Governance and Regulation
What the Grok bans in Southeast Asia tell us about AI governance
(Karryl Kim Sagun Trajano – Lowy The Interpreter) While much attention has focused on the row between the United States and the United Kingdom over banning Grok (Elon Musk’s AI-powered chatbot on X), Indonesia and Malaysia had already imposed bans on the platform days earlier. These interventions appear to be establishing a regional pattern, with the Philippines becoming the third country to announce a ban on Grok. This marks an important regulatory pivot: Southeast Asian states are moving from late adopters to early movers on a highly contested frontier of AI safety, online harms, and platform governance. Indonesia’s decision on 10 January to temporarily block access to Grok marked the first instance of a state intervening directly against the platform. The move was triggered by concerns over the tool’s “digital undressing” capability, which facilitates the creation of non-consensual, sexualised nude or near-nude deepfake images, including of children. Malaysia followed within a day, imposing a similar temporary restriction after documenting repeated misuse of the system to generate obscene and manipulated content, notwithstanding prior regulatory warnings and safeguard mechanisms that depended largely on post-hoc user reporting. – https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/what-grok-bans-southeast-asia-tell-us-about-ai-governance
Indian companies remain committed to AI spending
(DigWatch) Almost all Indian companies plan to sustain AI spending even without near-term financial returns. A BCG survey shows 97 percent will keep investing, higher than the 94 percent global rate. Corporate AI budgets in India are expected to rise to about 1.7 percent of revenue in 2026. Leaders see AI as a long-term strategic priority rather than a short-term cost. – https://dig.watch/updates/indian-companies-remain-committed-to-ai-spending
Legislation
Germany to boost federal service hacking, cut US intel reliance
(Marcus Walsh – Cybernews) Germany is drafting a law to massively expand its federal service hacking and internet surveillance, including full-content interception and six-month data retention. Berlin says the overhaul will cut reliance on US intel and bring the agency in line with European peers. For non-German-speaking readers, the Bundesnachrichtendienst – or BND, its Federal Intelligence Service – sounds like a mouthful. However, it’s time to take note, as the agency has just been granted extra power to hack and surveil. – https://cybernews.com/security/germany-federal-service-cybersecurity/
Can the DEFIANCE Act protect victims of deepfake nudes?
(Eglė Krištopaitytė – Cybernews) The legislation would allow victims of unconsented sexualized deepfakes to pursue civil action. However, tracking down their creators remains a challenging task. The Senate passed the DEFIANCE Act, short for Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act, with unanimous support last week, sending the bill to the House. If signed into law, the legislation would grant civil rights for victims to sue creators and distributors of nonconsensual deepfakes depicting intimate activity or nudity. – https://cybernews.com/ai-news/defiance-act-deepfakes/
EU revises Cybersecurity Act to streamline certification
(DigWatch) The European Commission plans to revise the Cybersecurity Act to expand certification schemes beyond ICT products and services. Future assessments would also cover companies’ overall risk-management posture, including governance and supply-chain practices. Only one EU-wide scheme, the Common Criteria framework, has been formally adopted since 2019. Cloud, 5G, and digital identity certifications remain stalled due to procedural complexity and limited transparency under the current Cybersecurity Act framework. – https://dig.watch/updates/cybersecurity-act-enisa-eu-certification-review
Geostrategies
US vs China in AI: Can Greenland’s minerals be the winning factor?
