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15 Feb 24. Global: New Microsoft Exchange vulnerability highlights sustained exploitation risks. On 14 February, Microsoft informed customers of a critical zero-day vulnerability in its Exchange server that was being actively exploited. It was then fixed during this month’s ‘Patch Tuesday’ (13-14 February). No further details were provided regarding the attack. Microsoft stated that the vulnerability (CVE-2024-21410) was exposed to New Technology LAN Manager (NTLM) relay attacks, whereby an actor targets users utilising NTLM services (such as Microsoft Outlook) and hijacks the NTLM authentication process to steal their credentials. The stolen credentials can then be used to obtain unauthorised access, to elevate privileges and to conduct further malicious activity. While it is unclear who was behind the campaign, the Russian state-sponsored actor ‘APT28’ has previously exploited Microsoft vulnerabilities to obtain access to targeted devices. The incident highlights the ongoing maturation of threat actors’ capabilities and the growing exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities. Consequently, we assess that there are sustained security risks facing firms via their software supply chains. (Source: Sibylline)
14 Feb 24. Indian Navy plans to install EW systems on all capital warships. The Indian Navy will attain more Shakti electronic warfare (EW) systems for its capital warships in an effort to further bolster its domestic defence industry.
Bharat Electronics Limited (Bel), a Hyderabadi defence supplier, secured a contract to supply the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) with 11 ‘Shakti’ EW systems and supplementary equipment.
Under a contract worth Rs2.26bn crore ($273m), the systems will be installed on-board leading warships across the Indian Navy fleet.
The project will generate employment equal to 250,000 man-days over a period of four years. 155 local industry partners will participate in delivering the systems, including micro, small, and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs). This will cultivate the vision enshrined in the Government’s ‘Self-Reliant India’ (Atmanirbhar Bharat) policy.
Shakti is indigenously designed, developed and manufactured. The system accurately intercepts electronic emissions and implements countermeasures, such as jamming, in a dense electromagnetic environment. BEL specifically designed the system to provide an electronic layer of defence against modern radars and anti-ship missiles.
It also has a built-in radar fingerprinting and data recording replay feature for post-mission analysis.
According to the MoD, the Shakti systems have been in development for India’s suface combatants for some time now.
The first was installed on-board INS Visakhapatnam – a Project 15B stealth guided-missile destroyer (D66) – and has been installed on-board the indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.
In November 2021, 12 Shakti systems were under production at BEL, supported by more than fifty MSMEs at a total cost of Rs 1805 Crores.
These systems are scheduled to be installed on-board capital warships under production, including P-15Bs such as INS Imphal which embarked on its maiden sea trials in May last year; P-17A frigates; and Talwar class follow-on ships.
Global EW market
The global EW market, valued at $13.9bn in 2023, and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.6% over between 2023 and 2028, according to intelligence from the leading data and analytics company GlobalData. It also expects the market value to reach $21.8bn by 2033 and cumulatively value $194.2bn over the forecast period.
Among geographic segments, North America is projected to dominate the sector with a share of 34.1%, followed by Asia-Pacific and Europe, with shares of 29.0% and 27.3%, respectively – this EW investment focus indicates the priority of the system for the two geopolitical rivals, US and China. (Source: naval-technology.com)
18 Dec 23. EDA Command and Control projects aims to strengthen support to CSDP missions and operations. To support the EU’s ability to act rapidly and robustly whenever a crisis erupts, the development of a European Command and Control (C2) capability is essential for decision-making, planning, and conduct of missions and operations. Supported by EDA, the European Strategic Command and Control System (ESC2) project concluded a major phase in its aim of to provide a ground-breaking solution that will enable the EU and its Member States to employ the most advanced Command and Control system available worldwide, fully interoperable with the C2 systems of the EU, Member States, NATO, and civilian agencies.
