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25 Apr 24. Global: Exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities points to state-sponsored risks via supply chain. On 24 April, the technology company Cisco Talos warned that a new state-sponsored group, ‘UAT4356’, actively exploited two zero-day vulnerabilities (CVE-2024-20353 and CVE-2024-20359) as part of a cyber espionage campaign (‘ArcaneDoor’). The campaign targets government entities. While its initial attack vector is unknown, the group exploited the two vulnerabilities through their Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) firewalls. It then deployed two backdoors, ‘Line Dancer’ and ‘Line Runner’. The backdoors enabled the group to execute code remotely, as well as to move laterally, conduct reconnaissance and exfiltrate data. The sophisticated tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) point to the group’s likely state affiliation. State-sponsored groups often exploit zero-day vulnerabilities in the software supply chain to conduct espionage campaigns, as they facilitate access and persistence. The revelation underscores the sustained security and espionage risks facing global government entities which stem from the software supply chain. (Source: Sibylline)
24 Apr 24. Lockheed Martin Australia, Defence sign $500m head contract for AIR 6500. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy has announced the signing of a $500m contract between Lockheed Martin Australia and the Department of Defence to build Australia’s future Joint Air Battle Management System under project – AIR 6500 Phase 1.
This milestone contract paves the way for Lockheed Martin to begin delivering the next stage of Australia’s Joint Air Battle Management System, as part of AIR 6500, expected to generate at least 230 jobs directly related to its operation, along with many more during construction.
In addition to these 230 jobs across Adelaide, Canberra and Williamtown outside of Newcastle, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy highlighted that the project will also create 300 indirect jobs in Australia’s air and missile defence supply chain and provide opportunities for Australian industry to benefit from a global $83bn export market.
Minister Conroy said, “This $500m contract continues the work by the Albanese government on next-generation air missile defence. This is an investment in our national security but also an investment in a future made in Australia which will support local businesses and create hundreds of jobs and support many more.”
AIR 6500 will deliver four advanced air-defence radars, manufactured by Canberra-based CEA Technologies, with the first delivery expected later this year.
Erika Marshall, vice-president, C4ISR, Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, expanded on the comments made by Minister Conroy, saying, “We are honoured to be the Australian Defence Force’s strategic partner and lead the delivery of AIR 6500-1. At the core of this 21st century security, joint all-domain system is Australian industry.”
Ahead of the AIR 6500-1 contract signing, Lockheed Martin Australia developed an Operator Evaluation System for the Joint Air Battle Management System. This was delivered ahead of schedule and on budget. Using this system, Defence’s air battle managers can access a secure test environment to provide feedback on AIR 6500-1’s design and functionality. This feedback will inform future development activities.
Lockheed Martin will partner with a range of Australian defence industry businesses, including Boeing Defence Australia, C4i, Leidos Australia, Lucid Consulting Australia, Raytheon Australia, Shoal Group, and Silentium Defence to deliver this critical capability to the Australian Defence Force.
Minister Conroy said, “The Albanese government is actively creating opportunities for Australian industry, through the entire supply chain of small-and-medium enterprises, as we deliver these critical defence capabilities.”
Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand’s chief executive, Warren McDonald, commended Defence and Lockheed Martin Australia’s AIR 6500 Team on achieving this historic strategic partnership.
“AIR 6500-1 will give Australia and our allies a greater level of connectivity and interoperability to counter current and future air and missile threats. In a contested and fast-moving environment, AIR 6500-1 will give decisionmakers more time to consider and respond to a situation – time in these circumstances is a precious commodity,” McDonald explained. (Source: Defence Connect)
23 Apr 24. Iraq to equip F-16s with AIDEWS EW suite. Iraq is to equip its Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft with the L3Harris AN/ALQ-211 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite (AIDEWS) electronic warfare (EW) system, the US Department of Defense (DoD) disclosed on 22 April. The DoD requires the retrofit of the AIDEWS system into 34 Iraqi Air Force (IqAF) F-16C/D Block 52M aircraft located at Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih Air Base (Ali Flaih AB [AFAB], previously known as Balad Air Base), a solicitation posted on the SAM.gov US government procurement website said. The DoD solicitation provided no contract value or timeline details. The AIDEWS comes in both an AN/ALQ-211(V)4 integrated and an AN/ALQ-211(V)9 podded configuration, with the newer Block 52 and above aircraft of operators such as the IqAF having the internal space needed for integration, while older block aircraft do not and therefore, require the podded system. The IqAF fields 24 single-seat F-16C and 10 twin-seat F-16D aircraft, deliveries of which commenced in 2014. (Source: Janes)
24 Apr 24. uAvionix Partners with Viasat to Deliver Seamless Global Communication Service for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles. Viasat, Inc., a global satellite communications company, has announced collaboration with uAvionix, a pioneer in the development of certified avionics for crewed and uncrewed aviation. uAvionix will join Viasat’s Velaris Partner Network.
