Governance, Regulation, Legislation, Geostrategies

Africa’s digital diplomacy in the AI era: Building a common voice for global digital governance

(DigWatch) Experts participating in a Diplo webinar on cyber diplomacy in Africa highlighted the importance of stronger regional coordination, greater participation in global digital governance, and investment in local digital capacity as AI and other emerging technologies reshape international policymaking. – https://dig.watch/updates/africa-cyber-diplomacy-developments-diplo-webinar

New global rules clear the road for driverless vehicles

(UN News) A UN vehicle standards forum has approved the first global regulations for fully autonomous driving systems (ADS), marking a major step towards the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles. The new regulatory framework – adopted on Wednesday by the UN Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations – comes a decade after early predictions of widespread automated driving failed to materialise. The new rules establish common safety requirements and a shared method for validating vehicles equipped with ADS. They aim to strengthen trust among governments, industry and the public by ensuring that automated systems meet rigorous safety standards.  “By preventing fragmented national approaches, the regulation offers clarity for manufacturers, confidence for consumers and a pathway to scale innovation safely across markets,” UNECE said. – https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/06/1167797

Databases Centralized for AI Development

(Samantha Hoffman – The Jamestown Foundation) A new long-term plan to build data infrastructure calls for the construction of sector-specific databases to underpin artificial intelligence (AI) development in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The plan is tied to a desire for social control and for achieving national security objectives through the promotion of “high quality datasets”. The PRC has identified “physically distributed but logically centralized” data management as a central goal. Its new National Dataset Management Service Platform intends to aggregate data collected across government agencies to be used for AI model training, while centrally sanctioned data exchanges allow the government to audit and track data flows. The datasets will also be deployed to improve the effectiveness of the social credit system and the public security apparatus through increased data-sharing across government institutions. – https://jamestown.org/databases-centralized-for-ai-development/

Spain moves closer to hosting one of Europe’s first AI gigafactories

(DigWatch) Spain has taken another significant step in its effort to become a leading European hub for AI and advanced computing infrastructure. The Council of Ministers has approved a €300 million voluntary contribution to the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC), the body responsible for supporting Europe’s AI factories and the future development of AI gigafactories. According to the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, the contribution is a critical component of Spain’s bid to host one of the EU’s first AI gigafactories. – https://dig.watch/updates/spain-ai-gigafactory

Taiwan launches national AI strategy committee

(DigWatch) Premier Cho Jung-tai chaired the inaugural meeting of the Cabinet-level National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee on Tuesday, marking a formal step in Taiwan’s effort to shape its long-term AI strategy. Cho said Taiwan should move beyond its traditional role as a manufacturing hub and become a model for AI development grounded in freedom, democracy and public trust. Central to this vision is the use of domestic datasets to build what the premier described as a secure, trustworthy, and responsible AI ecosystem. – https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6388525

China reports a surge in AI adoption and large language model use

(DigWatch) Chinese Premier Li Qiang said China’s AI sector has experienced ‘explosive growth’, citing significant performance improvements across multiple Chinese large language models. Speaking at the opening plenary of the 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, Li said daily token consumption across Chinese large language models had exceeded 100 trillion by the end of May, placing China among the world’s leading AI markets by usage. – https://en.people.cn/n3/2026/0624/c90000-20470418.html

Digital trade agreement gains legal backing in Kyrgyzstan

(DigWatch) Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has signed a law ratifying the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement between member states of the Organisation of Turkic States. The Jogorku Kenesh adopted the law on 3 June 2026 and approved the agreement signed in Bishkek on 6 November 2024. The presidential administration said it was the first law signed in a fully digital format in Kyrgyzstan. – https://dig.watch/updates/digital-trade-agreement-in-kyrgyzstan

EU drops browser-based cookie consent proposal from Digital Omnibus

(DigWatch) The European Commission had proposed replacing cookie banners with an automated browser-based privacy signal as part of its ‘Digital Omnibus’ package, a move that would have allowed devices to communicate users’ tracking preferences directly to websites. The plan, outlined in Article 88b of the GDPR, was intended to cut red tape and reduce the burden on consumers navigating consent requests across the web. – https://dig.watch/updates/eu-cookie-banners-digital-omnibus

Security and Surveillance

Major Increase in Ransomware Attacks Targeting Europe, Warns New Report

(Danny Palmer – Infosecurity Magazine) There number of ransomware attacks against organizations across Europe has significantly increased during the past year, a new report has warned. This according to analysis of publicly disclosed ransomware incidents by researchers at cyber risk management provider Black Kite. They found that ransomware attacks rose 55.1% year-over-year in the first four months of 2026 and reached an average of 171 incidents per month. The findings have been detailed in the company’s 2026 European Cyber Risk Report, published on June 25. Just five countries accounted for 70% of all ransomware incidents across Europe: Germany (18%), the UK (17%), France (12%), Italy (12%), and Spain (10%). – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/increase-ransomware-europe/

Trust in Automated AI Vulnerability Scanning Collapses to 9%, New Study Finds

(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) A large number of false negatives has significantly eroded confidence in automated AI testing for vulnerabilities, a new study from Cobalt has found. The Cobalt State of Pentesting Report 2026 is based on two comparative surveys in 2025 and 2026 of around 450 cybersecurity professionals. It found that the percentage of organizations relying entirely on AI automation for testing sank from 29% to 9% over the period, with nearly half (47%) of respondents now preferring a hybrid testing model. Over three-quarters (78%) said fully automated scanning tools missed critical vulnerabilities. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/trust-ai-vulnerability-scanning/