On December 11th, EDA hosted the Closure Session of the ESC2 project with the participation of Member States, stakeholders and industry. The session heard that once the ESC2 system design has delivered in 2023 as expected, a new project will link up with the ESC2 to further develop the system by creating a software prototype in 2025 ready for prompt implementation in the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC).
Together, the ESC2 and the future follow-up project European Command and Control System (EC2), will provide an advanced and integrated suite of C2 tools designed to support decision-making, planning, and conduct of CSDP missions and operations from the strategic to the operational level. It will provide a Staff-wide set of solutions, exploiting the emerging technologies in key domains such as Information Technology and Communication Systems.
With a total budget of 22 m euros, the project is funded by a group of 6 Member States: France, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Spain as the leading nation; as well as the European Commission. Launched under the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP), the project gathered 21 companies from 10 different Member States to ensure delivery of a beyond state-of-the-art design for ESC2.
Together through cooperation
Launched in January 2021, amid COVID restrictions which restricted the first steps of the project, the project team managed to make up time and reach the end of 2023 ready to deliver the system design, after 36 months of work. The complexity and demands of the project required a wide range of actors to ensure the ambitious goals of ESC2 could be achieved.
EDA supports EU Member States acting as the ESC2 Project Manager. In this role, EDA manages Member States financial contribution, monitors the execution of the project plan, provides focused expertise and coordinates all contributing activities. Among the 21 industry partners, companies such as Indra (Spain), Thales (France), Leonardo (Italy), and Rheinmetall (Germany) all participated.
To ensure end-user requirements and operational expertise were built-in, the MPCC, EUMS and EEAS played a significant role. Additionally, the Spanish Ministry of Defence and the Greek Ministry of Defence supported this project by facilitating the participation of the industrial experts in the exercises MILEX 22, MILEX23 and INTEGRATED RESOLVE 22. (Source: EDA)
15 Feb 24. ELT group and Khalifa University of Science and Technology today announced they have signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) to expand the knowledge of the management of the Electromagnetic Spectrum in the UAE. The MoU was signed by Dr. Ebrahim Al Hajri, Senior Vice‐President, Support Services, Khalifa University, and Paolo Izzo, Senior Vice‐President, Chief Sales Officer, ELT Group.
The main objectives of this cooperation will be the collaboration in the areas of academic research and teaching, in accordance with Khalifa University’s mandate, in the field of EMS Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) Application, with a view to enhance the skills and knowledge of human capital at Khalifa University and within the UAE. The EMS application Centre of excellence will be a digital laboratory gymnasium where the latest generation of electromagnetic spectrum equipment are simulated allowing Khalifa University students to apply it to their studies.
Dr. Ebrahim Al Hajri, SVP, Support Services, and Associate Professor, Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Khalifa University, said: “We are delighted to partner with the ELT Group in establishing the Centre of Excellence for the Electro-Magnetic Spectrum Applications (EMSA) at Khalifa University. Khalifa University within its faculty, has considerable specialist experience in this area. We believe this MoU will pave the way further to expand our activities and associated programs, and develop our laboratory capabilities through state-of-the-art equipment available to students and researchers.”
Enzo Benigni, President and CEO, ELT Group, said: “It is my pleasure to sign this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Khalifa University of Science and Technology in order to establish a Centre of Excellence for the Electro-Magnetic Spectrum Application. I’m deeply impressed by this exceptional establishment in Abu Dhabi, distinguished by its world-class facilities. Its firm commitment to innovation is pivotal in transforming both Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates into leading innovation hubs of ingenuity and progress. The signature of Memorandum of Understanding is a concrete sign of our intent to impart our 70 years of experience to new generations of Emirati engineers. Khalifa University students will have access to a digital laboratory gymnasium where the latest generation of electromagnetic spectrum equipment are simulated, enabling them to excel in the marketplace related to EMS application, with advanced academic and practical certification paths.”