Following a strategic alliance agreement between the companies to develop products and services for the uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) market, uAvionix has begun integrating Viasat’s Velaris module into its compact muLTElink airborne radio system. Powered by Viasat’s global L-band network, Velaris provides secure, resilient, L-band, communications for commercial UAVs. Velaris enables real-time monitoring for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) UAV operations, with seamless integration into commercial airspace.
uAvionix’s system combines C-band, LTE, ISM and Viasat L-band, and carefully monitors and manages each data link using a DO-377A Link Executive Manager (LEM) while automatically registering aircraft with uAvionix’s SkyLine Cloud Managed BVLOS service.
SkyLine is the first cloud-based command and control network that combines fleet management, network health monitoring, detect & avoid, and seamless make-before-break roaming between multiple radio networks and ground stations and is purpose built to enable Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) safety cases.
During system integration testing in 2023, uAvionix configured and integrated a Velaris development terminal with its SkyLine system and established a “very stable streaming connection” in a matter of just days.
Cyriel Kronenburg, VP Aviation Networks at uAvionix said: “uAvionix successfully flew with Velaris connectivity in northern Montana. Notably, where the LTE radio had good performance on the ground before take-off, and the SkyLink C-band ISM radios had good performance while in our area of operations, the satcom let us close the gap by providing phenomenal performance with a very stable streaming connection while enroute from the airport to our deployed SkyStations. It’s a huge testament to the ease of use of satcom and how supportive the Viasat team has been.”
Joel Klooster, SVP, Flight Safety and AAM at Viasat, said: “uAvionix is a highly respected and innovative avionics and software company. This partnership formalizes a number of initiatives and programs the two companies are collaborating on, and we look forward to future projects. uAvionix has a proven track record of developing cutting-edge technology for the aviation industry, and our combined expertise will lead to even more advancements in the field.” (Source: UAS VISION)
23 Apr 24. AeroVironment (AV) has introduced its Autonomy Retrofit Kit (ARK) and AVACORE software demonstrating the company’s commitment to advancing autonomy and machine learning capabilities to increase effectiveness of autonomous systems and reduce operator burdens. ARK and AVACORE bring AV’s accelerated autonomy to fielded assets such as Puma™ 3 AE and Puma™ LE, in addition to future autonomous systems.
ARK is a quick-connect payload introducing a new suite of intelligent mission capabilities for Group 1+ unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Providing edge computing for mission-critical applications, ARK enables operators to task a single or multi-vehicle team with mission objectives for fully autonomous execution while operating in communications-contested environments. ARK also intelligently integrates with distributed groups of dismounted units in a Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) using the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK).
AVACORE is AV’s autonomy software providing an open framework for unmanned systems. It features a modular set of interfaces such as autopilots, radios and sensors, and supports rapid integration with new platforms and applications. ARK also comes preinstalled with SPOTR-Edge, AV’s computer vision software, for onboard detection, classification, localization, and tracking of operationally relevant objects including people, vehicles, aircraft, and maritime vessels, day or night.
“ARK and AVACORE provide enhanced capabilities and critical advantages to warfighters on complex battlefields,” said AV’s Senior Vice President of MacCready Works, Jeff Rodrian. “This payload combines AV’s unparalleled autonomy and field-proven computer vision SPOTR-Edge to accelerate awareness and mission success.”
Though the combination of autonomy and computer vision, ARK and AVACORE allow operators to select a wide variety of single or multi-agent capabilities including multi-region search, track and follow and more. The introduction of these systems builds upon AV’s proven and trusted family of autonomous systems, bringing a scalable, adaptable AI toolset to fielded and new assets for safer, smarter mission capabilities.