New CISA Guide Helps Agencies Adopt SASE For Zero Trust

(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) The US ybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has published new guidance to help federal agencies replace their legacy internet gateways with Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) technology as part of the shift to zero trust. Published on June 24, the guidance explains how agencies can use SASE to move from the perimeter-based Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) 2.0 model to the more flexible TIC 3.0, which CISA built around zero trust principles. CISA said SASE can replace the Managed Trusted Internet Protocol Services (MTIPS) that agencies have long relied on. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cisa-sase-tic-3-0-zero-trust/

Europol Disrupts StealC and Amadey Malware Infrastructure in Operation Endgame

(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) Between June 15 and 19, 2026, Europol coordinated a two-week law enforcement operation involving agencies from Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US, alongside private firms like Microsoft, Bitdefender, IBM X-Force, Proofpoint, Infoblox, Shadowserver, Orange Cyberdefense, and a dozen other private partners. The operation targeted the infrastructure behind three malware families, SocGholish, Amadey, and StealC, that together form the opening stages of the cybercrime attack chain. “The main common goal was to disrupt the “assembly lines” cybercriminals use to launch ransomware, financial fraud, and attacks on critical infrastructure.” reads the report published by EUROPOL. “Crypto assets of criminal origin currently valued at over EUR 41 million (USD 47 million) were identified, flagged, and thereby restricted from use. “ – https://securityaffairs.com/194173/cyber-crime/europol-disrupts-stealc-and-amadey-malware-infrastructure-in-operation-endgame.html

EU funds first regional hubs to protect undersea cables

(DigWatch) The European Commission has announced funding for the first two Regional Cable Hubs in the Baltic and Mediterranean seas as part of a broader effort to strengthen the protection of Europe’s critical undersea infrastructure. The initiative aims to improve coordination in monitoring and responding to risks affecting submarine communication and energy cables. Alongside the €5.8 million allocated to establish the hubs, the Commission has launched a €40 million funding call to expand Europe’s capacity to repair damaged submarine cables. The measures form part of the EU Action Plan on Cable Security, which aims to improve resilience against both physical and cyber threats affecting critical data and energy infrastructure. – https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-funds-first-regional-cable-hubs-and-launches-eu40-million-call-cable-repair-capacity

Inside Mistic, the New Stealth Backdoor in Ransomware Intrusions

(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) Mistic is the kind of backdoor that tells you the operator wants time, not noise. Symantec security researchers say it has shown up in financially motivated attacks against insurance, education, IT, and professional services firms, and they link it to KongTuke, also known as Woodgnat, an access broker active since at least 2024. That group has a clear business model: break in, hold the door open, and sell that access to ransomware crews like Qilin, Interlock, Rhysida, Akira, 8Base, and Black Basta. The infection path looks built for camouflage. In the cases Symantec analyzed, the attack started when the legitimate MpExtMs.exe process loaded a malicious DLL named version.dll, which then dropped the Mistic loader, EndpointDlp.dll. The name looks close enough to Microsoft security tooling to be useful, and that’s probably the point. A separate .NET DLL also showed a fake login screen to steal credentials, because apparently criminals still enjoy borrowing your own trust against you. – https://securityaffairs.com/194207/cyber-crime/inside-mistic-the-new-stealth-backdoor-in-ransomware-intrusions.html

Defense, Intelligence, Warfare

Pentagon’s quantum strategy ‘a first step’ in preparing for the future, CIO says

(Edward Graham – Defense One) The Pentagon’s new strategy for defending against quantum computers will ensure “the integrity of our systems for decades to come,” its IT lead said Wednesday, but network modernization “is only a first step” in readying the U.S. military for the threat. Speaking at the SAP NOW summit in Washington, D.C., Chief Information Officer Kirsten Davies said the Defense Department’s new guidance for “accelerating our adoption of post-quantum cryptography” will mitigate the danger. The strategy was released on Tuesday, one day after President Donald Trump signed two executive orders meant to hasten domestic development of quantum capabilities and ward off threats to federal agencies’ cryptographic security systems. –  https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2026/06/quantum-strategy-cio/414409/?oref=d1-featured-river-top

Poland buys V-Bat UAVs from Shield AI for naval forces

(Bartosz Głowacki – Breaking Defense) Poland inked a deal with Shield AI to purchase the MQ-35 V-Bat unmanned aerial system in a $16 million (USD) deal that will deliver “several” platforms to the Polish Navy by the end of the year, according to Poland’s Armaments Agency. After completing the necessary installation work, the V-Bat systems will be deployed aboard an unspecified class of Polish Navy vessel to aid in maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations, according to Polish authorities. The new systems are also expected to help protect critical infrastructure and communication routes. – https://breakingdefense.com/2026/06/poland-buys-v-bat-uavs-from-shield-ai-for-naval-forces/

Frontiers

Greek supercomputer DAEDALUS enters global supercomputer rankings

(DigWatch) Greece’s DAEDALUS supercomputer has entered the international TOP500 and Green500 rankings, strengthening the country’s position in Europe’s high-performance computing landscape. The system ranked 31st in the TOP500 list of the world’s most powerful supercomputers and 23rd in the Green500 list of energy-efficient systems. According to GRNET, DAEDALUS recorded a measured performance of 85.69 petaflops, making it the most powerful computing system ever ranked in Greece. – https://dig.watch/updates/greek-supercomputer-daedalus-global-rankings