October 2024 Intelligence News

DNI Releases Appropriated Budget Figure for 2024 National Intelligence Program Director of National Intelligence 31 Oct 2024 -- Congress appropriated an aggregate amount of $76.5 billion to the National Intelligence Program (NIP) for Fiscal Year 2024. This includes supplemental funding.
Department of Defense Releases Fiscal Year 2024 Military Intelligence Program Budget DoD 31 Oct 2024 -- Today, the Department of Defense released the Military Intelligence Program (MIP) appropriated top line budget for FY2024. The total was $29.8 billion and is aligned to support the National Defense Strategy.
Accused of interference in Georgia, Russia pumps up anti-US propaganda VOA 31 Oct 2024 -- Tbilisi and Moscow have exchanged harsh rhetoric about the results of the October 26 parliamentary elections in Georgia that brought thousands to the streets protesting the victory of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Defence intelligence seeks collaboration with industry Australia DOD 31 Oct 2024 -- As Defence prepares for a 'deluge' of intelligence data over the coming decade, the Defence Intelligence Group has briefed and challenged industry to provide innovative solutions, marking the first such engagement since its establishment in 2020.
Iran's intelligence says dismantled Israel-linked terrorist outfit Press TV 30 Oct 2024 -- Iran's Intelligence Ministry says it has dismantled a separatist terrorist group linked to the Israeli regime that intended to infiltrate the country.
Concerns about Elon Musk, Russia's Putin not fading yet VOA 30 Oct 2024 -- Reports that billionaire Elon Musk has been talking on a consistent basis with Russian President Vladimir Putin are still reverberating among current and former U.S. officials, almost a week after news of the conversations first surfaced.
Australia supports UK, EU efforts to call out Russian disinformation and malicious activity Australia DFAT 29 Oct 2024 -- The Australian Government joins the United Kingdom and other international partners in expressing serious concerns about Russia's continued use of disinformation globally, including efforts to justify its illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine.
3rd MDTF and the Intelligence Center of Excellence Execute Vanguard 24 Experiment Army News 29 Oct 2024 -- The 3rd Multi-Domain Effects Battalion (MDEB), 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force (3rd MDTF), partnered with the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, Joint and Allied forces, and industry partners to execute the Vanguard 24 experiment September 8-24, 2024.
Five Eyes Alliance Eyes Sharing Top-Secret Cloud Storage Tool for Data Exchange Sputnik 29 Oct 2024 -- Members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance would like to create a shared top secret cloud environment someday to seamlessly exchange data, Breaking Defense reported on Tuesday, citing top Canadian intelligence official Brig. Gen. Eric Vandenberg.
Cryptocurrency promoters on X amplify China-aligned disinformation VOA 29 Oct 2024 -- A group of accounts that regularly promote cryptocurrency-related content on X have amplified messages from Chinese official accounts and a China-linked disinformation operation covertly pushing Beijing's propaganda toward Western social media users known as "Spamouflage".
China's deep-sea security faces risks posed by foreign intelligence agencies: Ministry of State Securit Global Times 29 Oct 2024 -- China's state security organs have uncovered across Chinese territorial waters a variety of devices with special techniques that foreign espionage and intelligence agencies employed to gather sensitive oceanic information and data to enhance surveillance and gather data on China's maritime areas in a series of intelligence gathering and technical espionage activities, posing a significant threat to China's national security, China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) said on Tuesday.
Five Eyes Launch Shared Security Advice Campaign for Tech Startups Director of National Intelligence 28 Oct 2024 -- Today, members of the Five Eyes intelligence partnership launched Secure Innovation, shared security guidance to help protect emerging technology companies from a range of threats, particularly those from nation-state actors.
UK sanctions Putin's interference actors UK FCDO 28 Oct 2024 -- The UK has sanctioned 3 Russian agencies and 3 senior figures who are attempting to undermine and destabilise Ukraine and its democracy.
United States Welcomes the United Kingdom's Actions Against Known Purveyors of Kremlin Disinformation US Dept. of State 28 Oct 2024 -- Today, the United Kingdom sanctioned known Russian Government-linked disinformation actors responsible for foreign malign influence campaigns, including during this summer's EU parliamentary elections.
