Top of the Day
The DNA of organised crime is changing – and so is the threat to Europe
(Europol – 18 March 2025) Europol’s EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (EU-SOCTA) 2025 reveals how the very DNA of crime is shifting – reshaping the tactics, tools and structures employed by criminal networks. The EU-SOCTA offers one of the most thorough analyses conducted on the threats posed by serious organised crime to the EU’s internal security. Based on intelligence from EU Member States and international law enforcement partners, this report not only analyses the state of organised crime today – it anticipates threats of tomorrow, providing a roadmap for Europe’s law enforcement and policymakers to stay ahead of ever-evolving organised crime. And evolve it has. The latest EU-SOCTA reveals that the DNA of organised crime is fundamentally changing, making it more entrenched and more destabilising than ever before. – https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/dna-of-organised-crime-changing-and-so-threat-to-europe
How to Assess the Likelihood of Malicious Use of Advanced AI Systems
(Josh A. Goldstein, Girish Sastry – Center for Security and Emerging Technology – March 2025) Policymakers are debating the risks that new advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technologies can pose if intentionally misused: from generating content for disinformation campaigns to instructing a novice how to build a biological agent. Because the technology is improving rapidly and the potential dangers remain unclear, assessing risk is an ongoing challenge. Malicious-use risks are often considered to be a function of the likelihood and severity of the behavior in question. We focus on the likelihood that an AI technology is misused for a particular application and leave severity assessments to additional research. – https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/how-to-assess-the-likelihood-of-malicious-use-of-advanced-ai-systems/
Shaping the AI Action Plan: Responses to the White House’s Request for Information
(Clara Apt, Brianna Rosen – Just Security – 18 March 2025) In February, the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a Request for Information (RFI) aimed at shaping the Trump administration’s new AI Action Plan. Stakeholders from across industry, academia, civil society, and the media submitted comments before the March 15 deadline, laying out their visions for AI policy under a second Trump term. Respondents from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, the Center for Data Innovation, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), Business Roundtable, News/Media Alliance, MITRE, and other organizations offered perspectives on how the Trump administration can advance U.S. technological leadership without stifling innovation. While diverse in approach, the submissions converge around several core themes: infrastructure and energy development, federal preemption of state AI laws, export controls to maintain U.S. competitiveness against rivals like China, promoting domestic AI adoption, safeguarding national security, and defining clear copyright and licensing frameworks for AI data. What follows is a thematic roundup of these proposals, culminating in a reference table at the end. – https://www.justsecurity.org/109203/us-ai-action-plan/
NVIDIA unleashes Blackwell Ultra, AI factories and insane new supercomputers
(Kapil Kajal – Interesting Engineering – 18 March 2025) In a series of groundbreaking announcements at the GTC 2025 conference in San Jose, NVIDIA unveiled a suite of advanced technologies poised to redefine the landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing. Central to these revelations is introducing the Blackwell Ultra processor, a next-generation AI chipset designed to enhance AI reasoning capabilities, marking a significant shift from generative AI to more complex AI tasks. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/nvidia-unleashes-new-ai-universe
Isaac GR00T N1: World’s first foundation model for humanoid robotics unveiled by NVIDIA
(Neetika Walter – Interesting Engineering – 18 March 2025) In a groundbreaking series of announcements at its GTC conference, NVIDIA on Tuesday unveiled a portfolio of AI-driven technologies, including Isaac GR00T N1— the world’s first open, fully customizable foundation model for humanoid reasoning and skills. The launch also included the Isaac GR00T Blueprint for synthetic data generation and Newton, a physics engine developed with Google DeepMind and Disney Research. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/nvidia-unveils-cosmos-wfms-isaac-gr00t-n1
Artificial Intelligence and National Defence: A Strategic Foresight Analysis
