police arrested five people in Athens after seizing a large cache of explosives and weapons in raids targeting a criminal distribution network.

Let’s dive in.

— 🐈‍⬛ Acoustic Kitty

Russia Linked to Election Day Bomb Threats Targeting U.S. Polling Stations

• The FBI has reported multiple bomb threats against polling locations across several states, with investigations tracing these threats to Russian email domains, though none have been deemed credible so far.

• Two voting sites in Georgia's Fulton County were temporarily forced to close due to these non-credible bomb threats.

• U.S. intelligence agencies, which have been tracking Russian election interference since their alleged pro-Trump interventions in 2016, say these bomb threats would mark a significant escalation in Kremlin tactics if confirmed to be state-sponsored.

Counterterrorism

• Intelligence documents reveal Hamas fighters received detailed weapons training in Iran, including drone and rocket manufacturing instructions. ➚

• Iran's Foreign Minister says Tehran will respond to Israel's October 26 attack "at an appropriate time" while visiting Pakistan. ➚

• North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea hours before the U.S. election. ➚

• U.S. warns Iraq it could face Israeli strikes if it allows Iran to use its territory for attacks against Israel, according to U.S. officials. ➚

Military & Defense

• Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over a "crisis of trust" amid ongoing military operations in Gaza. ➚

• Zelenskyy announced Ukraine is engaged in its first battles with North Korean troops in Russia. ➚

• Brazilian police official Valdecy Urquiza has been elected as Interpol's first non-European/U.S. secretary-general. ➚

• China's navy issued warnings to young military personnel about security risks from online dating and gambling, highlighting concerns about discipline. ➚

Cybersecurity

• Serco's prison van tracking devices and panic alarms were disabled by a cyberattack that also impacted DHL operations. ➚

• Schneider Electric hit by HellCat ransomware demanding $150K after unauthorized access to their project tracking platform, marking their third cyber incident in 18 months. ➚

• Android warns of two actively exploited vulnerabilities in its November security update, including a Qualcomm chipset flaw. ➚

• FBI seeks public help identifying Chinese hackers behind global cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure through Sophos firewall vulnerabilities. ➚

Counterintelligence & Espionage

• South Korea's ambassador to China met with a detained Korean national accused of semiconductor espionage, marking the first such arrest under China's revised anti-espionage law. ➚

• Japan space agency hacking reveals cyber espionage risk after top brass targeted for sensitive data. ➚

Transnational Organized Crime

• Greek police arrested five people in Athens after seizing a large cache of explosives and weapons in raids targeting a criminal distribution network. ➚

• French court jailed 18 members of a people-smuggling gang responsible for thousands of English Channel crossings, with ringleader Mirkhan Rasoul receiving the longest sentence. ➚

• Two Venezuelan gang members from Tren de Aragua were arrested in Aurora, Colorado in connection with a Texas murder case. ➚

The America Builds podcast sits at the nexus of national security, technology, and venture capital. Hosts Will Allen and Hayley Menser interview the brilliant operators and investors pushing the boundaries of frontier technology.