Sponsored by Spectra Group
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05 Dec 24. Pacific Defense, a leader in Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) solutions, announces the COM6300VP, a 3U OpenVPX™ multi-waveform tactical radio plug-in card aligned with the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA™) Technical Standard. The plug-in card features a dual-channel communication approach, utilizing both Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) and the TrellisWare TSM™ waveforms. The COM6300VP provides secure, low-risk communication capabilities through a Thales Defense and Security Inc. (TDSI) integrated crypto module, which can facilitate future NSA Type-1 certification.
Why It Matters
The COM6300VP combines multiple radio capabilities and an integrated crypto module into a single card, enabling system integrators to replace multiple independent radio devices within a platform. This consolidation reduces Size Weight and Power (SWaP), complexity, and streamlines logistics. It also enables the rapid deployment of secure communications across a wide range of military programs, including those aligned with the Army’s CMFF initiative.
Advanced Tactical Capabilities
The COM6300VP supports assured voice communication on its narrowband channel and runs TrellisWare TSM™ waveform on its wideband channel, providing data, and video transmission. Built to withstand challenging environments, the COM6300VP incorporates technology from Thales’ latest 2-channel PRC-148F radio that meets next generation requirements while providing interoperability with legacy radios. It also facilitates integration with the US Government’s Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) to enhance situational awareness.
“The COM6300VP expands our tactical communications portfolio, delivering advanced, secure communications in a single 3U card that enables modular and scalable system architectures,” said Pedja Mitrovic, V.P. Product Management at Pacific Defense. “This product underscores our commitment to providing CMOSS-compliant, SOSA-aligned solutions that enhance mission effectiveness and reduce development time and cost.”
“We are proud to partner with Pacific Defense to bring secure tactical communications through CMOSS and to the U.S. Army CMFF program. Together, we are advancing modular, open vehicle electronics innovation that enhances mission command connectivity and advances open standards to reduce platform integration complexity,” said Paul Mehney, Vice President Strategy at Thales Defense and Security, Inc.
Key Features of the COM6300VP:
- 3U OpenVPX™ SOSA-aligned, fully CMOSS-compliant plug-in card
- Supports SINCGARS, AM/FM, and TrellisWare TSM™ waveforms
- Integrated crypto module based on NSA-certified Thales technology
- Rugged design for harsh environments
For detailed information about the COM6300VP, please visit the product page: COM6300VP
Availability
The COM6300VP is available to order now.
(Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
04 Dec 24. Goldilock, the British cybersecurity company behind the unique physical network isolation solution “FireBreak”, has today announced the extent of its strong momentum with the European channel market over the last 6 months. Goldilock has partnered with over 40 new distributors and resellers since June, demonstrating the broad, cross-sector appeal of its critical layer-1 physical segmentation product and helping it bring the product to an even wider market there.
To support Goldilock’s rapid European channel growth, Wim Horseling has been appointed as Channel Manager for Europe. Bringing over 30 years of experience in channel and sales leadership at organisations such Dell, Siemens, and NetYCE, Horseling’s knowledge of the connectivity, security and data centre space will be crucial in consolidating Goldilock’s momentum in Europe, educating channel partners, and continuing the company’s European expansion into 2025.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Goldilock at this exciting time to support the company’s growth in Europe” said Wim Horseling, Channel Manager for Europe. “We’ve established strong relationships with an extensive list of distributors and resellers across Europe this year and we’re actively seeking more to join our growing network. Ultimately, the power of Goldilock’s solution lies in its simplicity and I look forward to enabling the delivery of this critical technology to more industries and countries.”
As cyber threats continue to increase in complexity and number across the globe, the rapid adoption of the latest security innovations and dual-use technologies is necessary across sectors. Through a powerful yet simple approach, Dynamic Physical Network Segmentation (DPNS) technology enables users of FireBreak to step outside of the cyber security arms race by physically isolating their digital assets and systems instantly, acting as a crucial first layer for organisations of all types. Goldilock’s European new and existing channel partners recognise the value of its unique hardware-based solution as this foundational component of a multi-layered cyber security strategy.
“Pedab is excited to collaborate with Goldilock to bring their groundbreaking security solutions to our extensive customer base,” said Jesper Bartholdson, CEO of Pedab. “With their expertise in both IT and OT security, we can offer comprehensive protection for industries that require the highest level of safety and reliability.”
Goldilock now works with over 50 partners across 18 countries in Europe. Partnering with distributors and resellers with deep industry knowledge and local expertise of customer preferences, regulation, and market conditions. Partners including Brookcourt (UK), DigiFors (Germany) and Infinity (Netherlands) bring understanding of data centre, smart buildings, and telco technologies, as well as the enterprise and public sector markets including healthcare, finance, CNI, and hospitality. This will ensure customers receive both the vital technology and personalised guidance and industry-specific expertise needed to maximise its effectiveness and establish a holistic approach to cybersecurity.
