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Israel’s Version of Moving Fast and Breaking Things: The New Cybersecurity Bill  ((Deborah Housen-Couriel, Tal Mimran, Yuval Shany, Lawfare)
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) of Israel published a new billin February entitled “Cybersecurity and the National Cyber Directorate.” If passed by government committee and the Knesset, this law will redefine cybersecurity governance in Israel. The PMO officially tabled an earlier version of the bill in June 2018, but that bill did not advance through the legislative process given the strong objectionsit raised both in the professional cybersecurity community and among other government authorities. In particular, stakeholders raised concerns about the broad scope of authority sought by the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) under the 2018 bill. Other concerns included the lack of proper safeguards over the nature and scope of invasive “computer protection actions” taken by the INCD in response to cyberattacks, the potential for privacy infringements in the name of national security, and the interface between the activities of the INCD and other law enforcement agencies. The process of affording the INCD—which is currently a policy-setting body—with operative powers has been controversial even within Israel’s security establishment. One publicized example of this controversy was a 2017 leaked memoto the prime minister from the Mossad, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), Israel Defense Forces and the Defense Ministry declaring their opposition to the expanding authorities of the INCD.

What We Know about the Pipeline Ransomware Attack: How It Happened, Who Is Responsible and More  (Zachary Cohen, Geneva Sands and Matt Egan, CNN)
One of the largest US fuel pipelines remained largely paralyzed Monday after a ransomware cyberattack forced the temporary shutdown of all operations late last week — an incident that laid bare vulnerabilities in the country’s aging energy infrastructure. The victim of the attack, Colonial Pipeline is a company that transports more than 100 million gallons of gasoline and other fuel daily from Houston to the New York Harbor. Over the weekend, the pipeline operator began working to develop a restart plan for its pipeline system, and was able to start operations for some of its ancillary lines. On Monday, Colonial acknowledged it will take time to restore all of its systems and said hopes to substantially restore operational service by the end of the week. Ransomware locks out the rightful user of a computer or computer network and holds it hostage until the victim pays a fee. Ransomware gangs have also threatened to leak sensitive information in order to get victims to meet their demands. The Colonial Pipeline attack comes amid rising concerns over the cybersecurity vulnerabilities in America’s critical infrastructure following a spate of recent incidents, and after the Biden administration last month launched an effort to beef up cybersecurity in the nation’s power grid, calling for industry leaders to install technologies that could thwart attacks on the electricity supply.

Boko Haram Boosts Plans to Have Separate Islamic Country, Lures Borno, Yobe Residents  (Sahara Reporters)
Militants belonging to the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād, have organised da‘wāt in some villages in Borno and Yobe states, SaharaReporters has gathered. Da‘wāt is the act of inviting or calling people to embrace Islam. SaharaReporters gathered that the insurgents appealed to the villagers to join the group as militants and support their cause to establish an Islamic caliphate. They also hoisted their flag in the villages, assuring them of good governance, better security and basic amenities as soon as they have a new country. “Our target: those who do not believe in our ideology, Christians and even Muslims who do not believe in our teachings. “Any Muslim who is not supporting the empire of Islam is our target. “Anyone who comes to us for forgiveness, and stop fighting us will be exempted from attacks,” the group had said in a propaganda leaflets distributed to Geidam residents in April. ISWAP also shared N20,000 to over 50 households in a new recruitment drive. A 2019 report by the International Crisis Group, a non-profit think tank, observed that ISWAP’s approach to recruiting new fighters proved effective.

Far-Right Using COVID Conspiracy Theories to Lure Young - UK Police  (Reuters)
Extremist groups, especially on the far-right, have used conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic as a recruiting tool to attract young supporters, a senior British police officer said on Monday. “Recent analysis suggests that conspiracy theories are particularly engaging for a younger audience,” Matt Twist, one of Britain’s top counter-terrorism officers, told reporters. “Extremists on both sides, particularly the right wing terrorism space, use memes and conspiracy theories as a way of hooking in young and vulnerable people on social media platforms.” There have been a mass of conspiracy theories since the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year, from whether COVID existed and how it was spread, to myths around vaccines. Twist said the pandemic had meant more people spending time online, while it had been easier for conspiracy theories, such as the claim illnesses were linked to 5G network towers, to reach a mainstream audience. “You can’t tackle every conspiracy theory and there is a fine balance between people’s rights to free speech and people’s rights to have a view,” Twist said.

French Military Leader Asserts Islamic State Is ‘Regenerating’ Underground  (Julia Marnin, Newsweek)
A French military leader said that the Islamic State (IS) is “regenerating” underground with stealth and developing its military as France is sending warships and aircraft to Syria and Iraq in order to examine the threat the group poses, the Associated Press reported. Rear Admiral Marc Aussedat, the head of a task force that features the Charles de Gaulle nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, said reconnaissance flights are being carried out to help French forces on the ground observe the Islamic State (IS) and that weapons will be used if needed. “Why are we doing this mission?…First of all, is to give to these forces, coalition and Iraqi security forces, the means to fight the regeneration of Daesh on the ground. Daesh is hiding, Daesh is developing its capacity underground,” Aussedat told the press. “Daesh,” is the Islamic State’s Arabic-language acronym. Aussedat said the deployment of France’s warships and aircraft is to demonstrate the country’s power in areas where they have “strategic interests.” Aussedat said that 18 advanced Rafale fighter aircraft are carrying out reconnaissance flights in Syrian and Iraqi airspace to gauge the actions of the IS.

DHS Drops Proposal to Expand Immigration-Related Biometrics Collection  (Mila Jasper, Nextgov)
The Biden administration withdrew the controversial rule, which garnered more than 5,000 comments when it was proposed last fall.