Global Affairs Canada statement on Russian disinformation Canada 28 Oct 2024
Chinese FM refutes hypothesis of 'Chinese espionage'; MSS cautions against traps of foreign spy agencies Global Times 28 Oct 2024 -- In response to The Wall Street Journal's recent report stating that some Western countries believe that China is conducting espionage activities on an "unprecedented scale" to undermine rival states and bolster the country's economy, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said he doesn't know what factual basis this report has, yet noted that the CIA recently posted on social media in Chinese on how to contact it online, in an attempt to lure Chinese personnel to be their informant, and this seriously infringes on China's national interest.
U.S. Officials Say Russia Behind Fake Video Of Pro-Trump Votes Being Destroyed RFE/RL 26 Oct 2024 -- U.S. authorities have said that Russian actors were behind a fake video circulated on social media that purported to show the destruction of mail-in votes cast for Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump in the swing state of Pennsylvania ahead of the November 5 presidential election.
Joint ODNI, FBI, and CISA Statement Director of National Intelligence 25 Oct 2024 -- "The IC assesses that Russian actors manufactured and amplified a recent video that falsely depicted an individual ripping up ballots in Pennsylvania, judging from information available to the IC and prior activities of other Russian influence actors, including videos and other disinformation activities. Local election officials have already debunked the video's content."
Experts: Russia's hacking campaign seeks to thwart Georgia's westward path VOA 25 Oct 2024 -- Just ahead of Georgia's parliamentary elections on Saturday, a Bloomberg investigation has revealed a yearslong Russian hacking campaign targeting Georgia's government, major companies and critical infrastructure.
Chinese hackers breach parts of US telecom system, target Trump, Harris campaigns VOA 25 Oct 2024 -- Hackers linked to the Chinese government have broken into parts of the U.S. telecommunications system in a breach that might be connected to an attempt to access data from the presidential campaigns of Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
Background Press Call on the U.S. Approach to Harnessing the Power of AI for U.S. National Security The White House 24 Oct 2024
US military, intelligence agencies ordered to embrace AI VOA 24 Oct 2024 -- The Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies have new marching orders — to more quickly embrace and deploy artificial intelligence as a matter of national security.
10 indicted in China espionage case CNA 24 Oct 2024 -- The Taiwan High Prosecutors Office on Thursday indicted 10 people, including the head of a temple in New Taipei, for allegedly spying for China.
Iran rejects allegations of election interference, says doesn't engage in US internal uproars IRNA 24 Oct 2024 -- Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations has dismissed allegations of the country's interference in the November presidential election in the US, calling them unfounded and inadmissible.
New evidence China, Russia and Iran targeting US elections VOA 24 Oct 2024 -- There is new evidence China, Iran and Russia are aggressively expanding their efforts to influence American voters to potentially sway the result of the upcoming U.S. elections.
DIA Releases Nuclear Challenges Intelligence Overview DIA 23 Oct 2024-- The Defense Intelligence Agency has released a new publication describing the current nuclear capabilities of foreign adversaries.
Ex-lawmaker acquitted in China espionage case CNA 23 Oct 2024 -- Former Taiwan Solidarity Union lawmaker Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) was acquitted recently on charges of developing a Chinese spy network in Taiwan and inviting military retirees to meet Chinese government officials, according to the Supreme Court.
Former Federal Employee Pleads Guilty to Mishandling Classified Materials US Dept. of Justice 23 Oct 2024 -- Margaret Anne Ashby, 26, of Henderson, Nevada, pleaded guilty today for mishandling sensitive documents as a former employee of a Department of Defense component agency.
MSS unveils spy activities intended to steal national secrets from space Global Times 23 Oct 2024 -- Foreign intelligence agencies have been conducting remote sensing detection on China through high-precision satellites, with the intention of observing and stealing secrets from space in recent years, China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) revealed on Wednesday.
« Switzerland's Security 2024 »: The Federal Intelligence Service publishes its latest situation report Federal Council - Swiss Government 22 Oct 2024 -- Switzerland's security environment continues to deteriorate from year to year. Of the strategic patterns currently emerging, the closer military cooperation between a group of Eurasian autocracies is one of the most concerning. The Federal Intelligence Service's (FIS) abilities to anticipate, identify and assess in time threats and developments that are of strategic importance to Switzerland are crucial for taking preventive measures. The latest FIS situation report presents the main developments in intelligence over the past year.