“Now more than ever, organisations across all industries need to establish a multilayer security posture,” said Steven Brodie, Chief Revenue Officer at Goldilock. “We’re on a mission to deliver our layer-1 solution to the industries that need it most and we’re grateful for the confidence all our partners in Europe have shown in FireBreak. By providing specialised industry and local expertise, we can rest assured that our end-users are getting the personalised support they need to futureproof their network security. Meanwhile, we’ll continue to make playing well with others a priority so that our partners can continue to offer customers fully integrated and comprehensive protection against tomorrow’s threats.”
04 Dec 24. Raytheon, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, has successfully completed a Delta Design Review of its Advanced Electronic Warfare, or ADVEW, prototype for the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. ADVEW is being developed to replace existing electronic warfare components on the aircraft to improve survivability and long-term sustainability. Executed ahead of schedule, the review assessed the weapons replaceable assemblies, or WRAs, and how each part of the hardware system works together to meet required specifications. The review confirmed that the system can provide critical electronic attack and electronic support measures capabilities.
“This event is a significant milestone that demonstrates our multi-function approach of integrating electronic support and electronic attack to revolutionize modern electronic warfare systems,” said Bryan Rosselli, president of Advanced Products & Solutions at Raytheon. “Our solution provides the needed capabilities to defeat the ever-evolving threats of the world’s most dangerous adversaries now and well into the future.”
Raytheon’s integration of digital and model-based systems engineering tools in the development of ADVEW provides requirements traceability, streamlines system integration, and mitigates risk to enable rapid aircraft integration. The company’s approach leverages common material base and manufacturing processes to efficiently scale, reduce cost, minimize supply chain disruption, and deliver ahead of schedule. In December of last year, Raytheon was awarded a $80 m contract in a down select to prototype the system for the U.S. Navy. The successful completion of this Delta Design Review marks another milestone of ADVEW development and begins the next phase, which includes government laboratory testing to validate Open Mission Systems compliance and to demonstrate advanced system attributes. (Source: PR Newswire)
05 Dec 24. Afghanistan-India: Hijacked cyber infrastructure indicates elevated espionage risks. On 4 December, the cyber security company Lumen reported that the Russian state-sponsored group ‘Turla’ is exploiting infrastructure associated with the Pakistani state-sponsored group ‘Storm-0156’ to conduct cyber espionage operations. Although the initial attack vector is unclear, Turla first compromised the command-and-control (C2) infrastructure used by Storm-0156 in December 2022. In 2023, Turla exploited backdoor access previously obtained by Storm-0156 to deploy its own custom backdoors against government and military networks in India and Afghanistan. This likely enabled Turla to covertly exfiltrate strategic information masking as Storm-0156, underscoring the highly stealthy nature of the group’s tactics. Additionally, Turla used malware and other tools affiliated with Storm-0156 as part of its 2024 campaigns, likely obtained as a result of the 2022 intrusion. Turla has previously infiltrated other threat actors’ infrastructure to complicate attack attribution and conduct espionage operations. We assess this elevates long-term security and espionage risks to organisations in the aforementioned countries. (Source: Sibylline)
05 Dec 24. UK and Qatar launch project to boost artificial intelligence collaboration.
The UK and Qatar launch joint Artificial Intelligence (AI) research commission.
The UK and Qatar have launched a joint Artificial Intelligence (AI) research commission, seeking to establish a roadmap for UK-Qatar collaboration on AI that will benefit both countries.
The joint study will be led by Queen Mary University of London, in partnership with Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in Qatar. The study is being led by Professor David Leslie, Professor of Ethics, Technology, and Society at Queen Mary University of London’s Digital Environment Research Institute, and the Director of Ethics and Responsible Innovation Research at the Alan Turing Institute. The project will build on the exciting progress that both countries have made on AI, and identify and scope practical and ambitious ways for the countries to enhance their cooperation in this field in line with their AI and technology strategies. A range of areas will be explored across the spectrum of ecosystem development, policy and regulation, security, and international engagement. It has been designed and developed as a collaboration between Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the AI Committee of the Qatar Ministry of Communications & Information Technology (MCIT), Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council (QRDI), and the British Embassy in Doha.
The announcement of the collaboration coincides with the State Visit of the Amir of Qatar to the UK.
The project is funded by the UK Government’s Gulf Strategy Fund, part of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) International Programme.
Neerav Patel, British Ambassador to Qatar, said: “The UK and Qatar have shown themselves to be innovators in the policy implementation of AI, including the need to build strong systems of ethics and governance. I’m delighted that such prestigious UK and Qatari institutions are involved in this important initiative. It reflects both countries’ desire to work together on the shared challenges the 21st century will bring.”
Dr. Mariam Khalid Al-Hamar, Minister Plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar, said: “This initiative marks a key opportunity to advance innovation through collaboration. As a global leader in dialogue and mediation, Qatar recognizes the vital importance of collaboration in promoting diplomacy and resolving conflicts. By leveraging the transformative potential of AI, we have the opportunity to make meaningful progress in peacebuilding, improve decision-making processes, and tackle complex global issues with greater accuracy. Furthermore, embracing the idea of ‘AI for All’ ensures that the benefits of this technology reach every nation, empowering them to actively engage in the AI era. This vision reflects our unwavering commitment to innovation, inclusivity, and ensuring that technology serves as a tool for justice and progress for all.”
