🔥 TikTok, TikTok…Time's Almost Up

Good Morning. A high-level North Korean delegation recently visited Iran, marking their first known talks since the COVID-19 pandemic and underscoring North Korea's push to fortify relationships with countries that oppose the United States.

At the same time, the hermit nation sent around 150 workers to assist with reconstruction efforts in the Russian-occupied Donbas region of Ukraine, focusing on civilian infrastructure such as homes and schools.

These developments draw a bold line in the geopolitical sands, signaling a strategic consolidation of unholy alliances.

— 🐈‍⬛ Acoustic Kitty

THE BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT

President Joe Biden recently signed legislation compelling TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the app or face a ban in the U.S., citing national security risks linked to its Chinese connections. The new law is expected to face a series of challenges, including legal disputes and potential obstruction from Beijing, complicating its enforcement and the future operations of TikTok in the U.S.

Legal and Political Challenges

TikTok has announced plans to contest the law in court, arguing that a forced sale infringes on free speech rights under the First Amendment. This contention is likely based on concerns that a new owner could alter content policies, thereby affecting what users can share on the platform.

Implications for Ownership and Market Dynamics

The mandate for ByteDance to divest TikTok could significantly reshape its market presence in the U.S., with rumors circulating about potential buyers amidst Wall Street's interest. However, the substantial valuation of TikTok complicates the sale process, with few entities capable of meeting the financial demands.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY & DIPLOMACY

Counterterrorism

• Australian police arrested seven teenagers in Sydney, accused of extremist violence, following a bishop's stabbing that was livestreamed on social media. A judge extended a ban on the platform X from sharing the video, amid broader compliance by other tech companies to similar regulatory orders.

• Argentina has requested Interpol to issue a red notice for Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, following a court ruling that held Iran accountable for a 1994 attack on a Buenos Aires Jewish community center that killed 85 people.

• An explosion observed near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Wednesday is suspected to be a new attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels, as reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations. The incident occurs after a drop in Houthi attacks, potentially linked to a U.S.-led airstrike campaign that has diminished their capabilities.

Military & Defense

• British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the deployment of Typhoon fighter jets to Poland to bolster its defense. Additionally, the UK will send 16,000 troops to participate in the NATO exercise Steadfast Defender 24 in Poland, reinforcing its commitment with an extra £500 million in aid to Ukraine.

• China condemned a new U.S. military aid package to Taiwan, claiming it jeopardizes the island by escalating tensions and encouraging separatist movements. The aid, part of a $95 billion package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan passed by the U.S. Senate, violates U.S. commitments to China, according to the mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office.

• Satellite images have revealed two new tent encampments in southern Gaza, indicating Israel's military preparations for a potential offensive in Rafah, a city yet to be entered by Israeli forces despite ongoing conflict.

• Ukrainian drones targeted and destroyed two fuel storage facilities in Russia's Smolensk region, resulting in significant fuel losses and major fires, despite U.S. warnings that such attacks could destabilize global markets.

• A Chinese Xi'an Aircraft Company H-6MW bomber was photographed carrying a new type of air-launched vehicle, distinct from the known WZ-8 supersonic UAV. This development suggests the emergence of a new program possibly aimed at creating supersonic or hypersonic aerial vehicles.

Cybersecurity

• Cisco warned of a sophisticated state-backed hacking group exploiting two zero-day vulnerabilities in its Adaptive Security Appliance and Firepower Threat Defense firewalls since November 2023, targeting government networks globally.

• Avast has reported that a North Korean-linked hacking group, known as Kimsuky, hijacked the update mechanism of the eScan antivirus software to deliver malware in a campaign dubbed GuptiMiner.

• An elite team of Iranian hackers infiltrated hundreds of thousands of employee accounts at U.S. companies and government entities, including the Departments of Treasury and State, as part of a cyber espionage campaign from 2016 to 2021, according to a recent U.S. Justice Department indictment.

Counterintelligence & Espionage

• Sweden's Navy Chief, Ewa Skoog Haslum, has raised concerns that Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers in the Baltic Sea might be engaging in espionage, equipped with communications and signals gear for potential hybrid operations.

• Nicaragua's lawsuit against Germany at the International Court of Justice, accusing Berlin of facilitating genocide in Gaza, is believed to be influenced by Russia, according to Western intelligence officials and diplomats.

• Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was detained on charges of accepting "particularly large scale" bribes, in a high-profile corruption case that could lead to a 15-year prison sentence if convicted.

• Poland's prosecutor general revealed to parliament that the former government used the Pegasus spyware to surveil hundreds of people, including officials, between 2017 and 2022, with surveillance operations conducted by multiple government agencies.

Transnational Organized Crime

• A Miami court sentenced Colombian designer Nancy Teresa Gonzalez de Barberi to 18 months in prison for smuggling handbags made from protected alligator and python skins into the U.S.

• Vincenzo Muià traveled from Italy to Toronto to confront Angelo Figliomeni, a leader accused by Canadian police of heading a powerful ’Ndrangheta faction, about the 2018 murder of his brother, a mafia leader in Siderno, Italy.