(Alex Wilner, Ryan Atkinson – Centre for International Governance Innovation – 17 March 2025) Strategic foresight can help address long-term uncertainties by offering insights into the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on national security. This analysis highlights the value of qualitative tools in exploring a variety of future scenarios related to breakthroughs in AI. This investigation examines how strategic foresight is changing in Canada and other Five Eyes (plus one) nations — the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands — using horizon scanning and scenario planning to improve security policies. Important observations centre on the dual nature of AI, exploring the difficulties presented by deepfake technology and cyberthreats while emphasizing the need for preventative regulatory actions to protect democratic institutions and national security. Various illustrative scenarios highlight the risks associated with unbridled AI capabilities, including the problem of incremental approaches, showcasing different degrees of AI integration for defence. Robust legislative frameworks and international cooperation are essential to control AI’s impact, and strategic foresight provides a critical instrument to navigate upcoming possibilities and challenges in defence and security. – https://www.cigionline.org/publications/artificial-intelligence-and-national-defence-a-strategic-foresight-analysis/
CSET’s Recommendations for an AI Action Plan
(Center for Security and Emerging Technology – 14 March 2025) The Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University has submitted a set of strategic recommendations to guide the United States in developing a robust, forward-looking Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan, as directed by Presidential Executive Order. These recommendations are drawn from CSET’s wide body of research, and fall largely into three categories: 1) steps the United States can take to advance and secure its leadership in developing cutting-edge AI capabilities, 2) initiatives for competition in AI with China, and 3) actions the U.S. government can take to realize the benefits of AI while mitigating its risks. – https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/csets-recommendations-for-an-ai-action-plan/
Governance and Legislation
Canada Is a Signatory to the First Global Treaty on AI: Why That Matters
(Robert Diab – Centre for International Governance Innovation – 17 March 2025) The global movement to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) gained momentum in Paris last month as Canada added its signature to the Council of Europe’s convention on AI. We now join other key players in the race to develop AI — the European Union, Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States — in reaching this important milestone. The council’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law has been in the works for several years, with a final agreement reached in May 2024. The United Kingdom and the United States signed on in the fall of 2024, after broad consultation among the 27 council nations, along with various countries with observer status at the council, which include Canada and the United States. – https://www.cigionline.org/articles/canada-is-a-signatory-to-the-first-global-treaty-on-ai-why-that-matters/
U.S. AI-Driven “Catch and Revoke” Initiative Threatens First Amendment Rights
(Faiza Patel – Just Security – 18 March 2025) On March 8, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and a prominent leader of pro-Palestinian protests on the university’s campus. They claimed that Khalil’s student visa had both been revoked and when told that he had a green card, said that too had been revoked. While the full facts of the case are yet to emerge, there seems little doubt that Khalil was detained in retaliation for his activism. U.S. President Donald Trump has frequently and explicitly threatened to go after university protestors, including in his Executive Order on “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats”. Trump celebrated Khalil’s arrest on social media, warning that it was the first “of many to come.”. Some of the “many to come” will likely be identified via the State Department’s newly launched AI-enabled “Catch and Revoke” initiative, which will scrape social media to find “foreign nationals who appear to support Hamas or other designated terror groups” and cancel their visas. Like the executive order cited above, this effort is framed as an anti-terrorism measure. Instead, it is being used to terrorize foreigners and to dissuade people from participating in First Amendment-protected activity for fear that they too will be targeted in some way. – https://www.justsecurity.org/109069/u-s-ai-driven-catch-and-revoke-initiative-threatens-first-amendment-rights/
Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare
Robot dogs join US-South Korea war drills to simulate tunnel combat with North Korea
(Neetika Walter – Interesting Engineering – 18 March 2025) Robotic dogs could soon prowl North Korea’s underground tunnels as South Korean and U.S. troops prepare for an assault on Kim Jong Un’s vast fortified network. New images reveal the forces using dog-like robots as 370 troops from the U.S. and South Korea take part in a four-day joint military exercise in Paju, a small city near the North Korean border. The forces are training for potential combat in North Korea’s hidden military installations and subterranean strongholds—an operation deemed increasingly critical since the war in Gaza. Lt. Col. Jang Yun-Seong, public affairs officer of the 25th Infantry Division, emphasized the role of robotic systems in reducing battlefield risks during last week’s drills involving robot dogs. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/us-south-korea-use-robot-dogs
USAF’s ‘Angry Kitten’ EW pods to turn F-16s, A-10s, C-130s into electronic warriors