Eman Alkuwari, Digital Innovation Director from Qatar’s MCIT, said: “This collaboration marks a significant step forward in Qatar’s commitment to advancing AI as a transformative force for good. By partnering with the UK and leveraging the expertise of world-renowned institutions, we aim to unlock new opportunities for innovation, shape ethical frameworks, and contribute to global progress in AI. This initiative reflects our shared vision to harness the power of technology for the benefit of our societies and economies.”
Professor David Leslie said:
We are undoubtedly at a pivotal juncture in the history of AI, so the time couldn’t be better to bring the UK and Qatar closer together to explore collaborative avenues for harnessing AI’s transformative potential to deliver public benefit, while diligently addressing emerging risks and harms. By leveraging the dynamic AI research and innovation ecosystems of both nations, this initiative promises to be a catalyst for ingenuity and commercial opportunity, fostering a new era of technological cooperation between two global leaders in the field.
Mr. Omar Al Ansari, Secretary General of QRDI, said: “This initiative marks a key opportunity to advance innovation through strategic collaboration in AI. By leveraging Qatar and the UK’s significant investments in AI research, development & innovation, we are paving the way for funding transformative projects. This partnership will strengthen the ties between Qatar and the UK’s innovation ecosystems, fostering the exchange of expertise and driving impactful outcomes for both nations.”
Professor Colin Bailey, the President and Principal of Queen Mary University of London, said: “We are proud and honoured to be embarking on this collaboration with Hamad bin Khalifa University in Qatar. Queen Mary University has a long history of building strong, successful international collaborations, and of being at the forefront of emerging research and technology. This new partnership will allow both universities to combine their collective knowledge and strengths to ensure AI technology is used in the best, safest way possible.” (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
05 Dec 24. Innovation at Pace.
“We need capability, and we need it now,” was how one Ukrainian electronic warfare practitioner described their appetite for EW systems on the frontline. In a nutshell, the Ukrainians need as much EW kit as they can get their hands on as quickly as possible. The Ukrainian defence industry is expert at rapidly identifying tactical and operational need, developing and prototyping a solution, and getting this into the warrior’s hands. This is not just about hardware. It is also about the rapid development and deployment of software which is increasingly at the heart of the fight in the spectrum.
Ukraine’s experience has lessons for procurement authorities, and the EW industrial sector, across NATO and allied nations. All of us need to be asking some difficult questions: How good are the lines of communications between the warfighting community, government and industry? Electromagnetic lessons can be learned on the battlefield, but how quickly can these be translated into requirements? Once needs become requirements, how rapidly can requirements become prototypes? Are testing and evaluation systems, and processes up to scratch to move prototypes into production at pace? What threshold of performance are service personnel willing to accept to have a system they can rapidly deploy? Is 80 percent or 90 percent good enough for now? Can we quickly activate production lines and scale up industrial output to meet demand? Air Commodore Blyth Crawford, Commandant of the Royal Air Force Air and Space Warfare Centre, and other EW experts, have been asking these questions and more. They are also proposing innovative solutions. Ensuring our EW innovation, procurement and production processes fit for purpose is as much a part of prevailing in the electromagnetic spectrum, as the fight itself. (Source: Armada)
04 Dec 24. 32 Reasons Why. The US Navy’s AN/SLQ-32 is being cycled through several upgrades being performed by a number of firms which will ensure that this 20th century hardware can meet the challenge posed by 21st century threats.
Japan has requested the delivery of her first upgraded Raytheon AN/SLQ-32(V) series surface vessel electronic warfare systems by 2026.
Lockheed Martin has told Armada, via a written statement, that deliveries of the two AN/SLQ-32(V) systems ordered by Japan will be completed by 2026. The company is the prime contractor for the overarching Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Programme (SEWIP) Block-2 initiative. SEWIP Block-2 is a long-term programme overhauling the AN/SLQ-32(V) systems equipping an array of US Navy surface vessels.
In late October, the company revealed in a press release it had been contracted by the United States Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command to provide full rate production AN/SLQ-32(V)6 and AN/SLQ-32C(V)6 examples. The conclusion of the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Japan marks the first export success for the AN/SLQ-32(V) product family.
SEWIP Block-2 transitioned from a development programme to full rate production in 2016, the press release continued. Lockheed Martin’s written statement said that AN/SLQ-32(V)6 systems have been in low-rate initial production since 2013, with the first production examples being delivered in 2014. So far, the US Navy has ordered 165 AN/SLQ-32(V)6 and twelve AN/SLQ-32C(V)6 systems. Upgraded AN/SLQ-32(V)s will continue to equip legacy vessels as these are upgraded. New surface combatants are also receiving the AN/SLQ-32(V) such as the US Navy’s new ‘FFG-62/Constellation’ class frigates, according to open sources. Beyond the US Navy AN/SLQ-32(V) examples equip the US Coast Guard’s ‘Heritage’ class offshore patrol cutter, ‘Legend’ class national security cutter and ‘Polar Sentinel’ class polar security cutters.