(Izabelė Pukėnaitė – Cybernews) The icy landscape of Greenland hides a treasure trove of rare earth minerals – materials that are crucial for producing high-tech products. In a time when the US is competing with China for dominance in the AI field, it seems that national security interests are not the only factors driving America’s interest in the Arctic island. If we were to look at the participants in the AI race, it’s not much of a competition. The two countries that are shifting their diplomacy and tax laws to insert their dominance in the field are the US and China. Europe and Asian countries are somewhere behind, with their investments in AI development and national LLMs not even equal to a single US company’s investment in the tech. – https://cybernews.com/ai-news/us-china-ai-greenlands-minerals-winning-factor/
South Korea’s AI revolution is forcing a US–China balancing act
(Afeeya Akhand – East Asia Forum) South Korea’s ‘AI for All’ agenda aims to build a sovereign AI ecosystem and propel the country into the world’s top three AI powers. Enhanced AI capabilities will help South Korea address its demographic decline and boost productivity, in addition to strengthening national security and cyber defence. Amid its rapid AI development, South Korea has also ramped up its cooperation with the United States on defence technologies and regional initiatives — a move that risks complicating South Korea’s ties with China and tests South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s ‘pragmatic diplomacy’. – https://eastasiaforum.org/2026/01/17/south-koreas-ai-revolution-is-forcing-a-us-china-balancing-act/
Security and Surveillance
Apple, Nvidia, and Tesla confidential files allegedly exposed in supplier breach
(Vilius Petkauskas – Cybernews) Luxshare, Apple’s key iPhone assembler, allegedly suffered a ransomware attack threatening confidential product data leaks from multiple tech giants. RansomHub attackers claim access to 3D CAD models, circuit board designs, and engineering documentation from Apple and Nvidia products. Cybernews researchers claim leaked data includes confidential Apple-Luxshare repair projects, employee PII, and product design files from 2019-2025. The breach could enable competitors to reverse-engineer products, manufacture counterfeits, and exploit hardware vulnerabilities in Apple devices. – https://cybernews.com/security/luxshare-apple-iphone-assembler-breach/
Former UK PM warns of vibe hacking, wants mandatory cyber insurance for larger firms
(Ann-Marie Corvin – Cybernews) Rishi Sunak, an advisor to both Microsoft and Anthropic, has warned that cyberattacks are escalating rapidly and argues the UK should consider stronger protections – including mandatory cyber insurance requirements for larger firms. Writing in the Sunday Times, Sunak claimed cybercrime now costs the global economy “Over £7 trillion a year,” with the UK hit for around “£27 billion annually.” – https://cybernews.com/ai-news/former-uk-pm-vibe-hacking-mandatory-cyber-insurance/
Off-grid messaging on the rise as alternative to internet shutdowns and surveillance
(Ernestas Naprys – Cybernews) Mass surveillance gave rise to encrypted, increasingly decentralized messaging apps. Now, extreme internet shutdowns in Iran are driving demand for even more robust tools: messengers that function entirely offline. People are experimenting with Briar, Bitchat, and other mesh-based apps that rely on Bluetooth and WiFi to stay connected. What would you do if the network suddenly goes dark? Bitchat, a peer-to-peer encrypted messaging app developed by Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, has recently surpassed one million users on the Google Play Store. – https://cybernews.com/security/iran-sparks-interest-in-bluetooth-based-messengers/
Russian Hacktivists Intensify Disruptive Cyber Pressure on UK Orgs
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) A new warning has been issued over continued disruptive cyber attacks against UK organisations, with local government bodies and operators of critical national infrastructure remaining key targets. Russian-aligned hacktivist groups are continuing to target UK and global organisations by attempting to disrupt operations, take websites offline and disable services. The activity is largely focused on denial-of-service (DoS) attacks intended to overwhelm websites and online systems, preventing access to essential services. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/russia-cyber-pressure-uk-orgs/
Suspects Linked to Black Basta Ransomware Group Raided in Ukraine
(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine) Law enforcement agencies from Ukraine and Germany have raided the house of two suspected members of the Black Basta ransomware group, seizing evidence of their involvement in cybercriminal activities. The raid took place on January 15 in Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk, in Western Ukraine. The police seized evidence of illegal activity, including digital storage devices and cryptocurrency assets. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/suspects-black-basta-ransomware/
Cyber Breaches, Compliance and Reputation Top UK Corporate Concerns
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) UK business leaders are most concerned about cybersecurity breaches over the coming year, but doubt their ability to manage related risk, according to a new study from Nardello & Co. The global investigations firm polled 250 business leaders at enterprises with a minimum turnover of £250m to better understand their perception of risk for 2026. Over half (58%) ranked cyber-related breaches as their top risk, with three-quarters doubting their ability to manage them. Their concern is grounded in experience and 20% said they had suffered a breach over the past two years. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cyber-breaches-compliance/
