Counterterrorism
Around 90 per cent of terrorists operating in Afghanistan are actively targeting China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, key installations and economic activity, Pakistan’s counter-terrorism department (CTD) has claimed. Deputy Inspector General (DIG)…
A bomb exploded in southwestern Pakistan late Thursday, killing at least four people and injuring 15 others. Police said the explosive device was planted in a vehicle parked outside a college in central Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, and triggered by a timer…
In the months before former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's murder trial for the killing of George Floyd, federal authorities warned local officials to beware of potential cyberattacks on government and court computer systems, and the possibility of white…
Military & Defense
The U.S. is concerned about Iran's development of space launch vehicles, saying there is a serious risk Tehran is building up its ballistic missile program and one could someday be used to carry a nuclear warhead, a State Department spokesperson told The Hill. The Iranian…
For a second year in a row the Joint Operations Room (JOR) of the Palestinian factions held military maneuvers dubbed ‘al-Rakan al-Shadid 2.’ ‘With God’s help and success, the Joint Room of the Palestinian Resistance factions announces the launch of joint training activities…
China said it demanded an end to U.S. military operations in its nearby seas and skies when its defense representatives held talks with officers of American forces in the Pacific earlier this month. The virtual meeting conducted under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement…
Cybersecurity
Expect many more zero-day exploits in 2022, and cyberattacks using them being launched at a significantly higher rate, warns Aamir Lakhani, researcher at FortiGuard Labs. As we move into 2022, bad actors are ramping up their reconnaissance efforts to ensure more successful…
North Korea has allegedly stolen over $1.7 billion worth of crypto from exchanges over several years, South Korean media outlets report. The country has been using hackers to target individuals and companies from various parts of the world. South Korean media outlets…
An Iranian cyber-security firm said it discovered a first-of-its-kind rootkit that hides inside the firmware of HP iLO devices and which has been used in real-world attacks to wipe servers of Iranian organizations. Named iLOBleed, the rootkit was discovered by Tehran-based…
Counterintelligence & Espionage
A U.S. judge has dismissed a lawsuit against a former top Saudi intelligence official by a Saudi state-owned firm, ruling that a rarely used U.S. government intervention to stop the release of classified information prevented the case from proceeding. The decision was a…
First, the major Muslim-American advocacy group reported that a “mole” had infiltrated the leadership of one of its state branches. Then, only days later, the organisation said a “spy” at a US mosque had passed information on to an “anti-Muslim” group. The two incidents…
Russia has repeatedly expressed concern over the US and NATO's escalating activity in the Black Sea, warning that it may result in unwanted incidents. Russia scrambled its Il-114LL reconnaissance aircraft to shadow a US Air Force Boeing P-8A Poseidon surveillance plane…
Transnational Organized Crime
U.S. Navy ships seized $4 million worth of heroin in the Arabian Sea this week, the Navy said Thursday. In a statement, the Navy said the heroin was seized from a stateless fishing vessel that was transiting the Arabian Sea on Monday. U.S. Coast Guard personnel on the USS…
Hong Kong police and customs officers have seized HK$17 million (US$2.2 million) worth of contraband sea cucumber on a vessel believed to be smuggling it out of the city, arresting seven in the process. Revealing the joint operation on Thursday, authorities said officers…
The arrest or death of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada will trigger a full-blown war for control of the powerful criminal organization, according to federal officials and a former high-ranking Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) official. Unnamed officials…