“AVACORE features an intuitive behavior tree approach allowing flexibility for rapid development and adoption of new autonomous missions,” continued Rodrian. “This results in smarter systems with reduced cognitive load for warfighters.” (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
24 Apr 24. PPM Systems Enables A 5x Increase in Detection Range. One infrastructure, all capabilities: discover evergreen RF over fibre architecture solutions. PPM Systems are increasing observational antenna radius by solving signal distribution limitations*. Enabling the next step in capability performance across multiple domains, PPM Systems have integrated operationally and commercially proven RF over fibre products together to form complete RF over fibre architecture solutions. For delegates attending the Combined Naval Event in May, these solutions will be available to explore on stand E04.Leveraging the benefits of COTS products and developing them for defence applications, PPM Systems uses extensive domain knowledge to form complete RF over fibre architecture solutions for the maritime ESM (Electronic Support Measures), EW (Electronic Warfare), CEMA (Cyber and Electromagnetic Activities) and C-UAS / C- USV (Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems / Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle) domains. The industry leading knowledge within PPM Systems ensures seamless signal transmission even in demanding maritime and land environments, whilst providing exceptional signal quality and performance alongside antenna positioning freedom. The solutions are, and continue to be, developed in alignment with open standards such as Open VPX, with PPM Systems poised to enable EW capabilities through ruggedised and dynamically reconfigurable signal distribution – a step change in capability for customers.Helping to ensure countries develop their maritime capabilities, ensure freedom of navigation is not threatened and, when necessary, sea control and denial are achieved, the Navy Leaders Combined Navy Event is a must-attend, especially as the maritime environment is emerging as a key priority for NATO and its partners. The intent is for a wide cross-section of attendees from international navies, defence industry and academia to explore how to align in common purpose to ensure naval capabilities match to the strategic, operational and technological opportunities and demands of the future.
The event will be held at the Farnborough International Exhibition Centre on 21st – 23rd May, where over 1500 attendees will be able to explore these RF over fibre architecture solutions that deliver ‘Any Signal, Anywhere’. Providing an easy post-design integration option with lossless and secure signal transport, these solutions are ideal for routing into SCIF environments, and for cost effective improvement of maritime ESM capabilities. Don’t miss the largest annual naval event in Europe – register to attend the Combined Naval Event at navyleaders.com today. *10m coax based antenna at 18 GHz would have 18% of the observational radius of the optically enabled Antenna CCU
23 Apr 24. China dissolves Strategic Support Force, focused on cyber and space. China has disbanded and replaced its Strategic Support Force, a pivotal component of the People’s Liberation Army’s modernization efforts. The Strategic Support Force, or SSF, was created on Dec. 31, 2015. It existed for a little more than eight years.
After China dissolved the SSF on April 19, it established an Information Support Force, with President Xi Jinping present at its investiture ceremony in Beijing the same day.
Its first commander is Lt. Gen. Bi Yi, a former deputy commander of the SSF. The Information Support Force is directly subordinate to the Central Military Commission, the top political party organ that oversees China’s armed forces.
Senior Col. Wu Qian, a Defense Ministry spokesperson, said the change is part of “building a strong military, and a strategic step to establish a new system of services and arms and improve the modern military force structure.”
He added that the Information Support Force underpins “coordinated development and application of network information systems.” This suggests it is responsible for command and control, information security, and intelligence dissemination.
He also said the move would have “profound and far-reaching significance” on PLA modernization. However, Brendan Mulvaney, the director of the U.S. Air Force’s China Aerospace Studies Institute, told Defense News it’s unlikely to be “as big of a shift as the 2015-2016 reforms,” which overhauled the PLA.
The military considers the information domain as important as the four traditional air, land, sea and space domains.
The PLA now has three nascent arms — the Information Support Force, Cyberspace Force and Aerospace Force. It appears the latter two were existing SSF departments that China renamed.
After the shakeup, the PLA’s new organization features four services and four arms: the existing PLA Army, Navy, Air Force and Rocket Force services, while the three previously mentioned arms sit alongside a fourth, the incumbent Joint Logistics Support Force.
The Cyberspace Force will subsume the responsibilities of the SSF’s former Network Systems Department, whose mandate was offensive and defensive cyber operations.
Indeed, the Defense Ministry described the Cyberspace Force’s role as “reinforcing national cyber border defense, promptly detecting and countering network intrusions and maintaining national cyber sovereignty and information security”.
The Aerospace Force will take on the charge of the SSF’s Space Systems Department, meaning it will supervise space operations and space launches. Wu said the force will “strengthen the capacity to safely enter, exit and openly use space.”
