The Wire - July 12, 2024

S2 Underground

//The Wire//2100Z July 12, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: CHINESE ACTIVITY CONTINUES IN THE PACIFIC. AT&T REVEALS DETAILS OF 2022 CYBERATTACK.//

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-International Events-

Far East: Chinese activity continues to expand throughout the region. Yesterday, a USCG cutter began shadowing a PLAN Task Force operating off the coast of Alaska. Four PLAN vessels were conducting maneuvers in the Bering Sea within the US EEZ, but remained within international waters approximately 100 NM north of Amchitka Pass in the Aleutian Islands.

-HomeFront-

USA: This morning AT&T revealed the damage caused by a major cyberattack and data breach that took place in late 2022. AT&T stated that the phone call logs and text message data of “nearly all” customers was compromised nationwide, encompassing roughly 110 million Americans. Hackers were allegedly able to access AT&T’s cloud server data, but AT&T claims that the content of data pertaining to phone calls and text messages stored on their servers was not compromised. AT&T also claims that customer’s names were not compromised, however this data could be easily obtained by other means. At least one person has reportedly been arrested in connection with this cyberattack.

AC: AT&T claims that this 2022 breach is somehow related to the recent Snowflake data breach incident, which has slowly increased in severity over the past month as forensic examination of the data cloud giant reveals the true magnitude of the breach.

North Carolina: The controversy surrounding a training product referring to peaceful pro-life groups has widened following additional information coming to light. The National Right to Life Committee (RTLC) has issued a statement in response to being categorized as a terror group, in which they mentioned that the logo on the controversial training slide had been retired some time ago. Subsequent investigation by users on social media found evidence of that training product being used years ago, with anecdotal testimony from soldiers familiar with the training product asserting that this Powerpoint slide deck has been in use for over a decade (though this latter claim cannot be independently verified beyond reasonable doubt). Fort Liberty (Bragg) has not responded to this latest information.

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Analyst Comments: The Chinese activity in the Far East is probably related to a myriad of operational goals. First and foremost, China and Russia are currently conducting large joint naval maneuvers and/or drills (which itself is probably scheduled to coincide with American RIMPAC 2024 exercises) in the Pacific. However, activity not traditionally part of the exercises has been noted, such as the presence of PLAN vessels off the coast of Alaska. China’s long-standing deception doctrine heavily relies on the theory of blending real-world operational deployments, with training exercises. In theory, this would allow China to creep ever closer to war, under the guise of conducting training exercises. On that front, China has demonstrated significant gains. Right now, China’s newest aircraft carrier, the Shandong, is conducting maneuvers in the western Pacific, which is the first time China has projected this much naval power beyond the First Island Chain. However, as most of China’s real-world combat experience lies with the lessons learned during the Korean War, most of China’s military doctrine (especially amphibious operations or expeditionary campaigns) remains largely untested in the modern battlespace. This strategic ambiguity makes it challenging to discern the true likelihood of China’s aspirations being successful.

Analyst: S2A1

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