Further AN/SLQ-32(V) procurements are expected via the FMS route, the company added, beyond Japan’s two systems. In Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force service, the AN/SLQ-32(V) will furnish the service’s two forthcoming Aegis System Equipped Vessels (ASEVs). Publicly available reports say that the ASEVs are cruiser-sized vessels that will primarily specialise in anti-air warfare and ballistic missile defence. These ships will be outfitted with Lockheed Martin’s Aegis combat management system. The two vessels are expected to commission in 2027 and 2028.
AN/SLQ-32 configurations
The baseline Raytheon AN/SLQ-32(V)1 detects and engages signals across wavebands of five gigahertz/MHz to 20 gigahertz/GHz. These wavebands were later expanded downwards to 250MHz for the AN/SLQ-32(V)2/3/4 variants. In its original form the AN/SLQ-32(V) generated decoy waveforms for jamming. These waveforms would spoof the radar seeker of an incoming anti-ship missile regarding the target’s location. The AN/SLQ-32(V)2 contains additional capabilities to detect threats emitting across Very/Ultra High Frequency (V/UHF) wavebands of 250MHz to three gigahertz. The AN/SLQ-32(V)3 configuration added a jamming capability to engage threats transmitting across a five gigahertz to 20GHz waveband. The AN/SLQ-32(V)4 configuration was designed for aircraft carriers. The AN/SLQ-32(V)5 was a jamming module added to the AN/SLQ-32(V)1/2 to enhance these systems’ jamming capabilities.
The overarching SEWIP modernisation commenced in 2002, with an initial contract (Block-1) for the upgrade awarded to General Dynamics one year later. SEWIP Block-1 mainly addressed obsolescence issues in the legacy hardware and software of deployed AN/SLQ-32(V)s. Lockheed Martin was then awarded an initial contract to outfit the AN/SLQ-32(V) with a high gain, high sensitivity antenna under SEWIP Block-1B3. SEWIP Block-1B3 improved the AN/SLQ-32(V)’s transmitted jamming power. The AN/SLQ-32(V)’s sensitivity to incoming radar signals was also enhanced via SEWIP Block-1B3. Lockheed Martin won the SEWIP Block-2 contract in 2009. This effort is transitioning legacy AN/SLQ-32(V)s to the AN/SLQ-32(V)6 status by teaming the former with the SEWIP Block-1B3 modification.
A programme of continual improvement for AN/SLQ-32(V) systems in service with US and foreign customers is expected in the future, thanks to the open architecture at the heart of the SEWIP Block-2 philosophy: “The US Navy programme of records continues with upgrades well into the next decade,” Lockheed Martin’s statement added. This is “due to the modular approach of the system (which) makes it easily upgraded to take advantage of the latest technology.” (Source: Armada)
05 Dec 24. Band on the Run. The Orlan-10 UAV is deployed extensively by Russian land forces for collecting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data, and for supporting electronic warfare as part of the Leer-3 EW system. The aircraft uses radio links across wavebands of 200 megahertz to 2.7 gigahertz.
Details have been shared with Armada regarding operating frequencies of uninhabited aerial vehicles used by Russian land forces occupying parts of Ukraine.
The Russian military is known to use several types of UAVs to support tactical and operational manoeuvre in the Ukrainian theatre of operations. These UAVs includes the Orlan-10, CH-3A, Forpost-R, CH-4B, Taxion, Eleron-3SV, Lancet, Zala, Kub, Granat-1/2/3/4, Merlin, Orion, Supercam-350, Mahajer-6, Zastava (a variant of the Israel Aerospace Industries Bird Eye UAV series) and Phantom. All these UAVs depend on a radio link connecting the aircraft to its Ground Control Station (GCS). These links share flight control and telemetry information between the GCS and aircraft. The links may also carry data collected by the UAV, such as imagery, with those who need this information.
Frequencies used by these aircraft stretch from 200 megahertz/MHz up to twelve gigahertz/GHz. The Ukraine conflict has seen both sides continually increasing the number of frequencies their UAVs can use. These changes reflect the realities of the ongoing counter-UAV battle in the electromagnetic spectrum. As a jammer becomes effective against a set of UAV frequencies, efforts will be taken to outflank these attacks. This action-reaction cycle cannot continue indefinitely. The aircraft have finite physical space for housing antennas which the limit antenna size, and hence frequency, the UAV can use. Power generation is limited by the aircraft’s battery life and powerplant, and the need to share electricity with other aircraft systems. Moreover, available power is governed by the range at which the aircraft needs to operate. In short, the frequencies the UAV uses will be a trade-off between practical antenna size, available power and operating range.
