Our picksChina Stealing U.S. COVID-19 Research | Online Voting Risks | New Terrorism Threats, and more

U.S. Accuses Chinese Hackers of Trying to Steal Coronavirus Vaccine Research (Sean Lyngaas, Cyberscoop)
The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI on Wednesday blamed hackers linked with the Chinese government for attempting to steal U.S. research into a coronavirus vaccine, an escalation of the bilateral feud over handling of the global pandemic.
The U.S. agencies accused Chinese hackers as well as spies of trying to pilfer intellectual property and other information related to coronavirus treatments.
“The FBI is investigating the targeting and compromise of U.S. organizations conducting COVID-19-related research by [People’s Republic of China]-affiliated cyber actors and non-traditional collectors,” reads the statement from DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI. “The potential theft of this information jeopardizes the delivery of secure, effective, and efficient treatment options.”

Facebook Reports a Spike in Terrorism, Hate Speech Takedowns (Katie Paul, Reuters / Mercury News)
Facebook said the company had improved its “proactive detection technology”

Terrorism Reinsurer Warns That Virus Brings New Threats (Najiyya Budaly, Law360)
Britain’s terrorism reinsurer has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to propaganda spreading online, as extremists attempt to take advantage of governments made vulnerable by the crisis. Pool Re, which is backed by the government, said Monday that the spread of the coronavirus is having a significant impact on terrorism across the globe. The reinsurer, which covers insurers against costly payouts for losses from terrorist attacks, said in a report that it expects the spread of extremist propaganda to incite some incidents during the pandemic.

Coronavirus Protests Will Boost Far-Right ‘Terrorist Radicalization’ in Germany, Antisemitism Expert Warns (Ben Cohen, Algemeiner)
A German expert on the far right has warned that the presence of neo-Nazi and ultranationalist activists in demonstrations against coronavirus restrictions could result in a fresh wave of “right-wing terrorist radicalization.” Dr. Gideon Botsch — head of the antisemitism research department of the Moses Mendelssohn Center in the German city of Potsdam — said on Tuesday that the surge in protests around Germany objecting to “social distancing” and other coronavirus-related curbs could serve as a gateway to organizations engaged in violence.

Ramsay: A Cyber‑Espionage Toolkit Tailored for Air‑Gapped Networks (Ignacio Sanmillan, Welivesecurity)
ESET researchers uncover several instances of malware that uses various attack vectors to target systems isolated by an air gap

British Government Tells Social Media Companies They Must Go Further to Address Disinformation (Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Computer Weekly)
House of Lords committee hears about government collaboration with social media firms to combat pandemic-related disinformation and online harms

Online Voting Has Worked So Far. That Doesn’t Mean It’s Safe (Lily Hay Newman, Wired)
Proponents of mobile and internet voting point to its uneventful track record. That’s not good enough.

U.S. Government Plans to Urge States to Resist “High-Risk” Internet Voting (Kim Zetter, Guardian)
Department of Homeland Security draft guidelines say practice allows attackers to alter votes and imperil integrity of elections