ELT Group has a long history of collaboration with the United Arab Emirates established in the early 1990s when it started offering cutting-edge products across the fields of Electronic Warfare (EW) to support the country’s defence capabilities. The company’s presence in the country for over 40 years has contributed to the growth of technologies and skills actively cooperating with the Armed Forces. .
The signing of this MoU is an opportunity for ELT to enrich Khalifa University engineers capabilities in the area of Electromagnetic Spectrum applications, to enhance the ingenuity and the progress of Khalifa University noticeable as a world-class leading innovation hub.
15 Feb 24. Dreams and Nightmares
The demise of the Ministry of Defence’s Project EVO initiative to move the Bowman tactical communications architecture into an open configuration has raised questions regarding the longevity of this architecture.
A major part of the UK’s Project Morpheus military communications initiative was recently cancelled. Where does the initiative go from here?
Back in mid-August 2023 the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) stressed it was “committed” to the Project Morpheus military communications system. Just over four months later, the programme appears to be in serious trouble. That the procurement of a new communications system to replace the Bowman architecture, primarily used by UK land forces, was in trouble is no secret. Armada has previously reported on Project Morpheus’s difficulties.
Bowman, chiefly used by the British Army, entered service early this century and was expected to remain in use until 2026, according to open sources. The current Bowman architecture includes a plethora of tactical radios, and command and control systems. Bowman’s capabilities have steadily improved throughout its life via a series of spiral upgrades. The latest of these is known as the Bowman Combat Infrastructure Platform-5.6 (BCIP-5.6) initiative.
Evolve to Open
EVO was tasked with taking the BCIP-5.6 architecture and evolving it into an open, modular design so it can easily and safely accept new hardware, software and capabilities when they become available. The MOD said that this approach would “enable (it) to integrate and deploy new capabilities selected from across (i)ndustry in a faster and more cost-effective manner.”
Writing back in July 2022, we stressed that the Evolve To Open (EVO) element of the programme “cannot be allowed to fail” given Bowman’s age. On 14th December James Cartlidge, the UK’s minister for defence procurement, announced that EVO had done exactly that. Mr. Cartlidge acknowledged that EVO had suffered problems: “We have been open that progress on the MORPHEUS project has fallen short of what was expected.” He added that the MOD had worked closely with EVO’s contractor, General Dynamics, to resolve problems and determine a way forward.
Sources close to the programme told Armada that the MOD and General Dynamics were at an impasse, with the Ministry and company at odds over the expectations of EVO and its deliverables. Although EVO is dead, General Dynamics will sustain Bowman to ensure it continues to support UK military commitments. Nonetheless, it seems certain that Bowman’s life will now have to be extended beyond the original 2026 planned retirement given EVO’s demise.
What happens now? Mr. Cartlidge’s statement said that the MOD has commissioned the UK’s Cabinet Office Infrastructure and Projects Authority “to conduct an independent review of the Morpheus project, with the aim of understanding where the (MOD) can improve in future projects.” The Cabinet Office supports the Cabinet and government to coordinate the delivery of policy objectives via government departments.
A senior UK MOD source told Armada that EVO ultimately failed “due to ineptness on both sides of the fence,” referring to the situation existing between the Ministry and the contractor. “The dream was good, but the people allocated couldn’t deliver … It was a great idea, but simply not plausible in practice.” That said, EVO has not been in vain: “We will take the work that was done and use that, and look for a way forward that is a mix of owned and beholden (systems and capabilities).”
Dead monoliths
The MOD appears to have ruled out simply buying a new tactical radio architecture from a single, or small number, of suppliers in a similar fashion to programmes ongoing in France and Germany, for example. “Monolithic systems are dead,” the source continued. “The future is in accepting that we … try to own what we can and then accept that we will be beholden to a supplier” for certain additional capabilities.
The future of Morpheus in general is clouded by the prospect of a general election in the UK which must be held by the end of January 2025. The poll could yield a change of government should the ruling Conservative Party be defeated. As of mid-January, aggregated UK opinion polls show the Labour Party enjoying an almost 20 point lead over the Conservatives.