The ministry said that “as circumstances and tasks evolve, we will continue to refine the modern military force structure.”
Xi has repeatedly urged the PLA to do two things: modernize its readiness structure for high-tech combat, and to loyally follow party diktats.
He has now ordered the Information Support Force to “resolutely obey the party’s command and make sure it stays absolutely loyal, pure and reliable.” (Source: Defense News)
22 Apr 24. New Research Shows Accelerating AI Adoption is Critical to Public and Private Sector Resilience Against Evolving Cyber Threats.
Eighty percent of cybersecurity decision makers say accelerating artificial intelligence adoption is critical to their organization’s resilience against evolving threats, but only 31 percent say their organization is using AI today, according to a new study from MeriTalk, government IT’s top digital platform, and RSA Conference, the world’s leading information security conferences and expositions.
The study – which compiles qualitative data from five in-depth interviews with senior cybersecurity leaders, as well as quantitative data from 100 Federal and 100 private sector cybersecurity decision-makers, examines early cyber AI wins and asks cyber professionals how they want to work with AI going forward. While 86 percent feel human-AI collaboration will become the cornerstone of effective cybersecurity strategies, just one in five fully trust AI to automate cybersecurity decisions. When it comes to their ideal division of responsibilities, cyber leaders want humans to keep majority ownership of more nuanced efforts like strategic planning, innovation, and governance; while AI takes the lead on data-heavy efforts like cyber risk assessments and threat detection and response.
While most organizations view their current AI governance as adequate, critical policy gaps exist. Less than half have documented policies for decision-making models or formal ethical or program testing guidelines, and just 40 percent report policies specific to critical infrastructure. Additionally, just 30 percent feel their organization is well prepared to combat AI-driven cybersecurity threats. The challenges having the biggest impact on AI adoption are fears of increased attacks on new AI models, data, or services, a lack of a skilled workforce to implement, and data quality, integrity, or availability challenges.
“AI technologies, like machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP), are not new to cybersecurity, but their applications are quickly evolving from optional enhancements to strategic necessities,” said Nicole Burdette, principal, MeriTalk. “We are already seeing AI users improve vulnerability detection and accelerate incident response times. The challenge for the next 6-12 months will be putting the right guardrails in place so organizations can maximize AI adoption and benefits while minimizing additional risk.”
“The impact of AI across our industry is seismic, and we’re clearly in the early days of understanding and adapting to the impact on teams and tools,” said Britta Glade, Vice President, Content & Curation, RSA Conference. “As evidenced in this research, the days and months ahead will be critical, and organizations must clearly and purposefully evaluate and define the boundaries and guardrails for how AI will be infused into workstreams and processes.”
When asked to envision the future of human-AI collaboration, cyber professionals relayed a mix of optimism and caution. While many see immense potential for innovation, efficiency, and improved security, concerns around safety, ethics, and responsible development remain.
To optimize AI’s cyber impact, the report recommends organizations:
- Start with increased human communication and collaboration
- Emphasize a culture of continuous learning
- Evaluate AI use cases by tech maturity, mission value, and risk
- Build in AI security from inception
- Be realistic about expectations
- Focus on thorough testing and evaluations
- Embrace change
The Art of Human and AI Teaming in Cybersecurity report is underwritten by Fortinet Federal and Maximus. The report has a margin of error of ±6.93 percent at a 95 percent confidence level. To review the full findings, visit: https://meritalk.com/study/art-of-human-and-ai-team-cybersecurity/?campaign=pr
About MeriTalk
The voice of tomorrow’s government today, MeriTalk is government IT’s top digital platform. Our award-winning editorial team and world-class events and research staff produces unmatched news, analysis, and insight. The goal: more efficient, responsive, and citizen-centric government. MeriTalk connects with an audience of 160,000 Federal community contacts. For more information, visit www.meritalk.com or follow us on X, @MeriTalk. MeriTalk is a 300Brand organization.