UHF frequencies
Several aircraft use Very/Ultra High Frequency (V/UHF: 30MHz to three gigahertz/GHz) links as follows:
- Orlan-10: 200MHz-450MHz, 867MHz-872MHz, 915MHz-920MHz, 860MHz-1.000GHz, 1.080GHz-1.300GHz, 2.200GHz-2.024GHz, 2.500GHz-2.700GHz
- CH-3A: 325MHz-390MHz, 520MHz-790MHz, 860MHz-930MHz, 1.420GHz-1.480GHz, 2.300GHz-2.650GHz
- Forpost-R: 465MHz-510MHz
- CH-4B: 800MHz-900MHz, 1.090GHz
- Taxion, Eleron-3SV: 867MHz-872MHz, 915MHz-920MHz, 1.205GHz-1.250GHz
- Lancet, Zala, Kub: 867MHz-872MHz, 902MHz-928MHz, 1.561GHz-1.575GHz, 1.597GHz-1.616GHz, 2.200GHz-2.400GHz
- Granat-1/2/3/4: 867MHz-872MHz, 900MHz-928MHz, 1.080GHz-1.280GHz, 2.300GHz-2.500GHz
- Merlin: 870MHz, 915MHz
- Orion: 890MHz-920MHz, 2.300GHz-2.400GHz
- Supercam-350: 976.5MHz-1.0215GHz, 1.0335GHz-1.11505GHz, 1.11055GHz-1.22225GHz
- Mahajer-6: 1.200GHz-1.600GHz
- Zastava: 2.200GHz-2.400GHz
- Phantom: 2.400GHz-2.483GHz
S-band and upwards
Several of these UAVs also use radio links outside these V/UHF wavebands. For example, the following UAVs use S-band (two gigahertz to four gigahertz), C-band (four gigahertz to six gigahertz) and X-band (eight gigahertz to twelve gigahertz) frequencies:
- Forpost-R: 4.400GHz-5.100GHz
- CH-4B: 4.200GHz-6.100GHz, 8.000GHz-12.000GHz
- Orion: 4.200GHz-5.700GHz
- Supercam-350: 11.775GHz
Whether these latter frequencies are for conventional radio links between the GCS and aircraft, or whether these links move across S-band, C-band and X-band satellite communications remains unknown.
The CH-3A, CH-4B and the Phantom UAVs are all produce by Chinese companies. Mahajer-6 UAVs are produced by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Thus, along with their Russian counterparts, it is entirely possible that these UAVs may be encountered in other operational theatres around the world using similar wavebands. Detecting these aircraft via their radio signals, and then defeating them via electronic attack, will be paramount. (Source: Armada)
05 Dec 24. December Spectrum SitRep.
New Satellite for Unseenlabs
Unseenlabs plans to launch a new signals sensing satellite to augment the existing spacecraft it has in orbit, the company told Armada. A total of 15 satellites comprise Unseenlabs’ constellation, according to the European Space Agency. These spacecraft collect data on radar transmissions in the S-band (2.3 gigahertz/GHz to 2.5GHz/2.7GHz to 3.7GHz) and X-band (8.5GHz to 10.68GHz) wavebands. Principle targets for Unseenlabs’ surveillance include radar signals from maritime vessels. The company provides this information to undisclosed commercial and government customers. During this year’s Euronaval exhibition which took place in Paris between 4th and 7th November, Unseenlabs told Armada the new satellite will be added to the constellation in 2026. Unlike the company’s previous spacecraft, the new vehicle will not be a nano satellite. Traditionally, nano satellites have a launch weight below 20 kilograms/kg (44 pounds/lb). This new satellite, which has yet to be named, will weight circa 150kgs (330lbs). Unseenlabs’ frequency catchment area will be enlarged via the new satellite’s capabilities. The spacecraft will collect signals across a waveband of one to twelve gigahertz. Officials stated that the new satellite will also let the company collect data on land-based emitters of interest.
U/SME-400 takes the stage
Last month we reported that Saab had launched the Sirius Compact L20C Electronic Support Measure (ESM). The company took the opportunity of this year’s Euronaval exhibition held in Paris between 4th and 7th November to unveil a new naval ESM. The U/SME-400 ESM family can equip surface and subsurface vessels. Saab representatives told Armada that the U/SME-400 series has a fully digital architecture. The product family includes the U/SME-450 which covers wavebands of one gigahertz/GHz to 18GHz. All U/SME-400 variants provide 16GHz of acquisition Instantaneous Bandwidth (IBW). The U/SME-450 provides 16GHz IBW for Direction Finding (DF). The U/SME-420 covers the same wavebands as the U/SME-420 with eight gigahertz of DF IBW. Finally, the U/SME-410 covers wavebands of two gigahertz to 18GHz with 0.5GHz of DF IBW. The representatives continued that the U/SME-450 is ideal for large surface combatants. Smaller vessels are well placed to use the other variants for blue water and littoral missions. The company will complete its development of the U/SME-400 by the end of the year and is already seeing interest from potential customers.
The antenna unit for the U/SME-400 family is compact and can be configured according to the specific product. All the system’s hardware and software can be enclosed in a single cabinet, and it can be operated from a single workstation.