A senior Labour Party source said that any decision on Morpheus’s future would have to wait until after the election assuming the party is victorious. Labour’s shadow minister for defence procurement Maria Eagle accused a ‘broken’ defence procurement system of “wasting ($19 bn) of taxpayer’s money since 2010.” Ms. Eagle told Armada in a written statement that “delays and MOD mismanagement of vital defence contracts like Morpheus … undermine our UK capabilities to fulfil our full North Atlantic Treaty Organisation obligations.” She added that the party would prioritise defence procurement reform if elected. The EVO dimension of Morpheus may be dead, but it seems that the programme’s future writ large is far from decided. (Source: Armada)
13 Feb 24. Conference Outcomes.
The 2023 World Radiocommunications Conference held in Dubai in late 2023 concluded with important new agreements regarding fifth-generation wireless communications frequencies and low earth orbit satellites.
The World Radiocommunications Conference concluded on 15th December 2023. What decisions did the meeting take which may impact military users of the radio spectrum?
Organised by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the 2023 World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC) took place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The ITU, headquartered in Geneva, western Switzerland, is the United Nations body managing the radio segment of the electromagnetic spectrum. The WRC meets every three-to-four years. In the ITU’s own words, the conference reviews and, if necessary, revises the Radio Regulations which govern how nations access and use the radio spectrum. The regulations cover all uses and users of the spectrum across a waveband of nine kilohertz to 300 gigahertz/GHz.
The WRC is guided by an agenda set by the ITU Council. “WRC deliberations are based on proposals submitted by the ITU member states,” the union told Armada via a written statement. The council comprises 48 of the ITU’s 193 member states and governs the union. During the conference the WRC “considers … proposals and (negotiates) toward reaching agreements on whether and how to modify the Radio Regulations to achieve the objectives established for each item on its agenda.” Any modifications to the regulations must be approved by the conference’s Plenary Session in the First and Second Readings. Assuming approval, these modifications are then included in the conference’s Final Acts.
A regular outcome of the WRC is the allocation of new wavebands, or alterations of existing ones, to ensure the radio spectrum can be shared fairly and safely by all those who need it: “One of the basic objectives of any world radio communication conference is to protect the existing services when making allocations to new applications,” said the ITU. A key aspect of this objective is to ensure that new services depending on the spectrum, and existing users, suffer no interference.
To minimise and eliminate interference the ITU embarks on a three-year study before each WRC “during which all scenarios of possible interference between new services and incumbent ones are analysed and technical and regulatory measures to protect the existing applications are developed.” Protective measures are then discussed and approved at the WRC by the ITU delegations as discussed above.
Next Generations
One area of global concern is the increased uptake of wireless communications. A report by 5G Americas said that global fifth-generation (5G) wireless connections were forecast to reach 1.9 bn by late 2023. These connections will increase to 5.9 bn by the end of 2027. 5G Americas is a US-based advocacy organisation focusing on fifth-generation wireless communications. Thales notes that 5G networks could offer data speeds of ten gigabits-per-second, up to 100 times faster than current 4G protocols.
The number of connections and data speeds heralded by 5G will tax the spectrum and are resulting in demands for frequencies and bandwidth. Some of the frequencies allocated to 5G are in the same neighbourhood as the S-band (2.3GHz to 2.5GHz/2.7GHz to 3.7GHz) waveband. Nonetheless, the ITU said the 2.5GHz to 2.690GHz 5G waveband “does not overlap” with the 2.3GHz to 2.5GHz S-band segment.
