Sponsored by Spectra Group
————————————————————————
16 Nov 23. FMZ completes signal intelligence suite onboard HMS Artemis.
After enduring delays, the Swedish Navy has finally inducted its new auxiliary vessel, which the Defence Materiel Administration (FMZ) has kitted with a new signal intelligence suite. Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMZ) announced in a 15 November press release that it has finally delivered HMS Artemis, the nation’s new auxiliary vessel, to the Armed Forces after integrating an advanced signals intelligence (Signit) suite.
Sweden’s latest signit vessel will replace the Navy’s 40-year-old Orion-class vessel.
Artemis has a length of 74.6 metres, a width of 14m, weighing 3,000 tonnes, comprising 35 cabins and 40 bunks – all powered by four diesel generators.
The Swedish Government originally ordered the vessel from Saab Kockums in 2017 and expected the ship to be delivered three years later.
However, the construction of Artemis faced considerable delays due to the ship’s special conceptual design, issues due to Covid-19 as well as financial problems with its subcontractor, Stocznia Remontowa Nauta, a Polish company based in Gdynia.
It was not until 28 April 2023 that Saab finally delivered the vessel to the FMZ for signals integration.
The FMZ says that Artemis has better manoeuvrability and will also provide the Armed Forces’ personnel with a better living environment onboard. In addition, her electromagnetic compatibility has been improved. This means that the level of disturbing signals emitted by the ship has been reduced.
Swedish military presence
“This day is long-awaited by many and given the serious times we live in, it could not come timelier. The need for a good defence intelligence capability and a modern signit vessel has never been greater in modern times. The importance of HMS Artemis and its crew can therefore hardly be overstated,” stated Fredrik Lindén, head of the naval equipment business area at FMV.
Historically neutral and independent, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine forced Sweden to re-evaluate its neutrality – its application to join Nato marks a distinct move away from non-alignment.
Sweden is committed to ensuring readiness in the face of heightened tensions that have resulted from increased competition between regional state powers. In its defence white paper, the Swedish defence community identified the trend for Russia to use a ‘broader and more coordinated arsenal of means of applying pressure’, meaning a mixture of outright military force and subversive means. (Source: naval-technology.com)
15 Nov 23. Axient and Sinequa Team to Improve the Use of Generative AI and Intelligent Search in the Defense and Civilian Markets.
Enterprise search company, Sinequa, today announced a strategic collaboration with Axient LLC (Axient), a systems integrator serving the U.S. civil, commercial, defense, and national security space markets.
Together, the organizations will work together to deliver AI-assisted knowledge discovery and information retrieval in the defense and civilian markets. The team will propose and develop AI-enabled intelligent search capabilities and expertise that supports mission engineering and operations, digital transformation, and advanced analysis solutions for air, ground, space, and cyber missions.
“Generative AI has transformed information retrieval, productivity, and decision-making through its innovation, creativity, optimization of resource allocation, intelligent insights, and problem-solving capabilities. Partnering with Sinequa adds immense value to the capabilities we’re bringing to government organizations by empowering them to apply generative AI to knowledge discovery and digital engineering. As a result, our customers can make more informed decisions, enhance product quality, reduce costs, and improve overall efficiency,” said Dr. Kuan Collins, Executive Director of Digital Innovation at Axient.
Sinequa helps government and defense organizations connect their employees to critical knowledge and expertise. By using non-disruptive AI, machine learning, and natural language processing (NLP) technology, Sinequa and Axient can help government agencies accelerate decision-making, improve future missions, and improve the overall workforce experience.
“As a major systems integrator with industry-leading systems engineering expertise, Axient has a strong track record for success and distinguished value within the defense and aerospace markets,” said Xavier Pornain, SVP of Sales North America at Sinequa. “One of our top priorities will be exploring how we can help use generative AI and conversational search to help unleash new breakthroughs and streamline product lifecycle management (PLM) and digital twins/digital threads. We see competitive advantages in our collaboration and the joint solutions our teams can bring to the government and commercial markets.”
About Axient LLC
Axient advances defense and civilian missions from aerospace to cyberspace with multi-domain test and analysis, mission engineering and operations, and advanced technologies. We partner with our customers to identify and analyze their most important challenges and design solutions that turn challenges into breakthroughs to accelerate assured performance. With extensive domain expertise in defense and aerospace, we rapidly develop mission-enabling technologies that allow customers to move at mission speed. To learn more about how Axient can accelerate possible for your organization, visit www.axientcorp.com.