Zero Trust and Active Directory: What Modern AD Audits Reveal
(Dominique Adam – Infosecurity Magazine) The zero trust model is essential in modern cybersecurity, cutting the risk of human error and delivering maximum protection in a rapidly evolving environment. But a core aspect is often overlooked: the need to protect your Active Directory (AD). Zero trust is a wide-ranging concept with varying approaches depending on the organization, but in general the idea is to remove implicit trust through strict identity verification, segmentation and continuous monitoring. This is essential in an increasingly complex, and often confusing, threat landscape. Organizations today rely on hybrid environments that present countless entry points for attackers, ranging from the activities of remote workforces to third-party integrations and cloud services. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/blogs/zero-trust-active-directory-modern/
Researchers Exploit Bug in StealC Infostealer to Collect Evidence
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) Security researchers have detailed how they discovered and exploited a cross‑site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in a popular infostealer, allowing them to gather crucial evidence about its back-end operations. Ari Novick, a malware researcher at identity security specialist CyberArk, explained in a blog post that the XSS bug was found in the web panel of the StealC variant. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/researchers-exploit-bug-stealc/
Researchers Uncover PDFSIDER Malware Built for Long-Term, Covert System Access
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) A newly identified malware strain built for covert, long-term access to compromised systems has been documented in recent security research. Dubbed PDFSIDER by Resecurity, the threat is delivered through Dynamic-Link Library (DLL) side-loading and is engineered to install an encrypted backdoor while evading endpoint detection mechanisms. The Resecurity researchers described the malware as exhibiting hallmarks of advanced persistent threat (APT) operations. Its design combines stealthy execution, secure communications and anti-analysis checks, placing it closer to cyber-espionage tooling than commodity malware. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/pdfsider-anti-vm-checks-hidden/
ETSI releases world-leading standard for securing AI
(ETSI) ETSI published its new standard, ETSI EN 304 223, that provides baseline cybersecurity requirements for AI models and systems. Building on the foundational work set out in its recent Technical Specification, it is a first globally applicable European Standard (EN) for AI cybersecurity. The EN has been extensively reviewed, and formally approved by National Standards Organisations voting, giving it a broader international scope and strengthening its authority across global markets. ETSI EN 304 223 establishes a robust framework to shield AI systems from growing and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Reinforcing the principles introduced in ETSI TS 104 223, the new standard guarantees a mature, structured and lifecycle-based set of baseline security requirements for AI models and systems. – https://www.etsi.org/newsroom/press-releases/2627-etsi-releases-world-leading-standard-for-securing-ai
Frontiers and Markets
How AI skills can strengthen Europe’s workforce
(Microsoft) As AI reshapes how we learn, work, and innovate, one question increasingly defines Europe’s economic trajectory: how do we ensure that everyone can benefit from this technological shift? In our latest Tech Talk, Justin Spelhaug, President of Microsoft Elevate, talks about what it takes to build an inclusive AI-ready society. Microsoft Elevate reflects Microsoft’s commitment to widening the circle of opportunity in the AI economy. It reflects Microsoft’s commitment to widening the circle of opportunity in the AI economy and focuses on where AI meets people’s lives: in classrooms, workforce programs, and the nonprofit organizations communities rely on every day. Its mission is built on a simple but powerful idea: skills ecosystems must be strengthened as systems—across education, the workforce, and the nonprofit sector—if we want AI to widen opportunity rather than deepen divides. These systems are under real pressure and navigating rapid change. Microsoft Elevate’s work is about strengthening them, so people have the skills and support to thrive as AI reshapes how we learn and work. – https://blogs.microsoft.com/eupolicy/2026/01/16/how-ai-skills-can-strengthen-europes-workforce/
Kazakhstan Launches AI-Powered Robot for Orthopedic Care
(The Caspian Post) Kazakhstan is taking another step toward high-tech medicine as the National Scientific Traumatology and Orthopedics Center in Astana has introduced a new robotic system with artificial intelligence elements to improve the planning and performance of orthopedic surgeries. – https://caspianpost.com/kazakhstan/kazakhstan-launches-ai-powered-robot-for-orthopedic-care
Efficient cooling method could enable chip-based trapped-ion quantum computers
(MIT News) Quantum computers could rapidly solve complex problems that would take the most powerful classical supercomputers decades to unravel. But they’ll need to be large and stable enough to efficiently perform operations. To meet this challenge, researchers at MIT and elsewhere are developing trapped-ion quantum computers based on ultra-compact photonic chips. These chip-based systems offer a scalable alternative to existing trapped-ion quantum computers, which rely on bulky optical equipment. – https://news.mit.edu/2026/efficient-cooling-method-could-enable-chip-based-quantum-computers-0115