One emerging technology which the 2023 conference adopted regulations for is the deployment of high-altitude cellular base stations to equip Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Placing a 5G base station on a LEO spacecraft could help provide 5G coverage over areas where none is currently available: “The identification for high altitude platform stations used as (5G cellular base stations) in the two gigahertz range” was made by the 2023 conference the ITU’s statement continued. This two gigahertz range includes several sub-bands, notably 1.710GHz to 1.980GHz, 2.010GHz to 2.025GHz and 2.110GHz to 2.170GHz. There is a frequency offset of 130 megahertz between the 2.170GHz 5G sub-band and the lowest S-band radar frequency “which is sufficient for ensuring compatibility.”
SATCOM
Satellite Communications (SATCOM) was another area which fell under the WRC’s scrutiny. A new waveband of 117.975MHz to 137MHz was allocated by the conference. These frequencies provide SATCOM complementary to aeronautical Very High Frequency (VHF; three megahertz to 30MHz) links. Bands of 17.7GHz to 18.6GHz, 18.8GHz to 19.3GHz, 19.7GHz to 20.2 GHz, 27.5GHz to 29.1GHz and 29.5GHz to 30GHz have been allocated for SATCOM stations “in motion onboard ships or planes.”
Plans are already afoot for the next WRC which takes place in 2027 although the venue is yet to be confirmed. Expect further discussion and debate regarding radio spectrum allocation. The imperative to balance the needs of global civilian, commercial, military and scientific users will make the next congress similarly busy. (Source: Armada)
14 Feb 24. Taking the Next Step. The Estonian government maybe close to selecting a preferred candidate for the next stage of its land forces tactical communications modernisation.
The Estonian Defence Force (EDF) has an existential requirement for new tactical radios to be rolled out across the Estonian Army’s manoeuvre force. The army already possesses L3Harris AN/PRC-117G backpack and AN/PRC-152 handheld radios. The AN/PRC-117G is a 30 megahertz/MHz to three gigahertz/GHz multiband transceiver. Very/Ultra High Frequencies (V/UHF) of 30MHz to 870MHz are covered by the AN/PRC-152. Crucially, both these radios carry the HAVEQUICK and SINCGARS (Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System) waveforms. Given that both HAVEQUICK and SINCGARS are used throughout the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) the waveforms provide valuable interoperability.
The EDF also uses communications systems provided by Bittium. In 2019, the company was contracted to furnish the Bittium Tough and Tactical Wireless Internet Protocol Network (TAC WIN) systems. The Tough handheld radio uses frequencies of 30MHz to 5.2GHz. TAC WIN, meanwhile, provides a deployable, secure, wireless internet protocol network with achievable data rates of circa 50 megabits-per-second. The Bittium radios support intra-force links within and between manoeuvre units. Despite the acquisitions of the Bittium and L3Harris radios, the Estonian Army’s communications modernisation continues.
Current Plans
Estonia’s Defence Investments 2023-2027 plan articulates ongoing initiatives to overhaul communications capabilities across the EDF. The plan provides circa $1 bn to spend on the acquisition of new communications and radars, with both systems being folded into the same procurement priorities. That said, a budget of $163 m has been made available for further tactical radios: “The objective of the procurement is to provide all units of the Estonian Defence Forces with new and modern … field radios,” says the plan.
The Estonian government has yet to decide on the tactical radios it will procure to satisfy the requirement. Local sources told Armada that the new radios are intended for fielding at platoon level and below. Therefore, they are most likely to be hand-held systems. Estonian land forces doctrine states that an infantry platoon typically covers an area of 120,000 square metres (0.04 square miles). Below the platoon are the squads, with up to five squads of ten troops equipping each infantry platoon. Each squad is composed of two fireteams each with five soldiers with fire teams divided into pairs of troops. It is possible that the new radios will equip squad, platoon and company commanders.