About Sinequa
Sinequa’s Search Cloud brings organizations of all sizes the most complete enterprise search ever. Customers employ Search Cloud to connect all content (both text and data), derive meaning, learn from user interactions, and present information in context. Sinequa helps these organizations accelerate innovation, reduce rework, foster collaboration, ensure compliance, and increase productivity. For more information visit www.sinequa.com. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
16 Nov 23. Poland Begins Construction of Second Dolphin-Class Spy Ship. Construction of the Second DOLPHIN Ship Begins. On November 15, at the Remontowa Shipbuilding SA shipyard in Gdansk, a ceremonial cutting of sheet metal took place for the second ship of the radio-electronic reconnaissance ship acquired under the DELFIN program.
The ceremonial cutting of sheet metal is a symbolic beginning of the construction of a new naval ship. It is the activity that concludes the design stage and at the same time initiates the actual process of building a radio-electronic reconnaissance ship.
DELFIN will be named ORP Henryk Zygalski in honor of the Polish mathematician and one of the three Polish cryptologists who broke the code of the German Enigma encryption machine.
On July 27 this year in Gdansk, at the Remontowa Shipbuilding SA shipyard, the keel laying ceremony for the first of a series of radio-electronic reconnaissance ships acquired under the KR program took place. DOLPHIN. It will be named ORP Jerzy Ró?ycki. The laying of the keel was preceded by a ceremonial cutting of sheet metal for the construction of the new ship, which took place on April 27 this year. The delivery of the first and second ships to the Polish Navy will be completed by 2027.
Yesterday, the steel-cutting ceremony for the second SIGINT ship took place at the Remontowa shipyard in Gdynia. In parallel, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) handed over the signals intelligence ship HMS Artemis to the Swedish Armed Forces.
On November 25, 2022, a contract was concluded between the State Treasury – Armament Agency and Saab AB for the supply of DELFIN radio-electronic reconnaissance ships.
The above agreement is aimed at increasing the capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces in the field of obtaining reconnaissance data based on naval ship radio-electronic reconnaissance systems.
The value of the contract is nearly EUR 600m net, and the deliveries of the two ships will be completed by 2027.
Maritime shipborne radio-electronic intelligence systems will enable the acquisition of intelligence data across the entire spectrum of maritime radio-electronic intelligence (SIGINT). The detailed specification of the system is classified information.
It is worth emphasizing that the ships will be built at Stocznia Remontowa Shipbuilding SA, and the Swedish side will provide specialized equipment. Other entities of the Polish defense industry will also be involved in the implementation of the contract, which will translate into a significant participation of domestic entities in this contract. (Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com) (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ Polish Armament Agency; issued Nov. 15, 2023)
16 Nov 23. German PEGASUS SIGINT system picks up speed. Sensor solution provider HENSOLDT receives green light for system design. The PEGASUS signal intelligence (SIGINT) system is now entering the implementation phase with the design developed by sensor solution provider HENSOLDT. The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has approved one of the most important project milestones – the so-called Critical Design Review (CDR) – and thus given the green light for the implementation of the system design.
In the CDR, representatives of the Bundeswehr, both from the public customer and the future user, examined the design of the SIGINT components of the PEGASUS weapon system. In a large number of individual presentations, the customer was given a detailed presentation of the implementation planning for its extensive requirements. At the same time, the progress of the overall project was communicated in various software and hardware demonstrations.
Subsequently, the subcontractor Lufthansa Technik, Hamburg, gave an impressive presentation on the planned integration of the resulting reconnaissance system into the aircraft and the associated conversion measures.
Jürgen Halder, Vice President Airborne SIGINT at HENSOLDT, said: “The close cooperation between the Bundeswehr and HENSOLDT since the beginning of the project activities guaranteed that the presented design was widely accepted. The underlying reconnaissance solution “KALAETRON Integral” offers a globally unique, high-performance reconnaissance capability based on powerful German key technology.”
Two years ago, HENSOLDT was awarded the contract to supply an airborne system for electronic signals intelligence on board Bombardier business jets based on its SIGINT system “Kalætron Integral”. The order is worth over one bn euros. HENSOLDT is acting as general contractor and bears overall responsibility for the realisation of the project. Lufthansa Technik, based in Hamburg, will act as a subcontractor, procuring the aircraft from the manufacturer Bombardier, including their modification, as well as fitting and integrating the reconnaissance system developed by HENSOLDT into the aircraft. In total, almost 30 companies, including many SMEs, from all over Germany are involved in the project as suppliers and partners.
