Recorded Future News will be providing live coverage from the Munich Cyber Security Conference (February 15 & 16) and Munich Security Conference (February 16 - 18). You can follow along here to see updates from Alexander Martin, Daryna Antoniuk, and Dina Temple-Raston for the latest stories, analysis, and exclusive interviews throughout the conferences.

Saturday, February 17

US, Estonia to send confiscated Russian funds to Ukraine. Are ransomware proceeds next?

Estonia and the U.S. signed an agreement on Saturday that will transfer $500,000 in confiscated Russian funds to Ukraine. The monies will first be transferred to Estonia who will then send them to Ukraine to help it reconstitute its electrical grid after months of bombing by the Russians.

The announcement raises the specter that other illicit gains, like ransomware payments, could be included in this kind of action in the future — though Congress would need to broaden the current authorities first.

Norway PM warns Russian conflict with Europe will ‘not necessarily start in the military field’

Jonas Gahr Støre, the prime minister of Norway, warned alongside other European leaders that a conflict with Russia would not necessarily start with military action. "It will start with diluting our democracies, diluting the truth,” he said, while others alluded to cyber disruptions carried out by Russia.

Zelensky: We must make security a reality again

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called on world leaders attending MSC to stand together against Russia and enhance their security pacts.

“Putin must be deprived of any ability to manipulate the world,” Zelensky said. “And don’t ask Ukraine when the war will end; ask yourself why Putin is still able to continue it.”

Russia-aligned hackers target European and Iranian embassies in new espionage campaign

Researchers from Recorded Future briefed the press during MSC about a Russia-linked hacking group exploiting a bug in a popular webmail server to spy on government and military agencies in Europe, as well as Iranian embassies in Russia.

Friday, February 16

Cyber norms serving their purpose despite ongoing attacks, says U.S. official

Liesyl Franz, the deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, spoke to Recorded Future News on the sidelines of the Munich Cyber Security Conference about cyber norms and cooperation.

Former NSA chief calls for alternative approach to cyber defense

The U.S. and its allies need to step back and reassess which strategies are working in cyber and what needs to be changed, according to Michael Rogers, former director of the U.S. National Security Agency.

Japan sees increased cyberthreats to critical infrastructure, particularly from China

Kazutaka Nakamizo, deputy director of Japan's National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC), said cyber incidents involving critical infrastructure there are on the rise, and it appears to be "just the tip of the iceberg."

Using AI in a cyberattack? DOJ’s Monaco says criminals will face stiffer sentences

“We have to put AI at the top of [our] enforcement priorities list,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said. The Department of Justice wants to drive home the idea that the malicious use of artificial intelligence will have consequences for cybercriminals.

DOJ’s Monaco: US focus on rolling up ransomware and cybercriminals will continue apace

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said that the U.S. would continue to launch disruption campaigns against ransomware, cybercrime actors, and cryptocurrency exchanges that help hide their proceeds. “This has been a year of action for the Justice Department in our efforts to pivot to a strategy of disruption,” she said.

Belarus opposition leader on working with big tech and countering propaganda under dictatorship

Recorded Future News' Daryna Antoniuk talked to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya about her efforts in building a Belarussian opposition movement, which includes working with big tech and taking steps to counter digital propaganda from the country's dictatorship.

Thursday, February 15

Lack of data makes AI more biased in African countries, says former tech official

Katherine Getao, the former chief executive of Kenya’s state information and communication technology authority, said that for companies developing AI tools, Africa is a “shadow area.”

British former spy chiefs say UK intelligence structure needs a shakeup

The former heads of two of the United Kingdom’s intelligence agencies said they do not believe the traditional divisions of the country’s security services — domestic, foreign, and signals intelligence — make sense in the modern era.

US and partners kicked Russian GRU hackers out of routers, FBI says

The U.S. and partners around the world ousted Russian government hackers from a network of more than 1,000 home and small business routers, FBI Director Christopher Wray said. The law enforcement action, dubbed Operation Dying Ember, has not been previously announced.

Neuberger: Defining espionage vs. pre-positioning for attacks is key to battling state actors

The top White House cyber adviser said that in light of recent reports about activity by China's Volt Typhoon group in U.S. critical infrastructure, there needs to be more clarity as to what constitutes cyber espionage as opposed to a precursor to a cyberattack.

White House’s Neuberger: Pace of ransomware takedown operations isn’t enough

The White House's Anne Neuberger said international law enforcement needs to ramp up efforts to take down ransomware actors, like the action targeting BlackCat in December. “We’ve made progress, but there is far more to be done," she said.

Russian interference ‘poses a clear threat’ to European elections, warns European Commission VP

In an opening keynote for the Munich Cyber Security Conference, vice-president of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas warned that the bloc's upcoming parliamentary elections could be threatened by Russian interference.

The ‘Munich Spirit’: What to expect from this year's security conferences

Diplomats from around the world, including heads of state and the leaders of several top cybersecurity agencies, are arriving in Munich ahead of the two conferences, where topics of discussion will likely include election security, AI, and whether the West needs to rethink cyber resilience.

Reporter Alex Martin talked to Peter Möhring, the managing director behind the not-for-profit organization that puts on the Munich Cyber Security Conference, ahead of the event. He talks about the "Munich Spirit" that has permeated past events, giving them "a sort of positive vibration to get this moving and rolling."

Stay tuned for more updates...