(Kapil Kajal – Interesting Engineering – 18 March 2025) The Angry Kitten electronic warfare pod has accomplished a key milestone, completing its testing phase on the F-16 aircraft and moving on to evaluations on larger platforms. With plans to examine its capabilities on the A-10 Thunderbolt II and C-130 Hercules, the pod’s future trials are set to include a broader range of aircraft. Initially designed for the F-16, the Angry Kitten pod has demonstrated promising effectiveness in enhancing the electronic warfare capabilities of larger radar cross-section (RCS) aircraft, which typically show weaker defenses against electronic threats. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/usafs-angry-kitten-ew-pods
Security
The ‘Pacific Rim’ Campaign: Corporate Norm Entrepreneurship and Active Cyber Defense
(Michael Genkin, Joe Devanny – Lawfare – 18 March 2025) Accountability and responsibility are important topics in debates about cybersecurity. While policymakers and analysts often focus on state actors and what qualifies as “responsible state behavior in cyberspace,” private companies, especially those specializing in aspects of cybersecurity, are also engaged in a debate about what constitutes responsible behavior. Cybersecurity companies face acute dilemmas as they navigate the permissible limits of active defense (often called “hacking back”) against adversaries in cyberspace, and those that manufacture network firewall devices are no exception. Network firewall devices aim to prevent dangerous traffic from entering, spreading, or leaving the networks they protect. Unfortunately, these devices are often targeted by cyber threat actors as a means of gaining access to the very networks they are intended to protect. This can be a lucrative endeavor because firewall devices often form a convenient operating environment, owing not only to their position on the edge of networks but also to a lack of inspection ability and often surprisingly poor security. Recently, one such company, Sophos, a developer of enterprise endpoint protection software and network firewall devices, chose to disclose a four-year campaign it executed against a set of entities that targeted its customers by exploiting the network firewall devices it produced. It did so in a self-proclaimed effort to advance the discussion around the accountability and responsibility to consumers and to the wider cyber ecosystem, that is expected of private-sector companies, especially those developing so-called edge devices (for example, firewalls, routers, email servers, network-attached cameras, and storage devices). A further, more subtle goal, claimed by Sophos’s chief information security officer, Ross McKerchar, was to start a dialogue about private-sector norms of active cyber defense. Thanks to the commendable transparency of Sophos’s disclosure of its “Pacific Rim” campaign, it presents an interesting case study to advance the discussion of the role of cybersecurity companies in both improving understanding and providing frameworks for shaping accountable and responsible active cyber defense. The active defense campaign hews to the standards proposed for state actors and, because countries cannot as easily disclose their actions, provides a model for responsible active defense. The campaign was not just responsible; it was also effective, and so it offers important lessons for responding to threat actors. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the–pacific-rim–campaign–corporate-norm-entrepreneurship-and-active-cyber-defense
Municipalities in four states are struggling with cyberattacks limiting services
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 18 March 2025) Cyberattacks on public entities across the U.S. — from police stations to school districts and courts — are causing wide-ranging issues for thousands of residents and public employees. Kansas’ Atchison County said its offices are closed on Tuesday after it detected and responded to a cyber incident that impacted its computer network. “As soon as we learned this, we began working to investigate and determine the effects of the incident,” county officials said on social media. – https://therecord.media/municipalities-struggling-cyberattacks-services
Poisoned Windows shortcuts found to be a favorite of Chinese, Russian, N. Korean state hackers
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 18 March 2025) Nearly a dozen nation-state groups from North Korea, China and Russia are exploiting a vulnerability affecting a commonly used feature of Microsoft Windows. Researchers at the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) said they have identified multiple campaigns exploiting the bug — which affects Windows shortcuts, or .lnk files — going back to 2017. Microsoft has not assigned a Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) number, but ZDI — part of cybersecurity company Trend Micro — tagged it as ZDI-CAN-25373. – https://therecord.media/windows-lnk-files-nation-state-hacking-campaigns
Western Alliance Bank says nearly 22,000 impacted by file transfer software breach
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 18 March 2025) Phoenix-based Western Alliance Bank said the information of more than 20,000 people was stolen through a vulnerability in a popular file sharing tool last year. The bank filed breach notification documents in Maine and California last week confirming that it was affected by a vulnerability in a “third-party vendor’s secure file transfer software used by Western Alliance and numerous other organizations.” – https://therecord.media/western-alliance-bank-data-breach