About RSA Conference
RSA Conference™ is the premier series of global events and year-round learning for the cybersecurity community. RSAC is where the security industry converges to discuss current and future concerns and have access to the experts, unbiased content, and ideas that help enable individuals and companies advance their cybersecurity posture and build stronger and smarter teams. Both in-person and online, RSAC brings the cybersecurity industry together and empowers the collective “we” to stand against cyberthreats around the world. RSAC is the ultimate marketplace for the latest technologies and hands-on educational opportunities that help industry professionals discover how to make their companies more secure while showcasing the most enterprising, influential, and thought-provoking thinkers and leaders in cybersecurity today. For the most up-to-date news pertaining to the cybersecurity industry visit www.rsaconference.com. Where the world talks security. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
22 Apr 24. The British Army Land ISTAR team have just returned from Project Convergence Capstone 4 in the USA where, more than 600 British Army soldiers participated in a major war-fighting experiment alongside personnel from several other countries, including the US Army, Defence Australia, New Zealand Defence Force, Canadian Army | Armée canadienne, Armée de Terre, and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. As well as integrating ZODIAC with multiple platform sensors – for instance, Watchkeeper, Puma and the latest UAV platform from Lockheed Martin’s Tiquila project (Indago) – using ZODIAC, the team collaborated with our Five Eyes partners for a more streamlined, heightened shared intelligence picture. Battlefield digitalisation under the ZODIAC programme ensures the British Army is at the forefront of digital development and integration of the sense-decide-effect chain. This supports the realisation of the Land Operating Concept and the modernisation of the UK’s warfighting capability. (Source: British Army)
22 Apr 24. Oracle Cloud Secret Impact Level 6 Regions for U.S. Department of Defense. Oracle today announced the accreditation of three cloud regions for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) with Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Impact Level 6 (IL6) authorization to host Secret classified workloads. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is now available at all DoD classification levels, providing defense customers support for their full technology portfolio and more capability to fulfill their mission.
DoD customers operate many fragmented information systems on modern and legacy infrastructure, making it difficult to collect, analyze, secure, scale, and act on critical data to make real-time decisions. The DoD needs the best technology to succeed in an increasingly contested environment. As adversaries advance their capabilities, the DoD needs data, AI, and compute platforms that give our warfighters the technical overmatch they deserve.
“America’s warfighters must have the world’s preeminent technology and our taxpayers insist that technology is delivered at competitive costs. Oracle is bringing both to the Department of Defense’s Secret networks.” says Rand Waldron, vice president, Oracle. “Technology no longer sits outside the mission; technology is a part of the mission. In austere locations with limited communication, and in massive secure data centers, Oracle is bringing our best capabilities to serve the men and women that defend the U.S. and our Allies.”
Oracle’s air-gapped classified regions solve many of the DoD’s challenges with the latest innovations from the public cloud, competitive pricing, powerful analytics, and enhanced security. Oracle Cloud classified regions come with our Everything Everywhere® commitment to offer the same Oracle Cloud services that are available in the Oracle public cloud. This commitment ensures DoD technologists get leading edge cloud services and hardware to accelerate their work. These Oracle services provide customers higher performance, lower cost capabilities with consistent pricing across all classification levels.
Oracle Modern Data Platform simplifies the end-to-end data lifecycle to deliver critical insights faster. With Oracle’s comprehensive analytics and AI portfolio, users can leverage high-performance computing (HPC) to bring powerful, cost-effective computing capabilities to solve complex problems.
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure security is simple, prescriptive, and always-on. Our zero trust approach to cloud security helps customers implement a DISA Zero-Trust Reference Architecture. Oracle Cloud classified regions are supported and managed from secure, dedicated, cloud network operation centers, which are only accessed, monitored, and staffed by U.S. government-cleared personnel.
Join Oracle experts, partners, and thought leaders to learn about the latest technology trends and news at Oracle Federal Forum on Thursday, April 25 in Washington, D.C.
About Oracle
Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at oracle.com.
Trademarks
Oracle, Java, MySQL and NetSuite are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. NetSuite was the first cloud company—ushering in the new era of cloud computing. (Source: PR Newswire)
22 Apr 24. Micro-Ant, a leader in bespoke antenna design and manufacturing, has announced that its Airborne High Gain Antenna (HGA) passed a key test from Iridium Communications Inc. Achieving this milestone allows for the HGA’s use with Value-Added Manufacturer (VAM) developed Iridium Certus® 700 aviation terminals.
The Micro-Ant HGA is an electronically steered antenna with two simultaneous beams. The testing demonstrates that the antenna successfully tracks the Iridium® satellite constellation and switches satellites effectively, maintaining strong network signals at low elevation angles. Micro-Ant’s beam handover technology provides reliable satcom voice and data connectivity during flight maneuvers such as banking.