15 Nov 23. EDGE’s Etimad and ELT Group Set Roadmap for Electronic Warfare Systems Logistics Hub. Etimad Holding and ELT Group today signed an implementation plan to establish a UAE-based integrated logistics support (ILS) hub for Electronic Warfare (EW) systems in the UAE, which will serve as a unique national solution for the Ministry of Defence. The agreement was signed by Mr. Khalid Al Ali, CEO of Etimad Group, and Enzo Benigni, Chairman and CEO of ELT Group, and was witnessed by Mansour AlMulla, Managing Director and CEO of EDGE Group. The signing of this agreement marks the beginning of the plan by which Etimad Security Strategic Solution (ESSS) will exclusively undertake the repair and maintenance of ELT’s EW systems. Additionally, they will assist ELT in synergising their capabilities to cater to the demands and requirements of their clients. For ELT, the localization in UAE of Logistic activities is not limited to a pure efficiency increase of the services, it represents the company strategy to provide to UAE a “country technological value”.
14 Nov 23. CDAO Releases Responsible AI (RAI) Toolkit for Ensuring Alignment With RAI Best Practices.
Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) publicly released the Responsible Artificial Intelligence (RAI) Toolkit, a key deliverable of the DoD RAI Strategy & Implementation Pathway (RAI S&I Pathway), signed June 2022, by Deputy Secretary of Defense (DSD) Kathleen Hicks.
The RAI S&I Pathway spells out 64 lines of effort for operationalizing the Department of Defense’s AI Ethical Principles, including developing technical tools and guidance to help DoD personnel design, develop, deploy, and use AI systems responsibly. The RAI Toolkit is built upon the earlier Responsible AI (RAI) Guidelines and Worksheets developed by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and Toolkit, and the IEEE 7000 Standard Model Process for Addressing Ethical Concerns during System Design, among other sources.
The RAI Toolkit provides users a voluntary process that identifies, tracks, and improves alignment of AI projects to RAI best practices and the Department’s AI Ethical Principles, while capitalizing on opportunities for innovation. Additionally, the Toolkit’s intuitive flow guides users through tailorable and modular assessments, tools, and artifacts throughout the AI product lifecycle. Finally, the RAI Toolkit offers guidance and an RAI standard to current and future DoD industry partners related to the RAI-focused products and other capabilities they seek to develop. The Toolkit is a living document that will be continuously enhanced.
The RAI Toolkit development effort was led by the RAI Division, with support, insight, and feedback from the DoD Responsible AI Working Council, subject matter experts from across the Department, federal funded research and development centers, university-affiliated research center laboratories, and industry partners. “The Toolkit is a core pillar of the Department’s Responsible AI work, and we are honored to contribute to the Department’s overall journey toward justified confidence in AI-enabled systems,” remarked Chief of RAI Division Diane Staheli.
RAI Toolkit info sessions and feedback opportunities will be made available. To register interest, please email the RAI Division at .
The RAI Toolkit reinforces the Department’s commitment to becoming a responsible AI-enabled organization. CDAO Craig Martell proclaimed, “Responsible AI is foundational for anything that the DoD builds and ships. So, I am thrilled about the release of the RAI Toolkit. This release demonstrates our commitment to ethics, risk assessment, internal governance, and external collaboration. We promised to establish processes to design and employ human fail-safes in AI development and deployment, and we’re excited to provide this applied Toolkit for our end users.” Interested users may access the online RAI Toolkit here: https://rai.tradewindai.com/
About the CDAO
The CDAO became operational in June 2022 and is dedicated to integrating and optimizing artificial intelligence capabilities across the DoD. The office is responsible for accelerating the DoD’s adoption of data, analytics, and AI, enabling the Department’s digital infrastructure and policy adoption to deliver scalable AI-driven solutions for enterprise and joint use cases, safeguarding the nation against current and emerging threats
For more information about the CDAO, please visit our website at ai.mil. You can also connect with the CDAO on LinkedIn (@ DoD Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office) and X, formally known as Twitter (@dodcdao). Additional updates and news can be found on the CDAO Unit Page on DVIDS. (Source: U.S. DoD)
13 Nov 23. White House radio spectrum access plan may benefit internet, drones. The White House on Monday announced a strategy to potentially expand the availability of radio spectrum needed for cellphones, satellites, navigation, space travel and other emerging technologies.
The increasingly digitized and mobile economy has put pressure on the available range of frequencies used for wireless communication. The spectrum is also vital for national security and responding to disasters.