Microsoft identifies new RAT targeting cryptocurrency wallets and more
(Daryna Antoniuk – The Record – 18 March 2025) Microsoft has identified a previously unknown remote access trojan, dubbed StilachiRAT, that employs advanced techniques to evade detection and maintain persistence on infected systems. The malware is designed to exfiltrate a wide range of sensitive data, including configuration files from 20 cryptocurrency wallet extensions for the Google Chrome browser. Among the targeted wallets are MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, Trust Wallet, and TronLink. – https://therecord.media/stilachirat-new-remote-access-trojan-crypto-wallets
Crypto exchange OKX shuts down tool used by North Korean hackers to launder stolen funds
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 19 March 2025) The Seychelles-based cryptocurrency exchange OKX is temporarily shutting down a popular tool after discovering North Korean hackers were attempting to use it to launder funds stolen from other platforms. OKX published a notice on Sunday claiming it had detected a coordinated effort by the Lazarus Group, one of North Korea’s most prolific hacking outfits, to misuse its decentralized finance (DeFi) services. – https://therecord.media/crypto-okx-shuts-down-exchange
Frontiers
Retail Reinvented as CornerBox Nets $1M to Advance AI-Powered Robotics
(AI Insider – 17 March 2025) Rotterdam-based CornerBox, an AI-driven robotic retail startup, has raised $1 million in pre-seed funding at a $10 million valuation. The funding, first reported by Egirisim, will accelerate product development, expand pilot programs, and support global market entry. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/17/retail-reinvented-as-cornerbox-nets-1m-to-advance-ai-powered-robotics/
Nimblemind.ai Announces $2.5M Funding Round to Unlock AI-Ready Clinical Data for Healthcare Providers
(AI Insider – 17 March 2025) Nimblemind.ai raised $2.5M in funding, led by Bread & Butter Ventures, to structure and curate healthcare data for AI applications, solving one of the biggest challenges in AI-driven healthcare transformation. The platform converts unstructured clinical data into AI-ready formats, enabling better decision-making, predictive analytics, and new revenue opportunities, with partnerships across the US and Asia. With this funding, Nimblemind.ai will expand its specialty-specific AI models and enhance its platform, helping healthcare providers unlock AI’s potential while maintaining data sovereignty and compliance. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/17/nimblemind-ai-announces-2-5m-funding-round-to-unlock-ai-ready-clinical-data-for-healthcare-providers/
Intel’s New CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s Plan for AI and Manufacturing Revival
(AI Insider – 17 March 2025) Intel is set for a major transformation as Lip-Bu Tan takes over as CEO, bringing a decisive strategy shift focused on AI innovation and manufacturing efficiency. Sources familiar with Tan’s plans revealed that he is prioritizing restructuring Intel’s AI roadmap, overhauling its manufacturing processes, and streamlining operations to regain a competitive edge in the semiconductor market. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/17/intels-new-ceo-lip-bu-tans-plan-for-ai-and-manufacturing-revival/
Seadronix Secures $11.3M in Series B Funding; Accelerates Global Expansion of Autonomous Navigation AI Solutions
(AI Insider – 17 March 2025) Seadronix raised $11.3M in Series B funding, led by LB Investment, KB Investment, and the Korea Development Bank, to advance its AI-powered autonomous ship navigation solutions and expand globally. The company’s NAVISS, Rec-SEA, and AVISS solutions are transforming vessel navigation and port management, shifting from human intuition to AI-driven safety and efficiency, with deployments in Singapore, the Netherlands, and beyond. Recognized with a CES 2024 Innovation Award and world-first type approval, Seadronix is positioning itself as a key player in autonomous maritime technology, driving global adoption and regulatory standardization. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/17/seadronix-secures-11-3m-in-series-b-funding-accelerates-global-expansion-of-autonomous-navigation-ai-solutions/
Healthcare Integrated Technologies Inc. Successfully Raises $10M in Friends & Family Funding
(AI Insider – 17 March 2025) Healthcare Integrated Technologies Inc. (HITC) raised $10M to strengthen its financial position and support its goal of uplisting to the NYSE American stock exchange, improving visibility, liquidity, and access to institutional investors. The company specializes in AI-driven safety and monitoring solutions across healthcare, education, transportation, and commercial industries, with products like SafeSpace® Fall Monitoring for senior living facilities. HITC is expanding its AI-powered safety technologies beyond healthcare, launching new solutions for schools and transportation, reinforcing its mission to enhance situational awareness and mitigate risks in critical environments. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/17/healthcare-integrated-technologies-inc-successfully-raises-10m-in-friends-family-funding/