Technology News: Latest Updates of 2026-03-03

This report is a summary of technology news from 2026-03-03 and has been prepared solely based on the original source texts.

This report was automatically generated by AnishoAI. For automating your website’s content production, visit anishoai.com for more information and to view plans.

CrowdStrike Receives UK NCSC CIR Certification

According to crowdstrike.com, CrowdStrike has successfully obtained the Cyber Incident Response (CIR) certification from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). This standard is a UK government framework designed to help organizations identify cyber incident response providers with the necessary capability, governance, and technical competence to manage serious cyber incidents.

According to the CrowdStrike 2025 European Threat Landscape Report, Europe-based victims account for nearly 22% of entities named on dedicated data leak sites, making Europe the second most targeted region after North America. The UK is also among the most targeted countries in this region.

CrowdStrike has been at the forefront of responding to the world’s most complex cyberattacks for over a decade and has been recognized as a Leader in incident response services by both Forrester and IDC. The company delivers its services leveraging the CrowdStrike Falcon platform and specialized breach response teams, frontline threat intelligence, and visibility across endpoints, identity, and cloud environments.

CrowdStrike stated that its mission is to protect customers in their most critical moments and help them build long-term resilience, and that this NCSC CIR certification is part of the company’s commitment to delivering incident response services in the UK and around the world.

VRC Non-Skip Ads Now Globally Available

According to blog.google, VRC Non-Skip ads are now globally available on Google Ads and Display & Video 360. This capability makes it easier to reach the millions of viewers watching YouTube in their living rooms; YouTube has been the most-watched streaming platform in the United States for three consecutive years.

These ads are designed for the big screen and optimized for CTV display to ensure the advertising message is fully delivered to the audience. Google AI dynamically optimizes across different formats including 6-second Bumpers, standard 15-second ads, and CTV-only 30-second non-skippable formats to reach the right audience at the right time.

According to the report, AI-powered optimization provides greater precision across different non-skippable ad formats and delivers greater unique reach and impact compared to manually combining single-format campaigns.

Silver Dragon: Chinese Cyber Espionage Targeting Governments in Asia and Europe

According to blog.checkpoint.com, Check Point Research has identified a cyber espionage campaign dubbed Silver Dragon that has been active since at least mid-2024, targeting ministries and public sector organizations in Southeast Asia as well as Europe. According to the report, it has been assessed with high confidence that this group is linked to China and is likely associated with APT41.

The group uses two primary methods for initial access: exploitation of publicly accessible servers and targeted phishing campaigns. In one campaign, phishing emails targeted government entities in Uzbekistan. For persistence, Silver Dragon hijacks and repurposes legitimate Windows services to execute malicious code under trusted names, including services related to Windows Update, Bluetooth, and .NET Framework tools.

The GearDoor tool creates dedicated folders on Google Drive for each infected system, uploads data, and receives attacker commands. Since Google Drive traffic is typically permitted in enterprise environments, this method conceals malicious communication within normal activity. The overall toolset and techniques employed indicate a goal of espionage and long-term access rather than short-term destruction.

Samsung and Vodafone Successfully Validate New Chipset in Europe

According to news.samsung.com, Samsung Electronics and Vodafone have completed the first successful call using Samsung’s vRAN solution and the Intel Xeon 6 SoC chipset in Europe. This trial, announced on March 3, 2026 in Spain, marks a milestone in the development of next-generation networks based on open architecture and artificial intelligence.

According to the report, the Intel Xeon 6 SoC chipset is optimized for vRAN software and supports 2G, 4G, and 5G networks on a single server. This configuration enables Vodafone to manage fewer systems while reducing costs and energy consumption. This achievement was realized in collaboration with ecosystem partners including Dell Technologies (server) and Wind River (cloud platform) and is set to be commercially deployed in 2026.

Samsung has been selected as a key strategic partner for Vodafone’s Open RAN deployment across Europe. The first Open RAN trial site was launched last year in Germany, and the city of Wismar in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is set to become the first city in Vodafone’s mobile network in Germany to be fully equipped with Open RAN.

Samsung and Vodafone are also using the Samsung CognitiV Network Operations Suite (NOS) as an AI-driven automation solution for managing software-defined networks at scale. Everth Flores, Vice President and Head of Samsung Networks Europe, stated that this software-based and cloud-native approach will pave the way for 6G-ready infrastructure.

Strengthening Indonesia’s Technology Sovereignty with the Arm Compute Platform

According to newsroom.arm.com, Arm and Danantara Indonesia have signed a new strategic partnership agreement aimed at developing local innovation in AI and semiconductor through the Arm Total Access program. The agreement was signed at a ceremony attended by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Arm CEO Rene Haas on Monday, February 23, in London.

According to the report, Danantara Indonesia is the sovereign investment entity of the Republic of Indonesia, managing over 1,000 state-owned enterprises and affiliated entities across strategic sectors nationwide. Under this partnership, Danantara Indonesia will benefit from Arm’s high-performance and energy-efficient compute platform.

This collaboration also includes comprehensive training programs for Indonesia’s future workforce to equip engineers, developers, and innovators with the skills needed to design and optimize next-generation solutions. The ultimate goal is to strengthen Indonesia’s AI compute sovereignty and empower the country to locally build, deploy, and scale AI capabilities.

Conclusion

Cybersecurity remains at the center of global attention—from CrowdStrike receiving the UK CIR certification to the identification of the Silver Dragon espionage campaign linked to China targeting governments in Asia and Europe. In the technology infrastructure domain, Samsung and Vodafone’s validation of the Intel Xeon 6 SoC chipset in Europe and Arm’s partnership with Danantara Indonesia demonstrate countries’ efforts to develop next-generation networks and local technology sovereignty. Additionally, Google has strengthened its AI-driven advertising approach on YouTube and CTV with the global rollout of VRC non-skippable ads.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of the NCSC CIR certification that CrowdStrike received?

This standard is a UK government framework that helps organizations identify cyber incident response providers with the necessary capability and technical competence to manage serious cyber incidents.

What methods does the Silver Dragon espionage campaign use for infiltration?

According to the Check Point Research report, this group uses two primary methods: exploitation of publicly accessible servers and targeted phishing campaigns. For persistence, it also hijacks and repurposes legitimate Windows services.

What networks does the Intel Xeon 6 SoC chipset tested by Samsung and Vodafone support?

This chipset is optimized for vRAN software and supports 2G, 4G, and 5G networks on a single server, enabling Vodafone to reduce costs and energy consumption.

📚 Sources

• 🔗 crowdstrike.com: CrowdStrike Achieves NCSC CIR Assurance for Incident Response…
• 🔗 blog.google: VRC Non-Skip ads are now generally available, allowing brands to reach…
• 🔗 blog.checkpoint.com: Silver Dragon: China Nexus Cyber Espionage Group Targeting Governments…
• 🔗 news.samsung.com: Samsung and Vodafone Drive the Future of AI-Native Networks Across Eur…
• 🔗 newsroom.arm.com: Arm compute platform strengthens Indonesia’s technology sovereignty…