New RWR for US Army Apaches
Lockheed Martin has shared more details with Armada concerning the company’s selection to provide the AN/APR-48B radio frequency interferometer and radar warning receiver to the US Army. The AN/APR-48B has been developed to equip the force’s Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopter. The company told Armada, via a written statement, that development work on the AN/APR-48B commenced immediately “upon contract award and is expected to be completed within the three-year period of performance for the contract.” Lockheed Martin received the contract for the AN/APR-48B’s development in mid-October. The company has teamed with Intel’s Altera subsidiary and is using the latter’s MCP-2 chip in the AN/APR-48B’s architecture. The chip “provides significantly improved size, weight, power, radio frequency performance and processing capability,” the statement continued. In addition, the use of the chip “enables Lockheed Martin to both improve performance over the legacy system (equipping the AH-64E) and add new functionality … for processing and identification of advanced threats.” (Source: Armada)
04 Dec 24. CDAO Awards Anduril Production Agreement to Deliver Edge Data Mesh. The U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Chief Digital and AI Office (CDAO) has awarded Anduril Industries a three-year production agreement to scale a first of its kind tactical Edge Data Mesh, powered by Anduril’s Lattice Mesh. The mesh is already operational across multiple services and combatant commands, delivering critical data that enables mission-relevant generative artificial intelligence (AI) solutions specifically tailored to the unique requirements of the warfighter. This agreement will accelerate the expansion of the mesh to increase access to decentralized, distributed and disconnected systems, and to power new insights and real-time decision making at the edge.
Today’s systems may be dependent on cloud or hub/spoke connectivity and are not always optimized for operations with denied, degraded, or intermittent communication pathways. This demands a scalable decentralized solution that dynamically adapts to disruptions. The Lattice Mesh is a decentralized networking capability that seamlessly distributes critical data across platforms, domains, and partners by intelligently prioritizing data paths to ensure the most efficient flow of critical data. To achieve this outcome, the Lattice Mesh was built for the edge, connects directly with, and runs on, sensors, weapons, platforms, robots, and more across the edge to provide access to systems and data not previously accessible. Warfighters at the edge will be enabled to publish and subscribe to data in support of time sensitive operations or where large numbers of manned, unmanned and autonomous systems must collaborate in contested environments to advance the mission.
Years of iterative development and prototyping in multiple combatant commands produced a resilient, secure, and scalable infrastructure that ensures warfighters and weapons systems have access to real-time, actionable data across all domains. During this effort, CDAO determined that the Anduril Lattice Mesh could support joint operations, providing data transformation, access, persistence, and transport, linking the strategic level of war to the tactical edge. Anduril has delivered data integrations to sites around the world, and worked with end users to deeply understand and build a production-quality mesh. The extensibility of this system allows Anduril and CDAO to add integrations to support command and control of autonomous systems and counter-autonomous systems. For example, the Anduril Lattice Mesh™ can be used to connect sensors and effects for multiple missions, including long-range fires and integrated air defense, it can integrate third-party uncrewed systems into autonomous battle networks, and it can integrate deployed sensors and weapons to achieve time-sensitive targeting. Core to this effort is Anduril’s commitment to interoperability and support of Open DAGIR principles, the CDAO’s approach to scaling data, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. The Edge Data Mesh is open and integrates government and vendor-owned data and systems through Anduril’s Lattice™ software development kit (SDK) and open APIs. This allows partners to connect, share, and act on data within the mesh, to include partner-developed, generative AI capabilities at the edge. The mesh’s open architecture allows services, combatant commands, as well as allies and partners to seamlessly collaborate across all domains. Any service or combatant command can leverage this production agreement to extend and modernize existing systems furthering joint, all domain operations.
This production agreement between Anduril and CDAO is a powerful step toward a new era of defense innovation and connected warfare. Scaling this tactical data mesh will accelerate the development of modern kill chains for every weapons system, in every service, and proliferate digital mass across every combatant command. (Source: ASD Network)
04 Dec 24. Global: Evolving tactics will heighten security risks posed by North Korean state-sponsored groups. On 3 December, the cyber security firm Genians reported that the North Korean state-sponsored group ‘Kimsuky adopted new phishing techniques in a cyber operation between May and October. The group used phishing emails as initial attack vectors to trick researchers, financial institutions and corporate officials into visiting fraudulent websites designed to steal user credentials. Kimsuky continuously changed its infrastructure throughout the campaign, likely to prolong detection evasion to counter analysts and security mechanisms. Additionally, the group did not deploy any malware onto compromised systems, further highlighting a potential shift in Kimsuky’s tactics towards prioritising stealth and detection evasion. It is likely that the actors subsequently used stolen credentials to hijack user accounts, enabling them to exfiltrate sensitive information and initiate fraudulent money transfers. We assess this will heighten long-term security, financial and espionage risks to global organisations amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and economic sanctions. (Source: Sibylline)
04 Dec 24. PhysicsX, a London-based start-up bringing the power of generative AI to enable breakthrough engineering in advanced industries, has launched the first Large Geometry Model (LGM) for aerospace engineering, LGM-Aero, and a publicly accessible reference application, Ai.rplane, to showcase its power in designing aero structures.
Ai.rplane allows engineers to generate innovative aircraft designs in an infinitely wide design space and instantaneously assess the designed aircraft’s potential performance.
Developed and provisioned on AWS, LGM-Aero was trained on more than 25 m meshes, representing more than 10 bn vertices, and a corpus of tens of thousands of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations generated with Siemens Digital Industries tools. It is a fully trained model that generalizes to a broad set of aeroelastic applications. It also infers aero performance, flight stability and structural stress for a large class of flying shapes as a zero-shot model. This technology creates geometry and assesses performance results in less than a second, compared to the several hours required for traditional numerical simulations.