• Czech and Ukrainian police dismantled a criminal gang based in Odesa, Ukraine, that defrauded people by posing as Czech bank officials and convincing them to transfer funds or allow remote access to their banking accounts.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

In a significant stride for U.S. military aviation, Anduril and General Atomics have advanced in the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program organized by the U.S. Air Force. This initiative seeks to develop drones capable of operating alongside or independently from crewed aircraft, potentially revolutionizing the dynamics of military operations. As part of the program's ambitious first phase, the Air Force aims to acquire a minimum of 1,000 CCAs, with the possibility of further expansion in later stages.

Program Details and Future Prospects

The CCA program's initial "increment" reflects a substantial commitment by the Air Force, planning for at least 1,000 unmanned aircraft with potential expansions in future phases. Anduril and General Atomics are moving ahead with the development of detailed designs and testing of their drone prototypes.

Strategic and Operational Context

The CCA program is designed to integrate seamlessly with the latest in U.S. military technology, including sixth-generation stealth jets and the F-35A fighters. This integration aims to create a cost-effective force multiplication strategy, enhancing the U.S.'s combat capabilities significantly.

In other news…

🔫 Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the city will discontinue using the ShotSpotter gunshot-detection system by year's end, a move hailed by activists who have campaigned against the technology since a 2021 incident where police fatally shot 13-year-old Adam Toledo following a ShotSpotter alert.

🪂 The U.S. Army Operational Test Command’s Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate recently completed the final airdrop test of the Oshkosh Defense FMTV A2 Cargo 6×6 at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, confirming the vehicle's readiness for airborne missions.

🪖DARPA has conducted a series of tests on fully unmanned robotic fighting vehicles in Texas, demonstrating significant advancements in autonomous military maneuvers over a 15-square-mile area featuring diverse terrains. The tests, part of the RACER initiative, involved over 30 autonomous runs totaling more than 150 miles at speeds up to 30 miles per hour.

DEALS & FUNDING

Nvidia has finalized its acquisition of Tel Aviv-based Run:ai, a company known for simplifying the management and optimization of AI hardware infrastructure for developers and operations teams. The purchase, valued at approximately $700 million according to TechCrunch sources, enhances Nvidia's offerings by integrating Run:ai's capabilities into its DGX Cloud AI platform. This integration aims to support enterprise customers in efficiently training AI models, especially in generative AI across various data centers.

Strategic Expansion and Integration

Nvidia plans to maintain Run:ai's product offerings under the existing business model while committing to further develop Run:ai’s product roadmap within Nvidia's ecosystem. This acquisition allows customers of Nvidia DGX servers and workstations, as well as DGX Cloud, to leverage Run:ai’s advanced features for optimizing their AI operations. The move is expected to significantly enhance Nvidia's capabilities in managing generative AI workloads effectively across multiple geographic locations.

Collaborative Roots and Market Impact

Run:ai, co-founded by Omri Geller, Ronen Dar, and Professor Meir Feder from Tel Aviv University, has developed a platform capable of fragmenting AI models for parallel processing across diverse hardware setups, including on-premises and cloud-based environments.

In other news…

🤖 French predictive security startup BforeAI has secured $15 million in Series A funding to fuel its expansion in the U.S. and improve its predictive attack intelligence services, which utilize massive data analysis to preempt cyber threats. The investment, led by SYN Ventures with participation from several other firms, aims to enhance BforeAI's capabilities in protecting digital assets and operational networks against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.

🌱 Paris-based artificial intelligence startup FlexAI has launched with $30 million in seed funding to develop its on-demand infrastructure for AI workloads, aimed at simplifying the training and deployment of AI models without the need for code changes. The service, which collaborates with major hardware makers and cloud providers, allows developers to dynamically allocate compute resources, enabling more cost-effective and scalable AI development.

🧙 Prophet Security, a startup specializing in automating the triage, investigation, and response to security alerts, announced its emergence from stealth mode with $11 million in seed funding led by Bain Capital Ventures. The company's platform, Prophet AI for Security Operations, utilizes AI to analyze alerts rapidly, enhancing productivity for security teams by providing detailed investigations, remediation recommendations, and maintaining data privacy, with early deployments in the financial, healthcare, and tech sectors.

🥷 Nagomi Security, previously known as Vena Security, emerged from stealth mode with a platform aimed at optimizing the use of existing cybersecurity tools, announcing a $30 million funding round led by TCV, with contributions from CrowdStrike Falcon Fund, Okta Ventures, and others. The platform enhances proactive defense by allowing security teams to assess risks, map tools to threats, and develop remediation plans, already achieving over $1 million in annual recurring revenue within six months of its launch.

🎰 Irish security automation startup Tines has secured an additional $50 million in venture capital, extending its Series B round to a valuation over $300 million, with backing from Accel, Felicis, Addition, the CrowdStrike Falcon Fund, and SVCI. The company, which offers a no-code platform for workflow automation and orchestration, plans to use the new funds to enhance platform usability and accelerate customer value, building on a more than 200% growth in annual recurring revenue since October 2022.