Justice Department Announces Murder-For-Hire Charges Against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Brigadier General and Former Intelligence Officer and Members of an Iranian Intelligence Network US Dept. of Justice 22 Oct 2024 -- The Justice Department announced today the unsealing of a superseding indictment containing murder-for-hire, money-laundering, and sanctions evasion charges against Ruhollah Bazghandi, also known as Roohollah Azimi; Fnu Lnu, also known as Haj Taher, Haj Taher; Hossein Sedighi; and Seyed Mohammad Forouzan, all of Iran.
US charges Iranian Revolutionary Guard official in plot to kill VOA host VOA 22 Oct 2024 -- The United States has charged a senior Iranian official and three others linked to Tehran for their role in a failed assassination plot targeting VOA host Masih Alinejad.
US warns ramped-up election influence efforts aim to stoke violence VOA 22 Oct 2024 -- Efforts by U.S. adversaries to divide Americans and sow growing distrust in the upcoming presidential election have already begun to intensify, according to senior U.S. intelligence officials, who warn some countries appear to be leaning toward additional measures to spark election-related violence.
Russia, China, Iran Intent On 'Fanning Divisive Narratives' In U.S. Election, Intel Officials Say RFE/RL 22 Oct 2024 -- U.S. intelligence officials warned on October 22 that "foreign actors" from Russia, China, and Iran are intent on fanning narratives to divide Americans ahead of the November 5 U.S. presidential election and beyond.
House bill penalizing espionage in times of peace filed Philippine News Agency 21 Oct 2024 -- A lawmaker on Monday filed two measures seeking to amend the country's espionage laws, introducing penalties for spying during peacetime and imposing heavier sanctions on various espionage-related activities.
Israel arrests 7 settlers, accuses them of carrying out 'tasks' for Iran: Report Press TV 21 Oct 2024 -- Israeli prosecutors say authorities have arrested seven Jewish settlers from the northern part of the occupied territories on charges of carrying out tasks for Iran and gathering information on the regime's strategic installations.
U.S. Probing Reported Leak Of Israel's Plans For Iran Attack RFE/RL 20 Oct 2024 -- The United States will soon begin a probe of the leak of highly classified intelligence documents describing Israel's preparations for a retaliatory strike on Iran, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives said on October 20.
US Probing Intelligence Leak on Israel's Preparations to Attack Iran - Reports Sputnik 20 Oct 2024 -- The United States is investigating a leak of its top-secret intelligence on Israel's preparations to strike Iran, which includes Israeli Air Force exercises using air-to-ground missiles, CNN reported citing three people familiar with the situation.
Five Country Ministerial 2024 New Zealand Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet 21 Oct 2024 -- "We, the Home Affairs, Interior, Security and Immigration Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States (the 'Five Countries') remain steadfast in our commitment to uphold and promote shared liberal democratic values, and in working collaboratively to protect our citizens, communities, and governments from evolving national security threats in an increasingly contested world."
China builds spy base on disputed island: think tank Radio Free Asia 18 Oct 2024 -- China is developing one of the contested Paracel Islands into a major intelligence base in the northern part of the South China Sea, new satellite images analyzed by a British think tank revealed.
5 Tactics The Kremlin Is Using To Meddle In 2024 Elections RFE/RL 18 Oct 2024 -- It's election season in Eastern Europe, and for the Kremlin -- bogged down in Ukraine and desperately in need of allies -- the stakes are higher than ever.
Russian meddling threatens Moldovan election, EU referendum VOA 17 Oct 2024 -- Moldovan analysts are warning of a Russian "large-scale hybrid war" against their country as it moves toward a presidential election on Sunday, when a referendum on future relations with the European Union will also be held.
Moldovan Police Arrest 'Provocateurs' Trained In Russia, Balkans RFE/RL 17 Oct 2024 -- Moldovan authorities say they have exposed a network of more than 100 people trained in Russia and the Balkans to provoke post-election unrest in the southeastern European country and have arrested several suspects.
NRO Official Discusses Agency's Focus on Maintaining U.S. Intelligence Edge DoD News 17 Oct 2024 -- The National Reconnaissance Office remains focused on maintaining the United States' intelligence advantage amid rapid technological advancements and evolving threats, a senior leader from the agency said today.
Georgia Warns Of Fake Video, Audio Designed To Sow Unrest Before Elections RFE/RL 16 Oct 2024 -- Georgian security officials have issued a warning about an alleged plan to distribute fake video and audio recordings to spark unrest ahead of key parliamentary elections later this month.