“We are delighted to work with PhysicsX as they develop their first Large Geometry Model and release its showcase application Ai.rplane,” said Ozgur Tohumcu, General Manager, Automotive and Manufacturing, AWS. “This technology will accelerate the transformation of engineering in Advanced Industries for AWS customers, enabling them to bring their products to the market faster while increasing product performance. We’ve been impressed by PhysicsX’s pace of innovation and look forward to deepening our collaboration.”
In one seamless operation, the technology creates novel designs, predicts lift, drag, stability, structural stress and other attributes for each shape, then optimises the design according to the user’s preferences. When used in industrial applications, this workflow reduces development time from months to hours.
“In the same way that large language models understand text, Ai.rplane has a vast knowledge of the shapes and structures that are important to aerospace engineering,” says Jacomo Corbo, co-founder and CEO of PhysicsX. “The technology can optimise across multiple types of physics in seconds, many orders of magnitude faster than numerical simulation, and at the same level of accuracy. We’re excited about what LGM-Aero brings as capabilities to our customers while recognizing that it is also an important stepping stone towards developing physics foundation models.”
LGM-Aero was developed using an extensive set of simulation technologies from Siemens to automate and scale the generation of high-quality training data, as well as AWS Batch and Amazon EC2 to scale compute during training. It is available on the PhysicsX AI engineering enterprise platform, which is trusted by some of the most sophisticated engineering and manufacturing organizations across advanced industries.
“We are thrilled to continue to build on our deep collaboration with AWS, and to announce the release of LGM-Aero and of Ai.rplane. This is a first step in transforming the way engineering is practiced in Advanced Industries,” added Robin Tuluie, founder and chairman of PhysicsX. “Over time, we will bring new capabilities to LGM-Aero and to Ai.rplane, allowing users to select powertrains, add controls and further content to reach mature designs in days rather than months or years.”
LGM-Aero and Ai.rplane are available on the PhysicsX AI engineering platform. Ai.rplane is free-to-use and accessible via airplane.physicsx.ai.
03 Dec 24. Thales today announced the launch of Data Risk Intelligence, a groundbreaking Imperva Data Security Fabric (DSF) solution that proactively addresses the risks to data wherever it resides. This is the first solution uniting the risk and threat identification capabilities of the Imperva Data Security Fabric with the data protection capabilities of the Thales CipherTrust Data Security Platform, following Thales’s strategic acquisition of Imperva in December 2023.
In today’s modern digital landscape, organisations face challenges in managing security across an ever-growing attack surface while maintaining compliance with regulatory standards. With data and operations spread across cloud, on-premises and hybrid systems, security teams require constant, comprehensive visibility into where their data is, the types of data they have, and the potential risks to that data. In fact, according to the 2024 Thales Data Threat Report, 93% of enterprises reported an increase in threats compared to the previous year.
Empowering Security Teams and SOCs with Enhanced Visibility and Control
The combined intelligence and contextual insights from Data Risk Intelligence provide a unified visibility of risks to critical data with a unique view of the strength of encryption for data across an organisation’s entire data estate. With this enhanced visibility, Data Risk Intelligence empowers CIOs, CISOs, and data risk specialists to accurately identify the most critical data that are at risk by severity and likelihood, enabling them to effectively prioritise risk mitigation with clear recommendations for corrective action.
Data Risk Intelligence delivers a highly confident risk score and clear recommendations for corrective action that are based on a wide-ranging set of data risk indicators through advanced analytics, built upon user permissions, data source vulnerabilities, use of encryption following NIST standards, monitoring of suspicious activities, and other customisable inputs.
Todd Moore, Vice President, Data Security products at Thales: “The ability to view data risk in key dimensions across organisational risk, asset risk, and regulatory risk in one place is extremely impactful. Data Risk Intelligence is the first of many integrations between the Thales and Imperva platforms that empower our customers to protect their data and all the paths to it. Through our combined platforms, Thales has all the tools to help our customers understand their data security risks and provide a clear set of actions to mitigate these risks.”
“The risks to enterprise data are multi-dimensional and organisations are struggling to address the volume and breadth of these risks while still maintaining optimal business operations,” said Jennifer Glenn, Research Director, Data and Information Security at IDC Security and Trust Group. “Centralising data risk visibility and management offers valuable context about the data – and it’s vulnerabilities – enabling organisations to prioritise protection where it’s needed most.”
Key Benefits of Data Risk Intelligence:
- Enhanced Risk Prioritisation: Combines risk-related intelligence from Data Security Fabric and CipherTrust Data Security Platform to deliver precise risk scores that drive confident decisions.
- Comprehensive Visibility: Provides a unified view of data risks across the entire data estate, reducing complexity, delivering risk indicators, and recommending protective measures.
- Customisable Risk Indicators: Allows organisations to tailor risk indicators to their specific environment, highlighting the most critical threats.
- Encryption Integration: Leverages the encryption capabilities of the CipherTrust Data Security Platform to ensure data protection at all levels.
- Advanced Analytics: Utilises posture-based and machine-learning behavioural risk indicators to identify and prioritise the highest-risk data.