Micro-Ant’s airborne HGA Iridium antennas need to accurately track Iridium satellites from a moving aircraft and switch from one satellite to another as the satellites are moving across the sky. The key test passed by Micro-Ant, called monotonic testing, simulates these movements, and evaluates the antenna’s ability to maintain a lock on a satellite while adjusting the azimuth and elevation angles of the antenna.
Micro-Ant is now able to work with Iridium VAMs on system level and airworthiness certification efforts to put the aircraft antenna into service by the end of 2024.
“Exciting progress is being made by Micro-Ant, and we look forward to them supporting Iridium’s partners and bringing new state-of-the-art aviation products to the market,” said John Peterson, Executive Director, Aviation, Iridium. “Iridium Certus aviation solutions are setting a new standard for cockpit communications performance, and Micro-Ant’s new cost-effective, low-profile antenna will further reinforce the value these new solutions bring.”
Micro-Ant is part of the Iridium partner ecosystem, a collective of partners, enabling leading global technology companies to leverage Iridium’s unique network to manufacture, develop, market, and support innovative applications for a variety of different markets and industries.
This antenna will continue to support growing the Iridium Certus satcom ecosystem, which utilizes the Iridium constellation of 66 Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. The Iridium network is outfitted to provide critical communications including supporting the increasing demand for connectivity for the aviation industry from commercial passenger aircraft, business jets, rotorcraft, and unmanned aircraft.
Micro-Ant currently provides similar beam steering antennas for the Iridium Certus maritime vessel community. These highly efficient multi-patch antennas contain no moving parts and are robust enough for any all-weather conditions at sea.
About Micro-Ant
Founded in 2003, Micro-Ant designs, develops, and manufactures custom antennas for land, maritime, IoT, and aerospace applications operating within the Microwave Frequency Spectrum including UHF, L, S, C, X, Ku and Ka-bands.
Micro-Ant develops strategic antennas for various applications, including 2-way SATCOM, COTM, aircraft, SDARS, DVB, and GPS. Products include phased arrays, patch antennas, parabolic and flat panel antennas, and low-profile active antennas. Micro-Ant operates several world-class manufacturing facilities, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. (Source: PR Newswire)
22 Apr 24. Orion Technology Group Integrates Doodle Labs Datalinks into X BLUE NANO Drones. Orion Technology Group, a manufacturer of advanced artificial intelligence UxVs and mission software, has announced the integration of Doodle Labs’ cutting-edge Mesh Rider Radios into its full line of AIM BLUE drones, including its newest X2 BLUE NANO, a cargo pocket-sized nUAS with indoor and outdoor autonomous navigation capabilities.
Orion’s Artificial Intelligence Mission (AIM) system includes three AI aerial platforms with payloads up to 10kg. The smallest, the X BLUE NANOs, fills the need for a person-portable, body-worn UAS platform that is fully autonomous, easily carried and can provide GPS-denied ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) indoors and outdoors for tactical military and public safety teams. The company’s nano line includes five different airframe options, modular motors and prop guards and a multitude of swappable payloads, including cameras, thermal and LIDAR scanners.
Integrating Doodle Labs’ low-SWaP (size, weight and power) Mesh Rider Radio as an available on-board datalink across the entire line provides resilient connectivity and enables advanced performance in contested and disconnected spaces without compromising even the nano drones’ tiny profiles. The X2, the lightest frame in the modular suite of drones can be configured under 249 grams, or just over half a pound.
Doodle Labs’ radios are themselves incredibly small – the 2×2 MIMO mini Mesh Rider Radio weighs just 34 grams, while the 1×1 SISO nano version is only 26 grams – but do not skimp on performance. The company’s mini Mesh Rider Radio delivers up to 80Mbps of throughput and has been field-verified to transmit full HD video at 20+ kilometers.
Development of Doodle Labs’ Mesh Rider Radio was sponsored in part by the US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), is on the Blue UAS Cleared components list and is NDAA-compliant. Orion’s full line of X BLUE NANO drones is also NDAA-compliant.
Doodle Labs will showcase the X2 BLUE NANO alongside its full Mesh Rider Radio lineup at its booth at Xponential 2024, one of the world’s largest drone and robotics trade shows, April 23-25 in San Diego.