Candidate Systems
Local sources added that transceivers produced by Elbit Systems and Rhode & Schwarz maybe in the running along with Thales. The latter company produces the SYNAPS-H handheld, with the SOVERON-HR possibly forming Rohde & Schwarz’ offering and Elbit potentially promoting the E-Lynx handheld. The sources added that Estonian land forces may also receive the ESSOR waveform for tactical communications in the future. ESSOR is nn abbreviation for the European Secure Software-defined Radio waveform. Its adoption could help deepen Estonian multinational interoperability. Estonia has observer status in the pan-European ESSOR programme alongside the Republic of Ireland. There is no word on when the Estonian government may downselect a preferred design. Nonetheless, sources disclosed that this may happen before the end of the year. (Source: Armada)
15 Feb 24. February Radio Roundup. Bittium won a contract in early December 2023 to develop and produce a software router for the Finnish Defence Force. The new product will ease the extension and enlargement of tactical networks for deployed troops.
Armada’s monthly roundup of all the latest news in the military communications product, programme and operational domains.
New Software Router
In early December Bittium was contracted by the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) to develop a new software-based router for tactical communications, according to a press release. Software routers will be used as an “alternative and flexible” way to add routers to tactical networks, “when there is a suitable virtual platform available for the purpose” according to the press release. By using software routers troops will be able to develop “even bigger network entities for tactical communications.” Tactical networks can be combined using the software router to extend routing domains in fixed backbone networks. “When all devices are using the same routing protocol, the network can always select the most cost-effective path for communications.” This connection with the backbone can be facilitated with Bittium’s Optimised Link State Routing (OLSR) protocol. The OLSR protocol allows free network mobility for network routers “without the need for the user to configure the network when its topology or the quality of the connections change.” Bittium told Armada in a written statement that production of the software router is ongoing and should conclude in 2025. The company declined to share details regarding when the router will be deployed with the FDF.
Space 5G
Lockheed Martin is moving ahead with its research on space-based Fifth-Generation (5G) communications. These efforts have crystalised in the Advanced 5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) satellite base station. A written statement supplied to Armada by the company says the NTN “is a self-funded prototype designed to demonstrate how 5G in space enables global connectivity and advanced communications capabilities.” Lockheed Martin envisages the NTN payload being integrated onto military and commercial satellites. Laboratory tests performed in late 2023 saw the simulation of a satellite orbital pass during which “the payload successfully connected with prototype user equipment and transferred data, including live video streaming.” The statement added that the NTN operates in six gigahertz/GHz 5G frequencies. The payload will be updated in the future to support 5G frequencies above 18GHz. NTN is currently assessed as being at the US Department of Defence’s Technology Readiness Level Six (TRL-6). TRL-6 denotes that a system or subsystem model or prototype has been demonstrated in a relevant environment. Over the long term, Lockheed Martin hopes to move the NTN to TRL-8 by the end of this year. TRL-8 denotes that the system has been completed and qualified through tests and demonstrations. The company said the payload will be installed on its self-funded Tactical Satellite demonstration spacecraft. The satellite is expected to be launched in 2024. “Regenerative 5G from space will be critical to global connectivity for commercial, military and national security customers alike,” the statement concluded.
Calling all speakers!