DSF Data Risk Intelligence is available to customers who have a current Data Security Fabric Data 360 license.
29 Nov 24. Cyber Update Key points.
- A new Linux-based backdoor highlights the ongoing adaptability of China-linked threat actors (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 25 November 2024).
- A new cyber espionage campaign conducted by the Chinese state-sponsored group ‘Earth Kasha’ points to the elevated security risks facing Japanese individuals with ties to the field of international relations (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 26 November 2024 and our Technical analysis below).
- The exploitation of two zero-day vulnerabilities underscores the heightened espionage risks from the Russia-aligned group ‘RomCom’ (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 27 November 2024 and our Technical analysis below).
- The development of a new bootkit for Linux systems has increased the security risks facing global entities (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 28 November 2024).
- A cyber attack against a hospital in the UK points to the elevated long-term security and disruption risks facing healthcare entities (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 29 November 2024).
Technical analysis of weekly stories
The Chinese state-sponsored group Earth Kasha has been using the ‘ANEL’ and ‘NOOPDOOR’ backdoors to target Japanese entities in a cyber espionage campaign since at least June. Earth Kasha specifically targets individuals affiliated with political organisations, research institutions and think tanks with spear phishing emails to obtain access to victims’ systems. In 2023, the group primarily exploited software vulnerabilities to infiltrate targeted organisations, marking a shift in its ‘intrusion’ tactics. The emails are often sent from hijacked accounts to enhance their apparent legitimacy and to trick potential victims into clicking on a OneDrive link and subsequently downloading a .ZIP file. Notably, the group has created three versions of the malicious .ZIP file that can install a malware dropper (‘ROAMINGMOUSE’) via three attack chains. The first chain installs ROAMINGHOUSE directly onto compromised systems, while the second and third versions contain shortcut and decoy files to download the payload while simultaneously evading detection. ROAMINGHOUSE then deploys the ANEL backdoor using several anti-detection techniques such as waiting for users to hover their cursor over a form (embedded in the malicious document) before executing the malware. The ANEL file is also encoded to help Earth Kasha’s activity remain obfuscated. The group has specifically deployed a newer version of ANEL to steal information from compromised systems by taking screenshots and executing commands to gather network data. In some cases, the threat actors also used the custom malware NOOPDOOR to collect information from high-value targets.
The Russian-nexus advanced persistent threat (APT) group RomCom exploited two zero-day vulnerabilities (CVE-2024-9680 and CVE-2024-49039) to conduct a cyber espionage and financially motivated campaign between October and November. The vulnerabilities affect Mozilla’s Firefox, Thunderbird, Tor internet browsers and connected Windows systems; they enabled the group to install the RomCom backdoor onto targeted systems. The campaign began with a malicious web page containing the exploit code, though it remains unclear how RomCom distributed the web page links. When users visited the fake websites via a vulnerable browser, CVE-2024-49039 was exploited through the execution of malicious shellcode in the browser’s content process without requiring any user interaction. Notably, this was only achieved in conjunction with the exploitation of the second vulnerability (CVE-2024-9680), which provided the threat actors with arbitrary code-execution capabilities in vulnerable content processes. The shellcode then deployed the main RomCom payload via a multi-stage process that also simultaneously evaded security mechanisms. The RomCom backdoor allows the group to maintain long-term access to compromised systems, to exfiltrate sensitive data and to deploy additional malware, including ransomware (for financial profit). The latest campaign has underscored RomCom’s high sophistication; it identified and exploited two zero-day vulnerabilities to infiltrate victims covertly in a zero-click attack (a type of attack that does not require any user interaction to download malware or other malicious code).
Some non-exhaustive recommendations to mitigate against these threats include:
- 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
- Adopt behaviour-based end-point detection and response (EDR) solutions, prioritising the detection of the initial stages of a compromise
- Ensure adequate security monitoring and detection capabilities, particularly for all external-facing services and devices; this includes personal devices connected to corporate networks or applications
- Adopt and review network authentication services including virtual private network (VPN) services and multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Our cyber word(s) of the week: Bootkit
(Source: Sibylline)
03 Dec 24. Taiwan: Malware campaign heightens security, information-theft risks to firms. On 2 December, the cyber security company Fortinet disclosed that unnamed threat actors exploited two Microsoft Office software vulnerabilities (CVE-2017-0199 and CVE-2017-11882) to conduct an information theft campaign in September. The campaign targeted Taiwanese organisations within the manufacturing, healthcare and IT sectors. The attack started with phishing emails containing a malicious attachment; the attachment then exploited the two software vulnerabilities to obtain remote code execution capabilities and deploy the ‘SmokeLoader’ malware onto targeted systems. SmokeLoader subsequently installed several plugins to extract sensitive information and credentials from popular web browsers. SmokeLoader is typically advertised and used by cyber criminals for financial profit. However, we assess that there is a realistic possibility that this campaign may have aimed to obtain access to targeted systems for future malicious activity, given the significance of the targeted sectors and Taiwan’s geopolitical relevance. This highlights heightened security and information theft risks to Taiwanese organisations in the medium-to-long term. (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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