“We’re always excited to learn about the new and innovative ways our customers leverage the Mesh Rider Radio, so we’re looking forward to showcasing such a unique nano-drone on our booth at Xponential,” said Doodle Labs Co-CEO Amol Parikh. “There’s a real demand for flexible, compact, high-performance UAV platforms within the DoD, law enforcement and other agencies with tactical teams. We’re happy our high-bandwidth, low-latency radios are such a perfect fit for these newest models from Orion.”
“Our nanos, tethered and even our 10kg payload AI drones were designed to be NDAA compliant and meet specific client requirements including ATAK control, modularity and being AI swarm capable out of the box. The Mesh Rider Radios met all the requirements for a high-performance, cost-effective radio that could meet the extreme SWaP needs of the latest X BLUE NANOs,” said Orion’s CEO Seth Spiller. (Source: UAS VISION)
22 Apr 24. US Army launches new kit to enhance multinational communication. The new mission partner kit (MPK) will support secure, multilingual communication between US and allied forces during multinational exercises. The US Army has unveiled an MPK designed to streamline communication across different languages during multinational military exercises. This kit was showcased during the Saber Strike 24 exercise, part of the DEFENDER-Europe 24 series, where precise coordination between forces is crucial.
The MPK, a central element of the Extending the Network initiative, comprises three main applications, as reported by SPC Andrew Clark.
It includes Wickr for end-to-end encrypted messaging, Instant Connect Enterprise (ICE) for voice interoperability, and a Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) compatible with various operating systems such as Windows, Apple and Android devices.
Additionally, the kit includes a Radio Integrated Communications Suite (RICS) to enhance connectivity.
Wickr provides a secure platform for sharing data and coordinating with tactical mission data platforms in the field, according to US Army 1st lieutenant Joshua Chang of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment.
The RICS kit, paired with the ICE application, enables conversion of FM wavelength into internet protocol data, reducing equipment needs and extending communication networks.
Chang explains the practicality of the system, where a German soldier can speak in their language and US forces can receive the translated message in English.
The TAK component is essential for real-time tracking of friend and foe positions, allowing for dynamic collaboration and updates on the battlefield.
Chang added: “Extending the Network allows our mission partners to communicate with us. The MPK allows us to quickly, safely and securely provide our mission partners with voice, chat, collaboration and location-sharing capabilities.”
The MPK also integrates with the US Army 2nd Cavalry Regiment’s tactical network end-user devices, enhancing situational awareness for all members.
This technological advancement represents a step forward in military communication, offering strategic benefits and fostering cooperation with allied nations.
A cyber warfare officer supporting 2CR said: “The concept behind MPK from the interoperability perspective is to simplify access for our tactical forces, whether it is a foreign partner or ourselves.
“Because what we have done is we have simplified and increased access. By simplifying it, we have introduced applications that are familiar to the users.” (Source: army-technology.com)
23 Apr 24. The new R&S SMB100B analog microwave signal generator from Rohde & Schwarz offers an outstanding, market-leading performance for analog signal generation up to 40 GHz in the midrange class. Thanks to its easy operation and comprehensive functionality, the versatile R&S SMB100B is now the first choice for all applications requiring clean analog signals or high output power from 8 kHz to 40 GHz. Typical applications include testing radar receivers, semiconductor components, upconverters, downconverters or amplifiers. The high output power and low phase noise make it ideal as a source for simulating interferers for blocking tests.
The R&S SMB100B microwave signal generator features a signal purity which combines very low single sideband (SSB) phase noise, excellent non-harmonics suppression, and low wideband noise for all carrier frequencies. For users seeking even better close-in phase noise and frequency stability, and less temperature-based variation in performance, in addition to the standard OXCO reference oscillator, a higher performance version is available for all frequency ranges. In addition to the conventional 10 MHz reference frequency, users can choose optionally 1 MHz to 100 MHz as well as 1 GHz reference frequency signals. Optional high output power of measured 25 dBm at 20 GHz and 19.5 dBm at 40 GHz is activated by keycode, so users can install it at any time. Considering the microwave frequency range covered by the instrument, the R&S SMB100B microwave signal generator is light (10.7 kg) and compact, fitting in a 19” rack and only two rack units in height.