“We all understand the spectrum is crowded, demand is growing fast,” said Arati Prabhakar, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “This is a way to break through the limitations of today.”
The strategy will help to coordinate and guide how spectrum is allocated by the Federal Communications Commission, an independent government agency.
The National Telecommunications Information Administration will perform a two-year study on how to possibly repurpose 2,786 megahertz of spectrum, which could be used for wireless broadband, drones, and satellites. There will also be coordination among government agencies, encouragement of innovation in the sector and workforce development as part of the strategy. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
14 Nov 23. RN Electronic Warfare Pogramme for Royal Navy Warships Achieves Major Milestone.
A new electro-magnetic warfare system that will enhance Royal Navy warships has passed a major milestone. The critical design review (CDR) for the Maritime Electronic Warfare System Integrated Capability (MEWSIC) has been approved, meaning it can now proceed into manufacture, testing and acceptance.
Part of the Royal Navy’s Maritime Electronic Warfare Programme (MEWP), which will provide an enhanced defensive capability against anti-ship missiles, MEWSIC increment 1 is managed by DE&S and being developed by prime contractor Babcock International with Elbit Systems UK.
Once operational, MEWSIC will allow for increased detection and identification of radar signals over a greater range than currently possible. This will aid faster operational decision-making, enhanced situational awareness and improved ship protection.
Cdre Phil Game, DE&S’ Head of Maritime Combat Systems, said: “Completion of the Critical Design process is the culmination of several months of collaborative effort between UK MOD and industry teams to mature and refine the MEWSIC solution.
“It gives MOD, and the Navy in particular, a high level of confidence that we are on track to deliver the highly capable system required to protect the fleet from both current and future threats. I am also pleased to see the significant investment being made both in UK infrastructure and technology transfer, to secure the long-term sustainability of this critical capability.”
MEWSIC will see the next generation of Radar Electronic Support Measure (RESM) and EW Command and Control (EWC2) equipment being installed on Type 45 destroyers, Queen Elizabeth aircraft carriers, and the Type 26 and Type 31 frigates being built at Govan and Rosyth shipyards, respectively, in Scotland.
Cdre Matt Stratton, Deputy Director of Naval Equipment System Acquisition, said: “The Royal Navy has invested in an ambitious programme to deliver modern electronic warfare capabilities to its surface warships that will allow them to maintain the UK’s commitments around the world.
“Achieving the Critical Design Review milestone is visible confirmation of the Royal Navy’s, DE&S’, Babcock’s and Elbit System UK’s intent to deliver on that promise.”
The £100 m, 13-year contract awarded to the industry consortium in 2021 is supporting around 170 jobs and also includes on-shore facilities delivering training, trials and acceptance.
Babcock and Elbit Systems UK have both invested significantly in their people and infrastructure, helping to deliver UK prosperity by generating and sustaining new high-value technology engineering jobs across the UK.
The multi-disciplinary MEWSIC team includes engineers and project managers from Babcock collaborating with Elbit Systems UK’s employees at its new assembly, integration and test facility in Bristol.
Neal Misell, Chief Executive of Babcock Missions Systems, said: “Our dedicated team is playing a central role in taking a next-generation electromagnetic warfare solution from concept to installation – and we are pleased to have achieved this significant milestone.”
Martin Fausset, CEO Elbit Systems UK, said: “We are immensely proud to have achieved this milestone, to have created a number of high-tech jobs, and to have established a UK EW capability for the Royal Navy, and look forward to the next phase of this project.”
(Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ UK Ministry of Defence DE&S;)
10 Nov 23. Cyber Update.
- The North Korean threat group ‘Lazarus’ is using a new macOS malware (‘KandyKorn’) in a campaign targeting cryptocurrency users and blockchain engineers (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 6 November 2023).
- The Iranian state-sponsored actor ‘Agonizing Serpens’ conducted a destructive cyber campaign between January and October against Israeli higher education and technology sectors (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 7 November 2023 and our Technical analysis below).
- A Chinese state-sponsored threat actor was observed targeting Cambodian government entities in an espionage operation (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 8 November 2023).
- Elsewhere, a Russian threat group, ‘Sandworm’, is using ‘living-off-the-land’ (LotL) techniques to infect Ukrainian critical infrastructure (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 9 November 2023 and our Technical analysis below).
- Finally, the ‘Cl0p’ ransomware group is exploiting a new zero-day vulnerability to target data-sensitive sectors as part of a new campaign (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 10 November 2023).
