Hillicon Valley — Feds warn about cyber threats
U.S. and foreign enforcement agencies issued a joint advisory on Wednesday warning organizations of potential Russian cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Apple employees in Atlanta have filed for a union election, the first for the tech giant.
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Agencies issue fresh cyber threat advisory
Three federal agencies and a number of international partners issued a joint advisory on Wednesday regarding Russian cyber threats targeting critical infrastructure that could affect “organizations both within and beyond Ukraine.”
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in a statement on Wednesday said the advisory is “the most comprehensive view of the cyber threat posed by Russia to critical infrastructure released by government cyber experts since the invasion of Ukraine in February.”
The advisory includes information regarding “malicious cyber operations” perpetrated by actors associated with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) and the Russian Ministry of Defense, Central Scientific Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics, according to CISA.
The agency said the advisory also includes information on Russia-associated cyber threat and cybercrime groups, some of which have recently expressed support for the Russian government.
Apple workers push for union election
Workers at an Apple store in Georgia on Wednesday became the first at the Silicon Valley giant to file for a union election.
The unit proposed by the union would include a little over 100 workers at a store in the Cumberland Mall in Atlanta.
Seventy percent of those workers have signed cards in support of an election, according to the Communications Workers of America, which would represent them in the event of a victory.
The workers are pushing for livable wages, cost of living adjustments and stock options, all benefits provided to Apple’s office workers.
DEMOCRATS SLAM META OVER SPANISH MISINFORMATION
Democrats are pressing Facebook to take action on Spanish language disinformation on the platform spread by Russian state-owned media outlets.
The lawmakers sent a letter to Facebook Wednesday expressing concern for the company’s “lack of progress” addressing Spanish-language disinformation, which they said has been escalated by Russian state-controlled outlets making a “concentrated effort to target” Spanish-speaking communities to spread false narratives about the invasion in Ukraine.
“The viral spread of these narratives stands in stark contrast to assurances that Meta made to the public and Members of Congress that it is prioritizing the pressing needs of Hispanic communities in the United States,” they wrote, according to a copy of the letter shared with The Hill, referring to Facebook’s parent company, Meta.
MUSK POSTS CRYPTIC TWEET AMID TWITTER CONTROVERSY
Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted another cryptic tweet on Twitter late Wednesday, saying “_______ is the Night” — the latest message to come after filing an offer to buy the social media platform for $43 billion.
Musk did not elaborate further on what his tweet meant, though users quickly offered suggestions of what they believed he might be proposing should his offer to buy the platform for that price be rejected by Twitter’s board, including ideas like “tender is the night” and “tonight is the night.”
“Tender is the Night” is the name of a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which could be a reference to “tender,” which means “an invitation to bid for a project or accept a formal offer such as a takeover bid,” according to Investopedia.
BITS & PIECES
An op-ed to chew on: Musk says Twitter is biased against conservatives — facts say otherwise
Lighter click: what a concept
Notable links from around the web:
This Firm Made Republicans Go Viral — Now It’s Falling Apart (The Verge / Makena Kelly)
Biden’s options if Russia hacks U.S. infrastructure (Politico / Maggie Miller)
News Analysis: ‘Free speech absolutist’ Elon Musk has a long history of opposing speech and transparency (Los Angeles Times / Russ Mitchell
One more thing: News streaming struggles
CNN’s new streaming service CNN+ is off to a slower start than executives at the network had hoped, raising new questions about the future of the paid, subscription-based vertical — and more broadly how much consumers are willing to invest in streamed news.
The launch of CNN+ is just the latest push by a major cable provider into streaming, as industry insiders and network leaders prepare themselves for a future increasingly characterized by cable cord-cutting.
CNN has played down reports of a stumbling start to its multimillion-dollar investment in streaming, saying it is pleased with how the launch has gone and dismissing early reports suggesting the new venture is in trouble as premature.
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Technology and Cybersecurity pages for the latest news and coverage. We’ll see you tomorrow.
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