The level accuracy of the output directly from an R&S SMB100B itself is excellent. With each increase in the frequency of the required signal, the challenge of obtaining the correct level input to a device increases: The R&S SMB100B supports two additional features to compensate for path losses and variations in the signal caused by setups with additional test fixtures, cables or amplifiers. These features help to provide the wanted power level at the reference plane i.e. at the input of the device under test. One of them, the user correction function (UCOR), compensates if the frequency response of the setup is known and stable. However, there are still unknown factors especially if the setup includes additional active devices such as an amplifier. Then the frequency response of the setup with an external additional amplifier can vary over level or temperature. Closed-loop power control can compensate for all these variations by continuously measuring the input level to the DUT i.e. at the wanted reference plane with a suitable R&S NRP power sensor feeding its measured level back to the generator to adjust the output power accordingly. More details about this use case can be found in the application note 1GP141.
The R&S SMB100B is user-friendly in every detail. Users can create their own customized menus, so that the parameters they most use are always available. They can generate code to automate measurements first made manually with the SCPI macro recorder while the measurements are set up and run, then use the code generator to export the instructions in languages such as MATLAB®. Thanks to R&S Legacy Pro, the R&S SMB100B (and other Rohde & Schwarz test equipment) can be used to emulate other instruments such as R&S SMB100A or competitor instruments directly, as a drop-in replacement using the existing code.
The new R&S SMB100B microwave signal generator up to 40 GHz is now available from Rohde & Schwarz and expands the R&S SMB100B analog signal generator family with its established RF models up to 6 GHz. For more information on visit: https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/product/smb100b
19 Apr 24. Cyber Update Key points.
- A new campaign targeting firewalls highlights sustained security and information theft risks stemming from zero-day vulnerabilities (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 15 April 2024).
- A new malware campaign has targeted Russian critical infrastructure, highlighting national security threats posed by state-aligned actors (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 16 April 2024).
- A new vulnerability has exposed cloud services’ sensitive data, underscoring the security and financial risks stemming from the software supply chain (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 17 April 2024 and our Technical analysis below).
- A new backdoor targeting Eastern European organisations points to elevated Russian-backed cyber espionage threats and disruption risks (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 18 April 2024 and our Technical analysis below).
- A ransomware operation targeting the UN highlights the financial and reputational risks facing international humanitarian organisations.
Technical analysis of weekly stories
A new vulnerability, ‘LeakyCLI’, was identified in Amazon’s and Google’s respective cloud services. The vulnerability stems from a tool used to streamline software development. Both platforms use command-line interfaces (CLIs) to manage and interact with their cloud platforms, as well as continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) environments to automate software releases. Configuration and environment data is usually recorded in a system’s build logs when both programmes complete their development processes and present the output to the end user. However, this information is often stored in plain text due to a configuration automation; this possibly results in the exposure of sensitive data to threat actors, including passwords. Although no incidents have been reported at the time of writing, threat actors are able to exploit these exposed credentials to move laterally and to escalate their privileges within compromised networks. Third-party cloud services often widen an organisation’s attack surface; they rely on shared security practices between vendors and customers, thereby presenting a significant security challenge for organisations.
The Russian state-sponsored group ‘Sandworm’ targeted organisations in Ukraine and other Eastern European countries with a new backdoor, ‘Kapeka’. The backdoor is designed to provide threat actors with intelligence-gathering capabilities as well as long-term access and prolonged obfuscation on victims’ systems. Although it is unclear how the malware is initially distributed, a malicious payload containing a dropper downloads the backdoor onto a victim’s system. Kapeka then collects information about the compromised system, forwarding it to actor-controlled command and control (C2) infrastructure. The backdoor also masks itself as a legitimate file to evade detection; it also supports the execution of custom payloads to enable threat actors to deploy additional malicious files. The malware’s multiple obfuscation techniques and multi-pronged nature highlight the potential expansion of Sandworm’s arsenal, as well as the growing sophistication of its tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs). Kapeka was likely used to aid in the deployment of the ‘Prestige’ ransomware in late 2022, which disrupted Ukraine’s and Poland’s transport and logistics sectors.
Some non-exhaustive recommendations to mitigate against these threats include:
- Enforce strict security policies such as regular software and password updates, as well as adequate network segmentation, to prevent lateral movement following an infection
- Ensure sensitive information is stored securely in appropriate password management services, avoiding the use of plain text
- Monitor devices and networks for suspicious activity
- Add available Indicators-of-Compromise (IoCs) to your organisation’s security detection systems to detect potentially malicious samples on the network
- Ensure adequate security detection measures are in place, particularly behaviour-based end-point detection and response (EDR) solutions
Our cyber word of the week: Obfuscation (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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