Two US radio stations end Russian-backed 'propaganda' programming VOA 16 Oct 2024 -- Russian-backed radio programmer Sputnik no longer broadcasts in the Washington market after years of criticism that its local radio station, WZHF, carries antisemitic content and false information about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Chinese spamouflage campaign highlights US support for Israel VOA 15 Oct 2024 -- U.S. support for Israel's military offensive in Gaza has been heavily exploited by China-connected bots, a joint investigation by VOA Mandarin and Taiwan's social media analytic firm DoubleThink Lab, or DTL, has found. Their postings on social media platform X depict Washington as a peddler of war and a disrupter of global peace.
India, Canada expel each other's diplomats in tit-for-tat move People's Daily 15 Oct 2024 -- India on Monday asked six Canadian diplomats in New Delhi to leave the country by Saturday hours after it decided to withdraw its high commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and other "targeted diplomats and officials" from Canada.
India's response to diplomatic communication from Canada India MEA 14 Oct 2024 -- "We have received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are 'persons of interest' in a matter related to an investigation in that country. The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics."
Canadian Charge d'Affaires summoned by MEA India MEA 14 Oct 2024 -- The Canadian Charge d'Affaires was summoned by Secretary (East) this evening. He was informed that the baseless targeting of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable.
India expels Canadian diplomats India MEA 14 Oct 2024
China's Ministry of State Security warns against risks of idle network devices as targets for overseas espionage Global Times 11 Oct 2024 -- China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) published an article on Friday to remind the public not to ignore the security of the idle network devices, as national security agencies discovered that overseas espionage organizations have been frequently targeting idle and discarded network equipment for cyberattacks in recent years, resulting in some network devices becoming "backdoors" for data leaks, posing a serious threat to China's network security and data safety.
EU introduces new sanctions regime against Russian hybrid activity Government Offices of Sweden 09 Oct 2024 -- The EU decided on 8 October to introduce a new sanctions regime in response to Russia's destabilising activities. The sanctions aim to counter Russia's hybrid activity against the EU, its Member States and international partners.
Director General Ken McCallum gives latest threat update MI5 08 Oct 2024 -- MI5 Director General Ken McCallum today gave his latest update on the current national security threats facing the UK.
Hybrid threats/Russia: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on Russia's continued hybrid activity against the EU and its Member States EC/CEU 08 Oct 2024 -- The European Union and its Member States strongly condemn Russia's intensifying campaign of hybrid activities against the EU, its Member States and partners. These activities again illustrate Russia's reckless and irresponsible behaviour and its disregard for the rules-based international order and international law.
Estonia and like-minded countries pioneer a new EU sanctions regime to counter Russia's hybrid activities Estonia MFA 08 Oct 2024 -- Today 8 October, the European Union adopted a new sanctions regime to hold to account the individuals and entities who carry out or contribute to Russia's hybrid activities against the European Union, a member state or a third country.
New details emerge of how journalist-turned-spy kept watch on Navalny VOA 08 Oct 2024 -- For nearly a decade, a Spanish Russian freelancer used his cover as a journalist to spy on Russian dissidents for Moscow, including late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
CISA and FBI Warn of Iranian-Backed Cyber Activity to Undermine U.S. Democratic Institutions CISA 08 Oct 2024 -- Fact sheet provides information on actors' techniques and recommended mitigations for individuals and organizations associated with national political campaigns
US bulletin says Iranian hackers targeting political campaigns VOA 08 Oct 2024 -- Iranian hackers looking to undermine confidence in next month's U.S. elections are prowling for victims, putting a premium on anyone working for American political campaigns, according to a new warning from U.S. officials.
MSS unveils how US slanders and frames Chinese scholars Global Times 08 Oct 2024 -- China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) on Tuesday disclosed the case of Tan Hongjin, a typical example of how US authorities distort facts, slander and frame individuals, and make improper accusations, while continuously exerting pressure to force a confession, revealing the malicious and absurd nature of the US' "China Initiative."
US warns voters of disinformation deluge VOA 07 Oct 2024 -- American voters are likely about to be swamped by a flood of misinformation and influence campaigns engineered by U.S. adversaries aiming, according to senior U.S. intelligence officials, to sway the results of the upcoming presidential election and cast doubt on the process itself.