The Royal Air Force Museum has announced its call for speakers for its 2024 lecture series. The museum is planning a series of lectures, covering the whole gamut of air power, to take place throughout the year. The lectures will be held online and throughout the United Kingdom. The museum has sites in London, Wolverhampton in the West Midlands and Lancaster in the north of England. Proposals for lectures are sought from postgraduate students, early-career and established researchers. The objective of the lectures is to share new research being undertaken in air power, aviation history and histories of air forces. This includes the Royal Air Force’s, and air power’s, use of the electromagnetic spectrum. Proposals in diverse, related fields and their relationship to the RAF and air power will also be considered. These fields can include, but are not restricted to, archaeology, law and ethics, museology, international relations and strategic studies. Papers relating to the future direction of air and space power are particularly welcome. The lectures enable those interested in these fields share knowledge and highlight interdisciplinary approaches and research methods. Those interested in responding to this call for papers should send a 300-word abstract outlining their idea along with a 200-word biography, both of which should be written in English. Abstracts and biographies should be sent to Dr. Megan Kelleher, the RAF Museum’s historian and academic access manager, at . The deadline for abstract and biography submissions is 1st March. (Source: Armada)
14 Feb 24. Global: Election personnel, infrastructure face heightened interference risks in upcoming elections. On 13 February, the cyber security firm Tidal Cyber revealed in a recent study that South Korea, the UK and the US will be the most likely targets of election interference campaigns in 2024. The study states that individuals and organisations involved in elections in these countries face risks from both misinformation campaigns and disruptive attacks targeting electoral infrastructure. We assess that campaign teams, election workers and media representatives will be possible targets for social engineering and identity-based operations. Campaign websites, voting infrastructure and hardware/software suppliers will also likely face insider threats and web application attacks, including defacement and denial of service (DoS). Threat actors aligned with China, North Korea and Russia continue to evolve their tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) for potential election interference operations, reflecting the activity of state-aligned groups in past election cycles. This will elevate the security risks facing election-related individuals and organisations in the medium-to-long term. (Source: Sibylline)
13 Feb 24. Airborne Triton drone key to USN signal goals, Clapperton says. A Northrop Grumman unmanned aircraft system is indispensable to the U.S. Navy’s future ability to monitor actions around the world, share insights about them and respond accordingly, a service leader said.
The autonomous MQ-4C Triton intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting drone can fly for more than 24 hours at a time and at altitudes greater than 10 miles, with a range of more than 8,000 nautical miles. Sensors aboard can cue onto electronic signals and adversary communications, and that information can be relayed to warships and other aircraft.
Vice Adm. Craig Clapperton, the Navy’s leader of Fleet Cyber Command, told attendees at the West conference in San Diego the Triton’s signals and geospatial intelligence capabilities are of particular interest to him and his teams. The drone achieved initial operating capability last year, following use in the Indo-Pacific.
Clapperton expects improved information-sharing across the service as Triton usage continues. Northrop has delivered at least five of the uncrewed systems to the service.
“If Triton is on an INDOPACOM orbit, it doesn’t just communicate with Naval Information Operations Command Pacific in Hawaii,” he said. “They’re communicating with Whidbey Island, they’re communicating with Task Force 1060 in NIOC Maryland. They’re communicating with Task Force 1050.”
Northrop last year said it was able to shuttle information between its Triton and simulated battlefield assets, including an F-35, an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, destroyers and carrier strike groups. The connectivity was made possible via a “gateway” that hooked into the drone’s onboard radar and advanced computing.
To stay ahead of China and Russia, the U.S. military is attempting to dissolve the membranes that have long compartmentalized the services, their databases and their weapons. The multibn-dollar push, referred to as Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control, envisions any sensor feeding any shooter the data he or she needs — meaning responses to foreign aggression will likely be quicker, more efficient and less constrained by geography.
“Around the globe, as these Tritons expand their orbit, they will be communicating with all of my NIOCs and bringing, really, a federated approach to that battlespace awareness and how we can help the warfighter have a better understanding of what’s going on in their area of responsibility,” Clapperton said. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
13 Feb 24. Global: Third-party monitoring risks facing firms are elevated due to VPN software bug. On 12 February, security researchers reported a bug in the split tunnelling feature of the Windows version of the virtual private network (VPN) software ExpressVPN (versions 12.23.1-12.72.0). Split tunnelling allows users to select which applications are protected by a VPN’s secure connection, and which can access the internet directly. However, the aforementioned bug directs some of this traffic through a device’s internet service provider’s (ISP) server rather than the secure VPN’s server, thus allowing the ISP to track users’ browsing habits. While the specific content of any such browsing activity cannot be accessed, the exposed information is subsequently vulnerable to targeted advertising and/or further tracking. We assess that this can negatively affect secure business operations; it also places users who reside in countries with internet censorship at heightened risk of government monitoring. The development highlights how important it is for organisations to consider VPN configuration options carefully and to enforce strict update policies. ExpressVPN has since released a patch for the latest bug (version 12.73.0). (Source: Sibylline)
13 Feb 24. USMC eyes tactical radio ‘mission modules.’ The US Marine Corps (USMC) is exploring options for building in a mission module capability into the service’s fleet of tactical radios, as a way to accelerate waveform integration as part of an ongoing massive tactical radio upgrade effort.