Technical analysis of weekly stories
The Russian threat actor ‘Sandworm’ has targeted Ukrainian critical national infrastructure as part of a long-term campaign. It resulted in two disruptive incidents in October 2022. It is unclear how Sandworm obtains initial access to its victims’ networks. However, it was observed deploying a web shell on an internet-facing server. It is therefore likely that it exploited an especially vulnerable public-facing server to gain access (a common tactic employed by the group). After obtaining initial access, it was observed deploying a tunneler, ‘GOGETTER’, for persistence. To move laterally into the ‘SCADA OT’ system, it executed malicious code within an End-of-Life ‘MicroSCADA’ control system in a LotL technique that connected it to the targeted OT system. Once in the OT network, Sandworm deployed its ‘CADDYWIPER’ variant that destroyed files and drives, causing significant operational disruption to a Ukrainian electrical grid.Some non-exhaustive recommendations to mitigate against this threat include:
- Monitor network devices for suspicious traffic and activity
- Ensure there are adequate security detection measures in place, including end-point detection and response (EDR) solutions (such as anti-virus software)
- Ensure public-facing servers are secure; conduct frequent red team engagements to discover vulnerabilities prior to exploitation
- Harden any technologies used by an organisation based on recommendations from the technology vendor
- Ensure proper network segmentation between IT and OT networks to mitigate against potential lateral movement by malicious actors
Elsewhere, Israeli education and technology sectors have been targeted by the Iranian actor ‘Agonizing Serpens’ (aka ‘Agrius’, ‘BlackShadow’, ‘Pink Sandstorm’ and ‘DEV-0022’) in a destructive campaign since January. The group exploits vulnerable public-facing servers to gain a foothold in targeted networks, deploying variants of the ‘ASPXSpy’ web shell. It then deploys multiple custom and public scanners to map victims’ networks before using ‘Mimikatz’ and password spraying tactics to obtain credentials for administrative privileges. Agonizing Serpens uses ‘Plink’ to establish a connection to remote devices before stealing and exfiltrating sensitive personally identifiable information (PII). This particular campaign has involved multiple wipers (‘MultiLayer Wiper’, ‘PartialWasher Wiper’ and ‘BFG Agonizer Wiper’) to inflict maximum disruption and damage to targets, likely to cause operational and reputational damage.
Some non-exhaustive recommendations to mitigate against this threat include:
- Monitor network devices for suspicious traffic and activity
- Ensure there are adequate security detection measures in place, including end-point detection and response (EDR) solutions (such as anti-virus software)
- Ensure public-facing servers are secure; conduct frequent red team engagements to discover vulnerabilities prior to exploitation
- Monitor administrative accounts for any suspicious activity and other unauthorised privilege escalation
- Conduct frequent back-ups on systems and ensure said back-ups are hosted in cold storage to prevent remediation delays and prolonged disruption
The MITRE ATT&CK framework is a globally accessible documented collection of information detailing the malicious behaviours of cyber threat actors; it is used as the foundation for organising the processes which threat actors execute during cyber operations. It provides an encyclopaedic reference for organisations, highlighting the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) cyber actors employ in campaigns, while also providing suggestions for detecting and mitigating against specific TTPs to bolster organisations’ security mechanisms. The framework organises a threat actor’s entire operational lifecycle from reconnaissance to exfiltration and impact.
Word(s) of the week
Our cyber word(s) of the week: Living-off-the-Land (LotL)
(Source: Sibylline)
————————————————————————-
Spectra Group (UK) Ltd
Spectra Group (UK) Ltd, internationally renowned award-winning information security and communications specialist with a proven record of accomplishment.
Spectra is a dynamic, agile and security-accredited organisation that offers secure Hosted and Managed Solutions and Cyber Advisory Services with a track record of delivering on time, to spec and on budget.
With over 15 years of experience in delivering solutions for governments around the globe, elite militaries and private enterprises of all sizes, Spectra’s platinum and gold-level partnerships with third-party vendors ensure the supply of best value leading-edge technology.
Spectra was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise (Innovation) in 2019 for SlingShot.
In November 2017, Spectra Group (UK) Ltd announced its listing as a Top 100 Government SME Supplier by the UK Crown Commercial Services.
Spectra’s CEO, Simon Davies, was awarded 2017 Businessman of the Year by Battlespace magazine.
Founded in 2002, the Company is based in Hereford, UK and holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 27001:2013 and Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation.
————————————————————————-