Israel Started to Plan Pager Blast Operation Against Hezbollah Back in 2022 - Reports Sputnik 06 Oct 2024 -- Israel has begun planning an operation to blow up pagers belonging to Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah back in 2022, The Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing Israeli, Middle Eastern and US officials, familiar with the events.
U.S. Seizes Web Domain Names From Hacking Group Linked To Russian Intelligence RFE/RL 04 Oct 2024 -- U.S. authorities said they have seized dozens of website domain names that hackers linked to Russian intelligence allegedly used to try and break into U.S. government computer systems.
U.S. Seizes Web Domain Names From Hacking Group Linked To Russian Intelligence RFE/RL 04 Oct 2024 -- U.S. authorities said they have seized dozens of website domain names that hackers linked to Russian intelligence allegedly used to try and break into U.S. government computer systems.
China-connected spamouflage networks spread antisemitic disinformation VOA 04 Oct 2024 -- Spamouflage networks with connections to China are posting antisemitic conspiracy theories on social media, casting doubt on Washington's independence from alleged Jewish influence and the integrity of the two U.S. presidential candidates, a joint investigation by VOA Mandarin and Taiwan's Doublethink Lab, a social media analytics firm, has found.
Moldova Says It Has Uncovered A Russian-Funded Voter-Rigging Plot RFE/RL 03 Oct 2024 -- Pro-Kremlin forces are meddling in Moldova's upcoming presidential election by paying off tens of thousands of voters in a sweeping plot to derail Chisinau's bid for closer ties with the European Union, the country's police and Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office said.
Intel Agency's Director Discusses Strength of International Partnerships DoD News 03 Oct 2024 -- The head of the National Reconnaissance Office today praised the agency's continually expanding partnerships with United States' ally nations while participating in a fireside chat at a Washington think tank.
Justice Department Disrupts Russian Intelligence Spear-Phishing Efforts US Dept. of Justice 03 Oct 2024 -- The Justice Department announced today the unsealing of a warrant authorizing the seizure of 41 internet domains used by Russian intelligence agents and their proxies to commit computer fraud and abuse in the United States. As an example of the Department's commitment to public-private operational collaboration to disrupt such adversaries' malicious cyber activities, as set forth in the National Cybersecurity Strategy, the Department acted concurrently with a Microsoft civil action to restrain 66 internet domains used by the same actors.
U.S. Says It Disrupted Russian Hacking Group RFE/RL 03 Oct 2024 -- A hacking group tied to Russian intelligence has been disrupted, Microsoft and U.S. authorities said on October 3.
Media Watchdog Warns EU About Russian Outlet Operating In Serbia RFE/RL 03 Oct 2024 -- Reporters Without Borders has asked the European Union to hold Serbia accountable for hosting Russian state media network RT, which RSF calls "Vladimir Putin's factory of lies."
U.S., British Authorities Publicly Link Ex-FSB Officer To Notorious Russian Ransomware Group RFE/RL 02 Oct 2024 -- U.S. and British authorities for the first time publicly linked an ex-Russian special forces officer to one of the world's most notorious ransomware groups, adding further evidence of ties, formal and informal, between Russian intelligence agencies and criminal groups.
International Counter Ransomware Initiative 2024 Joint Statement The White House 02 Oct 2024
ODNI Establishes National Security Data and Policy Institute in Partnership with the University of Virginia Director of National Intelligence 02 Oct 2024 -- Today, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) announces a first-of-its-kind partnership with the University of Virginia (UVA) to establish the National Security Data and Policy Institute (NSDPI) to advance the Intelligence Community's (IC) use of emerging technologies to collect, analyze, and manage data, a crucial component of the IC's foreign intelligence mission.
U.S. Says Biggest Election Influence Threats Come From Russia, Iran, China RFE/RL 02 Oct 2024 -- The United States expects Russia, Iran, and China to continue their attempts to influence the November 5 elections by using artificial intelligence to disseminate fake information, according to a report released on October 2 by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Parliamentary Assembly recognises Julian Assange as a 'political prisoner' and warns against the chilling effect of his harsh treatment Council of Europe 02 Oct 2024 -- The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has expressed deep concern at "the disproportionately harsh treatment" faced by Julian Assange and said this has had a "dangerous chilling effect" which undermines the protection of journalists and whistleblowers around the world.

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