“What we are looking at is adapting to different waveforms through the process of using mission modules,” said Bill Drew, project officer for multichannel radio family of systems at Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM).
“We really haven’t pursued that [officially] yet, only because we have so many other capabilities out there”, which could be folded into the tactical radio upgrade initiative, Drew said during a 30 January interview with Janes .
“From a hardware standpoint, there are mission modules that are compatible and used with the AN/PRC-163 … and we’re just looking at other possibilities, to give this radio as many capabilities as [we] can,” Drew said. (Source: Janes)
09 Feb 24. Cyber Update Key points.
- Threat actors are exploiting a software vulnerability in Windows to install a banking trojan (‘Mispadu’) against users in Latin America (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 5 February 2024 and our Technical analysis below).
- Recent research by TXOne Networks revealed that operational technology (OT) is being targeted more frequently by state-sponsored and cyber criminal actors (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 6 February 2024).
- An unnamed Chinese threat actor used a new remote access trojan (RAT) called ‘COATHANGER’ to target the Dutch government’s research sector (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 7 February 2024 and our Technical analysis below).
- A new remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2023-40547) is currently affecting all Linux distributions that support Secure Boot, allowing actors to obtain access to secure systems (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 8 February 2024).
- A novel banking trojan, ‘Coyote’, has been targeting users of more than 60 banking institutions, most of which are based in Brazil (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 9 February 2024).
Technical analysis of weekly stories
Mispadu is a known banking trojan that targets users across Latin America. It has recently exploited a software vulnerability (CVE-2023-36025) in Windows SmartScreen. SmartScreen is designed to protect users from untrusted sources by warning them about potentially harmful websites and files. The vulnerability allows the threat actor to bypass these security features. The campaign begins with phishing emails containing a ZIP file attachment. The malware then sends queries to determine the time zone in which the device is operating. Notably, the trojan only runs in the Americas and certain regions of Western Europe, pointing to its relatively targeted nature. The malware then establishes a connection to the command-and-control (C2) server and steals information from Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers, focusing on financial data. Mispadu has undergone multiple iterations in a significantly short space of time; at least three different versions were observed in 2023, highlighting the speed with which developers change the malware and its tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs).
An unnamed Chinese-nexus threat actor used a new malware, COATHANGER, to target Dutch government research facilities in a cyber espionage operation in 2023. COATHANGER is a RAT designed to target vulnerable FortiGate appliances and is used as a second-stage malware. COATHANGER is used to achieve persistence by injecting a back-up version of itself into the system reboot process after exploiting CVE-2022-42475 for initial access to devices. Notably, COATHANGER is able to survive firmware upgrades. Therefore, if a device has already been compromised prior to patching the software vulnerability, a user will remain infected. COATHANGER uses default FortiGate commands to evade security detection measures, thereby prolonging infections.
Some non-exhaustive recommendations to mitigate against these threats include:
- Monitor devices and networks for suspicious activity
- Add available Indicators-of-Compromise (IoCs) to the organisation’s security detection systems to detect potentially malicious samples on the network
- Ensure there are adequate security detection measures in place, including end-point detection and response (EDR) solutions (such as anti-virus software)
- Conduct cyber hygiene awareness courses for users to enable them to recognise and report phishing and social engineering attempts
- Apply patches to software vulnerabilities as soon as they are released to prevent exploitation
Word(s) of the week
Our cyber word(s) of the week: Operational technology (OT)
(Source: Sibylline)
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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.
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