UAE Used Israeli Spyware to Gather Intel on Qatari Royals, Lawsuits Claim

Lawsuits filed against the Israeli-based NSO Group allege its software was used to spy on political agitators locally and overseas and that the Emirates asked to track Lebanon's PM and a Saudi prince, the New York Times reports

The United Arab Emirates used an Israeli spyware to track Qatari royals, the New York Times reported on Friday. 

According to two lawsuits filed against the Israeli-based NSO Group, one in Israel and one in Cyprus, the Pegasus software was originally used to spy on political agitators locally and overseas through their mobile phones.

Over 70 Universities Targeted by Iranian Hackers

Reportedly Iranian hackers have been targeting universities and educational institutions among 14 nations in an attempt to steal intellectual property. The SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit (CTU) announced on Friday that this attempt may be likely to work as it is as it is performed by Cobalt Dickens which is one of the most advanced persistent threat (APT) actors.

Cobalt Dickens was connected to the Iranian government which was discovered by the researchers. In March the group was indicted for conducting a series of attacks on universities and organisations on behalf of Islamic Republic of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Institute of Mabna has been working with Cobalt Dickens who allegedly stole data from 76 universities over 21 nations and also 47 US and foreign private sectors companies which also include US Department of Labor and the UN.

China aims to narrow cyberwarfare gap with US

China is looking to narrow the gap with the US in terms of cyberwarfare capabilities, according to an assessment of Chinese military capabilities published by the Department of Defense (DoD).

The Pentagon report said that in recent years the Chinese army has emphasized the importance of cyberspace for national security because of the country's increasing reliance on its digital economy.

It said Chinese military strategists see cyber operations as a low-cost deterrent that can demonstrate capabilities and challenge an adversary.

Aerospace corp Elbit Systems Breached, 10,000 accounts leaked

Israel is no stranger to cyber incidents and today a user on twitter has posted over 10,000 accounts from a aerospace and defense corporation Elbit Systems.

The leak was announced by @Th3Falcon earlier today and was posted to privatebin.net with over 10,000 credentials for users and administors from elbit systems.

Big tech firms agree on 'data portability' plan

Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter unveiled plans Friday to make it easier for users to take their personal data and leave one online service for another.

The "Data Transfer Project" revealed by the companies responds to concerns about the growing influence of internet platforms and internet user concerns about control of their personal information shared online.